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Encyclopedia  of  Pennsylvania 

BIOGRAPHY 


BY 

JOHN  W.  JORDAN,  l,L.D. 


Librarian  Historical  Society  of  Pennsylvania,  Philadelphia ;  Author  of  "Colonial  Families 

of  Philadelphia;"  "Revolutionary  History  of  Bethlehem," 

and  various  other  works. 


ILLUSTRATED 


VOLUME   V 


NEW  YORK 

LEWIS  HISTORICAL  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

1915 


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BIOGRAPHICAL 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


SUTTON,  Richard  Bishop, 

Man  of  Affairs,  Model  Citizen. 

Not  always  do  we  find  the  distinctions 
of  birth  and  breeding  combined  with  the 
essential  characteristics  of  the  successful 
business  man,  but  in  the  personality  and 
career  of  the  late  Richard  Bishop  Sutton 
this  comparatively  rare  union  of  qualities 
was  strikingly  exemplified.  Mr.  Sutton, 
who  was  for  many  years  connected  with 
the  Adams  Express  Company  in  Pitts- 
burgh and  figured  conspicuously  in  the 
business  circles  of  the  city,  was  a  repre- 
sentative of  a  family  of  ancient  origin  and 
financial  and  social  prominence.  The  Sut- 
tons  have  been,  from  a  remote  period, 
seated  in  many  parts  of  England  and  have 
formed  matrimonial  alliances  with  a  num- 
ber of  the  old  English  families.  The  Sut- 
ton escutcheon  is:  Arms — Gules,  on  a 
mount  in  base  vert  a  tower  or,  thereon  a 
stork  argent  in  chief  two  anchors  erect  of 
the  third.  Crest — A  mount  vert,  thereon 
a  stork  proper  charged  on  the  breast  with 
a  cross  patee  gules,  the  dexter  claw  sup- 
porting a  rose  of  the  last  surmounted  of 
another  argent.     Motto — "Live  to  live." 

George  Sutton,  the  first  of  the  family 
to  emigrate  to  the  United  States,  was 
born  in  England,  and  more  than  a  cen- 
tury since  settled  in  Pittsburgh,  becom- 
ing a  man  of  prominence  in  the  early  de- 
velopment of  the  city.  His  naturally  fine 
abilities  had  been  cultivated  and  matured 
by  the  advantages  of  a  liberal  education 
and  he  was  possessed  of  wealth  which 
rendered  it  unnecessary  for  him  to  en- 
gage in  business.  In  1810  he  was  instru- 
mental to  a  great  degree  in  founding  the 
Bank  of  Pittsburgh,  and  in  1812  and  1819 
served  as  one  of  its  directors,  and  his 
name  stands  in  the  history  of  the  city  as 


that  of  one  of  the  men  of  that  period  who 
are  entitled  to  special  honor,  not  only  for 
zeal,  fidelity  and  ability  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  bank,  but  for  the  important 
public  benefits  which  were  the  direct  re- 
sult of  their  thought  and  enterprise.  In 
politics  Mr.  Sutton  was  a  Whig,  and  as 
a  vigilant  observer  of  men  and  events  his 
fellow  citizens  attached  much  importance 
to  his  views  on  questions  of  local  conse- 
quence and  national  moment.  He  mar- 
ried Esther  Dunseath,  and  their  chil- 
dren were :  Harriet,  married  Samuel  Ed- 
gar; Alfred,  mentioned  below;  William, 
George,  and  David ;  all  the  sons  are  de- 
ceased. David  was  a  prominent  business 
man  of  Pittsburgh.  Two  grandchildren 
of  Mrs.  Edgar.  George  Edgar  and  Miss 
Kate  Edgar,  are  now  living  at  Ben  Avon, 
Pennsylvania.  The  residence  of  George 
Sutton  was  on  Water  street,  which  then 
formed  part  of  a  beautiful  and  aristocratic 
neighborhood.  The  death  of  this  gifted 
man  and  sterling  citizen  was  mourned  by 
the  entire  community.  He  was  a  true  and 
perfect  gentleman  and  a  man  of  a  most 
genial  and  benevolent  disposition. 

Alfred,  son  of  George  and  Esther  (Dun- 
seath) Sutton,  was  born  in  1804.  and  re- 
ceived a  liberal  education.  Like  his  father, 
he  never  engaged  in  business  but  de- 
voted much  of  his  time  to  looking  after 
his  various  interests.  Like  his  father, 
also,  he  was  active  in  all  that  made  for 
the  advancement  of  Pittsburgh,  consent- 
ing to  serve  in  different  public  offices, 
among  them  that  of  prothonotary  of  the 
court,  a  position  which  he  held  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  He  was  the  owner  of 
much  real  estate  in  and  near  Pittsburgh, 
and  at  one  time  was  editor  of  the  "Pitts- 
burgh Times."     Widely  known  as  a  suc- 

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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


cessful  man  of  aiifairs,  he  possessed  an 
ease  and  simplicity  of  manner  which  did 
not  at  once  suggest  the  strength  and 
tenacity  of  purpose  with  which  all  who 
knew  him  were  familiar.  Mr.  Sutton  mar- 
ried Ann  Bishop  whose  family  record  is 
appended  to  this  sketch  and  the  follow- 
ing children  were  born  to  them:  Harriet, 
married  Louis  Bloor,  and  has  a  daughter, 
Mrs.  Theodosia  Bingham,  of  Conneaut, 
Ohio;  Theodosia,  died  young;  Anna 
Maria,  married  Samuel  Garrison,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, now  deceased,  and  died  in  191 1, 
leaving,  among  other  children,  Samuel, 
president  of  the  Expanded  Metal  Fire 
Proofing  Company,  of  Pittsburgh ;  and 
Richard  Bishop,  mentioned  below.  At 
the  comparatively  early  age  of  forty-one 
Mr.  Sutton  passed  away,  in  1845,  his 
death  depriving  Pittsburgh  of  one  of  her 
most  influential  and  public-spirited  citi- 
zens, one  whose  acts  of  charity  were 
many  and  who  never  refused  the  aid  and 
support  of  his  influence  and  means  to  any 
movement  which,  in  his  judgment,  medi- 
tated the  relief  and  uplifting  of  sufifering 
humanity. 

Richard  Bishop  Sutton,  son  of  Alfred 
and  Ann  (Bishop)  Sutton,  was  born  May 
27,  1830,  in  Pittsburgh,  and  was  educated 
in  private  schools  and  under  private 
tutors.  He  early  entered  the  arena  of 
business,  departing  in  this  one  respect 
from  the  traditions  of  his  family,  and 
Pittsburgh  had  reason  to  congratulate 
herself  that  he  did  so,  for  his  executive 
ability  and  his  capacity  for  judging  the 
motives  and  merits  of  men  rendered  him 
a  power  and  a  power  for  good  in  the 
world  of  affairs.  For  many  years  he  was 
connected  with  the  Adams  Express  Com- 
pany. 

As  a  citizen,  Mr.  Sutton  stood  in  the 
front  rank,  always  the  exponent  and  ad- 
vocate of  exalted  ideals  of  good  govern- 
ment and  civic  virtue.  Politically  he  was 
a  Republican,  but  steadily  refused  to  be- 


come a  candidate  for  ofifice.  A  number  of 
the  benevolent  and  philanthropic  institu- 
tions of  the  city  received  the  assistance 
and  encouragement  of  his  wealth  and  his 
personal  cooperation,  and  no  one  in  dis- 
tress appealed  to  him  in  vain,  but  the 
number  of  this  class  of  his  benefactions 
was  known  only  to  the  recipients.  He 
affiliated  with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Thirty-ninth  Street 
Presbyterian  Church. 

With  vigorous  intellectual  endowments 
and  business  capacity  of  a  high  order,  Mr. 
Sutton  combined  generous  impulses  and 
a  sense  of  honor  which  recalled  the  age 
of  chivalry.  It  was  literally  true  of  him 
that  "his  word  was  as  good  as  his  bond." 
His  tall  stature,  florid  complexion  and 
blue  eyes  proclaimed  his  Saxon  origin 
and  his  whole  countenance  bore  the  im- 
print of  his  dominant  characteristics,  re- 
flecting, moreover,  the  sunny  and  cheer- 
ful disposition  which  made  him  the  de- 
light of  his  home  circle  and  surrounded 
him  with  devoted  friends.  He  was,  in- 
deed, a  man  nobly  planned,  ardent  and 
loyal  in  his  attachments,  and  in  his  whole 
character  and  career  exemplifying  the 
motto  of  his  ancient  race — "Live  to  live." 

Mr.  Sutton  married,  November  4,  1859, 
Amanda,  born  October  5,  1836,  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Covert)  Wilgus, 
the  former  a  farmer  of  Brannonsville, 
Pennsylvania.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sutton  were 
the  parents  of  two  daughters:  Harriet 
Bloor,  who  died  in  childhood ;  and  Anna, 
who  became  the  wife  of  the  late  Louis  D. 
Leech,  of  Pittsburgh.  Mrs.  Leech  still 
resides  in  her  native  city,  occupying  a 
prominent  position  in  its  social  world  and 
taking  an  active  part  in  its  philanthropic 
work.  Possessing  many  social  graces, 
she  is  also  a  woman  of  character  and  cul- 
ture, finding  much  enjoyment  in  travel 
both  in  this  country  and  abroad.  Mrs. 
Sutton  was  an  ideal  helpmate  for  her  hus- 
band, being  one  of  those  rare  women  who 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


combine  with  perfect  womanliness  and 
domesticity  an  unerring  judgment  and  a 
breadth  of  view  seldom  found  even 
among  the  cultured  of  her  sex.  Mr.  Sut- 
ton was  essentially  a  home-lover,  never 
so  happy  as  at  his  own  fireside  surround- 
ed by  the  members  of  his  household.  His 
wife  survived  him  many  years,  passing 
away  December  14,  1908.  Throughout 
her  long  and  beautiful  widowhood  she 
continued  to  engage  in  the  works  of  char- 
ity in  which  she  and  her  husband  had 
been  so  long  united. 

In  the  prime  of  life  and  before  advanc- 
ing years  had  in  the  slightest  degree 
diminished  his  remarkable  powers,  Mr. 
Sutton  closed  his  honorable  and  benefi- 
cent career,  breathing  his  last  on  January 
29,  1886.  All  classes  of  his  fellow  citizens 
united  in  mourning  the  loss  of  one  who 
had  long  presented  to  the  community  an 
example  of  every  public  and  private  vir- 
tue, who  was  loved  by  many  and  re- 
spected by  all. 

It  is  a  distinct  gain  to  any  community 
to  be  able  to  number  among  her  citizens 
men  of  noble  traditions,  a  high  order  of 
talent,  aggressive  public  spirit  and  un- 
blemished personal  character.  A  man  of 
this  type  was  Richard  Bishop  Sutton  and 
Pittsburgh  holds  his  memory  in  gratitude 
and  honor. 

(The   Bishop   Line). 

Richard  Bishop,  father  of  Mrs.  Ann 
(Bishop)  Sutton,  was  born  in  England, 
and  in  1810  came  to  the  United  States, 
making  the  voyage  on  a  sailing  vessel  and 
spending  three  months  on  the  ocean.  His 
brother,  Thomas  Bishop,  came  to  this 
country,  settling  in  Indianapolis,  Indiana. 
Richard  Bishop  was  a  man  of  wealth  and 
culture,  owning  a  large  estate,  "Mount 
Albion,"  near  Sharpsburg,  Pennsylvania. 
His  land  joined  "Picnic,"  the  estate  of 
the  late  William  Croghan,  Jr.,  father  of 
Mrs.  Mary  Schenley,  now  deceased. 
Mount  Albion  School  is  named  after  the 


estate  of  Mr.  Bishop.  He  married  Sarah 
Turner  and  the  following  children  were 
born  to  them :  Ann,  mentioned  below ; 
Sarah  ;  Mary  ;  Susan  ;  John  ;  William  ; 
Elizabeth  ;  and   Hannah. 

Ann,  daughter  of  Richard  and  Sarah 
(Turner)  Bishop,  became  the  wife  of  Al- 
fred Sutton,  as  stated  above. 


ROWAND,  Archibald  Hamilton,  Jr.. 

Famous  Civil  War  Scout,  Lawryer. 

Now  and  then  we  meet  with  a  name 
which  flashes  before  us  a  momentary 
glimpse  of  a  strong  personality  and  a 
brilliant  historical  episode,  and  seems  to 
lift  us,  for  a  brief  instant,  out  of  the 
routine  of  every-day  life  to  a  pure  atmos- 
phere and  a  heroic  plane.  One  of  these 
names  to  conjure  with  is  that  of  the  late 
Archibald  Hamilton  Rowand,  Jr.,  for 
many  years  an  honored  member  of  the 
Pittsburgh  bar,  and  in  his  youth  one  of 
the  thirty  famous  scouts  who  personally 
served  under  Major-General  Philip  H. 
Sheridan  during  the  great  crisis  of  the 
Civil  War. 

(I)  Alexander  Rowand,  founder  of  the 
American  branch  of  the  family,  came 
from  the  neighborhood  of  Paisley.  Lan- 
arkshire, Scotland,  and  settled  in  the 
province  of  Pennsylvania,  making  his 
home  in  Philadelphia. 

(II)  John,  son  of  Alexander  Rowand, 
belonged  to  the  New  Jersey  militia,  and 
was  on  the  list  of  those  proscribed  as 
destined  to  be  "the  first  objects  to  feed 
the  vengeance  of  the  British  nation  if 
they  did  not  promptly  lay  down  their 
arms  and  depart  to  their  several  homes." 
John  Rowand  married  Sarah  Matlack. 
whose  father,  John  Matlack,  came  over  in 
the  "Griffith,"  and  landed  at  Salem,  New 
Jersey,  in  1675.  Both  the  Rowands  and 
Matlacks  belonged  to  the  Society  of 
Friends,  but  this  did  not  prevent  certain 
members  of  both  families  from  taking 
part  in  the  struggle  for  independence  and 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  War  of  1812,  and  an  outline  of  the 
career  of  Colonel  Timothy  Matlack  is  ap- 
pended to  this  biography. 

(III)  John  (2),  son  of  John  (i)  and 
Sarah  (Matlack)  Rowand,  married  Fran- 
ces Linville. 

(IV)  Thomas,  son  of  John  (2)  and 
Frances  (Linville)  Rowand,  married  Eliz- 
abeth Sharp. 

(V)  Archibald  Hamilton,  son  of  Thomas 
and  Elizabeth  (Sharp)  Rowand,  was  born 
January  18,  1820,  in  Camden,  New  Jer- 
sey, and  was  destined  by  his  parents  for 
the  United  States  navy,  but  notice  of  his 
appointment  having  been,  as  he  felt,  un- 
necessarily delayed,  he  begged  to  be  ap- 
prenticed to  the  firm  of  Gaskill  &  Cooper, 
printers  and  bookbinders,  of  Philadelphia. 
His  parents  very  reluctantly  consented, 
and  the  notice  of  his  appointment  to  the 
navy,  which  had  to  be  declined,  was  re- 
ceived a  few  weeks  too  late.  On  the  com- 
pletion of  his  apprenticeship  Mr.  Rowand 
founded  a  bookbindery  in  Philadelphia, 
which  in  1847  was  destroyed  by  fire.  In 
June  of  that  year  he  migrated  to  Green- 
ville, South  Carolina,  where  a  very  favor- 
able opening  presented  itself,  but  the 
political  atmosphere  proved  extremely 
uncongenial.  Having  had  several  seri- 
ous encounters  with  some  of  the  South- 
ern hotheads,  one  of  which  culminated 
in  a  challenge,  Mr.  Rowand  provided  him- 
self with  a  pair  of  duelling  pistols  and, 
ere  the  day  appointed  for  the  meeting, 
had  become  so  expert  that  the  challenge 
was  recalled,  he  and  his  adversary  becom- 
ing in  after  years  the  warmest  of  friends. 
The  pistols  are  now  among  the  valued 
heirlooms  of  the  family.  In  January, 
1854,  Mr.  Rowand  returned  to  Philadel- 
phia, but  soon  decided  to  remove  to  Pitts- 
burgh, having  learned  that  a  master 
binder  was  badly  needed  in  that  city. 
His  reputation  spread  rapidly  and  orders 
for  fine  work  came  from  all  parts  of  the 
South    and    even    from    San    Francisco. 


While  in  Greenville  Mr.  Rowand  organ- 
ized Mountain  City  Lodge,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  later  becoming 
noble  grand,  and  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  Masonic  lodge  of  which  he 
subsequently  became  master.  Mr.  Row- 
and married  Catherine  Parkhill,  daughter 
of  George  Washington  Greer,  of  Philadel- 
phia, and  their  son,  Archibald  Hamilton, 
is  mentioned  below.  The  death  of  Mr. 
Rowand  occurred  November  20,  1891,  in 
Allegheny,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  an 
able,  brave  and  high-minded  man,  in 
whose  character  we  discern  the  same 
traits  v^'hich  developed  so  magnificently 
in  the  career  of  his  distinguished  son. 

(\M)  Archibald  Hamilton  (2),  son  of 
Archibald  Hamilton  (i)  and  Catherine 
Parkhill  (Greer)  Rowand,  was  born 
March  6,  1845,  i"  Philadelphia,  and  re- 
ceived his  earliest  education  in  private 
schools  of  Greenville,  South  Carolina,  and 
Philadelphia,  some  of  those  which  he  at- 
tended in  his  native  city  being  conducted 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Society  of 
Friends.  Later  he  studied  at  the  Fourth 
ward  public  schools,  and  at  a  private 
academy  in  Allegheny  presided  over  by 
Professor  William  Wakeman. 

The  business  career  of  Mr.  Rowand  be- 
gan in  1859,  in  the  auditor's  office  of  the 
Pittsburgh,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  Rail- 
road Company,  and  was  of  short  dura- 
tion. When  Fort  Sumter  was  fired  upon, 
the  youth  had  but  just  passed  his  six- 
teenth birthday,  but  on  July  17,  1862,  in 
Wheeling,  West  Virginia,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  K,  First  Regiment  West  Vir- 
ginia Cavalry,  recruited  and  commanded 
by  his  uncle,  Thomas  Weston  Rowand. 
He  first  offered  himself  for  enlistment  at 
Pittsburgh,  but,  being  under  the  required 
age,  his  application  was  refused.  His 
company  was  made  General  INIilroy's 
bodyguard,  and  in  September,  1862,  on 
Cheat  Mountain,  Virginia,  a  call  was  sent 
out  for  five  volunteers  for  special  hazard- 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ous  duty.  Among  those  who  responded 
was  Private  Rowand,  his  motive  being, 
as  he  stated  years  afterward,  a  strong 
desire  to  find  out  in  what  that  kind  of 
duty  consisted.  Boyish  as  this  may  ap- 
pear, he  soon  gave  remarkable  evidence 
of  soldierly  qualities,  making  for  himself 
a  record  almost  unrivalled  in  scouting 
annals.  These  five  volunteers  were  the 
first  scouts  to  don  the  Confederate  uni- 
form, and  were  known  as  the  "Jessie" 
scouts,  for  the  reason  that  at  Milroy's 
headquarters  they  met  Clayton,  an  old 
"Jessie"  scout  who  had  been  with  Fre- 
mont in  the  west,  and  took  a  great  inter- 
est in  the  boy  scouts,  giving  them  in- 
structions which  on  more  than  one  occa- 
sion saved  Rowand's  life.  He  was  the 
only  scout  in  the  Union  army  who  served 
at  headquarters  under  eight  major-gen- 
erals— Milroy,  Averill,  Hunter,  Custer, 
Kelly,  Hancock,  Meade  and  Sheridan. 
The  first  time  Rowand  was  detailed  on 
scout  duty  his  two  companions  were  shot 
and  killed;  on  his  next  trip  his  comrade 
and  his  own  horse  were  killed  when  they 
were  eighteen  miles  inside  the  Confed- 
erate lines,  but  Rowand  managed  to 
dodge  the  enemy's  bullets  and  get  back 
alive. 

In  addition  to  his  valuable  services  as 
a  scout,  Rowand  was  present  at  many 
battles,  including  Winchester,  under  Mil- 
roy, and  Gettysburg  under  Meade.  He 
was  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley  under 
Hunter  and  Averill,  and  again  at  Win- 
chester, under  Sheridan,  also  serving 
with  that  great  general  at  Dinwiddle 
Court  House,  Five  Forks,  Sailor's  Creek, 
Fisher's  Hill,  Cedar  Creek,  Waynesburg 
and  Appomattox. 

Among  the  many  other  notable  inci- 
dents of  Rowand's  career  is  that  of  his 
giving  his  horse  to  General  Milroy  at  the 
battle  of  Winchester,  riding  the  general's 
wounded  horse  ofif  the  field,  finding  his 
orderly   in    the   woods,   getting    Milroy's 


celebrated  white  horse,  making  a  dash 
across  the  battlefield  under  fire,  and  again 
exchanging  horses  with  his  commander. 
On  July  22,  1863,  Rowand  was  on  duty 
with  twelve  men  at  General  Custer's 
headquarters,  at  Upperville,  Virginia,  and 
at  nine  o'clock  at  night  was  sent  for  by 
the  adjutant-general,  who  ordered  him  to 
quickly  establish  a  line  of  messengers 
from  headquarters  to  Asbury's  corps,  a 
distance  of  twelve  miles,  and  then  another 
from  headquarters  to  General  Pleasan- 
ton's  headquarters  at  Uniontown,  some 
seven  miles  from  Upperville,  making  an 
entire  distance  of  nineteen  miles.  Row- 
and had  never  but  once  been  in  this 
region  (in  the  fight  at  Piedmont  Station), 
there  were  a  number  of  cross  roads  and 
the  night  was  very  dark,  but  early  the 
next  morning  he  reported  at  headquarters 
that  the  line  of  couriers  was  complete. 
On  June  12,  1864.  while  on  the  Lynch- 
burg raid,  four  of  the  scouts  were  ordered 
to  go  through  Breckinridge's  line  and 
bring  General  Duffie  back  from  a  raid  he 
had  been  ordered  on  with  his  brigade  of 
cavalry ;  they  were  not  informed  that 
General  Hunter's  scouts  had  tried  to  get 
through  Breckinridge's  lines  and  failed. 
Two  of  the  scouts  were  Rowand  and 
Townsend,  and,  rather  carelessly,  they 
went  into  a  house  in  which  they  saw  a 
light,  to  get  something  to  eat.  This  was 
about  ten  o'clock  at  night,  and  the  other 
two  men  were  left  on  guard.  Rowand 
and  Townsend  came  out  to  find  that  their 
companions  had  disappeared,  and  to  find 
themselves  facing  the  muzzles  of  a  dozen 
guns  under  the  command  of  Captain  E. 
Lee  Hofifman,  of  Hampton's  Legion.  As 
the  guns  were  not  over  ten  feet  from 
them,  they  were  obliged  to  throw  up  their 
hands.  Rowand  asked  them  if  they  were 
Yanks,  and  on  their  replying,  "No,"  said, 
"All  right,  then  I'll  surrender."  Rowand 
and  his  companion,  dressed  in  Confed- 
erate uniforms,  were  taken  into  the  house, 


1461 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  convinced  Captain  Hoffman  that  they 
were  couriers  from  General  McCausland 
with  verbal  dispatches  to  General  Breck- 
inridge. The  result  was  that  Captain 
Hoffman  intrusted  them  with  a  dispatch 
to  deliver  to  General  Breckinridge  at 
Rock  Fish  Gap.  This  dispatch  Rowand 
and  his  companion  delivered  the  next 
morning  to  General  Az'erill. 

On  the  7th  of  August,  1864,  General 
Sheridan  came  into  the  Valley,  and  on 
the  14th  day  of  the  same  month,  hearing 
of  Rowand  and  his  experience  as  a  scout, 
he  sent  for  him.  From  that  time  until 
the  surrender  at  Appomattox,  Rowand 
remained  with  him,  participating  in  every 
battle  in  which  the  "Hero  of  Winchester" 
commanded. 

While  with  Sheridan,  Rowand  was 
ordered  to  trace  the  notorious  partisan 
leader,  Major  Harry  Gilmore,  and,  if  pos- 
sible, effect  his  capture.  After  several 
days'  hard  work  he  found  Gilmore  stop- 
ping at  a  large  country  house  near  Moor- 
field,  West  Virginia.  This  he  reported 
to  Sheridan,  who  sent  with  him  about  fif- 
teen scouts  under  Colonel  Young.  They 
were  dressed  in  Confederate  uniforms, 
and  were  followed  by  three  hundred  Fed- 
eral cavalry  at  a  distance  of  several  miles, 
to  be  of  assistance  in  case  the  true  char- 
acter of  the  scouts  were  discovered. 
About  daybreak  they  arrived  near  Gil- 
more's  command,  and  Rowand,  going  for- 
ward alone,  captured  the  vidette  without 
the  firing  of  a  shot.  The  scouts  then  en- 
tered the  house,  took  Gilmore  out  of  bed 
and  conveyed  him  to  General  Sheridan's 
headquarters. 

Of  all  Rowand's  exploits  the  most  nota- 
ble was  his  carrying,  in  company  with 
James  A.  Campbell,  important  dispatches 
from  Sheridan  to  Grant,  covering  the  dis- 
tance between  Columbia,  West  Virginia, 
and  City  Point,  in  the  winter  of  1864-65. 
Sheridan  had  been  ordered  to  pass  around 
to   the   west   of   Richmond   and   effect   a 


junction  with  Sherman  in  North  Caro- 
lina, but  owing  to  heavy  rains  and  swol- 
len streams  had  been  delayed  until  the 
Confederates  had  had  time  to  throw  a 
strong  force  in  the  way  of  his  advance. 
It  was  necessary  to  inform  Grant  of  the 
state  of  affairs,  and  Rowand  and  Camp- 
bell undertook  to  perform  the  perilous 
journey.  Dressed  as  Confederates,  they 
entered  the  enemy's  lines  and  passed 
within  eight  miles  of  Richmond,  having 
held  a  conversation  with  Lee's  chief  of 
scouts,  and  gone  on  their  way  undetected. 
They  had  been  in  the  saddle  continuously 
for  forty-eight  hours,  and  were  within 
two  miles  of  the  Chickahominy  river 
when  some  Confederate  scouts  recog- 
nized them.  By  hard  riding  they  reached 
the  river  ahead  of  their  pursuers  and 
Rowand  plunged  in,  seizing  a  skiff  which 
was  floating  in  the  stream.  Abandoning 
their  horses,  they  reached  the  other  side 
of  the  river  just  as  the  Confederates  came 
up,  and,  after  running  ten  miles,  arrived 
at  the  Union  lines.  But  here  a  new  diffi- 
culty confronted  them.  The  lieutenant 
in  charge  of  the  pickets  refused  to  believe 
that  they  were  Sheridan's  scouts,  but  they 
prevailed  upon  him  to  conduct  them  to 
the  colonel,  who  immediately  forwarded 
them  to  General  Grant's  headquarters. 
.  They  arrived  there  on  Sunday  evening, 
March  12,  1865,  ready  to  sink  to  the 
ground  from  exhaustion,  but  after  receiv- 
ing some  whiskey  they  gathered  strength 
enough  to  tell  their  story.  While  sitting 
at  Grant's  desk  waiting  for  him  to  come, 
they  both  fell  asleep  for  the  first  time  in 
over  two  days.  General  Grant  awakened 
Rowand  by  patting  him  on  the  shoulder 
and,  having  read  the  dispatch,  ordered 
that  every  attention  should  be  paid  them. 
On  April  3,  1865,  while  inside  the  Con- 
federate lines,  Rowand  noticed  a  Con- 
federate officer  coming  through  the 
woods,  and  directed  the  attention  of 
Major  Young,  chief  of  scouts,  to  the  ap- 


1462 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


proach  of  this  officer  and  his  men.  Major 
Young  went  to  the  next  house  to  get  Ser- 
geant McCabe  and  the  others,  and  Row- 
and  rode  into  the  woods  and  met  the  Con- 
federates. Noticing  that  one  was  a  major- 
general,  he  saluted  him  and  asked  his 
name.  The  reply  was,  "I  am  Barringer, 
of  the  North  Carolina  Brigade."  In  a 
short  time  Major  Young  returned  with 
McCabe  and  the  boys,  and  Rowand  intro- 
duced Young  as  Captain  Grandstafif,  of 
the  Seventeenth  Virginia  Cavalry.  After 
a  few  minutes"  further  talk  the  "scout 
signal"  was  given.  Sergeant  McCabe 
caught  the  bridle  rein  of  Barringer's 
horse,  and  Rowand  and  his  men  took  the 
general  and  staff  officer  and  two  orderlies 
into  camp  that  night.  The  next  day,  back 
once  more  in  the  enemy's  lines,  he  took 
Colonel  Chief,  who  was  next  in  command 
and  who,  having  heard  of  Barringer's 
capture,  was  on  his  way  to  take  his  place 
at  the  head  of  the  brigade.  A  few  days 
later  came  the  surrender  at  Appomattox, 
but  Sheridan  still  retained  Rowand  in  the 
government  service,  taking  him  south 
with  him,  and  keeping  him  in  the  "'Army 
of  Observation"  on  the  Rio  Grande  until 
the  French  were  driven  out  of  Mexico. 
On  August  17,  1865,  in  New  Orleans,  this 
bravest  of  all  the  brave  scouts  was  mus- 
tered out  at  his  own  urgent  request. 

These  months  of  service  in  the  Far 
South  were  the  cause  of  the  great  regret 
of  Rowand's  life,  so  often  and  so  feelingly 
expressed — that  he  had  missed  the  "Grand 
Review,"  that  supreme  climax  of  a  sol- 
dier's life,  but  duty  and  his  idolized  com- 
mander had  called  him  to  the  Rio  Grande. 
Not  many  years  later  came  the  crowning 
honor  of  his  brilliant  career.  On  the  per- 
sonal recommendation  of  General  Sheri- 
dan he  received  a  Congressional  Medal 
of  Honor  "for  gallant  and  meritorious 
service  as  a  scout  in  the  Army  of  the 
Shenandoah."  He  also  received  a  medal 
from  the  state  of  West  Virginia. 


On  his  return  from  the  front,  Mr.  Row- 
and resumed  his  position  in  the  auditor's 
office  of  the  Pittsburgh,  Fort  Wayne  & 
Chicago  railroad,  and  in  1867  became 
chief  accountant  in  the  auditor's  office  of 
the  Allegheny  Valley  railroad.  In  1878 
he  was  elected  clerk  of  the  courts  of  Alle- 
gheny county,  and  at  the  expiration  of 
his  term  was  reelected.  During  his  sec- 
ond term  he  registered  as  a  law  student, 
July  I,  1879,  and  studied  in  the  office  of 
Hon.  George  Shiras,  afterward  Justice 
Shiras,  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States.  On  January  10,  1885,  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  on  motion  of 
David  D.  Bruce.  During  the  remainder 
of  his  life  he  was  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  his  profession,  to  which  he  gave  his 
undivided  attention  and  in  which  he  took 
great  delight.  He  was  noted  for  search- 
ing out  facts  regarding  old  titles  and  the 
situation  of  abandoned  and  forgotten 
roads,  which  alTected  titles.  The  devo- 
tion of  Mr.  Rowand  as  a  soldier  was 
equalled  by  his  public  spirit  as  a  citizen. 
For  twenty-six  years  he  served  as  a 
school  director  of  the  borough  of  Verona, 
and  for  a  long  time  was  secretary  of  the 
board.  He  was  also  for  a  number  of 
years  a  member  of  the  borough  council. 

At  the  national  convention  of  the  Union 
Veteran  Legion,  held  in  1910.  at  Atlantic 
City,  New  Jersey,  Mr.  Rowand  was  ap- 
pointed chief  of  staff,  and  at  the  meeting 
held  in  September  of  the  following  year, 
in  Pittsburgh,  was  reappointed.  For  a 
number  of  years  he  was  colonel  com- 
manding the  Soldiers'  Civic  League  of 
Allegheny  county,  and  he  organized  and 
held  all  offices  in  the  Charles  R.  Bright 
Post,  No.  360.  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public, of  the  borough  of  Verona.  He 
was  first  worshipful  master  of  Verona 
Lodge,  No.  548,  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons, and  was  also  affiliated  with  Alle- 
gheny Commandery.  Knights  Templar; 
Manchester  Lodge,  No.  403 ;  Orion  Coun- 

463 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


cil,  No.  244,  Royal  Arcanum ;  and  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  also  the 
Heptasophs.  He  was  a  charter  member 
of  Pittsburgh  Lodge,  No.  11,  Benevolent 
Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  was  enroll- 
ed in  the  Junior  Order  of  American  Me- 
chanics. He  belonged  to  the  Loyal  Orange 
Institution  of  America,  the  Union  Vet- 
eran Legion,  the  Military  Order  Medal 
of  Honor  Legion,  and  the  Army  and 
Navy  Medal  of  Honor  Legion  of  the 
United  States  of  America.  He  was  cap- 
tain of  the  Duquesne  Greys,  and  belonged 
to  the  Republican  Tariff  Club  and  Rocky 
Reef  Fishing  Club. 

In  order  to  understand  the  character 
and  temperament  of  such  a  man  as  Archi- 
bald Hamilton  Rowand  it  is  necessary  to 
know  what  was  required  of  him  during 
the  most  momentous  period  of  his  life. 
The  duties  of  scouts  demanded  an  entire 
absence  of  fear,  coolness,  zeal,  intelli- 
gence, endurance  and  particularly  that 
seventh  or  inner  sense,  the  common  sense 
of  Aristotle,  an  unknown  endowment, 
being  that  inborn  sense  which  gives  one 
an  intuition  that  something  has,  or  is 
about  to  happen,  and  other  "special  facul- 
ties born  in  but  some  few  men,"  as  ex- 
pressed by  the  author  of  "Hampton's 
Cavalry."  All  these  gifts  of  Nature  Row- 
and had  in  a  rare  degree,  and  to  them  he 
owed  his  immunity  from  the  threatened 
death  and  disaster  ever  present  in  his 
dangerous  calling,  a  calling  which  his 
boldness  rendered  even  more  hazardous 
than  it  might  otherwise  have  been.  In 
some  cases  the  risks  he  ran  were  so  great 
that  he  had  difficulty  in  getting  a  partner 
to  share  them  and  he  was  widely  known 
as  "Dare-Devil  Rowand."  More  plainly 
than  on  the  printed  page  do  we  read  all 
this  in  the  face  of  this  noble  soldier  of  one 
of  the  greatest  wars  in  the  history  of  the 
world.  The  lofty  head  and  expansive 
forehead,  the  bold,  finely-cut  features,  ac- 
centuated by  a  grey  moutache,  and  the 


dark  eyes,  with  their  steady,  searching 
light,  are  all  those  of  a  born  leader  of 
men.  Readily  can  we  believe  that  such 
a  man,  as  the  saying  is,  "bore  a  charmed 
life."  Never  was  Rowand  wounded  by  a 
bullet,  and  while  eight  horses  were  shot 
under  him  he  was  only  twice  injured,  one 
of  them  falling  on  and  breaking  his  leg 
and  another  breaking  his  wrist.  At  Win- 
chester, under  ]\Iilroy,  he  was  shot 
through  the  clothes  and  hat,  and  in  cut- 
ting his  way  through  Longstreet's  and 
Elwell's  corps  the  man  on  his  right  and 
the  one  on  his  left  were  both  killed.  On 
April  23,  1863,  in  the  fight  at  Fisher's  Hill, 
John  Cashman,  directly  in  front  of  Row- 
and, was  mortally  wounded,  and  a  bullet 
from  a  crossfire  passed  through  Rowand's 
jacket,  killing  Charles  Green,  who  stood 
by  his  side.  But  while  Rowand's  counte- 
nance, open  and  manly,  speaks  predomi- 
nantly of  the  soldier,  it  tells  also  of  the 
warm-hearted,  great-souled  man,  ever 
ready,  when  convinced  of  his  error,  to 
acknowledge  himself  in  the  wrong,  the 
kind  neighbor,  the  loyal  friend,  the  gentle- 
man of  stainless  honor  and  valiant  fidel- 
ity. 

Mr.  Rowand  married,  October  17,  1867, 
in  Allegheny  City,  now  North  Side,  Pitts- 
burgh, Sarah  jMartha  Chandler,  born  No- 
vember 6.  1844.  daughter  of  Richard  C. 
and  Sarah  (Chandler)  Howard,  of  Alle- 
gheny City,  where  Mr.  Howard  was  en- 
gaged in  the  iron  and  steel  business.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Rowand  were  the  parents  of  the 
following  children :  Mary  Kate,  wife  of 
Osmond  L.  Eaton,  of  Connellsville,  Penn- 
sylvania, superintendent  of  the  Balti- 
more &  Ohio  railroad — two  children,  Mar- 
tha, and  Osmond  L.,  born  November  13, 
1904;  Harry  Hamilton,  whose  biography 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  work;  Archi- 
bald Sheridan,  of  Pittsburgh,  civil  engi- 
neer, married  Twila  Taylor:  Helen,  mar- 
ried Clarence  F.  Tiers,  chemical  manu- 
facturer of  Oakmont,   Pennsylvania,  and 


(464 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


died,  leaving  three  children  ;  John  R.,  born 
June  8,  1902;  Clarence,  born  March  ig, 
1909,  and  Sarah ;  and  Eliza  Jeannette. 
married  Delano  Charles  Thomas,  M.  D., 
of  Pittsburgh,  and  has  one  child,  Sarah 
Elizabeth.  Mr.  Rowand,  devoted  to  his 
home  and  family,  found  in  his  wife  a  true 
and  sympathizing  helpmate  and  his  death 
dissolved  a  happy  union  of  forty-six 
years.  Mrs.  Rowand,  in  her  widowhood, 
was  the  centre  of  a  large  circle  of  warmly 
attached  friends.  She  died  December  17, 
1914. 

On  December  15,  1913,  this  brave  sol- 
dier and  true-hearted  man  passed  away, 
leaving  a  noble  and  undying  memory. 
His  city  and  his  state  mourned  for  him, 
and  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of 
the  land  men  felt  that  a  hero  had  ceased 
from  earth.  In  contemplating  the  career 
of  Archibald  Hamilton  Rowand  we  pay 
to  the  able  lawyer  and  public-spirited  citi- 
zen the  willing  tribute  of  admiration  and 
respect,  but  instinctively  our  thought  re- 
cedes further  into  the  past  and  we  dis- 
cern the  form  of  the  gallant  young  sol- 
dier, wearing  on  his  breast  the  little 
bronze  star  and  the  two  words,  radiant 
with  the  light  of  immortality — "For 
Valor." 

(The  Matlack  Line). 

Timothy  Matlack,  great-granduncle  of 
Archibald  Hamilton  Rowand,  Jr.,  was 
born  in  1730,  at  Haddonfield,  New  Jersey, 
was  a  member  of  the  "General  Commit- 
tee of  Safety"  and  his  name  appears  often 
in  Christopher  Marshall's  diary  as  that  of 
one  of  the  most  active  spirits  of  1775  and 
1776.  He  became  a  colonel  in  the  Conti- 
nental army,  having  the  command  of  a 
battalion,  and  on  June  14,  1776,  was  elect- 
ed one  of  the  deputies  to  attend  a  con- 
ference of  which  Benjamin  Franklin, 
Thomas  McKean  and  other  notable  men 
of  the  day  were  members.  He  was  secre- 
tary to  the  Continental  Congress  for 
some  time  while  that  body  sat  in  the  city 


of  Philadelphia,  and  under  the  early  gov- 
ernment of  the  State  served  for  many 
years  as  master  of  the  rolls,  residing  at 
Lancaster.  Late  in  life  he  was  appointed 
prothonotary  of  one  of  the  courts  of  Phil- 
adelphia. His  descendants  now  have  in 
their  possession  a  silver  urn  presented 
to  Colonel  Matlack  by  "The  Committee 
of  Safety  of  the  City  of  Philadelphia,"  for 
his  patriotic  devotion  to  the  cause  of 
freedom  and  the  many  services  rendered 
by  him  during  the  entire  struggle,  and 
up  to  the  acknowledgment  of  the  Inde- 
pendence of  the  Colonies  by  Great  Britain 
in  the  Treaty  of  Peace,  Anno  Domini 
1783.  _ 

While  the  manners  and  ideas  of  Colo- 
nel Matlack  were  considered  somewhat 
eccentric,  his  patriotism  and  valor  were 
never  doubted.  He  was  one  of  the  found- 
ers of  the  Society  of  Free  Quakers,  or, 
as  they  were  commonly  called,  "Fighting 
Quakers."  When  he  first  wore  his  sword 
in  the  streets  of  Philadelphia  and  some 
of  his  friends  asked  the  reason,  he  re- 
plied that  it  was  to  defend  his  property 
and  his  liberty.  It  was  afterward  proved 
that  he  not  only  knew  how  to  wear  his 
sword,  but  to  use  it  to  good  efifect. 

Colonel  Matlack  lived  to  enter  his  hun- 
dredth year,  retaining  his  faculties  to  the 
last  in  a  remarkable  degree.  On  April 
15,  1829,  he  passed  away,  near  Holmes- 
burg,  Pennsylvania.  His  portrait  hangs 
in  Independence  Hall.  Can  we  not  dis- 
cern in  this  hero  of  the  Revolution  some 
of  the  traits  which  characterized  his 
collateral  soldier-descendant,  Archibald 
Hamilton  Rowand  Jr? 

ROWAND,  Harry  Hamilton, 

Lawyer,    Spanish-American    War    Veteran. 

Prominent  among  the  present-day  lead- 
ers of  the  Pittsburgh  bar  is  Harry  Ham- 
ilton Rowand,  former  First  Assistant  Dis- 
trict Attorney  of  Allegheny  county.  Mr. 
Rowand  has  so  far  resided  continuously 


1465 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  his  native  city  with  the  exception  of 
the  period  of  the  Spanish-American  War, 
when  he  added  to  his  successful  career  at 
the  bar  an  honorable  military  record. 

Harry  Hamilton  Rowand  was  born 
April  8,  1 87 1,  in  Verona,  Alleg-heny  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  son  of  Archibald  Ham- 
ilton and  Sarah  Martha  Chandler  (How- 
ard) Rowand.  Archibald  Hamilton  Row- 
and, junior,  as  he  was  always  known, 
died  more  than  a  year  ago  and  his  biog- 
raphy, with  ancestral  record,  appears  in 
this  work.  Harry  Hamilton  Rowand 
received  his  preliminary  education  in  the 
schools  of  Verona,  passing  thence  to  the 
Western  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
(now  the  University  of  Pittsburgh),  and 
then  entering  Washington  and  Jefferson 
College  from  which  institution  he  grad- 
uated, in  1892,  with  the  degree  of  Bach- 
elor of  Arts. 

Choosing  to  devote  himself  to  the  pro- 
fession of  the  law,  he  pursued  his  studies 
under  the  guidance  of  his  father  and  in 
1894  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Alle- 
gheny county.  He  was  then  taken  into 
partnership  by  his  father  and  the  two 
practiced  together  until  the  connection 
was  dissolved  by  the  death  of  the  senior 
member  of  the  firm.  Since  then  Mr.  Row- 
and has  practiced  alone.  From  the  out- 
let of  his  career  he  gave  abundant  evi- 
dence that  he  had  made  no  mistake  in  the 
choice  of  a  profession,  rising  steadily  into 
well  deserved  prominence  by  force  of  in- 
nate ability,  thorough  equipment  and  in- 
tense and  unwearied  application. 

In  1896  Mr.  Rowand  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany H,  Eighteenth  Regiment.  National 
Guard  of  Pennsylvania,  and  rose  to  the 
rank  of  second  lieutenant.  At  the  out- 
break of  the  Spanish-American  War  he 
volunteered  and  served  with  credit 
throughout  that  conflict,  as  first  lieuten- 
ant of  Company  D,  Eighteenth  Regiment. 
Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry. 

On  his  return  home  Mr.   Rowand  re- 


sumed the  practice  of  his  profession,  prac- 
ticing generally  in  the  courts  of  Alle- 
gheny county,  Superior  and  Supreme 
Courts  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania, 
Circuit,  District  and  Courts  of  Appeal  of 
the  United  States.  In  1906  he  was  ap- 
pointed Assistant  District  Attorney 
under  Harry  M.  Goehring.  and  upon  the 
death  of  Mr.  Goehring  and  appointment 
of  William  A.  Blakeley,  Mr.  Rowand  was 
retained  in  the  office,  was  made  first  as- 
sistant under  Mr.  Blakeley,  serving  in  the 
office  of  the  District  Attorney  of  Alle- 
gheny county  for  a  period  of  seven  years, 
taking  part  in  the  leading  criminal  cases 
during  that  period;  some  of  the  most 
noted  cases  during  that  period  were  the 
Councilmanic  graft  cases  of  the  city  of 
Pittsburgh. 

Politically  Mr.  Rowand  has  always 
been  a  Republican.  For  one  term  he 
served  as  councilman  of  the  borough  of 
Verona,  a  suburb  of  the  city  of  Pitts- 
burgh, afterwards  becoming  the  borough 
solicitor,  in  which  capacity  he  served  for 
a  period  of  six  years,  resigning  therefrom 
upon  his  assuming  the  office  of  Assistant 
District  Attorney  of  Allegheny  county. 
At  present  he  is  borough  solicitor  of  the 
borough  of  Oakmont,  also  a  suburb  of 
the  city  of  Pittsburgh,  his  present  home. 

He  is  a  contributor  to  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  of  Pitts- 
burgh, a  member  of  the  Captain  Alfred 
Hunt  Camp,  Spanish-American  War  Vet- 
erans ;  the  Davis  Camp,  Sons  of  Vet- 
erans, and  the  Military  Order  of  the 
Medal  of  Honor  Legion  ;  he  is  a  thirty- 
second  degree  Mason,  affiliated  with 
Verona  Lodge,  No.  548,  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons,  of  Verona,  and  Pitts- 
burgh Consistory;  lona  Lodge,  No.  141, 
Knights  of  Pythias ;  the  Oakmont  Lodge, 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows; 
Pittsburgh  Lodge,  No.  11,  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks ;  the  Pitts- 
burgh  Press  Club,  Oakmont  Boat  Club. 


1466 


^^.SsS.^i'as,''^  'S-Bn  «a^ 


/f^y^ 


^^—^  ^&i„m,rj'^.  iv. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  Oakmont. 

In  Mr.  Rowand's  personality  the  ag- 
gressiveness essential  to  success  in  any 
calling  is  combined  with  the  coolnesb, 
foresight  and  administrative  ability  which 
invariably  characterize  the  true  lawyer. 
That  these  are  also  qualities  which  go  to 
the  making  of  the  typical  soldier  Mr. 
Rowand  has  fully  demonstrated.  Genial 
and  companionable,  he  wins  friends  both 
in  and  out  of  his  profession.  His  counte- 
nance and  bearing  show  him  to  be  what 
he  is — forceful,  upright  and  warm-heart- 
ed, commanding  the  highest  respect  and 
inspiring  the  most  cordial  regard  of  all 
with  whom  he  is  brought  in  contact. 

Mr.  Rowand  married,  August  lo,  1898, 
Florence  Kier,  whose  ancestral  record 
is  appended  to  this  biography,  and  they 
are  the  parents  of  one  child,  Helen  Row- 
iind.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rowand  are  thor- 
oughly domestic  in  taste  and  feeling  and 
"given  to  hospitality,"  Mrs.  Rowand  be- 
ing one  of  Oakmont's  charming  hostesses. 

The  name  of  Rowand  has  been,  for 
half  a  century,  illustrious  in  military  an- 
nals, and  the  professional  eminence  at- 
tained by  Harry  Hamilton  Rowand  has 
been  combined  with  adherence  to  the 
family  tradition,  tie  belongs  to  a  class 
distinguished  both  in  peace  and  war — 
the  soldier-lawyers  of  Pittsburgh. 

(The  Kier  Line). 

Thomas  Kier,  great-grandfather  of 
Mrs.  Florence  (Kier)  Rowand,  was  one 
of  Pennsylvania's  pioneer  salt  manufac- 
turers. 

(II)  Samuel  M..  son  of  Thomas  Kier, 
was  born  in  1813,  in  Indiana  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  was  one  of  the  early 
oil  operators  of  the  Keystone  State.  He 
married  Nancy  Eicher  (see  Eicher)  line, 
and  his  death  occurred  October  6,   1874. 

(III)  Harry  E.,  son  of  Samuel  M.  and 
Nancy  (Eicher)  Kier,  was  of  Pittsburgh 


and    married    Georgia    Doak.      Mr.    Kier 
died  March  2,  1904. 

(IV)  Florence,  daughter  of  Harry  E. 
and  Georgie  (Doak)  Kier,  became  the 
wife  of  Harry  Hamilton  Rowand,  as 
stated  above. 

(The  Eicher  Line). 

Peter  Eicher,  the  first  ancestor  of  rec- 
ord, came,  prior  to  the  Revolutionary 
War,  from  York,  Pennsylvania,  and  set- 
tled near  Greensburg,  Pennsylvania. 

(H)  Jacob,  son  of  Peter  Eicher,  mar- 
ried Nancy  Smith   (see  Smith  line). 

(HI)  Nancy,  daughter  of  Jacob  and 
Nancy  (Smith)  Eicher,  became  the  wife 
of  Samuel  M.  Kier   (see  Kier  line). 

(The  Smith   Line). 

John  Smith  was  a  brother  of  James 
Smith,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence. 

(II)  Nancy,  daughter  of  John  Smith, 
became  the  wife  of  Jacob  Eicher  (see 
Eicher  line). 


STETSON,  John  Batterson, 

Fonnder  of  a  Mammotlt  Industry. 

The  life  of  John  B.  Stetson  was  one 
of  development  without  preconceived 
plan  or  special  training,  although  at  its 
close  he  was  head  of  industries  employ- 
ing thirty-five  hundred  people,  with  mil- 
lions invested,  bearing  a  name  honored 
the  world  over  as  that  of  a  broad-minded, 
honorable,  sagacious  business  man.  He 
was  not  a  sentimentalist  nor  a  philanthro- 
pist, yet  few  philanthropists  accomplish 
more  for  their  fellow-men ;  he  was  not 
in  any  sense  a  promoter  or  speculator, 
yet  great  interests  grew  up  under  his 
hands.  In  fact,  everything  of  his  "grew 
up,"  and  nothing  was  planned  in  advance. 
His  youth  was  a  struggle  to  find  him- 
self— three  trades  were  begun  ere  he  set- 
tled on  one.  He  grew  from  a  poor  ap- 
prentice boy,  whose  motto  was  "Work," 


1467 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


to  a  full  knowledge  of  the  hat  trade,  grew 
to  be  a  small  manufacturer,  made  the 
best  goods  he  knew  how,  and  grew  and 
grew  until  John  B.  Stetson  as  a  hatter 
was  known  wherever  civilization  ex- 
tends. His  investments  grew  in  the 
same  way.  An  industry  was  threatened, 
he  helped  a  friend,  and  in  this  way  was 
drawn  into  many  of  his  holdings. 

Chance  brought  him  into  touch  with  H. 
A.  De  Land,  founder  of  the  town  of  De 
Land,  Florida,  who  had  seen  his  hopes 
and  plans  blasted  by  the  "big  freeze"  of 
1884.  To  aid  him,  the  Stetson  purse  was 
opened,  a  great  enterprise  was  saved,  and 
the  Stetson  interest  gained  for  town  and 
college.  So  everything  grew  out  of  a 
big  heart  and  the  willingness  to  help, 
create  and  mafntain.  But  it  was  not 
philanthropy,  simply  a  business  proposi- 
tion to  him,  for  the  best  help  that  he 
could  offer  a  man  was  to  help  him  to 
help  himself.  An  idle  boy  had  a  greater 
interest  for  him  than  any  purely  commer- 
cial proposition,  and  to  get  that  boy 
working  was  of  more  importance  than 
anything  else  that  could  be  done  for  him. 
He  belived  in  education  as  a  means,  not 
an  end.  Education  he  considered  a  con- 
tinuous process,  but  the  foundation  of  a 
life  the  ability  to  secure  subsistence. 
Work  was  his  gospel,  and  as  one  of  the 
world's  workers  from  boyhood  he  preach- 
ed that  gospel.  He  began  with  nothing, 
not  even  a  plan,  except  that  he  must 
work,  and  on  that  sound  idea  created  a 
wonderful  life.  Justice  and  equity  were 
his  watchwords,  and  as  he  advanced  he 
acquired  an  intense  knowledge  of  human 
nature  and  of  men,  and  this  knowledge 
became  his  greatest  asset.  The  quality  he 
strove  for  in  the  product  of  his  plants  he 
sought  in  like  manner  to  develop  in 
every  employee,  and  with  rare  skill  he 
raised  the  standard  of  manhood  by  plac- 
ing opportunity  within  reach  of  all. 

The   Stetson  organization  became  the 


pride  of  his  life  and  a  model  for  the 
world.  But  it  grew  little  by  little,  not 
in  conformation  to  a  plan,  but  from 
men's  needs  as  they  were  daily  revealed 
to  him.  Established  business  traditions 
went  by  the  board,  and  he  ushered  in  a 
new  era,  founded  on  mutual  obligation. 
He  solved  in  his  own  way  problems,  so- 
ciological and  economic,  by  strong  prac- 
tical methods,  born  from  the  sagacious 
business  brain,  not  in  the  mind  of  a 
dreamer  or  idealist.  It  was  good  busi- 
ness to  do  the  things  he  did ;  it  was  good 
business  to  have  a  contented,  well  paid 
force  working  under  the  best  sanitary 
conditions;  it  was  good  business  to  es- 
tablish beneficial  organizations,  social 
unions,  athletic  and  educational  clubs, 
hospitals,  kindergartens,  and  military 
companies,  all  for  the  Stetson  employee. 
Did  the  results  prove  his  wisdom.''  A 
statement  of  the  magnitude  of  the  busi- 
ness for  the  year  191 1  answers:  Found- 
ed in  1865  and  incorporated  as  the  John 
B.  Stetson  Company  in  1891,  the  com- 
pany has  a  capital  of  $8,000,000;  5400 
people  are  employed,  who  give  their  en- 
tire time  to  the  production  of  Stetson 
hats  and  the  preparation  of  the  materials 
used  in  their  manufacture ;  4000  of  these 
employees  are  men,  1400  are  women. 
The  business  is  unique  in  that  it  is  the 
only  hat  manufacturing  plant  in  the 
world  where  a  complete  hat  is  made.  Dur- 
ing the  past  year,  11,500,000  skins  and 
700,000  pounds  of  fur  were  actually  con- 
verted into  hats ;  6,000,000  yards  of  silk 
for  bands  and  bindings,  requiring  40,000 
pounds  or  raw  silk  were  woven  in  the 
Stetson  factory :  330,000  sheep  and  calf 
skins  imported  from  France,  Belgium, 
and  Russia,  were  used  during  the  year 
for  sweat  bands ;  820  tons  of  boxbcard 
were  required  to  make  in  the  plant  the 
boxes  in  which  3,336,000  hats  manufac- 
tured in  191 1  were  packed. 

The  Stetson  plant  covers  five  acres  of 


1468 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ground,  with  twenty-four  acres  of  floor 
space.  The  plant  includes  an  ice  manu- 
facturing and  refrigerating  system ;  fil- 
tered ice  water  is  supplied  to  every  room ; 
a  modern  and  complete  vacuum  clean- 
ing system  is  in  operation.  Everything 
in  the  way  of  comfort  for  employees  is 
supplied,  and  two  large  auditoriums  are 
located  within  the  plant,  one  of  them 
seating  1800,  the  other  5500,  the  latter 
having  a  large  modern  organ,  and  the 
largest  seating  capacity  of  any  in  the 
city.  A  special  feature  of  this  unusual 
business  is  the  striking  observance  of 
Christmas,  the  awards  at  one  such  fes- 
tival totalling  a  cash  value  of  $241,505.79. 
The  gifts  were  somewhat  as  follows :  193 
hats,  2835  turkeys  (one  for  every  mar- 
ried man),  1314  pairs  of  gloves,  1560 
pounds  of  candy  (for  female  employees), 
64  gold  watches,  64  chains,  395  shares  of 
Building  Association  stock ;  786  em- 
ployee's salaries  were  increased ;  cash 
bonuses  to  employees  of  certain  depart- 
ments determined  by  fixed  percentage  of 
their  wages  for  the  year  were  paid, 
amounting  to  $158,842.10,  one  twenty  year 
endowment  life  insurance  policy  made 
payable  to  the  employee  or  his  estate,  the 
premium  paid  by  the  company,  and  in 
addition  one  hundred  and  twenty  shares 
of  the  common  stock  of  the  company, 
valued  at  $450  per  share,  were  allotted. 
This  stock,  of  which  6,000  shares  had 
been  allotted  at  that  time,  does  not  call 
for  any  payment  by  the  recipient  save 
from  dividends,  and  becomes  fully  paid 
up  in  about  five  years.  There  are  no 
trades  unions  needed ;  every  Stetson  em- 
ployee is  a  welfare  worker,  every  Stetson 
employee  is  an  inspector,  and  they  give 
out  help,  example,  and  inspiration.  Vol- 
umes would  be  needed  to  tell  the  life 
story  of  John  B.  Stetson,  no  title  is  too 
lofty,  no  eulogy  too  glowing,  for  his 
memory ;  but,  could  he  choose  his  own 


title,  it  would  be  "John  B.  Stetson,  Busi- 
ness Man  and  Worker." 

John  B.  Stetson  was  born  in  Orange, 
New  Jersey,  May  5,  1830,  and  died  in 
De  Land,  Florida,  near  the  great  univer- 
sity that  bears  his  name,  February  18, 
1906,  death  resulting  from  a  stroke  of 
apoplexy.  He  was  the  son  of  Stephen 
Stetson,  a  manufacturing  hatter  of 
Orange,  his  ancestors  of  English  blood. 
After  his  years  of  early  school  attendance 
were  over  he  became  an  apprentice  at 
the  calico  mills,  but  abandoned  that  to 
become  a  saddler's  apprentice.  He  liked 
his  second  occupation  as  little  as  his 
first,  and  out  of  his  savings  purchased 
his  freedom  from  his  employer  before 
completing  his  years  of  apprenticeship. 
He  learned  the  hatter's  trade  in  his  fath- 
er's factory.  These  years  of  preparatory 
struggle  were  well  spent,  inasmuch  as  he 
gained  early  an  experience  that,  when  he 
became  an  employer,  enabled  him  intel- 
ligently to  found  an  apprentice  system 
just  and  equitable.  After  the  death  of  his 
father  he  worked  for  an  elder  brother, 
made  hats,  taught  others  the  art,  sold  the 
product,  bought  the  raw  stock,  but  did  not 
participate  in  the  profits  or  honors.  So 
the  brothers  separated,  and  John  B.  made 
preparations  to  start  a  business  of  his 
own.  But  the  doctors  said  he  had  con- 
sumption, and  that  his  days  on  earth  were 
few.  He  was  then  slight,  slim,  slender, 
nervous,  and  active ;  and,  after  studying 
his  own  case,  he  decided  he  would  aban- 
don hat  making  and  would  live  in  the 
open  air  as  much  as  possible.  He  located 
in  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  worked  in  a 
brickyard,  and  became  manager  and  part 
owner  of  a  plant  located  on  the  bank  of 
the  Missouri  river.  An  unusual  rise  in 
the  river  swept  away  the  plant,  with  half 
a  million  bricks  ready  to  burn,  and  Mr. 
Stetson's  fortune,  acquired  after  two 
years  of  hard  work.  He  then  tried  to  en- 
list in  the  Union  army,  but  was  rejected 


1469 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


for  physical  reasons,  and  on  foot  with  a 
party  of  a  dozen  young  men  he  started 
for  Pike's  Peak,  his  baggage  consisting  of 
the  suit  of  clothes  upon  his  back,  a  shot- 
gun, and  a  hatchet.  On  this  trip,  living 
entirely  in  the  open  air,  he  regained 
health,  strength,  and  happiness,  and  in  a 
year,  big,  strong,  able,  ambitious,  and  full 
of  ideas,  he  decided  to  return  to  the  east 
and  to  locate  in  Philadelphia,  there  to 
build  up  a  business,  his  capital,  the  scanty 
earnings  made  in  the  gold  field,  the  skill 
of  his  fingers,  and  his  native  ability. 

He  reached  Philadelphia  in  1865  with 
$100,  and  with  this  he  bought  tools,  rent- 
ed a  room  at  Seventh  and  Callowhill 
streets,  invested  $10  cash  in  fur,  and  be- 
gan to  make  hats.  He  peddled  these  out 
one,  two,  or  three  at  a  time,  to  dealers, 
using  only  the  styles  then  in  vogue.  At 
last  he  decided  to  start  a  new  style,  and 
after  visiting  the  dealers  every  day  for  six 
months,  wearing  a  fine  soft  felt  hat  of 
his  own  design,  he  received  the  first  order 
for  a  full  dozen  hats.  From  that  time  he 
had  plenty  of  work,  but  the  margin  of 
profit  was  small,  and  after  he  had  estab- 
lished a  credit  with  the  fur  dealers  he 
staked  his  all  upon  a  venture  no  hatter 
had  ever  attempted.  He  took  all  the 
money  he  had,  ran  into  debt  to  the  very 
limit,  made  a  big,  fine,  picturesque  hat. 
natural  color,  four-inch  brim,  four-inch 
top,  with  a  strap  for  a  band,  and  by  ex- 
press or  mail  sent  a  sample  hat  to  every 
clothing  and  hat  dealer  in  the  Southwest, 
asking  for  an  order  for  a  dozen.  This 
hat.  which  he  called  "The  Boss  of  the 
Plains."  retailed  at  five  dollars,  but  it 
caught  the  cowboy  fancy ;  orders  began 
coming  in  after  two  weeks  of  waiting, 
and  from  this  time  on,  the  story  of  the 
business  of  John  B.  Stetson  reads  like  a 
romance.  From  the  "Boss  of  the  Plains," 
which  in  finer  materials  sold  as  high  as 
thirty  dollars  each,  he  began  to  make 
many  styles,  until  it  became  a  fixed  fact 


to  the  man  of  the  west  that  for  service 
and  utility,  and  to  the  man  of  the  east 
that  for  style  he  must  wear  a  "Stetson." 
In  less  than  a  year  he  moved  to  larger 
quarters  on  Fourth  street,  above  Chest- 
nut, and  only  a  brief  period  had  elapsed 
before  Stetson  hats  were  in  every  retail 
store  in  Philadelphia,  and  the  reputation 
of  his  product  was  extending  rapidly.  He 
occupied  leased  quarters  at  Fourth  and 
Chestnut  streets,  but  soon,  to  accommo- 
date his  increasing  trade,  added  another 
story  to  the  building.  Two  years  after 
the  inception  of  the  business  it  was  re- 
organized under  the  firm  name  of  John  B. 
Stetson  &  Company,  and  two  years  later 
the  house  was  doing  a  business  of  $80,000 
annually.  In  1867  traveling  salesmen 
were  sent  upon  the  road,  the  Stetson  hats 
finding  favor  wherever  they  were  intro- 
duced. In  1872  change  of  business  resi- 
dence was  made  to  Fourth  and  Montgom- 
ery streets,  where  were  laid  what  were 
practically  the  foundation  stones  of  the 
manufacturing  center  that  there  bears  his 
name.  The  history  of  the  business  from 
that  time  forward  was  a  record  of  con- 
tinuous, substantial  and  rapid  growth. 
Building  after  building  was  added  to 
meet  the  demands  of  the  trade,  and  Stet- 
son became  throughout  the  country  the 
synonym  for  all  that  is  best  and  most 
reliable.  The  output  of  the  factories  at 
the  time  of  Mr.  Stetson's  death  amounted 
to  two  million  hats  anually,  and  employ- 
ment was  furnished  to  thirty-five  hundred 
workmen. 

While  the  building  up  of  a  gigantic 
enterprise  is  a  matter  worthy  of  consider- 
ation, it  is  the  methods  that  Mr.  Stetson 
employed  that  will  cause  his  name  to  be 
forever  honored.  He  regarded  each  em- 
ployee as  an  individual,  and  not  as  a  part 
of  a  great  machine  for  the  purpose  of 
turning  out  certain  work.  He  felt  and 
manifested  a  personal  interest  in  those 
who    served    him,    sought   their   welfare. 


1470 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


desired  their  happiness,  and  did  every- 
thing within  his  power  to  render  condi- 
tions attractive  and  beneficial.  As  the 
result  of  his  wisdom  and  understanding 
of  the  problems  and  conditions  of  human 
life,  happiness  and  contentment  reigned 
among  his  employees.  He  established 
various  associations  that  induced  benefit 
and  a  bond  of  sympathy  between  every 
department  of  the  works,  and  founded 
family  interest  in  his  factories  through 
an  original  apprentice  system.  The  or- 
ganized aids  for  the  workingmen  and 
their  families  include  building  and  loan 
associations,  a  social  union  modeled  upon 
the  lines  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  a  beneficial  association,  a 
Sunday  school,  a  kindergarten,  a  militia 
battalion  of  several  companies  under  Na- 
tional Guard  regulations,  and  a  dispen- 
sary public  hospital.  He  remained  at  the 
head  of  all,  but  each  was  in  charge  of  a 
lieutenant.  Such  as  could  be  were  made 
self  supporting,  for  he  did  not  believe  in 
fostering  a  spirit  of  dependence,  but  pro- 
visions for  the  perpetuation  of  all  were 
made  before  his  death.  Perhaps  the  in- 
stitution which  has  widest  scope  in  its 
benevolent  efifect  is  the  Stetson  Hospital, 
inaugurated  as  a  dispensary  but  broaden- 
ing in  its  purpose  until  it  is  today  a  splen- 
didly equipped  hospital,  its  operating 
rooms  and  wards  free  to  all.  Twenty 
thousand  patients  are  treated  there  every 
year  with  a  staff  of  thirty-four  physicians 
in  attendance,  and  eminent  surgeons  pro- 
nounce its  equipment  perfect.  The  great 
business  of  the  John  B.  Stetson  Company 
has  doubled  in  volume  since  his  death, 
but  the  increase  has  all  been  by  a  close 
application  to  the  methods  laid  down  by 
the  founder.  "Though  dead,  he  speak- 
eth." 

Mr.  Stetson's  Florida  interests  were 
first  acquired  in  1884,  when  he  visited 
De  Land.     H.  A.  De  Land,  the  founder 


of  the  town,  owned  thousands  of  acres  of 
land,  had  built  a  thriving  town  with  all 
public  utilities,  had  begun  the  erection  of 
academy  buildings,  and  had  been  the 
means  of  inducing  many  settlers  to  en- 
gage in  orange  culture.  The  "big  freeze," 
as  it  is  yet  alluded  to  in  De  Land,  ruined 
thousands  of  trees  and  their  owners, 
crippled  Mr.  De  Land,  and  prostrated 
every  business  interest  in  the  heretofore 
prosperous  town.  Meeting  Mr.  Stetson 
who  was  known  to  him  as  a  man  of  large 
means  and  big  sympathies,  Mr.  De  Land 
gained  his  confidence,  and  after  a  close 
inspection  Mr.  Stetson  decided  there  was 
still  life  in  many  of  the  trees  and  that 
De  Land  was  a  good  business  proposi- 
tion. He  there  built  a  cottage  and  be- 
came responsible  for  the  completion  of 
one  of  the  large  college  buildings.  To 
equip  his  home  with  electricity  and  water 
supply  he  was  under  the  necessity  of 
financially  restoring  the  stability  of  the 
electric  light  company  and  the  water 
company,  and  in  this  way  he  practically 
became  controlling  owner  of  about  all  of 
De  Land's  public  utilities  and  interests, 
including  several  orange  groves  and 
many  acres  of  land,  wild  and  improved. 
In  1886  he  became  more  deeply  interested 
in  De  Land  Academy,  was  elected  a  trus- 
tee, and  so  vigorously  did  he  labor  and 
so  liberally  support,  that  the  whole  scope 
of  the  institution  was  changed.  In  1889 
the  school  was  reorganized  as  the  John 
B.  Stetson  University,  and  today,  with  an 
investment  of  over  one  million  dollars,  is 
one  of  the  flourishing,  useful  educational 
institutions  of  the  South.  Thus,  without 
plan  or  previous  thought  he  entered  an 
entirely  new  field  of  activity,  and,  as 
before,  blessings  followed  his  path.  In 
such  unlooked  for  ways  came  many  of 
his  investments,  and  outside  of  his  own 
private  business,  hardly  an  investment 
was  made  save  through  the  desire  to  meet 


1471 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  demands  of  friendship  or  to  save  a 
valuable  enterprise.  He  never  promoted 
an  enterprise  or  indulged  in  speculation. 
If  friends  were  in  need  he  invested  as 
they  required,  but  purely  on  a  basis 
equitable  and  understood. 

Mr.  Stetson  traveled  extensively  in  the 
United  States,  and  was  also  well  known 
in  De  Land,  where  he  spent  several 
months  each  year,  as  in  Philadelphia 
or  Ashbourne,  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
maintained  his  country  home,  and  it  was 
in  De  Land  that  he  passed  away  at  the 
age  of  seventy-six  years.  His  remains 
were  brought  to  Philadelphia  and  the 
funeral  services  held  at  his  country  home, 
Idro,  on  the  York  Road,  near  Elkins 
Park,  February  21,  1906.  Mr.  Stetson 
was  a  religious  man  in  the  highest  sense. 
His  love  for  his  work  and  his  workers 
was  absorbing,  and  his  faith  was  the 
guiding  star  of  his  life.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Fifth  Baptist  Church  of  Philadel- 
phia, was  a  generous  patron  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  and  of  all 
charitable  and  church  enterprises.  His 
helpful  spirit  prompted  his  assistance  to 
various  small  charities  as  well  as  to  those 
of  wider  importance  and  better  known. 
He  built  a  monument  to  himself  in  the 
respect  and  affectionate  regard  enter- 
tained for  him  by  his  employees  and  all 
associated  with  him.  His  deep  interest 
in  those  who  served  him  struck  a  respon- 
sive chord  in  their  hearts,  and  on  every 
occasion  they  will  be  found  telling  the 
story  of  the  recognition  of  the  obligations 
of  life  and  the  necessity  of  meeting  them 
gladly. 

There  is  a  man  who  has  done  his  part  and  car- 
ried his  load, 

Rejoiced  to  share  with  every  heart  the  rough- 
ness of  the  road, 

Not  given  to  thinking  overmuch  of  the  pains  and 
cares  behind, 

But  glad  to  be  in  touch  with  all  his  humankind. 


WISTER,  Owen, 

Distinguislied    Author. 

The  career  of  Owen  Wister  is  one  of 
exceeding  interest,  illustrating  as  it  does 
the  fact  that  while  a  man  of  genius  may 
succeed  in  any  field  it  is  only  after  he 
has  found  his  true  work  that  great  suc- 
cess is  attained. 

Son  of  a  talented  mother,  grandson  of 
the  celebrated  Fanny  Kemble,  and  be- 
longing to  the  fourth  generation  of  a 
family  of  writers,  Mr.  Wister  in  his  uni- 
versity years  was  strongly  drawn  to 
music  and  verse;  in  fact,  went  abroad 
with  the  avowed  purpose  of  studying 
musical  compositions.  Events  followed 
that  necessitated  his  return  home,  then 
poor  health  drove  him  to  the  plains  and 
mountains  of  Arizona  and  Wyoming.  The 
wild,  unusual  life  of  those  regions  won- 
derfully impressed  him,  and  later  was  the 
controlling  impulse  that  determined  his 
career.  A  period  of  legal  study  and  prac- 
tice followed,  but  in  1891  the  literary 
instinct  conquered,  and  as  a  writer  of 
purely  American  fiction  he  has  won  a  high 
and  permanent  place.  He  did  not  find  his 
true  sphere  in  "The  Dragon  of  Wantley" 
(1892),  but  his  magazine  stories,  collected 
and  published  in  1896  under  the  title 
"Red  Men  and  White,"  won  immediate 
favor.  During  the  ten  years  after  re- 
turning from  Paris  he  made  fifteen  west- 
ern tours,  and  in  "Red  Men  and  White" 
he  portrayed  most  naturally  and  truth- 
fully the  stern  though  picturesque  con- 
ditions of  the  then  \A'est,  where  elemental 
passions  were  at  work  with  little  conceal- 
ment. He  caught  the  spirit  of  comrade- 
ship and  humorous  exaggeration  typical 
of  the  West ;  his  Indians  were  the  real, 
living  characters  of  the  day,  not  Leather- 
stockings  nor  Hiawathas;  his  soldiers  and 
settlers  were  the  real  men  he  met;  his 
descriptions  of  Nature  were  written  with 
the  eve  of  a  keen  observer  with  the  soul 


1472 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  a  poet ;  while  the  note  of  tragedy  under- 
lay the  natural  dialogue  and  the  humor. 

This  has  been  true  of  all  his  subsequent 
work,  and  in  "The  Virginian"  he  has  por- 
trayed a  character  so  strong  and  truth- 
ful to  the  type  that  were  it  his  only  work 
it  would  entitle  him  to  undying  literary 
fame.  There  is  nothing  vague  or  un- 
certain in  his  stories,  the  movement  is  as 
direct  and  free  and  strong  as  the  sweep  of 
the  wind  across  the  plains.  No  one  else 
has  succeeded  in  giving  so  well  the  im- 
pressions made  by  the  great  sand  sea,  the 
mystery  and  desolation  of  its  vastness, 
the  desert's  changeless,  unfathomable 
silence.  One  of  Mr.  Wister's  critics  has 
written:  "Never  perhaps  since  the  days 
of  Bret  Harte  has  the  characteristic 
Western  humor  found  so  suggestive  and 
appreciative,  so  successful  an  interpreter. 
IMr.  Wister  has  done  for  the  cowboy  what 
Bret  Harte  did  for  the  miner  *  *  *  "^  He 
has  furnished  an  undying  addition  to  the 
gallery  of  characteristic  American  types 
in  fiction." 

Owen  Wister  was  born  in  Philadelphia. 
July  14,  i860,  son  of  Dr.  Owen  Jones  and 
Sarah  (Butler)  Wister.  the  former  an 
eminent  physician  of  Philadelphia,  the 
latter  a  lady  of  fine  literary  talent,  daugh- 
ter of  one  of  the  most  noted  actresses  of 
her  day,  "Fanny  Kemble" — Frances  Anne 
(Kemble)  Butler,  and  member  of  a  fam- 
ily distinguished  in  the  history  of  dra- 
matic art  for  generations.  Mrs.  Wister's 
great-grandfather,  Major  Pierce  Butler, 
was  delegate  from  South  Carolina  to  the 
Constitutional  Convention  and  a  signer 
of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States. 
Mrs.  Sarah  (Butler)  Wister  was  a  greatly 
gifted,  cultured  lady,  translator  of  "Prose 
and  Poetry  of  Alfred  de  Mussett"  (i!^72) 
and  with  Agnes  Irwin  she  published  in 
1877  "^^  orthy  Women  of  Our  First  Cen- 
tury." An  old  fashioned  distaste  for  pub- 
licity led  her  to  withhold  her  signature 
from  many  articles  and  stories  published 


in  the  "Atlantic  Monthly,"  the  "Cornhill," 
the  "North  American  Review,"  and  "Lip- 
pincott's  Magazine." 

When  ten  years  of  age  Owen  Wister 
was  taken  abroad  by  his  parents,  remain- 
ing three  years.  On  his  return  to  the 
United  States  he  entered  St.  Paul's 
School,  at  Concord,  New  Hampshire,  and 
after  thorough  preparation  entered  Har- 
vard University,  whence  he  was  gradu- 
ated A.  B.,  class  of  1882.  During  his  uni- 
versity career  he  developed  a  talent  for 
literature  and  music,  the  latter  art  at  last 
seeming  his  choice.  He  wrote  the  libretto 
for  a  Hasty  Pudding  Club  opera  boufife, 
"Dido  and  Aeneas,"  also  a  poem  on  Bee- 
thoven, published  in  the  "Atlantic 
Monthly."  After  graduation  Mr.  Wister 
went  abroad,  and  on  the  advice  of  the 
great  Liszt  located  in  Paris  for  the  study 
of  musical  composition.  The  following 
year,  however,  he  was  called  home  by 
family  affairs,  and  soon  afterward  poor 
health  induced  him  to  go  west  on  a  hunt- 
ing trip.  He  quite  extensively  traveled 
over  Arizona  and  Wyoming,  and  amid 
those  scenes  of  natural  beauty  and  amid 
people  whose  ways,  code  and  speech  were 
so  strange  to  him  his  dormant  literary 
instincts  were  aroused  and  stimulated. 
On  his  return  East  he  decided  upon  the 
profession  of  law,  entered  the  Harvard 
Law  School  and  in  1888  was  graduated, 
receiving  the  degrees  A.  M.  and  LL.  B. 
In  1889  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and 
for  three  years  he  was  in  practice  in 
Philadelphia.  But  the  "lure  of  the  West" 
was  upon  him,  and  in  the  ten  years  fol- 
lowing his  first  visit  he  made  fifteen  tours 
of  that  then  wild  region,  revelling  in  its 
wild,  free  life,  gaining  the  experience  and 
inspiration  that  resulted  in  those  won- 
derful character  delineations  and  word 
pictures  that  stirred  the  literary  world 
and  made  his  a  familiar  name. 

In  1S83  :\Ir.  Wister  published  "The 
^Modern  Swiss  Familv  Robinson,"  and  in 


1473 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


1892  "The  Dragon  of  Wantley,"  a  play- 
ful satire  on  the  days  of  chivalry  that 
proved  the  author  the  possessor  of  a  rich 
fund  of  quiet  humor.  In  1891  he  forever 
abandoned  the  law  and  devoted  himself 
entirely  to  literature.  He  wrote  several 
short  stories  based  upon  his  western  ex- 
periences that  were  highly  rated  as  a  dis- 
tinct addition  to  American  fiction  and 
helped  the  world  to  appreciate  the  value 
of  the  varied  characters  in  the  widely 
separated  regions  of  the  West,  chiefly 
Arizona  and  Wyoming.  He  grew  to 
know  the  West  well,  and  his  greatest 
characters  are  drawn  from  the  plains  and 
mountains  of  these  states.  In  1896  he 
published  eight  of  these  short  stories,  un- 
der the  title  "Red  Men  and  White"  that 
won  instant  appreciation  and  that  proved 
that  his  own  text,  "many  sorts  of  Ameri- 
cans live  in  America,"  pleased  the  read- 
ing public.  "Red  Men  and  White"  was 
followed  in  1898  by  "Lin  McLean,"  a 
forerunner  of  that  great  work,  "The  Vir- 
ginian," the  latter  appearing  four  years 
later.  "The  Jimmy  John  Boss"  appeared 
in  1900,  as  did  "U.  S.  Grant;  A  Bi- 
ography." "The  Virginian"  was  pub- 
lished in  1902  and  forever  secured  Mr. 
Wister's  niche  in  the  literary  "Hall  of 
Fame."  Many  editions  of  that  book  have 
been  published  in  many  lands,  it  has  been 
dramatized,  noted  actors  have  won  fame 
as  the  "Virginian,"  and  as  book  and  play 
it  is  yet  a  strong  favorite  with  the  public. 
In  1903  Mr.  Wister  published  "Phil- 
osophy Four;"  in  1904  "A  Journey  in 
Search  of  Christmas"  appeared  as  well  as 
his  novel,  "Lady  Baltimore,"  the  latter 
first  as  a  serial  in  "The  Saturday  Evening 
Post."  In  1907  he  published  a  second 
biography,  "The  Seven  Ages  of  Wash- 
ington," "Mother,"  and  "The  Simple 
Spelling  Bee."  and  in  191 1  "Members  of 
the  Family"  was  given  to  the  public.  In 
addition  to  the  above  Mr.  Wister  has  con- 
tributed a  great  deal  of  prose  and  verse 


to  the  magazines,  and  in  1904  collabo- 
rated on  "Musk-Ox,  Bison,  Sheep,  and 
Goat,"  in  "Whitney's  American  Sports- 
men's Library." 

In  political  life  Mr.  Wister  has  been 
strictly  independent  and  always  active 
in  public  afifairs.  He  has  written  many 
articles  on  public  questions,  his  scathing 
article  on  "The  Keystone  Crime"  being 
a  strong  presentation  of  the  case  of  the 
Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania  against 
the  men  and  against  the  system  that  per- 
petrated the  Capitol  dishonor.  In  1908 
he  ran  as  an  Independent  candidate  for 
Select  Council  from  the  Seventh  Ward, 
not  in  expectation  of  an  election  but  in 
defence  of  a  principle  and  to  maintain  the 
party  organization  in  the  ward. 

Mr.  Wister  is  a  member  of  the  Na- 
tional Academy  of  Arts  and  Letters  and 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Overseers  of  Harvard  University  in 
1912.  His  clubs  are  the  Philadelphia, 
Rittenhouse,  and  Franklin  Inn,  of  Phil- 
adelphia. In  1907  he  was  given  the  hon- 
orary degree  LL.  D.  by  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  in  1912  the  honorary 
degree  of  L.  H.  D.  by  Williams  College. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa 
Society. 

He  married,  April  21,  1898,  Mary  Chan- 
ning  Wister,  who  died  August  24,  1913,  at 
Saunderstown,  Rhode  Island. 


WISTER,  Mary  Channing, 

Iieader  for  Civic  Righteousness. 

As  one  of  Airs.  Wister's  colleagues 
wrote  in  the  "Christian  Register" :  "The 
lives  of  some  persons  are  epochs.  They 
mark  great  changes  in  thought,  in  man- 
ners, or  in  national  development.  From 
them  we  date  broader  creeds,  wider  sym- 
pathies, greater  efforts  for  the  uplift  of 
humanity."  These  words,  written  by  a 
loved  contemporary,  apply  with  force  to 
the  life  of  Mrs.  Wister.  "And  because 
she  lived,  thought,  and  acted  the  whole 


1474 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


world  has  been  granted  a  clearer  vision 
of  civic  righteousness." 

Mary  Channing  Wister  was  born  in 
Germantown,  Philadelphia,  March  30, 
1870,  died  at  Saunderstown,  Rhode 
Island,  August  24,  1913,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Rotch  and  Mary  Eustis  Wister. 
Through  paternal  and  maternal  lines  she 
traced  to  James  Logan,  secretary  to  Wil- 
liam Penn,  the  Fisher  family  of  Phila- 
delphia, the  Rotch  and  the  Rodman  fami- 
lies of  New  England,  to  Governors  Brad- 
street  and  Dudley,  of  Massachusetts, 
William  Ellery  of  Rhode  Island,  the 
signer,  and  to  William  Ellery  Channing, 
of  Boston,  the  celebrated  Unitarian 
preacher,  the  latter  her  great-grandfather. 
She  was  educated  until  1886  by  private 
tutors  at  home,  then  for  three  years  at- 
tended Miss  Irwin's  School,  graduating 
in  1889,  president  of  her  class.  When  yet 
a  child  she  developed  a  talent  for  organ- 
izing, and  many  were  the  entertainments 
she  directed  with  her  young  performers. 
At  seventeen  years  of  age  she  began 
teaching  a  class  in  the  Sunday  school  of 
the  Unitarian  church  of  Germantown,  and 
for  eleven  years  rarely  missed  a  Sunday. 
During  this  period  she  also  organized  an 
association  of  young  people  of  the  Uni- 
tarian churches,  called  "The  Young 
People's  Guild  of  Christian  Life."  At 
twenty-six  she  was  made  a  trustee  of  the 
church  and  served  a  year.  She  had,  after 
graduation  from  school,  entered  into  so- 
cial gaieties  to  the  full,  spending  her 
summers,  however,  out-of-doors,  seizing 
all  opportunities  to  ride,  walk,  climb  or 
swim.  In  1892  she  organized  a  Boys' 
and  Girls'  Club  in  Fisher's  Hollow,  Ger- 
mantown. having  a  little  earlier  become 
interested  in  the  Evening  Home  for  Boys 
in  Philadelphia.  She  led  operas  at  the 
Boys'  Evening  Home  and  for  many  years 
played  in  a  piano  quartette  at  Dr.  Moss's 
house  in  Chestnut  Hill.  At  the  Evening 
Home  her  genius   for  philanthropy  first 


revealed  itself.  She  organized  a  sight 
singing  class  with  a  paid  teacher  for  the 
smaller,  and  later,  for  the  larger  boys. 
Within  another  two  months  she  organ- 
ized a  military  company  for  boys  of  fif- 
teen years  and  older  under  Dr.  Ward,  of 
Girard  College,  a  drill  master.  She 
trained  the  boys  personally  in  vocal 
music,  and  in  successive  seasons  pre- 
sented four  of  the  popular  Gilbert  and 
Sullivan  operas.  Small  one  act  plays  and 
minstrel  shows  were  given  by  the  boys, 
gymnasium  drills  were  established  with 
her  aid,  a  debating  society  was  organized 
for  boys  from  sixteen  to  eighteen  years 
of  age,  which  held  regular  meetings  to 
discuss  municipal  problems.  For  more 
than  twenty  years  she  actively  aided  in 
the  work  of  the  Evening  Home,  coming 
into  its  work  a  girl,  continuing  until 
death.  She  had  a  definite  aim  in  her 
work,  regarding  the  uplifting  of  the  "boy" 
and  his  salvation  as  the  safety  and  per- 
petuation of  the  state. 

In  1893,  with  Miss  Cornelia  Frothing- 
ham,  Miss  Wister  founded  the  Civic  Club 
of  Philadelphia,  and  was  elected  its  first 
treasurer.  Such  was  her  devotion  to  the 
work  that  she  became  the  very  soul  of  the 
club,  filling  almost  every  position  on  the 
board,  was  twice  president,  and  for 
twenty  years  was  its  inspiration  and 
leader,  giving  not  only  of  her  time,  means 
and  capacity  to  the  work,  but  her  very 
best  thought  and  constant  and  untiring 
striving  for  its  success.  Nowhere  is  the 
memory  of  this  most  gracious  and  gifted 
lady  more  lovingly  remembered  than  by 
her  associates  of  the  Civic  Club  of  Phila- 
delphia. Her  service  as  its  president  for 
the  second  time  was  cut  short  by  her 
death. 

Mrs.  Wister  was  interested  in  every 
phase  of  municipal  government  and  par- 
ticularly in  the  Civil  Service  branch,  un- 
derstanding fully  the  conflict  between  the 
spoils   and  merit  systems.      In    1912  she 

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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


assisted  the  commission  in  its  examina- 
tions for  teacher,  assistant  teacher,  and 
principal  for  the  Board  of  Recreation,  and 
was  often  consulted  by  members  of  the 
commission,  her  advice  carrying  unusual 
weight.  For  twenty  years  she  was  a 
member  of  the  Contemporary  Club,  use- 
ful as  an  officer  and  member  of  different 
committees,  and  through  timely  advice. 
She  was  an  active  member  of  the  Agnes 
Irwin  Alumnae  Association  from  its 
founding  in  1897,  and  was  its  president  in 
1900  and  1901. 

During  the  last  years  of  her  life  she 
was  sharing  in  the  work  of  the  General 
Federation  of  Women's  Clubs,  a  commit- 
tee member  of  the  Civics  Department,  a 
delegate  to  the  convention  held  at  San 
Francisco,  July,  1912.  At  her  death,  the 
sense  of  what  she  was  to  be,  what  in- 
evitably would  have  been  her  influence, 
caused  the  "Outlook"  to  speak  of  her 
editorially  as  "a  loss  to  the  citizenship 
of  the  city  and  the  nation." 

But  her  great  work  was  done  in  her 
own  city  and  state,  through  the  Civic 
Club  of  Philadelphia,  and  in  her  service 
as  chairman  of  the  civic  committee  of  the 
State  Federation  of  Pennsylvania  Wo- 
men. She  spoke  to  crowded  conferences 
and  made  tangible  and  real  her  high 
ideals.  Thoughtful  and  considerate  of 
others,  a  real  lover  of  humanity,  she  gave 
freely  of  every  talent  she  possessed. 
"Doubtless  there  are  many  ideal  women 
in  the  world.  The  one  I  knew  has  passed 
on."  (Mrs.  J.  P.  Mumford  in  "The  North 
American,"  August  31,  1913). 

In  1898  Miss  Wister  married  Owen 
Wister,  a  second  cousin  of  her  father. 
Six  children  survive  her.  By  her  life  she 
showed  to  all  who  knew  her,  that  no 
public  interests  need  diminish  or  impair 
a  woman's  devotion  to  her  home.  While 
still  in  her  girlhood  she  had  seen  the  need 
of  healthier  environment  for  her  city's 
children,  both  in  their  work  and  play,  and 


for  this  she  had  been  ardently  and  stead- 
fastly striving  long  before  she  married 
and  had  children  of  her  own.  On  Janu- 
ary I,  1S98,  she  was  appointed  by  the 
judges  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Edu- 
cation. Of  her  work  until  her  retirement 
in  September,  1899,  Governor  Brum- 
baugh wrote  at  her  death:  "Her  work 
for  our  schools  was  so  unselfish,  so  altru- 
istic, so  splendidly  progressive  that  it  is 
entirely  fair  to  say  that  she  was  a  great 
leader  of  educational  thought  and  accom- 
plishment. Before  I  knew  the  schools 
intimately  I  knew  of  her  great  work  and 
recognized  her  unusual  gifts  of  leader- 
ship. Every  child  in  this  city  is  richer 
in  spiritual  nutrition  by  reason  of  her  life 
and  services.  A  building  should  be 
named  in  her  memory."  Later  the 
"Zachary  Taylor"  School  was  renamed 
the  "Mary  Channing  Wister"  School,  a 
most  appropriate  honor. 

Mrs.  Wister  was  the  editor  of  the  Civic 
Club  Bulletin  from  its  first  issue,  that 
publication  carrying  the  news  of  civic 
improvement  to  women's  clubs  all  over 
the  world,  even  to  China,  Japan  and  In- 
dia. By  unanimous  vote  of  the  club  it 
was  decided  that  the  May,  1914,  issue 
of  the  Civic  Club  Bulletin  should  be  en- 
tirely in  memory  of  Mrs.  Wister's  life, 
character  and  public  service.  From  that 
number  much  of  the  material  for  this 
sketch  has  been  obtained. 


DINKEY,  Alva  Clymer, 

President  of  Carnegie  Steel   Company. 

Pittsburgh — that  acme  of  activity,  that 
industrial  cyclone — owes  its  supremacy 
among  the  steel  cities  of  the  world  to  its 
superior  brain-power.  Its  steel  mills  and 
furnaces  which  know  no  rest,  its  lurid 
fires  which  send  forth  a  blaze  as  cease- 
less as  the  roar  of  Niagara,  are  under  the 
control  of  men  who  seem  to  possess  that 
secret  of  perpetual  energy  which  science 
cannot  explain — men  of  the  type  of  Alva 


1476 


Z,^^A-u,..^,^^,'^^3  ^- 


,  4»^^/?»ZK.™  ^^j-^.AO' 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Clymer  Dinkey,  president  of  the  Carnegie 
Steel  Company.  Mr.  Dinkey  has  resided 
a  quarter  of  a  century  in  Pittsburgh,  and 
for  the  last  fifteen  years  has  been  a  recog- 
nized power  in  the  steel  world. 

Alva  Clymer  Dinkey  was  born  Febru- 
ary 20,  1866,  at  Weatherly,  Carbon 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  a  son  of 
Reuben  and  Mary  Elizabeth  (Hamm) 
Dinkey.  In  early  childhood  death  de- 
prived him  of  his  father,  but  his  mother 
was  a  woman  of  the  heroic  type.  A 
widow  in  straitened  circumstances,  with 
several  children  dependent  upon  her,  she 
set  herself  to  the  task  of  developing  their 
moral  and  intellectual  faculties  and  so 
fitting  them  to  fill  worthily  a  wider  and 
higher  sphere.  Alva  and  his  brother  had 
received  their  first  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  their  birthplace  when  their 
mother  removed  with  her  family  to  Brad- 
dock,  in  order  that  the  two  boys,  after 
attending  for  a  time  the  schools  of  that 
place,  might  find  employment  in  the  steel 
mills.  Whether  or  not  she  foresaw  the 
eminence  to  which  one  of  her  sons  would 
eventually  attain,  certain  it  is  that  future 
years  abundantly  proved  the  wisdom  of 
her  course.  Her  daughter,  Emma  E.,  be- 
came the  wife  of  Charles  M.  Schwab, 
famous  in  the  steel  world,  and  now  head 
of  the  great  Bethlehem  Steel  Company  of 
Pennsylvania. 

Mr.  Dinkey's  first  employment,  May 
21,  1879,  was  as  water-carrier  in  the  Ed- 
gar Thomson  Steel  Works,  and  he  is  still 
remembered  by  the  furnace  men  as  a 
bright,  intelligent  boy  who  was  always 
asking  questions.  That  he  was  indus- 
trious as  well  as  inquiring  is  proved  by 
the  fact  that  he  was  advanced  to  higher 
positions.  In  1882  he  learned  telegraphy 
at  a  little  station  near  Braddock  and  was 
employed  as  operator  in  the  Edgar 
Thomson  Works.  Later  he  entered  the 
Pittsburgh  Locomotive  Works,  as  a 
machinist  apprentice.     Here  he    worked 


three  years,  or  until  he  was  able  to  leave 
and  obtain  employment  with  the  Mc- 
Tighe  Electric  Company  of  Pittsburgh  as 
an  expert  machinist.  Every  one  of  these 
changes  meant  a  drop  in  wages,  but  a 
gain  in  knowledge,  and,  wonderful  as  it 
was  in  so  young  a  man,  Mr.  Dinkey  rec- 
ognized that  fact,  and  not  that  alone,  but 
also  the  accompanying  fact  that  the  gain 
in  knowledge  more  than  counterbalanced 
the  drop  in  wages,  and  would  continue 
in  the  future  to  increasingly  outweigh 
that  temporary  disadvantage.  The  re- 
sult, as  the  world  knows,  more  than  jus- 
tified his  course. 

Securing  a  position  with  the  Carnegie 
Steel  Company  at  the  Homestead  Works, 
in  1889  Mr.  Dinkey  became  secretary  to 
Superintendent  Potter.  In  1893  he  left 
the  general  office  and  went  into  the  mill 
to  work  as  an  electrician,  seeing  the  ad- 
vantage of  the  practical  man  over  the 
office  man,  and  also  the  wonderful  future 
for  the  application  of  electricity  to  the 
stupendous  machinery  so  necessary  for 
the  manufacture  of  steel.  In  1898  he  was 
made  superintendent  of  the  electric  light 
and  power  plant  of  the  Homestead  Steel 
Works,  and  it  was  while  holding  this 
position  that  Mr.  Dinkey  invented  the 
"Dinkey  Controller,"  the  first  controller 
that  was  able  to  successfully  handle  the 
powerful  currents  necessary  for  heavy 
mill  machinery.  He  also  applied  elec- 
tricity to  many  of  the  operations  neces- 
sary in  the  manufacture  of  steel,  not  only 
making  it  possible  to  handle  larger  units 
and  increase  production,  but  also  reliev- 
ing the  workmen  of  the  very  arduous 
labor  that  was  then  necessary,  until  to- 
day this  plant  is  the  wonder  of  the  visitor 
in  the  amount  of  material  handled  by  the 
comparatively  few  workmen.  Succeeding 
to  the  position  of  assistant  to  the  g'eneral 
superintendent,  and  then  to  general  su- 
perintendent, he  found  himself,  at  an  age 
at   which  most  men   have  not  yet  risen 


1477 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


from  the  ranks,  in  command  of  ten  thous- 
and men — an  industrial  general  who,  as 
years  went  on,  many  times  led  his  firm  to 
victory.  He  was  appointed  to  this  posi- 
tion April  I,  1901,  succeeding  William  E. 
Corey,  whose  assistant  he  had  been  for  a 
year  previous.  August  i,  1903,  Mr. 
Dinkey  succeeded  Mr.  Corey  as  president 
of  the  Carnegie  Steel  Company. 

In  no  way  has  Mr.  Dinkey  more  con- 
vincingly proved  his  ability  as  a  com- 
mander of  men  than  in  his  treatment  of 
his  employees.  Never  regarding  them 
merely  as  parts  of  a  great  machine,  he 
recognizes  their  individuality,  and  noth- 
ing gives  him  greater  pleasure  than  to 
reward  with  speedy  promotion  their 
worth  and  ability.  Moreover,  he  has  the 
rare  faculty  of  inspiring  them  with  his 
own  enthusiasm,  and  he  receives  from 
them  an  unstinted  measure  of  most  loyal 
service.  Were  men  of  this  type  more 
common  we  should  soon  cease  to  hear  of 
the  controversy  between  capital  and 
labor. 

A  fine-looking,  genial  man  whose  coun- 
tenance radiates  an  optimistic  spirit,  Mr. 
Dinkey  carries  with  him  the  suggestion 
of  intense  vitality  and  alertness,  and  the 
briefest  talk  with  him  reveals  his  ability, 
the  versatility  of  his  talents  and  his  rare 
gift  for  managing  large  and  intricate 
business  enterprises.  He  is  president  and 
a  director  of  the  Carnegie  Steel  Company, 
and  director  of  the  following:  H.  C. 
Frick  Coke  Company;  Pittsburgh  Besse- 
mer &  Lake  Erie  Railroad ;  Mellon  Na- 
tional Bank,  of  Pittsburgh  ;  Monongahela 
Trust  Company,  Homestead,  Pennsyl- 
vania ;  Duquesne  Trust  Company,  Du- 
quesne,  Pennsylvania ;  Hays  National 
Bank,  Hays.  Pennsylvania.  His  influence 
is  felt  not  only  in  business,  but  in  politics 
as  well,  his  support  being  invariably 
given  to  the  Republican  party.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  American  Society  of  Elec- 
trical   Engineers,    American    Society    of 


Mechanical  Engineers,  American  Society 
of  Mining  Engineers,  American  Society 
for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  Engi- 
neers Society  of  Western  Pennsylvania, 
Engineers'  Club  of  New  York,  the  Pil- 
grims, Duquesne,  Country,  Union  and 
Oakmont  clubs.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
board  of  trustees  of  the  Carnegie  Insti- 
tute and  of  the  Carnegie  Hero  Fund  Com- 
mission. 

Mr.  Dinkey  married  Margaret,  daugh- 
ter of  Major  Robert  E.  and  Caroline  (Mc- 
Masters)  Stewart,  of  Pittsburgh,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  three  children : 
Robert  E.,  Alva  C.  Jr..  and  Leonora 
Stewart.  Mrs.  Dinkey  is  one  of  those 
rare  women  who  combine  with  perfect 
womanliness  and  domesticity  an  unerring 
judgment,  traits  of  the  greatest  value  to 
her  husband,  to  whom  she  is  not  alone 
a  charming  companion,  but  a  confidante 
and  adviser.  Mr.  Dinkey  is  a  man  of 
strong  domestic  affections,  and  he  and 
his  wife  are  both  extremely  popular  in 
the  social  circles  of  the  city,  their  beau- 
tiful home  on  Ellsworth  avenue  being 
the  centre  of  refined  and  gracious  hos- 
pitality. The  attractive  personality  of 
Mrs.  Dinkey,  combined  with  her  mental 
endowments  and  innate  grace  and  tact, 
admirably  fit  her  for  her  position  as  one 
of  the  potent  factors  of  Pittsburgh  so- 
ciety. 

Mr.  Dinkey  is  conspicuous  among  a 
class  of  men  who  constitute  one  of  the 
special  glories  of  our  Republic — men  who 
are  the  architects  of  their  own  fortunes. 
In  that  arena  where  mighty  steel  kings 
win  their  coronations  he  has  achieved  for 
himself  a  position  of  trust  and  honor.  His 
motto  is  and  ever  has  been  that  of  his 
own  wonderful  city — "Work  !" 


MEHARD,  Samuel  Smiley, 

Distingnislieil  I/axryer  and   Jurist. 

The  prestige  of  the  Pittsburgh  bar  has 
in    some    instances    been    maintained    by 


1478 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


men  who  have  practiced  there  from  the 
day  of  their  admission,  and  whose  in- 
creasing reputation  has  been  identified  at 
every  step  with  their  home  city.  But 
there  are  other  instances,  instances  of 
men  who  have  come  to  the  metropolis 
when  their  fame  was  at  its  meridian, 
bringing  with  them  the  fruits  of  splen- 
did achievement  to  enrich  and  ampHfy 
her  professional  life.  Such  has  been  the 
case  with  the  Hon.  Samuel  Smiley  Me- 
hard,  former  President  Judge  of  the 
Thirty-fifth  Judicial  District  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  for  the  last  three  years  head 
of  the  law  firm  of  Mehard,  Scully  &  Me- 
hard,  one  of  the  leading  professional  or- 
ganizations of  the  city.  Judge  Alehard 
has  been  a  resident  of  Pittsburgh  for 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  and  during 
that  entire  period  has  stood  in  the  front 
rank  of  her  advocates  and  counsellors. 

The  earliest  records  to  which  we  have 
access  show  the  Mehards  to  have  been  a 
Scotch-Irish  family,  but  there  is  reason 
for  believing  that  Scotland  was  their 
original  home.  This  reason  is  found  in 
the  ancient  spelling  of  the  name,  which 
was  Maharg,  and  which,  reversed,  is  Gra- 
ham, and  there  seems  a  strong  proba- 
bility that  in  the  troublous  times  when 
religious  persecution  drove  so  many  of 
the  Scotch  into  Ireland  the  name  under- 
went a  transformation. 

James  Mehard,  grandfather  of  Samuel 
Smiley  Mehard,  was  born  in  County  An- 
trim, Ireland,  and  in  1818  emigrated  to 
the  United  States.  After  remaining  for  a 
time  in  Philadelphia  he  removed  to  Butler 
county  and  in  1832  settled  on  a  tract  of 
eight  hundred  acres  near  Wirtemberg.  in 
Wayne  township,  Lawrence  county,  then 
Beaver  county.  This  land  became  the 
homestead  and  is  still  in  possession  of 
the  family.  Mr.  Mehard  married,  in  Ire- 
land, Christina  Orr,  who  was  also  of 
a  Scotch-Irish  family,  and  their  children 
were:    Robert,   Thomas,   James,    Samuel 


Smiley,  mentioned  below,  Joseph,  Wil- 
liam, Matilda,  Elizabeth,  and  Ann. 

Samuel  Smiley,  son  of  James  and  Chris- 
tina (Orr)  Mehard,  was  born  in  Har- 
mony, Butler  county,  Pennsylvania,  in 
1822,  and  received  his  education  at  Darl- 
ington Academy  and  Duquesne  College, 
Pittsburgh.  He  then  studied  medicine 
under  the  preceptorship  of  Dr.  Peter 
Mowey,  one  of  the  distinguished  physi- 
cians of  old  Pittsburgh,  and  in  1847 
graduated  from  Jefferson  Medical  Col- 
lege, Philadelphia.  He  settled  in  Mercer 
Mercer  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
practiced  his  profession  during  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  Dr.  Mehard  married, 
April  I.  1847,  Mary  Jane,  daughter  of 
James  Miller  and  Alatilda  (Benning) 
Walker,  of  Allegheny  City,  Pennsylvania, 
and  they  were  the  parents  of  two  sons : 
James  Walker,  a  physician,  now  de- 
ceased ;  and  Samuel  Smiley,  mentioned 
below.  During  his  latter  years.  Dr.  Me- 
hard. in  consequence  of  impaired  health, 
virtually  limited  his  professional  labors 
to  consultation,  his  son.  Dr.  James  Wal- 
ker Mehard,  succeeding  to  his  practice. 
The  latter,  however,  did  not  survive  his 
father,  passing  away  September  25,  1883. 
The  death  of  Dr.  Mehard  occurred  Sep- 
tember 30,  1883.  He  was  a  devoted  phy- 
sician and  an  excellent  man  in  every  re- 
lation of  life. 

Samuel  Smiley  Mehard.  son  of  Samuel 
Smiley  and  Mary  Jane  (Walker)  Mehard, 
was  born  December  18,  1849,  i"  West 
Sunbury,  Butler  county.  Pennsylvania, 
and  received  his  early  education  in  the 
schools  of  Mercer,  whither  his  parents  re- 
moved when  he  was  but  two  years  old. 
The  boy  passed  from  the  public  schools 
to  Westminster  College,  graduating  with 
high  honors  in  the  class  of  i86g.  After 
reading  law  at  Mercer  under  the  guidance 
of  the  late  Hon.  John  Trunkey,  then 
President  Judge  of  the  Thirty-fifth  Judi- 
cial District,  he  was  admitted  in  1871  to 


1479 


EXCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  Mercer  county  bar.  Without  delay 
Mr.  Alehard  entered  upon  the  practice  of 
his  profession,  associating  himself  with 
James  A.  Stranahan,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Stranahan  &  Alehard,  a  connection 
which  was  maintained  until  his  elevation 
to  the  bench.  In  1S74  Air.  Alehard  went 
abroad  and  spent  a  year  in  post-graduate 
work  at  Heidelberg  University.  On  his 
return  home  he  resumed  the  practice  of 
his  profession,  steadily  rising  into  promi- 
nence and  winning  the  confidence,  ad- 
miration and  respect  both  of  the  legal 
fraternity  and  the  general  public. 

On  December  8,  1883,  ^^r.  Alehard  was 
appointed  by  Governor  Robert  E.  Patti- 
son,  President  Judge  of  the  Thirty-fifth 
Judicial  District,  to  fill  the  vacancy 
caused  by  the  death  of  Judge  AlacDer- 
mitt.  His  eminent  fitness  for  the  office 
became  immediately  apparent,  and  after 
serving  almost  one  year  by  appointment 
he  was  elected  in  1884  for  the  full  term 
of  ten  years.  The  solid  and  brilliant 
work  done  by  Judge  Alehard  during  his 
memorable  decade  is  still  fresh  in  the 
memories  of  his  fellow-citizens  and  its 
record  has  passed  into  the  keeping  of  his- 
tory. 

At  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office 
in  January,  1895,  Judge  Alehard  came  to 
Pittsburgh,  where  he  has  ever  since  been 
actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession.  In  addition  to  this  he  has  for 
a  number  of  years  served  as  one  of  the 
lecturers  in  the  law  department  of  the 
University  of  Pittsburgh,  a  position  for 
which  ability,  education  and  experience 
have  qualified  him  to  an  exceptional  de- 
gree. 

Politically  Judge  Alehard  is  a  Demo- 
crat, and  among  his  dominant  character- 
istics has  always  been  an  earnest  and 
wisely  directed  interest  in  all  that  con- 
cerned the  welfare  of  his  community.  He 
is  a  director  of  the  First  National  Bank 


of  Alercer,  Pennsylvania,  and  of  the  Pitts- 
burgh Transformer  Company,  also  a  trus- 
tee of  the  Pure  Oil  Company.  He  holds 
the  office  of  elder  in  the  Second  United 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Alercer. 

How  often  do  we  hear  the  phrase,  "He 
looks  the  man  he  is,"  and  of  how  many 
shades  of  meaning  is  it  susceptible  !  When 
applied  to  Judge  Alehard  its  significance 
is  at  once  apparent.  Instantly  there  rises 
before  the  mind's  eye  the  dignified  bear- 
ing, the  eagle  glance,  the  aspect  at  once 
judicial  and  benevolent — all  combining  to 
form  a  picture  of  the  learned  counsellor, 
the  upright  judge  and  the  true  and  kindly 
gentleman. 

On  July  I,  18S0,  Judge  Alehard  mar- 
ried, in  Sioux  City,  Iowa,  Ida  Augusta 
Brown,  whose  ancestral  record  is  ap- 
pended to  this  biography,  and  they  be- 
came the  parents  of  one  son:  Churchill 
Brown,  whose  biography  may  be  found 
on  another  page  of  this  work.  A  brief 
but  most  happy  union  of  less  than  three 
years  was  dissolved  by  the  death  of  Airs. 
Alehard,  who  passed  away  Alay  29,  1883, 
in  the  bloom  of  youth,  leaving  a  sweet 
and  charming  memory  in  the  hearts  of 
all  who  knew  her. 

Wearing  the  laurels  won  at  the  bar 
Judge  Alehard  ascended  the  bench  where, 
for  eleven  years,  he  kept  the  ermine  with- 
out stain.  Now.  invested  with  judicial 
prestige,  he  stands  among  the  leaders  of 
the  bar  of  the  metropolis  of  Pennsylvania. 

(The  Brown  Line). 

Justice  George  H.  Brown,  of  Somer- 
ville.  New  Jersey,  married  Joan  Gaston 
(see  Gaston  line),  and  among  their  chil- 
dren was  Ida  Augusta,  mentioned  below. 

Ida  Augusta,  daughter  of  George  H. 
and  Joan  (Gaston)  Brown,  was  born  No- 
vember 2T,,  1859,  in  Somerville,  New  Jer- 
sey, and  became  the  wife  of  Samuel 
Smiley  Alehard,  as  stated  above. 


[480 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


(The  Gaston  Line). 

Joseph  Gaston,  the  first  ancestor  of 
record,  was  born  in  Somerset  county, 
New  Jersey,  and  served  during  the  Revo- 
lutionary War  as  paymaster  of  the  New 
Jersey  State  troops  and  militia,  partici- 
pating in  all  the  battles  and  skirmishes  in 
which  the  New  Jersey  troops  were  en- 
gaged. He  married  Ida  Van  Arsdale, 
and  among  their  children  was  John  I., 
mentioned  below.  Joseph  Gaston  died 
October  i6,  1796,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
his  birthplace. 

John  I.,  son  of  Joseph  and  Ida  (Van 
Arsdale)  Gaston,  married  Catherine  An- 
nan, and  they  were  the  parents  of  a 
daughter,  Joan,  mentioned  below. 

Joan,  daughter  of  John  I.  and  Cath- 
erine (Annan)  Gaston,  became  the  wife 
of  George  H.  Brown  (see  Brown  line). 


MEHARD,  Churchill  Brown, 

Lawyer,  National  Guard  Officer. 

Prominent  among  the  younger  gener- 
ation of  lawyers  who  are  infusing  into 
the  Pittsburgh  bar  the  element  of  youth- 
ful vigor  and  enthusiasm  is  Churchill 
Brown  Mehard,  of  the  widely  known  firm 
of  Mehard,  Scully  &  Mehard.  Though 
not  a  native  of  the  Iron  City,  Mr.  IMehard. 
during  the  thirteen  years  of  his  residence 
here,  has  thoroughly  identified  himself 
with  a  number  of  her  leading  interests, 
entering  into  their  promotion  with  the 
same  ardor  and  aggressiveness  which 
characterize  his  devotion  to  his  profes- 
sion. 

Churchill  Brown  Mehard  was  born 
May  27.  1881,  in  Mercer,  Pennsylvania, 
and  is  the  son  of  Judge  Samuel  Smiley 
and  the  late  Ida  Augusta  (Brown)  I\Ie- 
hard.  A  biography  of  Judge  Mehard, 
with  full  ancestry,  appears  on  a  previous 
page  in  this  work.  Churchill  Brown  Me- 
hard received  his  preliminary  education 
in  public  schools,  passing  thence  to  West- 
minster College,  New  Wilmington,  Penn- 


sylvania, and  afterward  to  Kaverford 
College.  He  next  entered  the  ]\Iilitary 
Academy  at  Chester,  graduating  in  1902 
with  the  degree  of  Civil  Engineer.  Im- 
mediately thereafter  he  came  to  Pitts- 
burgh, where  he  attended  the  Pittsburgh 
Law  School  until  1905.  the  institution 
conferring  upon  him  in  that  year  the  de- 
gree of  Bachelor  of  Laws.  In  December, 
1905,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Alle- 
gheny county,  his  preceptor  having  been 
his  father,  with  whom  he  studied  while 
attending  the  Law  School.  After  gradu- 
ation ]Mr.  ]\Iehard  began  practice  in  asso- 
ciation with  his  father,  and  in  1908  be- 
came a  member  of  the  firm,  the  style 
being  S.  S.  &  C.  B.  Mehard.  This  re- 
mained unchanged  until  January  i,  1910, 
when  Mr.  Mehard  was  appointed  Assist- 
ant District  Attorney  under  ^^'illiam  A. 
Blakely,  serving  until  July.  191 2,  when 
he  resigned.  The  manner  in  which  he 
discharged  the  duties  of  the  office  won 
the  distinct  and  hearty  approval  of  mem- 
bers of  the  profession  and  of  all  good 
citizens,  and  made  increasingly  evident 
a  fact  which  had  for  some  time  been 
attracting  public  notice — the  large  share 
of  the  father's  ability  which  had  fallen  to 
the  lot  of  the  son.  In  April,  1912,  the 
firm  of  Mehard,  Scully  &  Mehard  was 
organized,  the  partners  being  Judge  Sam- 
uel Smiley  Mehard,  Cornelius  Scully  and 
Churchill  Brown  Mehard.  The  firm  prac- 
tices corporation  and  general  law  and  has 
a  large  clientele.  Mr.  Mehard  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  superior  and  supreme  courts  of 
Pennsylvania  and  also  of  the  Mercer 
county  courts. 

The  political  allegiance  of  Mr.  ISIehard 
is  given  to  the  Republican  party,  and  one 
of  the  ways  in  which  his  ever-active  pub- 
lic spirit  manifests  itself  is  his  interest  in 
the  National  Guard  of  his  native  State. 
On  January  12.  1903,  he  enlisted  in  the 
Eighteenth  Infantry,  and  became  first 
lieutenant ;  on  March  7,  1903,  he  was  pro- 
481 


ENXYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


moted  to  battalion  adjutant ;  and  on 
March  4,  1904.  he  was  made  captain  and 
regimental  adjutant,  serving  until  June 
19,  1912,  when  he  was  appointed  major, 
adjutant  general's  department,  and  as- 
signed to  duty  as  brigade  adjutant.  Sec- 
ond Brigade,  in  which  capacity  he  is  now 
serving.  He  belongs  to  the  Sons  of  the 
American  Revolution  and  the  Duquesne, 
University,  Allegheny  Country  and  Edge- 
worth  clubs,  also  the  Officers'  Club  of  the 
Eighteenth  Infantry  "Duquesne  Grays." 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Sewickley  Presby- 
terian Church. 

The  personality  of  Mr.  Mehard  is  that 
of  a  high-class  young  Pittsburgh  lawyer. 
The  characteristics  of  the  type — natural 
aptitude,  complete  equipment,  a  high 
sense  of  honor  and  unremitting  devotion 
to  duty — are  too  well  known  to  need  repe- 
tition here  and  of  each  one  the  career  and 
work  of  Mr.  Mehard  afford  a  striking 
illustration. 

On  June  21,  1905,  a  congenial  marriage 
gave  the  crowning  touch  to  Mr.  Mehard's 
happiness.  On  that  day  he  was  united  to 
Mary,  daughter  of  the  late  Theodore  D. 
and  Ida  Eugenia  (Hoist)  Kline,  of  Savan- 
nah. Georgia.  Mr.  Kline  was  general 
manager  of  the  Central  Railroad  of 
Georgia,  and  had  been  a  major  in  the 
Confederate  army.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mehard 
are  the  parents  of  one  daughter,  Ida 
Brown  Mehard.  Mrs.  Mehard  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Women's  Club  of  Sewickley 
and  the  Allegheny  Country  Club,  and  pre- 
sides with  gracious  tact  over  the  beauti- 
ful home  at  Sewickley,  where  she  and  her 
husband  delight  to  welcome  their  many 
friends. 

Mr.  Mehard  is  the  son  of  a  man  emi- 
nent in  his  profession  and  inherits  ances- 
tral traditions  of  honorable  achievement 
and  disinterested  devotion.  To  these  tra- 
ditions he  has  been  absolutely  faithful 
and  the  present  gives  assurance  that  the 
future  holds  much  in  store  for  him. 


BAKEWELL,  William, 

Lia'wyer,    Man    of    Affairs. 

The  Bar  of  Pittsburgh  had  its  begin- 
ning before  the  American  Revolution,  and 
its  history,  from  that  period  to  the  pres- 
ent time,  is  of  absorbing  interest.  The 
latter  half  of  the  nineteenth  century  con- 
stituted one  of  its  most  brilliant  epochs 
and  during  the  entire  fifty  years  it  num- 
bered among  its  foremost  members  the 
late  William  Bakewell,  whose  conduct  of 
cases  falling  under  the  patent  laws  gave 
him  an  unsurpassed  celebrity.  Mr.  Bake- 
well  was  also  distinguished  as  a  business 
man  and  as  a  citizen  was  identified  with 
the  most  essential  interests  of  Pittsburgh. 

William  Bakewell  was  born  February 
12,  1823,  in  Chester,  England,  and  was  a 
son  of  the  Rev.  William  Johnstone  and 
Sarah  (Needam)  Bakewell.  Mr.  Bake- 
well  was  a  clergyman  of  the  Church  of 
England.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  par- 
ents of  three  other  sons :  Judge  Robert 
A.  Bakewell,  of  St.  Louis;  Dr.  Frank  S. 
Bakewell,  also  of  St.  Louis ;  and  Fred- 
erick, who  became  a  noted  Roman  Catho- 
lic priest  of  Montreal,  Canada.  William 
Bakewell  was  educated  in  Norwich,  Eng- 
land, and  in  1839,  being  then  sixteen  years 
of  age,  came  with  his  parents  to  the 
United  States.  A  fondness  for  mathe- 
matics attracted  him  to  the  study  of  civil 
engineering  and  his  first  employment  was 
under  Colonel  Minor  Roberts,  on  the  engi- 
neering corps  of  the  State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, the  work  being  on  the  line  of  the 
extension  of  the  Erie  canal.  While  em- 
ployed as  a  civil  engineer,  Mr.  Bakewell 
was  associated  with  the  late  Hon.  Felix 
Brunot,  who  became  his  warm  personal 
friend.  Eventually  Mr.  Bakewell's  incli- 
nations, coupled  perhaps  with  a  feeling  of 
innate  ability,  led  him  in  1842  to  enter 
upon  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of 
Charles  O.  Bradford,  and  he  also  attended 
the  law  school  of  the  Western  University 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  on  January  13,  1845, 


[482 


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'/S, 


QJocoo-cl^, 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Allegheny 
county.  In  1850  he  received  admission  to 
the  United  States  courts.  It  speedily  be- 
came evident  that  in  his  choice  of  a  pro- 
fession he  had  made  no  mistake.  An  in- 
herent aptitude,  combined  with  thorough 
equipment  and  unremitting  devotion  to 
duty  enabled  him  to  build  up  a  large  and 
lucrative  practice.  While  it  was  general 
in  character  he  made  a  special  study  of 
patent  cases,  his  knowledge  and  astute- 
ness in  this  branch  of  his  profession  bring- 
ing him  an  enormous  clientele.  As  a  pat- 
ent attorney,  he  was  one  of  the  pioneers 
in  this  branch  of  the  legal  profession  in 
the  country,  and  really  the  father  of  pat- 
ent law  in  the  city  of  Pittsburgh.  He 
was  a  recognized  leader  in  this  class  of 
cases  and  of  the  great  number  which  he 
conducted  during  the  long  period  of  his 
professional  career  many  were  notable  in 
legal  annals. 

His  acknowledged  professional  skill, 
goodness  of  heart,  his  polished  urbanity, 
his  high  sense  of  honor  and  noble  gen- 
erosity of  nature,  endeared  Mr.  Bakewell 
to  all.  In  his  intercourse  with  other  pro- 
fessional gentlemen,  his  conduct  was 
marked  by  the  most  scrupulous  regard 
for  the  rights  and  feelings  of  others.  His 
estimate  of  the  character  of  the  profes- 
sion was,  indeed,  exalted.  It  constituted 
the  very  essence  of  honor,  dignity,  benev- 
olence, and  usefulness;  and  in  his  own 
dealings  he  exhibited  a  living  exemplifica- 
tion of  his  views.  He  was,  in  truth,  a 
very  model  of  professional  etiquette — not 
in  its  letter  only,  but  in  its  purest  spirit. 
He  was  always  anxious,  not  merely  to  act 
honorably  to  a  professional  brother,  but 
also  to  serve  him,  if  he  could,  by  advanc- 
ing his  interests,  and  increasing  his  claims 
to  public  estimation  and  confidence.  He 
was  so  constituted,  that  it  was  impossible 
for  him  to  be  guilty  of  dishonorable 
rivalry  towards  his  fellow  practitioners. 
He  scorned  the  tricks  of  the  profession 


and  those  who  practiced  them.  To  the 
junior  members  of  the  legal  fraternity  he 
was  particularly  kind  and  generous,  and 
was  the  preceptor  of  most  of  the  present 
Pittsburgh  patent  attorneys.  They  were 
at  once  made  to  feel  that  he  was  one  in 
whom  they  could  wholly  confide,  and  in 
consequence  of  his  winning  kindness  of 
heart  and  manner,  and  the  real  interest 
he  always  manifested  in  their  success,  he 
was  almost  regarded  by  them  as  a  father. 
He  was  attorney  for  the  late  George 
Westinghouse. 

In  addition  to  his  talents  as  a  lawyer, 
Mr.  Bakewell  possessed  remarkable  busi- 
ness ability.  He  was  connected  with  the 
Monongahela  Navigation  Company  as  an 
officer  from  its  inception,  becoming  in 
1842  secretary  and  subsequently  assum- 
ing, in  conjunction  with  the  duties  of  this 
office,  those  of  the  treasureship.  In  this 
he  was  associated  with  Felix  Brunot  and 
General  Moorhead,  and  the  positions  of 
secretary  and  treasurer  he  held  for  more 
than  fifty  years,  or  until  the  time  it  was 
sold  to  the  United  States  Government, 
meeting  their  demands,  in  addition  to 
those  of  his  profession,  with  keen  vision, 
sound  judgment  and  unfaltering  enter- 
prise. 

Seldom,  indeed,  is  it  that  a  man  as  suc- 
cessful in  professional  and  business  life  as 
Mr.  Bakewell  takes  the  keen  and  helpful 
interest  in  civic  affairs  which  he  ever 
manifested.  In  politics  he  was  first  a 
Whig  and  later  a  Republican,  but  never 
took  an  active  part  in  the  afifairs  of  the 
organization.  Nothing,  however,  which 
concerned  the  public  welfare  found  him 
indififerent  and  no  project  which  he 
thought  calculated  to  further  that  end 
lacked  the  support  of  his  influence  and 
means.  For  a  number  of  years  he  served 
on  the  State  Board  of  Charities,  and  he 
was  personally  identified  with  many  insti- 
tutions of  a  philanthropic  and  educational 
character.    He  was  on  the  board  of  public 


1483 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


charities  of  Pittsburgh,  an  honorary  posi- 
tion only.  He  was  secretary  of  the  board 
of  trustees  of  the  Western  University  of 
Pennsylvania  (now  the  University  of 
Pittsburgh),  and  the  Western  Theolog- 
ical Seminary.  For  many  years  he  was  a 
trustee  of  the  Allegheny  Cemetery.  Ever 
ready  to  respond  to  any  deserving  call 
made  upon  him,  he  was  widely  but  un- 
ostentatiously charitable.  For  fifty-five 
years  he  was  an  active  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church. 

Possessing  as  he  did  that  magnetism  of 
personality  which,  coupled  with  driving 
energy,  has  ever  been  characteristic  of 
successful  men  in  all  spheres  of  endeavor, 
Mr.  Bakewell's  achievements  were  "a 
foregone  conclusion."  Born  to  command, 
wise  to  plan,  he  was  quick  in  action  and 
capable  of  prolonged  labor  with  the  power 
of  close  concentration.  Work  was  happi- 
ness to  a  man  of  his  stamp,  but  the  fact 
that  his  exceptional  success  never  inter- 
fered with  his  steadfast  devotion  to  the 
highest  purposes  of  his  life  furnishes  the 
strongest  proof  of  his  commanding  intel- 
lect and  capacious  heart.  His  salient  traits 
of  character  were  deeply  imprinted  on  his 
strong,  resolute  countenance,  his  eyes, 
with  all  their  keenness,  held  in  their 
depths  the  glint  of  humor  and  his  man- 
ner, dignified  and  courteous,  had  a  win- 
ning geniality  that  drew  men  to  him. 
Never  did  he  forsake  a  friend,  and  hon- 
esty and  honor  were  the  watchwords  of 
his  long  and  useful  life. 

Mr.  Bakewell  married,  July  15,  1845. 
Jane  H.,  born  November  8,  1825,  daugh- 
ter of  the  Rev.  Allan  D.  and  Nancy 
White  (Bakewell)  Campbell,  and  the  fol- 
lowing children  were  born  to  them :  Colo- 
nel Allan  C.  Bakewell,  retired,  of  New 
York ;  Euphemia  Bakewell,  who  died  in 
infancy ;  William  F.  Bakewell,  who  died 
young ;  James  K.  Bakewell,  a  lawyer  of 
Pittsburgh ;  Thomas  W.  Bakewell,  who 
died  July  7.  1909;  Frances  E.  Bakewell, 


who  married  Charles  Wharton  Jr. ;  Ben- 
jamin Campbell  Bakewell.  who  died  about 
1910;  Jane  C.  Bakewell,  who  married 
George  Irwin  Holdship. 

Mr.  Bakewell  was  a  man  of  strong 
domestic  tastes  and  affections,  devoted  to 
the  ties  of  family  and  friendship,  and 
"given  to  hospitality."  He  was,  as  all 
who  were  ever  privileged  to  be  his  guests 
can  testify,  a  delightful  host,  possessed  of 
graphic  powers  of  conversation  and  a 
singular  fund  of  humor,  always  controlled 
by  kindness  of  heart  and  consideration  for 
others.  The  wife  who  was,  for  more  than 
half  a  century,  the  presiding  genius  of  his 
home  and  his  true  and  sympathizing  help- 
mate, survived  him  but  six  months,  pass- 
ing away  May  18,  1901. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Bakewell,  which  oc- 
curred November  8,  1900,  deprived  Pitts- 
burgh of  one  of  her  sterling  citizens  and 
the  legal  profession  of  a  member  who,  for 
fifty-four  years,  had  been  continuously 
engaged  in  active  practice  and  during 
that  long  period  had  been  one  of  its 
brightest  ornaments  and  most  honored 
representatives.  Air.  Bakewell  was  one 
of  the  men  to  whom  Pittsburgh  owes 
a  debt  of  gratitude.  As  a  public-spirited 
citizen  he  helped  to  strengthen  the  ele- 
ments essential  to  the  true  life  of  a  mu- 
nicii)ality,  and  as  a  business  man  he 
greatly  aided  in  the  increase  of  the  ma- 
terial prosperity  of  his  community.  It 
was,  however,  as  an  advocate  and  coun- 
sellor that  he  was  most  conspicuous  and 
will  be  longest  held  in  remembrance.  Flis 
name  will  go  down  in  the  history  of  the 
city  as  that  of  one  of  the  most  brilliant 
specialists  who  ever  graced  her  courts. 


McCORMICK,  David  Cummings, 

Pioneer  Iron  Master. 

In  this  age  of  iron  Pittsburgh  is  a  seat 
of  empire  with  a  grandeur  more  substan- 
tial than  that  of  Greece  or  Rome,  and  the 
men  who  rendered  her  thus  supreme,  who 


1484 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


gave  to  her  her  proud  name  of  the  "Iron 
City,"  were,  indeed,  makers  not  of  their 
own  fortunes  alone,  but  of  the  fortunes 
of  multitudes.  High  on  the  list  of  these 
Titans  of  trade  stands  the  name  of  the 
late  David  Cummings  McCormick,  one  of 
the  first  men  to  make  pig  iron  for  the 
supply  of  the  Pittsburgh  mills.  Mr.  Mc- 
Cormick, during  his  long  residence  in 
Pittsburg,  added  to  his  renown  as  a  manu- 
facturer the  distinction  which  attaches 
itself  to  a  notably  conscientious  and  pub- 
lic-spirited citizen. 

David  Cummings  McCormick  was  born 
August  22,  1832,  on  a  plantation  near 
Savannah,  Georgia.  He  was  a  son  of 
Pollard  and  Rebecca  (Shoenberger)  Mc- 
Cormick. The  boy  received  his  educa- 
tion in  public  and  private  schools,  at  old 
Carlisle  College,  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania, 
and  later  attended  Yale  College.  At  an 
early  age  he  came  to  Pittsburgh  with  his 
parents.  His  father  became  identified 
with  the  celebrated  iron  firm  of  the 
Shoenbergers,  brothers  of  his  wife.  This 
business  was  founded  by  his  wife's  father. 
Dr.  Peter  Shoenberger,  who  emigrated 
to  the  United  States  from  Germany  some 
time  previous.  Dr.  Shoenberger  erected 
several  furnaces,  calling  them  by  the 
names  of  his  daughters — the  Sarah  Fur- 
nace, the  Alartha  Furnace,  the  Maria  Fur- 
nace and  the  Rebecca  Furnace.  He  was 
also  the  proprietor  of  the  Juniata  Forge, 
in  Huntingdon  county;  his  next  enter- 
prise was  the  erection  of  the  Juniata 
Works,  the  first  rolling  mill  put  in  opera- 
tion in  Pittsburgh.  This  was  in  1824,  and 
to-day  the  firms  of  the  Shoenbergers  con- 
stitute one  of  the  forces  of  the  iron  indus- 
try. John  H.  Shoenberger  was  born  in 
iSio,  at  Juniata  Forge,  Huntingdon  coun- 
ty. He  received  his  education  at  Jefifer- 
son  College.  In  1833  he  went  to  Pitts- 
burgh, where  he  was  taken  into  partner- 
ship with  his  father.  He  also  purchased 
works    in    Huntingdon    countv    and    re- 


mained there  in  business  until  1862.  In 
1 871  he  was  elected  president  of  the  Na- 
tional Exchange  Bank  of  Pittsburgh. 

The  industrial  genius  of  his  mother's 
family  was  largely  inherited  by  David 
Cummings  ]\IcCormick,  for  at  an  early 
age  he  developed  their  enterprising  spirit. 
As  a  young  man,  impelled  by  the  instinct 
of  the  pioneer,  he  went  to  Hollidaysburg, 
Pennsylvania,  and  near  there  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  pig  iron,  under  the 
firm  name  of  the  Sarah  Furnace  Com- 
pany. A  liberal,  clear-headed  man,  he 
was,  to  an  exceptional  degree,  alert  to  op- 
portunity, a  characteristic  which  led  to 
the  crowning  achievement  of  his  business 
career — the  manufacture  of  pig  iron  for 
the  supply  of  the  Pittsburgh  mills.  The 
first  in  the  field,  David  C.  McCormick 
reaped  a  rich  harvest,  and  at  the  end  of 
fifteen  years  returned  to  Pittsburgh,  the 
possessor  of  a  fortune,  where  he  spent  the 
last  twenty-five  years  of  his  life  in  well- 
earned  repose. 

Belonging  as  he  did  to  that  representa- 
tive class  of  citizens  whose  private  inter- 
ests never  preclude  active  participation  in 
movements  which  concern  the  general 
good,  iNIr.  McCormick  made  it  his  con- 
stant aim  to  advance  the  welfare  of  his 
home  city,  where  his  mature  judgment 
and  ripe  experience  enabled  him  to  give 
to  the  afifairs  of  the  community  counsel 
of  genuine  value.  Although  an  adherent 
to  the  Democratic  party,  Mr.  ]McCormick 
was  never  numbered  among  its  office- 
seekers.  A  liberal  giver  to  charity,  he 
sought,  in  the  bestowal  of  his  benefac- 
tions, to  avoid  publicity.  There  was  in 
the  personality  of  Air.  [McCormick  a  note- 
worthy combination  of  aggressiveness 
and  conservatism.  The  latter  quality,  in 
conjunction  with  his  rare  discernment, 
made  him  a  factor  of  safety  in  business 
interests,  and  he  was  much  sought  as  an 
astute  and  capable  adviser.  His  face,  with 
its  resolute  features,  its  keen  but  kindly 


1485 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


eyes,  was  expressive  of  the  qualities 
which  made  him  the  successful  business 
man  he  was,  and  his  appreciation  of  the 
good  traits  of  others  made  him  the  friend 
of  all. 

Mr.  McCormick  married,  June  i6,  i860, 
Cecelia,  daughter  of  George  and  Sophia 
(Bradford)  Grant.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  two  children  :  Sophia  Grant ;  and 
John  Shoenberger,  who  is  head  of  the 
firm  of  J.  S.  McCormick  Company.  Mrs. 
McCormick,  a  woman  of  culture  and  char- 
acter, was  in  all  respects  a  worthy  help- 
mate for  such  a  man  as  her  husband. 

The  death  of  Mr.  McCormick,  on  March 
12,  1910,  removed  from  Pittsburgh  one  of 
that  city's  most  representative  citizens 
whose  career  had  been  illustrative  of  the 
essential  principles  of  a  true  life.  Re- 
spected by  his  employes,  honored  by  his 
business  associates,  he  made  wise  use  of 
his  opportunities  and  his  wealth.  A  man 
of  stainless  character  in  every  relation  of 
life,  his  motives  were  never  questioned. 
He  fulfilled  to  the  letter  every  trust  com- 
mitted to  him ;  was  generous  in  his  feel- 
ings and  conduct  toward  all. 

David  Cummings  McCormick  was  one 
of  the  men  who  do  things.  Moreover,  he 
was  one  of  the  men  who  do  things  first — 
who  take  the  initiative.  His  name  is  in- 
delibly written  in  the  industrial  history 
of  Pittsburgh  as  that  of  one  of  the  pioneer 
manufacturers.  Some  men  are  leaders, 
and  some  are  followers.  This  man  was 
one  of  the  leaders. 


BURPEE,  Washington  Atlee, 

Proprietor  of  Famous  Seed  Honse. 

The  name  Llurpee  is  as  widely  known  as 
that  of  Washington,  and  perhaps  there  is 
no  quarter  of  the  world  where  flowers  and 
vegetables  are  grown  from  seeds  that 
"Burpee's  Annual"  of  seeds  is  not  a  vis- 
itor. It  is  a  matter  of  pride  that  Philadel- 
phia is  the  home  of  the  largest  mail  order 
seed  house  in  the  world,  but  also  of  re- 


gret that  that  city  cannot  lay  claim  to 
being  the  native  city  of  its  founder.  But 
he  is  an  American,  a  grandson  of  Dr. 
Washington  L.  Atlee,  of  Philadelphia. 
Mr.  Burpee  has  in  truth  developed  a  won- 
derful business,  and  one  that  from  its  in- 
ception to  its  present  magnitude  is  the 
child  of  his  own  genius.  Distinctively  a 
mail  order  house,  its  offerings  each  sea- 
son are  presented  to  the  world  through 
the  medium  of  a  finely  illustrated  cata- 
logue. The  products  of  three  large  farms 
owned  by  W.  Atlee  Burpee  &  Company 
furnish  but  a  small  part  of  the  seeds  sold, 
but  the  same  standard  of  quality  is  ob- 
served as  though  all  were  grown  on  the 
Burpee  farms.  This  method  of  main- 
taining quality  is  one  of  the  interesting 
features  of  the  business,  as  is  the  pack- 
ing and  shipping  system,  that  cares  for 
from  three  to  seven  thousand  orders 
daily,  the  system  of  sorting  and  opening 
mail,  the  printing  department,  in  fact,  a 
visit  to  the  Burpee  plant  on  North  Fifth 
street  is  full  of  interest  at  every  point. 
While  Mr.  Burpee  is  proud  of  his  busi- 
ness, Philadelphia  is  proud  of  Mr.  Bur- 
pee, for  in  his  treatment  of  employees  he 
has  shown  to  employers  that  quality  of 
product  depends  on  the  quality  of  em- 
ployees. This  homely  truth  has  been  so 
little  understood  in  the  past  that  Mr.  Bur- 
pee and  other  employers,  pioneers  in  the 
field  of  improving  the  working  conditions 
of  employees,  have  had  to  face  the  criti- 
cism of  the  less  progressive  and  more 
narrow  minded.  The  Burpee  people  have 
rest  rooms  with  easy  chairs,  lounges, 
tables,  newspapers  and  magazines,  smok- 
ing rooms  for  the  men,  a  light,  airy  dining 
room  for  women,  with  food  and  service  at 
cost,  umbrellas  for  use  in  case  of  storm, 
and  nothing  has  been  overlooked  that 
tends  to  the  comfort,  convenience,  and 
welfare  of  those  connected  with  the  Bur- 
pee plant.  This  insures  a  corps  of  loyal, 
efficient  workers,  who  guarantee  custom- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ers  immunity  from  careless  packing,  ship- 
ping, or  delay.  System  is  the  keynote 
of  the  establishment,  one  result  being  that 
an  order  rarely  remains  unfilled  for 
more  than  twenty-four  hours.  That  such 
a  business  has  been  built  by  one  man's 
force,  determination,  and  genius  in  the 
short  space  of  thirty-nine  years  seems 
little  short  of  marvelous. 

Could  one  add  to  his  idea  of  the  activity 
of  the  Philadelphia  house,  a  view  of  the 
farm  in  Gloucester  county.  New  Jersey, 
the  Fordhook  farms  in  Bucks  county, 
Pennsylvania,  the  farm  in  Santa  Barbara, 
California,  and  a  view  of  the  hundreds  of 
farms  elsewhere  that  produce  Burpee 
seeds,  then  indeed  would  he  gain  some 
faint  conception  of  the  work  that  has 
been  accomplished  by  the  head  of  "the 
largest  mail  order  seed  house  in  the 
world."  When  one  ceases  to  marvel  at 
the  seed  production  the  next  cause  for 
wonder  is  the  manner  in  which  such  an 
immense  number  can  be  sold.  Remem- 
bering the  more  than  a  million  "Silent 
Salesmen"  over  which  millions  of  men, 
women  and  children  pore,  the  thousands 
of  daily  orders  are  explained. 

Truly  a  wonderful  business,  wonder- 
ful in  its  scope  and  magnitude,  wonder- 
ful in  its  systematic  development,  yet 
even  more  interesting  than  the  business 
is  the  man  who  conceived,  developed  and 
manages  it. 

Washington  Atlee  Burpee  was  born  in 
Sheffield,  New  Brunswick,  Canada,  April 
5,  1858,  son  of  David  and  Ann  C.  (Atlee) 
Burpee  and  maternal  grandson  of  Dr. 
Washington  L.  Atlee,  of  Philadelphia. 
He  became  a  Philadelphian  in  early  life, 
his  parents  changing  their  residence  dur- 
ing his  boyhood.  He  obtained  his  pre- 
paratory education  at  Friends'  Central 
School,  then  studied  for  two  years  at  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  class  of  1878. 
He  became  interested  in  the  seed  business 
in  1876  and  for  two  years  was  associated 


with  partners.  In  1878  he  severed  the 
connection  and  established  a  separate 
business  under  the  name  W.  xYtlee  Bur- 
pee &  Company.  Beginning  modestly, 
the  business  has  expanded  until  Burpee's 
seeds  are  sought  for  in  every  State  in  the 
Union  and  every  country  on  the  globe. 
The  three  farms,  "Fordhook"  (Pennsyl- 
vania), "Sunnybrook"  (New  Jersey),  and 
"Floradale"  (California),  are  part  of  the 
great  business  centred  in  Philadelphia, 
the  first  named  being  ^Ir.  Burpee's  resi- 
dence. There  is  no  friction  visible  in  the 
business,  method  prevailing  everywhere, 
protecting  the  reputation  of  the  house  and 
safeguarding  patrons. 

During  his  thirty-nine  years  in  the  seed 
business  Mr.  Burpee  has  gained  not  only 
a  national  and  international  acquaintance 
with  buyers,  but  has  become  prominent 
among  growers,  florists,  and  dealers.  He 
is  an  ex-president  of  the  American  Seed 
Trade  Association,  ex-president  of  the 
American  Sweet  Pea  Association,  vice- 
president  of  the  National  Sweet  Pea  As- 
sociation of  Great  Britain,  director  of  the 
W' holesale  Seedsmen's  League,  member  of 
the  Societe  d'Horticulture  de  France, 
member  of  the  executive  board  of  the 
National  Farm  School,  and  life  member 
of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  of 
Great  Britain,  and  in  all  is  well  known 
and  honored.  The  development  of  so  vast 
a  business  has  naturally  demanded  the 
full  attention  of  its  owner,  but  Mr.  Bur- 
pee likewise  serves  as  a  director  of  the 
Market  Street  National  Bank,  the  North- 
ern Trust  Company,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  of  the 
Philadelphia  Board  of  Trade.  He  is  a 
trustee  of  the  Howard  Hospital  and  Sani- 
tarium Association  of  Philadelphia,  di- 
rector and  ex-president  of  the  Canadian 
Society  of  Philadelphia,  and  in  politics 
adheres  to  the  principles  of  the  Republi- 
can party.  His  clubs  are  the  Union 
League,  Art,  University,  City,   Racquet, 


1487 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Bachelors'  Barge,  Poor  Richard,  all  of 
Philadelphia,  the  National  Arts  and  City, 
of  New  York,  the  Merion  Cricket  and  the 
Lansdowne  Country  Clubs. 

Mr.  Burpee  married,  in  Philadelphia,  in 
1892,  Blanche,  daughter  of  Peter  B. 
Simons.  Children :  David,  Washington 
Atlee  Jr.,  and  Stuart  Alexander. 

David  Burpee,  son  of  Washington  At- 
lee and  Blanche  (Simons)  Burpee,  was 
born  April  5,  1S93.  He  was  educated  in 
Blight's  School,  Philadelphia,  Culver 
Military  Academy,  Culver,  Indiana,  and 
Cornell  Agricultural  College,  and  is  now 
associated  with  his  father's  business  as 
manager  of  the  bureau  of  adjustment. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Union  League, 
the  Merion  Cricket,  Lansdowne  Country, 
and  the  Harris  clubs ;  also  Delta  Upsilon 
fraternity,  the  Philadelphia  City  Club, 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  Canadian 
Society ;  the  Pennsylvania  Horticultural 
Society,  National  Sweet  Pea  Society  of 
Great  Britain,  and  the  American  Genetic 
Association. 


REA,  William, 

Pioneer  Iron  Master,  Financier. 

The  late  William  Rea,  for  many  years 
a  member  of  the  widely  known  firm  of 
Robinson,  Rea  &  Company,  iron  founders 
and  machinists  of  Pittsburgh,  was  a  rep- 
resentative of  a  family  of  colonial  record 
and  Revolutionary  fame,  belonging  him- 
self to  a  generation  which  gave  a  large 
number  of  useful  and  public-spirited  citi- 
zens to  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

Samuel  Rea,  founder  of  the  American 
branch  of  the  race,  was  born  in  the  North 
of  Ireland,  of  Scotch  parentage,  and  in 
1754  or  1755  emigrated  to  the  province 
of  Pennsylvania.  After  remaining  for  a 
short  time  in  the  western  part  of  Chester 
county  he  removed  to  Lancaster  county, 
and  finally  to  the  Conococheague  Valley, 
now  Franklin  county,  then  part  of  Cum- 


berland county.  Mr.  Rea  married  (first) 
Miss  Snodgrass,  of  the  same  family  as  the 
Rev.  James  Snodgrass,  one  of  the  early 
Presbyterian  ministers  of  the  Scotch- 
Irish  settlement  on  the  eastern  bank  of 
the  Susquehanna,  and  a  grandson  of  Ben- 
jamin Snodgrass,  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
the  settlement,  who  was  himself  a  grand- 
son of  Benjamin  Snodgrass,  an  early  set- 
tler in  the  Scotch-Irish  colony  on  the  Ne- 
shaminy,  in  Ikicks  county.  Mr.  Rea  mar- 
ried (second)  a  widow  named  Edgar, 
and  (third)  Martha  (Grier)  Wallace, 
who  survived  him.  His  own  death  oc- 
curred August  15,  181 1. 

John,  son  of  Samuel  and  ■ (  Snod- 
grass) Rea,  was  born  January  17,  1755, 
in  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
spent  his  early  life  in  the  Conococheague 
region  amid  the  hardships  of  the  frontier, 
which  was  then  infested  with  Indians.  At 
the  outbreak  of  the  Revolutionary  War 
he  enlisted  in  Captain  William  Hen- 
dricks' company,  which  formed  part  of 
Colonel  Thompson's  rifle  battalion,  the 
first  armed  force  to  leave  Pennsylvania 
for  General  Washington's  camp  at  Cam- 
bridge, Massachusetts;  Leaving  Carlisle, 
Cumberland  county,  on  July  15,  1775, 
they  reached  Cambridge  on  August  8, 
having  been  more  than  three  weeks  on 
the  way.  His  next  service  was  as  lieu- 
tenant of  a  company  in  the  Fifth  Bat- 
talion of  Cumberland  county  militia,  his 
commission    bearing    date    January    20, 

1777.  On  July  31,  1777,  he  was  promoted 
to  captain  of  the  Eighth  Company  in  the 
Eighth  Battalion,  Colonel  Smith  com- 
manding, being  recommissioned  May  14, 

1778.  On  May  10,  1780,  he  was  made 
captain  of  the  Second  Company,  First 
Battalion,  Cumberland  county  militia, 
Colonel  James  Johnston  commanding, 
thus  being  virtually  in  active  service  dur- 
ing the  entire  struggle,  serving  under 
Colonels  Armstrong,  Smith  and  Johnston. 
At  the  close  of  the  war.  Captain  Rea  be- 


1488 


\.  4»^^.*AS£,^^  ^Sr^    .VI^' 


A>^^^H^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


came  an  ouicer  of  the  Pennsylvania  mili- 
tia, rising  through  the  several  grades  to 
the  rank  of  brigadier-general.  During  the 
war  of  1S12  he  was  major-general  of  the 
Seventh  Division  of  Pennsylvania  militia, 
in  active  service.  His  services  as  a  civil- 
ian were  not  less  distinguished  than  those 
which  he  rendered  as  a  soldier.  He  was 
a  member  of  Assembly  from  Franklin 
county  in  the  sessions  of  1789-90,  1792- 
93  and  1796-97,  and  in  1803  was  elected 
to  Congress,  serving  until  181 1.  On  May 
II,  1S13,  he  was  again  elected  to  Con- 
gress to  complete  the  unexpired  term  of 
Robert  Whitehall,  who  died  in  1812,  be- 
ing re-elected  for  the  term  of  1814-15.  In 
1S23  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate, 
resigning  in  1824.  General  Rea  married, 
in  November,  1806,  Elizabeth  Culbertson, 
whose  ancestral  record  is  appended  to  this 
biography,  and  they  became  the  parents 
of  nine  sons  and  two  daughters,  all  of 
whom,  with  the  exception  of  two,  ar- 
rived at  maturity — the  eldest  son,  Sam- 
uel ;  John,  who  was  a  physician  ;  William, 
who  is  mentioned  below ;  and  Charles, 
settled  in  Pittsburgh.  General  Rea  died 
F"ebruary  6,  1829,  at  Chambersburg, 
Pennsylvania,  and  his  widow  passed  away 
June  6,  1836,  at  Mariah  Forges,  Blair 
county,  Pennsylvania. 

William,  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth 
(Culbertson)  Rea,  was  born  June  6, 
1820,  near  Rocky  Springs,  Cumberland 
county,  Pennsvlvania,  and  received  his 
education  in  the  schools  of  the  neighbor- 
hood. At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  entered 
upon  the  active  business  of  life,  being 
employed  on  the  old  Pennsylvania  canal, 
in  Pittsburgh.  On  arriving  at  man's  es- 
tate he  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
brother  John,  engaging  in  the  forward- 
ing and  commission  business.  It  was 
the  duty  of  the  firm  to  take  charge  of  the 
goods  shipped  by  canal  to  Pittsburgh  and 
forv^ard  them  to  New  Orleans  and  other 
points  west  and  south.     In  this  sphere  of 


action  the  executive  abiniics  possessed 
by  Air.  Rea  attracted  speedy  recognition, 
rapidly  advancing  him  to  a  place  among 
the  leading  business  men  of  the  city.  The 
office  of  the  firm  was  on  First  street.  In 
1863,  Air.  Rea  became  a  partner  in  the 
business  of  Robinson,  Rea  &  Company, 
William  C.  Robinson  being  the  other 
member  of  the  firm.  This  iniiuential 
concern  of  iron  founders  and  machinists 
was  one  of  the  most  prominent  in  the  city 
of  Pittsburgh.  In  1884  the  business  was 
incorporated,  Mr.  Rea  becoming  its  treas- 
urer, an  office  which  he  retained  to  the 
close  of  his  life. 

To  how  great  a  degree  the  distinction 
of  the  organization  with  which  he  was  so 
long  connected  and  its  flourishing  con- 
dition were  due  to  Mr.  Rea's  keen  vision 
and  capable  management  cannot  be  fully 
estimated,  but  certain  it  is  that  these  were 
of  well-nigh  incalculable  value.  His  ad- 
ministrative abilities  were  also  exercised 
in  the  realm  of  finance  with  results  which 
were  alike  creditable  to  himself  and  bene- 
ficial to  the  institutions  with  which  he 
was  associated.  He  was  president  of  the 
Alerchants"  and  Alanufacturers'  National 
Bank  and  the  People's  Savings  Bank  and 
vice-president  of  the  Safe  Deposit  and 
Trust  Company.  In  politics  Mr.  Rea  was 
a  Republican  with  independent  tenden- 
cies. He  belonged  to  the  Duquesne  Club 
and  was  a  member,  originally,  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  later  of  the 
Shady  Side  Presbyterian  Church. 

The  personal  appearance  of  Air.  Rea 
and  his  winning  disposition  are  still  so 
fresh  in  the  recollection  of  his  friends  and 
neighbors  and  his  fellow  citizens  of  Pitts- 
burgh that  no  words  are  needed  to  render 
them  more  vivid.  His  business  abilities 
were  balanced  by  great  kindness  of  heart 
and  the  strictest  integrity.  In  every  re- 
lation of  life  he  was  trusted  and  revered. 

Air.  Rea  married,  October  17,  1854, 
Alatilda  Anne,  daughter  of  William  C. 
489 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  Anne  (Holdship)  Robinson,  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  two  sons :  Wil- 
liam Holdship,  whose  biography  appears 
in  another  page  of  this  work ;  and  Henry 
Robinson,  of  Pittsburgh,  who  married 
Edith,  daughter  of  the  late  Henry  W. 
Oliver,  of  that  city,  and  has  two  children, 
Edith  Ann,  and  Henry  Oliver.  In  his 
wife,  Mr.  Rea  ever  found  a  true  and  sym- 
pathizing helpmate  and  was  never  so  con- 
tent as  at  his  own  fireside,  where  he  de- 
lighted to  gather  about  him  a  circle  of 
congenial  friends. 

On  March  i6,  1892,  this  good  man 
passed  away.  He  had  lived  nearly  sev- 
enty-two years  and  of  these  more  than 
fifty  has  been  devoted  to  labors  which, 
in  building  up  his  own  fortune,  had  min- 
istered greatly  to  the  substantial  prosper- 
ity of  his  beloved  city.  All  classes  of 
the  community  mourned  for  him,  for  by 
all  he  was  held  in  affection  and  honor. 

William  Rea  was  one  of  the  stalwart 
business  men  whose  boldness,  wisdom 
and  foresight  helped  to  guide  and  control 
the  industrial  interests  of  Pittsburgh  at 
a  period  fraught  with  transition  and  peril. 
Throughout  the  tempestuous  era  of  the 
Civil  War  and  the  years  of  stress  and 
crisis  which  followed  he  stood  at  his  post, 
as  brave  and  faithful  as  were  his  ances- 
tors in  "the  long  night  of  the  Revolu- 
tion," and  left  to  his  two  sons  not  mater- 
ial wealth  alone,  but  the  far  richer  legacy 
of  an  unblemished  record  and  an  un- 
stained name. 

(The  Culbertson  Line). 

The  Culbertson  family,  of  Culbertson 
Row,  Ballygan,  County  Antrim,  Ireland, 
were  of  ancient  Scottish  ancestry,  their 
forbears  having  fled  from  Scotland  dur- 
ing the  civil  and  religious  disturbances  of 
the  seventeenth  century.  In  1730,  three 
brothers,  Alexander,  Joseph  and  Samuel 
Culbertson,  came,  from  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Ballymoyney,  County  Antrim,  to 


the  province  of  Pennsylvania,  settling  in 
Lancaster  county.  Long  prior  to  the  or- 
ganization of  Cumberland  county  they 
settled  in  what  became  Lurgan  township, 
Franklin  county,  seven  miles  north  of  the 
present  site  of  Chambersburg,  calling 
their  settlement  "Culbertson's  Row," 
after  the  home  of  their  ancestors  in  the 
province  of  Ulster,  Ireland. 

Alexander  Culbertson  was  a  soldier  in 
General  Braddock's  army  in  the  unfor- 
tunate expedition  against  Fort  Duquesne 
in  1755.  and  after  the  defeat  at  Braddock's 
Field  he  recruited  a  company  among  his 
neighbors  of  which  he  was  commissioned 
captain  and  which  formed  a  part  of  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Armstrong's  Second  Penn- 
sylvania Regiment,  and  with  this  force 
marched  against  the  Indians.  He  had 
probably  held  a  captain's  commission 
previous  to  this,  as  he  was  in  command  of 
a  company  at  Fort  Augusta,  now  Sun- 
bury,  in  1755.  He  married,  and  was  the 
father  of  the  following  children  :  Samuel, 
mentioned  below;  Robert,  a  colonel  in  the 
Revolutionary  army ;  Alexander,  a  cap- 
tain in  the  same  body ;  and  Elizabeth, 
who  became  the  wife  of  Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel Charles  Cessna,  of  the  Bedford  county 
militia.  Captain  Culbertson  was  killed  in 
a  battle  with  the  Indians  at  McCord's 
Point,  Franklin  county,  April  2,  1756. 
Several  of  his  nephews,  as  well  as  his 
sons,  served  in  the  patriot  army,  and  it 
is  thought  that  the  Culbertson  family 
furnished  a  greater  number  of  officers  to 
the  Revolutionary  forces  than  any  other 
family  in  Pennsylvania. 

Samuel,  son  of  Alexander  Culbertson, 
was  born  December  21,  1741,  within  the 
present  limits  of  Franklin  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  served  with  the  rank  of 
colonel  in  the  Revolutionary  army.  He 
married  (first)  March  20.  1761,  Margaret 
Henderson,  who  was  born  in  174^,  and 
died  April  30,  1775.  Colonel  Culbertson 
married    (second)    February   4,    1777,   at 


i49( 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Rocky  Springs  church,  Elizabeth,  born  in 
1755,  daughter  of  the  Hon.  John  McClay, 
of  Lurgan  township,  member  of  Congress 
and  long  a  prominent  figure  in  state  and 
national  politics.  Colonel  Culbertson 
died  February  4,  1817,  in  what  is  now 
Franklin  county,  and  his  widow  survived 
him  but  a  few  months,  passing  away 
June  4,  1S17. 

Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Elizabeth  (McClay)  Culbertson,  became 
the  wife  of  General  John  Rea,  as  stated 
above. 


REA,  William  Holdship, 

Prominent  Manufacturer. 

Among  the  well  known  Pittsburgh 
business  men  who,  not  so  very  many 
years  ago,  were  "in  active  service,"  is 
William  Holdship  Rea,  treasurer,  succes- 
sively for  the  firm  of  Robinson,  Rea  & 
Company,  and  the  Mesta  Machine  Com- 
pany. Mr.  Rea  is  a  native  Pittsburgher, 
and  his  entire  career  has  been  exclusively 
identified  with  the  city  of  his  birth. 

William  Holdship  Rea  was  born  April 
13,  1856,  in  Pittsburgh,  and  is  a  son  of 
William  and  Matilda  Anne  (Robinson) 
Rea.  A  biography  of  Mr.  Rea,  who  is 
now  deceased,  appears  on  a  preceding 
page  of  this  work.  William  Holdship 
Rea  received  his  preparatory  education  in 
schools  of  his  native  city,  passing  thence 
to  Andover,  Massachusetts,  and  then  en- 
tering the  Massachusetts  Institute  of 
Technology.  After  completing  his  course 
of  study,  Mr.  Rea  associated  himself  with 
the  firm  of  Robinson,  Rea  &  Company, 
beginning  at  the  bottom  and  working  his 
way  up,  thus  becoming  familiar  with 
every  department  of  the  business.  He 
eventually  became  treasurer  of  the  com- 
pany. Subsequently,  when  it  was  merged 
in  the  Mesta  Machine  Company,  Mr.  Rea 
still  retained  his  office.  In  1904  he  re- 
signed, taking  with  him  in  retirement  a 
record  and  a  reputation  which  secured  to 


him  a  permanent  and  honorable  place  in 
the  business  annals  of  the  city. 

The  political  allegiance  of  Mr.  Rea  is 
given  to  the  Republican  party,  but  he 
has  never  taken  an  active  share  in  the 
affairs  of  the  organization,  having  no  in- 
clination for  public  life.  He  belongs  to 
the  Pittsburgh  Club,  the  Pittsburgh  Golf 
Club  and  the  Engineers'  and  Technology 
clubs  of  New  York.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Shady  Side  Presbyterian  Church. 

Perhaps  no  one  sentence  could  furnish 
a  better  description  of  Mr.  Rea  than  the 
simple  statement  that  he  is  loyal  to  every 
obligation,  strong  and  true  in  his  attach- 
ments and  gifted  with  the  faculty  of  in- 
spiring the  same  feelings  in  others.  In 
appearance,  bearing  and  manner  he  is  the 
typical  Pittsburgh  business  man  and 
gentleman. 

Mr.  Rea  married,  November  15,  18S1, 
Mary,  daughter  of  Colonel  James  H.  and 
Mary  (Howe)  Childs,  and  they  are  the 
parents  of  the  following  children:  James 
Childs ;  Marjorie,  educated  at  Pittsburgh 
schools  and  at  Farmington.  Connecticut, 
married  H.  Hughart  Laughlin,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, and  has  two  children,  Hughart 
Rea,  born  October  17,  1909,  and  James 
Laughlin,  born  October  30,  1914;  and 
Marianne  Howe,  educated  in  Pittsburgh 
schools  and  at  Briar  Clifl',  New  York. 
James  Childs  Rea  was  born  November 
30,  1882,  in  Pittsburgh,  and  was  educated 
at  Shady  Side  Academy  and  Princeton 
University.  He  then  entered  the  service 
of  the  Oliver  Iron  and  Steel  Company  ^ 
with  which  he  is  still  associated.  James 
C.  Rea  married,  June  8,  191 1,  Julia  Par- 
rish,  daughter  of  Cleveland  and  Grace 
(  Parrish)  Dodge,  of  New  York,  and  they 
have  three  children,  William  Holdship, 
born  February  24,  1912,  Cleveland  Dodge, 
born  June  22,  1913,  and  Grace  Dodge, 
born  January  8,  191 5. 

Since  his  retirement  from  the  manufac- 
tiiring   business,    Mr.    Rea,    has    devoted 


1491 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


himself  to  his  books,  his  family  and 
friends  and  to  other  interests.  Mrs.  Rea 
is  an  accomplished  home-maker,  a  charm- 
ing hostess  and  both  she  and  her  husband 
delight  in  the  exercise  of  hospitality. 

Mr.  Rea  is  the  son  of  a  man  influential 
in  helping  to  make  the  family  name  a 
synonym  for  business  honor,  and  by  his 
own  career  has  aided  in  maintaining  and 
strengthening  its  claim  to  be  so  consid- 
ered. 


HARRISON,  Thomas  Skelton, 

Manufacturer,  Civic  Leader,  Diplomat. 

It  is  an  impressive  fact  that  the  half 
century  of  the  business  life  of  Thomas 
S.  Harrison  has  been  spent  as  member 
of  the  firm  of  Harrison  Brothers  &  Com- 
pany, and  as  vice-president  and  president 
under  its  corporate  existence,  Harrison 
Brothers  &  Company  (Incorporated). 
Likewise  impressive  is  the  fact  that  his 
honored  father,  Michael  Leib  Harrison, 
was  a  partner  in  the  same  firm,  John 
Harrison  &  Sons,  from  1831  until  1833, 
then  a  partner  of  Harrison  Brothers  until 
1845,  then  a  partner  of  Harrison  Brothers 
&  Company  until  his  retirement.  January 
I,  1877.  But  still  more  impressive  is  the 
fact  that  John  Harrison,  father  of  Michael 
Leib  and  grandfather  of  Thomas  Skelton 
Harrison,  founded  the  business  in  1793, 
successfully  conducted  it  until  1831,  then 
admitted  his  sons,  who  in  turn  passed  it  on 
to  their  sons,  and  at  no  time  has  it  been 
out  of  the  family  name,  or  without  a  Har- 
rison at  its  head,  for  considerably  over  a 
century.  John  Harrison,  a  manufactur- 
ing and  operative  chemist,  is  believed  to 
have  been  the  first  manufacturer  of  sul- 
phuric acid  in  the  United  States,  certain- 
ly was  the  first  to  successfully  and  profit- 
ably engage  in  its  manufacture.  It  was 
no  doubt  the  establishment  of  John  Har- 
rison referred  to  by  Albert  Gallatin,  Sec- 
letary  of  the  Treasury,  in  his  report  to 
Congress.    April    27,     1810,    wherein     he 


states :  "About  200,000  pounds  of  oil  of 
vitrol  and  other  acids  are  annually  manu- 
factured in  a  single  establishment  in 
Philadelphia."  It  is  in  honor  of  this  pio- 
neer chemist  and  manufacturer  that  "The 
John  Harrison  Laboratory  of  Chemistry" 
stands  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 

The  sons  of  the  founder  Thomas  and 
Michael  Leib  Harrison,  successfully  con- 
ducted the  business  from  the  death  of 
their  father  in  1833  until  their  joint  re- 
tirement, January  i,  1877,  in  favor  of 
John  and  Thomas  Skelton,  sons  of 
Michael  L.,  and  George  L.  (2),  son  of 
Thomas  Harrison.  Three  generations 
have  been  potent  in  the  founding,  up- 
building, and  management  of  a  great 
Philadelphia  industry,  and  with  it  as  firm 
ji.nd  corporation  Thomas  Skelton  Harri- 
son has  been  uninterruptedly  connected 
since  1865,  although  since  1902,  when  he 
laid  down  the  presidency  of  the  com- 
pany, he  has  served  only  in  an  advisory 
capacity,  but  now  (1915)  has  again  ac- 
cepted a  directorship.  Were  fifty  years 
of  honorable  business  activity  his  only 
claim  to  special  mention,  it  would  be  suf- 
ficient to  mark  him  as  a  man  of  useful- 
ness, but  to  this  he  has  added  three  years 
of  Civil  War  service,  a  term  of  honorable 
connection  with  the  diplomatic  corps, 
prominent  activity  among  the  reformers 
of  Philadelphia,  and  active  interest  in 
many  departments  of  city  and  national 
life.  Honor  and  prosperity  have  attended 
his  life,  and  now  past  man's  allotted 
years  he  is  the  same  interested,  helpful 
citizen  as  when  he  answered  his  city's 
call  for  men  of  energy  and  might  to  suc- 
cessfully carry  through  the  great  exposi- 
tion of  1876,  or  later  for  strong  men  to 
band  together  in  committees  of  one  hun- 
dred, one  hundred  and  fifty,  or  fifty,  to 
oppose  those  who  would  make  municipal 
government  a  by-word  and  a  shame. 

Thomas  Skelton  Harrison  was  born  in 
Philadelphia,  September  19,  1837,  son  of 


1492 


'^'^' 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Michael  Leib  Harrison  and  grandson  of 
John  Harrison.  Michael  L.  Harrison  was 
born  in  1807,  spent  his  life  in  Philadel- 
phia, and  died  in  18S1,  a  man  of  strong 
character  and  prominence  in  the  busmess 
world.  His  first  wife,  Virginia  Thomas 
Skelton  Johnston,  bore  him  two  sons, 
John  and  Thomas  Skelton  Harrison,  and 
two  daughters,  Fannie,  married  William 
Dulles,  deceased,  and  Eliza  H.,  married 
William  H.  Elliot,  deceased. 

He  was  educated  in  private  schools  and 
business  college,  attending  for  several 
years  the  John  W.  Faries  Classical  Acad- 
emy. He  began  business  life  as  an  em- 
ployee of  Harrison  and  Newhall,  sugar 
refiners,  his  service  there  terminated  by 
his  enlistment  in  the  United  States  Navy 
in  1861.  He  was  in  the  government  ser- 
vice from  July  of  that  year  to  August, 
1864,  as  paymaster,  receiving  honorable 
discharge  at  the  end  of  his  three  years 
term.  Mr.  Harrison  shares  with  the 
Count  of  Paris  the  distinction  of  serving 
his  term  without  remuneration,  donating 
the  entire  sum  due,  $5400,  to  the  War 
Library  and  the  Museum  of  the  Loyal 
Legion  of  Pennsylvania.  In  1865  he  was 
admitted  to  a  partnership  with  his  uncle, 
father,  three  brothers,  and  a  cousin  in  the 
firm  of  Harrison  Brothers  &  Company 
and  until  1902  was  an  active,  cogent  fac- 
tor in  its  successful  career  as  firm  and 
corporation.  He  was  vice-president  of 
the  corporation,  1897  to  1899,  president 
from  1899  to  1902,  retiring  from  official 
participation  in  company  affairs  in  the 
latter  year  and  remaining  in  retirement 
several  years,  but  has  now  (1915)  again 
accepted  membership  on  the  board  of  di- 
rectors. The  company's  plant,  located  at 
Thirty-fifth  street  and  Gray's  Ferry  road, 
is  devoted  to  the  manufacture  of  chemi- 
cals, white  lead,  all  paint  ingredients,  and 
ready-to-use  paints,  and  under  the  Har- 
rison name,  ownership,  and  management 

1493 


became  one  of  the  important  industrial 
institutions  of  Philadelphia. 

Mr.  Harrison  took  a  deep  interest  in 
the  Centennial  Exposition  of  1876,  was  a 
worker  for  its  success  during  the  years 
of  preparation  as  well  as  during  the  Ex- 
position months,  served  on  important 
committees,  and  aided  appreciably  in 
many  ways.  For  many  years  he  was 
president  of  the  American  Manufacturing 
Chemists'  Association,  a  powerful  body 
that  represented  over  thirteen  hundred 
plants,  capitalized  at  one  hundred  and 
fifty  million  dollars.  An  energetic  and 
progressive  man  of  affairs,  in  his  life  as  a 
business  man  he  has  contributed  his  full 
quota  to  Philadelphia's  greatness  as  a 
manufacturing  city. 

Mr.  Harrison  is  a  Republican  in  poli- 
tics, and  has  been  prominent  in  reform 
movements,  having  been  an  ardent  sup- 
porter of  the  Bullitt  bill,  which  gave  to 
Philadelphia  a  reform  charter  and  better 
municipal  government.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Political  Reform  Committee  of 
One  Hundred,  of  the  later  Committee  of 
Fifty,  and  of  the  Committee  of  One  Hun- 
dred in  1913,  supporting  and  leading  in 
the  eft'orts  of  the  reformers  to  eliminate 
features  of  municipal  government  that 
had  grown  obnoxious.  In  1897  he  ac- 
cepted the  appointment  from  President 
McKinley  and  for  a  term  served  as  Diplo- 
matic Agent  and  United  States  Consul 
General  at  Cairo,  Egypt.  In  all  that  per- 
tained to  Philadelphia's  advancement  or 
betterment  Mr.  Harrison  has  borne  his 
full  share  during  his  busy  life,  but  with 
the  passing  years  many  of  these  respon- 
sibilities have  been  transferred  to  younger 
shoulders.  He  possesses  the  same  inter- 
est to-day,  however,  and  with  counsel  and 
admonition  encourages  and  warns.  He 
retains  his  membership  in  many  organi- 
zations, and  is  a  trustee  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Museum  and  School  of  Industrial 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Art,  member  of  the  Historical  Society  of 
Pennsylvania,  the  Antiquarian  and  Nu- 
mismatic societies,  being  president  of  the 
latter  society.  He  was  commander  of 
Post  No.  i8.  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
in  1895,  and  has  always  felt  a  cordial 
fellowship  in  that  order  and  the  ^^lilitary 
Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion,  of  which  he 
is  a  past  vice-commander.  At  a  regular 
meeting  of  the  Burgesses  Corps  of  Al- 
bany, held  July  8,  1914,  Mr.  Harrison  was 
unanimously  elected  a  life  member  of  the 
Corps.  This  is  one  of  the  most  famous 
organizations  of  the  country  and  the  old- 
est veteran  military  command  in  the 
United  States.  The  life  membership  is 
restricted  to  forty,  and  Mr.  Harrison's 
election  was  to  fill  the  vacancv  caused 
by  the  death  of  James  S.  Sherman,  late 
Vice-President  of  the  United  States. 
Among  the  list  of  eminent  men  who  have 
held  life  membership  are  the  names  of 
America's  greatest  statesmen,  soldiers, 
and  business  men.  Among  distinguished 
foreigners  who  have  been  honored  with 
life  membership  are  George  V.  of  Eng- 
land, the  late  Edward  VII.  of  England, 
Count  de  Rochambeau,  Porfirio  Diaz,  and 
Sir  Thomas  Lipton.  For  his  valuable  dip- 
lomatic service  he  was  twice  decorated 
by  the  Khedive  of  Egypt,  the  last  honor 
being  the  Grand  Cordon.  Imperial  Order 
of  the  Medjidia.  His  clubs  are  the  Union 
League,  the  Philadelphia,  and  Rabbit,  of 
Philadelphia,  the  Chemists'  and  Army 
and  Navy  of  New  York.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  St.  Luke's  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church. 

Mr.  Harrison  married,  November  12, 
1879,  Louise  Harvey,  of  Philadelphia. 
The  family  residence  is  No.  1520  Locust 
street.  This  brief  record  of  a  busv,  use- 
ful life  reveals  Mr.  Harrison  as  a  man  of 
strong  character  and  high  ideals.  He 
has  not  sought  his  own  aggrandizement, 
but  honors  have  been  plentifully  bestow- 


ed upon  him  and  his  life  from  youthful 
manhood  until  the  present  is  a  record  of 
deeds  well  performed. 


TRAUTMAN,  Leander, 

Iiawyer.   Counsel  for  Corporations. 

It  is  one  of  the  peculiar  distinctions  of 
the  Pittsburgh  bar  that  a  majority  of  its 
members  are  not  only  learned  in  the  law, 
but  also  possessed  of  broad  general  cul- 
ture. One  of  the  most  striking  proofs  of 
the  truth  of  this  statement  is  furnished 
by  the  personality  and  career  of  Leander 
Trautman,  one  of  the  most  prominent 
lawyers  now  practicing  in  the  metropolis 
of  which  he  has  been  an  almost  life-long 
resident. 

Louis  Trautman,  father  of  Leander 
Trautman,  was  born  at  Monpelier, 
France,  of  German  parents,  and  was  a 
minister  of  the  Lutheran  church,  having 
a  pastorate  at  Canton,  Ohio.  He  married 
Katherine,  daughter  of  Solomon  and 
Catherine  (Keil)  Wismer,  and  grand- 
daughter of  Jacob  \\'ismer.  Solomon 
Wismer  was  born  in  Bucks  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  all  his  life  was  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  fifty-four 
years  old  when  he  died,  his  widow  sur- 
viving to  the  age  of  eighty-two.  The 
Rev.  Mr.  Trautman  and  his  wife  were  the 
parents  of  three  children,  of  whom  the 
eldest  died  in  infancy  and  the  others  were 
twins  :  Leander,  mentioned  below  ;  and 
.Alexander  L.,  who  is  now  living  in  the 
Isle  of  Pines,  and  married  Emma  May 
Reep,  by  whom  he  had  three  children : 
Louis  L.,  ]Marion  G..  and  Ralph  E.  The 
Rev.  Louis  Trautman  died  March  22, 
1865,  at  Canton,  Ohio,  and  in  1869  his 
widow,  with  her  children,  moved  to  Pitts- 
burgh. In  that  city,  in  February,  1871, 
she  married  Josiah  Benjamin  Nobbs. 

Leander  Trautman,  son  of  Louis  and 
Katherine  (Wismer)  Trautman,  was 
born  February  17,  1865,  at  Canton,  Ohio, 

494 


£■  ^    ^SS-t'/X^-, 


^/^-t;i.^-€;/i^f^^-6.ist^^<_^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  was  but  six  weeks  old  at  the  time 
of  the  death  of  his  father.  He  was  four 
years  old  when  his  mother  moved  to 
PittSDurgh.  and  his  education  was  re- 
ceived in  the  O'Hara  school  and  the  Pitts- 
burgh high  school.  On  leaving  the  latter 
institution  he  was  obliged  to  seek  em- 
ployment in  Park  Brothers'  mill,  but  after 
earning  sufficient  money  he  took  up  the 
study  of  stenography.  He  never  entered 
college,  but  took  a  complete  classical 
university  course  under  private  tutors 
who  were  the  best  professors  in  Alle- 
gheny county.  As  a  stenographer  Mr. 
Trautman  has  achieved  a  reputation, 
having  always  kept  up  his  speed,  and 
therefore  ranks  as  one  of  the  oldest  sten- 
ographers in  Allegheny  county.  He  is 
said  to  have  reported  as  many  conven- 
tions and  speeches  of  famous  men  of 
Pittsburgh,  during  the  last  twenty-five 
years,  as  any  one  man  in  the  vicinity, 
having  also  reported  in  every  court  of  the 
county  as  well  as  in  the  United  States 
courts.  While  practising  stenography  in 
the  courts,  Mr.  Trautman  read  law  under 
Judge  Jacob  F.  Slagle,  and  early  in  1893 
was  admitted  to  the  bar.  It  is  a  note- 
worthy fact  that  he  has  ever  since  oc- 
cupied the  office  in  Diamond  street  in 
which  he  pursued  his  legal  studies,  re- 
ceiving clients  and  holding  conferences 
in  the  rooms  in  which  he  had  been  fitted 
for  the  practice  of  his  profession.  The 
success  of  Mr.  Trautman's  career  at  the 
bar  is  primarily  due  to  a  solid  foundation 
of  natural  aptitude  on  which  has  been 
reared  a  structure  of  profound  and  com- 
prehensive learning  and  rare  skill  in  the 
application  of  principles.  These,  com- 
bined with  intense  and  unswerving  de- 
votion to  the  interests  intrusted  to  him 
have  won  for  him  the  implicit  confidence 
of  the  legal  fraternity  and  the  community 
at  large  and  have  placed  him  in  posses- 
sion of  a  numerous  and  profitable  clien- 
tele. 


In  politics  Mr.  Trautman  adheres  to 
the  Republicans,  but  is  as  far  as  possible 
removed  from  partisanship.  He  has 
voted  with  and  supported  the  Democrats 
and  Citizens  whenever  he  thought  that 
by  doing  so  he  could  best  further  the 
welfare  of  the  community.  He  has  made 
numerous  political  speeches  throughout 
the  county,  but  has  always  steadily  re- 
fused to  become  a  candidate  for  any  of- 
fice. He  is  a  stockholder  and  director 
in  various  Pittsburgh  corporations  of 
which  he  is  attorney.  His  clubs  are  the 
Press  and  the  Americus  Republican,  and 
he  affiliates  with  the  Masonic  fraternity 
and  the  Knights  Templar.  He  is  a  regu- 
lar attendant  of  the  Unitarian  Church. 

Endowed  in  an  exceptional  measure 
with  the  legal  mind,  quickness  of  appre- 
hension and  keenness  of  penetration — 
qualities  essential  to  success  in  the  pro- 
fession of  the  law — Mr.  Trautman  also 
has  the  keen  vision,  the  liberality  of  sen- 
timent and  the  geniality  of  disposition 
which  win  and  hold  friends.  On  his  coun- 
tenance are  inscribed  the  traits  so  strik- 
ingly manifested  throughout  his  career 
and  his  bearing  and  manner  are  those  of 
the  astute  lawyer  and  the  polished  gentle- 
man. 

Mr.  Trautman  married,  April  16.  i8g6, 
Minnie,  daughter  of  George  and  Mary 
Abele,  of  Lebanon,  Pennsylvania,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  three  children : 
Mary  Katherine,  Anna  Louise,  and  Flor- 
ence Wilhelmina.  This  union  with  a 
charming  and  congenial  woman  has  made 
for  Mr.  Trautman — a  man  thoroughly 
domestic  and  devoted  to  the  ties  of  home 
and  family — the  supreme  happiness  of  his 
life.  With  the  members  of  his  household 
and  in  the  company  of  his  books  he  passes 
his  happiest  hours.  He  is  the  possessor 
of  one  of  the  finest  libraries  in  Pittsburgh, 
including  works  on  history,  science,  con- 
stitutional law,  constitutional  history  and 


1495 


ENXYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


general  literature.  In  the  study  of  his- 
tory and  science  he  takes  special  interest. 
The  German  element  has  always  been 
a  potent  one  in  the  life  of  Pittsburgh. 
Natives  of  the  Fatherland  and  their  chil- 
dren and  grandchildren  have  rendered 
service  of  inestimable  value  in  the  devel- 
opment and  upbuilding  of  the  city.  Le- 
ander  Trautman  is  a  conspicuous  repre- 
sentative of  the  best  class  of  her  residents 
of  German  descent,  embodying  as  he  does 
professional  ability  and  learning  and 
high-minded,  public-spirited  citizenship. 


WHITE,  Stephen  William, 

Prominent  Railroad  Official. 

The  task  facing  the  biographer  of  Ste- 
phen William  White  is  to  translate  into 
vvords  the  achievement  and  activity  of  a 
man  of  exceptionally  strong  personality 
and  character  in  fields  that  range  from 
railroading  to  literary  patronage,  while 
between  the  two  extremes  are  business 
connections,  scientific  interests,  historical 
and  antiquarian  pursuits,  social  promi- 
nence, and  all  of  the  many  associations 
incidental  to  a  man's  communion  with  his 
fellows.  Until  his  retirement  in  1910, 
Mr.  White  was  engaged  in  railroading,  a 
line  he  had  entered  thirty-five  years  be- 
fore, and  during  which  time  he  had  been 
continuously  identified  with  this  calling 
in  official  capacity,  in  August,  1910,  re- 
tiring from  the  secretaryship  of  the  El- 
mira  &  Lake  Ontario  Railroad  Company, 
and  the  assistant  secretaryship  of  the 
Pittsburgh,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St. 
Louis  railroad.  He  was  identified  with 
business  and  financial  concerns  during 
this  time,  among  the  latter  being  the 
American  Surety  Company  of  New  York, 
which  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  Phil- 
adelphia board  of  directors,  and  it  was 
an  effective  tribute  to  his  ability  and 
trustworthiness  that  throughout  his  long 
experience  in  railroading,  in  connection 
with  different  lines,  he  was,  without  ex- 


ceptional instance,  placed  by  his  fellows 
in  the  difficult  and  responsible  oflice  of 
secretary.  As  an  official,  his  friendly  na- 
ture and  kindly  spirit  endeared  him  to 
the  employees  of  the  road,  and  he  received 
frequent  requests  to  address  gatherings 
of  the  different  organizations  of  the  rail- 
road, with  many  of  which  he  complied. 
He  was  an  easy,  interesting  and  enter- 
taining speaker,  a  graceful  and  accom- 
plished writer,  broad  scholarship  and  cul- 
ture furnishing  him  a  firm  foundation 
upon  which  to  base  his  natural  talents. 
He  is  remembered  for  his  deep  interest 
in  subjects  literary,  historical,  and  scien- 
tific, and  found  in  these  scholarly  pur- 
suits the  degree  of  recreation  that  he  re- 
quired as  relaxation  from  his  pressing 
business  cares.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Union  League,  and  had  many  firm  friends 
among  his  fellow  members.  Stephen  Wil- 
liam White  passed  a  useful,  active  life, 
erected  a  reputation  for  the  strictest 
honor  in  all  relations  with  men,  and  de- 
voted himself  to  those  subjects  worthy 
of  the  time  and  study  of  a  Christian 
gentleman. 

Stephen  William  White  was  born  in 
Philadelphia,  July  16,  1840,  and  died  there 
October  16,  1914.  He  was  a  graduate  of 
Central  High  School  of  Philadelphia,  and 
began  his  thirty-five  years'  connection 
with  railroading  interests  in  1875  as  as- 
sistant secretary  of  the  Northern  Central 
railroad,  two  years  afterward  being 
elected  secretary  of  the  same  road.  In 
1S80  he  became  secretary  of  the  Shamok- 
in  Valley  &  Pottsville  railroad,  in  the 
following  year  becoming  assistant  sec- 
retary of  the  Pennsylvania  Company  and 
of  the  Pittsburgh,  Cincinnati  &  St.  Louis 
railroad.  At  this  time,  in  1881.  he  ac- 
cepted the  office  of  secretary  of  the  Girard 
Point  Storage  Company,  serving  in  this 
capacity  in  connection  with  his  railroad 
offices  until  1902.  Mr.  White  became 
secretary    of    the    Chicago,    St.    Louis    & 


1496 


/  Y ^^rdX^^-r^^f^^L^c^ 


EXXYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Pittsburgh  railroad  in  September,  1885, 
and  on  September  9,  1890,  after  this  road 
consoHdated  with  the  Pittsburgh,  Cin- 
cinnati &  St.  Louis  under  the  corporate 
title  of  the  Pittsburgh,  Cincinnati,  Chica- 
go &  St.  Louis  Railroad  Company,  he 
was  elected  assistant  secretary  of  the 
newly  formed  company.  On  January  i, 
1887,  he  accepted  the  secretaryship  of  the 
Elmira  &  Lake  Ontario  railroad,  a  New 
York  corporation  owned  by  the  Northern 
Central,  and  filled  both  of  these  positions 
faithfully  and  ably  until  August  10,  1914, 
when,  having  reached  the  age  of  seventy 
years,  he  was  honorably  retired  under  the 
company's  law. 

At  his  death  Air.  White  was  a  member 
of  the  Philadelphia  board  of  directors  of 
the  American  Surety  Company  of  New 
York,  and  was  one  of  the  resident  vice- 
presidents  of  that  company.  His  clubs, 
where  his  arrival  always  met  with  a  cor- 
dially enthusiastic  reception,  were  the 
Union  League  and  Penn,  and  he  mani- 
fested his  interest  in  historical  matters 
by  his  membership  in  the  New  England 
Society  of  Pennsylvania,  the  German 
American  Historical  Society,  and  the 
Historical  Society  of  Pennsylvania.  He 
was  an  active  member  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Forestry  Association,  and  belonged 
to  the  Browning  Society  of  Philadelphia, 
participating  in  the  interesting  discus- 
sions that  arose  in  the  regular  meetings 
of  the  society  concerning  the  work  of  the 
great  poet.  He  was  the  author  of  several 
interesting  papers,  including  "The  Execu- 
tive Department,  or  Some  Recollections 
about  the  Chief  Executives  under  Whom 
I  Have  Ser\'ed,"  read  at  the  eleventh  an- 
nual dinner  of  the  Inspectors  Association 
of  the  Accounting  Department  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Railroad,  held  February  12, 
1910,  and  "Corporations,"  read  at  the 
Twelfth  Annual  Dinner  of  the  same  as- 
sociation. There  also  came  from  his  pen 
a  "Historical  Sketch  of  '^t.  Jude's  Yearly 


Beneficial  x\ssociation  of  Philadelphia," 
Air.  White  having  been  a  charter  member 
and  long  time  treasurer  of  this  associa- 
tion, the  above  paper  being  read  at  the 
twenty-fifth  anniversary  celebration  of 
the  association;  "Looking  Backward,"  a 
reminiscent  sketch  read  by  Mr.  White  on 
Alumni  Day  at  Central  High  School, 
April  26,  1907 ;  "The  Aesthetic  and  the 
Practical,"  read  before  the  Central  High 
School  students.  May  i,  1908;  and  "A 
Short  Talk  on  Phonography,"  a  paper 
based  on  personal  experience,  the  gist  of 
the  paper  contained  in  an  address  he  de- 
livered before  the  phonography  class  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  department  of 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association, 
December  14,  1897.  Mr.  White  also  trans- 
lated the  reports  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  into  French,  a  language  of 
which  he  was  accurate  master. 

Mr.  White's  death  brought  sincere 
sorrow  to  his  many  friends,  who  delighted 
in  his  pleasant  and  genial  company,  and 
with  respect  and  loyalty  that  had  never 
been  withdrawn  nor  had  ever  faltered 
through  the  years  of  their  acquaintance 
they  committed  his  memory  to  that  place 
in  human  hearts  where  lingers  always  the 
influence  of  all  good. 

Stephen  William  White  married,  Oc- 
tober 2,  1900,  Mrs.  Anna  Lednum  Bardin, 
daughter  of  Rev.  John  and  Muriah  Jor- 
dan Lednum,  who  survives  him,  residing 
at  1323  South  Broad  street.  Philadelphia. 


ROBINSON,  William  Duffield,  M.  D., 

Physician,    Climatologist. 

There  are  probably  not  many  men  in 
the  city  of  Philadelphia  who  have  been 
recipients  of  more  honors  or  who  are 
officers  or  directors  of  a  greater  number 
of  prominent  medical  societies  than  Dr. 
William  Dufifield  Robinson,  of  2012  Mt. 
Vernon  street.  It  is  also  noteworthy  that 
these  offices  and  honors  were  not  tend- 
ered to  Dr.  Robinson  as  a  mere  courtesy, 


1497 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


but  to  the  contrary  they  are  the  fruits  of 
many  years  well  spent  in  applying  his 
well-applied  efforts  in  conserving  and  ad- 
vancing the  integral  interests  of  his  pro- 
fession through  the  medium  of  the  promi- 
nent societies  with  which  he  is  connected 
and  which,  through  their  eminent  re- 
search work  have  done  much  toward  ad- 
vancing the  medical  profession  and  like- 
wise the  amelioration  of  suffering  hu- 
manity. 

Dr.  Robinson  was  born  March  25,  1S56, 
and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Alary  Ellen 
(Duffield)  Robinson.  He  attended  the 
public  and  private  schools  of  his  native 
place  and  was  graduated  from  the  Phil- 
adelphia College  of  Pharmacy  in  1876, 
then  entered  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  was  graduated  with  the 
class  of  1880  with  the  degree  of  M.  D. 
He  began  general  practice  in  1880,  and 
for  the  following  eleven  years  was  attend- 
ant physician  in  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  has  always  been  partic- 
ularly interested  in  the  study  of  mental 
diseases,  becoming  a  competent  special- 
ist in  this  line.  He  has  prepared  and 
read  many  valuable  papers  before  the 
American  Climatological  Association  and 
numerous  local  medical  societies,  and 
has  been  the  recipient  of  many  honors 
from  prominent  medical  societies.  Among 
the  many  organizations  of  which  Dr. 
Robinson  is  a  member,  the  following  are 
probably  the  most  important :  President 
of  the  Philadelphia  County  Medical  So- 
ciety, which  has  had  a  phenomenal 
growth  and  success  during  its  compara- 
tive short  career  and  due  to  a  great  ex- 
tent to  Dr.  Robinson's  untiring  efiforts  in 
behalf  of  the  organization  it  has  risen  in 
membership  to  over  seventeen  hundred. 
]3r.  Robinson  is  also  president  of  the  Sy- 
denham Medical  Coterie,  president  of  the 
Medico-Legal  Society,  first  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Pennsylvania  Society  for  the 
Prevention    of   Tuberculosis,    member   of 


the  American  Medical  Association,  of  the 
Pennsylvania  State  Association,  a  fellow 
of  the  College  of  Physicians,  member  of 
the  Philadelphia  Pathological  Society, 
Philadelphia  Neurological  Society,  Psy- 
chiatric Society  of  Philadelphia,  Philadel- 
phia Pediatric  Society,  Philadelphia  Clin- 
ical Society,  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences,  Northern  Medical  Society  of 
Philadelphia,  the  Esculapian  Medical  So- 
ciety, Historical  Society  of  Philadelphia, 
Photographic  Society,  American  Clima- 
tological Society,  and  Physicians  Motor 
Club  of  Philadelphia. 

Dr.  Robinson  has  a  well  equipped 
library  including  thousands  of  dollars 
worth  of  choice  books.  He  enjoys  a  large 
and  important  patronage  reaching  beyond 
the  confines  of  his  own  city  and  state.  In 
professional  and  social  life  he  holds  to 
high  standards,  and  enjoys  in  large  meas- 
ure the  confidence  and  trust  of  all  with 
whom  he  is  brought  in  contact. 

He  married,  in  1883,  Miss  Elizabeth  T. 
William,  daughter  of  Robert  and  ^Mariah 
T.  \\'illiam.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Robinson  have 
traveled  extensively  in  America  and 
abroad.  They  are  members  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  Eighteenth  and  Arch 
streets,   Philadelphia. 


BLANKENBURG,  Rudolph, 

Former  Reform  Mayor  of  Philadelpliia. 

If,  as  a  writer  of  national  repute  has 
stated,  Philadeli)hia  is  politically  "cor- 
rupt and  contented,"  the  blame  for  the 
fact  cannot  in  any  degree  be  laid  at  the 
door  of  Rudolph  Blankenburg,  for  neither 
corruption  nor  contentment,  as  applied  to 
existing  conditions,  are  to  be  found  in 
his  vocabulary.  From  the  date  of  becom- 
ing a  citizen  of  the  United  States  and  of 
Philadelphia,  he  has  served  in  the  ranks 
of  those  opposed  to  machine  rule ;  has 
commanded  companies,  regiments,  and 
divisions;  and  when,  in   1911,  the  grand 


1498 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


assault  of  the  allied  reform  army  was 
made  upon  the  strongly  intrenched  forces 
of  municipal  mis-rule,  it  was  under  the 
command  of  Rudolph  Blankenburg  as 
candidate  for  mayor  of  the  city. 

Nor  can  it  be  laid  at  his  door  that  his 
four  years  of  service  as  mayor  have  not 
brought  the  political  millennium,  for  with 
a  wily  foe  firmly  seated  in  councils  and 
office,  Philadelphia  reformers  left  their 
chief  without  the  power  to  press  victory 
home.  This  apathy,  reactionary  in  its 
results,  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  when  it 
is  considered  that  Philadelphia  has  not 
changed  her  political  thought  during  the 
present  generation,  and  knew  little  of  the 
long,  hard  fight  necessary  to  rid  a  city 
of  its  political  pests.  But  even  the  most 
pessimistic  view  of  the  results  attained 
is  abundantly  satisfactory,  and  Philadel- 
phia may  rejoice  that  so  much  has  been 
accomplished  for  civic  uplift.  Mayor 
Blankenburg  has  fought  a  good  fight,  has 
kept  the  faith,  and  to-day  is  one  of  the 
strong  men  not  only  of  his  city  and  state 
but  of  the  nation.  Despite  his  years, 
seventy-two,  he  is  a  strong,  vigorous 
man,  physically  as  well  as  intellectually, 
and  on  his  recent  appearance  at  Conven- 
tion Hall,  in  the  presence  of  the  President 
of  the  United  States,  city,  state,  and  na- 
tional dignitaries,  rose  to  a  height  of  im- 
passioned eloquence  and  patriotism  un- 
surpassed by  any  speaker  of  the  occas- 
ion. Truly,  if  the  figure  will  again  be 
allowed,  he  is  Philadelphia's  "grand  old 
man,"  and  in  spite  of  his  lifelong  oppo- 
sition to  their  political  methods  holds  the 
personal  esteem  of  his  strongest  foes. 
There  is  nothing  to  conceal  in  the  life  of 
Rudolph  Blankenburg;  it  has  been  lived 
in  the  open.  His  blows  have  never  been 
delivered  in  the  dark,  but  in  the  white 
light  of  publicity.  Patriotism  is  his  pas- 
sion, civic  righteousness  his  slogan,  and 
no  deed  of  his  has  ever  borne  the  taint 
of     political     selfishness     or     chicanery. 


When  finally  Philadelphia  stands  forth 
free  and  takes  her  proper  place  among 
the  enlightened  municipalities  of  the 
country,  there  will  be  erected  to  him  in 
men's  hearts,  if  not  in  marble  and  bronze, 
a  monument  of  such  vast  proportions  that 
it  will  serve  as  a  beacon  light  to  well 
doers.  And  until  that  day  comes  his 
example,  his  words,  and  his  deeds,  shall 
be  the  influence  that  will  nerve  men  to 
carry  on  the  work  to  which  his  life  has 
been  devoted. 

His  contributions  to  magazines  and 
newspapers  have  been  legion,  their  value 
unquestioned.  His  "Forty  Years  in  the 
Wilderness,  or  Masters  and  Rulers  of 
Pennsylvania,"  a  series  of  eight  articles 
published  in  the  "Arena,"  is  a  faithful 
history  of  the  "Organization"  from  Cam- 
eron, the  elder,  to  1905,  and  reveals  in  all 
its  hideousness  the  fall  of  a  great  State 
into  the  hands  of  "banded  spoilsmen," 
and  narrates  the  efforts  of  the  reformers 
to  bring  about  its  redemption.  In  1891 
and  1892,  while  serving  as  one  of  the 
commissioners  sent  to  distribute  the  gifts 
collected  by  the  Russian  Famine  Relief 
Committee  of  Philadelphia,  he  wrote  a 
series  of  most  interesting  letters  from 
Russia  that  appeared  in  the  "Ledger," 
"Times,"  and  "Inquirer."  His  activity 
has  extended  to  many  fields,  and  in  addi- 
tion to  having  built  up  and  conducted  a 
successful  business  he  has  always  aided 
in  those  worthy  enterprises  by  which  the 
liberality  and  philanthropy  of  a  great 
city  is  measured. 

Rudolph  Blankenburg  was  born  in 
Lippe,  Detmold,  Germany,  February  16. 
1843,  son  of  Ludwig  and  Sophie  (Goede) 
Blankenburg.  He  was  educated  under 
private  tutors  and  at  Real  Gymnasium, 
his  education  being  planned  with  a  view 
to  entering  the  ministry,  for  his  father 
was  a  minister  of  the  German  Reformed 
Church.  But  when  his  tutor  came  to  the 
United    States    in    1865,    the   young   man 


1499 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


followed  him,  locating  in  Philadelphia. 
He  obtained  a  situation  with  a  manufac- 
turer and  importer  of  dress  goods,  ex- 
changing his  brawn  and  muscle  for  the 
sum  of  six  dollars  weekly.  In  little  over 
a  year  he  was  made  traveling  salesman, 
and  so  rapidly  did  he  advance  that  within 
five  years  he  became  European  buyer  for 
his  house,  traveling  over  a  goodly  portion 
of  the  world  in  that  capacity.  In  1870  he 
became  a  naturalized  citizen,  and  five 
years  later  began  business  on  his  own 
account  as  R.  Blankenburg  &  Company. 
His  business  career  was  a  successful, 
prosperous  one,  and  in  1909,  after  incor- 
porating as  R.  Blankenburg  &  Company, 
he  retired  from  active  management,  but 
retained  a  directorship.  His  business 
qualifications  were  of  the  highest  type, 
while  his  broad  shoulders  easily  carried, 
with  the  aid  of  a  genial,  sunny  disposi- 
tion, the  burdens  of  his  large  business. 

Becoming  a  citizen  in  1870,  he  first  ap- 
peared actively  in  public  affairs  in  1877, 
and  soon  became  known  as  the  implacable 
foe  of  the  "organization,"  which  even 
then  had  its  grip  firmly  established  on  the 
city.  He  was  the  associate  of  the  well 
known  reformers  who  first  lifted  the  ban- 
ner of  revolt,  and  side  by  side  with  them 
met  constant  defeat  for  many  years.  In 
1905  he  was  the  successful  candidate  for 
county  commissioner,  being  carried  into 
office  by  a  majority  of  fifty  thousand.  He 
served  three  years  in  that  office,  and 
proved  the  unselfishness  of  his  motives 
by  donating  his  entire  salary  of  fifteen 
thousand  dollars  to  the  police,  firemen's 
and  teachers'  pension  funds.  In  191 1  he 
was  elected  mayor  of  Philadelphia,  an 
office  from  which  he  will  retire  January 
3,  1916,  having  accomplished  many  re- 
forms and  having  inaugurated  a  new  era 
in  municipal  government.  Ever  a  Repub- 
lican in  national  aflfairs,  his  political  bat- 
tles have  been  fought  mostly  within  his 
own    party    against    the    leaders   of   that 


party,  and  for  the  right  of  the  people  to 
rule.  He  has  stood  in  the  open  and  has 
fought  bribery,  graft,  election  frauds  and 
every  form  of  political  dishonesty.  From 
the  year  1880  until  1895  he  was  chairman 
of  the  election  frauds  committee  of  the 
committee  of  one  hundred,  the  parent 
body  of  all  Philadelphia  reform  commit- 
tees. He  was  actively  engaged  in  the 
fight  against  Quay  in  1897-98,  and  sup- 
ported John  Wanamaker  for  both  Gov- 
ernor and  United  States  Senator.  He 
has  opposed  every  State  or  city  "boss," 
has  never  wavered  in  his  opposition  to 
corrupt  "ring  rule"  during  his  forty-five 
years  of  citizenship,  nor  has  he  ever  lost 
hope  of  ultimate  success  in  overcoming 
the  "powers  that  prey."  Did  the  cause 
need  funds  for  legitimate  campaign  ex- 
penses? Often  he  supplied  the  need.  Did 
the  cause  need  a  worker,  a  speaker,  a 
private?  He  was  the  ready  volunteer. 
Was  a  standard  bearer  sought?  He  was 
as  ready  to  head  a  ticket  as  though  suc- 
cess was  assured.  For  forty  years  he  has 
been  on  the  firing  line  with  courage  un- 
faltering, hopefulness  unbounded,  good 
nature  unfailing,  and  enthusiasm  and  sin- 
cerity so  contagious  that  a  city  was  at 
last  awakened.  A  reformer  with  charity 
for  his  foes  is  rare,  but  Mayor  Blanken- 
burg is  big  all  over, — big  in  stature,  big 
in  heart,  and  big  in  his  devotion  to  the 
cause  of  humanity,  with  none  of  the  petty 
resentments  so  often  engendered  by  op- 
position and  defeat  He  is  not  a  one- 
sided man  nor  a  man  of  a  single  idea,  but 
has  been  identified  with  great  charitable 
movements  for  the  city  of  his  adoption 
and  for  the  stricken  of  every  land.  In 
1905  he  wrote  in  the  "Arena"  concerning 
then  existing  conditions  words  that  hold 
good  to-day:  "One  of  the  crying  evils  of 
the  hour  is  the  lamentable  indifference  of 
the  average  citizen  to  his  public  duties 
and  the  easy  going  spirit  with  which  he 
permits  his  municipal  or  state  servant  to 
^00 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


become  his  master  and  ruler,  and  as  a 
natural  result  often  the  unchecked  bene- 
ficiary of  public  funds  without  first  passing 
the  customary  appropriation  bills."  Phil- 
adelphia still  suffers  from  this  "lament- 
able indifterence,"  but  the  spirit  is  work- 
ing that  will  yet  leaven  the  entire  body 
politic.  Better  conditions  prevail,  a  spirit 
of  civic  righteousness  has  been  awakened, 
and  Philadelphia  has  gained  immeasur- 
ably in  civic  spirit  and  practical  improve- 
ment through  the  patriotic  unselfish  de- 
votion of  her  adopted  son,  Rudolph 
Blankenburg. 

Mr.  Blankenburg  is  a  world-wide  trav- 
eler, and  is  well  known  in  the  great  cities 
of  the  United  States  as  an  eloquent,  force- 
ful, and  interesting  platform  orator.  He 
has  always  supported  the  Republican 
party  in  national  elections  and  has  given 
valuable  service  in  many  states  as  a 
speaker  on  political  reform  topics.  This, 
in  connection  with  his  extensive  maga- 
zine and  newspaper  contributions  on 
political,  social,  and  religious  topics  has 
made  him  national  in  his  prominence,  ac- 
quaintance, and  friendships.  He  is  a  wel- 
come, honored  guest  at  any  gathering, 
and  nothing  has  so  displayed  his  versa- 
tility as  the  hundreds  of  speeches  he  has 
made  welcoming  bodies  of  men  and 
women  gathered  in  convention  in  Phila- 
delphia, representing  every  creed,  society, 
or  movement  that  claims  public  attention. 
The  most  notable  gathering  perhaps  ever 
held  in  any  city  was  the  recent  reception 
to  four  thousand  newly  naturalized  citi- 
zens held  in  Convention  Hall,  a  gathering 
honored  by  the  presence  of  the  President 
of  the  United  States,  with  members  of  his 
Cabinet.  Mayor  Blankenburg  presided 
with  a  dignity  and  feeling  most  im- 
pressive, and  delivered  an  address  filled 
with  loftiest  sentiments.  He  is  a  member 
of  many  organizations,  including  the 
American  Academy  of  Political  and 
Social  Science,  the  Historical  Societv  of 


Pennsylvania,  the  Union  League,  the 
New  Century,  Five  O'Clock,  Contempo- 
rary, and  City  clubs.  In  19 14  Lafayette 
College  conferred  upon  him  the  honorary 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws.  On  June  23, 
1915,  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws  was 
conferred  on  Mayor  Blankenburg  at 
Dartmouth  College.  The  following  is  the 
language  in  which  he  was  presented  for 
this  degree  to  the  president  of  the  college, 
and  in  which  the  president  conferred  the 
degree : 

Mr.  President: — For  tlie  same  honorary  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Laws,  I  present  an  fionored  man  of 
business,  an  active  and  intelligent  citizen,  a  pro- 
moter of  chiaritable  and  philantfiropic  move- 
ments, a  champion  in  public  speech  and  pub- 
lished writings  of  civic  righteousness,  and  a 
reformer  without  cant,  who  has  been  repeatedly 
chosen  by  his  fellow-citizens  to  positions  of  im- 
portant trust,  and  is  now  reform  Mayor  of  Phil- 
adelphia— Rudolph   Blankenburg. 

To  which  the  president  responded: 

Rudolph  Blankenburg,  notable  lover  of  men 
and  children,  sweetener  of  the  sour  places  in 
public  life  with  genial  sympathy  and  humor; 
stalwart,  loyal,  self-sacrificing  citizen;  fearless 
and  upright  public  servant;  ardent  patriot;  an 
honor  to  the  land  of  your  adoption,  outstanding 
in  these  trying  days  as  a  high  example,  not  to 
your  compatriots  alone,  but  to  all  foreign  and 
native  born  Americans: — I  admit  you  to  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws,  etc.,  etc. 

He  married,  April  18,  1867,  Lucretia  M. 
Longshore,  born  in  New  Lisbon,  Ohio, 
daughter  of  T.  Ellwood  and  Hannah  E. 
(Myers)  Longshore,  her  mother  a  grad- 
uate of  the  Women's  Medical  College  of 
Philadelphia,  class  of  1851,  and  one  of 
the  pioneer  woman  physicians  of  Phila- 
delphia. Lucretia  Longshore  was  edu- 
cated in  Friends  Central  School,  and  is 
one  of  the  leading  club  women  of  the  city. 
She  was  president  of  the  Pennsylvania 
State  Suffrage  Association,  1892-1908, 
first  vice-president  of  the  General  Federa- 
tion of  Women's  Clubs,  1912-1914,  mem- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ber  of  the  New  Century  Club,  Working 
Women's  Guild,  the  Civic  Club,  and  other 
organizations  of  note. 


DYER,  Charles  Dickey, 

Man   of   Iiarge   Affairs. 

Prominent  among  the  men  who,  during 
the  last  fifteen  years,  have  been  largely 
instrumental  in  the  development  of  Pitts- 
burgh's mighty  steel  industry  is  Charles 
Dickey  Dyer,  vice-president  and  a  direc- 
tor of  the  Shenango  Furnace  Company, 
and  officially  identified  with  other  leading 
kindred  organizations.  Mr.  Dyer  also 
enters  actively  into  the  political  life  of  his 
community,  being  as  thoroughly  in  earn- 
est in  the  fulfillment  of  the  duties  of  citi- 
zenship as  in  the  discharge  of  his  obliga- 
tions as  a  business  man. 

The  great-grandfather  of  Charles 
Dickey  Dyer,  was  of  Belfast,  Ireland. 
John  Dyer  was  born  in  Belfast,  Ireland, 
and  in  1833  emigrated  to  the  United 
States,  settling  in  Allegheny,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  there  passing  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  He  became  one  of  the  prominent 
men  of  the  community,  and  the  fact  that 
he  was  known  as  "Squire  Dyer"  indicates 
that  he  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the 
peace.  He  was  also,  in  the  early  '50s  or 
'60s,  an  alderman  of  Allegheny.  As  super- 
intendent of  the  Anchor  Cotton  Mills  he 
is  numbered  among  the  pioneer  manu- 
facturers of  the  county.  Mr.  Dyer  mar- 
ried Anna  MacMoran,  of  Belfast,  Ireland, 
and  his  death  occurred  in  1866.  John 
Dyer  had  three  sons — William,  a  mer- 
chant of  Pittsburgh,  who  died  in  the  early 
'60s ;  John,  a  contractor  of  Pittsburgh, 
who  served  in  the  Civil  War  and  died  in 
1900,  and  Samuel,  the  father  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  article. 

Samuel,  son  of  John  and  Anna  (Mac- 
Moran) Dyer,  was  born  in  January.  1825, 
in  Ireland,  and  was  about  eight  years  old 
when  brought  by  his  parents  to  the 
Ignited  States.     He  was  educated  in  local 


schools  and  became  a  merchant  in  Alle- 
gheny, conducting  business  under  the 
tirm  name  of  Samuel  Dyer.  He  was  a 
Republican,  and  an  elder  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church.  Mr.  Dyer  married 
Elizabeth,  born  at  Camden.  New  York. 
May  10.  1829,  daughter  of  David  and 
Mary  ( Biggerstaft")  Brodie.  then  of  Steu- 
benville.  Ohio,  and  their  children  were : 
James  M..  of  Pittsburgh,  retired;  Joseph 
B..  also  of  Pittsburgh,  and  retired ;  Isabel, 
wife  of  A.  L.  Large,  a  Pittsburgh  lawyer; 
Annie  B..  deceased;  Charles  Dickey,  men- 
tioned below ;  John  J.,  with  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Company,  Pittsburgh ;  William 
H. ;  Samuel,  who  died  in  infancy ;  Eliza- 
beth, wife  of  H.  C.  McKee.  of  the  Hukill- 
Hunter  Company.  Pittsburgh ;  Jane, 
wife  of  Thomas  H.  Bradley,  of  Pitts- 
burgh ;  and  Thomas  M..  of  Bultalo.  New 
York,  general  sales  agent  of  the  Alpha 
Portland  Cement  Company.  William  H. 
Dyer,  the  seventh  child  of  this  family, 
was  born  May  i,  1864,  and  received  his 
education  in  the  public  schools,  afterward 
entering  the  toy  business,  in  which  he  is 
still  engaged.  He  married.  June  6,  1893, 
Mary  Emma,  daughter  of  William  and 
Esther  (Craig)  Boston,  of  Moon  town- 
ship, Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania, 
and  they  have  one  son.  William  Boston, 
born  May  16,  1902.  Samuel  Dyer,  the 
father  of  the  family,  was  actively  engaged 
in  business  until  his  death,  which  occur- 
red May  29.  1892.  His  wife  passed  away 
December  25.  1904. 

Charles  Dickey  Dyer,  son  of  Samuel 
and  Elizabeth  (Brodie)  Dyer,  was  born 
August  24.  1859,  in  Allegheny  City,  now 
North  Side.  Pittsburgh,  and  received  his 
education  in  the  schools  of  his  birthplace 
and  in  those  of  Pittsburgh,  graduating  at 
Willard's  Academy  of  the  latter  city.  In 
1880  he  entered  the  service  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Lines  West  of  Pittsburgh,  in 
June.  1882.  was  promoted  to  the  position 
of  chief  clerk,  and  during  the  ensuing  ten 


1502 


^-^[^S^i^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


years  built  up  a  reputation  second  to  none 
in  the  organization.  In  July,  1892,  he  was 
made  freight  agent  at  Allegheny,  Penn- 
sylvania. In  November,  1902,  Mr.  Dyer 
entered  upon  the  phase  of  his  career 
which  is  known  to  the  iron  and  steel 
world.  He  was  then  appointed  traffic 
manager  of  the  W.  P.  Snyder  interests, 
including  the  Clairton  Steel  Company, 
and  in  January,  1904.  he  was  made  gen- 
eral freight  agent  of  the  Crucible  Steel 
Company,  in  connection  with  the  duties 
of  the  former  position.  He  was  also  ap- 
pointed manager  for  the  receivers  of  the 
Clairton  Steel  Company  until  its  absorp- 
tion by  the  United  States  Steel  Corpora- 
tion. Thus,  within  a  brief  period,  Mr. 
Dyer  became  intimately  identified  with 
the  industry  which  constitutes  the  most 
important  factor  in  the  greatness  of  Pitts- 
burgh, but  still  further  advancement  was 
to  be  his.  In  January,  1905,  he  was  ap- 
pointed assistant  to  the  president  of  the 
Shenango  Furnace  Company,  and  in  1906, 
upon  the  absorption  of  the  Oliver  inter- 
ests by  this  concern,  he  succeeded  the 
late  James  B.  Oliver  as  vice-president  and 
director.  Since  that  time  Mr.  Dyer  has 
been  continuously  associated  with  the 
Snyder  interests.  A  biography  and  por- 
trait of  W.  P.  Snyder  appear  elsewhere 
in  this  work.  The  Shenango  Furnace 
Company  is  one  of  the  large  and  influ- 
ential organizations  of  the  iron  and  steel 
world  and  in  its  upbuilding  and  mainte- 
nance the  calm,  determined  will  and  clear- 
sighted sagacity  of  the  present  vice-presi- 
dent have  been  largely  instrumental.  Mr. 
Dyer  is  also  vice-president  and  director 
of  the  Shenango  Steamship  and  Trans- 
portation Company,  secretary  and  direc- 
tor of  the  Shenango  Steamship  Company 
and  a  director  of  the  Lake  Carriers'  Asso- 
ciation of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  the  Lake  Erie 
Limestone  Company.  He  belongs  to  the 
advisory  committee  of  the  Lake  Protec- 
tive Association  of  Cleveland. 

PA-4 


An  earnest  interest  in  public  affairs  and 
especially  in  all  that  makes  for  the  better- 
ment of  conditions  in  his  community,  has 
ever  been  one  of  Mr.  Dyer's  salient  char- 
acteristics. He  is  an  Independent  Repub- 
lican, and  for  twelve  years  has  served  as 
burgess  and  councilman  of  Ben  Avon,  the 
beautiful  suburb  of  Pittsburgh  in  which 
he  resides.  He  belongs  to  the  Duquesne 
Club  of  Pittsburgh  and  Union  Club  of 
Cleveland  and  the  Kitchigammi  Club  of 
Duluth.  His  family  attends  the  Presby- 
terian church. 

Aggressive  in  all  that  he  undertakes, 
and  possessed  of  inexhaustible  energy, 
Mr.  Dyer  is  most  emphatically  a  man  of 
calm,  dispassionate  judgment,  always 
cool,  collected  and  courteous.  No  situa- 
tion, however  unexpected  or  critical,  with 
which  he  has  yet  been  confronted,  has  had 
power  to  disturb  his  mental  equilibrium 
or  to  render  him  inconsiderate  of  the 
rights  and  feelings  of  others.  His  coun- 
tenance bears  the  stamp  of  these  essential 
qualities  of  his  nature  and  the  keenness 
of  his  glance  is  blended  with  a  kindliness 
which  explains  the  well  known  fact  that 
no  man  makes  friends  more  easily  or 
holds  them  longer. 

In  the  achievement  of  his  success  Mr. 
Dyer  has  had  the  invaluable  assistance 
and  cooperation  of  a  sympathetic  and  de- 
voted wife  who  became  his  life  com- 
panion early  in  his  career.  On  November 
2,  1882,  he  married  Belle,  daughter  of 
Samuel  B.  and  Mary  (Gamble) Smith,  of 
Allegheny,  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Smith, 
who  died  March  r8,  1906,  was  a  business  ' 
man  of  that  city  and  a  large  holder  of  real 
estate.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dyer  are  the  par- 
ents of  the  following  children :  Mary, 
born  July  11,  1883,  wife  of  Joseph  A. 
Robb,  assistant  district  attorney  of  Pitts- 
burgh ;  Charles  Dickey,  born  September 
13,  1885,  engineer  of  the  Semit-Solway 
Company,  Chicago;  Jay  L.,  born  April 
19,    1888,    an    agriculturist    of    Sewickley 

1503 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Heights  township,  Allegheny  county ; 
and  Stewart,  born  October  7,  1890,  con- 
nected with  the  coal  and  coke  department 
of  the  Shenango  Furnace  Company.  Mrs. 
Dyer  is  active  in  church  and  charitable 
circles  and  belongs  to  the  Presbyterian 
Church  Club.  The  home  over  which  she 
presides  is  for  her  husband  an  unfailing 
refuge  from  the  cares  of  business  and 
constitutes  a  centre  of  attraction  for  their 
many  friends. 

In  no  vv^ay  does  Pittsburgh  so  com- 
pletely dominate  the  industrial  world  as 
in  her  steel  manufacture.  Her  proudest 
title  is  that  of  the  Steel  City  and  it  is 
secured  to  her  in  perpetuity  because  it 
has  been  gained  for  her  by  men  the  bril- 
liancy of  whose  achievements  is  equalled 
by  their  solidity  and  their  power  of  en- 
durance and  who  have  made  honor  the 
cornerstone  of  their  city's  greatness. 
These  men — little  given  to  talking,  but 
intensely  devoted  to  doing — are  the  true 
Pittsburghers,  and  among  the  most 
typical  of  that  noble  class  is  Charles 
Dickey  Dyer. 


LYON,  John  Glamis, 

Prominent    Investment    Broker. 

Among  the  leading  representatives  of 
the  investment  brokerage  interests  of 
Pittsburgh  is  John  Glamis  Lyon,  head  of 
the  notable  firm  of  Lyon,  Singer  &  Com- 
pany. As  a  citizen,  Mr.  Lyon  stands  in 
the  front  rank,  being  as  loyal  to  public 
obligations  as  to  business  interests. 

John  Glamis  Lyon  was  born  July  20, 
1855,  in  Pittsburgh,  and  is  a  son  of 
James  Benjamin  and  Anna  Margaret 
(Lyon)  Lyon.  John  Glamis  Lyon  received 
his  preparatory  education  in  schools  of 
East  Liberty  and  \^'est  Philadelphia,  and 
then  entered  the  University  of  Pittsburgh, 
subsequently  matriculating  at  Princeton 
University  and  graduating  with  the  class 
of  1876.     Having  chosen  to  devote  him- 

I 


self  to  a  business  career,  Mr.  Lyon  then 
associated  himself  with  the  firm  of  which 
his  father  was  head,  and  ere  long  made  a 
reputation  for  himself  as  connected  with 
the  glass  industry.  In  1891,  when  his 
father  sold  out  to  the  United  States  Glass 
Company,  Mr.  Lyon  went  to  New  York 
and  for  twelve  years  thereafter  was  en- 
gaged in  business  in  that  city.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  he  returned  to  Pitts- 
burgh and  directed  his  attention  to  the 
investment  business,  organizing  the  firm 
of  Barr,  Lyon  &  Company,  which  was 
dissolved  in  1913,  being  replaced  by  that 
of  Lyon,  Singer  &  Company,  which  has 
remained  unchanged  to  the  present  time. 
They  have  a  large  clientele,  and  the  flour- 
ishing condition  of  the  business  is  due  in 
no  small  measure  to  the  sound  judgment 
and  capable  management  of  the  head  of 
the  firm.  Mr.  Lyon  inherits  the  executive 
and  administrative  ability  which  has 
always  been  characteristic  of  his  family 
and  which  he  has  manifested  in  each  one 
of  his  business  connections. 

Politically  Mr.  Lyon  is  an  Independent 
Republican,  and  no  Pittsburgher  more 
readily  lends  his  countenance  and  aid  to 
any  movement  which  he  deems  calculated 
to  promote  the  progress  and  welfare  of 
his  native  city.  He  belongs  to  the  Du- 
quesne  Club  and  is  a  member  and  trustee 
of  the  East  Liberty  Presbyterian  Church. 

Intensely  alert  to  opportunity  and  de- 
cisively prompt  in  seizing  it,  Mr.  Lyon  is 
withal  calm,  self-poised  and  deliberate, 
always  having  regard  to  future  possibil- 
ities, which  he  is  quick  to  discern,  and 
taking  an  all-round  view  of  every  project 
presented  for  his  consideration.  More- 
over, he  is  warm-hearted  and  genial  and 
may  be  truly  described  as  a  man  of  many 
friends.  In  appearance  and  manner  he  is 
a  true  type  of  the  high-class  Pittsburgh 
business  man. 

Mr.  Lyon  married,  November  22,  1882, 
Adelina  Carr  Langworthy,  whose  ances- 

504 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tral  record  is  appended  to  this  biography, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  three  sons:  i. 
James  B.,  born  October  3,  1883,  educated 
in  Pittsburgh  and  New  York  schools,  and 
at  Blair  Hall,  Blairstown,  New  Jersey, 
for  a  time  in  banking  business,  but  now 
with  the  Westinghouse  Machine  Com- 
pany of  Pittsburgh ;  married,  November, 
191 1,  Jean  Elphinstone,  of  that  city.  2. 
Prescott  Langworthy,  born  July  25,  1888, 
educated  in  Pittsburgh  schools  and  at 
Mercersburg  Academy,  now  Pittsburgh 
representative  of  the  banking  house  of 
Lee,  Higginson  &  Company,  of  Boston 
and  New  York;  married.  October  25, 
1913,  Mary  Louise  Steel.  3.  Lowell 
Thayer,  born  May  3,  1S92,  educated  in 
Pittsburgh  schools,  at  Kiskimenetis  Acad- 
emy, St.  James'  Academy  and  Trinity 
College  and  now  at  Cornell  University, 
class  of  1915. 

Devotion  to  the  ties  of  family  and 
friendship  has  always  been  the  ruling 
motive  of  Mr.  Lyon's  life  and  I\Irs.  Lyon 
is  a  charming  homemaker  and  tactful 
hostess.  John  Glamis  Lyon  comes  of  a 
race  of  executants.  .\11  his  ancestors, 
whether  soldiers,  manufacturers,  lawyers 
or  financiers,  were  men  of  action,  men 
willing  to  take  the  initiative.  Moreover, 
his  native  city  is  accomplishment  incar- 
nate, and  in  maintaining  his  ancestral  tra- 
ditions he  has  proved  himself  a  true  Lvon 
and  a  true  Pittsburgher. 

(The  Langworthy  Line). 

John  Langworthy,  grandfather  of  ]\Irs. 
Adelina  Carr  (Langworthy)  Lyon,  was 
born  in  North  Stonington,  Connecticut, 
and  there  married  Sarah  Pendleton,  a 
native  of  the  same  place.  He  and  his 
wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  sons  and 
two  daughters,  none  of  whom  are  living. 
Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Langworthy  both  died  in 
Alfred,  New  York. 

Nathan  Henry,  son  of  John  and  Sarah 
(Pendleton)  Langworthy,  was  born  Octo- 


ber 17,  1812,  at  North  Stonington,  Con- 
necticut, and  received  a  common  school 
education.  Throughout  his  life  he  was 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  and  mer- 
cantile business,  taking  an  active  part  in 
public  afifairs  as  an  adherent  of  the  Re- 
publican party  and  at  one  time  serving 
with  credit  as  a  member  of  the  legisla- 
ture of  Rhode  Island.  He  was  a  director 
of  the  Niantic  Bank  of  Westerly,  in  that 
state.  He  and  all  his  family  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Seventh-Day  Baptist  Church 
of  A\'esterly.  ]Mr.  Lang^vorthy  married, 
February  20,  1836,  at  North  Stonington. 
Connecticut,  Ann  Elizabeth,  born  in  that 
place.  May  17,  1819,  daughter  of  Daniel 
and  Susan  (Cole)  Carr.  Mr.  Carr  was  a 
merchant  of  North  Stonington.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Langworthy  were  the  parents  of  the 
following  children:  Susan  Elizabeth,  mar- 
ried William  Lyman  Greene,  of  Boston ; 
Sara  A. ;  Albert  Henry,  retired  merchant 
and  now  member  of  the  Rhode  Island 
legislature,  married  Georgiana  Loveland. 
of  \\'esterly,  Rhode  Island  ;  Adelina  Carr, 
mentioned  below  ;  Helen,  married  Charles 
L.  \\'hitman,  of  New  York  City;  and 
Jane,  married  the  Rev.  Henry  G.  Spauld- 
ing,  of  Boston.  ]\Irs.  Langworthy  died 
December  28.  1884.  in  Westerly,  Rhode 
Island,  and  the  death  of  Mr.  Langworthy 
occurred  at  the  same  place,  ]\Iay  28,  1889. 
Adelina  Carr,  daughter  of  Nathan 
Henry  and  Ann  Elizabeth  (Carr)  Lang- 
worthy, became  the  wife  of  John  Glamis 
Lvon,  as  stated  above. 


WRIGHT,  Elwood  Griest, 

Oil  Industry  Official. 

The  men  who  developed  the  oil  wells 
of  Pennsylvania  and  thus  became  the  up- 
builders  of  a  colossal  industry  did  much 
toward  the  making  of  the  Kevstone  State 
as  she  stands  to-day  in  the  pride  and 
strength  of  unparalleled  progress  and 
prosperity.  Prominent  among  the  pio- 
505 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


neers  in  this  movement  was  Elwood 
Griest  Wright,  of  Pittsburgh,  now  vice- 
president  and  director  of  the  Southwest 
Pennsylvania  Pipe  Line  Company,  and  a 
recognized  authority  in  all  that  relates  to 
the  business.  Mr.  Wright  comes  on  his 
father's  side  of  that  sturdy  Irish  stock 
which  helped  to  lay  the  foundation  of  the 
greatness  of  the  commonwealth,  and 
numbers  among  his  maternal  ancestors 
some  of  those  English  Friends  who  were 
almost  the  earliest  settlers  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

Thomas  and  Mary  Wright,  grand- 
parents of  Elwood  Griest  Wright,  were 
natives  of  Ireland  and  emigrated  to  the 
United  States.  Their  children  were: 
William,  Thomas,  John ;  Samuel,  men- 
tioned below;  Enoch,  James,  Joseph, 
Margaret  and  Jane.  Thomas  Wright,  the 
father,  was  a  farmer,  and  died  in  Pennsyl- 
vania about  1850,  his  widow  passing 
away  a  few  years  later. 

Samuel,  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary 
Wright,  was  born  in  1781,  in  Ireland,  and 
accompanied  his  parents  to  the  United 
States.  Like  his  father,  he  was  a  farmer. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Republican,  and  held 
various  township  offices,  including  those 
of  road  supervisor  and  assessor  which  he 
retained  for  years.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Society  of  Friends.  Mr.  Wright  mar- 
ried, August  10,  1837,  at  West  Chester, 
Pennsylvania,  Mary  Jane  Clayton,  whose 
ancestral  record  is  appended  to  this  biog- 
raphy, and  their  children  were :  Joshua 
Clayton,  born  March,  1838;  Narcissa  D., 
born  in  1840;  Edith  A.,  of  Oak  Hill,  Lan- 
caster county,  Pennsylvania ;  Elwood 
Griest,  mentioned  below ;  and  Leander 
O.,  born  September  3,  1849,  and  now  a 
successful  agriculturist,  owning  one  of 
the  fine  farms  of  Lancaster  county. 
Joshua  Clayton  Wright  received  a  com- 
mon school  education  and  served  in  the 
Union  army  throughout  the  Civil  War. 
Later  he  was  identified  with  the  oil  inter- 


ests of  Western  Pennsylvania.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  Stalker,  who  died  in  1878,  and 
his  own  death  occurred  in  1907.  Nar- 
cissa D.  Wright  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  the  Millersville  State 
Normal  School,  and  married  Ezekiel  G. 
Webb,  whose  great-grandfather  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  Eze- 
kiel G.  Webb  was  educated  in  the  local 
and  high  schools  of  Coleraine  township, 
and  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  en- 
listed in  Company  G,  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty-second  Regiment  Pennsylvania 
Volunteer  Infantry.  He  participated  in 
the  battles  of  Second  Bull  Run  and  Chan- 
cellorsville,  making  an  honorable  record 
throughout  the  war.  He  died  August  2, 
1906.  Mrs.  Wright,  the  mother  of  the 
family,  died  at  her  home  in  Little  Britain 
township,  Lancaster  county,  and  the 
death  of  Mr.  Wright  occurred  May  20, 
1883.  in  the  same  place. 

Elwood  Griest  Wright,  son  of  Samuel 
and  Mary  Jane  (Clayton)  Wright,  was 
born  March  31,  1847,  in  Lancaster  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  received  his  education 
in  local  schools,  afterward  working  on  the 
farm  until  the  autumn  of  1872,  when  he 
removed  to  Clarion  county  in  conse- 
quence of  the  recent  discovery  of  oil  in 
that  region.  With  some  men  this  would 
not  have  been  a  sufficient  reason  for  mi- 
grating, involving  as  it  did  a  certain 
amount  of  risk,  but  enterprise  was  domi- 
nant in  Mr.  Wright's  nature  and  cer- 
tainly, in  this  instance,  the  event  fully 
justified  it.  Success  attended  him  and  for 
many  years  he  was  connected  with  the 
Antwerp  Pipe  Line  Company.  In  1912, 
upon  the  dissolution  of  the  Standard  Oil 
Company,  he  became  vice-president  and 
director  of  the  Southwest  Pennsylvania 
Pipe  Line  Company,  the  concern  having 
its  headquarters  in  Pittsburgh.  Fie  was 
formerly  president  of  the  Petroleum  Iron 
Works  Company. 

In  politics  Mr.  Wright  is  a  Republican, 
506 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  Pittsburgh  has  no  citizen  more  de- 
voted to  the  promotion  of  her  best  inter- 
ests. He  affiliates  with  Milnor  Lodge. 
No.  218,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and 
belongs  to  the  Oakmont  Country  Club, 
the  Pittsburgh  Press  Club,  the  Pittsburgh 
Field  Club  and  the  Pittsburgh  Athletic 
Association.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Soci- 
ety of  Friends,  but  his  family  attend  the 
Presbyterian  Church. 

In  appearance  Mr.  Wright  is  revealed 
as  the  type  of  man  which  his  career  has 
shown  him  to  be — aggressive,  but  not 
rash,  cool,  but  not  over-cautious,  very  de- 
cided but  perfectly  fair-minded  and  rea- 
sonable. These  qualities  are  inscribed  on 
his  features  and  speak  in  the  clear,  direct 
glance  of  his  eyes,  while  his  whole  aspect 
is  that  of  the  benevolent,  warm-hearted 
man  and  the  true  friend  which  so  many 
know  him  to  be. 

Mr.  Wright  married,  November  19, 
1890,  Sarah  Rankin  Whitehill,  whose  an- 
cestral record  is  appended  to  this  biog- 
raphy, and  they  became  the  parents  of 
two  children:  Gertrude  Clayton,  died  in 
infancy ;  and  Mildred  Whitehill,  educated 
at  theThurston-Gleim  School,  Pittsburgh, 
and  at  Mrs.  Down's  School,  "Briar  Clifif," 
New  York  state.  Mr.  W^right's  strongest 
affections  are  for  home  and  family  and 
his  hours  of  greatest  happiness  are  passed 
in  the  domestic  circle.  Mrs.  Wright  is  a 
woman  of  winning  personality  and  a  tact- 
ful hostess  and  her  daughter  is  one  of  the 
most  charming  members  of  the  younger 
set.  Both  are  members  of  the  Tuesday 
Musical  Club. 

Mr.  Wright  can  look  back  upon  forty- 
three  years  of  intense  and  fruitful  activ- 
ity in  the  oil  business.  During  these 
years  he  has  been  a  witness  to  many 
vicissitudes.  He  has  seen  fortunes  won 
and  lost,  but  through  everything  he  has 
held  steadily  on  his  way,  never  swerving 
from  the  path  of  rectitude  and  always 
achieving  success  with  honor. 


(The  Clayton  Line). 

William  Clayton,  the  first  ancestor  of 
record,  was  sent  from  England  by  Wil- 
liam Penn  as  a  commissioner  to  Pennsyl- 
vania and  settled  in  that  part  of  the  prov- 
ince which  is  now  included  within  the 
limits  of  New  Jersey.  A  descendant  of 
William  Clayton  figured  prominently  in 
the  Revolutionary  War,  and  a  later  de- 
scendant, father  of  Mrs.  Mary  Jane  (Clay- 
ton) Wright,  settled  near  West  Chester 
and  laid  out  the  Strasburg  road.  He  gave 
the  land  on  which  was  erected  the  meet- 
ing house  at  ^larshalton.  His  daughter, 
Mary  Jane  Clayton,  was  born  in  Sads- 
bury  township,  Lancaster  county,  and  be- 
came the  wife  of  Samuel  Wright,  as 
stated  above. 

(The   WhitehiU   Line). 

James  Whitehill,  the  first  ancestor  of 
record,  was  born  February  i,  1700,  in 
Scotland,  and  in  1723  emigrated  to  Penn- 
sylvania, settling  in  Lancaster  county 
and  filling  various  local  offices.  He  was 
twice  married,  his  second  wife  being 
Rachel  Cresswell.  James  Whitehill  died 
February  i,  1776,  and  his  widow  passed 
away  June  25,  1795. 

(II)  David,  son  of  James  and  Rachel 
(Cresswell)  Whitehill,  was  born  May  24, 
1743,  in  Lancaster  county,  and  removed 
to  Centre  county.  He  was  a  Presbyterian 
as.  presumably,  his  father  had  been. 
David  Whitehill  married  Rachel,  daugh- 
ter of  James  Clemson,  and  died  Novem- 
ber 12,  1809. 

(ill)  James  Clemson,  son  of  David 
and  Rachel  (Clemson)  Whitehill.  was 
born  in  Lancaster  county,  and  in  1821  re- 
moved to  Venango,  now  Clarion  county. 
He  was  a  Whig  and  a  Presbyterian.  Mr. 
Whitehill  married  Barbara  Milliken,  of 
Mififlin  county. 

(IV)  James,  son  of  James  Clemson  and 
Barbara  (Milliken)  Whitehill,  was  born 
March  16,  1816,  and  was  a  farmer  and  an 


1507 


EKXYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


oil  operator,  also,  at  one  time,  the  pro- 
prietor of  a  hotel.  He  married  (first) 
Mary  Jane,  daughter  of  Francis  and 
Nancy  (McDowell)  Thompson,  who  died 
November  13,  1863.  He  married  (sec- 
ond) Margaret  (Say)  Hileman.  The 
death  of  James  Whitehill  occurred  Janu- 
ary 18,  1S79,  and  his  widow  survived  until 
1906. 

(V)  Sarah  Rankin,  daughter  of  James 
and  Alary  Jane  (Thompson)  Whitehill, 
was  born  October  20,  1855,  ^"d  became 
the  wife  of  Elwood  Griest  Wright,  as 
stated  above. 


CUMMINGS,  James  Howell, 

Head  of  Mammoth  Stetson  Business. 

The  business  of  the  John  B.  Stetson 
Company  has  doubled  since  the  death  of 
its  founder  in  1906.  The  increase  has 
been  due  in  a  great  measure  to  a  close  ob- 
servance of  the  methods,  plans  and  aims, 
of  the  dead  chief  by  his  successor,  James 
Howell  Cummings,  whose  privilege  it 
was  to  sit  from  boyhood  under  the  in- 
struction of  that  great  business  general 
who  knew  the  human  heart  so  well  and 
knew  so  well  how  to  lead  his  workers  for 
their  own  advantage  and  his — John  B. 
Stetson. 

To  take  up  the  burdens  of  a  sucessful 
man  and  to  carry  on  his  work  to  an  ex- 
tent undreamed  of  by  the  departed  one, 
is  indeed  a  triumph ;  but  modern  business 
is  a  constant  adjustment,  and  the  increase 
speaks  volumes  for  the  genius  of  the 
organizer,  as  well  as  for  the  loyalty  and 
executive  ability  of  his  successor,  whose 
greatest  pride  is  to  administer  the  afifairs 
of  his  high  office  in  accordance  with  the 
plans  evolved  during  Mr.  Stetson's  life- 
time. The  business  of  which  he  is  the 
head  was  Mr.  Cummings'  first  love.  He 
came  to  Mr.  Stetson  a  lad  of  fifteen  years 
as  errand  boy.  became  clerk,  then  assist- 
ant  manager,    then    secretary,    treasurer, 

I 


vice-president,  and  for  five  years  prior  to 
the  death  of  Air.  Stetson  had  been  man- 
ager dc  facto,  and  in  natural  course  suc- 
ceeded him  as  president.  During  the 
twenty-four  years,  1882  to  1906,  Mr.  Cum- 
mings literally  became  a  part  of  the  busi- 
ness, and  since  1906  has  made  no  changes 
save  those  called  for  by  expansion.  He 
reverences  the  memory  of  his  departed 
chief,  and  as  president  is  not  in  evidence 
save  as  he  should  be,  giving  small  credit 
to  himself  for  the  great  success  of  the 
business,  saying  it  is  all  owing  to  the 
jieople  who  make  the  hats,  the  salesmen, 
and  the  wise  intelligence  of  the  dealers 
who  sell  them.  He  early  learned  to  take 
orders,  and  from  such  knowledge  he 
knows  how  to  give  them,  and  notwith- 
standing his  modesty,  is  a  man  of  gxeat 
ability  and  force.  He  is  never  quite  sat- 
isfied, everything  must  be  made  better, 
and  the  most  lowly  helper  in  his  army  of 
more  than  five  thousand  can  always  reach 
him  and  will  receive  a  kindly  hearing, 
although  he  quickly  disposes  of  the 
"kicker"  or  trifler.  He  has  the  regard  and 
respect  of  every  department  head,  and  in 
all  things  measures  up  to  the  full  require- 
ments of  his  position. 

James  Howell  Cummings  was  born  in 
Goshen,  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania, 
August  7,  1867,  son  of  John  and  Sarah  E. 
(Thompson)  Cummings,  the  former  a  vet- 
eran Union  officer  of  the  Civil  War,  and 
treasurer  of  the  Homes  &  Edwards  Silver 
Company,  of  Bridgeport,  Connecticut. 
He  obtained  a  public  school  education  in 
Philadelphia,  commencing  business  life  at 
the  age  of  fifteen  years  with  John  B.  Stet- 
son &  Company,  hat  manufacturers. 
Marshall  Field  once  said  that  if  he  want- 
ed to  pick  a  boy  who  would  take  up  his 
own  work  and  eclipse  his  record,  he  would 
select  a  youth  who  left  school  at  fifteen, 
whose  father  was  dead,  and  who  had  a 
mother  and  brothers  and  sister  to  care 
for.      Beginning  in   November,    1882,   he 

S08 


C^Z<y^'C^^   'iS-CC.^CC^C^C-c^c^^^'^  i 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


soon  proved  his  merit  and  attracted  the 
attention  of  Mr.  Stetson  by  his  neatness, 
industry,  and  devotion  to  his  duties.  He 
started  as  errand  boy,  then  became  clerk, 
and  for  nine  years  held  that  position,  with 
increasing  responsibilities  and  compensa- 
tion. In  1891  the  firm  became  the  John  B. 
Stetson  Company  by  incorporation,  and 
w^hen  officers  were  chosen  the  office  boy 
of  nine  years  before  was  elected  secre- 
tary. His  record  of  efficiency  in  the  sec- 
retary's office  was  equalled  by  a  term  as 
treasurer  and  as  vice-president.  Upon 
the  death  of  John  B.  Stetson,  February 
18,  1906,  Mr.  Cummings  was  elected  to 
succeed  him  as  president  of  the  J.  B.  Stet- 
son Company,  one  of  the  great  manufac- 
turing corporations  of  the  United  States 
and  one  in  which  the  rights  of  capital, 
labor,  and  customer  are  scrupulously  re- 
garded. Mr.  Cummings  does  not  pose  as 
a  philanthropist,  but  as  a  keenly  alive 
man  of  business,  administering  even 
handed  justice  to  all,  stockholders,  em- 
ployees, and  patrons.  The  problem  of 
reconciling  capital  and  labor  seems  to 
have  been  solved  by  the  J.  B.  Stetson 
Company,  and  to-day  a  position  in  their 
plants  or  offices  is  one  eagerly  sought  for, 
as  is  the  company's  stock.  The  system 
of  promotions  and  rewards  yearly  be- 
stowed, the  various  educational,  fraternal, 
beneficial,  athletic,  and  social  associations 
maintained  by  employees  and  company 
are  strong  ties  that  bind  office,  factory, 
and  selling  force  into  a  smoothly  work- 
ing body,  the  welfare  of  all  being  the 
motto  of  all.  That  so  satisfactory  a  re- 
sult has  been  obtained  speaks  volumes 
for  the  studied  interest  the  company  ever 
has  had  in  the  personal  welfare  of  the 
workers  who  produce,  those  who  record, 
and  those  who  sell. 

Considered  solel}^  from  a  financial  point 
of  view,  the  company's  executive  manage- 
ment has  been   most   satisfactory,   while 


from  a  manufacturer's  standpoint  the 
fame  attached  to  the  name  "Stetson"  is 
proof  of  the  best  management.  These  re- 
sults, however,  could  be  prophesied,  while 
the  uniting,  in  interest  and  purpose,  of  so 
vast  an  army  of  employees,  contented, 
prosperous,  and  loyal,  is  a  result  so  sel- 
dom attained  in  the  manufacturing  world 
as  to  stamp  the  past  and  present  manage- 
ment of  the  J.  B.  Stetson  Company  as  of 
the  highest  type  and  worthy  of  an  age  that 
is  devoting  itself  especially  to  economic 
problems  and  their  scientific  solution.  In 
1915,  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  Stetson  business,  the  In- 
ternational Jury  at  the  Panama-Pacific 
Exposition  awarded  to  the  John  B.  Stet- 
son Company  the  grand  prize,  "being  the 
highest  award  for  its  product,  because  of 
superiority  of  quality,  perfection  of  work- 
manship, excellence  in  style,  and  the  safe, 
healthful  and  moral  conditions  under 
which  Stetson's  hats  are  made." 

While  Mr.  Cummings'  chief  concern  is 
in  the  Stetson  Company  and  its  executive 
management,  he  has  other  important  busi- 
ness interests.  He  is  a  director  of  the 
Bank  of  North  America,  member  of  the 
board  of  trustees  of  the  Penn  Mutual  Life 
Insurance  Company,  and  a  director  of  the 
Erben  Harding  Company,  yarn  manufac- 
turers. He  is  president  of  the  board  of 
managers  of  the  Stetson  Hospital,  of 
Philadelphia,  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  His  clubs  are  the  Manufac- 
turers", Country,  and  Union  League,  of 
Philadelphia,  the  Lotos,  of  New  York. 
He  is  one  of  the  workers  for  a  better 
Philadelphia,  a  greater  commercial  city,  a 
more  beautiful  city,  a  better  governed  city. 

Mr.  Cummings  married.  February  22, 
1889,  Anna  C.  daughter  of  H.  M.  Rich- 
ards, of  Philadelphia.  Children:  J. 
Howell  (2),  Marie  R.,  Elizabeth  S.,  and 
Eleanor  F. 


1509 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


COALE,  Thomas  Ellicott, 

Enterprising  Business  Man. 

Educated  in  the  Friends'  Boarding 
School  at  Westtown,  Pennsylvania,  and 
since  1880  engaged  in  lumber  business  in 
Philadelphia,  Mr.  Coale  may  be  consid- 
ered almost  a  "native  son,"  although  born 
in  the  nearby  state  of  Maryland,  w^here 
his  ancestor,  William  Coale,  settled  prior 
to  1678.  In  all  but  the  incident  of  birth, 
however,  Mr.  Coale  is  a  true  Pennsyl- 
vanian,  loyal  to  his  adopted  city,  Phila- 
delphia, and  one  of  the  contributing 
agents  to  her  prosperity. 

William  Coale,  the  American  founder 
of  the  family,  was  an  eminent  member  of 
the  Society  of  Friends  of  Anne  Arundel 
county,  IMaryland,  and  in  the  minute  book 
of  the  "Meeting  at  the  Clifts"  a  number 
of  testimonies  to  his  excellent  memory 
are  to  be  found.  He  made  his  will  Octo- 
ber 26,  1698,  and  died  the  following  Feb- 
ruary. William  Coale  was  three  times 
married,  the  line  of  descent  to  Thomas  E. 
Coale,  of  Philadelphia,  being  through  a 
son  of  the  third  wife,  Elizabeth  Thomas. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Philip  and  Sarah 
(Harrison)  Thomas,  the  founders  of  the 
Thomas  family  of  West  River,  Maryland. 
Philip  Thomas  and  Sarah  Harrison  were 
married  in  England,  and  in  1651  came  to 
Maryland.  This  Philip  Coale,  born  Sep- 
tember 6,  1673,  is  said  to  have  held  an 
officer's  commission  in  the  British  army. 
His  wife,  Cassandra,  was  a  daughter  of 
Sir  George  Skipwith,  baronet,  and  his 
wife,  Elizabeth. 

Skipwith  Coale,  only  son  of  Philip  and 
Cassandra  (Skipwith)  Coale,  moved  trom 
Anne  Arundel  county  to  Baltimore  county 
in  1732,  and  in  1742  was  sheriff  of  the  lat- 
ter county.  He  married  ^Margaret  Hol- 
land. 

William  Coale,  son  of  Skipwith  and 
Margaret  (Holland)  Coale,  settled  in 
Harford  county,  Maryland.  He  married 
Sarah  Webster. 

15 


William  Ellis  Coale,  son  of  William 
and  Sarah  (Webster)  Coale,  was  a  busi- 
ness man  of  Baltimore,  Maryland,  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Tompkins,  Coale  & 
Company,  later  engaged  in  banking  as 
teller  of  the  Union  Bank  and  cashier  of 
the  Susquehanna  Bridge  and  Banking 
Company.  His  residence  "Loudon,"  was 
an  inheritance  of  his  first  wife  from  her 
father.  He  married  (first)  April  16,  1823, 
Hannah  Ellicott,  who  died  March  13, 
1837,  daughter  of  James  and  Martha 
(Ellicott)  Carey.  She  bore  him  seven 
children,  of  whom  \\'illiam  Ellis  (2)  was 
the  fourth. 

William  Ellis  (2)  Coale,  son  of  Wil- 
liam Ellis  (I)  and  Hannah  (Ellicott) 
Coale,  was  born  in  Baltimore,  Maryland, 
November  17,  1831,  died  November  3, 
1S80.  He  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  his 
father  and  engaged  in  banking  business, 
serving  as  cashier  and  treasurer.  He 
married,  October  9,  1838,  Louisa  Schmidt, 
who  died  December  30,  1873.  Children: 
William  Ellis  (3),  Mary  Yarnall,  Thomas 
Ellicott,  of  further  mention,  Louisa, 
Lilian. 

Thomas  Ellicott  Coale,  second  son  of 
William  Ellis  (2)  and  Louisa  (Schmidt) 
Coale,  was  born  in  Catonsville,  Maryland, 
May  19,  1865.  After  preparation  in  the 
public  schools  he  entered  the  Friends' 
Boarding  School  at  Westtown,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  completed  his  years  of 
school  study.  In  1881  he  began  his  busi- 
ness career  as  a  clerk  in  a  hardware  store 
in  Baltimore.  In  1882  he  went  to  Pitts- 
burgh, were  he  entered  the  lumber  busi- 
ness, there  remaining  until  1891,  when  he 
moved  to  Philadelphia,  in  this  city  win- 
ning his  way  to  a  leading  position  in  the 
trade.  His  present  relations  with  the 
lumber  business  are  as  president  of  the 
Thomas  E.  Coale  Lumber  Company,  and 
as  director  of  S.  P.  Bowers  &  Company, 
both  well  known  and  influential  com- 
panies. He  is  also  a  director  of  the 
ID 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Franklin  Trust  Company  and  interested 
in  the  Ardmore  National  Bank.  He  is 
known  as  a  man  of  strong  executive  abil- 
ity, progressive  in  his  business  methods, 
a  safe  leader,  and  of  sound  judgment, 
with  the  ability  to  seize  every  oppor- 
tunity as  it  presents  itself.  His  life  has 
been  a  successful  one,  and  so  far  as  a  man 
can  be  is  the  builder  of  his  own  fortunes. 
Kindly  hearted,  sympathetic,  and  gener- 
ous, the  form  of  philanthropy  that  most 
appeals  to  him  is  work  among  the  little 
ones  of  the  poorer  district  of  the  city,  and 
as  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Joy 
Settlement  (Kindergarten  and  Day  Nur- 
sery), Mr.  Coale  has  been  active  in  its 
management,  serving  as  president  of  the 
board  of  managers. 

He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  but  has 
never  desired  nor  accepted  public  office. 
Flis  clubs  are  the  Racquet.  Manufac- 
turers', and  Orpheus,  of  Philadelphia, 
while  his  love  of  out-of-doors  is  gratified 
by  active  membership  in  the  Torresdale 
Golf  Club,  of  which  he  is  president,  and 
the  Delaware  River  Club.  He  is  a  com- 
municant of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
church,  participating  in  the  work  of  the 
denomination,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
choir  of  his  home  church. 

He  married,  in  Baltimore,  Maryland,  in 
1890.  Nannie  M.,  daughter  of  John  and 
Margaret  Elizabeth  (Donohue)  Murphy. 
John  Murphy  was  one  of  the  largest  pub- 
lishers of  Catholic  literature  in  this  coun- 
try, founding  the  house  of  John  Murphy 
&  Company,  of  Baltimore,  and  was  au- 
thorized by  the  Vatican  to  do  printing  for 
the  American  church.  John  Murphy  died 
about  1880,  the  business  he  established 
now  continued  by  his  son.  His  acquaint- 
ance among  ecclesiastical  dignitaries  was 
wide,  and  he  was  equally  well  known  in 
business  circles,  highly  regarded  by  all. 
Mr.  Coale's  residence  is  on  "Red  Lion 
Road,"  near  Torresdale.  and  his  offices 
in  the  Bellevue  Court  Building. 

15 


KEIM,  George  de  Benneville, 

IiaTvyer,  Man  of  Large  Affairs. 

During  his  lifetime  Mr.  Keim  took  a 
deep  interest  in  all  that  related  to  the  his- 
tory of  his  native  county  and  State,  and 
was  equally  interested  in  the  preservation 
of  family  history  and  genealogy.  This 
led  him  to  membership  in  the  Historical 
Society  of  Pennsylvania,  which  organiza- 
tion he  served  for  twenty-five  years  as  a 
vice-president,  for  forty  years  as  a  mem- 
ber. After  his  death  Mrs.  Keim  donated 
to  the  society  all  of  his  "Americana," 
comprising  historical  works  of  great 
value  and  numbering  about  one  thousand 
volumes.  His  professional  and  business 
life  was  largely  devoted  to  the  Reading 
Coal  and  Iron  Company  and  the  Philadel- 
phia and  Reading  Railroad  Company,  the 
offices  of  general  solicitor,  director,  re- 
ceiver, vice-president,  and  president  of 
these  companies  being  at  various  times 
filled  by  Mr.  Keim.  A  brilliant,  forceful 
lawyer  and  capable  executive,  Mr.  Keim 
was  possessed  of  an  intensely  social 
nature,  was  fond  of  both  literature  and 
art.  owning  a  large  library  of  valuable 
works,  while  the  choice  paintings  which 
adorned  his  home  gave  evidence  of  artis- 
tic appreciation  and  critical  taste.  The 
many  testimonies  of  regret  and  condo- 
lence elicited  by  his  death  were  strong 
proof  of  the  high  estimate  his  contempo- 
raries placed  upon  his  life  and  character. 

George  de  Benneville  Keim  was  born 
in  Reading,  Pennsylvania,  December  10, 
1831,  died  in  Philadelphia,  December  18, 
1893,  arid  is  buried  in  the  Charles  Evans 
Cemetery,  Reading,  Pennsylvania,  a  city 
in  which  his  ancestors  were  prominent 
from  1755.  He  was  the  son  of  Hon. 
George  May  Keim,  for  many  years  a  con- 
spicuous figure  in  the  financial,  industrial, 
military  and  political  life  of  Reading 

After  preparation  in  the  public  schools 
he  entered  Georgetown  University,  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia,  and  in  1846,  when  but 
II 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


fifteen  years  of  age,  enrolled  in  the  sopho- 
more class  of  Dickinson  College,  whence 
he  was  graduated,  class  of  1849.  Becom- 
ing deeply  interested  in  the  science  of 
chemistry  he  spent  one  year  in  the  labora- 
tory of  his  cousin.  Dr.  Charles  M.  Weth- 
erill,  then  decided  to  turn  his  attention  to 
the  law,  and  after  two  years'  study  in  the 
office  of  Charles  Davis,  of  Reading,  he 
was,  on  April  8,  1852,  admitted  to  the 
Berks  county  bar.  He  was  then  just  of 
legal  age,  but  despite  his  youth  he  quickly 
won  standing  at  the  bar,  continuing  in 
successful  practice  in  Reading  for  three 
3^ears.  He  then  yielded  to  his  father's 
wishes  and  located  in  Pottsville,  where 
he  practiced  his  profession  and  repre- 
sented the  large  coal  land  interests  of  his 
father  and  others.  He  made  a  special 
study  of  coal  land  titles,  attracting  a  large 
clientele  among  the  prominent  owners  of 
coal  lands.  When  the  Philadelphia  & 
Reading  railroad  determined  to  control 
the  coal  trade  through  the  medium  of  a 
coal  and  iron  company,  Mr.  Keim  was 
selected,  for  his  peculiar  knowledge  and 
ability,  to  act  as  the  company's  solicitor 
in  that  section.  Mr.  Keim  organized  the 
company  in  a  room  over  his  office  in 
Pottsville,  and  in  order  to  facilitate  his 
work  he  moved  to  the  office  occupied  by 
the  company. 

In  1875  he  became  general  solicitor  for 
the  company  and  thenceforth  resided  in 
Philadelphia,  the  general  offices  of  the 
company  being  there  located.  He  was  re- 
tained as  head  of  the  law  department  for 
eight  years,  until  1883,  then  was  elected 
vice-president.  The  financial  difficulties 
of  the  company  finally  forcing  the  organi- 
zation into  the  hands  of  receivers.  Mr. 
Keim  was  one  of  the  three  appointed, 
serving  four  years  until  the  receivership 
terminated,  he  and  his  associates  being 
highly  complimented  for  their  skill, 
energy  and  devotion  in  restoring  the  com- 
pany   to    a    solvent   condition       In    a    re- 


organization of  the  intimately  related 
affairs  of  the  Philadelphia  &  Reading 
railroad  and  the  Reading  Coal  and  Iron 
Company,  he  served  as  president  several 
times,  during  the  periods  from  1884  to 
1886  and  1888  to  1891.  He  was  also  a 
director  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  railroad 
from  1S88  until  his  death.  In  1891  he 
was  obliged  to  retire  from  the  active  man- 
agement of  the  Reading  Railroad  and 
Coal  Companies,  ill  health  causing  this 
move.  ]\Ir.  Keim  was  closely  associated 
with  Franklin  B.  Gowen,  president  of  the 
Reading  railroad,  during  the  criminal 
prosecution  of  the  ]\Iolly  Alaguires,  direct- 
ing and  advising  in  the  preparation  of 
cases,  although  not  publicly  appearing  at 
the  trials. 

In  1853  Mr.  Keim  became  a  member  of 
the  Historical  Society  of  Pennsylvania 
and  was  elected  vice-president  in  1868, 
serving  until  his  death.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution,  his 
claim  resting  on  the  patriotic  service  of 
his  great-grandfather.  John  Keim,  of  the 
Berks  county  militia.  He  was  also  a 
member  of  the  American  Philosophical 
Society,  was  a  director  of  the  Finance 
Company  of  Philadelphia,  and  from  1849 
to  1855.  while  residing  in  Reading,  was  a 
member  of  the  local  militia  and  fire  com- 
panies. He  was  most  genial,  hospitable 
and  friendly,  his  weighty  business  and 
professional  affairs,  however,  demanding 
his  time  to  the  exclusion  of  all  offers  of 
political  preferment. 

Mr.  Keim  married,  in  1853,  Elizabeth 
Cocke  Trezevant.  only  daughter  of  Louis 
Cruger  and  Elizabeth  (Cocke)  Trezevant. 
Louis  C.  Trezevant  was  the  only  son  of 
Judge  Louis  Trezevant,  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  South  Carolina,,  and  his 
wife,  Henrietta  Morrell  (Nethercliffe) 
Trezevant,  of  Savannah,  Georgia.  Chil- 
dren of  George  de  Benneville  and  Eliza- 
beth Cocke  (Trezevant)  Keim :  Julia 
Mayer,  of  Philadelphia,  a  member  of  the 
512 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Colonial  Dames  of  America,  the  Acorn 
Club,  and  other  organizations  of  note ; 
Susan  Douglass,  married  William  Lyttle- 
ton  Savage,  of  Philadelphia.  The  family 
residence  is  No.  2009  De  Lancey  Place. 


BAKER,  Edv/ard  Enzer, 

Enterprisiug    Business    Man. 

Pittsburgh  can  show  the  records  of 
many  men  who  have  been  the  architects 
of  their  own  fortunes,  but  not  one  who 
has  been  more  emphatically  so,  or  has 
achieved  more  complete  and  all-round 
success  than  Edward  Enzer  Baker,  presi- 
dent of  the  Baker  Office  Furniture  Com- 
pany, one  of  the  largest  concerns  of  its 
kind  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania.  The 
story  of  Mr.  Baker's  life  since  he  came  to 
Pittsburgh  more  than  thirty  years  ago  is 
one  of  the  romances  of  business. 

Samuel  Baker,  grandfather  of  Edward 
Enzer  Baker,  was  born  in  the  United 
States  after  his  father  had  come  here  from 
Germany,  settling  first  in  Philadelphia 
and  then  removing  to  A'irginia,  where  he 
led  the  life  of  a  farmer.  Samuel  Baker 
married  Alary  Dugan.  and  their  children 
w'ere  :  Thornton  ;  James  ;  John  ;  Henry 
C,  mentioned  below;  ]\Iilton;  Mahala ; 
•,  Elizabeth  ;  Alcinda,  and  Sarah.    All  these 

I  lived   in    early  life   in   and   around   West 

Virginia,  some  of  them  subsequently  mi- 
grating to  other  parts  of  the  country. 

Henry  C,  son  of  Samuel  and  Mary 
(Dugan)  Baker,  was  born  January  11, 
1840,  near  Morgantown,  West  Virginia, 
and  there  received  his  education.  Like 
his  father,  he  followed  the  calling  of  a 
farmer.  A  Republican  in  politics,  he  took 
an  active  part  in  local  affairs,  serving  for 
eight  years  as  assessor  of  the  county,  and 
for  several  terms  occupying  a  seat  in  the 
Morgantown  council.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He 
married  Eliza  J.  Everly,  born  August  22, 
1842,  daughter  of  Reason   and  Mary  L. 

IS 


(jMorris)  Everly,  of  Monongalia  county, 
West  Virginia.  The  Everly  family  came 
from  Stockholm,  Sweden,  settling  in  Phil- 
adelphia and  Wilmington,  Delaware.  The 
following  children  were  born  to  j\Ir.  and 
Mrs.  Baker :  Edward  Enzer,  mentioned 
below;  iVlbert  G.,  of  Morgantown,  W^est 
A'irginia,  in  hardware  business,  married ; 
Florence  A.,  wife  of  William  C.  Ander- 
son, of  [Morgantown,  has  children  ;  Wal- 
ter C,  died  in  childhood;  ]\Iary  L.,  of 
Pittsburgh  ;  and  Dora  A.,  wife  of  John  C. 
Krepps,  of  Morgantown,  has  one  son.  Mr. 
Baker  died  January  4,  1900,  and  the  death 
of  his  wife  occurred  May  21,  1893. 

Edward  Enzer  Baker,  son  of  Henry  C. 
and  Eliza  J.  (Everly)  Baker,  was  born 
Alarch  18,  i860,  near  Morgantown,  West 
A'irginia,  and  received  his  preparatory 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  place.  At  twelve  years  of  age  he 
had  charge  of  a  team,  and  thenceforth 
until  the  age  of  seventeen,  engaging  in 
farm  work.  For  several  years  thereafter 
he  taught  in  the  country  schools  during 
the  winters,  in  the  spring  and  autumn  at- 
tended the  W^est  Virginia  University  and 
spent  the  summers  in  the  labors  of  the 
farm. 

But  in  this  youth  the  spirit  of  enter- 
prise was  exceptionally  strong,  and  as  he 
approached  manhood  he  was  haunted  by 
the  possibilities  of  Pittsburgh,  the  city  of 
wonder  and  wealth,  the  city  which,  as 
some  one  has  said,  "is  like  a  huge,  dim 
Aladdin's  lamp."  Thither  he  resolved  to 
go,  and  on  Christmas  Eve,  1880,  he  first 
stood  in  the  streets  of  the  metropolis. 
The  world  was  ringing  with  Yuletide 
cheer  while  he  was  without  work  and 
without  friends,  having  only  fifty  dollars 
in  his  pocket,  but  possessed  of  courage 
and  determination  sufficient  to  turn  the 
course  of  the  Monongahela  river.  Three 
days  after  Mr.  Baker's  arrival  in  Pitts- 
burgh he  obtained  employment  in  a  music 
store  on  Wylie   street,  remaining  about 

13 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


one  month,  and  then  becoming  assistant 
bookkeeper  in  a  farm  implement  store  on 
Liberty  street,  being  the  successful  appli- 
cant among  one  hundred  and  twenty-five. 
Perhaps,  however,  during  the  next  two 
months,  he  was  tempted  at  times  to  ques- 
tion his  good  fortune,  for  during  that  time 
all  he  had  to  do — surprising  as  this  may 
seem  it  is  the  literal  truth — was  to  pull 
ploughs  and  other  farm  implements  to 
the  third  and  fourth  floors  of  the  build- 
ing, on  a  hand  power  elevator,  while  the 
men  on  the  upper  floors  did  the  work  for 
which  he  had  been  engaged.  It  is  not 
surprising  that  this  firm  soon  went  out 
of  business,  and  when  that  event  occur- 
red Mr.  Baker  secured  a  position  with  the 
Pittsburgh  &  Lake  Erie  railroad,  going 
thence  first  to  the  transfer  offices  of  the 
Pennsylvania  railroad,  and  then  to  the 
offices  of  the  Pennsylvania  Company. 
Not  liking  the  close  confinement  of  office 
work,  he  next  went  into  the  furnishing 
goods  business,  taking  a  position  "on  the 
road." 

On  one  of  his  trips,  Mr.  Baker  visited 
Rochester,  New  York,  where  he  had  deal- 
ings with  Mr.  Paul  J.  Schlicht.  That  he 
made  a  highly  favorable  impression  on 
Mr.  Schlicht  may  be  inferred  from  the 
fact  that  the  latter  offered  him  then  and 
there  a  position  to  sell  files  and  filing  cabi- 
nets. Accordingly,  he  went  to  work  for 
Mr.  Schlicht's  firm  on  thirty  days'  trial, 
and  remained  with  them  four  years,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  they  failed.  Mr. 
Baker  then  went  with  the  Globe  Files 
Company,  now  the  Globe-Wernicke  Com- 
pany of  Cincinnati,  travelling  for  this 
firm  two  years.  He  had  in  all,  six  years' 
experience  on  the  road,  and  during  this 
time  he  travelled  from  ocean  to  ocean  and 
from  Canada  to  Mexico,  covering  this 
vast  territory  a  number  of  times.  He 
made  one  trip  to  the  Pacific  coast,  being 
absent  thirteen  months  to  a  day,  and  dur- 
ing that  time   seeing  but  two  people  he 


had  ever  seen  before.  To  one  of  these  he 
lent  three  dollars  which  he  has  long  since 
noted  under  the  head  of  "losses." 

In  the  autumn  of  1888  Mr.  Baker  de- 
cided to  abandon  the  life  of  a  travelling 
salesman  and  return  to  Pittsburgh.  In 
pursuance  of  this  resolve  he  visited  sev- 
eral furniture  and  stationery  firms,  apply- 
ing for  a  position,  but  nowhere  found  an 
opening.  One  evening,  after  carefully 
pondering  upon  the  situation,  he  made  up 
his  mind  that  if  he  could  not  get  a  posi- 
tion he  would  make  one.  This  decision 
was,  perhaps,  the  most  characteristic 
event  of  his  life,  or,  rather,  it  might  be 
said  to  epitomize  his  nature.  He  acted 
upon  it  with  the  promptness  with  which 
such  men  meet  the  crises  of  their  lives,  at 
once  renting  an  office  at  Seventh  avenue 
and  Smithfield  street,  furnishing  it  with 
two  desks  and  a  few  sample  filing  cabi- 
nets, and  on  January  l.  1889,  taking  his 
sample  case  and  going  to  work.  Mark 
the  result.  The  first  year  he  sold  ten 
thousand  dollars'  worth  of  goods  and  col- 
lected every  dollar.  His  future  seemed 
assured,  but  in  the  years  that  followed  he 
saw  many  weeks  and  months  when  it  re- 
quired true  courage  to  hold  on,  but  lie 
licld  oil.  Who  that  knows  him  could 
doubt  it? 

In  the  office  at  Seventh  avenue  and 
Smithfield  street  the  Baker  Office  Furni- 
ture Company  originated.  For  some  time 
Mr.  Baker  was  office  boy,  porter,  stenog- 
rapher, cashier,  l)ookkeeper,  salesman  and 
proprietor,  all  in  one,  doing  business 
under  the  name  of  the  Office  Specialty 
Company,  as  many  of  his  old  customers 
will  remember.  Soon,  however,  they  out- 
grew their  first  small  quarters  and  re- 
moved to  Third  avenue,  where  they  were 
able  to  carry  a  larger  stock  and  a  greater 
variety,  but  where  the  amount  of  busi- 
ness they  transacted  seemed  entirely  out 
of  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  building. 
Here  thev  had  the  assistance  of  an  errand 


1514 


ENXYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


boy,  shipper,  stenographer  and  book- 
keeper combined,  and  one  salesman.  After 
occupying  this  building  about  two  years 
and  a  half,  the  growth  of  the  business 
again  compelled  them  to  seek  more  com- 
modious quarters,  and  they  moved  to 
Wood  street,  where  they  put  in  a  much 
larger  stock  and  increased  the  number 
of  employees.  Hearing  about  this  time 
that  others  were  using  their  firm  name, 
with  variations,  they  decided  to  change 
their  style  to  E.  E.  Baker  Specialty  Com- 
pany. Their  rivals,  finding  that  a  name 
alone  could  not  establish  a  business,  one 
by  one  gave  up  the  struggle.  About  six 
1  months  after  the  firm  moved  into  their 

I  new  building  the  famous  panic  of   1893 

i  took  the  country  by  storm,  and  the  E.  E. 

Baker  Specialty  Company  sufifered  with 
the  rest.  Nothing  but  hard  work,  hope 
and  a  fixed,  determined  purpose  carried 
the  firm  through  the  next  three  or  four 
years,  but  they  weathered  the  storm  and 
at  last  the  tide  turned. 

After  four  years  and  a  half  in  their 
Wood  street  quarters,  the  company,  in 
order  to  get  a  more  modern  building  and 
more  conveniences,  moved  next  door. 
During  the  years  of  panic  and  hard  times 
they  had  found  it  necessary  to  take  on 
some  side  lines,  such  as  school  and  church 
furniture,  bicycles  and  typewriters,  and 
start  a  commercial  stationery  department, 
and  soon  after  moving  into  their  new 
quarters,  with  the  passing  of  panic  con- 
ditions, their  business  began  to  improve. 
So  rapidly  did  their  trade  increase  that 
they  found  it  necessary  to  drop  their  side 
lines  in  order  to  give  proper  attention  to 
[  their  regular  business.    Accordingly,  they 

organized  their  stationery  department 
into  a  separate  company,  an  arrangement 
which  left  them  with  nothing  but  office 
furniture  and  caused  them  to  assume 
their  present  style  of  the  Baker  Office 
Furniture  Company.  Finding  it  neces- 
sary to  have  more  sample  room  and  carry 

15 


a  larger  stock,  they  turned  their  entire 
W'ood  street  building  into  sample  floors 
and  leased  three  buildings  in  Third  ave- 
nue for  warehouses. 

In  the  course  of  time  the  company 
moved  to  Liberty  street,  the  reason  being 
the  ever-recurring  one  of  lack  of  space, 
and  on  February  25.  1907,  their  premises 
were  destroyed  by  fire.  But  were  they 
daunted  by  this?  Far  from  it.  The  com- 
pany, inspired  by  the  indomitable  spirit 
of  its  president,  rose  phoenix-like  from 
its  ashes.  After  remaining  for  a  time  in 
temporary  quarters  in  Liberty  street, 
they  returned  to  their  old  neighborhood 
in  Wood  street,  later  leasing  the  three 
floors  on  either  side  of  their  building  and 
giving  themselves,  by  this  means,  floor 
space  of  over  forty  thousand  square  feet. 

Mr.  Baker  has  been  at  dififerent  times 
connected,  as  director,  with  various 
financial  and  industrial  concerns,  but 
now  concentrates  his  energies  solely  on 
the  organization  which  he  founded  and 
of  which  he  has  always  been  the  invinci- 
ble and  inspiring  leader.  Fully  occupied 
as  he  is,  IMr.  Baker  is  never  too  busy  to 
give  to  public  aft'airs  the  degree  of  atten- 
tion demanded  of  every  citizen,  his  vote 
being  always  cast  with  the  Republicans. 
This  means  much  when  taken  in  connec- 
tion with  the  fact  that,  in  addition  to  the 
obligations  and  responsibilities  involved 
in  his  position  as  president  of  his  com- 
pany, he  is  frequently  consulted  by  manu- 
facturers contemplating  new  departures 
in  any  of  their  lines.  Widely  versed  in 
all  that  pertains  to  his  business,  he  is  a 
recognized  authority  on  the  subject.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Pittsburgh  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  a  thirty-second  degree  Ma- 
son, a  Knight  Templar  and  a  Shriner. 
For  vears  he  was  a  member  of  the  Amer- 
ican Club,  and  ho  now  belongs  to  the 
Duquesne  Club,  the  Pittsburgh  Press 
Club.  He  is  a  member  of  Christ  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church. 

15 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


A  man  whose  history  is  written  in  his 
face— this  brief  description  seems,  to 
those  acquainted  with  the  career  of  Mr. 
Baker  and  familiar  with  his  appearance, 
to  portray  him  accurately  and  fully.  Of 
tall  stature  and  commanding  air,  he  looks 
the  veritable  leader  of  men  which  his 
whole  career  has  proved  him  to  be,  his 
strong,  clear-cut  features,  accentuated  by 
a  brown  moustache,  bear  the  stamp  of 
the  qualities  which  have  made  him  what 
he  is  and  his  dark  blue  eyes  are  those  of  a 
man  who  has  seen  and  thought  and  done. 
Like  all  the  real  doers  of  Pittsburgh  he 
is  always  too  busy  to  talk  of  himself  or 
his  achievements.  He  is  an  honorable 
merchant,  a  polished  gentleman  and  a 
man  generous  and  high-minded  in  all  the 
relations  of  life. 

On  June  2,  1898,  Mr.  Baker  crowned 
his  success  by  a  happy  marriage,  wed- 
ding Carrie  May,  daughter  of  David 
Davison  and  Anna  (Andrews)  Angell,  of 
Pittsburgh.  i\Irs.  Baker,  who  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Tuesday  Musical  Club,  the 
Epoch  Club  and  other  social  organiza- 
tions as  well  as  various  charitable  enter- 
prises, is  one  of  the  city's  leading  singers 
and  most  charming  hostesses  and  the 
home  over  which  she  presides  is  the  cen- 
tre of  hospitality  which  she  and  her  hus- 
band delight  to  make  it. 

A  record  like  that  of  Edward  Enzer 
Baker  speaks  for  itself,  but  it  is  not 
enough  that  it  should  speak  to  one  gener- 
ation only.  It  should  be  preserved  for 
those  yet  to  come,  for  many  a  youth  fight- 
ing the  battle  of  life,  not  only  for  him- 
self, but  for  those  near  and  dear  to  him, 
would  derive  courage  and  inspiration 
from  reading  this  ringing,  uplifting  narra- 
tive of  a  brave  struggle  and  an  honorable 
victory. 


HAGAN,  George  Junkin, 

Manufacturer,   Inventor. 

George   Junkin    Hagan,    general    man- 
ager of  the  justly  celebrated   George  J. 


Hagan  Company,  is  one  of  the  men  whose 
youthful  vigor  and  aggressiveness  are 
constantly  imparting  fresh  energy  and 
renewed  impetus  to  the  industries  which 
have  given  Pittsburgh  her  world-renown. 
Mr.  Hagan  is  known  not  only  as  a  busi- 
ness man,  but  as  a  specialist  in  the  manu- 
facture and  treatment  of  metals,  having 
made  a  study  of  fuel  economy  and  per- 
fected a  large  number  of  appliances. 

Jonathan  Hagan,  grandfather  of  George 
Junkin  Hagan,  was  born  July  27,  1800, 
and  led  the  life  of  a  farmer.  In  politics 
he  was  first  a  Whig  and  later  a  Repub- 
lican. He  married,  April  14,  1819,  Mary 
Henry,  who  was  born  July  7,  1804,  and 
among  their  fourteen  children  was  George 
C,  mentioned  below.  He  is  the  only  one 
of  this  large  family  now  living  with  the 
exception  of  two  of  the  daughters :  Mrs. 
Martha  Abrahams,  who  is  seventy-eight, 
and  is  now  living  at  Steubenville,  Ohio, 
the  mother  of  three  children ;  the  other  is 
Mrs.  Naomi  Swain,  who  resides  in  New 
York  City,  is  sixty-six  years  old,  and  has 
one  child,  a  daughter.  Mrs.  Hagan  pass- 
ed aAvay  May  3,  1S77,  and  the  death  of 
Mr.  Hagan  occurred  April  2,  18S1. 

George  C.  Hagan,  son  of  Jonathan  and 
Mary  (Henry)  Hagan,  was  born  January 
2,  1847,  in  Steubenville,  Ohio,  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Sharpsburg  and  at  one  of  the  old  Pitts- 
burgh academies.  From  1865  ^o  1889  he 
was  engaged  in  the  boot  and  shoe  busi- 
ness at  New  Castle,  Pennsylvania,  sell- 
ing out  in  the  latter  year  and  removing  to 
Chicago,  where  he  became  a  retail  con- 
fectioner. He  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  while  living  in  New  Castle  served  as 
citv  councilman  and  chief  of  the  fire  de- 
partment. He  has  filled  all  the  chairs  in 
Freemasonry,  and  taken  the  thirty-sec- 
ond degree,  and  belongs  to  the  Benevo- 
lent Protective  Order  of  Elks,  the  Royal 
Arcanum  and  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church.  Mr.  Hagan 
516 


,a/OiAir 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


married,  June  13,  1872,  in  New  Castle, 
Pennsylvania,  Mary  Eleanor  (Junkin) 
Mitchell,  whose  ancestral  record  is  ap- 
pended to  this  biography,  and  they  be- 
came the  parents  of  two  children :  Vir- 
ginia Robinson,  born  September  4,  1874, 
married  George  Stuart  Totten,  of  De- 
troit, Michigan  ;  and  George  Junkin,  men- 
tioned below.  Mr.  Hagan,  who  has  now 
retired  from  business,  is  a  resident  of 
Pittsburgh.  He  was  at  one  time  mayor 
of  New  Castle,  Pennsylvania. 

George  Junkin  Hagan,  son  of  George 
C.  and  Mary  Eleanor  (Junkin)  (Mitch- 
ell) Hagan,  was  born  January  22,  1879, 
in  New  Castle,  Pennsylvania,  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  town  and  of  Pittsburgh. 
He  entered  early  upon  the  active  work 
of  life,  being  first  employed  by  Ed- 
ward E.  Erikson,  a  well  known  con- 
tractor, with  whom  he  remained  twelve 
years,  mechanical  genius  united  to  busi- 
ness ability  soon  rendering  him  an  im- 
portant factor  in  the  concern,  which  made 
a  specialty  of  erecting  furnaces.  Before 
the  twelve  years  came  to  an  end  he  had 
risen  to  the  position  of  assistant  manager. 

In  1902  Mr.  Hagan  tendered  his  resig- 
nation and  went  into  business  for  himself, 
putting  up  his  own  gas  producers,  stokers, 
rolling  mills  and  steel  plants.  Meanwhile, 
his  constructive  talent  procured  for  him  a 
high  rank  among  inventors.  He  is  the 
originator  and  perfecter  of  many  appli- 
ances, among  which  is  the  Stoker  Fired 
Furnace  for  special  high  grade  work,  the 
heat  treatment  being  a  special  factor  in 
the  conversion  operation.  Practically  all 
manufacturers  making  such  a  product  are 
using  his  equipment.  In  1912  the  con- 
cern was  incorporated  as  the  George  J. 
Hagan  Company.  Mr.  Hagan  filling  the 
position  of  general  manager.  He  has 
taken  out  a  number  of  patents  on  fuel 
saving  devices  for  metallurgical  furnaces, 
specializing  on  furnaces  for  rolling  mills 


and  steel  mills.  A  large  number  of  appli- 
ances now  in  use  among  manufacturers 
bear  his  name.  He  is  the  moving  spirit 
and  inspiring  genius  of  the  great  concern 
of  which  he  is  at  the  head. 

Politically  Mr.  Hagan  is  an  Independ- 
ent, with  Republican  proclivities.  He  is 
actively  public-spirited,  giving  to  the  con- 
sideration of  municipal  afliairs  all  the  time 
and  helpful  attention  which  the  strenuous 
demands  of  business  permit  him  to  be- 
stow on  them.  Fie  affiliates  with  Wash- 
ington Lodge,  No.  253,  Free  and  Accept- 
ed Masons,  of  Pittsburgh,  and  belongs  to 
the  Press  Club  and  the  Pittsburgh  Ath- 
letic Association.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  church. 

The  countenance  of  Mr.  Hagan  is 
strongly  expressive  of  the  qualities  which 
have  made  him  what  he  is.  He  has  the 
broad  forehead  and  the  observant  yet 
thoughtful  eye  of  the  inventor,  while  at 
the  same  time  the  firm  lines  of  his  face 
and  a  certain  aggressiveness  in  his  whole 
aspect  and  bearing  speak  eloquently  of 
the  man  of  action  and  accomplishment. 
\\'ith  such  a  man  friendships  are  strong 
and  ties  once  formed  are  not  easily 
broken. 

Mr.  Hagan  married,  March  3,  1901, 
at  Martinsburg,  West  Virginia,  Alice, 
daughter  of  William  J.  and  Emma  E. 
(Pownell)  Harrison,  of  Pittsburgh.  Mr. 
Harrison,  who  died  in  April,  1902,  was 
engaged  in  educational  work.  ]\Irs. 
Hagan,  who  is,  like  her  husband,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  United  Presbyterian  church,  is 
charmingly  domestic,  existing  in  and  for 
her  home  and  its  ties  and  duties.  It  is 
needless  to  say  that  Mr.  Hagan  shares 
and  reciprocates  this  devotion  and  their 
household  is  a  centre  of  happiness  to 
themselves  and  their  friends. 

It  is  to  her  business  men  of  the  younger 
generation  that  Pittsburgh  looks  to  de- 
velop increasingly  those  immense  natural 
resources  and  ever-multiplying  mechan- 

517 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ical  marvels  which  are  at  once  the  founda- 
tion and  the  citadel  of  her  greatness  and 
thus  to  make  the  next  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury the  most  glorious  in  her  history. 
She  will  not  look  in  vain  while  she  num- 
bers among  her  citizens  such  men  as 
George  Junkin  Hagan. 

(The  Junkin  Line). 

Joseph  Junkin  is  the  first  ancestor  of 
record,  but  no  details  in  regard  to  him 
seem  to  have  been  transmitted.  His  son, 
Joseph,  was  a  merchant  and  a  dealer  in 
oil,  and  married  Eleanor  Cochran. 

David  X.,  son  of  Joseph  and  Eleanor 
(Cochran)  Junkin,  was  born  January  8, 
1808,  at  Hope  Mills,  Mercer  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  received  his  education 
at  the  Mercersburg  Academy,  Jefiferson 
College  and  Princeton  Theological  Semi- 
nary. He  was  ordained  to  the  ministry 
of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  was  pas- 
tor of  a  church  at  Greenwich,  New  Jer- 
sey, the  F  Street  Church.  Washington, 
D.  C,  and  the  North  Church  at  HoUidays- 
burg,  Pennsylvania,  also  of  churches  at 
Chicago,  and  New  Castle,  Pennsylvania, 
and  for  some  time  served  as  chaplain  in 
the  United  States  navy,  being  stationed 
at  Annapolis,  Maryland,  and  at  the  New 
York  navy  yard,  and  spending  some  time 
at  sea  during  the  Civil  War.  At  one  time 
he  held  a  professorship  in  Lafayette  Col- 
lege. In  politics  Dr.  Junkin  was  first  an 
old-line  W'hig  and  afterward  a  Democrat, 
but  always  a  loyal  citizen  of  the  United 
States.  He  was  strongly  opposed  to  all 
secret  societies,  setting  forth  his  views 
in  a  book  entitled  "Junkin  on  the  Oath." 
Dr.  Junkin  married  Jane  AlcCleery  (see 
McCleery),  and  their  children  were: 
Mary  Eleanor,  mentioned  below ;  Julia 
Miller  ;  George  ;  William  McCleery  ;  John 
McCleery ;  Sarah  Watson ;  and  Joseph 
Oliver.  Dr.  Junkin  died  at  Alartinsburg, 
West  Virginia. 

Mary   Eleanor,  daughter  of   David  X. 


and  Jane  (McCleery)  Junkin,  was  born 
February  7,  1836,  and  married  (first) 
John  Gardner  Mitchell,  of  the  United 
States  navy.  They  became  the  parents 
of  one  daughter :  Julia,  who  married  Ed- 
ward E.  Erikson,  of  Pittsburgh,  and  has 
four  children :  Edward  E.,  David  J.,  Fred- 
erick Emil,  and  Mary  Eleanor,  wife  of 
Collin  Reed,  of  Washington,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Captain  Mitchell  died  October  27, 
1868,  and  Airs.  Mitchell  married  (second) 
George  C.  Hagan,  as  stated  above. 

(The  McCleery  Line). 

McCleery,  the  first  ancestor  of 

record,  was  an  officer  in  the  English 
army,  and  died  in  Canada  before  the  Rev- 
olutionary war. 

John,  son  of  the  above  McCleery,  mar- 
ried Mary,  daughter  of  John  and  Janet 
(Morrison)  Lytle. 

Janet,  daughter  of  John  and  Alary 
(Lytle)  McCleery,  was  born  February  g, 
1809,  and  became  the  wife  of  the  Rev. 
David  X.  Junkin,  D.  D.   (see  Junkin). 


VON  SENDEN,  Karl  Strong, 

Prominent  Business  Man. 

Prominent  among  the  young  men  of 
Pittsburgh  now  taking  their  places  on 
the  stage  of  affairs  is  Karl  Strong  von 
Senden,  secretary  and  director  of  the  well 
known  Arthur  von  Senden  Company. 
The  grandfather  of  Karl  Strong  von  Sen- 
den, was  a  native  of  Germany,  and  mar- 
ried. It  does  not  appear  that  he  and  his 
wife  ever  left  the  Fatherland.  Their  son 
Arthur  was  born  July  16,  1845,  iri  Ger- 
many, and  received  his  education  in  his 
native  land.  He  emigrated  to  the  United 
States,  settling  in  Pittsburgh,  where  he 
founded  the  Arthur  von  Senden  Com- 
pany, of  which  he  is  now  the  head.  He 
is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  takes  an 
active  part  in  the  business  and  social  life 
of  the  city.  He  is  a  member  of  Point 
Breeze    Presbyterian    Church.      Air.    von 


1515 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Senden  married  Sarah  Drake  Strong, 
whose  ancestral  record  is  appended  to 
this  biography,  and  their  children  were  : 
Karl  Strong,  mentioned  below ;  Boyd 
Vincent ;  and  Margaret  Louise,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  seventeen  years. 

Karl  Strong  von  Senden,  son  of  Arthur 
and  Sarah  Drake  (Strong)  von  Senden, 
was  born  September  4,  1884,  in  Erie 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  received  his 
elementary  education  in  Pittsburgh  pub- 
lic schools,  passing  thence  to  the  East 
Liberty  Academy  and  then  entering  the 
University  of  Pittsburgh.  He  began  his 
active  life  by  associating  himself  with  the 
business  founded  by  his  father,  and  from 
the  outset  gave  proof  of  the  possession 
of  administrative  ability.  He  is  now  sec- 
retary and  a  director  of  the  company. 
The  business  is  large  and  flourishing,  fur- 
nishing all  kinds  of  artistic  advertising 
and  advertising  novelties. 

In  the  promotion  of  many  associations 
which  have  done  much  for  his  city,  he 
has  rendered  effectual  aid  and  he  is  one 
of  the  active  promoters  of  the  Pittsburgh 
Trade  Extension  Tours.  Every  year 
these  are  taken  by  Pittsburgh  business 
men  to  different  parts  of  Pennsylvania 
and  the  neighboring  States,  their  object 
being  to  further  the  manufactures  of  the 
Iron  City,  and  in  this  they  have  been  ex- 
tremely successful. 

As  a  citizen,  Mr.  von  Senden  is  no  less 
aggressive  than  as  a  business  man,  doing 
all  in  his  power  to  further  progress  and 
promote  betterment  of  conditions.  His 
vote  is  cast  with  the  Republicans.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce. 
He  affiliates  with  all  Masonic  bodies,  and 
has  taken  the  thirty-second  degree.  His 
clubs  are  the  Pittsburgh  Commercial,  of 
which  he  is  a  director;  the  Americus, 
Union  and  Rotary ;  and  he  also  belongs 
to  the  Publicity  Association  and  the  Pitts- 
burgh   Athletic    Association.       He    is    a 

PA-5 


member    of    Point    Breeze    Presbyterian 
Church. 

Mr.  von  Senden  married,  February  9, 
1910,  Elizabeth  Prince,  daughter  of  the 
late  George  Booth,  of  Pittsburgh.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  von  Senden  are  the  parents  of 
two  children :  Elizabeth  J.,  and  Sarah 
Strong.  Mrs.  von  Senden  is  a  woman  of 
charming  personality  and  she  and  her 
husband,  devoted  to  each  other  and  to 
their  children,  delight  to  make  their  home 
a  centre  of  attraction  to  their  many 
friends. 

(The    Strong   Line). 

The  Strong  family  had  its  original 
home  in  Shropshire,  England.  In  1545 
one  of  its  representatives  married  an 
heiress  of  the  house  of  Griffith,  of  the 
county  of  Caernarvon,  Wales,  and  went 
thither  to  reside. 

Richard  Strong,  progenitor  of  the 
American  branch  of  the  family,  was  born 
in  1561,  in  Caernarvon,  and  in  1590  moved 
to  Taunton,  Somersetshire,  England, 
where  he  died  in  1613,  leaving  two  chil- 
dren :  John,  mentioned  below ;  and  Elea- 
nor. 

(II)  John,  son  of  Richard  Strong,  was 
born  in  1605,  i"  Taunton,  England,  and 
lived  in  London  and  afterward  in  Plym- 
outh. Having  strong  Puritan  sympathies, 
he  resolved  to  cast  in  his  lot  with  his 
])rethren  in  the  New  World,  and  accord- 
ingly embarked  in  the  ship  "Mary  and 
John,"  which  sailed  from  Plymouth  on 
March  20,  1630,  carrying  one  hundred  and 
forty  passengers.  On  Sunday,  May  30, 
1630,  the  vessel  arrived  at  Nantasket, 
Massachusetts,  where  they  were  put 
ashore  by  the  captain  despite  the  fact  that 
their  destination  was  the  Charles  river. 
It  was  this  colony  which  founded  the 
town  of  Dorchester,  Massachusetts.  In 
1635  John  Strong  moved  to  Hingham  and 
on  March  9,  1636,  took  the  freeman's  oath 
at  Boston.    Soon  after  he  moved  to  Taun- 


1519 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ton,  Massachusetts,  where  he  was  a  land- 
owner and  proprietor  of  record  on  De- 
cember 4,  1638,  and  in  the  same  year  was 
made  a  freeman  of  Plymouth  colony.  In 
1641-43  and  1644  he  represented  Taunton 
in  the  General  Court.  From  Taunton  he 
moved  to  Windsor,  Connecticut,  and 
from  Windsor  he  migrated  in  1659  to 
Northampton,  Massachusetts,  being  one 
of  the  first  and  most  active  founders  of 
that  town,  as  he  had  been  of  those  in 
which  he  had  formerly  lived.  In  North- 
ampton he  was  a  very  prosperous  tanner, 
owning  at  various  times  about  two  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  there.  He  was  elected 
ruling  elder  of  the  Northampton  church, 
as  appears  from  the  following  record : 
"After  solemn  and  extraordinary  seeking 
to  God  for  his  direction  and  blessing  the 
church  chose  John  Strong  ruling  elder." 
The  first  wife  of  John  Strong  died  on  the 
voyage  from  England  or  shortly  after, 
her  death  being  soon  followed  by  that  of 
her  second  child.  John  Strong  married 
(second)  in  December,  1630,  Abigail, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Ford,  who  had  come 
from  England  in  the  "Mary  and  John." 
By  his  second  marriage  John  Strong  be- 
came the  father  of  sixteen  children.  He 
died  April  14,  1699,  his  wife  having  passed 
away  July  6,  168S.  x\t  the  time  of  his 
death  fifteen  of  his  children  had  families. 
their  children  numbering  one  hundred 
and  fourteen,  and  these  had  thirty-three 
children,  great-grandchildren  of  Elder 
John  Strong. 

(Ill)  John  (2),  son  of  John  (i)  Strong 
and  his  first  wife,  was  born  in  1626,  in 
England,  and  was  a  tanner  and  a  man  of 
importance.  He  married  (first)  Novem- 
ber 26,  1656,  Mary,  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Frances  Clark,  and  they  had  two 
daughters,  Mary  and  Hannah.  The 
mother  of  these  children  died  April  28, 
1663,  and  John  Strong  married  (second) 
in  1664,  Elizabeth  Warriner,  and  their 
children   were :    John ;    Tacob,  mentioned 


below;  Josiah ;  and  Elizabeth.  John 
Strong  died  February  20,  1698,  in  Wind- 
sor, Connecticut. 

(IV)  Jacob,  son  of  John  (2)  and  Eliz- 
abeth (Warriner)  Strong,  was  born  April 

8,  1073,  and  married,  November  10,  1698, 
Abigail,  born  JNIarch  9,  1676,  daughter  of 
Nathaniel  and  Mindwell  (Moore)  Bissell, 
of  East  Windsor,  Connecticut.  Their 
children  were:  Abigail,  Mindwell,  Jacob, 
Ann,  Eunice;  Nathaniel,  known  as  "ser- 
geant;" Asahel ;  and  Timothy,  mentioned 
below.  Jacob  Strong,  the  father,  died  in 
1750,  not  long  surviving  his  wife,  who 
passed  away  March  25,  1749. 

(V)  Timothy,  son  of  Jacob  and  Abi- 
gail (Bissell)  Strong,  was  born  in  1719, 
and  was  a  farmer  of  East  Windsor,  Con- 
necticut. He  married  (first)  December 
26,  1753,  Sarah  Stricklin,  born  in  1724, 
and  their  children  were  :  Alexander ;  Eli ; 
Sarah ;  Samuel ;  and  David.  Mrs.  Stron'g 
died  May  13,  1769,  and  Mr.  Strong  mar- 
ried (second)  March  7,  1770,  Abi  Doudy, 
born  in  1742.  The  following  children 
were  born  to  them ;  IMartin,  mentioned 
below;  Timothy;  Abi;  Timothy  (2), 
Levi,  and  ^^'illard.  The  mother  of  these 
children  died  January  14,  1792,  and  Mr. 
Strong  married  (third)  December  8,  1793. 
Editha  Richestone.  The  only  child  of 
this  union  was  a  daughter,  Betsey.  Mr. 
Strong  died  August  19,  1803. 

(VI)  Martin,  son  of  Timothy  and  Abi 
( Doudy)  Strong,  was  born  November  20, 
1770,  in  East  Windsor,  Connecticut,  and 
in  August.  1795,  moved  to  Presque  Isle 
(Erie),  Erie  county.  Pennsylvania.  He 
purchased  four  hundred  acres  of  land  for 
fifty  cents  an  acre,  and  three  hundred  of 
these  acres  he  cleared,  also  adding  two 
hundred  to  the  original  area.  He  mar- 
ried, June  16.  1805.  Hannah,  born  August 

9.  1786,  daughter  of  Rufus  and  Hannah 
(Tracy)  Trask.  and  their  only  child, 
Eliza,  died  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years. 
Mrs.  Strong  died  April  30.  1807,  and  Mr. 

;20 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Strong  married  (second)  December  lo, 
1811,  Sarah,  born  September  10,  1778,  at 
East  Windsor,  Connecticut,  daughter  of 

Amasa  and (Webb)  Drake,  and  their 

children  were :  Sarah  Ann,  born  Septem- 
ber 24,  1812;  Francis  Drake,  mentioned 
below;  Martin,  a  farmer  and  extensive 
cattle  dealer,  known  as  "major  ;"  Timothy, 
died  young;  Lydia  Webb,  born  Septem- 
ber 26,  1818,  married  Thomas  Brown  Vin- 
cent, a  merchant  of  Erie,  Pennsylvania, 
sheriff  of  Erie  county  and  manufacturers' 
agent ;  and  Landaff,  born  December  30, 
1821,  died  July  13,  1869.  Sarah  Ann 
Strong,  the  eldest  of  the  family,  married, 
June  24,  1834,  Bethuel  Boyd  Vincent,  a 
civil  engineer,  merchant,  iron  manufac- 
turer and  banker  of  Erie,  Pennsylvania, 
and  their  eldest  son,  Brigadier-General 
Strong  Vincent,  fell  mortally  wounded  at 
Gettysburg,  July  2,  1863,  breathing  his 
last  on  July  7.  Martin  Strong,  the  father, 
known  as  "captain,"  died  March  24,  1858, 
in  Erie  county.  He  was  a  man  of  great 
energy,  remarkable  for  many  excellencies 
and  also  for  striking  eccentricities.  He 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  St.  Peter's 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  Mrs.  Strong 
survived  her  husband,  passing  away  Jan- 
uary 15,  1866. 

(VII)  Francis  Drake,  son  of  Martin 
and  Sarah  (Drake)  Strong,  was  born 
April  4,  1S14,  on  the  homestead  farm, 
Waterford  township,  Erie  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, received  a  good  education  and 
always  resided  on  his  ancestral  acres.  He 
was  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  a  loyal 
friend  of  St.  Peter's  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church.  Mr.  Strong  married.  October 
13,  1846,  Annabel  B.,  born  July  3,  1823, 
in  Waterford,  daughter  of  William  and 
Elsie  (Nichols)  Vincent,  and  their  chil- 
dren were:  Emma,  born  November  25, 
1847,  Jessie,  born  August  6,  1849,  mar- 
ried Jason  P.  Way,  and  died  July  5,  1904, 
leaving  two  children,  Annabel  and  Scott; 
William  Martin,  born  October  31,  1851  ; 

T5^ 


Margaret  Webb,  born  February  8,  1855; 
Sarah  Drake,  mentioned  below ;  Frank, 
born  April  4,  1861,  of  Pioneer,  Iowa;  and 
George  Vincent.  All  these  children  were 
born  on  the  homestead  which  Mr.  Strong 
made  not  only  a  very  productive  property 
but  a  favorite  resort  of  his  many  friends. 
His  death  occurred  in  May,  1891.  He 
was  a  man  of  fine  judgment  and  high 
principle  and  at  his  beautiful  country 
home  was  the  ideal  host  and  agreeable 
companion.  Mrs.  Strong  passed  away 
February  10,  1910,  continuing  her  home 
to  the  last  and  dying  on  the  farm  where 
she  had  lived  more  than  sixty-three  years. 
She  vied  with  her  husband  in  hospitality 
and  it  might  truly  be  said  that 

Xone  knew  her  but  to  love  her. 
None  named  her  but  to  praise. 

(VIII)  Sarah  Drake,  daughter  of  Fran- 
cis Drake  and  Annabel  B.  (Vincent) 
Strong,  was  born  May  29,  1857,  and  be- 
came the  wife  of  Arthur  von  Senden,  as 
stated  above. 


BIALAS,  Joseph  H., 

Lawyer,   Corporation  Connsel. 

Prominent  in  that  brilliant  group  of 
Pittsburgh  lawyers  of  the  younger  gener- 
ation who  may  be  said  to  have  come  in 
with  the  century  is  Joseph  Henry  Bialas, 
who  has  won  distinction  as  a  corporation 
counsel  and  a  practitioner  in  the  Orphans' 
Court.  In  addition  to  his  reputation  as  a 
member  of  the  bar  Mr.  Bialas  is  well 
known  as  a  man  of  sound  business  judg- 
ment. 

Roman  Felix  Bialas,  father  of  Joseph 
Henry  Bialas,  was  born  January  13,  1850, 
in  Germany,  and  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  set- 
tling in  Pittsburgh,  where  he  received  his 
education  in  the  school  of  experience. 
For  some  years  he  was  employed  in  the 
florist's    establishment    of    William    and 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


James  Murdoch,  and  subsequently  en- 
gaged in  the  flour  and  teed  business,  con- 
ducting a  flourishing  trade  until  1896. 
Mr.  Bialas,  meanwhile,  speculated  largely 
in  real  estate  and  is  entitled  to  the  honor 
of  being  the  first  man  to  erect  flats  in  the 
city  of  Pittsburgh.  His  transactions  as  a 
builder  were  extensive  and  by  dint  of 
intense  and  steady  application  and  wise 
and  careful  appropriation  of  results  he 
was  enabled  to  retire  in  1896  with  a  com- 
fortable fortune.  He  is  a  Democrat  and 
a  member  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church. 
Mr.  Bialas  married  Magdalena,  daughter 
of  Henry  and  Margaret  (Heyl)  Schnel- 
bach,  both  of  German  extraction,  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren: Joseph  Henry,  mentioned  below; 
May  A. ;  and  Albert. 

Joseph  Henry,  son  of  Roman  Felix  and 
Magdalena  (Schnelbach)  Bialas,  was 
born  September  10,  1880,  in  Pittsburgh, 
and  received  his  preparatory  education 
in  the  public  and  high  schools  of  his 
native  city.  In  1900  he  entered  the  Law 
Department  of  the  Western  University  of 
Pennsylvania  (now  the  University  of 
Pittsburgh),  and  in  1903  graduated  with 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws.  On  Jan- 
uary 2,  1904,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
Entering  at  once  upon  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  Mr.  Bialas  was  for  a  time 
associated  with  the  firm  of  R.  A.  &  James 
Balph,  and  then,  in  connection  with  A.  M. 
Kossler,  organized  the  firm  of  Bialas  & 
Kossler,  which  was  maintained  until  dis- 
solved by  the  death  of  Mr.  Kossler  in 
1907.  Since  then  Mr.  Bialas  has  practiced 
alone,  making  a  specialty  of  corporation 
law  and  Orphans'  Court  law,  and  being 
regarded  as  an  authority  in  this  branch 
of  the  profession.  He  is  counsel  for  a 
number  of  large  corporations  and  estates, 
practicing  in  all  courts  and  having  ac- 
quired an  extensive  and  growing  clien- 
tele. 

Unremitting  as  is  his  devotion  to  his 


chosen  profession  Mr.  Bialas,  owing  to 
his  unusual  facility  in  the  dispatch  of 
business  and  his  unwearied  energy,  is 
able  to  bestow  time  and  attention  on  a 
number  of  outside  interests.  He  is  a 
director  of  the  East  End  Savings  and 
Trust  Company,  the  Caldwell  Manufac- 
turing and  Supply  Company,  the  Stand- 
ard Mirror  Company,  the  Joyce  Catering 
Company,  the  Herman  Pneumatic  Ma- 
chine Company,  the  American  Flexible 
Bolt  Company  and  others.  His  political 
principles  are  advocated  by  the  Repub- 
lican party  and  he  supports  with  public- 
spirited  zeal  all  measures  which  commend 
themselves  to  him  as  adapted  to  further 
the  cause  of  progress  and  reform.  His 
clubs  are  the  German,  of  which  he  is  a  di- 
rector, the  Duquesne  and  the  Press,  and  he 
also  belongs  to  the  Pittsburgh  Athletic  As- 
sociation and  Duquesne  Council,  Knights 
of  Columbus.  He  is  a  Roman  Catholic, 
a  member  of  St.  Paul's  Cathedral  congre- 
gation. 

The  countenance  of  Mr.  Bialas  is  singu- 
larly expressive  of  the  elements  of  char- 
acter which  have  gone  to  the  shaping  of 
his  career.  The  fine  lines  of  the  nose  and 
mouth  are  indicative  alike  of  strength  and 
refinement,  the  broad  forehead  is  the 
abode  of  intellect  and  the  large,  clear  eyes 
speak  of  the  calm  forcefulness  which 
makes  its  way  without  unnecessary  fric- 
tion through  difficulties  which  would 
daunt  a  weaker  man,  quietly  achieving 
real  and  permanent  results.  Already  he 
is  looked  upon  as  a  man  of  profound  legal 
knowledge,  knowledge  which  is  trans- 
lated, so  to  speak,  into  action,  becoming 
apparent  in  the  skill  with  which  he  dis- 
poses of  matters  presented  for  his  con- 
sideration. He  is  emphatically  a  man 
who  makes  and  holds  friends.  An  ex- 
pression of  cordial  good  will  softens  his 
whole  aspect  and  the  kindliness  of  his 
nature  makes  itself  felt  in  the  quiet 
geniality  of  his  manner. 
522 


i^7o9/'rr^: 


T^a^'^'^^C 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Mr.  Bialas  married,  April  30,  1906, 
Adele,  daughter  of  Julian  and  Katherine 
D.  (Skeen)  Bixby,  of  New  York,  and 
granddaughter  of  William  and  Katherine 
Skeen  and  of  Brooks  Earl  and  Lucy  Ann 
Bixby.  Mrs.  Bialas  is  a  woman  of  charm- 
ing personality  and  she  and  her  husband 
are  mutually  devoted  to  the  ties  of  home 
and  friendship.  They  are  both  extremely 
popular  in  the  social  circles  of  Pittsburgh. 

Mr.  Bialas  is  one  of  the  men  who  do 
things.  He  is  also  one  of  the  men  who 
think  far  ahead  and  achieve  results  in  ac- 
cordance with  their  foreknowledge.  His 
face  is  always  set  toward  the  future  and 
the  future  holds  much  in  store  for  him. 
The  strength  of  the  Pittsburgh  bar  in  the 
years  to  come  depends  largely  on  such 
men  as  Joseph  Henry  Bialas. 


WORTHINGTON,  John, 

Civil   and   Mining   Engineer,    Oil    Operator. 

For  nearly  half  a  century  the  name  of 
John  Worthington  has  been  associated 
with  the  petroleum  industry,  having  been 
officially  connected  with  the  development 
of  a  large  portion  of  the  oil  region  of 
Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Worthington  has 
now  been  for  a  considerable  period  a  resi- 
dent of  Pittsburgh,  but  his  record  is  that 
of  a  series  of  long,  varied  and  most  richly 
fruitful  activities  and  achievements.  The 
race  of  the  Worthingtons  is  Welsh,  and 
the  family  history  is  ancient  and  honor- 
able. The  arms  of  the  Worthington  fam- 
ily are  blazoned :  Argent,  three  tridents, 
sable.  Crest:  A  goat  passant,  argent, 
holding  in  his  mouth  an  oak  branch,  vert, 
fructed,  or.  Motto  :  "The  winds  and  the 
waves  obey  us." 

John  Worthington  was  born  March  14. 
1848,  in  South  Wales,  and  is  a  son  of  Ed- 
ward and  Ann  (Rees)  Worthington. 
When  the  boy  was  four  years  old  his 
parents  emigrated  to  the  United  States, 
settling  at   Brady's   Bend,   Pennsylvania, 

I 


where  the  father  was  employed  by  the 
Brady's  Bend  Iron  Company.  John 
Worthington  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  the  place.  He  began  his  active 
life  by  working  for  the  company  with 
which  his  father  was  connected,  rising 
step  by  step  and  eventually  holding  the 
positions  of  civil  and  mining  engineer. 

That  was  the  time  when  oil  develop- 
ments were  making  their  way  down  the 
Allegheny  river,  and  the  Iron  Company 
became  interested  in  the  possibilities  of 
their  lands  in  that  region.  x\ccordingly, 
in  1872,  they  dispatched  Mr.  Worthing- 
ton, who  had  even  then  acquired  a  repu- 
tation as  an  engineer,  to  Oil  City,  with 
orders  to  run  a  line  of  levels  from  that 
place  to  lirady's  Bend,  taking  in  on  the 
way  the  considerable  intervening  amount 
of  oil  development.  Somewhat  later  the 
work  was  extended  from  Brady's  Bend 
to  the  newly  developed  oil  fields  in  Butler 
county.  The  object  was  to  secure  con- 
clusive evidence  that  the  sand  from  which 
the  oil  was  produced  at  Brady's  Bend  and 
on  Armstrong  Run  was  eighty  feet  be- 
low the  formation  from  which  the  Butler 
county  wells  procured  their  oil,  and  that 
the  latter  were  getting  their  oil  from  the 
third  sand  of  the  Oil  Creek  region.  In 
other  words,  Mr.  Worthington  clearly 
demonstrated  the  fact  that  there  was  a 
fourth  sand  in  that  part  of  the  country. 
It  was  a  noteworthy  achievement,  imme- 
diately and  permanently  fixing  the  place 
of  the  young  engineer  in  the  history  of 
the  oil  industry  of  Pennsylvania.  Had 
this  knowledge  been  acted  upon  at  once 
the  famous  fourth  sand  belt  from  Arm- 
strong Run  to  Greece  City  would  have 
been  developed  some  time  before  its  acci- 
dental discovery  at  the  deepening  of  the 
Tack  and  Moorehead  well. 

In  the  autumn  of  1872  Mr.  Worthing- 
ton resigned  his  position  with  the  Iron 
Company  in  order  to  accept  that  of  super- 
intendent   of    the    Meclimans    Farm    Oil 


523 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Company.  When  this  concern  disposed 
of  its  holdings  he  became  cashier  for  the 
Parker's  Landing  Savings  Bank,  inter- 
rupting for  a  time  his  career  as  an  oil 
operator.  In  1880,  however,  in  conse- 
quence of  failing  health,  he  resolved  to 
revolutionize  his  mode  of  life,  and  v^rith 
that  end  in  view  went  west  as  far  as  Colo- 
rado, settling  in  San  Juan  county  and  en- 
gaging in  the  mining  business.  Amid  his 
new  surroundings  his  ever-active  public 
spirit  did  not  fail  to  assert  itself  and  a 
striking  proof  of  the  confidence  and 
esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  his  West- 
ern neighbors  is  furnished  by  the  fact 
they  chose  him  for  mayor  of  the  city  of 
Ouray.  Colorado. 

After  six  years,  however,  Mr.  Worth- 
ington  experienced  a  desire  for  familiar 
surroundings  and  a  wish  to  find  himself 
once  more  in  the  region  which  had  been 
the  theatre  of  so  many  of  his  successes, 
and,  turning  his  face  homeward,  he  was 
soon  in  the  oil  country  of  his  home  State. 
For  seventeen  months  he  engaged  in  the 
brokerage  business,  and  then,  in  associa- 
tion with  William  Thompson,  a  director 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company, 
he  organized  the  Nineveh  Petroleum 
Company,  becoming  its  first  manager. 
Back  again  in  his  old  field,  he  rapidly  as- 
sumed the  commanding  position  to  which 
his  long  experience,  practical  knowledge 
and  sound  business  judgment  entitled 
him.  In  June,  1889,  he  was  chosen  super- 
intendent of  the  newly  organized  South 
Penn  Oil  Company,  and  under  his  capa- 
ble administration  the  concern  partici- 
pated in  the  development  of  the  immense 
oil  and  gas  resources  of  West  Virginia. 
Later  he  was  promoted  and  remained  at 
his  post  on  the  firing  line,  as  cool,  clear- 
headed, far-sighted  and  wisely  aggressive 
as  ever  was  general  on  the  field  of  battle. 

During  the  period  of  his  connection 
with    the    Standard    Oil    Company,    Mr. 


Worthington  travelled  very  extensively, 
representing  the  company  in  their  differ- 
ent territories  and  prospecting  for  new 
oil  fields,  and  in  thus  developing  a  great 
industry  of  modern  civilization  he  en- 
countered adventures  almost  as  wonder- 
ful as  those  which  fell  to  the  lot  of  the 
heroes  and  knights  errant  of  old.  He  has 
visited  every  State  and  territory  in  the 
Union,  going  as  far  north  as  Canada  and 
Alaska.  No  fewer  than  sixteen  times  has 
he  been  to  Mexico  and  with  every  coun- 
try of  Central  America  he  has  made  him- 
self familiar.  Through  Ecuador,  Brazil 
and  Venezuela  has  he  journeyed,  sailing 
on  the  Amazon  and  Orinoco  rivers,  and 
with  the  West  Indies  he  is  thoroughly  ac- 
quainted. But  these  islands  and  the  con- 
tinent of  South  America  have  not  marked 
the  limits  of  his  wanderings.  He  has 
crossed  the  sea  and  sojourned  in  all  the 
countries  of  Europe  with  the  exception 
of  three  or  four.  The  oil  fields  of  Rou- 
mania  and  Russia  have  claimed  his  spe- 
cial attention  and  he  was  frequently  taken 
from  place  to  place  in  Russian  droskys, 
with  escorts  of  mounted  Cossacks.  In 
contrast  to  his  journeys  through  the 
snow-bound  dominions  of  the  Czar  were 
those  made  under  the  burning  suns  of  the 
Orient,  on  camels  and  elephants,  escorted 
by  companies  of  Turkish  soldiers.  Twice 
he  has  crossed  Mount  Ararat,  descending 
through  the  valley  of  the  Euphrates  and 
traversing  that  land  of  poetry,  Persia. 

Since  the  dissolution  of  the  Standard 
Oil  Company,  Mr.  Worthington  has  been 
connected  with  the  Standard  Oil  Com- 
pany of  New  Jersey.  He  is  a  director  of 
the  Union  National  Bank  of  Pittsburgh. 
Assiduous  as  he  is  in  business  affairs  Mr. 
Worthington  is  never  lacking  in  generous 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  fellow-citi- 
zens. He  adheres  to  the  Republican 
party,  always  giving  his  vote  and  influ- 
ence to   such    men   and   measures   as   he 


1524 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


deems  best  calculated  to  promote  better- 
ment of  conditions  and  further  municipal 
reform.  His  clubs  are  the  Pittsburgh, 
Duquesne,  Pittsburgh  Press,  Hampshire 
and  St.  David's  of  Pittsburgh  and  he  also 
belongs  to  the  Pittsburgh  Athletic  Asso- 
ciation. He  attends  the  Presbyterian 
church. 

Clearly-cut  features  emphasized  by  a 
moustache,  dark  eyes  of  intense  thought- 
fulness  and  piercing  keenness  and  a  bear- 
ing and  aspect  which  at  once  mark  him 
as  the  successful  man  of  affairs — this  is 
John  Worth ington  as  he  appears  even  to 
strangers  and  to  casual  observers.  To 
those  who  know  him  well  his  exterior  is 
an  index  to  the  qualities  which  make  him 
what  he  is — resourcefulness,  tenacity  of 
purj)ose.  quiet  aggressiveness  and,  above 
all,  integrity  which  was  never  questioned 
and  fidelity  which  has  always  been  above 
suspicion. 

Mr.  Worthington  married,  ]\Iarch  25, 
1880,  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Adaline  (Aull)  McCleary,  of  Fairview, 
Butler  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  they 
were  the  parents  of  Mary,  who  married 
W.  Terrell  Johnson,  president  of  the 
Johnson  .Sales  Company  of  Pittsburgh ; 
they  have  two  children :  Marv  Louise 
Johnson  and  John  Worthington  Johnson. 
The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Worthington 
is  in  the  Squirrel  Hill  district  and  is  a 
centre  of  hospitality  for  their  many 
warmly  attached  friends. 

No  race  has  done  more  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  industrial  supremacy  of 
Pennsylvania  than  the  natives  of  the  his- 
toric principality  which  forms  part  of  the 
island  of  Great  Britain.  In  view  of  the 
important  part  which  he  has  played  in  the 
development  of  the  petroleum  industry. 
Mr.  Worthington  has  abundantly  proved 
his  right  to  the  titles  of  a  true  Welshman 
and  a  representative  oil  operator  of  the 
Commonwealth  of  Pennsvlvania. 


COOPER,  Henry, 

Leading   Oil    Operator,   liegislator. 

Ex-State  Senator  Henry  Cooper  is  one 
of  the  comparatively  few  men  who  can 
place  an  honorable  record  of  public  serv- 
ice side  by  side  with  a  narrative  of  un- 
blemished success  in  the  world  of  busi- 
ness. Mr.  Cooper  has  been  thus  far  a 
lifelong  resident  of  his  native  city,  and  in 
his  work  both  as  legislator  and  oil  pro- 
ducer has  ever  been  moved  by  a  public- 
spirited  desire  to  serve  her  best  interests. 

Philip  Cooper,  great-great-grandfather 
of  Henry  Cooper,  was  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, and  at  the  age  of  four  years  was 
brought  to  the  American  colonies.  His 
home  was  in  Alonmouth  county.  New  Jer- 
sey, nine  miles  from  the  old  battle  ground. 
He  married,  and  was  the  father  of  the  fol- 
lowing children :  Gasper,  educated  in 
Europe,  became  a  teacher  in  New  Jersey 
accepted  a  commission  in  the  Revolution- 
ar}'  army  and  died  in  New  Jersey ;  David, 
mentioned  below  ;  a  daughter,  who  became 
(he  wife  of  a  Tory  and  removed  to  Can- 
ada ;  and  Jacob,  who  was  decoyed  from 
home  at  the  age  of  fifteen  and  served 
three  years  in  the  British  army.  He  was 
wounded  and  taken  prisoner  at  the  battle 
of  Trenton,  and  after  several  months'  con- 
finement was  sent  home,  where  he  re- 
mained until  after  the  war.  He  became 
an  iron  manufacturer,  and  while  superin- 
tendent of  TurnbuU's  work  in  Pennsyl- 
vania was  thrown  from  a  horse  and  killed. 
Philip  Cooper,  the  father,  died  in  1798, 
at  the  age  of  ninety-four. 

(IJ)  David,  son  of  Philip  Cooper,  re- 
moved in  1796  to  Williamsport,  and  two 
years  later  went  to  Chippewa  township. 
Beaver  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming,  and  after  a  time  mi- 
grated to  Ohio.  He  married,  and  among 
his  six  children  was  Philip,  mentioned  be- 
low. Mrs.  Cooper  died  during  their  resi- 
dence   in    Chippewa    township,    and    the 

525 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


death  of  Mr.  Cooper  occurred  in  1809, 
near  Ashtabula,  Ohio. 

(Illj  Philip  (2),  son  of  David  Cooper, 
was  born  May  30,  1792,  in  New  Jersey, 
and  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  which 
he  followed  for  many  years.  In  1841  he 
returned  to  Beaver  county  and  became  a 
farmer.  He  married  Elizabeth  Hamilton, 
born  May  2,  1800,  daughter  of  Joseph 
Hamilton,  and  among  the  nine  children 
born  to  them  was  John  F".,  mentioned  be- 
low. Mr.  Cooper  died  July  7,  1877,  and 
his  widow  passed  away  May  7,  1884. 

(IV)  John  F.,  son  of  Philip  (2)  and 
Elizabeth  (Hamilton)  Cooper,  was  born 
September  25,  1822,  in  East  Liverpool, 
Ohio,  and  enjoyed  only  such  educational 
facilities  as  were  then  afforded  by  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  state  and 
Pennsylvania.  These  were  far  from  satis- 
fying a  youth  of  his  natural  mental  abil- 
ity and  desire  for  knowledge  and  after 
leaving  school  he  still  pursued  his  studies. 
In  1843  he  engaged  in  teaching,  without 
however  relaxing  his  diligence,  in  conse- 
quence of  which,  at  the  end  of  two  years, 
ill  health  obliged  him  to  abandon  his 
studies.  But  he  was  not  to  be  discour- 
aged. After  three  years  he  returned  to 
his  books,  devoting  himself  then  to  the 
study  of  medicine  under  the  guidance  of 
Dr.  C.  Bayer,  of  Allegheny  City  (now 
North  Side,  Pittsburgh),  and  graduated 
from  the  Homoeopathic  Medical  College 
of  Pennsylvania  (afterward  Hahnemann 
Medical  College),  class  of  1853.  Among 
his  classmates  were  Professor  Helmuth 
and  other  men  who  later  became  distin- 
guished. For  two  years  after  graduating. 
Dr.  Cooper  remained  with  his  preceptor, 
and  then  opened  an  office  in  Allegheny 
City.  From  that  period  to  the  close  of 
his  life  he  was  continuously  engaged  in 
active  practice.  He  was  appointed  by 
Governor  Hastings  a  member  of  the  first 
State  Medical  Examining  Board  of  Penn- 
svlvania,   and   continued   to   serve   to   the 


close  of  his  life.  He  belonged  to  the 
American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy,  the 
Humceopathic  Aledical  Society  of  Penn- 
sylvania, the  Allegheny  County  Homceo- 
paihic  jNIedical  Society  and  the  Allegheny 
County  Anatomical  Society.  In  1866  Dr. 
Cooper  purchased  a  farm  of  four  hundred 
and  twenty-five  acres  in  Hopewell  town- 
ship, Beaver  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
on  this  land  large  quantities  of  gas  were 
discovered.  In  politics  he  was  a  Repub- 
lican. He  was  an  active  member  of  the 
Union  Avenue  Methodist  Protestant 
Church  of  Allegheny  and  for  years  served 
as  the  instructor  of  the  Bible  class. 

The  personality  and  appearance  of  Dr. 
Cooper  are  too  well  remembered  to  need 
a  description  here.  The  face,  the  voice 
and  the  cordial  hand-clasp  of  the  loved 
and  venerated  physician  and  friend  are 
among  the  most  precious  recollections  of 
three  generations. 

Dr.  Cooper  married,  April  4,  1844, 
Sarah,  daughter  of  John  and  ^Margaret 
( Davis  j  Johnson,  of  Beaver  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  their  children  were :  Mar- 
garet Elizabeth,  deceased  ;  Philip,  of  Phil- 
adelphia ;  Henry,  mentioned  below;  John. 
a  physician  of  North  Side,  Pittsburgh ; 
George,  of  Beaver  county,  Pennsylvania ; 
William,  of  Denver,  Colorado;  and  Sid- 
ney W.,  of  Pittsburgh.  Mrs.  Cooper  was 
a  member  of  the  church  to  which  her  hus- 
band belonged  and,  like  him,  took  an 
active  share  in  its  work.  Their  union 
was  congenial  and  theirs  was  a  truly 
happy  home. 

On  August  19,  1899,  this  noble  man 
passed  away,  deeply  and  sincerely  mourn- 
ed by  the  entire  community.  He  was  one 
of  the  pioneer  members  of  the  homoeo- 
pathic school  in  Pittslnirgh  and  was  the 
leading  physician  of  that  city  and  Alle- 
gheny county.  His  wife  had  passed  away 
about  two  years  before.  Among  the 
many  tributes  offered  to  the  life  and  work 
of  Dr.  Cooper  was  the  following : 


;52e 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


He  was  a  devotee  to  his  profession  and  prac- 
tically died  in  the  harness.  There  was  probably 
no  physician  in  the  two  cities  who  was  more 
widely  known  than  Dr.  Cooper.  There  was  none 
in  any  school  of  the  medical  profession  that 
stood  higher  or  was  more  greatly  esteemed.  In 
the  homoeopathic  branch  he  was  recognized  as 
a  leading  light,  not  only  in  the  community  where 
he  practised,  but  throughout  the  state  and 
country.  He  helped  to  found  the  Homoeopathic 
Hospital  of  Pittsburgh,  and  remained  connected 
with  that  institution  as  a  member  of  the  board 
of  trustees  and  as  consulting  physician.  He  was 
foremost  in  the  organization  of  the  Allegheny 
County  Homoeopathic  Society,  and  was  presi- 
dent of  it  at  one  time.  About  fifteen  years  ago 
he  was  president  of  the  State  Homoeopathic 
Society,  and  was  its  treasurer  at  the  time  of  his 
death.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  American 
Institute  of  Homoeopathy,  composed  of  the 
most  prominent  physicians  and  medical  special- 
ists in  the  country.  He  was  a  valued  contrib- 
utor to  the  leading  medical  journals. 

Truly,  Dr.  Cooper  died  as  he  deserved 
to  die — "full  of  years  and  of  honors." 

(V)  Henry,  son  of  John  F.  and  Sarah 
(Johnson)  Cooper,  was  born  December 
12,  1848,  in  Allegheny  City,  Pennsylvania, 
and  received  his  preparatory  education  in 
public  schools  of  the  Third  w^ard  and  in 
private  schools,  afterMrard  taking  a  course 
at  Dufif's  Business  College.  He  then 
spent  four  years  in  learning  the  machin- 
ist's trade,  serving  virith  Andrew  Hartu- 
pee  and  with  the  firm  of  /Armstrong  & 
Andrev,^  in  Allegheny  City,  and  acquir- 
ing a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  trade. 
Agriculture,  however,  appealed  to  him 
more  strongly  and  he  settled  on  a  farm 
in  Beaver  county,  where  he  spent  twenty 
years.  During  this  long  period  it  was  not 
agriculture  alone  which  claimed  Mr. 
Cooper's  attention.  Gas  had  been  dis- 
covered on  his  farm  in  large  quantities 
and  he  was  not  the  man  to  let  slip  a 
golden  opportunity.  Essentially  enter- 
prising and  endowed  with  the  faculty  of 
seeing  far  ahead,  he  began,  in  August, 
1883,  to  develop  his  resources,  and  since 


then  has  been  actively  engaged  in  the 
production  of  oil.  His  aggressive  energy 
lent  vitality  to  the  movement  which  was 
then  in  its  infancy  and  he  is  entitled  to 
the  distinction  of  having  helped  to  make 
out  the  first  oil  lease  in  Hopewell  town- 
ship, Beaver  county,  Pennsylvania.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Raccoon  Oil  Com- 
pany, and  a  director  of  the  Bellevue 
Realty  Savings  and  Trust  Company  and 
the  Colonial  Land  Company. 

In  the  sphere  of  politics,  Air.  Cooper 
maintains  the  tradition  of  his  family  by 
adhering  to  the  Republicans  and  has  for 
many  years  been  active  and  influential  in 
public  affairs.  \\'hile  living  on  his  farm 
he  served  for  three  years  as  auditor  of 
Beaver  county,  and  on  moving  to  Alle- 
gheny became  school  director  of  the  First 
ward.  Later  he  migrated  to  his  present 
home  in  Bellevue  and  in  1904  was  elected 
a   member  of  the   council,   serving  until 

1909.  But  his  fellow  citizens  had  the  dis- 
cernment to  see  that  Mr.  Cooper's  talent 
for  afifairs  required  a  larger  field  for  its 
full  exercise  and  demanded  that  he  serve 
them  in  the  State  Senate.     In  November, 

1910,  he  was  elected,  and  during  the  ses- 
sion of  191 1  made  a  record  most  credit- 
able to  himself  and  beneficial  to  his  con- 
stituents. In  view  of  his  having  for  so 
many  years  led  the  life  of  a  farmer,  it  was 
a  surprise  to  a  large  part  of  the  commun- 
ity that  he  was  not  made  a  member  of 
the  committee  on  agriculture.  It  is,  how- 
ever, beyond  contradiction,  that  the  num- 
ber of  committees  on  which  he  was  ap- 
pointed would  have  transcended  the 
powers  of  an  ordinary  man  and  that  he 
was  kept  unceasingly  occupied.  During 
his  one  term  he  served  on  the  canals  and 
inland  navigation  committee,  the  com- 
mittee on  education,  the  new  county  and 
county  seats  committee,  the  committee 
on  public  printing  and  the  committee  on 
public  supply  of  light,  heat  and  water. 
When  Senator  Cooper  was  not  busy  in 

527 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  Senate  chamber,  he  was  present  at  a 
committee  meeting,  but,  despite  his  many 
duties,  never  refused  to  see  an  occasional 
committee  of  workingmen  who  wanted 
something  from  the  powers  at  Harris- 
burg. 

Since  his  retirement  from  public  life. 
Mr.  Cooper  has  been  engaged  in  the  pro- 
duction of  oil,  owning  and  operating  large 
and  valuable  holdings,  but  not  taking  as 
active  an  interest  as  in  former  years.  For 
a  long  period  he  has  served  on  the  board 
of  the  Homoeopathic  Hospital.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Pittsburgh  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  and  belongs  to  the  Tariiif  and 
IJellevue  clubs.  He  is  a  member  and 
trustee  of  the  Bellevue  Presbyterian 
Church  and  when  the  new  edifice  was 
erected  served  on  the  building  committee. 

Strength  of  character  and  benevolence 
of  disposition  are  reflected  in  Mr.  Cooper's 
countenance  and  the  gray  hair  and  full 
gray  beard  bring  out  in  striking  relief  the 
almost  youthful  energy  stamped  upon  the 
well  moulded  features  and  speaking  in 
the  dark,  penetrating  eyes.  He  is  a  man 
who  draws  men  to  him,  inspiring  in  equal 
measures  profound  respect  and  sincere 
affection 

Mr.  Cooper  married,  November  23, 
1870,  Sarah  Jane,  daughter  of  George  and 
Eliza  A.  (Harper)  Nevin,  and  grand- 
daughter of  John  and  Margaret  (Mur- 
ray) Nevin,  who  removed,  in  1834,  from 
Washington  county  to  Beaver  county. 
The  Nevins  constitute  one  of  the  old 
families  of  Western  Pennsylvania.  George 
Nevin  was  born  August  9,  1807,  and  in 
183S  went  from  Washington  county  to 
Beaver  county,  where  he  made  his  home 
in  New  Sheffield  and  as  tanner,  merchant 
and  later  farmer  was  one  of  the  promi- 
nent men  of  his  community.  He  died 
September  25,  1856.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cooper 
became  the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren:  Laura  H.,  deceased;  Roy  Cum- 
mings ;  Jean   Nevin.   wife  of   Edward   A. 


Lawrence,  a  Pittsburgh  lawyer,  and 
mother  of  two  children,  Jean  Cooper 
and  Edward  Hamlin ;  and  John  F.,  de- 
ceased. Airs.  Cooper,  a  woman  of  gra- 
cious personality,  is  an  ideal  helpmate 
for  a  man  of  her  husband's  type,  one  in 
whom  the  domestic  affections  are  pecu- 
liarly strong  and  who  is  never  so  content 
as  when  surrounded  by  his  friends  at  his 
own  fireside. 

To  his  native  city  and  county  Mr. 
Cooper  has  given,  both  at  the  seat  of 
government  and  in  the  arena  of  busi- 
ness, his  best  and  most  disinterested 
service,  and  in  so  doing  has  also  served 
his  state.  His  work  will  live  by  reason 
of  its  intrinsic  value  and  its  beneficent 
results  and  his  record  will  form  part  of 
the  history  of  Pennsylvania. 


MILLER,  W.  Wallace, 

Enterprising  Business  Man. 

There  are  perhaps  comparatively  few 
men  who  at  the  close  of  a  successful  and 
honorable  business  record  of  a  third  of  a 
century  are  able  to  enter  with  unabated 
energy  and  enthusiasm  upon  the  promo- 
tion of  interests  to  which  their  hitherto 
strenuously  busy  life  had  allowed  them 
to  pay  but  casual  attention.  One  of  these 
exceptional  men  is  William  Wallace 
Miller,  formerly  president  of  the  famous 
old  firm  known  as  the  Arbuthnot- 
Stephenson  Company,  and  now,  having 
retired  from  the  commercial  arena,  a 
leader  in  the  philanthropic  and  religious 
work  of  his  native  city  of  Pittsburgh. 

George  Miller,  grandfather  of  William 
Wallace  Miller,  was  of  County  Derry, 
Ireland,  and  married  Alartha  George. 

William  George,  son  of  George  and 
Martha  (George)  Miller,  was  born  in  Jan- 
uary, 1828,  in  Count}^  Derry,  Ireland,  and 
received  his  education  in  his  native  land. 
In  1846  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States, 
settling  first  in  Philadelphia  and  finding 
528 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


employment  on  the  Philadelphia  &  Wil- 
mington railroad.  In  1S52  he  came  to 
Pittsburgh,  where  he  obtained  work  as  a 
drayman,  transporting  goods  from  the 
old  canal  to  the  rivers,  where  the  goods 
from  the  east  were  shipped  on  boats  for 
the  southern  trade.  In  1858  he  went  to 
Seventy-Six,  Beaver  county,  where  he 
established  himself  in  mercantile  busi- 
ness, remaining  until  October,  1867,  when 
he  returned  to  Pittsburgh  and  engaged  in 
the  wholesale  grocery  business,  with 
which  he  maintained  a  connection  to  the 
close  of  his  life,  the  firm  name  being  Wil- 
liam G.  Miller  &  Sons.  He  was  a  Re- 
publican, and  a  member  and  trustee  of 
the  Second  United  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Pittsburgh.  Mr.  Miller  married,  March 
3,  1853,  Mary,  daughter  of  James  and 
Jennie  (^McAllister)  Boyd,  who  came 
from  County  Antrim,  Ireland,  and  their 
children  were :  John  G.,  born  January 
18,  1854,  married,  and  died  in  April,  1897, 
leaving  one  son,  William  G.,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, who  is  married  and  has  two  chil- 
dren :  William  and  Marie  ;  James  B..  born 
June  22,  1856,  died  in  June,  1S75  ;  William 
Wallace,  mentioned  below;  Robert  A., 
born  July  29,  i860,  of  Pittsburgh,  is  mar- 
ried and  has  three  children :  Clarence  A., 
Marie,  wife  of  Robert  Sickenberger,  of 
Pittsburgh,  and  mother  of  one  child 
Helen,  and  Robert,  student  at  Haverford 
College ;  Martha,  wife  of  George  C.  Boli, 
of  Pittsburgh;  Hugh  G.,  born  May  i, 
1864.  died  in  May,  1904;  and  Elizabeth 
M.,  died  in  very  early  infancy.  The 
mother  of  these  children  passed  away 
November  22.  1872,  and  her  husband  sur- 
vived her  many  years,  his  death  occurring 
July  21,  1896. 

William  Wallace  Miller,  son  of  Wil- 
liam George  and  Mary  (Boyd)  Miller, 
was  born  June  13,  1858,  and  received  his 
education  in  the  Franklin  School  of  his 
native  city  and  the  commercial  depart- 
ment   of    the    Pittsburgh    High    School. 


Then,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  he  entered  the 
service  of  Arbuthnot,  Shannon  &  Com- 
pany, and  with  this  house  he  remained 
uninterruptedly  connected  for  a  period  of 
thirty-six  years.  Beginning  as  errand 
boy  he  soon  proved  himself  to  be  one  of 
those  marked  by  nature  for  advancement. 
Business  ability  of  a  high  order  and  strict 
fidelity  to  every  obligation  caused  his 
steady  and  rapid  promotion.  In  one  very 
important  particular  ;\lr.  Miller  was  of 
inestimable  value  to  the  business.  Hav- 
ing a  wonderful  memory  for  names  and 
laces,  he  was  able  to  greet  old  customers 
by  name  even  after  a  lapse  of  five  years 
or  more,  and  not  only  that,  but  he  per- 
fectly remembered  from  what  part  of  the 
state  they  had  come.  The  advertising 
and  circularizing  of  the  firm  was  under 
his  control,  and  embraced  a  territory  of 
four  States.  In  1904  Mr.  Miller  was 
elected  president  of  the  company,  and  for 
five  years  he  stood  at  the  head  of  a  con- 
cern which  he  had  been  largely  instru- 
mental in  making  one  of  the  most  exten- 
sive dry  goods  houses  in  Pittsburgh.  In 
1909  he  resigned  his  position  and  retired 
from  business. 

Only,  however,  to  find  in  other  fields 
exercise  for  his  superabundant  energy. 
He  is  vice-president  and  treasurer  of  the 
Standard  Life  Insurance  Company  and 
the  American  Sparkler  Company,  both  of 
Pittsburgh,  and  treasurer  of  the  Pitts- 
burgh Tile  Manufacturing  Company,  of 
East  Liverpool,  Ohio.  But  other  inter- 
ests claim  the  greater  portion  of  his  at- 
tention. Immediately  after  his  retirement 
from  the  presidency  of  the  Arbuthnot- 
Stephenson  Company  he  became  secre- 
tary of  the  Men's  Movement  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  Church,  with  the  under- 
standing that  his  tenure  of  the  office  was 
to  be  only  temporary.  He  served  in  this 
position  for  over  a  year,  until  a  secretary 
was  secured.  For  twenty  years  he  has 
been  associated  with  its  ways  and  means 

529 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


committee,  and  in  1913  he  was  induced  to 
accept  the  treasurership  of  the  Pittsburgh 
Theological  Seminary  of  the  United  Pres- 
byterian Church  of  North  America.  In 
politics  IMr.  Miller  is  a  Republican,  with 
independent  views,  and  has  given  evi- 
dence of  his  public  spirit  by  serving  for 
ten  years  as  director  of  the  Ben  Avon 
schools  and  president  of  the  board.  He 
belongs  to  the  Duquesne  Club  and  the 
Ben  Avon  Country  Club. 

The  first  glance  at  Mr.  Miller's  face 
would  cause  a  stranger  to  exclaim,  men- 
tally :  "Here  is  a  man  who  will  never  grow 
old !"  The  light  gray  hair  and  moustache 
do  but  emphasize  the  youthful  vigor  and 
vivacity  stamped  upon  the  features  and 
speaking  in  the  clear,  candid  eyes.  It  is 
the  face  of  a  man  of  aggressive  tempera- 
ment, accustomed  to  accomplish  what  he 
undertakes,  and  it  is  also  the  face  of  a 
man  of  active  benevolence,  of  genial  dis- 
position and  cordial  ma-nners,  winning 
friends  easily  and  holding  them  ever  after. 

Mr.  Miller  married,  June  25,  1889,  Ma- 
tilda, daughter  of  Van  lUiren  and  Mary 
(McClure)  Coulson.  Mr.  Coulson,  who 
died  in  March,  1905,  was  a  native  of  Eng- 
land and  a  farmer  of  Mercer  county,  Penn- 
sylvania. Mrs.  Coulson  is  a  daughter  of 
Richard  McClure,  of  Washington  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  later  of  Mercer  county, 
a  farmer  and  operator  of  lumber  mills. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  are  the  parents  of  one 
son:  James  Paul,  born  April  25,  1890,  at- 
tended P«en  Avon  schools  and  in  191 1 
graduated  from  Bellefonte  Academy, 
graduated  from  School  of  Economics, 
University  of  Pittsburgh,  class  of  1915, 
then  entering  business.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Miller  are  lovers  of  home  and  "given  to 
hospitality."  They  are  members  of  the 
Ben  Avon  United  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  Mrs.  Miller,  who  is  a  charming 
woman  and  a  gracious,  tactful  hostess,  be- 
longs to  the  Ben  Avon  Women's  Club 
and  the  Outlook  Alliance. 


Mr.  Miller  is  a  man  of  large  nature  who 
has  touched  life  at  many  points.  The 
range  of  his  interests  and  activities  has 
been  and  is  unusually  wide  and  varied, 
but  always  has  he  been  inspired  by  true 
public  spirit  and  a  sincere  desire  to  pro- 
mote the  welfare  of  his  friends  and  neigh- 
bors, his  fellow  citizens  and  the  great 
brotherhood  of  humanity.  Such  men  are 
the  crowning  glory  of  their  communities. 


HOLDSHIP,  Henry, 

Pioneer  Oil  Operator,  Enterprising  Citizen. 

The  name  of  the  late  Henry  Holdship, 
head  of  the  old-time  firm  of  Holdship  & 
Irwin,  is  known  throughout  Western 
Pennsylvania  as  that  of  one  of  her  pio- 
neer oil  operators,  but  to  Pittsburghers 
it  is  invested  with  peculiar  interest  as 
that  of  a  man  who  added  to  the  reputa- 
tion won  in  the  arena  of  business  that  of 
a  loyal  and  enlightened  citizen.  Mr.  Hold- 
ship  was  a  representative  of  a  family 
which  had  been  for  a  century  active  in 
the  promotion  of  the  leading  interests  of 
the  Iron  City. 

Henry  Holdship,  grandfather  of  Henry 
Holdship,  of  Holdship  &  Irwin,  was  one 
of  those  largely  instrumental  in  the  up- 
building of  Pittsburgh  during  the  period 
immediately  following  the  Revolution. 

George  W.,  son  of  Henry  Holdship,  was 
a  leading  paper  manufacturer,  and  for 
many  years  conducted  a  book  store  in 
Pittsburgh.  In  the  great  fire  of  1845  his 
entire  stock,  including  many  rare  volumes, 
fell  a  victim  to  the  flames.  Mr.  Holdship 
married  Eliza  Ann  Gibson  Bryan,  and 
their  son  Henry  is  mentioned  below.  The 
death  of  Mr.  Holdship  occurred  April  2, 
1840.  Both  as  a  business  man  and  a  citi- 
zen he  enjoyed  the  implicit  confidence  of 
his  community. 

Henry,  son  of  George  W.  and  Eliza 
Ann  Gibson  (Bryan)  Holdship,  was  born 
October  26,  1833,  in  Pittsburgh,  and  re- 

530 


/. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ceived  his  education  in  public  and  private 
schools  of  his  native  city.  After  spending 
some  time  in  the  school  presided  over  by 
the  Rev.  Joseph  Travelli  he  went  to  Law- 
renceville.  New  Jersey,  and  there  com- 
pleted his  course  of  study.  He  then  be- 
gan his  business  life  by  learning  banking 
with  the  firm  of  Palmer,  Hanna  &  Com- 
pany, of  Pittsburgh,  and  afterward,  in 
association  with  his  brother,  Charles  A. 
Holdship,  opened  a  banking  house  in 
Decorah,  Iowa.  After  the  death  of  his 
brother  in  1859,  Air.  Holdship  returned  to 
Pittsburgh  and  became  secretary  in  the 
office  of  his  cousin,  Thomas  M.  Howe, 
who  was  associated  with  the  Pittsburgh 
&  Boston  Mining  Company. 

But  in  none  of  these  varied  occupations 
did  he  find  the  field  best  suited  to  his 
powers,  and  it  was  not  until  1863  that  his 
opportunity  came.  In  that  year,  in  con- 
nection with  his  brother,  George  W. 
Holdship,  he  enrolled  himself  among  the 
oil  pioneers  of  Newton,  Pennsylvania, 
and  entered  upon  a  long,  useful  and  ex- 
ceptionally successful  career.  It  was  not 
only  that  wealth  flowed  in  upon  him,  but 
his  knowledge  of  men  and  afifairs,  his  ag- 
gressive methods  and  his  ability  to  look 
ahead  and  foresee  results  commanded  the 
respect  and  admiration  of  the  business 
world.  In  1865  George  W.  Holdship  died, 
and  the  firm  was  reorganized  as  Holdship 
&  Irwin,  Mr.  Holdship  taking  into  part- 
nership his  brother-in-law,  Louis  Irwin. 
The  connection  was  maintained  until 
1886.  when  the  condition  of  Mr.  Hold- 
ship's  health  forced  him  to  retire  from 
active  business. 

It  was  to  the  Republican  party  that  Mr. 
Holdship  accorded  his  political  allegiance, 
but  beyond  voting  for  the  men  and  meas- 
ures which  he  deemed  best  calculated  to 
promote  betterment  of  conditions  and  fur- 
ther the  general  welfare  he  did  not 
actively  interest  himself  in  public  afifairs. 
To    charitable    and    philanthropic    enter- 


prises he  was  ever  ready  to  lend  aid  and 
support,  nor  did  he  neglect  the  social  side 
of  life,  belonging  to  various  clubs.  He 
was  a  member  of  Christ  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church. 

But  there  was  yet  another  side  to  Mr. 
Holdship's  character — he  was  an  ardent 
lover  and  a  generous  patron  of  art,  music 
and  literature  and  his  influence  in  these 
directions  did  much  for  the  elevation  of 
I'ittsburgh  society.  He  was  one  of  the 
incorporators  of  the  Art  Society  of  Pitts- 
burgh, one  of  the  founders  of  the  Pitts- 
burgh Orchestra  and  one  of  the  chief  pro- 
moters of  the  "May  Festival,"  which  was, 
at  one  time,  a  popular  institution  in  the 
metropolis. 

The  personal  appearance  of  Air.  Hold- 
ship  was  striking,  giving  the  impression 
of  a  man  of  strong  character  and  great 
tenacity  of  purpose,  but  also  telling  of 
the  refinement  of  nature  inseparable  from 
cultivated  tastes  and  traditional  good 
breeding.  Silvery  hair  crowned  the  finely 
shaped  head,  moustache  and  beard  of  the 
same  hue  emphasized  the  clearly  cut  fea- 
tures and  the  glance  of  the  keen  yet 
kindly  eyes  is  still  fresh  in  the  remem- 
brance of  the  many  friends  of  this  much- 
loved  man. 

Mr.  Holdship  married,  October  3,  i860, 
Maria,  daughter  of  the  late  Henry  and 
Elizabeth  (Peterson)  Irwin,  of  Allegheny, 
Pennsylvania,  Mr.  Irwin  being  a  repre- 
sentative of  one  of  the  old  families  of  the 
Keystone  State.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Holdship 
were  the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren :  Charles  Frederick,  of  Pittsburgh ; 
George  Irwin,  of  Pittsburgh  ;  and  Alice, 
wife  of  the  Rev.  Edward  Twitchell  Ware 
and  mother  of  two  children,  Alexander 
Holdship  and  Henry  Holdship.  Mr. 
Ware  is  president  of  Atlanta  University. 
The  domestic  afifections  were  dominant 
in  Mr.  Holdship's  character  and  his  home 
was  made  delightful  to  him  by  the  sym- 
pathetic   companionship    of    his    wife,    a 

531 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


woman  of  many  social  graces,  cultivated 
mind  and  much  sweetness  of  disposition. 

The  death  of  Air.  Holdship,  which  oc- 
curred May  II,  1897,  was  deeply  de- 
plored as  that  of  a  man  of  high  reputation 
in  the  business  and  financial  world  and  a 
citizen  of  unquestioned  public  spirit.  No 
man  gave  or  inspired  truer  friendship  and 
in  every  relation  of  life  his  example  was 
one  to  be  emulated. 

The  impress  which  Air.  Holdship  has 
left  upon  Pittsburgh  is  twofold.  In  the 
sphere  of  business  his  influence  is  still 
felt  as  that  of  a  pioneer  of  a  great  indus- 
try but  no  less  does  it  survive  in  the  realm 
of  culture,  in  the  broadening  of  those  in- 
terests which  help  to  develop  the  higher 
faculties.  Such  a  man  lives  in  his  work 
long  after  he  has  ceased  from  earth. 


McLAIN,  John  W.  J., 

Insurance  Actuary. 

The  name  of  John  Westfall  Johnson 
McLain,  secretary  and  director  of  the 
Union  Insurance  Company  of  Pittsburgh, 
is  familiar  to  his  fellow  citizens  of  two 
generations  as  that  of  one  of  the  recog- 
nized authorities  of  the  insurance  world 
of  the  metropolis.  Mr.  McLain  has  ex- 
emplified in  his  career  the  sturdy  and  ag- 
gressive virtues  of  the  stock  from  which 
he  sprang — that  honest,  indomitable 
Scotch-Irish  stock  which,  transplanted  to 
Pennsylvania,  has  given  to  the  Common- 
wealth many  of  her  best  and  most  useful 
citizens. 

Laughlin  McLain,  grandfather  of  John 
Westfall  Johnson  McLain,  was  born  in 
1763,  in  Priestland,  County  Antrim,  Ire- 
land, and  about  1812  emigrated  to  the 
United  States,  settling  first  in  Philadel- 
phia. After  a  few  years  he  removed  to 
Lancaster  and  in  1820  made  his  perma- 
nent home  in  Pittsburgh,  where  he  was 
the  proprietor  of  a  tavern  and  a  man  of 
considerable  prominence.    He  married,  in 


Ireland,  Margaret  ,  and  their  son 

Benjamin  is  mentioned  below.     Laughlin 
AlcLain  died  in  1829,  in  Pittsburgh. 

Benjamin,  son  of  Laughlin  and  Mar- 
garet McLain,  was  born  February  23, 
1809,  in  Priestland,  County  Antrim,  Ire- 
land, and  was  about  three  years  old  when 
brought  by  his  parents  to  the  United 
States.  On  reaching  manhood  he  became 
a  hatter  and  after  some  years  engaged  in 
the  real  estate  business  in  which  he  con- 
tinued until  shortly  before  his  death.  He 
married,  January  31,  1832,  Susan  Story 
Johnson,  whose  ancestral  record  is  ap- 
pended to  this  biography,  and  their  chil- 
dren were:  i.  George  Edwin,  born  No- 
vember 25,  1832,  electrician  of  Pittsburgh, 
married  Hannah,  daughter  of  William 
Hough,  of  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania, 
and  died  September  21,  1902,  leaving  chil- 
dren :  Florence ;  Lillian,  wife  of  Knox 
Miller,  of  Pittsburgh;  and  William 
Hough,  also  of  that  city,  married  and  has 
a  daughter.  2.  Harriet  Newell,  born  May 
19,  1834,  widow  of  William  Rorah,  of 
Pittsburgh,  and  mother  of  one  child,  Clif- 
ford McLain.  3.  John  Westfall  Johnson, 
mentioned  below.  4,  Elizabeth  Mary,  born 
April  20,  1837,  wife  of  the  Rev.  William 
H.  McCaughey,  of  Indiana.  5.  Margaret 
Boyd,  married  Thomas  S.  Maple,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, and  died  February  25,  1914,  leav- 
ing seven  children.  6.  Rosalie  Susan,  born 
December  17,  1840,  died  in  1841.  7.  Agnes 
Graham,  born  April  23,  1842,  died  the 
same  year.  8.  Oscar  Henry,  born  July  15, 
1843,  died  August  19,  1881.  9.  William, 
born  April  4,  1845,  connected  with  Cam- 
bria Steel  Company,  Pittsburgh,  married 
Clara,  daughter  of  John  Evans,  and  has 
two  children,  John  Evans  and  Clara  Eliza. 
10.  Sarah  Jane  Mellon,  born  April  20, 
1847,  widow  of  John  A.  Thompson,  who 
died  September  19,  1913,  leaving  five  chil- 
dren. II.  Benjamin  Negley,  whose  biog- 
raphy appears  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
Benjamin  McLain,  the  father,  died  Feb- 

532 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ruary  9,  1886,  in  Pittsburgh,  not  long  sur- 
viving his  w^ife,  who  passed  away  Octo- 
ber 15,  1885.  "Lovely  and  pleasant  in 
their  lives,"  it  might  almost  be  said  that 
"in  their  deaths  they  were  not  divided." 

John  Westfall  Johnson  McLain,  son  of 
Benjamin  and  Susan  Story  (Johnson)  Mc- 
Lain, was  born  on  Ferry  street,  Pitts- 
burgh, and  received  his  education  in  pub- 
lic and  private  schools  of  his  native  city. 
After  completing  his  course  of  study  he 
entered  the  service  of  Dunn's  Mercantile 
Agency,  where  he  remained  eight  years, 
at  the  end  of  that  time  connecting  him- 
self with  the  business  with  which  he  has 
ever  since  been  inseparably  and  conspicu- 
ously associated — the  insurance  business. 
In  this  his  talents  found  full  scope  and 
congenial  exercise,  while  his  sound  judg- 
ment and  far-sighted  sagacity  were  of  the 
greatest  possible  value.  On  May  31,  1871, 
Mr.  McLain  became  secretary  of  the 
Union  Insurance  Company,  and  this  re- 
sponsible office  which  he  has  ever  since 
filled  with  distinguished  ability,  he  still 
retains,  having  recently  entered  upon  the 
forty-fifth  year  of  his  incumbency. 

The  principles  advocated  by  the  Re- 
publican party  have  always  had  in  Mr. 
McLain  a  staunch  supporter  and  his  help- 
ful interest  in  the  progress  and  well-being 
of  Pittsburgh  has  never  flagged,  but  by 
its  persevering  zeal  has  often  rekindled 
the  enthusiasm  of  those  less  steadfast  and 
more  easily  discouraged.  He  affiliates 
with  the  Royal  Arcanum,  and  attends 
the  Third  Presbyterian  Church. 

There  are  few  Pittsburghers  whose 
countenances  are  familiar  to  a  greater 
number  of  their  fellow-citizens  than  is 
that  of  Mr.  McLain.  Everywhere  he  is 
an  honored  presence,  an  example  to  the 
younger  generation  and  an  object  of  re- 
spect and  affection  to  all. 

Mr.  McLain  married  (first)  January 
20,  i860,  Lizzie  S.,  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Sarah  (Anderson)  Campbell,  of  Alle- 
gheny City,  and  they  became  the  parents 


of  one  child :  Clarence  C,  born  April  6, 
1S61,  now  hydraulic  engineer  in  Chicago. 
Mrs.  McLain  died  January  20,  1S62,  and 
Mr.  AIcLain  married  (second)  November 
10,  1870,  Emma,  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Matilda  (Staats)  Maple,  of  Princeton, 
New  Jersey.  By  this  union  Mr.  McLain 
became  the  father  of  two  children : 
Maude  Maple,  wife  of  Clarence  C.  Rine- 
hart,  whose  biography  may  be  found  on 
another  page  of  this  work ;  and  Percy  L., 
died  in  infancy.  jNIr.  McLain  has  always 
been  a  man  of  strong  domestic  tastes  and 
affections,  and  nothing  has  ever  rivalled 
for  him  the  attractions  of  his  home. 

As  business  man  and  citizen  Mr.  Mc- 
Lain can  look  back  upon  the  changes 
wrought  by  the  lapse  of  sixty  years.  He 
has  seen  the  insurance  business  grow 
from  an  almost  nascent  condition  to  its 
present  imposing  proportions  and  in  the 
promotion  of  its  growth  he  has  been 
largely  instrumental.  He  has  witnessed 
the  tremendous  upheaval  caused  by  a 
great  civil  war  and  the  consequent  revo- 
lutionizing of  ancient  conditions,  and 
through  these  and  all  other  vicissitudes 
he  has  upheld  the  banner  of  patriotism, 
integrity  and  fair  dealing.  The  story  of 
his  sixty  years  of  active  life  is  a  story  of 
honor. 

(The  Johnson  Line). 

John  Westfall  Johnson,  father  of  Airs. 
Susan  Story  (Johnson)  McLain,  was  born 
in  Amsterdam,  Flolland,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  in  the  interests  of  the  Hol- 
land Land  Company,  settling  near  Free- 
hold, Monmouth  county.  New  Jersey,  and 
removing  to  Pittsburgh,  probably,  in  the 
early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Bush,  who  was  born 
February  7,  1783.  Mr.  Johnson  died  in 
1839  and  his  widow  survived  until  1870. 

Susan  Story,  daughter  of  John  Westfall 
and  Elizabeth  (Bush)  Johnson,  was  born 
June  18,  1808,  in  Pittsburgh,  and  became 
the  wife  of  Benjamin  McLain,  as  stated 
above. 


1533 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


PRESSLY,  Rev.  John  Taylor, 

Clergyman,    Educator,    Editor    and   Author. 

"He  left  a  memorial  in  his  work  and 
a  fragrance  in  his  name  through  which 
his  memory  has  been  made  dear  to  count- 
less hearts."  These  words  were  spoken 
of  the  late  Reverend  John  Taylor  Press- 
ly,  D.  D.,  for  thirty-eight  years  the  loved 
and  honored  pastor  of  the  First  United 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Allegheny,  Penn- 
sylvania. There  are  many  in  this  com- 
munity who  can  remember  Dr.  Pressly  as 
he  appeared  on  our  streets,  and  there  are 
many  throughout  the  land,  filling  hun- 
dreds of  pulpits,  whose  hearts  burn  with 
affectionate  and  grateful  remembrance  of 
him  as  their  theological  instructor. 

John  Taylor  Pressly  was  born  March 
22,  1795,  in  Abbeville  District,  South 
Carolina,  and  was  a  son  of  David  and 
Jane  (Patterson)  Pressly,  both  of  Abbe- 
ville District,  South  Carolina,  and  de- 
scended from  Scottish  ancestors,  who 
were  among  the  early  and  influential  set- 
tlers of  the  State.  It  has  been  truly  said 
of  him  that  "he  was  an  honored  member 
of  an  honored  family."  The  boy  received 
his  early  education  in  a  local  academy, 
afterward  entering  Transylvania  Univer- 
sity, Kentucky,  and  graduating  with  the 
class  of  1812.  Having  long  before  re- 
solved to  devote  himself  to  the  ministry 
of  the  gospel,  he  entered  the  Associate 
Reformed  Theological  Seminary,  New 
York,  where  he  enjoyed  the  instructions 
of  the  eminent  Dr.  John  Mitchell  Mason. 
Having  completed  there  a  full  three  years' 
course  of  study,  he  was  licensed  in  the 
spring  of  1815,  by  the  Second  Associate 
Reformed  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina, 
and  for  a  year  devoted  himself  to  mission- 
ary work,  traveling  on  horseback  through 
several  of  the  Southern  States  and  as  far 
north  as  Pennsylvania  and  New  York. 

On  his  return  home  Mr.  Pressly  was 
called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  church  in 


which  he  had  been  born  and  baptized, 
the  Cedar  Springs  Congregational  Church 
and  there  he  ministered  for  fifteen  peace- 
ful, pleasant  and  profitable  years,  having 
been  ordained  July  3,  1816.  Gladly  would 
he  have  spent  his  life  there,  but  he  had 
become  widely  known  and  was  to  be 
called  to  a  larger  field.  He  was  known 
not  only  as  a  great  preacher,  but  as  one 
eminently  qualified  to  educate  preachers, 
and  in  1825  he  was  appointed  Professor 
of  Theology  by  the  Associate  Reformed 
Synod  of  the  South.  The  duties  of  this 
position  he  discharged  acceptably  until 
the  autumn  of  1831,  when  he  was  elected, 
on  October  10,  Professor  of  Theology,  by 
the  Associate  Reformed  Synod  of  the 
West,  and  on  January  5,  1832,  entered 
upon  his  duties  in  the  Allegheny  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  Allegheny,  Pennsyl- 
vania. His  singular  fitness  for  the  work 
was  soon  recognized  and  added  a  new  at- 
traction to  the  Seminary. 

In  October,  1832,  Dr.  Pressly  was  called 
to  the  First  United  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Allegheny,  and  on  August  27,  1833. 
was  installed  as  the  first  pastor  of  the 
congregation,  having  previously  served 
the  church  while  reserving  his  decision. 
The  history  of  this  congregation  is  an 
interesting  one.  It  was  organized  in  the 
third  story  of  what  was  known  as  "Semp- 
le's  Long  Room,"  a  building  which  is  still 
standing  on  the  west  side  of  West  Dia- 
mond street,  four  doors  below  South  Dia- 
mond street.  In  this  room  the  congrega- 
tion worshipped  for  some  time  after  Dr. 
Pressly  took  charge,  but  the  purchase  of 
a  lot  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  square 
on  the  corner  of  what  are  known  as 
South  Diamond  and  East  Diamond 
streets  gave  it  an  abiding  place.  In  1838, 
the  congregation  having  become  too  large 
to  be  accommodated  in  this  building,  it 
was  decided  to  erect  a  more  spacious 
structure    on   the    same   site.     This   was 


1534 


(^ArC  '~^  ^ 


.^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


done,  but  at  the  close  of  1853  additional 
room  was  again  found  necessary  and  a  lot 
was  procured  on  Ridge  street  on  which 
the  Ridge  Street  Church  was  built  to  take 
care  of  the  overflow  as  the  congregation 
was  too  large  for  one  church.  Once  more, 
in  1867,  it  was  decided  to  build  a  new 
house  of  worship  and  the  result  was  the 
erection  of  the  present  structure  on  Union 
avenue.  It  is  Gothic  in  its  general  style 
of  architecture  and  the  front  is  rendered 
imposing  by  two  massive  square  towers 
about  one  hundred  feet  in  height.  In  1834 
a  charter  for  the  congregation  was 
granted  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania,  and  in 
1872  a  new  charter  was  granted  by  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas  of  Allegheny 
county. 

From  the  very  beginning  of  Dr.  Press- 
ly's  pastorate  the  young  congregation  en- 
tered upon  an  era  of  great  prosperity. 
Large  attendance  became  the  rule,  at- 
tracted by  the  earnest  and  eloquent 
preaching  of  the  pastor,  and  there  were 
many  applications  for  admission  to  mem- 
bership. The  record  of  the  passing  years 
was  one  of  rapid  but  permanent  growth. 
The  forces  of  the  congregation  were  or- 
ganized and  these  organizations  flour- 
ished. As  a  preacher.  Dr.  Pressly  was 
remarkable  for  clearness  of  conception 
and  expression,  and  his  fine  personal  ap- 
pearance, his  strong  and  sonorous  voice 
and  his  dignified  and  solemn  action  gave 
to  his  delivery  power  approaching  the 
magisterial.  As  a  pastor  he  was  watchful, 
tender  and  faithful,  visiting,  counselling 
and  praying  with  his  people  in  their 
homes  and  at  their  beds  of  sickness. 

In  a  high  degree,  Dr.  Pressly  embodied 
the  Roman  ideal  of  perfect  manhood,  "a 
sound  mind  in  a  sound  body."  Through- 
out his  life  he  apparently  did  the  work 
of  two  or  three  ordinary  men.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  cares  and  burdens  of  a  great 
congregation  he  carried  on  for  sixteen 
PA-6  1535 


years  the  whole  work  of  the  Theological 
Seminary,  while  during  the  remaining 
twenty-two  years  of  his  pastorate  "  he 
served  continuously  as  a  professor  in  that 
institution.  In  1842  he  founded  "The 
Preacher,"  a  semi-monthly  religious 
paper,  now  "The  United  Presbyterian," 
and  for  two  years  was  its  editor,  proprie- 
tor and  business  manager,  also  contribut- 
ing on  a  wide  range  of  subjects  to  other 
periodical  literature.  Meanwhile  he  found 
time  to  publish  several  volumes  on  con- 
troverted points  of  theology  and  at  the 
meetings  of  the  various  courts  of  the 
church  he  was  a  familiar  figure,  in  addi- 
tion to  assuming  a  generous  share  of  the 
general  work  of  the  church  at  large.  On 
occasions  of  a  public  and  semi-public 
nature  he  was  in  constant  demand.  He 
was  one  of  the  most   prominent  factors 


in  the  negotiations  which  resulted  in  the 
happy  union  of  the  Associate  Reformed 
and  Associate  Churches  and  at  its  con- 
summation no  one  rejoiced  more  heartily 
than  he.  He  was  faithful  in  the  discharge 
of  the  duties  of  citizenship,  taking  a  deep 
interest  in  all  that  pertained  to  the  wel- 
fare of  Pittsburgh,  so  long  the  scene  of 
his  labors  and  the  home  of  his  heart. 

To  be  the  right  man  in  the  right  place 
was  the  happy  lot  of  Dr.  Pressly.  He  was 
one  of  the  few  men  to  whom  it  is  given 
to  minister  to  a  great  congregation  and  a 
great  community  in  the  formative  period 
of  their  history,  and  upon  his  congrega- 
tion and  community  he  left  an  indelible 
impression.  Throughout  the  entire  United 
Presbyterian  Church  his  influence  was 
felt,  and  it  was  in  recognition  of  his  in- 
valuable services  in  helping  to  adjust  the 
differences  that  separated  the  Associate 
and  Associate  Reformed  Church  that  he 
was  unanimously  accorded  the  high  honor 
of  presiding  as  moderator  over  the  first 
General  Assembly  of  the  united  body.  His 
fine  executive  talent  gave  him  great  in- 
fluence in  church  courts,  and  in  ecclesi- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


astical  matters  generally,  but,  undoubt- 
edly, his  greatest  service  to  the  denomi- 
nation was  the  signal  influence  he  exerted 
as  a  professor  in  the  Theological  Sem- 
inary. His  power  as  an  instructor  re- 
sulted in  part  from  his  personality  and  the 
reverence  it  excited  and  in  part  from  the 
fullness  of  his  knowledge,  the  clearness 
of  his  statements  and  his  exceptional 
power  of  analysis.  The  personal  appear- 
ance of  Dr.  Pressly  was  strikingly  im- 
pressive. Six  feet  in  height,  with  clear- 
cut,  strong,  sensitive  and  refined  features, 
iron  gray  hair  and  keen  dark  eyes,  he 
looked  at  once  the  clergyman  and  patri- 
cian. He  was  a  fine  horseman  and  when 
mounted  suggested  a  resemblance  to  his 
cavalier  ancestors.  In  manner  he  may 
have  seemed  to  some  somewhat  austere, 
as  he  never  lost  the  dignity  of  his  pro- 
fession or  the  demeanor  of  a  high-toned, 
Christian  gentleman,  but  no  one  could  be 
near  him  and  not  feel  that  he  had  a  great 
loving  heart.  In  character,  in  life  and  in 
all  the  work  of  his  life,  he  was  a  good 
man. 

Another  institution  with  which  Dr. 
Pressly  was  identified  was  the  Jefiferson 
College,  of  Canonsburg.  In  1832  he  be- 
came a  member  of  its  board  of  directors, 
retaining  the  office  until  the  college  was 
merged  with  Washington  College  as  the 
Washington  and  Jefiferson  College.  For 
many  years  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Education  of  Allegheny  City. 

Dr.  Pressly  married,  July  4,  1816,  Jane, 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Jane  (Pressly) 
Hearst,  of  Abbeville  District,  South 
Carolina,  and  their  children  were :  Joseph 
H.,  now  deceased,  a  clergyman  of  Erie, 
Pennsylvania  ;  Louisa  Jane,  married  John 
Steele,  of  Kentucky,  and  is  now  deceased  ; 
Mary  Matilda,  also  deceased ;  Sarah,  died 
young;  David  A.  P.,  died  February  22, 
1845;  Elizabeth  Caroline,  died  young; 
Samuel,  also  died  young;  and  Margaret 
Malinda,  now  living  on  the  North   Side, 

15 


a  woman  of  wide  culture  and  much  beauty 
and  sweetness  of  character,  greatly  be- 
loved by  a  large  circle  of  friends.  Mary 
Matilda  Pressly,  now  deceased,  became 
the  wife  of  Thomas  McCance.  Their 
children  are :  Jane  Hearst,  married  Dr. 
John  Mabon,  of  Pittsburgh  ;  Joseph  K.,  a 
physician  of  Pittsburgh ;  Pressly  T.,  also 
of  Pittsburgh ;  Mary  Louise ;  Margaret 
M.;  and  William  J.,  of  New  Haven,  Con- 
necticut, married  Anna  Hodge. 

In  his  wife,  who  died  April  4,  1873,  Dr. 
Pressly  found  a  helpmate  worthy  of  his 
high  calling,  and  he  ever  delighted  to 
acknowledge  that  it  was  to  her  unfailing 
aid  that  he  owed  much  of  his  success. 
^Irs.  Pressly  possessed  in  a  high  degree 
the  beautiful  womanly  traits  of  Chris- 
tian character  which,  modest  and  unas- 
suming as  she  was,  shone  out  of  her  life 
with  radiant  beauty  in  the  sweet  sunlight 
of  a  perpetual  cheerfulness.  She  seemed 
to  be  gifted  with  a  power  to  secure  the 
confidence,  win  the  affections  and  touch 
the  better  chords  in  every  heart  by  her 
simple  presence  and  by  a  single  word. 
No  one  could  bind  up  the  broken  heart 
with  a  tenderer  hand  or  a  kindlier  sym- 
pathy. Her  presence  was  the  light  and 
joy  of  her  own  home  and  her  visits  a 
bright  summer  day  in  the  homes  of  the 
congregation,  but  it  was  in  the  abode  of 
sickness  and  sorrow  that  she  was  most 
frequently  found  and  her  coming  con- 
stantly brightened  the  dwellings  of  the 
lowly.  Dr.  Pressly  was  a  man  who  re- 
garded the  ties  of  family  and  friendship 
as  sacred  obligations.  What  he  Avas  to 
those  nearest  and  dearest  to  him,  they 
alone  could  tell.  His  life  as  a  husband 
and  father  was  one  of  rare  beauty  and 
his  home  was  the  central  spot  in  the  con- 
gregation where  the  poorest  and  humblest 
were  as  welcome  as  the  richest  and  most 
honorable. 

In  the  early  summer  of  1870  Dr.  Press- 
Iv's  health  became  seriously  impaired.    A 

36 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


trip  to  the  Great  Lakes  brought  no  re-  truly  has  it  been  said :  "Dr.  John  T. 
lief,  and  on  August  13.  a  few  days  after  Pressly  needs  no  other  memorial,  among 
his  return  home,  he  ceased  from  his  the  living  who  knew  him,  than  the  tab- 
labors.  He  died  in  the  harness,  in  the  lets  of  their  own  hearts."  Many  of  those 
seventy-sixth  year  of  his  age,  the  fifty-  to  whom  his  stately  and  benignant  pres- 
fifth  of  his  ministry,  and  the  thirty-eighth  ence  was  familiar  have  now  passed  away, 
of  his  pastorate  in  Pittsburgh,  and  was  but  his  influence  abides,  his  works  follow 


mourned  with  a  sorrow  unfeigned,  not 
only  by  his  people  but  by  many  who  had 
never  been  members  of  his  congregation. 
The  largest  assembly  of  mourners  that 
had  ever  gathered  in  this  city  came  to- 
gether in  the  church  in  which  he  had 
ministered  for  so  many  years  to  pay  trib- 


hii 


SMITH,  Edgar  Fahs,  LL.  D., 

distinguished  Educator  and  Author. 

There  are  few  positions  of  honor  and 
trust  more  difficult  to  fill,  with  satisfac- 
tion to  those  interested,  than  that  now 
ute  to  his  memory.  People  of  all  denomi-  occupied  by  Dr.  Smith.  To  fill  with  satis- 
nations  felt  that  a  great  man  had  fallen  in  faction  the  place  made  vacant  by  the 
Israel.  While  he  lived  he  spoke,  and  be-  retiring  Provost  of  the  University  of 
ing  dead  he  still  speaks  by  the  lives  and  Pennsylvania,  with  its  five  thousand  stu- 
lips  of  the  great  multitude  who  have  dents,  its  many  departments  and  a  faculty 
never  ceased  to  manifest  the  impress  of  of  five  hundred  professors,  was  an  un- 
his  teachings.  dertaking    to    appall    the    stoutest    heart, 

In  November,  1881,  the  First  United  but  Dr.  Smith,  with  the  courage  and 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Allegheny  cele-  every  needed  qualification,  did  not  hesi- 
brated  its  semi-centennial  anniversary  tate,  and  after  successfully  closing  this, 
and  on  that  occasion  was  unveiled  a  tablet  his  second  year,  trustees,  students  and 
to  the  memory  of  Dr.  Pressly.  It  was  faculty  realize  that  the  choice  was  a  wise 
placed  upon  the  wall  at  the  right  of  the  one  and  that  he  is  the  "right  man  in  the 
pulpit  and  is  of  white  marble  having  in      right  place." 


the  centre  a  shield  of  black  marble  on 
which,  in  gold  letters,  is  the  following 
inscription  : 


In  Memory  of 

REV.  JNO.  T.  PRESSLY,  D.  D., 

for  38  years 

The  beloved  and  honored  pastor 

of  this  church; 

A  good  and  great  man 

Whose  pure  life,  tender  afifection, 

Wise  counsel,  unflinching  fidelity, 

And  abundant  labors 

Are  enshrined  in  the  hearts 

of  a  grateful  people. 

Born  March  22d,  1795, 

Died  August  13.  1870. 

"THE  RIGHTEOUS  SHALL  BE  IN 

EVERLASTING  REMEMBRANCE." 

A  noble  and  enduring  tribute,  but  most 
lessor  Von  Walters. 


Edgar  Fahs  Smith  was  born  in  York, 
Pennsylvania,  May  23,  1856,  son  of  Gib- 
son Smith,  a  merchant  who  greatly  de- 
sired to  train  up  his  son  to  become  his 
business  successor.  But  the  young  man's 
choice  was  for  a  professional  career,  his 
choice  being  medicine.  After  preparatory 
courses  in  the  public  schools  and  York 
County  Academy,  he  taught  for  a  time 
in  the  latter  institution,  then  in  1872  en- 
tered Pennsylvania  College  at  Gettys- 
burg in  the  junior  year.  He  was  gradu- 
ated B.  S.  class  of  1874,  then  under  the 
advice  of  Dr.  Sadtler,  of  Gettysburg,  went 
abroad  for  further  study.  He  entered  the 
University  of  Goettingen  in  Germany, 
devoting  two  3'ears  to  the  study  of  chem- 
istry imder  Professors  Woehler  and 
Huebner,  and  of  mineralogy  under  Pro- 

1537 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


In  1876  he  received  his  doctor's  degree 
from  the  German  university  and  at  once 
returned  to  the  United  States.  His  first 
position  as  an  instructor  was  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania,  where  he  taught, 
beginning  in  the  fall  of  1876  as  assistant 
to  Professor  F.  A.  Genth,  of  the  chair 
of  Analytical  Chemistry  in  the  Towne 
Scientific  School.  He  held  this  position 
until  1881,  achieving  so  high  a  reputation 
that  in  that  year  he  was  called  to  Muh- 
lenberg College  at  Allentown,  as  profes- 
sor of  chemistry,  a  chair  founded  and  en- 
dowed by  Asa  Packer. 

In  1883  he  accepted  the  position  of 
Professor  of  Chemistry  at  Wittenberg 
College,  Springfield,  Ohio,  continuing 
there  with  ever  increasing  fame  until 
1888,  when  he  returned  to  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania,  accepting  the  chair  of 
Analytical  Chemistry,  vacated  by  Dr. 
Genth,  under  whom  he  had  labored  as 
assistant.  His  rise  was  now  almost  con- 
tinuous ;  in  1892,  upon  the  resignation  of 
Dr.  S.  P.  Sadtler,  then  Professor  of  Or- 
ganic and  Industrial  Chemistry,  that  de- 
partment was  reorganized  with  Dr. 
Smith  as  its  head. 

In  i8g8  he  was  elected  Vice-Provost 
upon  the  resignation  of  Dr.  George  S. 
Fullerton,  but  still  retained  the  Professor- 
ship of  Chemistry,  serving  until  Novem- 
ber, 1910,  when  he  was  chosen  Provost  at 
a  special  meeting  of  the  board  of  trus- 
tees of  the  university,  held  November 
15  of  that  year,  Dr.  Charles  Custis  Har- 
rison, Provost  for  sixteen  years,  having 
handed  in  his  resignation.  At  the  meet- 
ing of  the  board  which  elected  Dr.  Smith 
head  of  the  university,  Secretary  Edward 
Bobins  said : 

Only  those  who  have  been  brought  constantly 
into  close  personal  touch  with  Dr.  Smith,  can 
realize  to  the  utmost  what  an  admirable  selection 
the  trustees  have  made.  He  is  an  ideal  man  for 
the  office  for  the  reason  that  he  combined  in 
himself  so  many  qualities  that  should  go  to  make 

I 


up  a  well  equipped  provost.  He  is  a  scholar,  is 
a  scientist,  and  at  the  same  time,  possessed  of 
great  executive  ability  in  university  administra- 
tion; he  is  beloved  by  the  students,  very  popular 
with  the  alumni  and  faculties  and  a  firm  friend 
to  all  who  work  with  him  for  the  success  of  the 
university.  It  is  pleasant  to  know  that  no  one 
is  a  greater  admirer  of  Dr.  Smith  than  the  retir- 
ing provost  who  feels  that  he  is  relinquishing  the 
cares  of  administration  into  safe  hands. 

A  local  paper  in  commenting  on  the 
election  said : 

Few  men  combine  such  varied  activities  in  their 
lives  as  does  Dr.  Smith.  As  an  investigator  in 
the  field  of  Electro-Chemistry  he  has  few  equals. 
He  is  also  at  the  service  of  the  students,  and 
there  is  scarcely  an  evening  in  the  year  when  he 
is  not  addressing  some  organization  or  other  at 
the   University. 

The  department  of  chemistry,  of  which 
he  was  so  long  the  head  has  become  one 
of  the  most  prominent  schools  of  chem- 
istry in  the  country,  and  in  the  post- 
graduate department  has  turned  out 
scores  of  men,  now  teachers  of  chemistry 
in  important  institutions.  In  recognition 
of  his  work  as  a  scientist,  as  Vice-Provost 
of  the  university,  and  of  his  popularity, 
the  dormitory  erected  in  1904  was  named 
in  his  honor.  In  an  article  on  the  Vice- 
Provost,  written  for  the  "Alumni  Regis- 
ter," one  of  his  former  students  says : 

In  the  field  of  research  Dr.  Smith  has  devel- 
oped many  lines,  but  is  best  known  in  the  field 
of  electro-chemistry,  particularly  in  the  appli- 
cation of  the  electric  current  to  analytical  chem- 
istry. His  first  paper  on  that  subject  appeared  in 
1879,  and  since  that  time  his  contributions  have 
been  numerous  and  far  reaching.  His  book, 
"Electro  Chemical  Analysis,"  which  has  been 
translated  into  German  and  French,  is  accepted 
the  world  over  as  an  authoritative  work  on  that 
subject.  The  methods  recommended  by  him  for 
the  determination  of  metals  in  an  electrolytic 
way  are  uniformly  accurate.  Not  only  in  this 
branch  of  chemistry  has  he  been  active,  but  other 
fields  of  the  science  have  been  enriched  by  his 
investigations.  His  researches  upon  molybdenum 
and  tungsten  alone  would  have  made  his  name 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


well  known  to  the  chemists  of  the  world.  Alto- 
gether about  two  hundred  papers  have  been 
published  by  him  dealing  with  electro  chemistry, 
inorganic  chemistry,  organic  chemistry,  analy- 
tical chemistry  and  the  composition  of  minerals. 
Besides  his  "Electro  Chemical  Analysis,"  which 
has  had  four  American  editions,  two  German, 
one  French  and  one  Chinese  edition.  Dr.  Smith 
published  with  Dr.  John  Marshall,  a  book  on 
"The  Chemical  Analysis  of  Urine."  In  1890, 
with  Dr.  Harry  F.  Keller,  he  published  a  work 
on  "Experiments  for  Students  in  General  Chem- 
istry," which  has  run  through  five  editions.  He 
has  also  translated  a  number  of  standard  Ger- 
man works  on  chemistry  including  Richter's  "In- 
organic Chemistry,"  of  which  there  has  been  five 
editions;  Richter's  "Organic  Chemistry,"  three 
editions;  Classen's  "Elementary  Quantitative;" 
Oettel's  "Introduction  to  Electro-Chemical  Ex- 
periments," and  Oettel's  "Practical  Exercises  in 
Electro-Chemistry."  He  has  also  contributed 
articles  to  many  scientific  journals,  and  was  for 
many  years  a  member  of  the  committee  on 
papers  and  publications  published  by  the  Amer- 
ican Chemical  Society.  He  is  a  member  of  many 
of  the  university  societies,  vice-president  of  the 
Robert  Morris  Club,  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Chapter  of  Phi  Kappa  Psi,  instru- 
mental in  organizing  in  Pennsylvania  a  chapter 
of  Sigma  Xi,  honorary  fraternity  and  founder  of 
the  fraternity  journal  "The  Shield." 

Dr.  Smith  is  deeply  interested  in  the 
young  men  of  the  imiversity,  whom  he 
frequently  designates  "my  boys."  While 
requiring  adherence  to  the  laws,  rules  and 
regulations  of  the  university  he  is  said 
to  have  frequently  left  his  bed  at  mid- 
night to  help  some  unfortunate  out  of 
trouble,  and  many  university  boys  have 
been  benefitted  by  his  fatherly,  sympa- 
thetic advice  at  a  critical  point  in  their 
lives.  He  is  one  of  the  most  approach- 
able professors  and  one  of  the  best  be- 
loved men  at  the  university — his  office 
is  open  to  "the  boys"  at  all  times  and 
scores  avail  themselves  of  the  privilege 
daily,  coming  to  talk  over  their  troubles, 
hopes,  aims  or  aspirations,  and  no  student 
leaves  without  feeling  encouraged  and 
benefitted.  He  delights  to  mingle  with 
the  students,  sometimes  devoting  four  or 

I 


five  evenings  weekly  to  their  functions, 
generally  attending  several  meetings  on 
each  of  these  nights.  In  this  way  there 
are  few  students  he  does  not  come  in 
contact  with  personally.  As  chairman 
of  the  faculty  coinmittee  on  athletics,  he 
has  done  much  for  the  elevation  of  col- 
lege sports,  not  only  at  the  university, 
but  also  all  over  the  land.  He  is  a  pleas- 
ing after  dinner  speaker,  as  much  sought 
after  by  the  alumni  as  by  the  students. 
His  favorite  topics  when  addressing  stu- 
dents are  courage,  strength  and  loyalty. 
There  are  not  many  who  are  connected 
with  the  university,  past  or  present,  who 
are  not  familiar  with  Pennsylvania  talks. 
Himself  one  of  the  most  loyal  sons  of  the 
university,  he  has  the  happy  faculty  of 
stirring  up  genuine  enthusiasm  for  old 
"Penn"  in  his  familiar  talks  about  things 
Pennsylvanian,  and  his  picture  book  talks 
on  the  university  have  been  a  genuine 
revelation  to  many.  His  duties  as  Pro- 
vost also  bring  him  into  close  touch  with 
all  members  of  the  teaching  force  and 
the  administrative  officers,  by  all  of  whom 
he  is  esteemed  as  a  friend  and  a  leader. 
Outside  of  things  pertaining  to  the  uni- 
versity and  things  professional,  perhaps 
the  doctor's  greatest  interest  is  in  the  Ma- 
sonic order.  He  has  rendered  important 
service  to  that  greatest  of  fraternal  orders 
and  has  in  return  received  its  greatest, 
highest  honor,  the  thirty-third  degree, 
Ancient  Accepted  Scottish  Rite. 

Colleges  and  universities  have  confer- 
red upon  Dr.  Smith  their  highest  honors. 
The  University  of  Pennsylvania  be- 
stowed the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Science  in  1899,  and  in  1906,  at  the  two 
hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the 
birth  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  conferred 
LL.  D.  The  same  degree  Avas  conferred 
in  that  year  by  Pennsylvania  College  at 
Gettysburg.  The  University  of  Wiscon- 
sin had,  however,  been  the  first  to  confer 
the    degree    LL.    D.    in    1904.      In    1910, 

539 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Franklin  and  Marshall  College,  bestowed 
the  same  honor  and  Rutgers  College,  June 
21,  191 1  ;  Muhlenberg  College  a  week 
earlier  on  June  14,  conferring  L.  H.  D. 
In  February,  1912,  he  received  LL.  D. 
from  the  University  of  Pittsburgh ;  in 
July,  Sc.  D.  from  the  University  of  Dub- 
lin, Ireland ;  and  LL.  D.  from  the  Univer- 
sity of  North  Carolina.  He  is  a  member 
of  several  foreign  scientific  societies ;  the 
American  Chemical  Society,  of  which  he 
was  president  in  1898 ;  member  of  the 
National  Academy  of  Sciences  ;  the  Amer- 
ican Association  for  the  Advancement  of 
Science,  of  which  he  was  vice-p.resident  in 
1898;  a  member  of  the  Chemical  Jury  of 
Awards  at  the  Columbian  Exposition  in 
1893 ;  a  member  of  the  United  States  As- 
say Commission  in  1895,  also  from  1901 
to  1905  ;  and  is  a  member  of  the  American 
Philosophical  Society,  of  which  he  was 
president  from  1903  to  1907. 


BUCHANAN,  James  Galloway, 

Distingnislied  Physician  and  Surgeon. 

Dr.  James  Galloway  Buchanan  was 
born  March  21,  1825,  in  Steubenville, 
Ohio,  and  was  a  son  of  the  Rev.  George 
and  Mary  (Junkin)  Buchanan.  Rev. 
George  Buchanan  was  a  man  of  strong 
personality,  great  piety  and  much  loved 
in  his  community.  He  preached  to  the 
same  congregation  in  Steubenville  for 
forty-seven  years,  his  ministry  closing 
with  his  death. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  last  century 
a  clergyman's  income  was  limited ;  but 
without  other  resources  than  his  salary, 
Rev.  Buchanan  managed  to  furnish  all 
his  children  not  only  an  ordinary  educa- 
tion, but  complete  courses  in  the  most 
advanced  education  of  the  times.  One  of 
his  sons,  the  oldest  brother  of  the  sub- 
ject of  our  sketch,  Rev.  Joseph  Buchanan, 
trained  for  the  ministry,  became  the  lead- 
ing educator  of  that  section  of  Ohio  and 

1540 


for  two  generations  was  at  the  head  of 
the  public  school  system  of  Jeflferson 
county.  Another  son.  Rev.  John  Buchan- 
an, was  for  many  years  before  and  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War  a  prominent  minister 
in  Allegheny  City.  The  ancestral  record 
of  the  Junkin  family  is  appended  to  this 
biography.  James  Galloway  Buchanan 
received  his  education  in  the  schools  of 
his  native  town,  supplemented  by  a  thor- 
ough classical  course  in  an  academy  con- 
ducted by  his  brother-in-law.  Rev.  John 
M.  Galloway.  Making  choice  of  medicine 
as  a  profession,  Mr.  Buchanan  began  a 
course  of  preparatory  study  under  the 
preceptorship  of  Dr.  Benjamin  Tappan, 
a  widely  known  physician  and  naturalist 
of  Steubenville  and  son  of  the  distin- 
guished Judge  Tappan. 

Dr.  Tappan,  whose  wife  was  a  sister 
of  Edwin  M.  Stanton,  President  Lincoln's 
Secretary  of  War,  was  a  man  of  great 
scientific  attainments  and  of  unusual  pro- 
fessional ability.  He  was  a  world-wide 
traveler  and  had  an  intimate  acquaintance 
with  many  of  the  scientists  of  that  early 
day.  The  prominent  trait  of  his  character 
was  his  hatred  of  shams  and  the  plain- 
ness of  his  speech.  To  his  tutelage.  Dr. 
James  G.  Buchanan  owed  much  of  the 
habits  of  thought  and  contempt  of  pre- 
tenders which  characterized  him  through- 
out his  life.  It  was  rather  unusual  then 
for  a  medical  student  to  spend  more  than 
a  few  months  at  a  medical  school.  In- 
deed, most  of  the  practitioners  of  medi- 
cine in  this  country,  at  that  time,  got 
their  education  in  the  ofifices  of  their  pre- 
ceptors. 

Mr.  Buchanan,  however,  attended  the 
complete  course  of  two  years  at  the  Medi- 
cal Department  of  the  University  of  the 
City  of  New  York,  and  received  his  sur- 
gical training  from  the  distinguished 
Valentine  Mott.  After  receiving  his  de- 
gree of  Doctor  of  Medicine,  he  returned 
at  once  to  his  home   town   and  entered 


^  ^/T^^^^^-^^^^l^^.— . 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


upon  the  practice  of  his  profession,  re- 
moving after  a  time  to  Wellsville,  Ohio, 
where  he  married  Amanda  F.  Jenkins. 

Upon  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  he 
was  appointed  by  his  friend,  Edwin  'M. 
Stanton,  then  Secretary  of  War,  surgeon 
to  the  32nd  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  with 
which  he  served  until  near  the  close  of 
the  conflict,  when  he  was  transferred  to 
the  125th  Ohio  Regiment.  He  served 
with  the  latter  regiment  until  the  close  of 
the  war,  when  he  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  Medical  Director  of  the  IMilitary 
Hospitals  at  Atlanta,  Georgia.  In  1866 
Dr.  Buchanan  established  himself  in  Al- 
legheny, Pennsylvania,  now  North  Side, 
Pittsburgh,  and  soon  became  prominent 
in  surgical  practice. 

The  first  of  the  railroads  .which  were 
later  merged  into  the  present  system  of 
Pennsylvania  lines  west  of  l^ittsburgh 
was  the  Cleveland  &  Pittsburgh.  In  the 
early  fifties  its  rails  were  laid  through 
Wellsville,  and  through  the  influence  of 
his  lifelong  friend,  J.  N.  McCullough,  the 
railroad's  first  president.  Dr.  Buchanan 
was  made  its  first  surgeon,  vv-hich  office  he 
held  with  the  exception  of  the  period  of 
his  military  service  till  he  moved  his  resi- 
dence to  Allegheny  City.  His  position  as 
company  surgeon  was  continued  in  his 
new  location  and  his  sphere  of  surgical 
work  enlarged  by  his  appointment  as  sur- 
geon to  the  Pittsburgh,  Fort  Wayne  & 
Chicago  Railway.  When  the  Pennsyl- 
vania lines  were  consolidated  he  contin- 
ued to  act  as  its  surgeon  till  death  ter- 
minated his  service.  This  continuous 
surgical  service  for  more  than  fifty  years 
with  the  same  company  is  probably 
unique   in   railway  experience. 

Dr.  Buchanan's  success  in  surgery  was 
marked  at  a  time  when  the  treatment  of 
wounds  was  difificult  and  success  was 
only  to  be  attained  by  the  application  of 
sound  judgment  and  accurate  observation 
of  personal  cases.    When  the  modern  an- 


tiseptic system  was  struggling  for  recog- 
nition he  was  one  of  the  first  in  his  com- 
munity to  recognize  its  advantages  and 
put  it  into  practice. 

In  politics  Dr.  Buchanan  was  a  Demo- 
crat, but  never  took  an  active  part  in 
public  affairs.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Fourth  United  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Allegheny  for  more  than  forty  years,  and 
the  successive  pastors  during  that  period 
were  among  his  most  intimate  friends. 
In  the  character  of  Dr.  Buchanan  were 
combined  all  the  elements  which  go  to 
the  making  of  a  good  physician — strong 
mental  endowments,  sound  education, 
large  experience  and  kindliness  of  dis- 
position. Of  medium  height,  his  aspect 
and  bearing  gave  a  favorable  impression 
and  his  strong  features  bore  the  stamp 
of  the  qualities  which  made  him  what  he 
Avas.  His  dark  eyes  were  at  once  keen 
and  thoughtful,  and  until  he  had  passed 
the  age  of  seventy,  his  hair  and  full  beard 
v.-ere  black,  after  that  becoming  iron- 
gray.  He  was  a  loyal  friend,  a  man  of 
large  faith,  strong  brain  and  great  heart. 

Dr.  Buchanan  married,  March  23,  1S50, 
Amanda  Fitz-Allen,  daughter  of  John  M. 
and  Margaret  (McKinley)  Jenkins,  the 
latter  a  member  of  the  McKinley  family 
of  Ohio,  of  which  President  McKinley 
was  a  representative.  The  following 
children  were  born  to  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Buchanan:  George  McElroy,  who  died 
young;  Marj-  Junkin  ;  and  John  Jenkins, 
whose  biography  appears  elsewhere  in 
this  work. 

]Mary  Junkin  Buchanan  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  Allegheny,  and 
at  the  Pittsburgh  Female  College,  re- 
ceiving in  1S70  the  degree  of  M.  E.  L. 
She  was  married.  February  27,  1873,  at 
Allegheny,  to  John  Cowley,  of  Pittsburgh, 
who  died  May  i.  191 1.  After  rendering 
for  ten  years  voluntary  service  as  super- 
visor of  the  city  playgrounds  Mrs.  Cowley 
was  in  February,  191 1,  elec':ed  supervisor 

541 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  twenty-seven  playgrounds  and  vaca- 
tion schools  and  ten  social  centres  of  the 
North  Side.  In  October,  1912,  she  w^as 
appointed  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Pub- 
lic Education  of  Pittsburgh,  under  the 
new  school  codes,  the  board  consisting  of 
twelve  men  and  three  women,  named  by 
judges  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas. 
Mrs.  Cowley  is  president  of  the  Play- 
ground and  Vacation  School  Association 
of  Allegheny,  Incorporated,  and  of  the 
Business  Women's  Club,  of  Allegheny, 
Incorporated,  and  director  of  the  Western 
Pennsylvania  Branch  of  the  Consumers' 
League,  also  musical  director  of  the  Tour- 
ist Club.  She  has  published  various 
articles  on  playground  activities  and  so- 
cial centre  work.  Mrs.  Cowley  belongs 
to  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revo- 
lution, the  Academy  of  Science  and  Art 
and  the  College  Club  of  Pittsburgh  and 
is  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
Church.  The  Mary  J.  Cowley  (public) 
School  of  Pittsburgh  was  named  in  her 
honor.  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Cowley  were  the 
parents  of  the  following  children :  Eliza- 
beth Buchanan;  Mary  Helen,  died  in 
childhood ;  James  Buchanan,  also  died  in 
childhood ;  Mary  Marguerite,  died  in 
girlhood  ;  and  Eleanor,  died  in  infancy. 

Elizabeth  Buchanan  Cowley  received 
from  Vassar  College  the  degrees  of  Bach- 
elor of  Arts  and  Master  of  Arts  and  from 
Columbia  University  the  degree  of  Doc- 
tor of  Philosophy.  She  also  studied  at 
tlie  Chicago  University  and  at  the  Uni- 
versities of  Gottingen  and  Munich.  She 
has  l)een  a  teacher  in  the  jiublic  schools 
and  from  1902  to  191 2  was  an  instructor 
in  mathematics  at  Vassar  College,  where 
she  has  been,  since  1912,  assistant  pro- 
fessor of  mathematics.  She  has  contri- 
buted articles  to  mathematical  and  as- 
tronomical journals  and  is  assistant  editor 
of  the  "Revue  Semestrielle  des  Publica- 
tions  Mathematiques,"  Amsterdam,  Hol- 
land.      Miss     Cowley     belongs     to     the 


Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution 
and  the  National  Plant,  Flower  and  Fruit 
Guild,  is  secretary  of  the  Vassar  College 
Chapter  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa,  and  a 
member  of  the  American  Mathematical 
Society,  the  Deutsche  Mathematiker 
Vereinigung,  the  Circolo  Mathematico  di 
Palermo.  She  is  a  collaborator  of  the 
'■Revue  Semestrielle  des  Publications 
Mathematiques"  and  an  authority  on 
plane  algebraic  curves  and  the  definite 
orbit  of  comet  algebraic  curves.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  International  Congress 
of  Mathematicians  held  in  1912  at  Cam- 
bridge, England. 

In  his  family  relations  Dr.  Buchanan 
was  peculiarly  fortunate,  and  he  was  a 
man  to  whom  the  ties  of  home  and  friend- 
ship were  sacred  obligations.  It  was  the 
lot  of  this  useful  and  honored  man  to 
survive  all  his  local  professional  contem- 
poraries, and  when  he  passed  away  on 
September  21,  1909,  his  death  removed 
the  oldest  physician  in  Allegheny  county. 
He  was  mourned  by  all  classes  of  the 
community,  for  by  all  he  was  admired 
and  respected,  and  by  many  he  was  held 
in  deepest  love  and  gratitude. 

(The  Junkin  Line). 

The  Junkin  family  is  first  found  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Inverness,  Scotland,  and 
the  name  is  probably  of  Danish  origin, 
the  race  having  presumably  been  planted 
in  North  Britain  by  one  of  those  adven- 
turers who,  at  an  early  period,  took  pos- 
session of  parts  of  the  coast. 

Joseph  Junkin,  the  first  ancestor  of 
record,  was  of  County  Antrim,  Ireland. 
whither  his  parents  had  migrated  from 
Scotland  at  some  period  prior  to  the  revo- 
lution of  1688.  They  were  strict  Coven- 
anters and  left  their  country  for  con- 
science sake.  Joseph,  their  son,  emigrated 
in  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury to  the  American  colonies,  probably 
landing  at  New  Castle,  Delaware,  whence 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


he  found  his  way  to  Pennsylvania.  He 
married,  probably  where  Oxford,  Ches- 
ter county,  now  stands,  Elizabeth  Wal- 
lace, who  was  also  of  Scottish  parentage, 
at  least,  on  the  maternal  side,  her  mother 
having  gone  from  Scotland  to  London- 
derry, Ireland,  and  endured  the  horrors 
of  the  famous  siege  which,  successfully 
resisted,  gave  to  William  of  Orange  that 
vantage  in  Ireland  which  proved  to  be  so 
largely  instrumental  in  seating  him  se- 
curely upon  the  British  throne.  Joseph 
Junkin  and  his  wife  crossed  the  Susque- 
hanna river  at  Harris's  Ferry  (now  Har- 
risburg)  and  settled  in  Cumberland 
county.  Pennsylvania,  on  five  hundred 
acres  of  land  which  now  include  the  site 
of  the  tOAvn  of  Kingston.  On  this  land 
Joseph  Junkin  built  a  house  which  be- 
came the  home  of  his  family.  His  death 
occurred  in  1777  and  that  of  his  widow  in 
1796. 

Joseph  (2),  son  of  Joseph  (i)  and 
Elizabeth  (Wallace)  Jvmkin.  was  born  in 
1750,  on  his  father's  farm,  and  was  a  sol- 
dier of  the  Revolution.  In  1776  and  '77 
he  served  against  the  British  and  in  1778 
against  the  British  and  Indians  on  the 
upper  Juniata  frontier,  assisting  in  the 
erection  of  a  fort  near  the  site  of  Holli- 
daysburg.  His  service  of  1776  and  1777 
was  chiefly  in  New  Jersey,  and  in  the 
latter  year  he  commanded  a  company  of 
Cumberland  volunteers  in  the  battle  of 
Brandyvvine.  He  married,  May  24,  1779, 
the  Rev.  Alexander  Dobbin,  D.  D.,  offi- 
ciating. Eleanor,  daughter  of  John  and 
— — —  (Baird)  Cochran,  the  former  a 
native  of  the  north  of  Ireland,  though  of 
Scottish  descent,  and  the  ancestors  of  the 
latter  being  presumably  of  the  same  na- 
tionality. John  Cochran  settled,  about 
1750.  in  Pennsylvania,  he  and  his  wife  be- 
ing married  soon  after  their  arrival  in  the 
province,  and  their  daughter  Eleanor  was 
born  on  a  farm  near  the  present  site  of 
Waynesboro,  Franklin  county.     Mr.  and 


Mrs  Junkin  became  the  parents  of  the 
following  children  all  of  whom,  with  the 
exception  of  the  youngest,  were  born  in 
the  stone  house  erected  by  Joseph  Jun- 
kin, the  immigrant :  Elizabeth,  married 
Hon.  John  Findley,  of  Mercer  county, 
Pennsylvania ;  Eleanor,  became  the  wife 
of  Hon.  Walter  Oliver,  for  years  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature ; 
Joseph,  died  young:  John;  Joseph  (2); 
George,  who  became  a  clergyman ;  Wil- 
liam, died  in  childhood  ;  INIary,  mentioned 
below ;  Agnes,  married  (first)  Rev. 
James  Galloway,  first  pastor  of  Mercer, 
and  (second)  Hugh  Bingham,  father  of 
Hon.  John  A.  Bingham  ;  Benjamin,  twin 
to  one  who  died  in  infancy  unnamed ; 
William  Findley;  Matthew  Oliver;  and 
David. 

Mary,  daughter  of  Joseph  (2)  and 
Eleanor  (Cochran)  Junkin,  was  married, 
June  6,  181 2,  to  Rev.  George  Buchanan,  as 
stated  above. 


BUCHANAN,  John  Jenkins, 

Physiciaa,  Lawyer,  Professional  Instrnotor. 

Among  the  representative  surgeons  of 
the  state  of  Pennsylvania  is  Dr.  John 
Jenkins  Buchanan,  of  Pittsburgh. 

Dr.  Buchanan  was  born  September  15, 
1855,  in  Wellsville,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of 
the  late  Dr.  James  (ialloway  and  Aman- 
da Fitz-Allen  (Jenkins)  Buchanan.  A 
biography  of  Dr.  Buchanan's  father  ap- 
pears preceding  this  narrative  in  this 
work.  When  John  Jenkins  Buchanan 
was  about  ten  years  old  his  parents 
moved  to  Allegheny,  Pennsylvania,  now 
North  Side,  Pittsburgh,  and  his  prepara- 
tory education  was  received  in  the  schools 
of  the  Second  Ward  of  that  city.  He 
afterward  studied  at  the  Western  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania,  now  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pittsburgh,  graduating  in  1877 
with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  In 
1880  his  alma  mater  conferred  upon  him 

543 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  His  pro- 
fessional training  was  received  in  the 
medical  department  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  and  in  1881  he  was  made 
by  that  institution  Doctor  of  Medicine. 
In  1905  he  received  from  Washington  and 
Jefferson  College  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Philosophy. 

Immediately  after  graduation,  Dr. 
Buchanan  established  himself  in  Pitts- 
burgh as  a  general  practitioner,  giving  his 
attention  more  and  more  to  the  practice 
of  general  surgery  till  about  1897,  since 
when  his  whole  time  has  been  occupied 
with  surgical  practice.  In  1881-82  he  was 
resident  physician  at  the  Western  Penn- 
sylvania Hospital,  and  in  1892  he  became 
surgeon  to  the  Mercy  Hospital.  In  1901 
he  was  appointed  Professor  of  Surgery  in 
the  Western  Pennsylvania  Medical  Col- 
lege (later  merged  into  the  ^^ledical 
School  of  the  University  of  Pittsburgh), 
and  this  chair  he  still  occupies.  He  is  a 
frequent  contributor  to  medical  literature, 
is  a  member  of  the  Societe  Internationale 
de  Chirurgie,  a  fellow  of  the  American 
Surgical  Association,  a  member  of  the 
American  Medical  Association,  the  Amer- 
ican College  of  Surgeons,  the  Medical 
Society  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
the  Allegheny  County  Medical  Society. 

Politically  Dr.  Buchanan  is  a  Demo- 
crat, but  has  always  held  aloof  from  ac- 
tive participation  in  the  organization  of 
his  party,  having  neither  time  nor  inclin- 
ation for  public  affairs. 

Dr.  Buchanan  married,  June  30,  1887, 
Ellen,  daughter  of  David  A.  and  Mary 
(Aiken)  Grier,  of  Pittsburgh.  Mr.  Grier, 
who  was  engaged  in  the  wholesale  gro- 
cery business,  died  in  i860.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Buchanan  are  the  parents  of  two  sons: 
John  Grier,  born  July  24,  1888;  and  Ed- 
win Porter,  born  June  7,  1890. 

John  Grier  Buchanan  was  educated  at 
Liberty  School,  Shady  Side  Academy  and 
Princeton  University,  graduating  in  1905 


from  the  academy,  and  in  1909  receiving 
from  the  university  the  degree  of  Bach- 
elor of  Arts.  In  1912  he  graduated  from 
the  Harvard  Law  School,  and  is  now  as- 
sociated with  the  law  firm  of  Gordon  & 
Smith,  Pittsburgh.  During  his  course  in 
the  Harvard  Law  School,  Mr.  Buchanan 
in  two  successive  years  was  awarded  the 
'"Sears  Prize,"  a  distinction  which  is  con- 
ferred for  excellence  of  work  on  but  four 
students  in  the  entire  school.  During  his 
junior  and  senior  years  he  was  one  of  the 
editorial  board  of  the  "Harvard  Law  Re- 
view," a  legal  publication  of  such  high 
order,  that,  although  conducted  by  under- 
graduates, it  receives  the  serious  consid- 
eration of  the  most  eminent  members  of 
the  bar. 

Mr.  Buchanan  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  faculty  of  the  Law  Department  of 
the  University  of  Pittsburgh  and  con- 
ducts the  course  in  "Conflict  of  Laws." 

Edwin  Porter  Buchanan  received  his 
preparatory  education  at  Liberty  and 
Fulton  schools,  and  in  1908  graduated 
from  Shady  Side  Academy.  In  1909  he 
entered  Princeton  University  and  was 
graduated  in  191 3.  He  is  now  attending 
the  Harvard  ^Medical  School,  class  of 
1917. 


MOVER,  Irwin  Justus, 

Physician.  Professional  Instructor. 

The  name  of  Dr.  Irwin  Justus  Moyer 
stands  high  on  the  list  of  those  who  have 
for  more  than  a  score  of  years  been  num- 
bered among  Pittsburgh's  leading  repre- 
sentatives of  the  medical  profession.  By 
birth  and  paternal  ancestry  Dr.  Moyer  is 
a  Pennsylvanian  of  old  colonial  stock  and 
German  blood,  while  on  his  mother's  side 
his  lineage  is  of  ancient  French  origin, 
and  he  also  numbers  among  his  progeni- 
tors one  of  that  heroic  band  of  English- 
men who  have  come  down  in  history  as 
the  Pilgrim  Fathers. 

544 


Er. CYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Jacob  Moyer,  founder  of  the  American 
branch  of  the  family,  came  in  1742  from 
Switzerland  to  the  province  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  was  accompanied  by  his 
widowed  mother,  one  sister,  and  three 
brothers — William,  Henry  and  Peter.  All 
were  natives  of  Switzerland,  but  during 
the  year  previous  to  their  emigration  had 
been  the  guests  of  connections  in  Ger- 
many, the  original  home  of  the  family, 
whence  they  had  been  exiled  by  the  State 
Reformed  Church.  \\'illiam.  Henry  and 
Peter  settled  on  land  which  was  then  in- 
cluded in  Bucks  county,  Peter  takmg  up 
his  abode  in  Springfield  township,  and 
aiding  in  founding  the  Alennonite  church 
in  Bucks  county.  Jacob,  the  progenitor 
of  the  Pittsburgh  branch  of  the  family, 
settled  in  Centre  Valley,  Lehigh  county, 
where,  as  shown  by  the  records,  he  was 
granted,  on  March  4,  1749,  a  tract  of  one 
hundred  acres,  an  additional  one  hundred 
acres  being  granted  to  him  December  6, 
1749.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  also  preached 
in  the  jNIennonite  church  which  he  was 
instrumental  in  founding  in  Lehigh  coun- 
ty. He  married,  and  among  his  children 
was  a  son  named  Philip.  The  descend- 
ants of  the  brothers  Moyer  are  found  in 
Bucks,  Berks  and  Lehigh  counties,  where 
the  name  is  common  and  was,  as  appears 
from  early  records,  at  one  time  spelled 
IMeyer  by  certain  members  of  the  family. 

(H)  Philip,  son  of  Jacob  Aloyer,  was 
born  about  1750,  in  Lehigh  county,  and 
served  in  the  Continental  army,  enlisting 
in  the  Eighth  Company  of  the  Sixth  Bat- 
talion, Pennsylvania  Line.  He  was  far 
from  being  the  only  one  of  the  name  to 
thus  evince  his  loyalty  to  the  adopted 
country  of  his  ancestors.  On  June  25, 
1775,  Adam,  Christian  and  Michael  Moyer 
also  enlisted  in  the  Continental  army,  and 
were  sent  to  Cambridge,  Massachusetts, 
Adam  and  Christian  serving  under  Cap- 
tain George  Xegley.  It  is  recorded  in 
the    "Proceedings    of    the    Pennsylvania 


German  Society"  that  there  has  been  pub- 
lished an  account  of  finding  in  a  closet 
of  the  old  White  Horse  Tavern,  when  it 
was  remodeled  in  1884,  the  only  muster 
roll  of  the  company  commanded  by  Cap- 
tain Benjamin  Weiser  in  the  Revolution- 
ary War.  It  is  dated  October  3,  1776, 
and  in  it  is  to  be  found  the  name  of  Ever- 
hart  ]\Ioyer.  In  civil  life,  too,  the  IMoyers 
have  shown  a  patriotic  spirit.  The  ear- 
lier histories  of  the  State  and  its  counties 
have  the  name  of  Casper  Moyer,  who  in 
1813  served  as  a  grand  juryman  in  the 
quarter  sessions  court  of  Lehigh  county. 
In  the  list  of  patrons  of  the  first  history 
of  Lehigh  county,  dated  1844,  appear  the 
names  of  Samuel  Moyer,  Robert  B. 
]\Ioyer.  of  Salisburg  township,  and  Major 
Daniel  ]\Ioyer,  of  South  Whitehall  town- 
ship. In  1826  Samuel  Aloyer  served  in 
the  Pennsylvania  legislature,  and  among 
the  residents  named  on  the  tax  roll  of 
1812  we  find  the  names  of  Abraham, 
Henry,  Sr.,  Henry,  Jr.,  and  William 
]\Io}-er.  To  return  to  Philip  ]Moyer,  son 
of  Jacob,  the  immigrant,  it  appears  that 
he  married,  and  that  one  of  his  children 
was  a  son  named  George. 

(Ill)  George,  son  of  Philip  Moyer,  was 
born  about  1780,  in  Lehigh  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  married,  about  1802,  Sus- 
annah Hoobler,  who  was  born  in  Decem- 
ber, 1789.  .A.bout  the  time  of  their  mar- 
riage, George  and  his  wife  moved  to  ]\Ier- 
cer  county,  Peennsylvania,  where  the  for- 
mer passed  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
There  were  born  to  them  the  following 
thirteen  children :  Edward,  married  a 
Stafiford  ;  Charles,  married  Nancy  Hayes, 
and  they  had  three  children :  Watson, 
Wesley  and  IMary ;  Susan,  born  Novem- 
ber 30,  1819,  married  Clark  Dunham,  and 
had  eight  children  (see  Dunham  gene- 
alogy) ;  Hannah,  born  in  181 1,  married 
George  Frey,  and  had  eight  children ; 
William,  mentioned  below;  Polly,  mar 
ried  Frank  Veul;  Joseph,  died  unmarried  ; 


1545 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Eliza,  died  in  infancy;  Peter,  born  in  1815, 
killed  at  the  age  of  twenty-five,  unmar- 
ried ;  Deborah,  married  John  Stafford  and 
had  nine  children  ;  Jonas,  married  Mary 
Black  and  had  one  child,  ]Mrs.  Nora  Ida 
Barrett;  George,  born  in  1S26,  married 
Amanda  Thompson  and  had  five  chil- 
dren; and  Mary  Ann,  born  July  19,  1828, 
married  William  Woodel,  a  soldier  of  the 
Civil  War,  and  had  three  children,  all  of 
whom  are  married — Airs.  jNIartha  Gibson. 
Mrs.  Susan  McDaniel  and  Emma,  who 
became  the  wife  of  William  Jones. 
George  Moyer,  the  father  of  this  large 
family,  died  in  1845,  at  Sharpsville,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  his  widow  survived  him 
more  than  a  cjuarter  of  a  century,  passing 
away  July  11,  1871,  in  Iowa. 

(IV)  \A'illiam,  son  of  George  and  Sus- 
annah (Hoobler)  Moyer,  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1813,  in  Lehigh  county,  in  1835 
settled  near  Greenville,  fiercer  county, 
and  during  the  remainder  of  his  long  and 
useful  life  devoted  himself  successfully  to 
agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  the  in- 
cumbent of  various  ofifices  in  West  Salem 
township,  and  always  took  a  particular 
interest  in  educational  matters.  In  politics 
he  was  first  a  Whig  and  later  a  Republi- 
can. He  was  an  earnest  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Mr.  Moyer 
married,  April  6,  1837,  Agnes  Nancy, 
daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Mary  (Clark) 
Dunham.  The  Dunham  genealogy,  ap- 
pended to  this  biography,  traces  from 
Pepin  d'Heristal,  a  ruler  of  the  Franks, 
his  son,  Charles  Martel,  his  grandson. 
Pepin  le  Bref,  and  his  great-grandson, 
Charlemagne.  The  Dunham  line  is  allied 
with  the  Fuller  line,  which  traces  from 
Edward  Fuller,  who  came  over  on  the 
"Mayflower."  The  Fuller  genealogy  and 
coat-of-arms  are  also  appended  to  this 
biography.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moyer  were  the 
parents  of  the  following  children  :  George, 
born  January  11.  1838,  died  unmarried,  at 
twenty;  Peter,  born  in  1839,  died  in  1904, 


unmarried  ;  Sanford  J.,  mentioned  below  ; 
Jonathan,  born  December,  1844,  died  in 
1879,  married;  James  S.,  mentioned  be- 
low ;  Jerusha,  born  in  1849,  died  in  1871  ; 
Emma,  born  in  1852.  died  in  1876;  Xar- 
ina,  born  in  1854,  died  in  infancy ;  and 
Irwin  Justus,  mentioned  below.  The 
death  of  William  Moyer,  the  father,  oc- 
curred February  21,  18S8. 

(V)  Sanford  J.,  son  of  William  and 
Agnes  Nancy  (Dunham)  Moyer,  was 
born  September  16,  1841,  and  served  in 
the  Civil  War,  enlisting  in  1862  in  Com- 
I">any  G,  nth  Regiment  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  In  one  of  the  battles  in 
which  he  participated,  the  bursting  of  a 
shell  caused  the  loss  of  one  of  his  eyes. 
He  was  promoted  to  regimental  quarter- 
master, and  his  entire  term  of  service 
covered  three  years.  Upon  its  expiration 
he  returned  to  Mercer  county,  subse- 
quently removing  to  Iowa,  where  he  stud- 
ied law  and  afterward  practiced.  While 
living  in  that  State  he  married,  and  the 
later  j^ears  of  his  life  were  passed  in 
Pueblo,  Colorado,  where  he  practiced  his 
profession  until  his  death,  which  occur- 
red September  27,  1902. 

(V)  James  S.,  son  of  William  and 
Agnes  Nancy  (Dunham)  Moyer,  was 
born  June  10,  1846,  and  in  1864,  before 
he  had  yet  completed  his  eighteenth  year, 
enlisted  in  Company  F,  199th  Regiment 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  and  served  to 
the  end  of  the  Civil  War.  He  married, 
in  March,  1867,  Mary  Welk,  of  Green- 
ville, Pennsylvania,  and  there  were  born 
to  them  eight  children,  all  of  whom  grew 
to  maturity,  two  of  them,  however,  hav- 
ing passed  away  since  the  death  of  their 
father.  All  the  remaining  six  are  pros- 
perous and  five  of  them  are  married ; 
George  J.,  of  Mansfield.  Ohio,  married 
and  has  eight  children  ;  Jeanette,  married 
Frederick  Foltz,  who  died  in  1909,  leav- 
ing five  children,  and  the  widow  mar- 
ried, two  or  three  years  later,  a  Mr.  New- 

54^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ton,  of  Youngstown,  Ohio;  William  D., 
of  Warren,  Ohio,  married,  and  has  six 
children;  Maud,  married  David  Smith,  of 
Geneva,  Pennsylvania,  and  has  four  chil- 
dren ;  Irwin  J.,  lives  w^ith  his  widowed 
mother  in  Warren,  Ohio;  and  Pearl,  mar- 
ried T.  H.  Whitehouse,  and  lives  in 
Youngstown,  Ohio.  James  S.  Moyer.  the 
father,  died  at  Greenville,  Pennsylvania, 
August  24,  1903. 

(V)  Dr.  Irwin  Justus  Moyer,  son  of 
William  and  Agnes  Nancy  (Dunham) 
Moyer,  was  born  September  5,  1858,  in 
Mercer  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  re- 
ceived his  preparatory  education  in  the 
common  schools,  passing  thence  to 
Mount  Union  College,  and  graduating  in 
1882  from  the  Edinboro  Normal  School. 
He  then  entered  the  Medical  School  of 
the  Western  Reserve  University,  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  graduating  in  1886  with  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  After  do- 
ing hospital  work  for  a  year  he  took  a 
post-graduate  course  at  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania. 

On  August  16,  1888,  Dr.  jMoyer  opened 
an  office  in  Pittsburgh,  and  has  since  de- 
voted himself  in  that  city  to  the  general 
practice  of  his  profession.  For  eleven 
years  he  resided  downtown,  but  in  1896 
moved  to  Oakland.  He  rapidly  rose  into 
prominence  as  a  skillful  and  learned  prac- 
titioner of  the  highest  integrity,  and  has 
long  been  in  possession  of  an  extensive 
clientele.  He  is  Assistant  Professor  of 
Clinical  Medicine  in  the  ]\Iedical  Depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Pittsburgh,  and 
belongs  to  the  staff  of  the  Mercy  Hos- 
pital. 

In  the  midst  of  incessant  professional 
activity,  the  pen  of  Dr.  Moyer  has  not 
been  idle.  From  time  to  time  he  has 
contributed  to  medical  journals  articles 
which  have  been  commended  by  the  pro- 
fession and  favorably  received  by  the 
laity.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  the 
Academy  of  Medicine,  of  which  he  was  at 

I 


one  time  president,  and  also  holds  mem- 
bership in  the  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciation, the  Pennsylvania  State  Medical 
Society,  and  the  Allegheny  County  Medi- 
cal Society.  In  politics  Dr.  Moyer  main- 
tains the  traditions  of  his  family,  being  a 
staunch  Republican,  and  he  also  evinces 
a  full  share  of  the  public  spirit  which  has 
ever  been  a  characteristic  of  the  race.  He 
affiliates  with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and 
belongs  to  the  Society  of  Descendants  of 
the  Mayflower,  the  University  Club,  and 
the  Phi  Beta  Phi  college  fraternity.  He 
is  a  member  and  trustee  of  the  Oakland 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Nothing 
about  Dr.  Moyer  is  insignificant.  He  is 
one  of  those  men  in  whom  everything 
tends  to  reveal  character.  Were  a 
stranger  to  ask  for  a  description  of  his 
personality  it  could,  perhaps,  be  best 
given  in  these  words :  He  is  a  physician 
and  a  gentleman. 

The  marriage  of  Dr.  Moyer.  on  April 
19,  1892,  to  Lillian,  daughter  of  John  and 
Mary  A.  Carter,  of  Preston,  England,  in- 
sured for  him  that  domestic  felicity  which 
forms  so  indispensable  an  element  in  the 
life  of  a  hard-working  and  devoted  physi- 
cian. Dr.  and  Mrs.  Moyer  have  been  the 
parents  of  three  sons :  W^illiam  Irwin, 
born  July  7,  1893,  attended  Pittsburgh 
public  schools,  and  will  graduate  from 
the  University  of  Pittsburgh  with  the 
class  of  1915  ;  Joseph  C,  born  December 
II.  1894,  died  in  1895;  and  Sanford  I., 
born  December  26,  1896,  educated  in 
Pittsburgh  public  schools,  and  now  at- 
tending Pittsburgh  High  School.  The 
gracious  tactfulness  of  Mrs.  Moyer,  who 
is  a  member  of  the  Civic  Club,  invests 
with  rare  charm  the  hospitality  which 
she  and  her  husband  delight  to  extend  to 
their  many  friends. 

The  career  of  Dr.  Moyer  furnishes  a 
striking  instance  of  the  force  of  heredity. 
Nowhere  has  that  potent  factor  in  the 
lives  of  nations  and  individuals  been  more 

547 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


notably  exemplified  than  in  our  own  land 
where  the  varying  characteristics  of  dif- 
ferent races  have  met  and  mingled.  In 
the  case  of  Dr.  Mover  the  deep  nature  of 
the  steadfast  German,  the  gracious  and 
graceful  talents  of  the  brilliant  French- 
man and  the  immemorial  independence 
of  the  indomitable  Englishman  have  all 
gone  to  the  making  of  an  able  exponent 
of  twentieth  century  medical  science — a 
highminded  Pittsburgh  physician. 

(Uoyal  Pedigree  of  Dr.  I.   J.  Moyer). 

(I)  Pepin  d'Heristal,  a  ruler  of  the 
Franks,  born  about  650,  died  714,  grand- 
son of  Pepin  Landen. 

(II)  Charles  Alartel,  natural  son  of 
Pepin  d'Heristal,  Duke  of  Austria,  born 
about  690,  died  741. 

(III)  Pepin,  "The  Short,"  King  of  the 
Franks,  born  715,  died  768. 

(IV)  Charlemagne,  or  Charles  the 
Great,  a  great  king  of  the  Franks,  and 
emperor  of  the  Romans,  born  April  2, 
742  or  747,  died  January  28,  814;  his 
queen  was  Desiderata,  daughter  of  De- 
siderius.  King  of  Lombard. 

(V)  Louis  le  Debonnaire,  sur.  "Le- 
Pieux,"  King  of  France,  reckoned  as 
Charles  I. ;  born  778,  died  June  20,  840 ; 
emperor  of  the  Holy  Roman  Empire,  814- 
840;  his  wife  Judith. 

(VI)  Charles  II.  sur.  "The  Bald,"  King 
of  France  and  emperor  of  the  Romans, 
born  June  13,  823,  at  Frankfort-on-the- 
Main,  died  October  6,  877;  wife  was  Od- 
giwe. 

(VII)  Yisela,  daughter  of  above,  be- 
came the  wife  of  Rolf  the  Norseman,  who 
came  to  Normandy  about  860.  and  was 
first  Duke  of  Normandv. 

(VIII)  William  "Longsword,"  second 
Duke  of  Normandy,  born  about  943. 

(IX)  Richard  "The  Fearless,"  third 
Duke  of  Normandy  ;  reigned  more  than 
fifty  years  died  996. 

(X)  Richard  "The  Good,"  fourth  Duke 
of  Normandy;  died  1026. 

I 


(XI)  Richard,  fifth  Duke  of  Nor- 
mandy; died  1028;  wife  was  Judith. 

(XII)  Robert  "The  Magnificent,"  sixth 
Duke  of  Normandy;  died  1035. 

(XIII)  William  "The  Conqueror,"  sev- 
enth Duke  of  Normandy  and  King  of 
England;  born  1027;  died  1087;  his  wife 
was  Maud  (sometimes  called  Matilda) 
daughter  of  Baldwin,  fifth  Count  of  Flan- 
ders;  she  born  about  1031  and  died  1083. 

(XIV)  Henry  I.,  King  of  England; 
died  1 135,  in  Normandy,  aged  67,  and  was 
buried  in  the  Abbey  Church  at  Reading; 
married,  iioi,  Maud  (sometimes  called 
Matilda)  who  died  11 18,  daughter  of  Mal- 
colm Canmose,  King  of  Scotland,  son  of 
Duncan  I. 

(XV)  Maud  (daughter  of  Henry  I.), 
died  1 1 67;  she  married  Geofifrey  Planta- 
genet,  who  died  1150;  he  Count  of  Anjou 
and  son  of  Fulk,  King  of  Jerusalem. 

(XVI)  Henry  II.,  King  of  England, 
born  1 133,  died  1 189 ;  wife  was  Eleanor, 
daughter  of  Duke  of  Aquitaine  ;  she  died 
1204. 

(XV^II)  John,  King  of  England;  Mag- 
na Charta ;  1215  A.  D.,  John  by  the  Grace 
of  God,  King  of  England,  Lord  of  Ire- 
land, Duke  of  Normandy  and  Aquitaine, 
"Count  of  Anjou;"  died  1216;  married 
1200,  Isabel,  daughter  of  Aymer,  Count 
of  Angouleme  and  Alicia;  granddaughter 
of  Louis  VI.,  of  France;  died  1245. 

(XVIII)  Henry  III.,  King  of  England; 
died  1272,  married,  1236,  Eleanor,  daugh- 
ter of  Berenger,  Count  of  Provence. 

(XIX)  Edward  I.,  King  of  England; 
born  June  17,  1239;  reigned  1272-1307; 
died  July  7,  1307;  married  Eleanor, 
daughter  of  Ferdinand  HI.,  King  of  Cas- 
tile ;  she  died  1290. 

(XX)  Joan  Plantagenet,  second  daugh- 
ter of  Edward  I.  and  Eleanor,  daughter 
of  Ferdinand  HI.,  King  of  Castile,  died 
1305;  married  Gilbert  DeCIare,  Earl  of 
Gloucester,  who  died  1293. 

(XXI)  Margaret       DeClare,       second 
548 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


daughter  of  Gilbert  DeClare,  Earl  of 
Gloucester,  died  1342;  married  Hugh  de 
Audley,    Earl    of    Gloucester,    who    died 

1347- 

(XXII)  Margaret  de  Audley,  wife  of 
Ralph  Stafford,  first  Earl  of  Stafford,  and 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  Order  of  the 
Garter ;  he  died  1372. 

(XXIII)  Hugh  Staft'ord,  second  Earl 
of  Stafford,  born  1342.  died  September  26, 
13S6;  wife  was  Phillipa,  daughter  of 
Thomas  Beauchamp,  eleventh  Earl  of 
Warwick;  she  died  1369. 

(XXIV)  Edmund  Stafford,  fifth  Earl 
of  Stafford,  died  July  21,  1403;  wife  was 
Anne,  daughter  of  Thomas,  Duke  of 
Gloucester,  and  Eleanor  Bohum ;  daugh- 
ter of  the  Earl  of  Hereford  and  grand- 
daughter of  Edward  HI. 

(XXV)  Sir  Humphrey  Stafford,  first 
Duke  of  Buckingham,  born  1402,  died 
1460;  wife  was  Anna,  daughter  of  Ralph 
Neville,  first  Earl  of  Westmoreland  ;  she 
died  September  20,  1440. 

(XXVI)  Margaret  Stafford,  born  1438, 
became  the  wife  of  Robert  Dunham,  born 
1430  (see  Dunham  line). 

(Dunham  Line). 

(I)  Rychert  Dunham,  born  1294,  set- 
tled in  Devonshire,  England. 

(H)  Robert  Dunham,  born  13 18,  son 
of  above. 

(HI)  Robert  Dunham,  son  of  above 
Robert,  born  1348. 

(IV)  Gregoire  Dunham,  son  of  Robert 
(2),  was  born  1382;  married  Elizabeth 
Maryage,  of  Danby. 

(V)  Robert  Dunham,  born  1430,  son  of 
Gregoire  and  Elizabeth  (Maryage)  Dun- 
ham ;  married  Margaret  Stafford,  daugh- 
ter of  Sir  Humphrey  Stafford,  born  1435, 
first  Duke  of  Buckingham  and  his  wife, 
Anna,  daughter  of  Ralph  Neville  (first 
Earl  of  Westmoreland). 

(VI)  Sir  John  Dunham,  son  of  above, 
born  1460;  married  Elizabeth  Bowett, 
daughter  of  Sir  Nicholas  Bowett  and  Eliz- 


abeth La  Zouche.  Elizabeth  Bowett  was 
direct  descendant  from  Earl  William  de 
Berg,  an  xA.nglo-Norman  Lord  of  Con- 
naught,  Duke  of  Jetland  and  Earl  of  Ul- 
ster, who  died  1332,  who  married  Aland, 
daughter  of  Henry,  Earl  of  Lancaster, 
and  granddaughter  of  Edward  ist. 

(VH)  Ralph  Dunham,  born  1526,  son 
of  above,  married  Elizabeth  Wentworth, 
born  about  1536,  daughter  of  Sir  Thomas 
Wentworth ;  she  was  in  direct  descent 
from  John  Wentworth,  of  North  Elmsall, 
who  was  born  1397,  and  married  Mar- 
gery, daughter  of  Sir  Philip  Spenser  and 
his  wife,  Elizabeth  Tibot,  Lord  of  the 
Manor  of  Nettlestead,  Sir  Thomas  Went- 
worth, father  of  Elizabeth  Wentworth. 
was  styled  the  Knight  of  the  Reforma- 
tion. 

(VIII)  Thomas  Dunham,  son  of  above, 
was  born  1560,  and  married  Janet  Brom- 
ley. 

(IX)  John  Dunham,  born  15S9,  at 
Scrooby,  England,  son  of  above,  married 
.\bigail  Barlow ;  first  Dunham  to  come  to 
America;  was  one  of  deputies  of  the  Gen- 
eral Court  of  Plymouth. 

(X)  Benajah  Dunham,  son  of  above, 
born  1640,  at  Plymouth,  Massachusetts; 
about  1672  he  migrated  with  his  family  to 
New  Jersey;  died  December  24,  1680; 
married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Edmund 
Tilson. 

(XI)  Rev.  Edmund  Dunham,  son  of 
above,  born  July  25,  1661,  died  March  17, 
1734:  married,  July  15,  1681,  Mary  Bon- 
ham,  daughter  of  Nicholas  Bonham,  of' 
Massachusetts;  she  born  October  4.  1661, 
died  1742  (see  Fuller  line). 

(XII)  Rev.  Jonathan  Dunham,  son  of 
above,  born  August  16,  1693,  died  March 
10,  1777,  in  Piscataway,  New  Jersey; 
married,  August  5,  1714,  Joan  Piatt,  born 
1695,  died  September  15,  1779,  she  of 
Huguenot  descent. 

(XIII)  David  Dunham,  born  October 
14,   1723,  son  of  above;  he  married  Re- 

549 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


becca  Dunn,  who  died  August  30,  1734- 
David  Dunham  died  October  6,  1806. 

(XIV)  Jonathan  Dunham,  born  1751. 
son  of  above,  married  Sarah  Lenox. 

(X\')  Jonathan  Dunham,  born  Decem- 
ber 25,  1775,  son  of  above;  died  March 
6,  1856;  married  Mary  Clark,  June  23, 
1801  ;  she  born  February  11,  1783,  died 
April  15,  1869.     Their  daughter, 

(XVI)  Agnes  Nancy  Dunham,  born 
June  30.  1814,  died  December  20,  1859, 
married,  April  6,  1837,  William  Moyer, 
born  February  2,  1813,  died  February  21, 
1888  ;  their  son  was 

(XVII)  Irwin  Justus  Moyer  (subject 
of  this  memoir). 

(FuUer  Line). 

(I)  Edward  Fuller,  who  came  over  on 
the  "Mayflower,"  his  son  was 

(II)  Samuel  Fuller,  who  married  Jane 
Lothrop,  and  had 

(III)  Hannah  Fuller,  born  at  Scituate, 
Massachusetts,  June  9,  1638,  died  at  Pis- 
cataway,  New  Jersey ;  married  at  Barn- 
stable, Massachusetts,  January  i,  1658, 
Nicholas  Bonham,  born  at  Barnstable, 
Massachusetts,  died  at  Piscataway,  New 
Jersey,  July  20.  1684;  their  daughter 

(IV)  Mary  Bonham,  born  at  Barn- 
stable, Massachusetts,  October  4,  1661, 
died  at  Piscataway,  New  Jersey,  July, 
1742;  married,  July  15,  1681,  Rev.  Ed- 
mund Dunham  (see  Dunham  line,  gen- 
eration XI). 

Fuller  arms :  Argent,  three  bars  gules, 
on  a  canton  of  the  second  a  castle  or. 
Crest :  A  dexter  arm  embowed,  vested 
argent,  cufifed  sable,  holding  in  the  hand 
proper  a  sword  of  the  first,  hilt  and  pom- 
mel or.     Motto:     "Scml^cr  paratus." 


RINEHART,  William, 

Enterprising  Business  Man,  TTsefnl  Citizen. 

For  more  than  a  century  the  name  of 
Rinehart  has  been  identified  with  Pitts- 
burgh  and  the  records   of  a   number  of 

I 


members  of  this  distinguished  family  are 
part  of  the  city's  history.  Before  our  re- 
trospective imagination  rises  the  vision  of 
the  little  frontier  town,  with  its  infant 
industries,  its  limited  political  and  re- 
ligious interests  and  its  nascent  social 
life,  and  with  this  vision  rises,  in  vivid 
realization,  the  forms  of  the  men  who 
were  pioneers  in  the  development  of  these 
elements,  laying  the  foundation  on  which 
their  successors  have  reared  the  mighty 
city  of  the  present  time.  Conspicuous 
among  the  leaders  of  that  early  and  most 
momentous  period  was  the  late  William 
Rinehart,  of  the  celebrated  old  firm  of 
W.  &  D.  Rinehart,  and  influentially  iden- 
tified with  the  religious  and  philanthro- 
pic interests  of  Pittsburgh.  Air.  Rine- 
hart was,  in  fact,  associated  with  every 
movement  which  in  his  judgment  made 
for  the  welfare  and  advancement  of  the 
city  of  which  he  was  an  almost  lifelong 
resident. 

Frederick  Rinehart,  founder  of  the 
American  branch  of  the  family,  was  a 
native  of  Germany,  and  in  1690  emigrated 
to  Pennsylvania,  taking  up  his  abode  in 
Philadelphia,  and  later  becoming  one  of 
the  original  settlers  of  Germantown. 

David  Rinehart,  son  of  another  Fred- 
erick Rinehart,  and  a  descendant  of  the 
immigrant,  was  born  July  25,  1779.  in 
Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  whence  he 
migrated  in  1805  to  Pittsburgh,  where  he 
opened  a  store  on  Penn  avenue,  and  be- 
came known  as  one  of  the  prosperous 
merchants  of  the  city.  He  married  Mary 
Mahood,  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  born 
February  14,  1784,  in  County  Armagh, 
Ireland.  Mary  Mahood  came  to  the 
United  States  in  January.  1801.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Rinehart  were  the  parents  of  two 
sons :  William,  mentioned  below ;  and 
David,  born  September  23,  1810,  died  in 
1881.  The  latter  years  of  Mr.  Rinehart's 
life  were  spent  as  a  farmer  in  Allegheny 
county,  and  it  was  there  he  died,  Novem- 
550 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ber  7,  1S59,  his  widow  passing  away  Jan- 
uary II,  1S71.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rine- 
hart  were  members  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church. 

William,  son  of  David  and  Mary  (Ma- 
hood)  Rinehart,  was  born  October  i, 
1808,  between  the  boundaries  of  Pitts- 
burgh and  McKeesport,  and  while  he  was 
still  a  young  child  his  parents  removed  to 
the  city  proper.  It  was  in  the  schools  of 
Pittsburgh  that  the  boy  received  his  edu- 
cation, and  his  first  employment  was  a 
clerkship  in  the  Pittsburgh  post  office. 
Later  he  was  employed  in  the  store  of 
Moses  Atwood,  and  it  was  there  that  he 
first  developed  that  unusual  talent  for 
business  which  distinguished  him  to  the 
close  of  his  long  and  useful  life. 

In  1836,  Mr.  Rinehart,  in  association 
with  his  brother  David,  organized  the 
firm  of  W.  &  D.  Rinehart,  tobacco  manu- 
facturers. Their  first  place  of  business 
was  situated  in  Seventh  street,  on  the 
present  site  of  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association  building,  and  later  they 
removed  to  a  structure  on  Wood  street, 
opposite  McCreery's  store.  After  remain- 
ing there  for  a  long  time  they  purchased 
a  warehouse  on  Short  and  Water  streets. 
From  the  outset  the  enterprise  was  suc- 
cessful, the  concern  becoming  a  leader  in 
its  own  special  line.  Its  prosperity  was 
largely  due  to  the  capable  management 
and  sound  judgment  of  the  senior  part- 
ner. As  a  business  man,  Mr.  Rinehart 
was  in  many  respects  a  model,  just  and 
kind  to  his  subordinates  and  associates 
and  of  absolutely  unblemished  integrity. 
He  was  one  of  the  founders  and  a  direc- 
tor of  the  Pittsburgh  Insurance  Com- 
pany. 

While  never  seeking  to  figure  promi- 
nently in  any  public  light,  Mr.  Rinehart 
took  an  active  interest  in  municipal  af- 
fairs, and  in  1849  was  elected  member  of 
the  Select  Council  from  the  Fourth  Ward. 
In  1854  he  was  nominated  by  the  Native 


American  party  for  the  office  of  mayor  of 
Pittsburgh.  In  1868  he  became  manager 
of  the  House  of  Refuge,  and  he  also 
served  as  a  director  of  the  Morganza  Re- 
form School.  His  discharge  of  duty  in 
all  these  positions  of  public  trust  was 
such  as  reflected  honor  on  himself  and 
gave  the  utmost  satisfaction  to  his  fellow 
citizens. 

In  politics  Mr.  Rinehart  was  a  staunch 
Republican,  and  was  frequently  consulted 
on  matters  of  municipal  importance. 
Widely  charitable,  so  desirous  was  he  of 
avoiding  the  slightest  semblance  of  os- 
tentation that  the  full  number  of  his  bene- 
factions will  in  all  probability  never  be 
known  to  the  world.  He  was  one  of  the 
original  members  of  the  First  Methodist 
Protestant  Church,  near  the  corner  of 
Fifth  avenue  and  Smithfield  street,  and 
was  prominently  associated  with  its  work 
and  support. 

The  ripe  and  varied  experience  of  Mr. 
Rinehart,  combined  with  his  judicial  mind 
and  his  careful  observation  of  men  and 
events,  made  him  at  all  times  the  trusted 
counsellor  of  his  friends,  both,  young  and 
old,  who  sought  his  aid  in  the  settlement 
of  doubts  and  disputes,  the  adjustment 
of  differences,  and  the  accomplishment  of 
reconciliations.  He  seemed  always,  in  his 
ardor  for  progress  and  improvement,  like 
an  incarnation  of  the  spirit  of  his  century. 
Those  who  were  familiar  with  his  fine 
personal  appearance  cannot  fail  to  remem- 
ber how  well  it  illustrated  his  character. 
His  countenance  bore  the  imprint  of  the- 
traits  which  made  him  what  he  was  and 
his  eyes  were  the  eyes  of  a  man  who  has 
seen  and  thought  and  done.  His  presence 
was  felt  as  that  of  a  doer,  one  of  those 
who  constitute  the  bulwark  of  the 
strength  and  development  of  great  cities. 

Mr.  Rinehart  married  (first)  October 
6,  1835,  Mary  Ann,  daughter  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Brannon)  Ing,  of  Pittsburgh. 
Mr.  Ing  was  a  member  of  a   Baltimore 


1551 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


family  of  English  origin.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Rinehart  were  the  parents  of  the  follow- 
ing children:  Edward  Everett;  William, 
deceased;  Alfred,  also  deceased;  Clarence 
C,  a  prominent  Pittsburgh  physician ; 
Frank  Atwood,  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
the  Standard  Underground  Cable  Com- 
pany; David,  died  young;  Frederick,  of 
Butte,  Montana;  Mary,  died  young; 
Charles  Thomas,  also  died  young;  and 
Harry,  born  December  29,  1855,  was  in 
printing  business  in  Pittsburgh,  and  died 
August  9,  1879.  Mrs.  Rinehart,  who  was 
born  September  8,  1816,  in  Pittsburgh, 
died  June  15,  i860,  and  Mr.  Rinehart  mar- 
ried (second)  September  20,  1864,  Mrs. 
Louisa  A.  Hancock,  born  September  17, 
1831.  sister  of  the  late  John  J.  Gillespie, 
of  Pittsburgh.  By  this  marriage  Mr. 
Rinehart  became  the  father  of  two  chil- 
dren :  Stanley  Marshall,  born  January  25, 
1867,  a  well  known  Pittsburgh  physician, 
married  Mary  Roberts,  of  that  city  and 
has  children  ;  and  Lulie,  died  in  infancy. 
Mrs.  Rinehart  died  February  25,  1868, 
and  Mr.  Rinehart  married  (third)  No- 
vember 17,  1869,  Mrs.  IMargaret  Alsbrook, 
of  Washington,  D.  C,  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  McFarland,  of  Virginia.  Mrs. 
Rinehart  died  May  24,  1872,  and  Mr. 
Rinehart  married  (fourth)  Jane  Elliott 
Ogden,  daughter  of  Robert  Smith  and 
Rebecca  H.  (Henderson)  Smith,  and 
widow  of  Dr.  Samuel  M.  Ogden,  of 
Blairsville,  Pennsylvania. 

Edward  Everett  Rinehart,  the  eldest  of 
the  children  of  William  Rinehart,  was 
born  May  19,  1836,  and  married,  April 
24,  1861,  Annie  G.  McPheely.  There  were 
born  to  them  the  following  children,  all 
of  whom  are  now  living:  William ;  Alfred 
Walter;  Clarence  C. ;  Edward  Everett; 
Charles  Augustus  ;  Harry  ;  Anne,  married 
James  Dallas,  of  Pittsburgh ;  and  Edith, 
married  Neil  Young,  of  Virginia  ;  Edward 
Everett  Rinehart,  the  father,  died  March 
21,  1914. 


A  long  and  useful  life  was  that  of  Wil- 
liam Rinehart,  fruitful  in  everything  cal-. 
culated  to  promote  the  best  interests  of 
his  home  city.  He  possessed  the  ability 
to  look  far  ahead  and  foretell  results,  and 
as  a  purchaser  and  owner  of  real  estate 
he  contributed  largely  to  the  develop- 
ment of  certain  portions  of  Pittsburgh. 
When  he  passed  away,  January  9,  1880, 
"full  of  years  and  of  honors,"  the  city 
mourned  the  loss  of  one  who  had  stood 
for  many  years,  blameless  in  purpose  and 
fearless  in  conduct,  eminent  by  reason  of 
his  own  force  of  character  and  valued  as 
such  a  man  deserved  to  be.  Realizing 
that  he  would  not  pass  this  way  again  he 
made  wise  use  of  his  opportunities  and 
wealth,  conforming  his  life  to  a  high 
standard  and  leaving  a  record  in  all  re- 
spects harmonious  with  the  history  of  an 
honorable  ancestry. 

William  Rinehart  was  a  man  of  large 
nature,  aiding  both  by  precept  and  ex- 
ample in  the  development  of  all  that  was 
best  in  the  life  of  his  community.  As  one 
of  a  group  of  noble  mid-century  Pitts- 
burgh business  men  his  city  honors  him 
and  his  works  follow  him. 


RINEHART,  Clarence  C, 

Physician,  Hospital  Official. 

Prominent  among  the  physicians  who, 
for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  have 
upheld  the  prestige  of  the  medical  profes- 
sion in  Pittsburgh,  is  Dr.  C.  C.  Rinehart, 
consulting  physician  of  the  Pittsburgh 
Homrcopathic  Hospital.  Dr.  Rinehart  is 
identified  with  a  number  of  the  leading 
interests  of  his  native  city  and  takes  a 
public-spirited  part  in  their  maintenance 
and  promotion. 

Clarence  C.  Rinehart  was  born  January 
6,  1844,  in  the  downtown  part  of  Pitts- 
burgh, and  is  a  son  of  the  late  William 
ind  Mary  Ann  (Ing)  Rinehart.  His  early 
education  was  received  in  the  old  Fourth 


155^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Ward  public  school,  whence  he  passed  to 
the  Pittsburgh  High  School,  and  then  for 
a  time  was  under  the  private  tuition  of 
Professor  James  R.  Newell.  He  began 
the  study  of  medicine,  but  those  were 
the  exciting  days  of  the  Civil  War,  and  it 
was  not  long  before  he  abandoned  his 
books  in  order  to  enlist  in  the  Union 
army,  and  not  until  November,  1864.  did 
he  return  to  the  pursuits  and  occupations 
of  civil  life. 

On  finding  himself  once  more  in  Pitts- 
burgh, the  young  soldier  became  the 
bookkeeper  of  the  First  National  Bank 
and  within  a  short  time  was  promoted  to 
the  position  of  teller.  On  February  20, 
1868,  he  resigned,  being  needed,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  death  of  a  cousin,  to  fill 
a  place  in  his  father's  business.  Amid  all 
these  changes,  however,  he  remained 
loyal  to  his  first  choice,  and  in  1869,  de- 
spite the  engrossing  nature  of  his  duties. 
he  resumed  the  study  of  medicine  under 
the  preceptorship  of  Dr.  Marcelin  Cote 
and  Dr.  James  H.  McClelland.  Event- 
ually he  entered  Hahnemann  Medical 
College,  Philadelphia,  and  in  March.  1878. 
received  from  that  institution  the  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Medicine. 

Without  delay.  Dr.  Rinehart  began 
general  practice  in  Hazelwood  and  re- 
mained until  1892,  achieving  the  success 
which  was  to  be  expected  from  a  man  of 
his  thorough  equipment,  native  ability 
and  tenacity  of  purpose.  He  then  re- 
moved to  the  city  proper,  and  has  there 
continued  to  practice  to  the  present  time, 
holding  the  position  of  a  recognized 
leader  in  professional  circles.  Immedi- 
ately after  graduation  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  stafif  of  the  Pittsburgh  Homoeo- 
pathic Hospital,  and  has  now  for  many 
years  been  its  consulting  surgeon,  also 
serving  on  the  executive  committee.  He 
is  one  of  the  faculty  of  the  Pittsburgh 
Training  School  for  Nurses  and,  has  an 
enviable  reputation  as  a  lecturer.     He  be- 


longs to  the  American  Institute  of 
Homoeopathy,  the  Pennsylvania  State 
Homoeopathic  Society,  of  which  he  was 
president  in  the  nineties,  and  the  Alle- 
gheny County  Homoeopathic  Society.  He 
was  one  the  founders  and  has  been  vice- 
president  of  the  East  End  Doctors'  Club 
ever  since. 

In  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  welfare 
and  advancement  of  his  home  city,  Dr. 
Rinehart  takes  the  keen  and  helpful  in- 
terest of  a  good  citizen,  but  does  not  par- 
ticipate in  politics  beyond  supporting  by 
his  vote  and  influence  the  principles  of 
the  Republican  party.  His  charities  are 
numerous  but  bestowed  in  the  quietest 
manner  possible.  He  affiliates  with 
Franklin  Lodge,  No.  221,  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons,  and  Duquesne  Chapter, 
Royal  Arch  Masons,  and  is  a  member  of 
the   First  Methodist  Protestant  Church. 

As  a  man  of  much  force  of  character 
and  peculiarly  strong  individuality.  Dr. 
Rinehart  is  a  distinctive  figure  both  in 
and  out  of  his  profession  and  his  genial 
personality  has  won  him  a  host  of  friends 
in  every  class  of  the  community.  Of 
average  height  and  possessing  the  gift  of 
"presence,"  his  gray  hair  and  white  mus- 
tache imparting  singular  impressiveness 
to  a  countenance  on  which  are  stamped 
the  qualities  which  go  to  the  making  of 
the  learned,  large-minded  and  benevolent 
physician,  he  looks,  pre-eminently,  exactly 
what  he  is. 

Dr.  Rinehart  married.  January  6.  1870, 
Laura  V.,  daughter  of  John  and  Hannah  . 
(Broadhead)  Robson,  of  Pittsburgh,  both 
natives  of  England.  Mr.  Robson  was  in 
the  coke  and  chain  business  on  Second 
avenue,  the  firm  name  being  first  John 
Robson  and  later  John  Robson  &  Son. 
The  following  children  were  born  to  Dr. 
and  IVIrs.  Rinehart :  Frank  Atwood ; 
Frederick  Percy,  died  in  boyhood ;  and 
Laura  Broadhead,  wife  of  Dr.  James  K. 
Perrine,  of  the  old  Baltimore  family  of 


1553 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


that  name.  Dr.  Perrine  is  a  specialist  of 
the  eye  and  ear,  and  is  now  practicing  in 
Pittsburgh.  Their  children  are :  Clar- 
ence Rinehart,  born  September  4,  1904; 
Virginia  Robson,  died  in  childhood ;  Elea- 
nor Morange ;  and  Elizabeth  Kuhn. 

Frank  Atwood  Rinehart  was  born 
April  4,  1872.  received  his  early  education 
in  Pittsburgh,  then  attended  Adrian  Col- 
lege, then  afterward  attended  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan,  and  is  now  connect- 
ed with  the  firm  of  W.  G.  Johnston  & 
Company.  He  married  Harriet,  daugh- 
ter of  Walter  Church,  and  niece  of  Sam- 
uel Harden  Church,  whose  biography  and 
portrait  appear  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rinehart  have  four  chil- 
dren :  Dorothy ;  Mary ;  Frank  Atwood, 
born  August  17.  1905  ;  and  Harriet. 

A  man  of  strong  domestic  tastes  and 
affections.  Dr.  Rinehart  passes  his  hap- 
piest hours  at  his  own  fireside.  He  and 
his  wife — a  woman  of  charming  person- 
ality—are "given  to  hospitality"  and  to 
their  rare  gifts  as  host  and  hostess  their 
many  friends  can  abundantly  testify.  By 
associating  with  professional  prestige  a 
name  already  synon3aiious  with  business 
talent  and  probity  Dr.  Rinehart  has  in- 
vested with  additional  distinction  an  old 
and  honored  Pennsylvania  family. 


RINEHART,  Frank  Atwood, 
Man  of  Affairs. 

Any  list  of  the  veteran  business  men  of 
Pittsburgh  would  be  incomplete  without 
the  name  of  Frank  Atwood  Rinehart,  sec- 
retary and  treasurer  of  the  Standard 
Underground  Cable  Company.  Not  only 
is  Mr.  Rinehart  prominent  in  the  busi- 
ness world,  but  he  is  also  conspicuous  in 
Masonic  circles  and  is  associated  with  the 
social  life  and  the  religious  interests  of 
his  home  cit}'. 

Frank  Atwood  Rinehart  was  born  De- 
cember  15,   1845,  in  Pittsburgh,  and  is  a 


son  of  the  late  William  and  Mary  Ann 
(Ing)  Rinehart.  The  boy  was  educated 
in  schools  of  the  Fourth  Ward  of  his  na- 
tive city,  taking  the  full  course  and  in  due 
time  graduating.  In  1S63  he  entered  upon 
his  business  career  as  clerk  in  the  First 
National  Bank,  and  during  the  years  that 
he  spent  there  acquired  a  fund  of  experi- 
ence which  developed  the  financial  ability 
for  which,  in  later  life,  he  became  distin- 
guished. 

In  1870  Mr.  Rinehart  resigned  his  posi- 
tion and  associated  himself  with  the 
wholesale  tobacco  business  conducted  by 
his  father  and  uncle,  returning  in  1880 
after  ten  years  of  commercial  life  to  his 
former  occupation  of  banking.  He  ac- 
cepted a  clerkship  in  the  Exchange  Na- 
tional Bank,  holding  it  until  the  latter 
part  of  1882,  when  he  became  bookkeeper 
for  L.  W.  Dalzell  &  Company,  iron 
brokers,  with  whom  he  remained  until 
1891.  In  that  year  Mr.  Rinehart  assumed 
his  present  position  of  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  Standard  Underground 
Cable  Company,  afterwards  being  also 
represented  on  its  directorate.  This  or- 
ganization is  one  of  Pittsburgh's  very 
large  industries,  and  its  present  flourish- 
ing condition  is  due  in  no  small  measure 
to  the  activity,  energy,  sagacity  and  re- 
sourcefulness of  the  man  who  holds  the 
important  dual  office  mentioned  above. 
Mr.  Rinehart  is  also  one  of  the  directors 
of  the  Exchange  National  Bank,  in  which 
he  formerly  served  as  clerk. 

Intensely  public-spirited,  this  man  of 
tireless  industry  finds  time,  in  the  midst 
of  incessant  business  activity,  to  give 
loyal  support  to  all  measures  which  he 
deems  conducive  to  the  progress  and  well- 
being  of  Pittsburgh.  He  adheres  to  the 
Republican  party,  but  has  no  inclination 
for  office-holding,  preferring  to  give  his 
undivided  attention  to  the  great  business 
enterprise  with  which  he  is  so  vitally  con- 
nected. A  liberal  giver  to  charity,  he 
554 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


shuns,  in  this  phase  of  his  activity,  every- 
thing approaching  to  publicity.  He  is  a 
thirty-second  degree  Mason,  affiliating 
vi'ith  Crescent  Lodge,  No.  576,  and  also 
belonging  to  the  Knights  Templar.  His 
only  club  now  is  the  Automobile,  but  he 
has  been  at  different  times  identified  with 
a  considerable  number.  Since  1867  he  has 
been  a  member  of  the  First  Methodist 
Protestant  Church,  and  he  now  holds  the 
offices  of  trustee  and  president  of  the 
board  of  stewards. 

The  personality  of  Mr.  Rinehart  is  that 
of  a  man  exceptionally  forceful  and  ag- 
gressive but  entirely  without  rashness.  It 
is  to  this  combination  of  qualities  that 
he  owes  his  power  to  make  great  ventures 
with  safety  and  success  and  to  his  union 
of  determination  with  tactfulness  may  be 
traced  his  ability  to  win  the  friendship 
and  esteem  of  men.  Of  medium  stature 
and  commanding  appearance,  his  strong 
yet  sensitive  features  accentuated  by  gray 
hair  and  moustache,  and  his  whole  aspect 
expressive  of  decision  coupled  with  gen- 
erous impulses  and  a  genial  disposition, 
he  is  a  fine  type  of  the  true  Pittsburgh 
business  man. 

Mr.  Rinehart  married.  May  18,  1871, 
Luella  A.,  daughter  of  John  A.  and  Lu- 
cina  (Stubbs)  Scott,  who  came  from  the 
eastern  part  of  the  state  to  Pittsburgh, 
Mr.  Scott  engaging  in  the  grocery  busi- 
ness in  Allegheny,  now  the  North  Side. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rinehart  are  the  parents 
of  the  following  children :  Jennie  Dale, 
educated  in  Pittsburgh  schools,  married 
Louis  B.  Fleming,  of  that  city,  and  has 
two  children:  Helen  Louise,  and  Frank 
Rinehart,  the  latter  born  December  3, 
1900;  Clarence  C,  born  February  17, 
1876;  and  Nellie  D.,  educated  in  Pitts- 
burgh schools,  married  David  J.  Mar- 
shall, of  the  Speck-Marshall  Company  of 
that  city,  and  has  two  children :  Luella 
R.,  and  Margaret  T.  Clarence  C.  Rine- 
hart, adopted  the  profession  of  dentistry, 


married  May  Pearce,  of  Pittsburgh,  and 
died  December  12,  igog,  leaving  one  child, 
Willis  D.,  born  February  i,  igo7. 

So  essentially  domestic  is  Mr.  Rine- 
hart that,  in  order  to  have  more  time  to 
spend  with  his  family,  he  withdrew  from 
all  clubs  but  the  one  with  which  he  is 
now  connected.  He  is  peculiarly  happy  in 
his  union  with  a  charming,  congenial 
woman,  who.  like  himself,  delights  in  the 
exercise  of  hospitality  and  is  devoted  to 
home  and  its  interests. 

Two  generations  of  Rineharts  helped  tc 
make  Pittsburgh  great.  Frank  Atwood 
Rinehart,  as  the  representative  of  the 
third  generation,  has  ably  continued  in  a 
larger  way  and  with  more  far-reaching 
results  a  record  which  is  a  storv  of  honor. 


EASTMAN,  Henry, 

Ophthalmologist,   Professional  Anthor. 

As  an  ophthalmologist  of  national  repu- 
tation. Dr.  Henry  Eastman  easily  ranks 
among  the  foremost  Pittsburgh  special- 
ists. Widely  known  as  a  practitioner,  he 
has  also  won  recognition  as  a  writer  on 
subjects  pertaining  to  that  branch  of  his 
profession  to  which  he  has  chosen  to  de- 
vote himself. 

Henry  Eastman  was  born  September 
29,  1869,  at  Merritstown,  Pennsylvania, 
and  is  a  son  of  Dr.  Henry  and  Mary 
(Porter)  Eastman,  the  former  a  promi- 
nent physician  of  Merritstown  and  a  rep- 
resentative of  an  old  family.  The  boy 
attended  the  public  schools  of  the  place 
and  the  local  academy,  and  then  went  to 
St.  Vincent's  College,  where  he  was  pre- 
pared to  enter  Washington  and  Jeffer- 
son College.  After  studying  for  a  time 
at  that  institution  he  took  a  special  course 
in  chemistry  at  Mount  Union  College, 
subsequently  matriculating  at  Jefferson 
Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  and  gradu- 
ating in  1892  with  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Medicine. 


[555 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


For  some  time  thereafter  Dr.  Eastman 
was  line  surgeon  at  the  Northern  Pacific 
Hospital,  Missouli,  Montana,  but  in  1894 
he  opened  an  office  in  Brownsville,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  for  ten  years  devoted  him- 
self to  general  practice.  His  inclination, 
however,  tended  toward  specialization, 
and  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  went  to 
Philadelphia  for  the  purpose  of  doing 
post-graduate  work  in  the  treatment  of 
diseases  of  the  eye.  His  interest  in  the 
subject  led  him  to  take  a  course  of  study 
at  the  University  of  Vienna,  and  in  1906, 
eighteen  months  after  leaving  Browns- 
ville, he  established  himself  in  Pittsburgh 
as  an  ophthalmologist.  Success  attended 
him  from  the  outset,  he  rapidly  built  up 
a  large  and  lucrative  clientele,  acquiring 
at  the  same  time  a  reputation  which,  in- 
creasing with  the  lapse  of  years,  has  now 
become  national  and  his  name  is  familiar 
to  the  scientific  world  as  that  of  one  of 
the  finest  ophthalmologist  in  the  United 
States. 

For  some  years  Dr.  Eastman  has  been 
ophthalmologist  on  the  statT  of  the  West 
Pennsylvania  Hospital,  and  he  belongs  to 
the  American  Academy  of  Ophthalmol- 
ogy, the  American  Medical  Association, 
the  Pennsylvania  State  Medical  Associa- 
tion and  the  Allegheny  County  Medical 
Society.  As  an  author  he  is  widely 
known,  his  contributions  to  medical  jour- 
nals having  met  with  a  favorable  recep- 
tion from  the  profession  and  the  general 
public.  He  occupies  offices  in  association 
with  Dr.  Swope,  whose  biography  and 
portrait  appear  elsewhere  in  this  work. 

In  politics  Dr.  Eastman  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  takes  the  interest  of  a  good 
citizen  in  everything  that  tends  to  pro- 
mote the  progress  anl  well-being  of  his 
home  city.  He  is  a  thirty-second  degree 
Mason,  and  belongs  to  the  Duquesne 
Club.  The  church  of  which  he  is  an  at- 
tendant is  the  Presbyterian. 

Believers   in   heredity — that  much  dis- 


cussed and  apparently  nevei-to-be-settled 
question — would  claim  that  their  theory 
received  corroboration  from  the  appear- 
ance and  personality  of  Dr.  Eastman,  and 
it  would,  indeed,  be  impossible  to  deny 
the  apparent  justice  of  their  claim.  Tall 
in  stature  and  of  fine  presence,  with  a  face 
of  strength  and  refinement  and  eyes 
keenly  but  most  kindly  observant,  the 
doctor  looks  what  he  is — the  courteous 
gentleman  and  polished  physician. 

By  his  marriage,  on  July  2,  1903,  to 
Evelyn,  daughter  of  D.  O.  Gates,  of  the 
Maple  View  farms  of  Springfield,  Penn- 
sylvania, Dr.  Eastman  gained  the  life 
companionship  of  a  woman  admirably 
fitted  to  be  to  him  a  true  and  sympathiz- 
ing helpmate.  Airs.  Eastman  is  a  mem- 
ber of  various  clubs  and  her  gracious 
tactfulness  renders  her  an  ideal  hostess. 
Dr.  Eastman  numbers  many  warm 
friends  both  in  and  out  of  his  profession 
and  his  home  is  a  centre  of  true  hospi- 
tality. 

As  the  son  of  a  man  who  was  an  honor 
to  the  medical  profession  Dr.  Eastman 
inherits  his  remarkable  fitness  for  his 
chosen  calling.  He  himself,  with  a  wider 
field  and  larger  opportunities,  has  made 
the  name  of  Henry  Eastman  distin- 
guished in  the  history  of  medicine  not 
only  in  the  old  Commonwealth  but 
throughout  the  United  States. 


McGIRR,  John  E., 

Physician,  Surgeon,  Author. 

Conspicuous  in  that  noble  group  com- 
posed of  the  old-time  physicians  of  Pitts- 
burgh is  the  figure  of  Dr.  John  E.  Mc- 
Girr,  numbered,  during  the  latter  years  of 
his  life,  among  the  leading  practitioners 
of  the  Iron  City  and  counted  as  one  of 
her  most  eminent  and  valued  citizens. 

Patrick  McGirr,  father  of  John  E.  Mc- 
Girr,  was  a  native  of  Clovis,  Ireland,  and 
graduated  as  a  physician  at  the    Royal 


1556 


^=:^-'7rtC^    <P-   ^^   ^-^c-^.^' 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  Lon- 
don, England,  in  1814.  After  practicing 
there  for  a  short  time  he  emigrated  to 
the  United  States  about  1816,  settling  in 
the  vicinity  of  Baltimore,  Maryland. 
Subsequently  Dr.  McGirr  removed  to 
Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  practiced  successfully  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  He  married  Ann  McArdle, 
of  Finlany,  Ireland,  and  his  death  occur- 
red at  Chicago,  Illinois,  on  November  6, 
1862,  aged  eighty-one  years. 

John  E.  AIcGirr,  son  of  Patrick  and 
Ann  (McArdle)  McGirr,  was  born  May 
I,  1820,  in  Youngstown,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  enjoyed  every 
advantage  of  education.  At  the  age  of 
fifteen  he  entered  Mt.  St.  Mary's  College 
at  Emmitsburg,  Maryland,  graduating  at 
the  end  of  five  years,  June  2,  1840,  with 
the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  After  at- 
tending lectures  in  the  Medical  Depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
he  graduated  at  Rush  Medical  College, 
Chicago,  Illinois.  He  first  began  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  in  Derry,  West- 
moreland county,  Pennsylvania,  on  Sep- 
tember 7,  1841,  thereafter  moving  to  IIol- 
lidaysburg,  Blair  county,  on  June  i,  1843. 
In  1S47  he  removed  to  Chicago,  arriving 
there  about  March  25.  There  he  prac- 
ticed his  profession  as  a  physician  for 
some  years,  being  surgeon-in-chief  at  the 
Mercy  Hospital,  at  the  same  time  con- 
tinued m  his  study  of  law.  While  in 
Chicago  he  was  appointed  Professor  of 
Botany,  Chemistry.  Anatomy,  Physi- 
ology and  Hygiene  in  the  University  of 
St.  Mary's  of  the  Lake.  He  remained  two 
years,  and  before  his  departure  the  facul- 
ty conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  Doc- 
tor of  Laws.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  HI  Chicago  in  1852,  and  to  the  United 
States  Circuit  and  District  courts  in 
May,  1854.  He  was  afterward  admitted 
to  the  bar  of  Westmoreland  county, 
Pennsylvania,    at    the    November    term. 


1S55,  and  to  the  bar  of  Bedford  county, 
Pennsylvania,  at  the  April  term,  i860. 
When  the  cholera  epidemic  broke  out  in 
Chicago,  the  services  of  all  the  physicians 
were  in  great  demand,  and  resigning  the 
practice  of  law,  he  devoted  himself  with 
his  father,  to  the  care  of  those  afflicted. 
He  contracted  the  disease  himself,  and 
his  health  became  so  shattered  that  he 
was  forced  to  retire  in  1854  to  a  farm 
which  he  purchased  in  Bedford  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  resided  there  for  five 
years  until  his  health  was  fully  restored. 
In  i860  he  removed  to  the  town  of  Bed- 
ford, where  he  practiced  law  for  one  year, 
and  he  then  removed  to  Latrobe,  West- 
moreland county,  taking  up  again  the 
profession  of  medicine,  which  he  there- 
after practiced  continuously  until  his 
death.  He  chose  to  devote  himself,  as 
his  father  had  done,  to  the  profession  of 
medicine,  and  his  entire  career,  filled  as 
it  was  with  valuable  and  self-sacrificing 
service,  abundantly  proved  that  he  had 
made  no  mistake. 

\\  hen  the  guns  bombarding  Fort  Sum- 
ter thundered  the  dread  announcement  of 
civil  war.  Dr.  McGirr  hastened  to  offer 
his  services  to  the  government,  enlisting 
in  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  as  as- 
sistant division  surgeon  with  Surgeon 
Cooper.  After  the  capitulation  of  Nash- 
ville, Tennessee,  Dr.  McGirr's  work  in 
the  hospitals  there  was  unceasing  and  of 
a  most  efl^ective  character.  He  was 
placed  in  charge  of  the  government  hos- 
pital where  in  the  line  of  his  duty  he  dis- 
covered and  exposed  extensive  quinine 
frauds  in  the  department,  saving  the  gov- 
ernment large  sums  of  money.  For  this 
distinguished  service  he  was  highly  com- 
plimented by  Secretary  of  War  Stanton 
and  received  the  brevet  of  major.  He 
was  also  appointed  special  medical  in- 
spector of  the  department  of  the  Cumber- 
land. The  surgeons  and  men  of  the  hos- 
pital   testified    their   appreciation   of    his 

557 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


work  by  presenting  him  witli  a  sword, 
sash  and  a  paii  of  gold  spurs. 

For  six  months  after  the  close  of  the 
war  Dr.  McGirr  remained  in  the  army. 
and  then  resided  for  a  short  time  in  La- 
trobe.  Pennsylvania.  In  1866  he  came  to 
Pittsburgh,  where  he  rapidly  acquired  a 
large  and  lucrative  practice.  His  gratui- 
tous services  were  always  at  the  com- 
mand of  the  destitute  and  he  was  one  of 
the  physicians  who  regularly  attended  the 
Mercy  Hospital  and  other  charitable  in- 
stitutions. Great  as  was  his  reputation 
for  skill  and  learning,  it  was  equalled  by 
the  fame  of  his  benevolence. 

In  all  concerns  relative  to  the  city's 
welfare.  Dr.  McGirr  ever  manifested  a 
deep  and  sincere  interest,  giving  to  every 
movement  which  in  his  judgment  tended 
to  promote  that  end,  the  unstinted  sup- 
port of  his  influence  and  means.  \n  ad- 
vocate of  Democratic  principles,  he  was 
never  numbered  among  office-seekers, 
political  ambition  being  totally  foreign  to 
his  nature.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  church,  and  of  the  Alle- 
gheny County  Medical  Society. 

A  highly  intellectual  man.  of  quick  per- 
ceptions and  sharp  discrimination.  Dr. 
McGirr  was  ai  the  same  time  a  theorist 
and  a  man  of  action.  He  was  a  hard  stu- 
dent, loving  science  for  science's  sake, 
and  he  was  enthusiastically  active  in  his 
efforts  to  elevate  the  standards  of  the 
medical  profession.  He  was  a  frequent 
contributor  to  medical  journals,  and  was 
engaged  on  an  elaborate  work  on  obstet- 
rics at  the  time  of  his  death.  While  resid- 
ing in  Chicago  he  wrote  and  published 
the  life  of  Bishop  Quarter,  Roman  Cath- 
olic Bishop  of  that  diocese,  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  that  section,  and  a  man  greatly 
beloved  by  all  classes  and  creeds.  Dr. 
McGirr  in  his  early  years  contributed 
short  stories  to  the  magazines  of  those 
days,  writing  under  the  iwut  dc  plume  of 
"Rush   Tourniquet.    M.    D."     A    man   of 


deeply  imbedded  convictions  as  to  right 
and  duty,  these  convictions  were  written 
on  his  countenance,  moulding  the  lines 
of  his  strong  features  and  speaking  in  the 
direct  and  compelling  gaze  of  his  eyes — 
eyes  which  were  at  once  patient,  kindly, 
humorous  and  philosophical.  His  aspect 
no  less  than  his  life  proclaimed  his  loy- 
alty to  his  convictions  and  also  showed 
him  to  be  possessed  of  a  genial  disposi- 
tion which  surrounded  him  with  friends 
both  in  and  out  of  his  profession.  He 
was  a  high-minded  physician  and  a  true 
gentleman,  a  man  of  broad  views,  large 
faith  and  a  great  heart. 

Dr.  McGirr  married  Bridget  Heyden. 
daughter  of  James  and  Alice  (Lyons) 
Maher,  on  January  11.  1843,  ^"  Bedford, 
Pennsylvania.  Mrs.  McGirr's  grand- 
father. William  Maher.  a  distinguished 
gentleman,  emigrated  from  Ireland  to  the 
United  States  about  1817.  Among  the 
nine  children  born  to  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Mc- 
Girr were  two  sons :  Francis  C,  whose 
biography  and  portrait  follow  this ;  and 
j'ohn  J.,  prominent  in  the  real  estate  and 
railroad  business  in  McKeesport,  now  de- 
ceased. The  other  children  were :  Mary 
E.  Lyons,  who  died  August  26,  1912; 
Annie  and  Cora,  now  residing  in  Bedford. 
Pennsylvania ;  Kate  and  Emma,  now 
known  as  Sisters  Camillus  and  Dolores 
of  the  Order  of  Mercy.  Pittsburgh,  Penn- 
sylvania :  Nicholas  Lyons,  editor  of  the 
"Bedford  Gazette,"  who  died  March  17, 
1903 ;  Margaret  Lyons,  who  died  No- 
\  ember  4,  1886. 

Dr.  McGirr's  marriage  may  be  truly 
said  to  have  crowned  his  life,  for  by  it 
he  gained  the  companionship  of  a  charm- 
ing and  congenial  woman  who  was  an  in- 
spirer  of  his  lofty  purposes  and  made  his 
home  a  place  of  serene  delights.  Dr. 
McGirr  was  a  devoted  husband  and 
father.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  "given 
to  hospitality"  and  many  now  living  can 
bear   testimonv   to   their   charm   as   host 


1558 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  hostess.  Mrs.  McGirr  survived  her 
husband,  passing  away  February  26, 
1905. 

In  the  prime  of  life  and  the  fuU  ma- 
turity of  all  hi.«  powers,  Dr.  McGirr  was 
suddenly  summoned  from  the  scene  ot 
his  honorable  and  beneficent  activities, 
breathing  his  last  on  October  23,  1870. 
All  classes  of  the  community  united  in 
lamenting  and  honoring  one  whose  life 
had  been  a  daily  example  of  prcjfessional 
devotion  and  public-spirited  citizenship, 
and  whose  talents  had  been  unreservedly 
consecrated  to  the  uplifting  of  humanity. 
Among  the  many  tributes  to  the  chi^rac- 
ter  and  work  of  Dr.  McGirr  was  the  fol- 
lowing, which  appeared  in  a  Pittsburgh 
paper ; 

The  announcement  of  the  death  of  Dr.  John 
E.  McGirr  will  carry  profound  sorrow  to  the 
entire  community,  as  he  was  well  and  favorably 
known,  not  only  throughout  the  city,  but  all 
Western  Pennsylvania,  and  had  hosts  of  warm 
friends  wherever  he  was  known. 

In  every  relation  of  life  he  sustained  a  high 
position  for  integrity  and  uprightness  of  char- 
acter. He  was  one  of  the  physicians  whose  serv- 
ices were  always  given  gratuitously  to  the  Mercy 
Hospital  and  other  benevolent  institutions,  and 
in  this,  as  in  all  other  similar  circumstances,  he 
was  noted  for  his  broad  and  comprehensive 
benevolence. 

The  fame  of  this  noble  man  who  was 
fco  great  an  ornament  to  his  profession  is 
derived  from  services  rendered  not  only 
in  time  of  peace,  but  also  in  the  dark  days 
of  the  Civil  War,  and  in  the  medical  an- 
nals of  Pittsburgh  no  name  is  invested 
with  purer  radiance  than  that  of  the  pa- 
triot-physician. Dr.  John  E.  McGirr. 


McGIRR,  Francis  Charles, 

Prominent  La-nryer. 

The  supremacy  of  Pittsburgh  consists 
not  alone  in  her  colossal  industries,  but 
also,  and  largely,  in  the  strength  and  ag- 
gressiveness  of  her  learned  professions. 

I 


Her  bench  and  bar  have  ever  formed  one 
of  the  main  bulwarks  of  her  power,  and 
their  representatives  of  the  present  day 
are  no  whit  behind  their  noteworthy  pre- 
decessors, including  as  they  do  such  men 
as  Francis  Charles  McGirr,  who  has  now 
for  many  years  been  numbered  among  the 
leaders  of  his  profession  in  the  Iron  City. 

Francis  Charles  McGirr,  son  of  John 
E.  and  Bridget  Heyden  (Maher)  McGirr, 
was  born  June  2,  1S53,  in  Chicago,  Il- 
linois. A  biography  and  portrait  of  the 
father.  John  E.  McGirr,  precedes  this 
sketch. 

In  1854,  he  was  taken  by  his  parents  to 
Youngstown,  Pennsylvania.  After  a 
lapse  of  a  year  the  family  settled  on  a 
farm  in  Bedford  county,  Pennsylvania, 
three  miles  and  a  half  from  the  town  of 
Bedford.  For  five  years  they  lived  on  the 
farm  and  then  spent  one  year  in  the  town, 
removing,  in  1862,  to  Latrobe,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  then  taking  up  their  abode  in 
Pittsburgh.  This  was  in  1S67,  and  dur- 
ing the  perioc'  of  their  migrations  the 
education  of  Francis  Charles,  in  its  pre- 
paratory stages,  had  been  acquired  in 
various  parochial  schools.  Soon  after 
the  removal  lo  Pittsburgh  he  entered 
Mount  St.  Mary's  College,  Emmitsburg. 
Maryland,  but  the  death  of  his  father 
obliged  him  tc  leave  before  graduation 
and  begin  the  active  work  of  life.  In 
June,  1907,  he  received  from  his  alma 
mater  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Laws. 

In  1872  Mr.  McGirr  was  employed  as 
clerk  and  bookkeeper  in  the  offices  of  the 
Baltimore  tS:  Ohio  Railroad  Company  in 
Pittsburgh,  holding  fast,  meanwhile,  to 
his  cherished  purpose  of  fitting  himself 
for  the  law,  the  profession  to  which  his 
talents  and  inclination  alike  tended.  He 
legistered  on  January  25,  1877,  and  his 
evenings  were  spent  in  study  under  the 
preceptorship  of  Alfred  J.  Treacy.  On 
May  3,  1880,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar 

559 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  Allegheny  county,  on  motion  of  John 
D.  Shafer,  now  Judge  Shafer.  On  Octo- 
ber 22,  1883,  he  was  admitted  to  the 
Supreme  Court,  on  motion  of  the  Hon. 
Thomas  M.  Marshall. 

The  success  which  has  attended  Mr. 
McGirr  throughout  his  professional  ca- 
reer is  the  result  of  innate  ability,  thor- 
ough equipment  and  unremitting  devo- 
tion  to  duty.  In  1881  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  the  late  W.  D.  Moore,  a 
famous  lawyer  of  his  day,  the  connection 
remaining  unbroken  until  April  i,  1893, 
when  Mr.  McGirr  became  associated  with 
the  late  John  Marron,  one  of  the  bright- 
est and  keenest  lawyers  then  in  practice 
at  the  Allegheny  county  bar.  This  part- 
nership was  dissolved  by  Mr.  Marron's 
death  which  occurred  January  9,  1914. 
Mr.  McGirr  was  one  of  those  who  as- 
sisted in  the  organization  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania State  Bar  Association  at  Harris- 
burg,  Pennsylvania,  January  16,  1895, 
and  has  ever  since  been  enrolled  in  its 
membership.  He  also  belongs  to  the 
American  Bar  Association  and  the  Alle- 
gheny County  Bar  Association. 

In  politics  Mr.  McGirr  is  an  Independ- 
ent, with  Democratic  tendencies.  He  has 
never  consented  to  be  made  a  candidate 
lor  office  but  his  public  spirit  admits  of 
no  dispute.  He  belongs  to  the  Oakmont 
Country  Club  and  finds  one  of  his  chief 
recreations  in  the  game  of  golf.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church. 

The  successful  lawyer  is  not  always  a 
man  of  literary  tastes,  but  Mr.  McGirr 
combines,  to  an  unusual  degree,  the  at- 
tributes of  the  counsellor  and  the  scholar. 
He  has  been  fitted  for  his  work  in  life 
not  by  legal  studies  alone.  The  perusal 
of  history,  biography.  English  literature 
and  the  classics  has,  in  conjunction  with 
inherited  traits,  endowed  him  with  that 
breadth  of  culture  and  liberality  of  sen- 
timent which  mark  the  finer  types  in  all 
professions.     His  countenance  and  man- 

I 


ner  are  those  of  the  true  lawyer  and  tne 
true  gentleman. 

Mr.  McGirr  married,  October  26,  1882, 
Amelia,  daughter  of  Alexander  and 
Amelia  (Lee)  Alcllwaine,  and  they  are 
the  parents  of  three  children :  Alice 
Thurston,  assistant  reference  librarian  at 
the  Central  Carnegie  Library,  Pittsburgh  ; 
Jean  Marie,  director  of  the  kindergarten, 
Sterrett  School,  Pittsburgh ;  and  Alex- 
ander Lee.  The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mr.s. 
McGirr  is  at  No.  119  West  Homewood 
avenue.  Pittsburgh. 

In  various  ways  the  United  States  owes 
much  to  Ireland,  but  for  nothing  is  she 
more  her  debtor  than  for  the  array  of 
professional  talent  which  has  come  from 
the  ancient  island  to  enrich  the  life  and 
learning  of  the  younger  nation.  Francis 
Charles  McGirr  is  the  son  and  grandson 
of  two  of  our  noblest  Irish-American 
physicians  and  by  his  own  record  he  has 
associated  the  family  name  with  distinc- 
tion in  the  profession  of  law. 


PRICE,  Henry  Thompson, 

Physician,  Professional  Instmctor. 

Among  the  younger  generation  of 
Pittsburgh  physicians,  men  who  though 
still  in  early  middle  life  have  made  for 
themselves  places  of  distinction  in  the 
ranks  of  the  medical  fraternity,  must  be 
numbered  Dr.  Henry  Thompson  Price, 
who  has  for  the  last  ten  or  twelve  years 
devoted  himself  with  marked  success  to 
the  treatment  of  diseases  of  children,  and 
now  holds  the  assistant  professorship  on 
Diseases  of  Children  at  the  University  of 
Pittsburgh. 

Henry  Thompson  Price  was  born  Oc- 
tober 4,  1876,  in  Allegheny,  Pennsylvania, 
now  North  Side,  Pittsburgh,  and  is  a  son 
of  the  late  William  P.  and  Margaret  Mc- 
Clintock  (Whitesell)  Price.  A  biography 
of  Mr.  Price  may  be  found  on  another 
page  of  this  work.  Henry  Thompson 
560 


c::::!^^^^^^,  UJ^  J^^c^^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Price  received  his  preparatory  education 
in  the  public  schools  and  then  entered  the 
Pennsylvania  State  College,  graduating 
in  1896  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Arts,  and  in  1900  receiving  that  of  Mas- 
ter of  Arts.  He  was  fitted  for  his  profes- 
sion in  the  Medical  Department  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania  which  confer- 
red upon  him  in  1899  the  degree  of  Doc- 
tor of  Medicine. 

After  spending  a  year  as  interne  in 
Allegheny  General  Hospital,  Dr.  Price 
opened  an  office  in  Allegheny  and  for  five 
or  six  years  devoted  himself  to  the  general 
practice  of  his  profession.  He  then  gave 
some  time  to  post-graduate  work  in  Ber- 
lin and  Vienna,  and  since  his  return  to 
Pittsburgh  has  made  a  specialty  of  the 
diseases  of  children,  in  the  treatment  of 
which  he  has  been  very  successful.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  staff  of  the  West  Penn- 
sylvania Hospital  and  that  of  the  Chil- 
dren's Hospital,  and  consultant  on  chil- 
dren's diseases  to  the  Presbyterian  Hos- 
pital, also  serving  as  attending  physician 
to  the  Industrial  Home  for  Crippled 
Children.  Since  1910  Dr.  Price  has  been 
Assistant  Professor  of  the  Diseases  of 
Children  at  the  University  of  Pittsburgh. 
The  Episcopal  Church  Home  is  another 
institution  which  he  serves  as  attending 
physician.  He  is  librarian  of  the  Acad- 
emy of  Medicine,  and  belongs  t  o  the 
American  Medical  Association,  the  Penn- 
sylvania State  Medical  Association,  and 
the  Allegheny  County  Medical  Society. 

While  precluded  by  the  demands  of 
his  profession  from  taking  active  part  in 
politics,  Dr.  Price  is  a  loyal  citizen,  vot- 
ing with  the  Republicans  for  the  further- 
ance of  any  measure  which  he  deems 
adapted  to  promote  the  welfare  of  Pitts- 
burgh. He  belongs  to  the  University 
Club  and  the  Kappa  Sigma  fraternity. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Fourth  United 
Presbyterian  Church,  contributing  liber- 
ally to  its  work  and  support. 

I 


Dr.  Price  is  a  man  whose  personality 
is  best  explained  by  his  record  and  whose 
appearance  and  manner  are  in  accordance 
with  it.  He  has  many  warm  and  stead- 
fast friends  both  in  and  out  of  his  pro- 
fession. This  brief  and  simple  account  of 
the  career  of  Dr.  Henry  Thompson  Price 
is  of  necessity  extremely  imperfect,  for 
it  gives  only  the  opening  chapters  of  a 
record  the  brightest  pages  of  which  yet 
remain  to  be  written. 


SHAW,  Thomas  Wilson, 

Physician,  Civil  'War  Veteran. 

The  nineteenth  century,  which  has  now 
receded  so  far  into  the  past  as  to  seem 
almost  like  the  "last"  century,  was  a 
period  of  noble  progress  in  the  history 
of  the  medical  profession  of  Pittsburgh, 
and  prominent  among  those  who.  during 
the  entire  latter  half  of  the  century,  up- 
held the  prestige  of  the  healing  art,  was 
the  late  Dr.  Thomas  Wilson  Shaw,  who'c 
record  as  a  practitioner  is  inscribed  with 
honor  in  the  medical  annals  of  Pittsburgh. 
Dr.  Shaw  was  a  representative  of  an  an- 
cient Scottish  family  which  has  been  for 
a  century  and  a  half  resident  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

The  name  Shaw,  or  Schaw,  as  it  was 
formerly  spelled,  means  a  small  wood, 
called  in  England  a  copse.  The  earliest 
occurrence  of  the  name  in  Scotland  is  in 
the  Ragman's  Roll,  which  was  signed  in 
1291  by  Fergus  del  Schawe,  Symound  del 
Schawe  and  William  de  Schawe,  all  of 
Lanarkshire.  They  were  doubtless  the 
progenitors  of  the  Cowland  Clan  Shaw. 
The  name  is  common  in  Scotland,  occur- 
ing  in  the  records  of  nearly  every  county, 
but  chiefly  in  Inverness,  Renfrew  and 
Perth.  Three  families  of  the  name  seem 
to  have  been  numerically  pre-eminent : 
The  highland  clan  Shaw,  or  Clanquhele, 
of  Rothiener.  or  Rothemurchus,  in  Inver- 
ness-shire ;  the  Shaws  of  Greenock,  in 
561 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Renfrewshire,  west  of  Glasgow,  on  the 
Clyde;  and  the  Cowland  clan  of  Rox- 
burgh and  Selkirk.  Of  these  the  latter 
seem  to  have  been  the  most  numerous. 

John  Schaw,  from  whom  the  Shaws  of 
Pittsburgh  trace  their  descent,  belonged 
to  the  Schaws  of  the  village  of  Craig- 
town,  parish  of  Kilmadock,  half  way  be- 
tween Dounc  and  Callender,  Perthshire, 
Scotland.  He  married,  probably  before 
1623,  Christian  Buchanan.  She  was  per- 
haps the  daughter  of  Alexander  Buchan- 
an, of  Cambusmoir,  whose  meagre  testa- 
ment, dated  May  23,  1616,  furnishes  no 
facts  concerning  his  family. 

(II)  Plarie,  son  of  John  and  Christian 
(Buchanan)  Schaw,  was  baptized  June 
3,  1627,  and  married  Janet  Squire.  His 
burial  took  place  in  September,  1685. 

(HI)  John  (2),  son  of  Harie  and  Janet 
(Squiie)  Schaw,  was  baptized  April  6, 
165 1,  and  married  Marie,  who  wa^  bap- 
tized December  22,  1650,  daughter  .>f 
Harie  and  Janet  McQueen,  of  Scotland. 

(IV)  George,  son  of  John  (2)  and 
Marie  (McQueen)  Schaw,  was  baptized 
March  22,  1679,  and  married  December 
II,  1716,  Elizabeth  Stewart. 

(V)  George  (2),  son  of  George  (i) 
and  Elizabeth  (Stewart)  Schaw,  was  bap- 
tized June  28.  1722,  and  married  Mary 
Buchanan. 

(VI)  John  (3)  Shaw,  son  of  George  (2) 
and  Mary  (Buchanan)  Schaw,  was  bap- 
tized in  1759,  and  soon  after  the  close  of 
the  Revolutionary  War  emigrated  to  the 
United  States.  He  was  accompanied  by 
his  three  brothers — George,  Peter  and 
Alexander.  George  became  a  cabinet- 
maker of  Philadelphia,  and  Peter  a  tanner 
of  Meadville,  Pennsylvania.  In  their 
adopted  country  the  four  brothers  all 
married  and  had  children.  John  Shaw, 
who  was  the  first  to  spell  the  name  thus, 
had  been  employed,  for  several  years  be- 
fore leaving  his  native  land,  in  one  of  the 
largest  iron    establishments  of    .Scotland. 


On  coming  to  Pennsylvania  he  lived  for 
a  time  in  Wilkinsburg,  Allegheny  county, 
and  then  removed  to  Pittsburgh,  where 
he  followed  the  blacksmith's  trade,  erect- 
ed one  of  the  first  foundries  in  this 
vicinity  and  cast  the  first  cannon  ever 
made  in  Pittsburgh.  In  1803  he  moved 
to  Glenshaw,  Allegheny  county,  where  he 
built  a  sawmill  and  gristmill.  He  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Wilson  whose  family  rec- 
ord is  appended  to  this  biography,  and 
their  children  were:  Thomas  Wilson, 
mentioned  below  ;  John  ;  James ;  Alex- 
ander; Mary  Ann;  and  Eliza  Jane.  John 
Shaw  died  August  17,  1S39,  at  his  home  in 
Glenshaw,  and  his  widow  passed  away 
January  31,  1842. 

(VII)  Thomas  Wilson,  son  of  John 
(3)  and  Elizabeth  (Wilson)  Shaw,  was 
born  May  i,  1796,  and  for  forty  years  was 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  sickles 
and  scythes,  his  father  having  built  a 
sickle  factory.  The  advent  of  reaping 
and  mowing  machines  proved  detrimental 
to  Mr.  Shaw's  business  and  he  turned  hi:; 
attention  to  the  Glenshaw  coal  mines 
which  he  operated  for  many  years.  He 
was  noted  for  his  public  spirit,  being  par- 
ticularly interested  in  the  cause  of  edu- 
cation and  it  was  through  his  efiforts  that 
the  first  school-house  in  that  neighbor- 
hood was  erected  and  the  present  school 
system  established.  He  married,  Novem- 
ber 24,  1824,  Sarah  Scott,  whose  ancestral 
record  is  appended  to  this  biography,  and 
the  following  children  were  born  to  them : 
Thomas  Wilson,  mentioned  below ;  Eliza- 
beth, Margaret,  Sarah,  Jane,  Martha. 
Mary,  Ellen  K. ;  and  Catherine  Louisa, 
who  died  young.  The  mother  of  these 
children  died  February  26,  1879,  and  the 
father  survived  almost  to  the  completion 
of  his  ninety-fourth  year,  breathing  his 
last  on  January  21,  1890. 

(VIII)  Thomas  Wilson  (2),  son  of 
Thomas  Wilson  (i)  and  Sarah  (Scott) 
Shaw,  was  born  January  25,  1826,  at  Glen- 


156^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


shaw,  Shaler  township,  Allegheny  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  received  his  literary 
education  at  the  Western  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  now  the  University  of 
Pittsburgh.  He  was  fitted  for  his  profes- 
sion in  the  INIedical  Department  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  graduating 
in  1849  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Medicine.  During  his  preliminary  stud- 
ies his  preceptor  was  Dr.  J.  P.  Gazzan. 
Immediately  after  graduation  Dr.  Shaw 
returned  to  Pittsburgh  and  entered  upon 
a  career  of  general  practice  which  con- 
tinued till  the  close  of  his  life.  He  was 
first  resident  physician  at  the  Mercy  Hos- 
pital, and  served  for  years  on  the  staff 
of  the  West  Pennsylvania  Hospital.  Plis 
private  practice  was  very  large,  his  stand- 
ing with  both  the  medical  fraternity  and 
the  general  public  being  extremely  high. 

During  the  Civil  War,  Dr.  Shaw  en- 
listed in  the  Union  army  as  a  surgeon, 
being  present  at  the  battles  of  Shiloh  and 
Gettysburg.  He  returned  to  Pittsburgh 
with  an  honorable  discharge  after  a  per- 
iod of  brave  and  faithful  service.  In  peace 
no  less  than  in  war,  Dr.  Shaw  gave  proof 
of  patriotism,  being  active  in  all  the 
duties  of  citizenship.  His  affiliations 
were  with  the  Republicans,  and  his  in- 
fluence was  always  exerted  in  behalf  of 
whatever  he  deemed  calculated  to  pro- 
mote the  city's  welfare.  Especially  was 
he  earnest  in  all  that  tended  to  improve 
the  educational  advantages  of  the  com- 
munity, serving  for  years  on  the  old 
Fourth  ward  school  board.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Strong  mental  endowments,  great  force 
of  character  and  strict  adherence  to  the 
loftiest  principles  lay  at  the  foundation  of 
Dr.  Shaw's  successful  career.  Learning, 
skill  and  broad  human  sympathies  com- 
bined to  make  him  the  ideal  physician  and 
no  member  of  the  profession  was  ever 
more  loved  and  venerated.  In  his  appear- 
ance and  manner  were  blended  the  char- 


acteristics of  the  man  of  birth  and  breed- 
ing and  the  representative  of  a  noble  pro- 
fession. 

On  March  14,  1S54,  Dr.  Shaw  married 
Catherine  W.,  daughter  of  Solomon  and 
.Margaret  (Wolfe)  Stoner,  the  former  a 
merchant  of  Pittsburgh.  The  family  of 
Dr.  and  ^Irs.  Shaw  consisted  of  three 
daughters  and  six  sons:  Henry  C,  vice- 
president  of  the  Garrison  Foundry  Com- 
pany, Pittsburgh ;  Charles  Stoner,  a  phy- 
sician, died  December  2S,  1899  ;  Margaret, 
widow  of  George  R.  Lawrence,  an  attor- 
ney of  Pittsburgh,  who  died  in  1893,  leav- 
ing no  children ;  George  E.,  of  the  Pitts- 
burgh law  firm  of  Reed,  Smith,  Shaw  & 
r.eal ;  Catherine  E.,  deceased ;  Thomas 
Wilson,  of  Pittsburgh  ;  Howard,  connected 
with  the  insurance  business  in  Pittsburgh, 
married,  but  has  no  children;  Elizabeth, 
wife  of  John  C.  Oliver,  of  Pittsburgh,  has 
three  children  ;  and  Woodward  S.,  assist- 
ant claim  agent  in  Pittsburgh  of  the  Pitts- 
burgh &  Lake  Erie  railroad,  married,  but 
has  no  children.  Happy  in  his  domestic 
relations.  Dr.  Shaw  was  always  most  con- 
tent at  his  own  fireside  where  he  delight- 
ed to  gather  his  friends  about  him.  His 
devoted  wife  survived  him  little  more 
than  a  year,  passing  away  April  19,  1900. 

On  January  18,  1899,  Dr.  Shaw  closed 
a  life  of  enlightened  endeavor  and  self- 
denying  usefulness,  a  life  which,  as  phy- 
sician and  citizen,  had  been  governed  by 
the  noblest  purposes  and  inspired  by  the 
truest  spirit  of  devotion,  a  life  consecrated 
to  the  service  of  humanity.  Words  of 
laudation  coupled  with  the  name  of  Dr. 
Thomas  Wilson  Shaw  are  idle  and  super- 
fluous. His  character  and  work  are  their 
own  eulogy. 

(The  Wilson  Line). 

Thomas  Wilson,  father  of  Mrs.  Eliza- 
beth (Wilson)  Shaw,  was  born  in  1742, 
presumably  in  Ireland,  and  in  1767  emi- 
grated from  that  country  to  the  province 

563 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  Pennsylvania.  Three  years  later  he 
built  the  first  cabin  in  Penn  township, 
which  then  formed  part  of  Pitt  town- 
ship. Indian  hostilities  obliged  him  to 
leave  it,  and  for  seven  years  he  remained 
in  Pittsburgh,  returning  to  his  farm  after 
the  declaration  of  peace  and  there  passing 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  held  the 
office  of  tax  collector  and  was  an  elder 
in  Beulah  Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  Wil- 
son married  Agnes ,  who  was  born 

about  1734,  and  their  daughter  Elizabeth 
is  mentioned  below.  Mr.  Wilson  died  in 
1826  and  his  widow  passed  away  in  1832, 
aged  about  ninety-eight  years.  Eliza- 
beth, daughter  of  Thomas  and  Agnes 
Wilson,  was  born  in  1772,  and  became 
the  wife  of  John  (3)  Shaw,  as  stated 
above. 

(The  Scott   Line). 

Samuel  Scott  was  born  in  Manchester, 
England,  and  was  by  trade  a  miller.  He 
emigrated  to  the  American  colonies  and 
married  Margaret,  born  in  1736,  daughter 
of  Amasa  Walker,  of  County  Tyrone,  Ire- 
land, with  whom  she  came  to  America 
and  settled  near  Woodstock,  Connecticut. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scott  had  one  son,  Samuel. 
who  is  mentioned  below. 

(II)  Samuel  (2).  son  of  Samuel  (i) 
and  Margaret  (Walker)  Scott,  went  on 
an  exploring  expedition  from  the  head  of 
the  Elk  river  in  Delaware  to  the  wild 
land  of  the  South.  He  married  and  left 
one  son,  Samuel,  who  is  mentioned  be- 
low. Samuel  Scott  never  returned  from 
his  exploring  trip,  nor  was  any  word  ever 
received  concerning  him. 

(III)  Samuel  (3),  son  of  Samuel  (2) 
Scott,  was  born  in  1768,  and  was  of  Dela- 
ware. After  the  Revolutionary  War  he 
settled  at  Perrysville,  Allegheny  county, 
Pennsylvania,  being  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  place.  After  remaining  two  years 
he  went  back  to  Delaware  and  brought 
his  family  to  Nine  Mile  Run,  where  he 
left  them  while  he  proceeded  to  his  settle- 


ment, afterward  returning  for  them.  He 
was  a  farmer  of  Ross  township,  at  the 
head  of  Girtie's  Run,  Perrysville.  Mr. 
Scott  married,  about  1792,  in  Delaware, 
Sarah  Thompson,  and  it  is  said  that  their 
daughter  Elizabeth,  who  married  Wil- 
liam Dilworth,  w^as  the  first  white  child 
born  on  the  western  slope  of  the  Alle- 
gheny mountains.  Another  daughter, 
Sarah,  is  mentioned  below.  Samuel  (3) 
Scott  died  in  January,  1839. 

(IV)  Sarah,  daughter  of  Samuel  (3) 
and  Sarah  (Thompson)  Scott,  was  born 
July  10,  1799,  and  became  the  wife  of 
Thomas  Wilson  (i)  Shaw,  as  stated 
above. 

(The  Stoner  Line). 

Dr.  Thomas  Wilson  Shaw  married 
Catherine  Stoner.  Solomon  Stoner,  her 
father,  was  born  March  15,  1796,  in  Fred- 
erick City,  Maryland,  and  died  in  Pitts- 
burgh, November  26,  1856 ;  his  wife  was 
Margaret  Wolfe,  born  December  13,  1807, 
died  July  26,  1847.  Solomon  Stoner  was 
a  son  of  Dr.  John  Steiner  (original  spell- 
ing of  name),  who  was  born  March  12, 
1774,  died  December  3,  1854,  and  who 
married  Elizabeth  Plank,  of  Frederick 
City,  Maryland,  born  1755,  died  August 
30,  1833,  in  Hagerstown.  Maryland. 

Dr.  John  Steiner's  father  was  Captain 
John  Steiner,  who  married  Catherine 
Elizabeth  Ransberg,  of  Frederick  City, 
Maryland.  Captain  John  Steiner  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and 
also  in  the  Indian  wars.  Captain  John 
Steiner  was  a  son  of  Jacob  Steiner,  born 
1713,  died  1748,  who  was  the  emigrant, 
from  the  Palatinate,  Germany,  and  who 
came  to  Frederick  City,  Maryland. 


SHAW,  George  E., 

Iia-wyer,  Financier. 

George  E.  Shaw,  of  Reed,  Smith,  Shaw 
&  Beal,  one  of  the  leading  law  firms  of 
Pittsburgh  has  been,  for  nearly  a  third 
of  a   century,   enrolled  among  the   legal 


1564 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


practitioners  of  the  Iron  City.  Mr.  Shaw 
is  officially  identified  with  a  number  of 
leading  financial  and  industrial  organiza- 
tions of  the  metropolis  and  also  with 
some  of  its  educational  and  benevolent 
institutions. 

George  E.  Shaw  was  born  April  3,  1861 
and  is  a  son  of  the  late  Dr.  Thomas  Wil- 
son and  Catherine  W.  (Stoner)  Shaw. 
A  biography  of  Dr.  Shaw  appears  else- 
where in  this  work.  George  E.  Shaw  re- 
ceived his  preparatory  education  in  the 
public  schools,  afterward  entering  the 
Law  Department  of  the  University  of 
Michigan,  whence  he  graduated  in  1883 
with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws.  In 
1884  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Alle- 
gheny county,  Pennsylvania.  Until  1893 
he  practiced  alone,  and  then  became  a 
partner  in  the  law  firm  of  Knox  &  Reed, 
which  later  assumed  its  present  style  of 
Reed,  Smith,  Shaw  &  Beal.  The  organi- 
zation is  one  of  the  most  prominent  of  its 
kind  in  Pittsburgh. 

The  following  list  of  organizations  with 
which  Mr.  Shaw  is  identified  speaks  for 
itself:  He  is  a  director  of  the  Crucible 
Steel  Company  of  America ;  the  Pitts- 
burgh, McKeesport  &  Youghiogheny 
Railroad  Company ;  the  Pittsburgh,  Char- 
tiers  &  Youghiogheny  Railway  Company  ; 
the  Pittsburgh  &  Lake  Erie  Railroad 
Company  ;  the  Mellon  National  Bank  ;  the 
Union  Savings  Bank  and  the  Union 
Trust  Company. 

In  politics  Mr.  Shaw  is  a  Republican, 
and  in  the  welfare  and  progress  of  Pitts- 
burgh he  ever  manifests  the  interest  of  a 
good  citizen.  He  is  a  trustee  of  the  Car- 
negie Institute,  and  a  director  of  the 
Western  Pennsylvania  Hospital.  His 
clubs  are  the  Duquesne,  Union,  Univer- 
sity, Allegheny  Country  and  Pittsburgh 
Golf.  He  attends  the  Presbyterian 
church.  The  personality  and  appearance 
of  Mr.  Shaw  are  those  of  a  man  of  cul- 
tivated   tastes,  liberal    sentiments,    quiet 


determination  of   character  and    reserved 
but  genial  disposition. 

Mr.  Shaw  married,  December  19,  1893, 
Mary  E.,  daughter  of  the  late  Judge 
Thomas  and  Julia  (Hufnagle)  Ewing,  of 
Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  and  their  chil- 
dren are:  Elizabeth,  educated  at  Miss 
Spence's  School,  New  York ;  Mary 
Ewing,  also  educated  at  Miss  Spence's 
School ;  and  Thomas  Ewing,  born  March 
18,  1900,  educated  at  Shady  Side  Acad- 
emy. 


SCHILDECKER,  Charles  Bushfield, 
Snrgeon,  Hospital  Official. 

Dr.  Charles  Bushfield  Schildecker,  gen- 
ito-urinary  surgeon  to  the  West  Penn- 
sylvania Hospital,  holds  a  leading  place 
in  the  ranks  of  the  prominent  young  sur- 
geons of  Pittsburgh.  Dr.  Schildecker,  in 
addition  to  being  the  incumbent  of  other 
professional  positions,  is  widely  and  fav- 
orably known  as  a  remarkably  success- 
ful surgical  practitioner. 

Peter  Schildecker,  grandfather  of  Dr. 
Charles  Bushfield  Schildecker,  was  for 
years  a  leading  confectioner  and  caterer 
in  the  Diamond,  highly  respected  both  as 
a  business  man  and  citizen.  He  married 
Louise  Gunter,  who  died  in  the  autumn 
of  1873.  aged  fifty-two  years.  He  died 
October  9,  1877,  in  his  fifty-seventh  year. 

William  Schildecker,  son  of  Peter  and 
Louise  (Gunter)  Schildecker,  was  born 
April  12,  1S45,  ^'^d  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  old  First  ward  school.  For 
twenty  years  he  conducted  a  flourishing 
confectionery  business  in  Market  street, 
retiring  about  twelve  years  prior  to  his 
death.  He  married.  July  21,  1870,  Cath- 
erine Louisa  Bushfield,  born  in  Wash- 
ington, Pennsylvania,  September  2,  1848. 
daughter  of  James  S.  and  Isabella  (Best) 
Bushfield  (see  Bushfield).  Their  children 
were:  James  B.,  born  September  25, 
1872,  died  June  30,  1880;  Charles  Bush- 
field, mentioned  below ;  and  May  Isabel, 

565 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


wife  of  Harvey  V.  ]\IcCullough,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, and  mother  of  three  children, 
Charles  Bushheld,  Catherine  Louise  and 
Ann  Reed.  Mr.  Schildecker  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  ^Methodist  Episcopal  church 
and  a  man  of  unblemished  character  in 
every  relation  of  life.  He  died  January 
12,  1915,  his  wife  having  passed  away 
about  two  years  before. 

Dr.  Charles  Bushfield  Schildecker,  son 
of  William  and  Catherine  Louisa  (Bush- 
field)  Schildecker,  was  born  February  8, 
1877,  in  Allegheny,  Pennsylvania,  and  re- 
ceived his  rudimentary  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  city,  gradu- 
ating in  1S93,  and  then  spending  two 
years  at  the  Park  Institute,  Pittsburgh. 
After  studying  two  years  more  at  Shady 
Side  Academy  he  graduated  from  that 
institution  in  1897,  and  then  entered  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  Col- 
umbia University,  New  York  City,  which 
in  1901  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Medicine.  One  year  was  spent 
as  interne  in  the  Pittsburgh  City  Home 
and  Hospital  and  then  the  young  physi- 
cian made  the  tour  of  the  world,  doing 
post-graduate  work  at  some  of  the  Euro- 
pean universities. 

In  1905  Dr.  Schildecker  returned  to 
Pittsburgh  and  engaged  in  general  prac- 
tice as  assistant  to  Dr.  L.  W.  Swope. 
Since  1910  Dr.  Schildecker  has  devoted  all 
his  time  to  surgery,  still  maintaining  his 
association  with  Dr.  Swope,  and  has  risen 
rapidly  into  prominence,  building  up  a 
very  large  practice  and  winning  a  most 
enviable  reputation.  In  1906  he  was  as- 
sistant surgeon  to  the  South  Side  Hos- 
pital, and  since  1908  has  been  assistant 
gynaecologist  to  the  West  Pennsylvania 
Hospital.  In  1909  he  was  demonstrator  of 
anatomy  at  the  University  of  Pittsburgh, 
in  1912  he  was  appointed  surgeon  at  the 
West  Pennsylvania  Hospital  and  for  the 
last  ten  years  he  has  been  senior  coroner's 
physician  of  the  city  of  Pittsburgh.     He 


belongs  to  the  American  Association  of 
Obstetricians  and  Gynaecologists,  the 
American  Medical  Association,  the  Penn- 
sylvania State  Medical  Association  and 
the  Allegheny  County  Medical  Society. 

It  may  easily  be  imagined  that  h  man 
as  busy  as  Dr.  Schildecker  has  little  time 
for  fraternal  or  social  intercourse,  but  as 
he  does  not  believe  in  "all  work,  no  play" 
he  keeps  up  his  membership  in  the  Du- 
quesne  Club  and  the  Pitt  Athletic  Club. 
Pressure  of  professional  duties  forced 
him  to  resign  from  the  University  Club 
and  Pittsburgh  Athletic  Association.  He 
afiiliates  with  Crescent  Lodge,  No.  ^76, 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and  i':  a 
member  of  Christ  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  A  wide  reader  and  always  in 
the  van  of  progress  in  everytliing  per- 
taining to  his  profession.  Dr.  Schildecker 
is  one  of  the  men  who  are  bound  con- 
stantly to  advance  and  to  whom  any- 
thing approaching  to  stagnation  is  simply 
impossible.  In  appearance  he  is  the 
typical  physician,  with  a  thoughtful  yet 
keenly  observant  countenance,  dignilied 
presence  and  courteous,  quiet  and  self- 
possessed  manner. 

On  September  11,  1912,  at  Corry,  Penn- 
sylvania, Dr.  Schildecker  married  Edna 
May,  daughter  of  Edward  Cochran  and 
Livona  Irene  (Breeze)  Wightman,  of 
Meadville,  Pennsylvania,  and  they  are 
the  parents  of  a  son  and  daughter: 
Charles  Bushfield,  Jr.,  born  June  2/, 
1913  :  Catherine  Louise.  Mrs.  Schildecker 
is  a  member  of  the  W^est  Pennsylvania 
Hospital  Cot  Club  and  both  she  and  her 
husband  are  extremely  popular  socially, 
delighting  in  the  exercise  of  hospitality 
at  their  charming  home  in  the  East  End. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  first  decade 
of  Dr.  Schildecker's  career  has  supplied 
the  amount  of  material  most  unsatisfac- 
torily condensed  into  this  brief  and  im- 
perfect biography,  there  is  reason  to  be- 


1566 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


lieve  that  the  years  to  come  will  furnish 
voluminous  matter  to  the  historian. 

(The  Bushfield  Line). 

Samuel  Bushfield,  of  Maguiresbriclge. 
married  Jane  May,  about  1740.  They 
were  Presbyterians  and  remained  in  Ire- 
land. Two  sons  and  one  daughter  came 
to  America.  Samuel  Jr.,  the  eldest,  set- 
tled in  Westmoreland  county;  William, 
in  Washington  county;  Isabella  (Mrs. 
Graham),  in  Virginia. 

Samuel  Bushfield  Jr.,  born  in  Maguires- 
bridge,  Ireland,  1767,  was  married,  in 
1789,  to  Catherine  Taylor,  born  1771,  in 
County  Cavan,  Ireland,  daughter  of 
George  and  Margaret  (Birney)  Taylor, 
who  was  a  very  near  relative  of  James 
Gillespie  Taylor,  who  distinguished  him- 
self by  his  opposition  to  slavery  and  in 
1844  was  the  candidate  of  the  Liberty 
party  for  President  of  the  United  States. 
The  Taylors  were  early  Methodists  and 
co-workers  with  the  Wesleys.  Follow- 
ing their  children,  George  Taylor  and  his 
wife  came  to  America  late  in  life,  settled 
in  Ligonier  Valley  and  were  buried  in 
the  Fairfield  Presbyterian  churchyard. 

Samuel  Bushfield  Jr.,  with  his  wife  and 
two  children,  came  to  America  in  1792. 
They  were  thirteen  weeks  and  three  days 
on  the  water  and  landed  in  New  York 
and  then  went  to  Lancaster  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  settled  on  the  Juniata 
river,  where  they  remained  until  1801, 
when  they  came  to  Westmoreland  coun- 
ty and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Greens- 
burg,  Pennsylvania,  on  which  the  town 
of  Ludwick  is  now  built.  Here  they 
founded  Methodism  and  for  more  than 
thirty  years  their  home  was  the  regular 
meeting  place  for  all  Methodists.  While 
on  a  visit  to  his  daughter,  Mrs.  William 
Robinson,  in  Washington,  Pennsylvania, 
Samuel  Bushfield  died,  October  6,  1832, 
aged  sixty-five  years,  and  was  buried  in 
the  graveyard  of  that  place  which  is  now 

PEN-8  I 


almost  the  centre  of  the  town.  His  widow 
remained  in  Westmoreland  county  until 
her  death  at  the  home  of  her  daughter, 
Susannah  (Mrs.  Charles  Ramsey),  De- 
cember 28,  1856,  in  her  eighty-fifth  year. 

George  Taylor  Bushfield,  eldest  son  of 
Samuel  and  Catherine  (Taylor)  Bush- 
field, was  born  in  Greensburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania, October  9,  1791.  He  married,  Feb- 
ruary 7,  181 1,  Catherine  Kern,  born  in 
1792,  daughter  of  Jacob  Kern,  born  1771, 
died  February  28,  1841,  in  Indiana.  Jacob 
Kern  and  John  Kern,  with  their  wives, 
and  Samuel  Bushfield  and  his  wife,  formed 
the  first  Methodist  class  in  Westmore- 
land county.  George  Taylor  Bushfield 
and  his  wife  remained  in  Greensburg 
until  after  the  birth  of  their  first  child, 
James  Spielman,  then  joined  his  wife's 
people  in  Indiana,  where  they  all  settled 
as  farmers.  The  Kerns  were  Pennsyl- 
vania Dutch.  John  W.  Kern,  who  was 
the  candidate  for  Vice-President  with 
William  Jennings  Bryan  for  President 
on  the  Democratic  ticket,  is  a  descendant 
of  the  same  family.  In  crossing  a  creek 
on  the  ice,  it  gave  way,  and  George  Tay- 
lor Bushfield  was  drowned,  December  28, 
1822.  His  father,  Samuel  Bushfield,  then 
went  to  Indiana  and  brought  the  eldest 
son,  James  S.  Bushfield,  home  with  him, 
raised  and  educated  him  and  put  him  in 
business  with  his  uncles,  Samuel  and  Jo- 
seph, in  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  also 
made  him  superintendent  of  his  brick- 
yard, located  where  Twenty-eighth  and 
Smallman  streets  now  are.  At  that  time 
there  was  but  a  narrow  boardwalk  into 
the  city. 

Later  James  S.  Bushfield,  who  was 
born  in  Greensburg,  October  6,  1812, 
went  to  Wheeling,  West  Virginia,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  the  drug  business  for 
awhile,  then  went  to  Washington,  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  married  Isabella  Best, 
who  was  born  in  Washington,  August  4, 
1818.     She  was  a  daughter  of  John  Best, 

567 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


who  was  born  in  Beuburb,  Ireland,  in 
May,  1780.  His  people  were  wealthy  and 
well  educated  and  were  Episcopalians. 
John  Best  married  Isabella  Dickson,  who 
also  came  from  a  family  of  wealth  and 
position.  Her  brother,  Dr.  James  Dick- 
son, was  a  surgeon  on  the  battleship 
"Thunderer"  at  the  Dardanelles,  and  was 
in  Washington,  D.  C.  when  that  city  was 
burned  by  the  British.  John  Best,  with 
his  wife  and  three  small  children,  came 
to  America  in  181 1.  First  stopped  in 
Pittsburgh.  In  1826  they  went  to  Wash- 
ington, Pennsylvania,  where  he  pur- 
chased property  and  went  into  the  wool- 
carding  business.  He  retired  in  1856  and 
went  to  live  with  his  son  William,  who 
lived  on  a  farm  near  New  Concord,  Ohio, 
where  he  died  in  1S78  in  his  ninety- 
eighth  year.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he 
was  the  oldest  Mason  in  the  United 
States,  having  entered  that  order  in  Beu- 
burb Lodge,  No.  722,  his  own  father  hav- 
ing procured  the  charter  from  the  Grand 
Lodge  in  Ireland. 

After  his  marriage  James  S.  Bushfield 
remained  in  Washington  for  a  number  of 
years  and  his  children  were  all  born  in 
that  place.  He  was  for  awhile  engaged 
in  the  livery  business  and  later  in  mer- 
chant tailoring.  He  followed  the  faith 
of  his  fathers  and  brought  his  family  up 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He 
came  to  Pittsburgh,  April  3,  1867,  where 
he  went  into  the  grocery  business  with 
his  sons.  He  retired  in  1882,  and  died 
November  8,  1888,  in  Allegheny,  Penn- 
sylvania, now  the  North  Side  of  Pitts- 
burgh. His  wife  died  in  Pittsburgh,  June 
29,  1870. 


JOHNSTON,  Norwood, 

Leader  in  Natural  Gas  Industry. 

A  successful  business  man,  while  he  is 
always  to  a  certain  extent  an  incarnation 
of  his  age,  is  not  as  a  rule  a  representa- 
tive of  ancestors  who  assisted  in  making 

I 


the  history  of  their  own  times.  This, 
however,  is  the  case  with  Norwood  John- 
ston, vice-president  and  general  superin- 
tendent .of  the  Carnegie  Natural  Gas 
Company,  who  is,  unquestionably,  an  in- 
carnation of  the  spirit  and  methods  of 
the  early  twentieth  century,  but  who  is 
also  a  descendant  of  Sir  Robert  Walpole, 
Earl  of  Orford,  for  twenty-one  years 
Premier  of  England.  Throughout  the 
score  of  years  during  which  Mr.  John- 
ston has  been  a  resident  of  Pittsburgh, 
he  has  done  notable  work  in  helping  to 
clear  the  paths  through  which  her  citi- 
zens have  pushed  their  way  to  industrial 
supremacy — the  parallel  roads  of  oil  and 
gas. 

Major  James  Johnston,  the  first  ances- 
tor of  record,  is  supposed  to  have  settled 
about  1730  in  the  province  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Fie  married,  before  coming  to  the 
colonies,  Lady  Nancy  Walpole,  daughter 
of  Sir  Robert  Walpole,  and  their  children 
were :  Thomas,  Elizabeth,  Mary,  James, 
Martha,  John,  and  Robert.  The  sons  are 
mentioned  below. 

The  Walpole  arms :  Or,  on  a  fesse  be- 
tween two  chevrons,  sable.  Three  crosses 
formee  of  the  field,  as  an  augmentation  a 
canton  gules  charged  with  a  lion  of  Eng- 
land. Crest :  An  arm  holding  a  royal 
coronet  with  the  king's  motto,  all  proper. 
Motto:  "Dicii  ct  vwi  droU"  (God  and 
my  right). 

South  of  Greencastle,  near  Shady 
Grove,  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania,  on 
the  Beatty  farm,  now  Witmer's,  in  a  se- 
cluded spot  some  distance  from  the  road, 
is  the  burial  place  of  the  Johnstons.  Sev- 
eral of  the  graves  are  marked  with  large 
marble  slabs  and  on  the  one  indicating 
the  last  resting-place  of  the  immigrant  is 
the  following  inscription. 

James  Johnston 

born 

in  the  North  of  Ireland 

Died  A.  D.  1765. 


568 


Cr,^i  ^i^at^^.^a^^i^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


From  documents  still  extant  he  settled  on 
the  land  on  which  he 
died,  as  early  as  1735, 
and  was  probably  the 
first  white  settler  in 
what  is  now  Antrim 
Township,  Franklin  county. 

(II)  Thomas,  son  of  James  and  Nancy 
(Walpole)  Johnston,  took  an  active  part 
in  the  struggle  for  independence.  He  was 
an  early  associator  and  an  ensign  in  the 
Flying  Camp,  and  on  January  21,  1777, 
was  appointed  first  lieutenant  in  the  State 
Regiment,  Colonel  Bull  commanding,  and 
later  Colonel  Walter  Stewarts.  Subse- 
quently, in  the  rearrangement,  Lieuten- 
ant Johnston  was  transferred  to  the  Thir- 
teenth Pennsylvania.  At  the  close  of  the 
war  he  was  commissioned  colonel  in  the 
militia.  He  was  a  gentleman  of  dignified 
manners  and  hospitable  disposition,  and 
was  regarded  with  the  highest  respect  by 
all  classes  of  the  community. 

(II)  James  (2),  son  of  James  (i)  and 
Nancy  (Walpole)  Johnston,  was  known 
as  "colonel,"  but  whether  in  the  militia 
or  the  Continental  army  is  not  stated. 
He  died  in  December,  1819,  in  the  seven- 
ty-fifth year  of  his  age. 

(II)  John,  son  of  James  and  Nancy 
(Walpole)  Johnston,  was  born  in  1748, 
and  in  early  records  is  called  "captain," 
but  in  the  family  Bible  one  of  his  chil- 
dren has  written :  "My  father,  Major 
John  Johnston,  is  buried  near  Saltsburg, 
beside  his  daughter,  Jane  I.  Boggs." 
Major  Johnston  married  (first)  Rebecca 
Smith,  and  their  children  were :  James, 
born  September  17,  1773;  William,  born 
June  7,  1776;  and  Robert,  born  March  16, 
1778.  Mrs.  Johnston  died  April  22,  1780, 
and  Major  Johnston  married  (second) 
September  17,  1782,  Anna  Bella,  daughter 
of  James  McDowell,  and  granddaughter 
of  William  and  Mary  McDowell.  The 
children  of  this  marriage  were  the  follow- 
ing:   Jane,  born  November  16,  1784;  Eliz- 


abeth, born  jNIarch  i,  1787;  John,  born 
Alay  I,  1789;  Rebecca,  born  August  13, 
1791  ;  Thomas,  mentioned  below;  Sam- 
uel, born  August  25,  1796;  Mary,  born 
August  13,  1799;  and  George,  born  Sep- 
tember 22y,  1802.  The  mother  of  these 
children  died  December  25,  1807. 

(II)  Robert,  son  of  James  and  Nancy 
(Walpole)  Johnston,  was  born  July  21, 
1750,  and  on  January  16,  1776,  was  ap- 
pointed surgeon  of  the  Sixth  Pennsyl- 
vania Battalion,  Colonel  William  Irvine 
commanding  and  continued  in  service 
until  1 78 1,  when  he  was  ordered  by  the 
commander-in-chief  to  leave  the  regi- 
mental service  and  assist  the  wounded 
officers  and  soldiers  of  the  American 
army,  prisoners  in  the  British  hospital  at 
Charleston,  South  Carolina.  Dr.  John- 
ston was  a  member  of  the  Society  of  the 
Cincinnati,  and  as  long  as  he  lived  re- 
tained the  friendship  of  his  brother  offi- 
cers, many  of  whom  sought  his  profes- 
sional advice  long  after  his  retirement. 
In  1794,  during  the  so-called  Whiskey  In- 
surrection, General  Washington  and  the 
members  of  his  staff  were  the  guesti^  of 
Dr.  Johnston,  the  President  going  out  of 
iiis  way  to  meet  his  old  friend.  Dr. 
Johnston  died  November  25,  1808.  He 
was  one  of  the  most  prominent  surgeons 
of  the  Revolutionary  era. 

(HI)  Thomas,  son  of  John  and  Anna 
Bella  (McDowell)  Johnston,  was  born 
March  10,  1794,  and  on  May  11,  1820, 
married  Elizabeth  King  Paxton,  born  Au- 
gust 20,  1799.  Among  their  children  was 
John  Thomas,  mentioned  below. 

(IV)  John  Thomas,  son  of  Thomas 
(i)  and  Elizabeth  King  (Paxton)  John- 
ston, was  born  September  11,  1824,  at 
Blairsville,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  a  man 
of  prominence  in  the  western  part  of 
the  State,  proprietor  of  the  Aladdin 
Works,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river 
from  Freeport,  where  he  successfully 
manufactured    oil    out    of    cannel     coal. 


1569 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


This  was  before  the  discovery  of  petro- 
leum. For  half  a  century  he  was  inter- 
ested in  the  production  of  oil,  having 
drilled  the  first  oil  well  in  the  West  Vir- 
ginia field.  At  various  times  Air.  John- 
ston resided  at  Freeport,  Oil  City,  Brad- 
ford and  Washington,  Pennsylvania,  his 
interests  being  widely  scattered  and  of 
great  importance.  Mr.  Johnston  married 
Margaretta  Pinney,  whose  ancestral  rec- 
ord is  appended  to  this  biography,  and 
the  following  children  were  born  to  them : 
Elizabeth  Paxlon  Johnston,  wife  of  C.  T. 
Hall,  of  Wilkinsburg,  Pennsylvania ; 
Norwood,  mentioned  below ;  and  Mar- 
garetta, wife  of  Dr.  J.  D.  Singley,  of 
Pittsburgh.  Airs.  Johnston  died  August 
9,  1876,  and  her  husband  survived  her 
many  years,  passing  away  December  2, 
1905,  at  the  age  of  eighty-one.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church, 
and  a  man  highly  respected,  one  of  the 
stalwart  pioneers  of  the  oil  industry.  It 
is  men  of  this  type  who  have  given  to 
Pennsylvania  her  industrial  supremacy 
and,  while  all  are  entitled  to  be  held  in 
grateful  remembrance,  special  honor 
should  be  paid  to  such  men  as  John 
Thomas  Johnston,  who  were  leaders  of 
the  leaders,  marching  in  the  front  rank  of 
the  van  of  the  army  of  progress. 

(V)  Norwood  Johnston,  son  of  John 
Thomas  and  Margaret  (Pinney)  John- 
ston, was  born  September  13,  1864,  at 
Freeport,  Pennsylvania,  and  received  his 
education  in  public  schools  and  at  the 
Pennsylvania  Military  Academy.  After 
completing  his  course  of  study  he  was 
associated  with  his  father  in  the  extensive 
oil  business  which  the  latter  was  then 
conducting  in  McKean  and  Forest  coun- 
ties, Pennsylvania.  At  the  end  of  two 
years  he  went  to  Butler  county,  where 
for  two  years  more  he  was  connected 
with  the  Fisher  Oil  Company,  and  then 
identified  himself  with  the  Manufactur- 
ers' Natural  Gas  Company,  which  after- 

'  I 


ward  became  the  Manufacturers'  Heat 
and  Light  Company.  As  general  super- 
intendent he  had  charge  of  drilling  their 
gas  wells  in  that  region  and  laying  gas 
lines. 

In  1897  Mr.  Johnston  became  general 
superintendent  and  vice-president  of  the 
Carnegie  Natural  Gas  Company,  positions 
which  he  has  since  continuously  filled 
with  distinguished  ability.  This  is  no 
mere  complimentary  phrase.  It  is  the 
simple  expression  of  a  simple  fact.  Its 
implication  is  very  large.  Without  gas, 
what  position  would  Pittsburgh  occupy 
in  the  industrial  world?  In  glassmaking? 
In  illumination?  \\'here  would  be  the 
gas  engine?  How  would  steel  be  manu- 
factured with  equal  economy?  Gas  is  the 
most  economical  fuel  now  known,  but  the 
world  obtains  it  through  the  instrumen- 
tality of  such  organizations  as  the  Car- 
negie Natural  Gas  Company,  conducted 
and  controlled  by  such  men  as  Norwood 
Johnston. 

The  first  recorded  instance  of  the  utili- 
zation of  natural  gas  occurred  in  1824, 
when  it  was  piped  from  a  well  to  illumi- 
nate the  village  of  Fredonia,  New  York, 
in  honor  of  the  presence  of  General  Lafa- 
yette when  he  revisited  the  land  where 
he  had  done  so  much  to  create  a  nation. 
Not  until  fifty  years  later  was  its  value 
as  an  aid  to  manufacturing  demonstrated, 
and  to  amply  supply  natural  gas  fuel  for 
numerous  furnaces  was  the  Carnegie 
Natural  Gas  Company  organized.  Of  the 
gas  wells  sunk  by  the  company,  the  deep- 
est are  in  Wetzel  county.  West  Virginia, 
and  the  "rock  pressure,"  as  it  is  called,  is 
often  sufficient  to  cause  the  gas  to  be 
transported  through  the  pipes  for  up- 
ward of  a  hundred  miles.  This  region 
probably  contains  the  greatest  gas  possi- 
bilities, but  the  Pennsylvania  fields  bid 
fair  to  be  the  most  productive  and  endur- 
ing. The  "gas-producing  sands"  are 
known    by    various    names    in    dififerent 

570 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


neighborhoods,  as  the  Murraysville  or 
salt  sand,  and  the  Gordon,  Gordon  Stray, 
Fourth,  Fifth,  Bayard  and  Elizabeth 
sands.  At  the  present  rate  of  develop- 
ment, according  to  conservative  esti- 
mates, the  properties  of  the  Carnegie 
Natural  Gas  Company  are  likely  to  be 
profitably  operated  for  many  years  to 
come.  They  certainly  will  be  if  their  suc- 
cessful management  depends  upon  men 
like  the  one  who  now  administers  the 
offices  of  vice-president  and  general  su- 
perintendent. 

Over  and  above  the  discharge  of  these 
duties,  Mr.  Johnston  is  interested  in  the 
oil  business  on  his  own  account,  but  out- 
side this  industry  he  has  no  business  con- 
nections. He  is  a  director  of  the  Ross 
Mining  and  Milling  Company.  The  con- 
centration of  energy  necessary  for  the 
perfect  fulfillment  of  his  official  obliga- 
tions renders  it  impossible  for  him  to 
take  any  part  in  politics  other  than  that 
of  voting  with  the  Republicans  for  the 
men  and  measures  which  meet  his  ap- 
proval. This  does  not  imply,  however, 
that  he  is  lacking  in  public  spirit.  Nothing 
that  makes  for  the  betterment  of  condi- 
tions in  his  home  city  finds  him  unre- 
sponsive and  her  educational,  benevolent 
and  charitable  institutions  all  receive 
from  him  substantial  aid  and  influential 
encouragement.  He  belongs  to  the  Du- 
quesne.  Country,  Oakmont  and  Pitts- 
burgh Field  clubs;  also  the  Pittsburgh 
Automobile  Club  and  the  Pittsburgh  Ath- 
letic Association.  Of  the  last-named  or- 
ganization he  was  once  a  director.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Fourth  Presbyterian 
Church. 

A  virile,  forceful  and  aggressive  per- 
sonality is  that  of  Norwood  Johnston, 
manifested  in  every  detail  of  his  appear- 
ance. His  tall  stature  and  well-knit 
frame,  keen,  searching  eyes  and  dignified 
bearing  all  proclaim  the  man  of  prompt, 

I 


decisive  action  and  invincible  will.  In 
outdoor  sports,  motoring,  shooting  and 
the  like,  he  finds  his  favorite  recreations 
and  his  genial  nature  and  cordial,  polished 
manner  commend  him  to  the  warm  and 
steadfast  friendship  of  many  and  to  the 
sincere  good-will  of  all.  These  attributes, 
coupled  with  his  broad  sympathies,  ac- 
count for  the  fact  that  his  associates, 
while  they  often  differ  from  him,  invari- 
ably like  him,  and,  above  all,  trust  him. 

On  ]March  4,  1896,  ]\Ir.  Johnston  mar- 
ried Frances,  daughter  of  William  S.  and 
Jane  (Lindsey)  Graham,  and  they  are 
the  parents  of  the  following  children : 
Norwood,  born  June  16,  1S97,  educated 
in  Pittsburgh  schools  and  now  attending 
the  Hill  School,  class  of  1915 ;  Louise; 
Graham,  born  August  10,  1903:  Frances; 
and  Thomas,  born  April  21,  1913.  Mrs. 
Johnston,  invested  as  she  is  with  the 
charm  of  domesticity,  is  noted  for  the 
many  social  gifts  which  make  the  family 
home  in  the  East  End  a  centre  of  hos- 
pitality. 

Albeit  not  born  within  the  limits  of  the 
Iron  City,  Norwood  Johnston  is  a  true 
Pittsburgher,  speaking  in  deeds  rather 
than  in  words,  not  working  for  the  pres- 
ent alone,  but  also  for  the  time  to  come. 

Lester  C.  Pinney  was  born  in  Hartford, 
Connecticut,  July  14,  181 1,  and  was  origi- 
nally a  clockmaker,  but  on  going  to  Kit- 
tanning,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, became  a  carriage  manufacturer. 
He  built  up  an  extensive  and  flourishing 
business  and  was  regarded  as  one  of  the 
leading  men  in  the  community.  He  mar- 
ried Jane  Graham,  and  their  daughter 
Margaretta  is  mentioned  below.  Lester 
C.  Pinney  died  November  6,  1874,  at  Kit- 
tanning,  Pennsylvania. 

Margaretta,  daughter  of  Lester  C.  and 
Jane  (Graham)  Pinney,  was  born  in  1840, 
in  Kittanning,  and  became  the  wife  of 
John  Thomas  Johnston,  as  stated  above. 


571 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


MOON,  Seymour  Boston,  M.  D., 

Distinguished  Oculist. 

Among  those  members  of  Pittsburgh's 
medical  fraternity  who  make  a  specialty 
of  treatment  of  diseases  of  the  eye,  Dr. 
Seymour  Boston  Moon  is  a  recognized 
leader.  Although  but  a  few  years  have 
elapsed  since  Dr.  Moon  became  a  resident 
of  the  metropolis  he  has,  in  that  compara- 
tively brief  space  of  time,  made  for  him- 
self a  place  honorable  both  as  a  physician 
and  a  citizen. 

Adam  Boston  Moon,  father  of  Seymour 
Boston  Moon,  was  born  January  24,  1842, 
and  was  a  son  of  George  Moon  and  Cath- 
erine (Crill)  Moon,  resided  near  Mercer, 
Pennsylvania,  formerly  of  Harper's  Ferry, 
West  Virginia,  about  1800.  Adam  Bos- 
ton Moon  was  a  building  contractor  in 
Mercer,  Pennsylvania,  but  is  now  retired. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  Mr.  Moon  married,  September 
10,  1867,  Catherine  J.,  born  January  23, 
1838,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Rebecca 
(Boston)  Smith,  formerly  of  Winchester, 
Virginia,  later  resided  near  Slippery 
Rock,  now  Butler  county,  Pennsylvania. 
Mrs.  Moon  died  August  6,  1897. 

Seymour  Boston,  son  of  Adam  Boston 
and  Catherine  J.  (Smith)  Moon,  was 
born  August  8,  1868,  in  Mercer,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  received  his  education  in  the 
public  and  high  schools  of  his  native  city. 
He  was  fitted  for  his  profession  at  the 
Chicago  Homoeopathic  College,  graduat- 
ing in  1890  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Medicine.  Immediately  thereafter,  Dr. 
Moon  entered  upon  the  general  practice 
of  his  profession  at  Beaver  Falls,  Penn- 
sylvania, remaining  for  seventeen  years 
and  building  up  during  that  period  a  sub- 
stantial reputation,  founded  on  genuine 
ability  and  conscientious  devotion  to 
duty.  In  1907  he  entered  the  New  York 
Ophthalmic  College,  spending  two  years 
at  post-graduate  work,  and  the  second 
year  as  assistant  to  the  senior  surgeon. 

157 


In  1909  Dr.  Moon  returned  to  Pittsburgh, 
and  has  since  devoted  his  entire  time  and 
attention  to  treatment  of  diseases  of  the 
eye,  meeting  with  marked  and  speedy 
recognition  and  acquiring  a  large  and 
constantly  increasing  clientele.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  ophthalmic  staff  of  the 
Homoeopathic  Hospital,  and  the  profes- 
sional organizations  to  which  he  belongs 
include  the  American  Homoeopathic  Eye, 
Nose  and  Throat  Association,  the  Amer- 
ican Institute  of  Homoeopathy,  the  Penn- 
sylvania State  Homoeopathic  Medical 
Society,  and  the  Allegheny  County 
Homoeopathic  Society. 

Politically  Dr.  Moon  is  a  Republican, 
but  takes  no  active  part  in  public  afifairs, 
being  wholly  absorbed  in  devotion  to  his 
chosen  work.  He  affiliates  with  Beaver 
Valley  Lodge,  No.  478,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons ;  and  is  a  member  of  the  Point 
Breeze  Presbyterian  Church,  being  also 
a  member  of  the  session. 

During  the  few  years  of  Dr.  Moon's 
residence  in  Pittsburgh  so  widely  and 
thoroughly  familiar  have  his  appearance 
and  personality  become  to  his  fellow  citi- 
zens— made  so  by  the  eminence  he  has 
attained  in  his  work — that  any  descrip- 
tion of  either  would  seem  to  be  super- 
fluous. He  is  known  to  Pittsburghers 
for  what  he  is — an  able  physician,  a  true 
gentleman  and  a  genial,  kindly,  high- 
minded  man. 

Dr.  Moon  married,  December  27,  1893, 
Carolyn,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  John 
Alford  and  Mary  (Blakeslee)  Alford,  of 
Beaver  Falls,  Pennsylvania,  a  graduate 
of  high  school  and  Geneva  College,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  one  daughter: 
Helen  Blakeslee  Moon,  educated  at  the 
Gardner  School  for  Girls,  Fifth  avenue. 
New  York  City,  Thurston  School,  Pitts- 
burgh, and  the  Mary  Baldwin  Seminary, 
Staunton,  Virginia,  and  a  graduate  of 
Fairmount  Seminary,  Washington,  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Dr.  Moon  came  to  Pittsburgh  with  an 
assured  reputation  as  a  general  practi- 
tioner and  has  since  reared,  on  that  foun- 
dation, the  structure  of  a  leadership  as  an 
eye  specialist.  In  this  branch  of  his  work 
he  is  exclusively  associated  with  Pitts- 
burgh, a  fact  which  is  an  ever-increasing 
source  of  pride  to  the  city  of  his  adoption. 


STEWART,  WUliam  Alvah,  M.  D., 

Prominent  Homoeopathist. 

Pittsburgh,  perhaps  more  than  any 
other  city  in  the  world,  stands  in  need 
of  physicians  and  surgeons  highly  en- 
lightened and  devoted  to  their  calling. 
JSiot  only  do  her  peculiar  atmospheric 
conditions  render  this  necessary,  but  also 
the  constant  danger  to  life  and  limb  in- 
curred by  the  men  employed  in  her  gigan- 
tic steel  works  and  iron  foundries.  Well 
is  it  for  her  that  she  numbers  among  her 
representatives  of  the  medical  profession 
such  men  as  Dr.  William  Alvah  Stewart, 
senior  surgeon  at  the  Pittsburgh  Homoeo- 
pathic Hospital  and  for  the  last  fourteen 
years  one  of  the  leading  practitioners  of 
the  Iron  City. 

William  Le  Roy  Stewart,  father  of 
William  Alvah  Stewart,  was  a  woolen 
manufacturer  of  New  York  state,  and 
married  Caroline  Ophelia,  daughter  of 
Seth   and    Caroline    (Bishop)    Hotchkiss. 

William  Alvah,  son  of  William  Le  Roy 
and  Caroline  Ophelia  (Hotchkiss)  Stew- 
art, was  born  June  14,  1862,  in  Knoxville, 
Tioga  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  received 
his  preliminary  education  in  the  pul^Hc 
schools  of  Danville,  New  York,  and  the 
schools  of  Livingston  county.  New  York, 
graduating,  in  1885,  from  the  Geneseo 
State  Normal  School,  New  York.  For 
two  years  thereafter  he  was  principal  of 
a  school  at  Richburg.  New  York,  and 
then  for  four  years  held  the  same  position 
in  a  school  at  Nunda,  New  York.  This 
period  of  teaching  was,  however,  merely 


the  prelude  to  a  career  far  removed  from 
the  sphere  of  the  instructor.  The  young 
man,  whose  talents  and  inclinations  alike 
litted  him  for  the  calling  of  a  physician, 
entered  the  New  York  Homoeopathic 
Medical  College  and  Hospital,  and  in  1894 
graduated  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Aledicine.  After  two  years'  work  in  the 
Flower  Hospital,  New  York,  Dr.  Stew- 
art became  private  physician  to  the  late 
George  Westinghouse  and  family,  a  posi- 
tion which  he  retained  for  five  years.  He 
then  spent  a  year  at  post-graduate  work 
in  surgery  at  the  New  York  Polyclinic 
and  New  York  Post  Graduate  College, 
and  in  1901  opened  an  office  in  Pitts- 
burgh, entering  actively  into  the  practice 
uf  general  surgery  and  gynaecology.  To 
these  two  branches  of  the  profession  he 
has  ever  since  continuously  devoted  him- 
self with  steadily  increasing  success, 
building  up  a  large  and  lucrative  practice 
and  acquiring  a  deservedly  high  reputa- 
tion for  skill,  learning  and  unwearied 
fidelity  to  duty.  He  is  senior  surgeon  at 
the  Pittsburgh  Homoeopathic  Hospital, 
and  a  member  of  the  Bureau  of  Medical 
Education  and  Licensure  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, having  been  appointed  by  the  gov- 
ernor to  the  latter  office  three  months 
after  the  inception  of  the  bureau,  and 
several  times  reappointed. 

In  1910  Dr.  Stewart  was  president  of 
the  Pennsylvania  State  Homoeopathic 
Medical  Society,  and  at  another  time  he 
held  the  same  office  in  the  Allegheny 
County  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society. 
To  both  these  organizations  he  still  be- 
longs, and  he  is  also  a  member  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy  and 
a  fellow  of  the  American  College  of  Sur- 
geons. 

Like  the  majority  of  Western  Pennsyl- 
vanians  Dr.  Stewart  is  a  Republican.  He 
is  a  Blue  Lodge  Mason,  affiliating  with 
Kishiqua  Lodge,  No.  299,  of  New  York 
state.      He    also   belongs    to    the    Mystic 

573 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Shrine,  and  is  a  member  of  Almus 
Temple,  Washington.  District  of  Colum- 
bia, and  the  Temple  of  Pittsfield,  Massa- 
chusetts. His  clubs  are  the  Duquesne, 
Americus  and  Field,  and  he  attends  the 
Presbyterian  church. 

Of  tall  stature,  with  a  countenance  ex- 
pressive of  strength  and  refinement  and 
an  eye  which  speaks  at  once  of  deep 
thought  and  close  observation,  Dr.  Stew- 
art looks  the  physician  and  the  gentle- 
man. Widely  read  in  everything  pertain- 
ing to  his  profession,  he  is  also  a  man  of 
broad  general  culture  and  his  genial  na- 
ture and  companionable  disposition  have 
surrounded  him  with  friends  both  within 
and  without  the  pale  of  his  fraternity. 

The  marriage  of  Dr.  Stewart,  on  June 
20,  1901,  secured  for  him  a  life  union  with 
the  one  woman  in  all  the  world  best  fitted 
to  be  his  true  helpmate — Julia  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  George  I.  and  Ann  (Kerr) 
Langworthy,  of  New  York.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Stewart  have  two  sons :  William  Alvah, 
born  August  16,  1903;  and  George  Lang- 
worthy,  born  January  26,  1905.  Dr. 
Stewart  loves  his  home  and  delights  to 
gather  his  friends  about  him  and  Mrs. 
Stewart  is  one  of  the  city's  most  gracious 
and  tactful  hostesses. 

Dr.  Stewart  came  to  Pittsburgh  with  a 
reputation  which  gave  him  at  once  an 
assured  position  among  the  medical  fra- 
ternity of  the  metropolis.  The  years  he 
has  spent  there  have  been  years  of  arduous 
devotion  to  the  advancement  of  medical 
science  and  tireless  endeavor  for  the  re- 
lief of  sufitering  and  have  placed  him  in 
the  front  rank  of  the  city's  surgeons  and 
specialists. 


POND,  Edward  Herman,  M.  D., 

Dermatologist,    Roentgenologist. 

Among  those  branches  of  medical 
science  which  are  to-day  claiming  the 
thought  and  demanding  the  research  of 
the  members  of  the  profession  none  are 


of  more  vital  interest  than  dermatology 
and  Roentgenology  and  it  is  to  the  con- 
sideration and  elucidation  of  these  sub- 
jects that  Dr.  Edward  Herman  Pond,  of 
Pittsburgh,  has  for  the  last  fifteen  years, 
devoted  himself  with  a  zeal,  thorough- 
ness and  enlightenment  which  have 
placed  him  in  the  front  rank  of  the  spe- 
cialists of  Pennsylvania. 

The  family  of  which  Dr.  Pond  is  a 
representative  had  its  original  home  in 
Massachusetts,  whence,  more  than  a  cen- 
tury ago,  the  progenitor  of  the  Pitts- 
burgh branch  migrated  to  Vermont.  Abel 
Pond,     his     great-grandfather,     married 

Jerusha .    Joel  A.,  son  of  Abel  and 

Jerusha  Pond,  was  born  May  17,  1807,  at 
Poultney,  Vermont,  and  soon  after  his 
marriage  removed  to  Townville,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  was  one  of  the  pioneers. 
He  was  a  farmxcr,  living  at  first  in  a  little 
log  cabin  of  his  own  erection,  but  as  time 
went  on  he  became  one  of  the  prominent 
men  of  the  community.  He  married  Abi- 
gail Willis,  of  Hampton.  Washington 
county.  New  York,  who  was  born  June 
14,  1808,  and  their  union  was  of  forty 
years,  duration,  being  dissolved  by  the 
death  of  Mrs.  Pond,  who  passed  away 
]\Iay  II,  1S72.  Mr.  Pond  died  April  19, 
1877,  surviving  by  only  a  few  years  the 
companion  of  a  lifetime. 

John  N.  Pond,  son  of  Joel  A.  and  Abi- 
gail t^W'illis)  Pond,  was  born  September 
3,  1834,  at  Townville,  Pennsylvania,  and 
educated  at  IMeadville.  In  1861  he  grad- 
uated from  the  Cleveland  Homoeopathic 
Medical  College,  and  for  a  time  practiced 
at  Burton,  Ohio,  removing  in  1865  to 
Meadville,  Crawford  county,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  general  practice  during 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  a  Re- 
publican, and  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  Dr.  Pond  married 
Maria  A.  Thompson,  and  their  children 
were  :  Sherman,  deceased  ;  Edward  Her- 
man, mentioned  below;  George  Herbert, 
574 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  East  Pittsburgh ;  and  Ralph  Ernest,  a 
physician  of  Meadville.  Dr.  Pond  died 
October  24,  1900,  and  Mrs.  Pond  (born 
August  20.  1838,  in  Vernon,  Ohio,  mar- 
ried on  INIarch  31,  1859)  passed  away 
June  9,  1912.  Like  her  husband,  she  was 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  and  earnestly  devoted  to  the  pro- 
motion of  its  work. 

Dr.  Edward  Herman  Pond,  son  of  John 
N.  and  Maria  (Thompson)  Pond,  was 
born  March  18,  1862,  at  Burton,  Trum- 
bull county,  Ohio,  and  was  three  years 
old  when  his  parents  moved  to  Crawford 
county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  received 
his  preparatory  education  in  the  public 
schools.  He  afterward  entered  Allegheny 
College,  graduating  in  1883  with  the  de- 
gree of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  the  institution 
conferring  upon  him  three  years  later 
that  of  Master  of  Arts.  After  spending  a 
short  time  in  preparatory  reading,  he  ma- 
triculated in  the  department  of  medicine 
of  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  in 
1886  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Medicine.  During  his  senior  year  he 
served  as  an  interne  in  the  college  hos- 
pital, and  after  graduation  engaged  for 
five  years  in  general  practice  in  Mead- 
ville, Pennsylvania. 

In  1891  Dr.  Pond  came  to  Pittsburgh 
and  during  the  next  ten  years  became 
widely  and  favorably  known  as  a  general 
practitioner,  in  association  with  Dr.  C. 
H.  HofTman.  He  then  took  a  post-gradu- 
ate course  at  the  Polyclinic  College  of 
Philadelphia,  and  afterward  devoted  spe- 
cial attention  to  dermatology.  In  the 
course  of  events  he  also  turned  his 
thoughts  to  Roentgenology  and  his  large 
practice  is  now  divided  between  these 
two  specialties  in  which  he  is  regarded  as 
one  of  the  most  skilled  in  the  Keystone 
state.  He  is  a  member  of  the  stafif  of  the 
Pittsburgh  Homoeopathic  Hospital. 

The  literature  of  his  profession  owes 
much   to  Dr.   Pond's  work,   many  lucid 


and  valuable  articles  from  his  pen  having 
appeared  in  medical  journals.  During  his 
residence  in  Meadville  he  served  for  three 
years  as  physician  for  the  county  jail. 
?le  belongs  to  the  American  Institute  of 
Hortiteopathy,  the  Pennsylvania  State 
Homoeceopathic  Society,  in  which,  from 
1908  to  1913,  he  held  the  office  of  secre- 
tary, and  the  Homoeopathic  Society  of 
Allegheny  County,  in  which  he  has  at 
different  times  filled  all  offices.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  East  End  Doctors'  Club. 

Politically.  Dr.  Pond  is  a  Republican, 
and  his  interest  in  municipal  affairs  has 
always  been  a  marked  feature  of  his  char- 
acter. While  a  resident  of  Meadville  he 
held  various  offices  of  a  local  nature.  He 
affiliates  with  Milnor  Lodge,  No.  287, 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and  attends 
the  Unitarian  church. 

As  a  young  man.  Dr.  Pond  gave  evi- 
dence of  his  public  spirit  by  enlisting  in 
Company  I',  National  Guard,  of  Mead- 
ville, in  which  he  was  sergeant-major, 
captain  and  aide-de-camp  on  the  staff  of 
the  Second  Brigade,  the  three  promotions 
being  awarded  him  on  three  successive 
days.  Fle  was  a  member  of  Governor 
Beaver's  staff',  but  when  his  time  expired 
left  the  state  to  study  medicine. 

Always  fully  abreast  of  his  time  in 
everything  pertaining  to  medical  science, 
Dr.  Pond  is  one  of  the  men  whose  clear 
vision  prevents  progressiveness  from  de- 
generating into  rashness.  Of  medium 
height  and  well-knit  figure,  his  genial 
manner,  winning  address  and  dignified 
presence  mark  him  as  a  man  of  remark- 
able force  and  large  benevolence. 

During  his  residence  in  Meadville  Dr. 
Pond  married,  June  22,  1888,  Mary  H., 
daughter  of  the  late  Henry  Hartman,  of 
that  city,  where  Mr.  Hartman  was  a 
wagon  manufacturer.  The  following 
children  have  been  born  to  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Pond :  Marguerite,  deceased ;  Edward, 
deceased;    Irene    E.,    educated    in    Pitts- 


t575 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


burgh  schools  and  at  the  Margaret  Mor- 
rison School ;  and  Mildred  H.,  now  at- 
tending Pittsburgh  schools.  Mrs.  Pond 
is  one  of  the  city's  favorite  hostesses. 

It  would  seem  that,  at  the  present  time, 
the  greatest  service  to  the  cause  of  medi- 
cal science  is  to  be  rendered  by  thorough 
and  painstaking  work  in  the  direction  of 
specialization.  It  is  this  work  to  which 
Dr.  Edward  Herman  Pond  has  conse- 
crated his  talents,  and  his  record,  full  of 
accomplishment  as  it  is,  justifies  the  ex- 
pectation of  greater  things  to  come. 


GRUBB,  Charles  Gooding, 

Manufacturer,  Inventor. 

There  is,  now  and  then,  a  man  who, 
after  he  has  passed  away,  lives  in  the 
minds  of  many  not  only  by  reason  of 
results  accomplished,  but  also  in  conse- 
quence of  a  singularly  vivid  and  forceful 
personality.  So  survives  the  memory  of 
the  late  Charles  Gooding  Grubb,  for  a 
number  of  years  prominently  identified 
with  tlie  powder  business  and  for  a  con- 
siderable period  a  resident  of  Pittsburgh, 
where  he  was  a  most  highly  esteemed  and 
greatly  valued  citizen. 

(I)  John  Grubb,  founder  of  the  Ameri- 
can branch  of  the  family,  came  in  1679 
from  England  and  settled  at  Upland,  now 
Chester,  Pennsylvania,  his  arrival  preced- 
ing by  two  years  that  of  William  Penn. 
He  purchased  three  hundred  acres  of  land 
on  the  southwest  ridge  of  Chester  creek 
and  there  passed  the  remainder  of  his 
life.-  His  occupation  is  said  to  have  been 
that  of  a  tanner,  and  he  is  supposed  to 
have  been  a  member  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  church.  He  married,  in  Eng- 
land, Frances ,  and  their  children 

were:  Emmanuel,  John,  Joseph,  Henry, 
Samuel.  Nathaniel,  Peter,  Charity,  mar- 
ried Richard  Beeson ;  and  Phoebe.  Em- 
manuel, the  eldest,  was  born  near  Up- 
land and  was  a  man  of  great  vigor  of  con- 


stitution. He  resided  in  Brandywine 
Hundred,  died  there  in  1767,  and  is  buried 
at  St.  Martin's  Church  at  Marcus  Hook, 
of  which  he  was  a  member.  Nathaniel. 
brother     of     Emmanuel,     married     Ann 

,   and   lived   at   Concord.     All   the 

children  of  John  Grubb  were  living  at  the 
time  of  their  father's  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1708,  when  he  was  sixty  years 
old. 

The  Grubbs  appear  to  have  been  a 
numerous  family,  as  the  following  de- 
tached items  of  information  bear  witness : 
William  Warrall,  of  Marple,  married 
Phoebe,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Grubb,  of 
W'ellertown,  and  Nathaniel,  son  of  Na- 
thaniel, of  Wellertown,  married  Sarah 
Reese.  Christopher,  son  of  Smithson  and 
Ann  Chandler,  of  Christiana,  married 
Prudence,  daughter  of  Samuel  Grubb,  of 
Chester  county,  and  their  son  was  Sam- 
uel Chandler. 

(II)  John  (2),  son  of  John  (i)  and 
Frances  Grubb,  removed  from  Brandy- 
wine  Hundred,  married,  and  had  a  son 
William,  mentioned  below.  Beyond  these 
facts  nothing  is  accurately  known  of  this 
son  of  the  immigrant. 

(III)  William,  son  of  John  (2)  Grubb, 
was  a  man  in  regard  to  whom  we  have 
absolutely  no  information  beyond  the  fac: 
that  he  married  and  had  a  son  John,  men- 
tioned below.  William  Grubb  was  pre- 
sumably engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits. 

(IV)  John  (3),  son  of  William  Grubb, 
was  born  on  a  farm  at  Brandywine  Hun- 
dred, near  Wilmington,  Delaware,  and 
married,  in  1769,  Hannah,  born  at  Birm- 
ingham, Delaware  county,  Pennsylvania, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Gilpin  (of  whom  fur- 
ther), and  Mary  (Caldwell)  Gilpin,  of 
Christiana,  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Grubb  were  the  parents  of  the  following 
children:  Curtis;  Joseph,  mentioned  be- 
low ;  Adam  ;  Lydia,  born  September  24, 
1775,  married  Christopher  Hussey,  and 
died    August    25,    1847;    Mary,    Jemima, 

576 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Elizabeth,  John,  and  William.  The  death 
of  John  Grubb,  the  father,  occurred  on 
the  farm  on  which  he  was  born.  His 
widow  passed  away  near  Mount  Pleasant, 
Ohio. 

(V)  Joseph,  son  of  John  (3)  and  Han- 
nah   (Gilpin)    Grubb,  was  born  January 

I,  1772,  and  married  Hester  ,  born 

April  16,  1782.  Their  son  George  is  men- 
tioned below.  Joseph  Grubb  died  Octo- 
ber 24,  1830,  and  his  wife  did  not  long 
survive  him,  her  death  occurring  ]March 
24,  1833. 

(VI)  George,  son  of  Joseph  and  Hester 
Grubb,  was  born  January  9,  1820,  and 
married  Martha,  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Martha  (Solomon)  Hunter.  Joseph  Hun- 
ter was  born  March  20,  181 1,  and  died 
September  6,  1861.  His  wife  was  born 
January  11,  1813,  and  died  June  7,  1903, 
at  the  great  age  of  ninety  years.  Their 
daughter  was  born  January  28,  1842.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Grubb  were  the  parents  of  a 
son,  Charles  Gooding,  mentioned  below. 
The  death  of  Mr.  Grubb  occurred  Sep- 
tember 13,  1895. 

(VII)  Charles  Gooding  Grubb,  son  of 
George  and  Martha  (Hunter)  Grubb,  was 
born  December  i,  1873,  •"  Wilmington, 
Delaware,  and  received  his  education  in 
private  schools.  When  the  time  came  for 
him  to  choose  a  means  of  livelihood  he 
learned  the  business  of  a  florist,  and  on 
establishing  himself  independently  met 
with  marked  success,  having  greenhouses 
and  conducting  an  extensive  trade.  Later 
he  associated  himself  with  the  powder 
business,  becoming  agent  for  the  Laflin  & 
Rand  Powder  Company,  of  Baltimore, 
Maryland.  The  executive  abilities  of  Mr. 
Grubb,  his  sound  judgment  and  clear  in- 
sight brought  him  rapid  recognition  and 
substantial  profit  and  it  was  not  long  be- 
fore he  decided  to  seek  the  larger  field 
for  his  energies  afforded  by  the  excep- 
tional opportunities  to  be  met  with  in  the 
metropolis     of     Pennsylvania.       Accord- 

I 


ingly,  he  came  to  Pittsburgh,  and  within 
a  short  time  engaged  in  business  for  him- 
self, acting  as  agent  for  several  powder 
companies.  He  also  manufactured  his 
own  fuse,  having  a  factory  at  Gallery, 
Pennsylvania,  which  he  later  sold  to  the 
Powder  Trust  Company,  it  being  one  of 
the  few  fuse  companies  in  the  United 
States. 

It  was  with  the  Republicans  that  Mr. 
(jrubb  invariably  cast  his  vote  and  no 
man  had  more  at  heart  the  welfare  and 
true  progress  of  his  home  city,  but  office- 
holding  was  something  for  which  he  had 
neither  time  nor  inclination.  He  affiliated 
with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  was  a 
member  of  Commandery  No.  "jz.  Knights 
Templar ;  the  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks,  Lodge  No.  11  ;  and  Balti- 
more Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  was 
secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Western 
Pennsylvania  League  of  Trap-Shooters, 
and  belonged  to  the  Iroquois  Rifle  Club 
and  the  Herron  Hill  Gun  Club.  He  held 
originally  the  belief  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  but  later  became  a  member  of 
the  Third  Presbyterian  Church  of  Pitts- 
burgh. 

Strong  mentality,  combined  with  equally 
strong  principle,  might  be  said  to  explain 
the  secret  of  Mr.  Grubb's  remarkable  suc- 
cess as  a  business  man.  Perhaps,  how- 
ever, his  sunn}'  disposition  which  attract- 
ed to  him  men  of  "all  sorts  and  condi- 
tions" had  more  to  do  with  it  than  a 
superficial  observer  might  suppose.  His 
appearance,  albeit  his  stature  did  not  ex- 
ceed five  feet  nine  inches,  was  striking, 
his  figure  being  finely  proportioned,  his 
bearing  dignified  and  alert;  his  weight 
was  two  hundred  pounds,  and  his  manner 
that  of  the  typical  business  man  and  pol- 
ished gentleman.  Black  hair  and  eyes, 
eyes  wonderfully  clear  and  steady  in  their 
glances,  and  features  which  bore  the  im- 
print of  the  qualities  which  made  him 
what  he  was.  marked  him  as  a  man  des- 

577 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tined  to  make  his  way  in  the  world  and  to 
succeed  in  whatever  he  undertook. 

Mr.  Grubb  married,  October  7,  1897, 
the  late  Rev.  David  Geisinger  officiating, 
Alma,  daughter  of  John  Frederick  and 
Anna  (Volz)  Helm,  ot  Allegheny,  now 
North  Side,  Pittsburgh.  Air.  and  Airs. 
Grubb  became  the  parents  of  one  son : 
John  Frederick  Helm,  born  July  2^,  1898, 
educated  at  Miss  Gleim's  School,  Shady 
Side,  and  the  Thurston  School,  where  he 
is  now  preparing  for  Cornell  University. 
The  union  of  Mr.  and  Airs.  Grubb  was 
one  of  kindred  sympathies  and  congenial 
dispositions,  their  home  was  to  them 
truly  the  dearest  spot  on  earth  and  one 
of  their  chief  delights  was  the  exercise  of 
hospitality.  Airs.  Grubb,  who  is  a  fav- 
orite in  Pittsburgh  society,  is  a  member 
of  the  New  Era  Club,  the  Consumers' 
League  and  the  Soho  Bath  Committee 
and  is  active  in  works  of  charity  and  phil- 
anthropy. 

After  reviewing  the  narrative  of  all  that 
he  accomplished  it  is  difficult  to  realize 
that  when  Air.  Grubb  passed  away  he  had 
not  yet  completed  his  thirty-seventh  year. 
On  November  4,  1910,  he  expired,  having 
in  a  comparatively  short  space  of  time 
brought  to  pass  results  of  more  lasting 
and  substantial  benefit  to  himself  and  the 
community  than  many  achieve  in  a  long 
lifetime.  He  caused  his  success  to  re- 
dound to  the  welfare  of  others  and  to  in- 
crease the  prosperity  of  his  home  city. 
Argument  is  often  fruitless.  Proof  is  un- 
answerable. This  holds  good  with  re- 
gard to  all  much-discussed  questions  and 
of  none  more  than  that  of  heredity.  Of 
this  the  career  of  Charles  Gooding  Grubb 
affords  convincing  confirmation.  A  de- 
scendant of  worthy  ancestors,  their  sturdy 
virtues  formed  the  ground  work  of  his 
character  and,  in  conjunction  with  his 
remarkable  innate  ability,  insured  his  suc- 
cess. Those  virtues  and  that  ability  he, 
in  turn,  transmitted  to  his  son  who  will. 


in  the  years  to  come,  notably  uphold  the 
ancient  prestige  of  the  family  name. 

(The  Gilpin  Line). 

This  ancient  and  honorable  race  of 
Anglo-Norman  origin  has  in  the  succes- 
sive generations  given  to  the  world  many 
statesmen,  warriors  and  divines,  and  has 
exercised  no  small  influence  in  the  ad- 
vancement of  learning  and  art.  Both  in 
English  and  American  annals  the  name 
is  a  prominent  one,  its  original  form,  de 
Gylpyn,  having  been  gradually  moder- 
ated by  dropping  the  "de"  and  changing 
the  "y"  to  "i."  There  is  a  tradition  that 
the  family  was  planted  in  England  by 
Bert  de  Gylpyn,  who  went  thither  in  the 
train  of  William  the  Conqueror,  and 
whose  crest  was,  as  an  old  rhyme  says : 

" the  rebus  of  his  name, 

A  pineapple  pine  of  gold." 

Richard  de  Gylpyn  was  the  first  of  the 
family  of  whom  we  have  authentic  knowl- 
edge. He  displayed  signal  courage  in 
slaying  a  wild  boar  which  had  committed 
great  devastation  in  Cumberland  and 
Westmoreland,  and  as  a  reward  was 
granted  by  the  Baron  of  Kendal  the 
estate  of  Kentmere,  situated  in  the  latter 
county.  The  Baron,  like  most  of  the 
nobles  of  that  time,  could  neither  read 
nor  write,  and  therefore,  on  going  to 
Runnymede  to  assist  in  wresting  the 
Alagna  Charta  from  King  John,  took  Rich- 
ard de  Gylpyn  with  him  as  secretary.  For 
this  service  as  well  as  for  his  other 
achievements,  he  was  knighted,  adopting 
the  arms  which  have  ever  since  been 
borne  by  his  descendants  :  Arms  :  "Or,  a 
boar  statant  sable,  langued  and  tusked 
gules."  Crest :  "A  dexter  arm  embowed, 
in  armor  proper,  the  naked  hand  grasp- 
ing a  pine  branch  fesswise  vert."  Motto: 
Dictis  factisque  simplex. 

The  estate  was  increased  in  the  reign 
578 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  Henry  HI.  by  the  grant  of  Peter  de 
Bruys,  of  the  ]\Ianor  of  Ulwithwaite  to 
Richard,  the  grandson  of  the  first  of  that 
name.  This  grant,  written  in  Latin,  is 
still  preserved  by  the  English  head  of  the 
family.  Kentmere  remained  in  the  family 
until  the  civil  wars  of  the  time  of  Charles 
L,  when  members  of  the  family  were 
fighting  on  both  sides.  About  the  same 
period  another  Richard  Gylpyn  purchased 
Scaleby  Castle,  near  Carlisle,  which  has 
been  in  the  family  ever  since,  although  it 
is  not  now  owned  by  a  Gilpin,  but  has 
passed  into  the  female  branch. 

Among  the  most  distinguished  of  those 
who  have  shed  luster  on  the  family  name 
was  Bernard  Gilpin,  often  called  "The 
Apostle  of  the  North."  Brought  up  a 
Roman  Catholic,  he  was  made  rector  of 
Houghton,  but  before  the  death  of  Queen 
Mary,  he  became  satisfied  with  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Reformation,  and  until  his 
death  wielded  an  immense  influence  in 
ecclesiastical  affairs.  He  was  summoned 
to  appear  before  Dr.  Bonner,  Bishop  of 
London,  to  stand  trial  for  heresy,  and  on 
the  journey  fell  from  his  horse  and  broke 
his  leg.  Before  he  was  able  to  appear 
before  the  judges.  Queen  Mary  died,  the 
reformers  came  into  power,  and  he  had 
nothing  to  fear.  In  those  turbulent  times, 
Bernard,  contrary  to  custom,  went  un- 
armed and  fearless,  and  was  noted  for  his 
unflinching  devotion  to  the  people  and  to 
what  he  considered  his  duty.  On  one 
occasion,  upon  entering  a  church,  he  saw 
a  gauntlet  suspended  in  mid-air — a  chal- 
lenge of  some  trooper  in  the  building. 
Taking  the  glove  with  him,  he  said  dur- 
ing the  sermon,  "I  see  there  is  one  among 
you  who  has,  even  in  this  sacred  place, 
hung  up  a  glove  in  defiance."  Then,  dis- 
playing it,  he  added,  'T  challenge  him  to 
compete  with  me  in  acts  of  Christian 
charity,"  flinging  it,  as  he  spoke,  upon 
the  floor.  Queen  Elizabeth  offered  him 
the   Bishopric  of  Carlisle,  which  he  de- 


clined, preferring  to  preach  the  Reforma- 
tion and  endow  schools.  He  was  a 
spiritual  guide,  beloved  by  old  and  young 
alike. 

A  brother  of  Bernard  Gilpin  was  Wil- 
liam Gilpin,  from  whom  the  Pennsylvania 
and  Maryland  branches  of  the  family  are 
descended.  He  married  Elizabeth  Wash- 
ington, of  Hall  Heal,  a  collateral  ances- 
tress of  George  Washington,  first  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States.  William  Gil- 
pin died  and  was  buried  at  Kendal,  Janu- 
ary 23,  1577. 

(I)  Thomas  Gilpin,  of  Warborough, 
was  a  colonel  in  the  Parliamentary  army 
and  fought  at  the  battle  of  Worcester, 
September  3,  165 1.  He  afterward  joined 
the  Society  of  Friends,  and  for  forty  years 
was  a  preacher. 

(II)  Joseph  Gilpin,  son  of  Thomas  Gil- 
pin, was  the  founder  of  the  American 
branch  of  the  family.  He  was  born  in 
1664,  and,  like  his  father,  was  a  Friend. 
In  1696  he  emigrated  to  the  Province  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  settled  in  Chester 
county,  his  home  in  England  having  been 
in  Dorchester,  county  of  Oxford.  In  the 
new  land,  Joseph  Gilpin,  after  the  man- 
ner of  Friends,  lived  in  perfect  harmony 
and  friendship  with  his  Indian  neighbors. 
It  has  been  believed  and  handed  down 
that  his  philanthropy  and  patriotism  were 
not  surpassed  by  any  in  the  country. 
Great  numbers  of  emigrants,  principally 
Friends,  on  coming  over,  were  kindly  re- 
ceived and  entertained  at  his  house  week 
after  week,  and  he  cheerfully  devoted  a 
good  portion  of  his  time  for  several  years 
in  assisting  them  to  find  suitable  situ- 
ations and  to  get  their  lands  properly 
cleared.  Part  of  his  house  is  still  stand- 
ing, and  the  last  of  the  property  passed 
out  of  the  family  less  than  fifty  years  ago. 
It  was  situated  at  Birmingham  meeting- 
house, on  the  Brandywine,  and  the  house 
is  said  to  have  been  the  headquarters  of 
General   Howe.     Joseph   Gilpin  married, 


1579 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


February  23,  1692.  Hannah  Glover,  and 
among  their  children  were  two  sons : 
Samuel,  from  whom  was  descended  Wil- 
liam Gilpin,  governor  of  Colorado ;  Jo- 
seph, mentioned  below.  Joseph  Gilpin, 
the  immigrant,  died  November  9,  1741. 

(III)  Joseph  (2)  Gilpin,  son  of  Joseph 
(i)  and  Hannah  (Glover)  Gilpin,  was 
born  March  21,  1704,  and  in  1761  removed 
to  Wilmington.  He  married,  December 
17,  1729,  Mary  Caldwell,  and  they  were 
the  parents  of  twelve  children,  including 
a  daughter  Hannah,  mentioned  below. 
Joseph  Gilpin,  the  father,  died  December 
31,  1792. 

To  this  generation  of  the  Gilpins  be- 
longs a  name  illustrious  in  art,  that  of 
Benjamin  West,  who  succeeded  Sir 
Joshua  Reynolds  as  president  of  the 
Royal  Academy.  John  West,  the  father 
of  Benjamin,  was  the  son  of  Thomas  and 
Ann  (Gilpin)  West,  the  latter  the  sister 
of  Thomas  Gilpin,  of  Warborough,  the 
Parliamentary  colonel. 

It  is  probably  that  to  this  generation 
belongs  also  George  Gilpin,  a  descendant 
of  Joseph  Gilpin,  the  emigrant.  George 
Gilpin  settled  in  Alexandria  and  was  a 
friend  of  Washington.  At  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Revolutionary  War  he  was 
made  colonel  of  Fairfax  militia  and  was 
present  at  the  battle  of  Dorchester 
Heights.  After  the  war  he  was  interested 
with  Washington  in  some  navigation  ex- 
periments on  the  Potomac,  and  at  the 
funeral  of  the  first  president,  George  Gil- 
pin was  one  of  the  pallbearers. 

(IV)  Hannah  Gilpin,  daughter  of  Jo- 
seph (2)  and  Mary  (Caldwell)  Gilpin, 
was  born  in  Birmingham,  Delaware  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  and  married  at  Chris- 
tiana, Pennsylvania.  1769.  John  Grubb. 
who  was  born  on  a  farm  at  Brandywine 
Hundred,  near  Wilmington.  Delaware. 
Their  nine  children  are  as  follows:  i. 
Curtis,  born  October  3,  1770.  died  No- 
vember.  1854;  married   Ann   Crosier.     2. 


Joseph,  born  January  i,  1772,  died  Octo- 
ber 25,  1830;  married  Hester  Spikeman. 
3.  Adam,  born  November  28,  1773.  4. 
Lydia,  born  September  24,  1775,  died  Au- 
gust 25,  1847;  married  Christopher  Hus- 
sey.  5.  Mary,  born  October  16,  1777,  died 
December,  1852;  never  married.  6.  Je- 
mima, born  November  5,  1779,  died  De- 
cember, 1863  ;  married  Robert  Eyears.  7. 
Elizabeth,  born  February  25.  1782,  died 
November  7.  1843;  married  Daniel  Mc- 
Pherson.  8.  John,  born  June  21,  1784. 
died  March  18,  1853;  never  married.  9. 
AVilliam,  born  July  4.  17S8,  died  July  23, 
1793- 


HILL,  James, 

Prominent  Manufacturer. 

Conspicuous  among  the  men  whose 
memory  survives  not  only  because  of 
distinction  in  the  business  world  but  by 
reason  of  forceful  and  magnetic  person- 
alities was  the  late  James  Hill,  of  the  well 
known  Faber  Foundry  Company,  and 
largely  identified  with  the  interests  of 
real  estate.  During  the  greater  portion 
of  his  life  Mr.  Hill  was  a  resident  of 
Pittsburgh,  and  her  most  vital  interests 
had  no  more  faithful  or  zealous  advocate. 

James  Hill  was  born  February  20,  1822, 
in  Manchester,  England,  and  was  a  son 
of  Joseph  and  Sarah  (Redfern)  Hill. 
When  the  boy  was  three  years  old  his 
parents  emigrated  to  the  United  States, 
settling  in  New  Hope,  Pennsylvania, 
where  the  father  obtained  work  as  a  cot- 
ton spinner.  At  the  age  of  twelve  James 
began  to  work  in  the  cotton  mills  and  at 
fifteen  he  came  to  Pittsburgh  with  his 
parents.  In  that  city  the  father  was  em- 
ployed for  a  number  of  years  in  a  foundry 
and  the  son.  who  had  obtained  such  edu- 
cation as  the  schools  of  that  day  afiforded, 
entered  the  foundry  of  Mr.  Faber. 

Industrious,  faithful,  and  possessed  of 
an  uncommon  measure  of  ability,  James 
Hill  was  a  youth  whose  future  was  not 


1580 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


difficult  to  foresee.  Steadily  and  rapidly 
he  advanced  in  the  business,  gaining  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  its  every  detail  and 
acquiring  not  only  pecuniary  profit  but 
also  a  reputation  w^hich  was  of  infinitely 
greater  value.  In  association  with  Frank 
and  Edward  Faber  he  organized  the 
Faber  Foundry  and  Machine  Company, 
building  up  a  flourishing  business. 

About  1868  the  Messrs.  Faber  retired 
from  business,  and  Mr.  Hill  then  asso- 
ciated himself  with  his  brother,  Andrew 
J.  Hill,  in  the  foundry  and  machine  busi- 
ness in  Allegheny,  now  North  Side,  Pitts- 
burgh. They  established  the  American 
Foundry  and  Machine  Company,  this  or- 
ganization and  the  Faber  Company  being 
pioneers  in  their  line  in  Pittsburgh.  The 
latter  was  situated  near  the  site  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Railroad  Union  Station. 
Both  companies  manufactured  machinery 
for  steamboats  and  mill  engines,  doing 
heavy  foundry  work  of  all  kinds.  The 
first  engine  for  pumping  oil  wells  was 
made  by  the  Faber  Foundry  and  Machine 
Company.  Ere  many  years  had  elapsed 
V,  Mr.  Hill  occupied  a  position  of  promi- 
se nence  in  the  business  world,  his  strong 
\  will,  force  of  character  and  knowledge  of 
L  men  and  afifairs  making  him  truly  "a 
man  of  mark"  and  investing  him  with 
great  popularity  and  influence. 

In  the  matter  of  investments,  Mr. 
Hill's  discernment  and  foresight  rendered 
him  singularly  fortunate.  He  became  the 
owner  of  much  real  estate,  and  thus  play- 
ed an  important  part  in  the  development 
of  certain  portions  of  the  city.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  a  staunch  Republican,  taking 
a  public-spirited  interest  in  every  project 
which  had  for  its  end  the  betterment  of 
conditions  in  his  home  cit3^  Ever  ready 
to  respond  to  any  deserving  call  made 
upon  him.  he  was  widely  but  unostenta- 
tiously charitable.  He  was  originally  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  church,  but  later 


became  identified  with  the  United  Pres- 
byterian communion. 

Native  ability,  unabating  energy  and 
the  strictest  adherence  to  principle  mark- 
ed Mr.  Hill  as  one  of  that  class  of  sub- 
stantial business  men  who  constitute  the 
bulwark  of  a  city's  strength  and  develop- 
ment and  are  intelligent  factors  in  every 
idea  and  work  which  promotes  the  gen- 
eral welfare.  He  was  of  medium  height 
and  size,  with  that  gift  of  presence  which 
is  independent  of  stature  and  infallibly 
distinguishes  its  possessor  from  those  not 
so  endowed.  His  eyes  were  blue  and  the 
keenness  of  their  glance  was  tempered  by 
a  kindliness  which  came  direct  from  the 
heart.  His  hair  was  brown  and  a  light 
brown  beard  accentuated  features  which 
bore  the  stamp  of  the  traits  so  strikingly 
manifested  throughout  his  career.  He 
was  the  trusted  counsellor  of  his  friends, 
old  and  young,  and  was  often  instrumen- 
tal in  settling  doubts  and  disputes,  ad- 
justing differences  and  effecting  recon- 
ciliations. His  genial  nature  and  com- 
panionable disposition  gave  him,  in  addi- 
tion to  his  material  success,  another,  not 
to  be  measured  by  financial  prosperity 
alone,  but  by  the  kindly  amenities  and 
cordial  associations  that  go  so  far  to  make 
up  the  sum  of  life. 

Mr.  Hill  married.  May  4.  1854,  Mary 
E.  Kennedy,  born  March  20,  1835,  in 
Pittsburgh,  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Mary  (Sloan)  Kennedy,  both  natives  of 
Derry,  Ireland.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hill  were 
the  parents  of  the  following  children : 
George,  died  in  infancy ;  Elizabeth  Ella, 
died  in  childhood ;  James  Franklin,  died 
in  early  manhood  ;  Harry  Ellsworth  ;  and 
Albert  Lincoln,  of  Los  Angeles,  Cali- 
fornia. Mr.  Hill  was  exceptionally  happy 
in  his  domestic  relations,  his  wife,  a 
charming  and  congenial  woman,  making 
his  home  the  abode  of  peace  and  hospital- 
ity. Mrs.  Hill,  in  her  widowhood,  resides 
581 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


with  her  son,  Harry  Ellsworth  Hill,  in 
the  East  End.  Air.  Hill  is  a  director  of 
the  Illinois  Iron  and  Bolt  Company,  of 
Carpenterville,  Illinois,  which  he  has  built 
up  into  a  large  business.  He  belongs  to 
the  Pittsburgh  Athletic  and  Bellefield 
clubs. 

While  still  in  the  prime  of  life  and  the 
full  maturity  of  all  his  powers  Mr.  Hill 
closed  his  career  of  usefulness  and  benefi- 
cence, passing  away  October  i8,  1879. 
His  death  deprived  Pittsburgh  of  one  of 
her  most  eminent  and  valued  citizens, 
always  honorable  in  purpose  and  fearless 
in  conduct,  using  his  talents  and  oppor- 
tunities to  the  utmost  in  every  work 
which  he  undertook,  fulfilling  to  the  let- 
ter every  trust  committed  to  him  and 
generous  in  his  feelings  and  in  every 
action  of  his  life. 

James  Hill  was  one  of  the  men  who 
helped  to  lay  deep  and  strong  the  founda- 
tions of  the  present  city  and  Pittsburgh 
will  not  soon  forget  what  she  owes  him, 
but  not  for  his  material  benefits  alone 
wall  she  hold  him  in  grateful  remem- 
brance. It  was  said  of  him  that  he 
"always  lived  the  Golden  Rule,"  and  to 
the  truth  of  the  statement  multitudes 
could  testify.  His  business  associates  and 
subordinates,  his  personal  friends,  those 
whom  he  met  in  civic  or  religious  fellow- 
ship— all  knew  him  as  a  man  of  impartial 
justice,  unfailing  generosity  and  infinite 
kindness  of  heart.  It  is  for  these  quali- 
ties even  more  than  for  his  talents  and 
successes  that  his  memory  is  cherished 
to-day  in  the  thoughts  of  those  who  were 
privileged  to  know  him.  He  was  one  of 
the  men  who  leave  the  world  better  than 
they  found  it. 


KAHLE.   Frederick  Leander, 

Prominent  Lawyer  and  Court  Official. 

The  world-fame  of  Pittsburgh  is  due 
not  wholly  to  the  men  whose  intelligence, 
courage  and  industry  have  made  her  the 

I 


industrial  centre  of  civilization.  It  has 
been,  in  no  small  measure,  achieved  for 
her  by  the  pre-eminence  of  her  bench  and 
bar  by  the  advocates  and  counsellors 
whose  names  have  now  passed  into  his- 
tory and  also  by  those  who  are  most  ably 
and  worthily  filling  their  places,  who  are 
with  us  in  "the  living  present."  Promi- 
nent among  those  to  the  glory  of  whose 
achievements  we  are  permitted  to  pay 
this  timely  tribute  is  Frederick  Leander 
Kahle,  of  national  reputation  as  counsel- 
lor for  numerous  men  wdio  are  captains 
of  industry  and  extensive  corporations  in 
diflferent  parts  of  the  State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Mr.  Kahle's  professional  prestige 
has  not  eclipsed  his  sterling  worth  as  a 
citizen  and  Pittsburgh  gratefully  ac- 
knowledges the  debt  she  owes  to  his  in- 
fluential public  spirit. 

John  Kahle,  great-grandfather  of  Fred- 
erick Leander  Kahle,  was  one  of  the  early 
!>ettlers  of  Clarion  county,  Pennsylvania. 
(I)  Frederick,  son  of  John  Kahle,  was 
a  judge  in  Pennsylvania.  This  fact  is  of 
peculiar  interest  as  showing  the  legal 
ability  possessed  by  the  grandson  to  be 
an  ancestral  inheritance  reappearing  with 
increased  power  in  the  third  generation, 
also  a  lumberman  and  merchant  of  Jeflfer- 
son  county,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  also 
a  man  of  substance,  being  one  of  the  larg- 
est landowners  in  the  county.  He  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Hiskel,  also  of  Jeflferson 
county,  a  great-granddaughter  of  Conrad 
Weiser,  who  was  secretary  to  William 
Penn. 

(IT)  Frederick  Peter,  son  of  Fred- 
erick and  Elizabeth  (Hiskel)  Kahle, 
engaged,  during  his  early  manhood,  in 
farming  and  later  became  an  extensive 
lumber  merchant  in  Jefiferson  county.  He 
married  Isabel,  daughter  of  Andrew  and 
Sarah  (Scott)  McCutcheon,  formerly  of 
Jefiferson  and  Allegheny  counties,  Penn- 
sylvania. Mr.  McCutcheon  was  a  con- 
spicuous figure  in  the  iron  and  steel  in- 
582 


<r/ujju^^i  ^c^c:^u^^^^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


clnstry,  owning  furnaces  in  different  parts 
of  Clarion  county.  The  four  grand- 
parents of  Frederick  Leander  Kahle,  are 
all  buried  side-by-side  in  the  same  ceme- 
tery in  Jefferson  county.  The  following 
children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fred- 
erick Peter  Kahle:  Benton  Tilden,  mer- 
chant of  Pittsburgh,  married  Lizzie  Rum- 
baugh,  of  Karns  City,  Butler  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  has  two  children,  Edna 
and  Claude;  Emanuel  W.,  oil  operator, 
married  Martha  Sharp,  of  Segal,  Jeffer- 
son county,  died  in  18S2,  leaving  one 
daughter,  wife  of  O.  Phillip  Gifford  Jr., 
of  San  Diego,  California,  son  of  the  Rev. 
O.  Phillip  Gifford,  of  Buffalo,  New  York, 
and  Boston ;  Clarence,  oil  operator  of 
Bartlesville,  Oklahoma,  married  Lucy 
Barber,  and  has  two  children,  Charles  and 
a  daughter  Frances ;  Dr.  Albert  Wesley, 
physician  of  Buffalo,  New  York,  married 
Clara  Metheany  Lynch  and  has  three 
sons,  Richard,  Raymond  and  Warren, 
graduates  of  Allegheny  College  at  Mead- 
ville,  Pennsylvania;  Dr.  Raymond  D.,  of 
Lima.  Ohio,  physician  and  surgeon,  is 
chief  surgeon  to  most  of  the  railroads 
running  into  that  city.  Great  Medical  Ex- 
aminer of  Knights  of  Maccabees,  and 
president  of  the  Ohio  State  Board  of 
Health,  married  Nellie  Strickland,  of 
Chautauqua  county,  New  York,  and  has 
three  daughters  and  a  son ;  Frederick  Le- 
ander, mentioned  below;  Alice  Araminta, 
wife  of  Don  C.  Henderson,  city  solicitor 
of  Lima,  Ohio,  one  of  the  most  prominent 
attorneys  of  the  state,  has  two  children, 
Dudley  and  Marjorie;  Dr.  William  A., 
graduate  physician  of  New  York  Univer- 
sity, surgeon  in  Spanish-American  war 
and  shot  while  standing  in  his  hospital 
tent  in  Cuba ;  Francis  U.  Kahle,  a  gradu- 
ate chemist,  married  Louise,  daughter  of 
Judge  Lorin  L.  Lewis,  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  New  York  State,  has  three  chil- 
dren, one  son  Lorin  and  two  daughters ; 
Dr.    Charles    Edgar,    physician    of   Okla- 

PEN— 9  I 


homa  City,  Oklahoma,  married  Blanche 
Hays  and  has  two  sons ;  Philip  A.,  attor- 
ney of  Lima,  Ohio,  married  Rosemond 
McKibbon,  and  has  two  daughters  and 
a  son;  and  Harry  V.,  attorney  of  Okla- 
homa City,  Oklahoma,  married  Kate  Ger- 
trude Byrn  and  has  a  son  and  daughter. 
The  mother  of  this  large  family  is  still 
living,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four,  the 
father  died  in  May,  1914,  in  his  ninety- 
second  year,  after  giving  eight  of  his  sons 
a  classic  education  and  seeing  them  enter 
the  learned  professions.  Since  1890  they 
have  resided  at  Lima,  Ohio,  having  for- 
merly lived  at  Franklin,  Pennsylvania. 
Mr.  Frederick  Peter  Kahle  was  a  Repub- 
lican and  had  been  at  different  times  the 
incumbent  of  various  local  offices.  He 
and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church,  and  Mr.  Kahle 
was  one  of  the  most  learned  men  on  the 
Bible  of  his  time,  having  been  for  years  a 
great  Bible  student. 

(HI)  Frederick  Leander,  son  of  Fred- 
erick Peter  and  Isabel  (McCutcheon) 
Kahle,  was  born  April  18,  1862,  in  Jef- 
ferson county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was 
educated  at  the  Plumer  (Venango  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania)  High  School,  the 
Rouseville  Normal  School  and  the  Erie 
Seminary.  For  two  years  he  was  en- 
gaged in  teaching  at  President  and  Shum- 
burg.  Venango  county,  and  in  1883-84 
he  was  principal  of  Sugar  Grove  (War- 
ren county,  Pennsylvania)  High  School. 
He  pursued  his  legal  studies  under  the 
guidance  of  the  Hon.  J.  H.  Osnier,  of 
Franklin,  Pennsylvania,  and  in  October 
1886,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Ve- 
nango county.  In  1895  he  was  admitted 
to  practice  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  in  1899  he  was  invested 
with  the  right  to  appear  in  the  United 
States  Circuit  and  District  Court  for  the 
Western  District  of  Pennsylvania.  In 
1905,     on     motion     of     Solicitor-General 

583 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Hoyt,  he  was  admitted  to  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States. 

The  first  twenty-five  years  of  Air. 
Kahle's  career,  history  has  already  taken 
into  her  keeping.  His  record  will  live  in 
the  annals  of  his  state  and  nation  and 
holds  brilliant  promise  for  the  quarter  of 
a  century  yet  to  come.  In  1888  he  was 
elected  District  Attorney  of  Venango 
county,  and  served  one  full  term  of  three 
years.  He  was  elected  five  consecutive 
terms  as  solicitor  of  Franklin,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  in  1898  he  was  appointed 
Referee  in  Bankruptcy  for  Venango 
county,  serving  until  1904,  when  he  re- 
signed and  moved  to  Pittsburgh.  He  is 
attorney  for  extensive  oil  producers  and 
oil  corporations  and  represents  profes- 
sionally, a  number  of  the  largest  coal  in- 
terests in  the  state  of  Pennsylvania. 
From  the  outset  of  his  career  he  gave  evi- 
dence of  that  blending  of  broad  legal 
knowledge,  administrative  ability  and 
acquaintance  with  affairs  of  the  day 
necessary  for  the  making  of  a  successful 
lawyer,  and  with  the  lapse  of  years  his 
extraordinary  development  of  these  quali- 
ties has  placed  him  in  the  commanding 
position  which  has  long  been  his  beyond 
the  possibility  of  dispute.  As  a  trial  law- 
yer, as  an  advocate,  he  has  few  peers  ;  he 
occupies  a  place  of  high  honor  among  the 
leaders  of  the  bar  of  this  state,  his  law 
briefs  for  which  he  is  so  well  known,  are 
accurate  legal  presentations  of  marvelous 
clearness,  exhaustive  to  a  degree  in  cov- 
ering the  whole  field  of  the  law  involved. 

Mr.  Kahle  is  emphatically  a  broad- 
minded  man,  possessing  a  range  of  inter- 
ests which  includes  all  the  essential  ele- 
ments of  a  true  life.  First,  last  and 
always  a  lawyer,  he  never  forgets  that 
he  is  also  a  citizen,  as  his  home  city  can 
abundantly  bear  witness.  No  movement 
or  institution  necessary  to  her  substan- 
tial growth  and  truest  welfare  has  failed 
to  receive  from  him  influential  aid  and 


encouragement.  He  is  the  owner  of  a 
large  amount  of  Pittsburgh  real  estate, 
thus  doing  much  to  further  the  develop- 
ment of  certain  portions  of  the  city  and 
as  a  member  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce and  the  Board  of  Trade  he  is  a 
recognized  force  in  matters  municipal. 
He  belongs  to  the  Art  Society  and  the 
Tariff'  Club,  is  a  life  member  of  the  Amer- 
icus  Club  and  a  life  member  of  the  Pitts- 
burgh Press  Club  and  affiliates  with  the 
Alasonic  fraternity.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  East  Liberty  Presbyterian  Church. 

The  personality  of  Mr.  Kahle  is  such  as 
renders  him  one  of  the  most  conspicuous 
and  commanding  figures.  Not  only  do 
his  tall  stature  and  air  of  conscious  power 
mark  him  as  one  of  nature's  leaders,  but 
one  glance  at  his  nobly  formed  head  and 
lofty  and  capacious  forehead  reveals  him 
as  a  man  of  keenly  analytical  mind,  un- 
failing self-reliance,  deep  convictions  and 
extraordinary  personal  power.  Intensity 
and  force  are  stamped  upon  his  strong, 
finely-moulded  features  and  his  eyes,  with 
their  clear,  steady  gaze,  speak  of  a  tenac- 
ity of  purpose  and  an  ability  to  penetrate 
to  the  very  heart  and  centre  of  aff'airs 
which  go  far  to  explain  the  position  of 
leadership  which  he  has  long  held  in  the 
Ke3'Stone  State.  Above  all,  his  aspect 
tells  of  elevation  and  character,  unwaver- 
ing adherence  to  lofty  ideals  combined 
with  broad  human  sympathies  and  a  rare 
capacity  for  friendship.  The  most  vivid 
and  life-like  description  of  his  appearance 
is.  perhaps,  conveyed  in  the  simple  sen- 
tence: "He  looks  the  man  he  is." 

Early  in  his  career  Mr.  Kahle  had  the 
good  fortune  to  win  the  love  of  a  woman 
admirably  fitted  in  all  respects  to  be  his 
life-companion — Mary  Galbraith,  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  David  Courtney  and  Angeline 
(Cubbison)  Galbraith,  of  Franklin,  Penn- 
sylvania. Dr.  Galbraith,  who  is  now  de- 
ceased, was  an  extensive  oil  producer, 
and  one  of  the  most  prominent  physicians 

584 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  his  community.  Mr.  Kahle  and  Miss 
Galbraith  were  married  on  May  i6,  1888, 
and  are  now  the  parents  of  a  son  and 
a  daughter :  Clarence  Courtney,  born 
March  18,  1894,  graduate  of  Shady  Side 
Academy  and  now  junior  at  Washington 
and  Jefiferson  College;  and  Anna,  gradu- 
ate of  Thurston-Gleim  School,  Pittsburgh. 
Mrs  Kahle  is  a  member  of  no  clubs,  but 
devoted  to  her  home  and  family  and  the 
gracious  and  tactful  discharge  of  the 
duties  involved  in  her  position  in  society. 
The  city  residence  of  the  family  is  a  cen- 
tre of  hospitality,  and  in  their  country 
home  at  Beaver  Falls,  Beaver  county, 
they  delight  to  gather  their  friends  about 
them.  Mr.  Kahle  is  the  owner  of  a  splen- 
did private  library  as  well  as  one  of  the 
largest  law  libraries  and  one  of  the  finest 
collections  of  oil  paintings  in  the  state  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  his  happiest  hours  are 
those  which  the  strenuous  demands  of 
his  profession  permit  him  to  pass  at  his 
own  fireside. 

The  professional  position  of  Mr.  Kahle 
has  long  been  one  of  acknowledged  lead- 
ership and  leadership  on  so  grand  a  scale 
that  his  home  city  of  Pittsburgh  cannot 
call  him  hers  alone  and  even  the  old  Com- 
monwealth confesses  with  pride  that  she 
cannot  wholly  claim  him.  He  belongs  to 
the  Nation.  In  maintaining  the  ancient 
prestige  of  the  bar  of  Pennsylvania  the 
brilliancy  of  his  triumphs  has  extended 
beyond  the  boundaries  of  his  native  state 
and  has  added  new  lustre  to  the  splendid 
record  of  the  bar  of  the  United  States  of 
America. 


BLAIR,  Parr  Dalton, 

Prominent  Educator. 

This  branch  of  the  ancient  Blair  family 
descends  from  the  Ayrshire  line  which 
has  been  seated  in  Scotland  ever  since  the 
Norman  Conquest.  The  Blairs  of  Blair 
represent  a  line  of  ancestry  including 
more  than  one  family  tie  with  the  throne 


of  Scotland.  No  crisis  in  Scottish  history 
ever  lacked  champions  among  the  Blairs, 
who  were  allies  of  Sir  William  Wallace 
and  Robert  Bruce.  Not  only  were  they 
great  fighters  for  a  just  cause,  but  they 
were  great  defenders  of  the  religious 
faith  of  Scotland  in  the  Covenanting 
days.  Many  ministers  and  scholars  have 
sprung  from  the  house  of  Blair.  Among 
these  was  Rev.  Robert  Blair,  of  St.  An- 
drews, born  in  Ayrshire,  in  1593.  He 
was  a  professor  in  the  University  of 
Glasgow,  chaplain  of  Charles  I.,  and 
grand-nephew  to  the  Laird  of  Blair. 
When  the  Presbyterian  movement  had  its 
birth  at  the  death  of  Queen  Elizabeth  and 
James  VI.  (I)  came  to  the  throne.  Rev. 
Robert  Blair  was  born  to  the  inheritance 
of  the  Covenanters.  He  resigned  his  posi- 
tion at  the  university  and  at  Court,  and 
at  the  sacrifice  of  all  worldly  advantage 
took  up  the  perilous  fight  for  religious 
liberty  which  ended  in  his  exile  from  the 
University  of  St.  Andrew's,  where  he  had 
subsequently  been  appointed.  Rev.  Rob- 
ert Blair  of  St.  Andrew's,  as  he  was  gen- 
erally called,  was  the  great-great-grand- 
father of  Rev.  Hugh  Blair,  of  Edinburgh, 
whose  fame  as  a  preacher  and  rhetorician 
is  well  known.  In  1623,  Rev.  Robert  Blair 
went  to  Ireland  to  found  the  Presbyterian 
church  at  Bangor,  County  Down.  Per- 
secution followed  him,  and  he  led  a 
stormy  life,  but  never  once  did  he  aban- 
don the  cause  of  the  Covenant.  He  died 
in  1666,  in  Scotland,  leaving  a  number  of 
children,  several  of  whom  remained  in 
Ireland. 

Descended  from  the  family  of  Rev. 
Robert  Blair  of  St.  Andrew's,  were  two 
lines  established  in  East  Kilbride,  County 
Antrim.  To  one  of  these  belonged  John 
Blair,  of  Donegore,  who  lived  in  the  old 
homestead  at  Ballywee,  still  inhabited  by 
Blairs  of  the  same  ancestry.  This  house 
was  built  about  1640,  and  one  of  the  heir- 
looms in  the  family  is  an  old  chair  beau- 


1585 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tifully  carved  which  bears  this  inscrip- 
tion :  "John  P>lair,  1660."  About  1730  there 
\ived  at  Donegore  a  John  Blair  of  this 
line  who  later  attained  the  great  age  of 
one  hundred  and  one  years,  longevity 
being  a  characteristic  of  these  Blairs.  A 
son  of  this  centenarian  was  Hugh  Blair, 
who  was  born  in  1741,  married  twice  in 
Ireland,  and  had  a  family  of  eleven  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  emigrated  to  America. 
In  1802,  Hugh  Blair  and  his  second  wife. 
Jane  Thompson,  came  to  Pennsylvania 
with  five  children  (all  that  were  left  at 
the  time  in  Ireland),  and  joined  here  his 
older  children.  He  was  then  sixty-one 
years  of  age,  but  full  of  vigor  and  enter- 
prise. Shortly  after  his  arrival  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  part- 
ly cleared  and  improved  by  an  earlier 
settler.  This  tract  was  located  about  two 
miles  north  of  Hartstown,  Crawford 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  here  the  Blair 
family  established  itself  permanently, 
this  same  land  being  still  held  by  de- 
scendants of  Hugh  Blair,  the  emigrant. 
In  1902  a  centennial  reunion  held  at  Harts- 
town  brought  together  some  four  hun- 
dred Blairs,  all  of  whom  traced  their  ori- 
gin to  this  same  Blair  ancestor. 

The  eleven  children  of  Hugh  Blair 
were  all  the  issue  of  his  first  marriage  in 
Ireland.  They  were :  Rev.  David  Blair, 
of  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  father 
of  Judge  John  P.  Blair,  of  that  county, 
and  of  Hon.  Samuel  Steele  Blair,  of  Hol- 
lidaysburg,  Pennsylvania,  member  of 
Congress ;  Henry  Blair,  of  East  Fallow- 
field  township ;  Moses  Blair,  of  East  Fal- 
lowfield  township ;  Robert,  of  South 
Shenango ;  John,  of  West  Fallowfield 
township;  Hugh,  of  North  Shenango; 
William,  who  died  young ;  James,  who  in- 
herited the  homestead  at  Hartstown. 
There  were  also  three  daughters :  Mar- 
garet. Ann  Jane  and  Elizabeth,  all  of 
whom  were  married  and  have  descend- 
ants. 


John  Blair,  of  West  Fallowfield  town- 
ship, son  of  Hugh  Blair,  the  Hartstown 
settler,  married  Miss  Mary  McQuiston, 
a  member  of  one  of  the  large  and  in- 
fluential families  of  Crawford  county.  Of 
this  union  were  born  five  sons  and  six 
daughters.  The  oldest  son,  Hugh  Blair, 
grandson  of  Hugh,  was  born  in  West  Fal- 
lowfield township,  on  his  father's  farm, 
two  miles  north  of  Hartstown,  December 
14,  1809.  This  farm  consisted  of  a  few 
acres  of  the  original  homestead  deeded 
to  him  by  his  father  (Hugh  Blair,  the 
emigrant),  to  which  he  and  his  most  esti- 
mable wife,  by  their  industry  and  fru- 
gality, added  by  purchase  until  they  had 
over  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres.  They 
improved  the  farm  and  erected  thereon 
modern  buildings.  Their  sons  were  given 
farms  from  this  estate.  Hugh,  the  oldest, 
secured  sixty  acres,  about  ten  of  this  be- 
ing a  part  of  the  old  homestead  deeded 
by  his  grandfather  to  his  father.  On  this 
part,  which  was  favorably  located  and 
contained  a  good  spring  of  water,  he  lo- 
cated his  buildings.  In  1840  he  journeyed 
to  Mahoning  county,  Ohio,  and  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Margaret  Calvin. 
She  was  born  in  Hampshire  county,  Vir- 
ginia, February  22.  1810.  The  Calvins 
had  emigrated  from  France  to  the  United 
States  at  an  early  date  and  settled  in  New 
Jersey,  later  moving  to  Hampshire 
county.  Virginia,  where  they  lived  until 
1816.  Being  surrounded  by  slaveholders, 
and  not  wishing  to  own  slaves,  Samuel 
Calvin  (born  December  29,  1767),  and 
Margaret,  his  wife,  sold  their  Virginia 
home,  and  with  their  two  sons  and  six 
daughters  moved  to  Mahoning  county, 
Ohio,  in  1816.  and  settled  on  a  farm  of 
four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  located  in 
Green  township,  which  Samuel  Calvin 
had  purchased  on  a  previous  visit  to 
Ohio.  They  made  many  improvements 
on  this  farm,  where  their  children  grew 
to  manhood  and  womanhood.  It  was 
586 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


here  that  Hugh  Blair  and  Margaret  Cal- 
vin were  married  in  1840,  after  which 
they  went  to  live  on  their  farm  two  miles 
north  of  Hartstown,  Pennsylvania. 

Margaret  (Calvin)  Blair  often  talked  to 
her  children  of  the  old  home  in  Virginia. 
She  told  of  seeing  the  slaves  work,  and  of 
seeing  the  little  slave  children  kindly 
cared  for.  When  three  years  old  she 
stood  on  the  high  porch  at  her  home  and 
watched  soldiers  of  the  War  of  1812  re- 
turning home,  and  heard  them  singing 
their  homecoming  songs  in  a  joyous 
spirit.  She  told  of  the  journey  of  the 
family  over  the  mountains  to  the  Ohio 
home.  There  were  no  Pullman  coaches 
in  those  days.  They  moved  in  a  number 
of  large  wagons  with  panelled  boxes  that 
looked  more  like  big  boats  than  wagon 
boxes.  The  wagons  were  each  drawn  by 
four  large  horses.  Her  mother  rode  her 
saddle  horse,  and  often  one  of  the  younger 
girls  rode  with  her.  Side  saddles  were 
used  in  those  days.  They  travelled  over 
mountain  roads  and  hills,  forded  rivers 
and  streams,  and  after  a  number  of 
weary  days'  travel  arrived  at  their  Ohio 
home.  Here  the  land  was  so  much  more 
level  than  in  the  Virginia  country  that 
the  only  thing  that  looked  natural  was 
the  large  spring  of  cool  water  near  the 
door.  In  religion  the  Calvins  were  Bap- 
tists and  Lutherans ;  in  politics  they  were 
Democrats. 

(Ill)  Hugh  Blair  and  Margaret  (Cal- 
vin) Blair  had  five  children :  Samuel  Cal- 
vin, Mary  Catharine,  John  Alexander, 
Sarah  Ann,  and  Martha  Jane.  Hugh  and 
Margaret  Blair,  being  industrious  and 
frugal,  soon  bought  one  hundred  acres 
more  land  one  mile  north  of  the  farm 
upon  which  they  lived.  A  large  part  of 
this  land  was  covered  with  original  pine 
timber  from  which  he  had  shaved  pine 
shingles  manufactured.  These  were  mar- 
keted at  good  prices,  as  was  also  the  stock 
and  produce  of  the  farm  which  enabled 


them  to  improve  the  farm  and  erect 
thereon  a  modern  basement  barn.  They 
were  prepared  to  build  a  modern  house 
also,  when  in  1859  they  decided  to  sell 
and  buy  an  excellent  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  seventy  acres  one  mile  north  of 
Hartstown.  To  this  farm  they  moved  in 
the  fall  of  1859,  where  they  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock  raising.  The  children 
were  educated  in  the  public  schools  and 
the  academies  at  Hartstown  and  James- 
town. Pennsylvania.  Hugh  Blair  died 
April  2,  1886,  aged  seventy-six  years; 
Margaret  Blair,  July  20,  1887,  aged  sev- 
enty-seven years. 

(IV)  John  Alexander,  son  of  Hugh 
and  ]\Iargaret  (Calvin)  Blair,  was  born 
on  the  home  farm,  two  miles  north  of 
Hartstown,  on  January  29,  1846.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  and  the 
Hartstown  Academy.  He  was  engaged 
in  agriculture  until  1870,  when  he  went 
into  the  mercantile  business  as  a  partner 
of  his  brother,  and  financially  lost  all  in 
the  panic  of  1873.  He  was  united  in  mar- 
riage at  Hartstown.  Pennsylvania,  on  Oc- 
tober 14,  1875,  to  Sarah  Elva  Hunter.  She 
was  born  in  Woodcock  township,  two 
miles  east  of  Saegerstown,  on  December 
13,  1854,  the  daughter  of  Samuel  E.  Hun- 
ter and  Mary  Elizabeth  (Clark)  Hunter, 
and  granddaughter  of  David  Hunter.  The 
latter  married  Catherine  Carr,  and  the 
following  children  were  born :  Mary  M., 
William  G.,  Griffith  W.,  Nancy.  Eliza 
Jane,  Penelope,  Samuel  E.,  and  John. 
Samuel  E.  Hunter  was  born  in  Wood- 
cock township,  and  died  at  Hartstown, 
in  January,  1887,  aged  fifty-six  years.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Clark,  who  was  bom 
at  Watson  Run,  near  Meadville,  Penn- 
sylvania, November  3,  1835,  and  died 
March  26,  1907,  at  the  home  of  her  daugh- 
ter. Mrs.  John  A.  Blair,  near  Townville. 
The  children  of  Samuel  E.  and  Mary  Eliz- 
abeth (Clark)  Hunter  were:  Sarah  Elva, 
William  (died  in  infancy),  Harry  Eugene, 

587 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Edgar  Ewing,  Anna  Drucilla,  Bertha 
Dean  and  Mertie  E.  The  children  of 
John  Alexander  and  Sarah  Elva  (Hunter) 
Blair  are:  Parr  Dalton,  born  March  28, 
1877;  Thomas  Lloyd,  born  February  4, 
1879;  and  Mary  Helen  (Ingraham),  born 
May  24,  1887.  After  his  marriage,  John 
A.  Blair  again  engaged  in  agriculture.  He 
is  a  progressive  Democrat,  and  has  held 
the  various  local  offices.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Steuben  Grange,  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry, and  the  Baptist  church.  During 
the  Civil  War,  too  young  to  pass  the  re- 
cruiting oflices,  he  formed  a  wild  plan  to 
run  away  and  join  a  cousin  in  the  Union 
army,  but  was  thwarted  by  the  untimely 
death  of  the  cousin,  who  was  killed  in 
battle.  In  1884  he  purchased  a  farm  in 
Steuben  township,  Crawford  county,  one 
mile  east  of  Townville.  To  this  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  he  moved 
with  his  wife  and  two  sons,  aged  seven 
and  five  years,  where  they  engaged  in 
dairying  and  stock  raising. 

(V)  Parr  Dalton  Blair,  eldest  son  of 
John  Alexander  and  Sarah  Elva  (Hunter) 
Blair,  was  born  on  the  home  farm,  one 
mile  north  of  Hartstown,  Pennsylvania, 
March  28,  1877,  and  is  now  the  county 
superintendent  of  the  public  schools  of 
Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania.  He  was 
seven  years  of  age  when  the  family 
moved  to  Steuben  township  in  1884.  He 
received  his  early  education  in  Rosedale 
Seminary  (a  private  school  taught  by 
Miss  Mary  Rose  in  Townville),  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Steuben  township  and 
Townville  borough,  and  the  Meadville 
high  school.  He  later  entered  the  Clarion 
State  Normal  School,  and  was  graduated 
from  that  school  in  1897.  He  did  ad- 
vanced work  at  the  Normal  School,  and 
later  entered  Allegheny  College  in  Mead- 
ville, Pennsylvania,  in  which  institution 
he  took  part  of  his  college  course.  Later 
he  did  work  in  Beaver  and  Grove  City 
colleges,  and  was  graduated  from  Grove 


City  College  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Arts,  and  later  was  granted  the  de- 
gree of  Master  of  Arts.  Since  graduating 
from  college  he  has  taken  advanced  work 
in  Harvard  University.  During  these 
years  of  study,  Mr.  Blair  raised  the  funds 
necessary  to  enable  him  to  continue  his 
education  by  teaching  in  nearby  district 
and  borough  schools.  He  taught  two 
years  in  the  Richmond  township  schools, 
one  year  in  Mead  township  high  school. 
For  a  time  he  was  an  instructor  in  the 
Clarion  State  Normal  School,  principal 
of  the  Spartansburg  public  schools  one 
year,  going  from  there  to  Glen  Hazel, 
where  he  was  principal  for  two  years. 
In  the  summer  of  1902  he  was  an  in- 
structor in  Beaver  College,  then  was  prin- 
cipal at  Springboro  for  two  years,  leav- 
ing there  to  complete  his  college  course. 
He  was  then  principal  of  the  high  school 
and  supervising  principal  of  the  Irwin 
public  schools  (Westmoreland  county, 
Pennsylvania)  for  three  years.  In  1908 
he  resigned  this  position  to  accept  the 
supervising  principalship  of  the  Cam- 
bridge Springs  public  schools.  He  held 
this  position  until  June,  191 1.  On  May 
2,  191 1,  he  was  elected  county  superin- 
tendent of  the  schools  of  Crawford  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  which  position  he  still 
holds,  having  been  unanimously  reelected 
in  1914  for  a  term  of  four  years.  Pro- 
fessor Blair  has  had  a  wide  and  success- 
ful experience  as  a  student  and  a  school 
man.  He  knows  the  schools  of  his  coun- 
ty, their  problems  and  their  needs,  and 
is  making  an  excellent  superintendent. 
He  occupies  a  prominent  position  among 
the  educators  of  the  State.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Pennsylvania  State  and  the 
National  Educational  Associations.  As  a 
leader  he  has  been  very  successful  in  en- 
couraging and  inspiring  his  teachers  to  a 
greater  degree  of  efficiency.  The  courses 
of  study  have  been  rendered  more  com- 
prehensive and  practical   and  the  entire 


W:^^  .     ^.,4/r^^--/ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


educational  system  has  been  benefited  as 
a  result  of  his  energy  and  ability. 

During  the  Spanish-American  War  of 
189S,  Mr.  Blair,  then  a  student  at  the 
Clarion  State  Normal  School,  offered  his 
services  to  Captain  A.  J.  Davis,  who  was 
principal  of  the  Normal  School.  Captain 
Davis  and  the  other  recruiting  officers, 
however,  refused  to  accept  recruits  from 
the  student  body,  but  allowed  a  reserve 
company  to  be  formed,  available  should 
another  call  be  made  upon  Pennsylvania 
for  men.  This  company  Mr.  Blair  joined, 
and  prepared  for  military  duty  should  his 
service  be  required.  He  also  took  mili- 
tary training  in  college,  and  was  a  com- 
missioned officer  in  the  college  battalion. 

Mr.  Blair  was  married  to  Miss  Allie 
Belle  Farley,  at  Spartansburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania, on  August  2,  1905.  Miss  Farley 
was  born  in  Spartansburg,  on  June  3, 
1876.  She  received  her  education  in 
the  Spartansburg  and  Meadville  public 
schools,  Allegheny  College,  and  the  Em- 
erson College  of  Oratory  in  Boston,  Mas- 
sachusetts. She  was  a  very  successful 
teacher  in  the  schools  at  Spartansburg 
and  Springboro,  and  is  a  reader  and  im- 
personator of  considerable  ability.  She 
is  the  daughter  of  William  and  Mary 
Amanda  (Halladay)  Farley.  William 
Farley  was  born  in  Williamsport,  Penn- 
sylvania, on  March  23,  1831,  and  died  at 
Spartansburg,  Pennsylvania,  on  Decem- 
ber 28,  1910,  aged  seventy-nine  years. 
When  he  was  a  boy,  his  father,  Peter 
Farley,  moved  to  Striker,  Ohio,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  agriculture.  His  early 
life  was  spent  here  as  were  also  those  of 
his  brother  and  three  sisters.  When  he 
was  a  young  man  he  came  to  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  for  many  years  he  was  en- 
gaged in  lumbering  in  Pennsylvania  and 
in  South  Carolina.  For  many  years  he 
lived  at  Spartansburg,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  was  a  respected  and  honored 
citizen.     He  was  for  over  twenty  years 


justice  of  the  peace  in  Spartansburg. 
Mary  Amanda  (Halladay)  Farley  was 
born  in  Cayuga  county.  New  York,  No- 
vember 17,  1835,  and  died  at  the  home  of 
her  daughter,  Mrs.  Blair,  in  Meadville, 
May  28,  1914,  aged  seventy-nine  years. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  William  C.  and 
Mary  (Miller)  Halladay.  William  C. 
Halladay  was  one  of  six  brothers,  all  of 
whom  except  William  were  ministers. 
William  was  a  teacher,  a  mason,  and  later 
a  warden  of  the  State  prison  at  Auburn, 
New  York.  Mary  (Miller)  Halladay  was 
a  cousin  of  President  Andrew  Jackson. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Halladay  were  the  parents 
of  twelve  children. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  P.  D.  Blair  are  the  par- 
ents of  four  children:  i.  Howard  Farley, 
was  born  in  Irwin.  May  17,  1906,  and 
died  August  22,  1907;  he  was  a  bright, 
interesting  little  boy,  and  his  early  loss 
was  a  severe  trial  for  his  parents.  2.  June 
Alathea.was  born  in  Irwin,  Pennsylvania, 
on  June  i,  1908;  she  is  now  nearly  seven 
years  of  age,  and  is  attending  public 
school  in  Meadville.  3.  Paul  Dalton,  was 
born  at  Cambridge  Springs,  on  February 
2,  1910.  4.  John  William,  was  born  in 
Meadville,  on  January  20,  191 2,  and  died 
at  birth. 

Mr.  Blair  is  a  member  of  Spartan 
Lodge,  No.  372,  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons, and  of  Crawford  Lodge,  No.  734, 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Round  Table  of  Mead- 
ville, and  an  elder  in  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Meadville,  Pennsylvania. 


NEEB,  William, 

Journalist,  Financier. 

The  "Fourth  Estate"  has  ever  been  a 
power  in  Pittsburgh,  and  conspicuous 
among  its  advanced  guard  was  the  late 
William  Neeb.  for  nearly  fifty  years  one 
of  the  two  proprietors  of  the  "Freiheits 
Freund,"  the  first  German  newspaper 
established  in  the  Iron  City.     Mr.  Neeb 

589 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


was  intimately  associated  with  the  finan- 
cial, religious  and  social  life  of  Pitts- 
burgh, and  for  many  years  played  an  in- 
fluential part  in  the  political  arena. 

William  Neeb  was  born  July  3,  1822,  in 
Naunheim,  near  Giessen,  Hessen-Darm- 
stadt,  Germany,  and  when  he  was  two 
years  old  his  father  died.  William  Neeb 
was  the  only  child,  and  he  and  his  mother 
came  to  the  United  States  with  his 
father's  brother,  Casper  Neeb,  landing  in 
Baltimore,  Maryland.  After  remaining 
there  a  short  time  his  mother  took  him 
to  Chambersburg,  Pennsylvania,  where 
William  learned  the  printer's  trade  under 
Victor  Scriba,  owner  of  the  "Freiheits 
Freund."  In  1837  Scriba  was  prevailed 
upon  by  the  German  citizens  of  Pitts- 
burgh to  take  his  paper  to  that  city,  as 
the  German  element  there  was  not  satis- 
fied with  the  representation  accorded  it 
by  the  papers  Scriba,  therefore,  trans- 
ported his  entire  printing  equipment  on 
Conestoga  wagons  across  the  mountains 
to  Pittsburgh,  bringing  with  him  also  his 
helpers.  Among  these  were  the  youth, 
William  Neeb,  and  his  cousin,  John  Louis 
Neeb.  Thus  it  was  that,  seventy-seven 
years  ago,  Teutonic  journalism  first 
gained  a  foothold  in  the  metropolis  of 
Pennsylvania. 

After  spending  some  time  in  Pitts- 
burgh, William  Neeb  went  to  New  Or- 
leans, where  he  engaged  in  the  printing 
business,  subsequently  removing  to  Bos- 
ton and  publishing  in  that  city  a  German 
paper.  About  1S42  he  returned  to  Pitts- 
burgh, where  he  became  the  joint  pro- 
prietor of  the  "Freiheits  Freund,"  the 
owner  being  his  cousin,  John  Louis,  who 
had  bought  the  paper  of  Scriba  on  the 
latter's  retirement.  During  the  succeed- 
ing forty-seven  years  the  two  cousins  suc- 
cessfully conducted  this  influential  jour- 
nal, making  it  not  only  an  advocate  of 
German  interests,  but  a  power  for  all  that 
was  best  and  truly  progressive  in  the  city. 


the  state  and  the  nation.  For  nearly  half 
a  century  William  Neeb  and  his  cousin, 
John  Louis  Neeb,  were  the  chief  source 
of  its   inspiration  and  prosperity. 

Not  only  was  Mr.  Neeb  conspicuously 
associated  with  the  journalistic  life  of  his 
city,  but  in  the  promotion  of  her  other 
essential  interests  he  always  took  a  lead- 
ing part.  Ever  ready  to  respond  to  any 
deserving  call  made  upon  him  he  was 
widely  charitable,  but  such  was  his  ab- 
horrence of  ostentation  that  the  full  num- 
ber of  his  benefactions  will  never  be 
known  to  the  world.  He  was  a  director 
of  the  Germania  Bank,  the  German  Na- 
tional Bank,  and  the  Lincoln  National 
Bank.  He  affiliated  with  McKinley 
Lodge,  Free  and  Accepted  Alasons,  of 
Allegheny  (now  North  Side,  Pittsburgh), 
and  was  a  member  of  the  German  Evan- 
gelical church,  taking  an  active  part  in  its 
work  and  support. 

Intensely  public-spirited,  Mr.  Neeb  was 
always  keenly  interested  in  matters  politi- 
cal. He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Republican  party  in  Pittsburgh,  organ- 
ized in  1856  in  Lafayette  Hall,  and  for 
many  years  was  actively  identified  with 
its  history,  serving  as  one  of  the  presi- 
dential electors  for  President  Hayes.  To 
every  movement  which  in  his  judgment 
tended  to  promote  the  welfare  and  ad- 
vancement of  his  home  city,  he  gave  his 
hearty  support  and  co-operation.  The  ex- 
ceptionally strong  mental  endowments  by 
which  Mr.  Neeb  was  always  character- 
ized were  balanced  by  a  wonderful  depth 
of  heart  and  breadth  of  mind,  the  whole 
dominated  by  a  stainless  integrity  and  an 
innate  nobility  of  soul.  His  intuition,  his 
courage  and  his  fidelity  to  his  word  made 
him  a  leader  among  men,  and  he  pos- 
sessed also  the  faculty  of  vision,  the  abil- 
ity to  read  the  future  and  see  whither 
events  were  tending.  His  temperament 
was  essentially  literary  and  he  kept  fully 
abreast  of  the  thought  of  his  time.     Tall 

590 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  stature  and  of  strikingly  dignified  pres- 
ence, his  finely  moulded  features  accentu- 
ated by  gray  hair,  moustache  and  beard, 
his  manner  genial  and  courteous,  he  had 
a  most  impressive  personality.  His  dark 
eyes  were  keen  but  quiet,  the  eyes  of  a 
man  who  had  seen  and  thought  and  done. 
He  was  a  true  gentleman  and  a  noble 
gifted,  kindly  and  lovable  man. 

Mr.  Neeb  married.  May  i6,  1S50.  Eliza- 
beth, daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth 
(Stout)  Voegtiy.  Mr.  Voegtly  came 
from  Germany  to  the  United  States  in 
1822,  settling  in  Allegheny,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  bought  land,  followed  the  call- 
ing of  a  miller  and  looked  after  his  estate. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Neeb  were  the  parents  of 
the  following  children:  i.  John  Nicholas. 
2.  Mary  Elizabeth,  married  John  ]\I. 
Goehring,  attorney,  and  president  of  the 
Pittsburgh  councils,  and  ex-state  senator, 
and  had  four  children:  William  Neeb 
Goehring,  M.  D.,  a  practicing  physician 
in  Pittsburgh  ;  Harvey  John  Goehring,  in 
the  hardware  business  in  Pittsburgh ; 
Louis  Meek  Goehring,  attending  Wash- 
ington and  JefTerson  College ;  and  Flora 
Sadie  Goehring,  at  home.  3.  Sarah  Anna, 
of  Pittsburgh.  4.  Charles  William,  died 
July  4,  1914.  5.  Ella  S.,  now  deceased, 
married  Chester  Hoag,  of  California ; 
children:  Elizabeth,  Charlotte,  John  and 
Chester,  all  of  California.  6.  Ida  Flora, 
died  in  infancy.  7.  Cora  M.  L.,  married 
Francis  F.  Williams,  a  broker  of  Chicago, 
and  has  two  children :  Virginia  and 
Willa.  8.  Olga  V.  C,  now  deceased,  mar- 
ried John  L.  Boyd,  of  Seattle,  Washmg- 
ton,  and  had  two  children  :  Catherine  and 
William  Neeb.  John  Nicholas  Neeb,  the 
eldest  of  this  family,  was  associated  with 
his  father  in  the  management  of  the  "Frei- 
heits  Freund,"  and  early  entered  political 
life.  He  was  identified  with  the  Repub- 
lican party,  and  enjoyed  extreme  personal 


popularity.  At  twenty-one  he  was  a  coun- 
cilman, and  subsequently  he  represented 
the  Forty-second  District  in  the  State 
Senate.  On  February  19,  1893,  he  passed 
away,  deeply  mourned  by  a  large  circle 
of  friends  who  regretted  the  premature 
ending  of  a  career  which  seemed  so  full 
of  brilliant  promise. 

In  his  domestic  relations  William  Neeb 
was  singular  happy.  He  was  essentially 
a  home-lover  and  his  fireside  was  the 
abode  of  peace  and  felicity.  It  was  also 
a  centre  of  hospitality  and  all  who  were 
privileged  to  be  entertained  there  will 
never  forget  the  gracious  charm  of  their 
host  and  hostess.  "Full  of  years  and 
honors."  this  veteran  journalist  closed  his 
long  and  useful  career,  passing  away  Jan- 
uary 7,  1899,  after  sixty-two  years  of  con- 
tinuous work  in  the  newspaper  world. 
His  was  a  singularly  complete  life,  full 
of  goodness,  leaving  a  trail  of  light  be- 
hind. Irreproachable  in  every  relation- 
ship, he  was  loved  and  venerated  by  the 
entire  community.  The  following  "In 
Memoriam"  was  the  tribute  of  the  board 
of  directors  of  the  German  Savings  Bank: 

Though  quiet  and  unassuming  in  manner,  he 
gave  to  the  trusts  reposed  in  him  the  highest 
degree  of  intelligent  and  conscientious  care.  It 
has  been  the  good  fortune  of  his  associates  on 
this  board  to  profit  by  that  wisdom  and  counsel, 
sterling  integrity  and  business  sagacity  which 
have  long  rendered  him  a  distinguished  and 
honored  citizen  of  the  community.  His  death 
brings  profound  sorrow  in  this  board,  while  his 
memory  and  example  remain  to  be  cherished  and 
emulated. 

William  Neeb  was  one  of  the  finest 
types  of  the  German-American.  A  char- 
acter like  his  is  best  described  in  the 
words  of  Shakespeare : 

His  life  was  gentle,  and  the  elements 

So  mixed  in  him,  that  Nature  might  stand  up 

And  say  to  all  the  world — "This  was  a  man!" 


1591 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


NEEB,  John  Louis, 

Prominent   Journalist. 

It  is  impossible  to  recall  the  Pittsburgh 
of  the  latter  half  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury without  summoning  before  our  ret- 
rospective vision  the  figure  of  one  of  the 
men  most  closely  associated  with  that 
period  of  the  city's  history — the  late  John 
Louis  Neeb,  for  nearly  sixty-one  years 
continuously  connected  with  the  "Frei- 
heits  Freund,"  and  for  forty-seven  years 
one  of  its  two  joint  owners.  During  his 
long  residence  in  Pittsburgh  Mr.  Neeb 
was  closely  and  influentially  identified 
with  her  leading  interests  and  was  always 
numbered  among  her  foremost  citizens. 

John  Louis  Neeb  was  born  March  lo, 
1819,  at  Naunheim,  near  Giessen,  Hessen- 
Darmstadt,  Germany,  and  was  a  son  of 
Casper  and  i\Iary  Neeb.  The  father  fol- 
lowed the  cooper's  trade  and  with  his 
children,  his  first  wife  having  died,  came 
to  the  United  States,  landing  in  Balti- 
more, Maryland,  and  after  a  short  time 
removed  to  Richfield,  Ohio.  In  Cham- 
bersburg,  Pennsylvania,  John  Louis,  at 
the  age  of  sixteen,  became  an  apprentice 
in  the  office  of  the  "Freiheits  Freund," 
and  in  1837  Victor  Scriba,  owner  of  the 
paper,  removed,  at  the  solicitation  of  the 
German  residents  of  Pittsburgh,  to  that 
city,  where  he  established  his  journal  and 
from  the  outset  prospered  greatly. 

On  coming  to  Pittsburgh,  Mr.  Scriba 
brought  with  him  his  helpers,  among 
whom  were  John  Louis  Neeb  and  his 
cousin  William,  a  biography  of  whom  ap- 
pears elsewhere  in  this  work.  The  former 
remained  continuously  with  the  paper, 
steadily  advancing,  by  force  of  diligence 
and  innate  ability,  from  one  higher  posi- 
tion to  another,  and  it  was  largely  due  to 
his  efforts  that  the  "Freiheits  Freund" 
attained  and  kept  for  so  long  a  period  its 
commanding  position  in  the  newspaper 
world. 

In    1840   Mr.    Neeb   purchased   a   half- 


interest  in  the  paper,  and  two  years  later 
persuaded  his  cousin  William  to  come 
from  Boston  and  buy  the  other  half,  Mr. 
Scriba  having  retired.  Under  the  capa- 
ble management  of  the  two  cousins  the 
"Freiheits  Freund"  not  only  increased  in 
circulation,  but  became  more  than  ever 
distinguished  for  its  liberal  enlightened 
views,  its  sound  wisdom,  far-sighted 
judgment  and  elevated  moral  standards, 
and  became  and  was  recognized  as  the 
leading  German  paper  in  Western  Penn- 
sylvania. This  paper  as  it  is  to-day  the 
"Volksblatt  and  Freiheits  Freund"  is  one 
of  the  leading  German  papers  in  America 
in  standing,  circulation  and  influence. 
John  Louis  Neeb,  and  his  cousin,  William 
Neeb,  from  their  long  and  uninterrupted 
connection  with  the  journal,  may  be  said 
to  have  been  in  a  special  sense  its  heart 
and  soul. 

In  politics  Mr.  Neeb  was  first  a  Whig 
and  later  a  Republican,  but  he  never  took 
any  active  part  in  the  aft'airs  of  the  or- 
ganization, steadily  refusing  to  allow  his 
name  to  be  placed  in  nomination  as  a  can- 
didate for  any  office.  His  interest  in  all 
forms  of  philanthropic  enterprise  was 
ever  keen  and  helpful  and  his  private 
charities  were  numerous  but  known  to 
few  with  exception  of  the  recipients.  He 
was  a  director  in  various  institutions  and 
belonged  to  several  German  fraternal 
orders.  He  attended  the  Evangelical  Lu- 
theran Church. 

The  personality  of  Mr.  Neeb  may  be 
described  as  a  man  of  creative  genius 
consumed  with  the  desire  to  do  things 
well.  The  value  of  such  a  man  to  a  com- 
munity cannot  be  measured,  especially, 
when,  as  in  Mr.  Neeb's  case,  these  attrib- 
utes are  combined  with  a  loyalty  to  prin- 
ciple which  commands  the  absolute  con- 
fidence and  the  highest  esteem  of  the  gen- 
eral public.  Of  fine  personal  appearance, 
he  was  of  medium  height,  with  iron  gray 
hair  and   florid  complexion,   his   smooth- 


1592 


/  4  ,  .A/I^^^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


shaven  face,  with  its  strong  yet  sensitive 
features,  bearing  the  imprint  of  a  nature 
so  genial  and  sympathetic  as  to  possess 
a  rare  magnetism.  Every  line  expressed 
the  refinement  of  the  litterateur  and  the 
man  of  cultivated  tastes.  His  blue  eyes 
were  at  once  searching  and  thoughtful, 
eloquent  of  the  kindly  disposition  which 
surrounded  him  with  friends.  He  was  a 
man  of  valiant  fidelity,  true  and  generous 
in  thought,  word  and  deed. 

Mr.  Neeb  married,  in  November,  1848, 
Amanda  Malvina,  born  July  28,  1828,  at 
Mount  Pleasant,  Pennsylvania,  daughter 
of  Richard  and  Mary  (Mangold)  Allison, 
of  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania. 
Mr.  Allison  was  a  native  of  New  Eng- 
land, of  old  Puritan  stock  and  his  wife 
was  born  in  Norristown,  Pennsylvania, 
and  her  father  was  a  native  of  Switzer- 
land. The  following  children  were  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Neeb ;  Harry  Adolph  ; 
Albert,  died  in  infancy ;  Otto,  also  died 
in  infancy ;  Amelia  Mary,  died  January 
ID,  1901  ;  Frank  Caspar,  a  contractor  of 
Lancaster,  Ohio,  died  February  i,  1902: 
Alfred  Rudolph,  director  and  treasurer 
of  the  Neeb-Hirsch  Publishing  Company, 
died  January  11,  1908.  ]\Ir.  Neeb,  a  man 
of  strong  domestic  tastes  and  affections, 
was  the  centre  of  a  happy  home,  and  it 
was  there  that  he  delighted  to  gather  his 
friends  about  him.  The  hospitality  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Neeb  has  left  precious 
memories  in  many  hearts.  The  latter  sur- 
vived her  husband  eighteen  years,  pass- 
ing away  July  26,  1914. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Neeb  which  occurred 
July  15,  1896,  deprived  Pittsburgh  of  one 
of  her  pioneers  of  the  "Fourth  Estate" 
who  left  a  record  of  sixty-one  years  of  un- 
broken activity  as  a  journalist,  and  whose 
life,  both  as  business  man  and  citizen, 
was  free  from  the  slightest  blemish.  Edi- 
torially, a  Pittsburgh  paper  said  of  him 
in  part:  "A  life  of  great  business  ability 
was  ended  by  the  death  of  John   Louis 

I 


Neeb.  His  was  a  life  of  high  ambition. 
He  was  a  man  of  many  friends,  and  his 
death  is  deeply  regretted  by  all  those  who 
were  fortunate  enough  to  possess  his 
friendship." 

This  is  the  description  of  a  true  life — a 
life  of  quiet  force,  high-minded  endeavor 
and  large  benevolence,  a  life  that  left  the 
world  better  than  it  found  it.  Such  was 
the  life  of  John  Louis  Neeb. 


CARSON,  Robert, 

Man  of  A£Fairs,  Model  Citizen. 

The  business  men  of  the  Pittsburgh  of 
the  latter  half  of  the  nineteenth  century 
— a  time  now  rapidly  receding  from  our 
thought  and  vision — were  a  stately  group, 
and  among  the  commanding  forms  which 
now  loom  large  through  the  mists  of  years 
none  stood  higher  or  played  a  more 
honorable  part  than  the  late  Robert  Car- 
son, for  a  long  period  prominently  identi- 
fied with  the  development  of  the  leading 
commercial  interests  of  the  Iron  City. 

The  Carson  family,  originally  of  Nor- 
mandy, in  the  course  of  time  was  trans- 
])lanted  to  vScotland,  and  still  later  found  a 
home  in  Ireland,  a  branch  being  still  resi- 
dent in  Belfast,  and  numbering  among  its 
representatives  baronets,  judges,  attorneys 
and  others  in  the  upper  walks  of  life.  The 
family  crest  is  a  hand  clasping  a  falchion 
and  the  motto  is — a  proof  of  the  Norman 
origin  of  the  race — Nc  m'oitblicc. 

Robert  Carson  was  born  in  June,  1828, 
in  Belfast,  County  Down,  Ireland,  and 
was  one  of  the  seven  children  of  Robert 
and  Ann  (Morrison)  Carson,  the  latter  a 
member  of  an  old  Scottish  family.  Rob- 
bert  Carson  received  his  education  in  his 
native  land,  and  after  the  death  of  his 
father,  came  at  the  age  of  seventeen  or 
eighteen  years,  to  the  United  States. 
After  spending  some  time  in  New  Or- 
leans and  finding  employment  at  various 
occupations  Mr.  Carson  came  to  Pitts- 
burgh,  where   he   entered   the   wholesale 

593 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


grocery  business,  building  up  a  very  large 
concern  and,  as  the  years  went  on,  ex- 
tending its  scope.  He  was  at  first  asso- 
ciated with  his  brother  Alexander  under 
the  firm  name  of  A.  &  R.  Carson,  but  the 
outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  caused  a  disso- 
lution of  the  partnership,  Alexander  en- 
listing in  the  Union  army,  rising  to  the 
rank  of  captain  and  participating  in  many 
of  the  notable  battles  of  the  four  years' 
struggle.  Prior  to  his  brother's  with- 
drawal Mr.  Carson  had  formed  the  inten- 
tion of  engaging  in  the  iron  manufactur- 
ing business,  with  which  so  many  men 
of  that  period  were  associating  them- 
selves, but  being  left  sole  owner  of  the 
establishment  which  he  had  done  so  much 
to  build  up  he  decided  not  to  abandon  it 
and  continued  his  connection  with  it  to 
the  close  of  his  life.  His  capable  manage- 
ment and  far-sighted  sagacity  made  of  it, 
as  the  months  and  years  rolled  on,  a 
monument  to  his  rare  business  ability  and 
unblemished  integrity. 

No  man  was  ever  more  public-spirited 
than  Mr.  Carson.  Nothing  that  in  any 
way  affected  the  welfare  of  Pittsburgh 
was  a  matter  of  indifiference  to  him  and 
his  influential  support  and  substantial  aid 
were  never  withheld  from  movements 
and  measures  which  commended  them- 
selves to  his  sound  judgment  and  large 
benevolence.  He  was  interested  in  many 
financial  enterprises  and  owned  much 
real  estate  on  Federal  street.  Though 
frequently  urged  to  become  a  candidate 
for  office  he  invariably  declined,  but 
always,  as  a  true  Republican,  voted  for 
the  men  whom  he  deemed  best  fitted  to 
discharge  the  duties  of  the  offices  for 
which  they  were  nominated.  In  religion 
he  was  originally  a  Covenanter,  but  later 
became  a  member  of  the  Second  United 
Presbyterian  Church. 

Some  men  are  so  constituted  as  not  to 
reveal  in  face  and  manner  the  quality  of 
character  and  disposition.     The  observer 


has,  as  we  say,  "to  look  below  the  sur- 
face." This,  however,  was  not  the  case 
with  Robert  Carson.  Everything  about 
the  man  was  expressive  of  the  inner 
nature.  His  tall  stature,  large  frame  and 
broad  shoulders  told  of  strength,  but 
strength  dominated  from  within,  and  his 
fine,  sensitive  face,  the  florid  complexion 
contrasting  with  the  white  moustache, 
small  white  beard  and  snowy  hair,  spoke 
of  power  used  for  lofty  ends.  The  blue 
eyes  beamed  with  friendliness  and  at 
times  twinkled  with  humor.  Those  who 
met  him  immediately  became  aware  that 
they  stood  in  the  presence  of  a  man  pos- 
sessed of  strong  mental  endowments  and 
remarkable  quickness  of  perception,  in- 
tuitively recognizing  and  grasping  every 
opportunity  and  turning  it,  with  wonder- 
ful efficiency,  to  the  best  possible  account. 
His  ability  to  read  character  enabled  him 
to  surround  himself  with  associates  and 
subordinates  exceptionally  fitted  to  co- 
operate with  him  and  such  was  his  per- 
sonal magnetism  that  he  never  failed,  in 
controlling  men,  to  win  their  enthusiastic 
loyalty.  In  manner  he  was  simple,  digni- 
fied and  genial.  His  whole  personality 
was  that  of  the  man  of  ancient  race  and 
noble  traditions. 

In  the  choice  of  a  companion  for  life 
Mr.  Carson  was  singularly  fortunate. 
Miss  Grace  Walker  Hand,  whom  he  mar- 
ried on  October  29,  1861,  was  a  woman 
admirably  fitted  to  be  the  presiding 
genius  of  his  home  and  his  faithful  and 
sympathetic  coadjutor  in  the  benevolent 
anl  charitable  work  in  which  he  was  so 
deeply  interested.  Mrs.  Carson  was  a 
daughter  of  George  and  Judith  (Pritch- 
ard)  Hand,  and  was  brought  up  by  an 
aunt,  having  been  early  left  an  orphan. 
Her  father  was  an  officer  in  the  English 
army.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carson  were  the 
parents  of  the  following  children :  Eliza- 
beth, who  became  the  wife  of  W.  M. 
Gormly,  and  died  leaving  four  children, 

594 


<:^2/A'^c. 


/■ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


William,  Robert,  Elizabeth,  and  Carson, 
now  deceased ;  Ann  Morrison,  who  mar- 
ried R.  J.  Butz,  of  Pittsburgh,  and  be- 
came the  mother  of  three  children,  Rob- 
ert, John,  deceased,  and  Edward  M.; 
Grace  Walker,  died  in  infancy ;  Mary, 
educated  in  Pennsylvania  College  and 
Bishop  Bowman  Institute  and  now  living 
in  Pittsburgh ;  Robert,  of  Pittsburgh ; 
Margaret  Jane,  educated  at  Bishop  Bow- 
man Institute,  married  Edward  Franklin 
Thompson,  of  Glen  Osborne,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  has  two  children,  Edward  and 
Margaret ;  Julia,  graduate  of  Bishop  Bow- 
man Institute,  member  of  the  Twentieth 
Century  Club  and  a  favorite  in  the  social 
circles  of  Pittsburgh  ;  and  Georgia,  edu- 
cated at  Bishop  Bowman  Institute.  Miss 
Georgia  Carson  has  lived  much  abroad, 
having  studied  music  and  languages  in 
Paris ;  she  is  a  member  of  the  York  Club 
of  New  York  City  and  spends  much  of 
her  time  in  travelling  on  the  Continent. 

No  feature  of  Mr.  Carson's  character 
was  more  strongly  marked  than  his  de- 
votion to  home  and  family,  and  the  ruling 
motive  of  his  life  was  the  desire  that 
those  dear  to  him  should  be  surrounded 
with  all  possible  comforts  and  that  his 
children  should  enjoy  all  available  advan- 
tages of  education.  His  happiest  hours 
were  those  which  he  spent  with  the  mem- 
bers of  his  household  and  in  their  society, 
and  in  the  company  of  his  books  he  found 
his  favorite  form  of  relaxation.  The  wife 
and  mother,  who  was  the  heart  and  cen- 
tre of  the  family  life,  survived  the  hus- 
band to  whom  she  was  so  devoted,  pass- 
ing away  March  i,  1900. 

While  he  still  lingered  on  the  confines 
of  old  age  and  before  infirmity  had  laid 
its  heavy  hand  upon  him  Air.  Carson 
closed  his  career  of  usefulness  and  honor 
breathing  his  last  on  March  31,  1895.  The 
success  which  he  achieved  was  one  not 
to  be  measured  by  financial  prosperity, 
abounding  as  it  did  in  philanthropies  and 

I 


in  the  daily  practice  of  those  kindly 
amenities  which  make  so  much  of  the 
happiness  of  human  life. 

The  passing  of  Robert  Carson  removed 
from  Pittsburgh  a  noble  presence — the 
presence  of  a  man  whose  triumphs  were 
never  purchased  at  the  price  of  honor  and 
who,  in  building  his  own  fortune,  in- 
creased the  prosperity  of  his  home  city 
and  ministered  to  the  welfare  of  his  fel- 
lowmen. 


MORGAN,  Algernon  S.  M., 

Civil  War  Veteran,  Man  of  Affairs. 

Colonel  Algernon  Sidney  Mountain 
Morgan  was  one  of  the  last  to  pass  away 
of  a  generation  of  Pittsburgh  men,  who 
as  soldiers,  engineers,  manufacturers, 
bankers  and  men  of  business  built  upon 
the  strong  foundations  of  an  older  order, 
and  to  whom  the  city  owes  its  present 
commanding  place  in  the  world  of  great 
affairs. 

He  was  born  May  9,  183 1,  in  Washing- 
ton county,  and  was  the  descendant  of 
men  who  had  won  distinction  in  the  early 
history  of  the  colonies  of  the  United 
States.  His  great-grandfather,  Colonel 
George  Morgan,  of  "Prospect,"  Prince- 
ton, New  Jersey,  and  of  Morganza,  in 
Washington  county,  was  one  of  the  most 
notable  men  of  his  day,  winning  distinc- 
tion as  a  patriot  and  a  soldier  in  the  Rev- 
olution, and  renown  as  a  scientific  agri- 
culturist. Others  of  his  forbears  fought 
in  the  Indian  wars  and  in  the  Revolution, 
and  many  of  them  were  intimately  asso- 
ciated with  the  early  history  of  Pitts- 
burgh. 

Colonel  James  B.  Morgan,  father  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  and  his  wife,  Susan 
Mountain  Morgan,  moved  with  their  fam- 
ily from  \A'ashington  county  to  Pitts- 
burgh, in  1832.  Here  their  oldest  son. 
Algernon  Sidney  Mountain  Morgan,  at 
the  age  of  eight  years  was  placed  in  a 
private  school  on  the  property  of  George 

595 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Bayard,  Esq.,  a  property  which  is  now 
included  in  Allegheny  Cemetery.  From 
this  school  he  went  to  the  Western  Uni- 
versity, of  which  his  maternal  grand- 
father, James  Mountain,  counsellor-at- 
law,  was  one  of  the  founders.  From  the 
university  he  graduated  in  1849,  ^nd  was 
immediately  appointed  a  rodman  in  the 
engineering  force  of  the  newly  chartered 
Ohio  &  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company, 
which  was  organized  to  build  a  railroad 
from  Pittsburgh  to  the  west,  and  which 
is  now  embodied  in  the  Pittsburgh,  Fort 
Wayne  &  Chicago  Railroad.  Other  engi- 
neering experiences  followed  this,  the  last 
of  which  was  on  the  Pittsburgh  division 
of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad.  It 
was  not  in  the  spirit  of  that  particular 
time,  nor  in  the  disposition  of  this  young 
American,  not  to  broaden  out  and  de- 
velop his  business  career  undulatings  in 
a  new  though  allied  field  to  that  of  rail- 
roading and  in  1858  he  embarked  in  the 
manufacture  of  coke,  near  Layton,  and 
was  engaged  in  the  successful  develop- 
ment of  his  interests  there  when  he  was 
called  to  the  service  of  his  country  by  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  and  en- 
listed in  the  City  Guards,  a  company  or- 
ganized in  Pittsburgh  of  which  he  was 
second  and  then  first  lieutenant. 

He  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the 
63rd  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volunteers 
(infantry),  mustered  into  service  August 
I,  1861.  of  which  he  was  lieutenant-colo- 
nel and  later  promoted  to  be  colonel.  He 
saw  much  active  service,  and  on  May  31, 
1862,  was  severely  wounded  at  the  battle 
of  Fair  Oaks.  In  1863  because  of  his 
wound  not  permitting  him  to  rejoin  the 
army,  he  was  appointed  ordnance  store- 
keeper and  paymaster  in  the  United 
States  army,  and  was  stationed  at  Alle- 
gheny Arsenal,  a  position  which  he  re- 
tained until  1893,  when  he  resigned. 

During  these  years,  as  senior  member 
of  the  firm  of  Morgan  &  Company,  Colo- 


nel Morgan  devoted  much  of  his  time  to 
the  development  of  the  cokemaking  in- 
dustry, a  business  in  which  he  was  the 
foremost  pioneer  in  western  Pennsyl- 
vania. His  later  years  were  given  up 
to  the  development  of  banking  interests, 
and  he  became  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Pennsylvania  National  Bank  in  1890,  its 
first  president,  and  the  organizer  and 
president  of  the  Pennsylvania  Savings 
Bank.  Colonel  Morgan  retired  from 
business  life  in  1907.  A  charter  member 
of  Duquesne  Post,  No.  259,  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic,  and  past  commander  in 
1882  and  1883,  he  ever  retained  a  deep 
interest  in  the  men  with  whom  he  had 
fought  in  the  Civil  War.  Distinguished 
for  bravery  as  a  soldier  and  a  leader  as 
well  as  a  commander  of  soldiers  he  car- 
ried the  same  qualities  into  a  successful 
business  career,  during  which  he  aided 
the  development  of  the  industrial  inter- 
ests of  Pittsburgh  and  ever  stood  for  the 
highest  principles  of  justice  and  honor. 

Colonel  Morgan's  first  marriage  was  to 
Clara  Bascom  Bell,  daughter  of  William 
M.  Bell,  of  Allegheny,  on  February  28, 
1867,  and  their  children  were  Clara  Bell, 
wife  of  Joseph  B.  Shea,  Julia  Beach,  wife 
of  William  Henry  Singer,  William  Bell, 
deceased,  and  George  Norris  Morgan. 
His  first  wife  died  in  1886.  His  second 
marriage  was  with  Eliza  R.  Miles,  March 
19,  1889,  whose  death  on  October  22, 
1912,  he  only  survived  a  little  more  than  a 
year,  passing  away  on  March  10,  1914. 

Singularly  happy  in  all  his  domestic  re- 
lations. Colonel  Morgan,  was  essentially 
a  home  loving  man,  notwithstanding  his 
keen,  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the 
world.  A  brave  soldier  and  offlcer,  he 
commanded  the  respect  and  affection  of 
his  men  in  his  regiment,  just  as  he  com- 
manded confidence  and  regard  in  business 
transactions.  Perhaps  his  most  dominant 
characteristic  was  his  mental  poise  and 
cool  judgment,  and  though  slow  at  work- 
596 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ing  out  his  conclusions,  he  was  accurate 
and  just,  and  seldom  was  his  judgment  at 
fault.  In  personal  appearance  he  was 
marked  by  distinction  and  soldierly  bear- 
ing, his  manner  was  reserved  yet  genial. 
Always  a  noticeable  looking  man,  in  his 
later  years  he  was  a  striking  figure,  and 
his  snow  white  hair,  clear  complexion, 
keen  blue  eyes  and  erect  carriage  formed 
a  picture  of  beautiful  old  age. 


MOORE,  Delano  Riddle, 

Enterprising  Business  Man. 

The  majority  of  the  business  men  of 
Pennsylvania  have  ever  been  of  that  alert, 
energetic,  progressive  type  to  whom  ob- 
stacles are  but  an  impetus,  and  during 
the  latter  decades  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury there  could  be  found  throughout  the 
length  and  breadth  of  the  state  no  more 
perfect  specimen  of  the  type  than  the  late 
Delano  Riddle  Moore,  of  Altoona,  long 
a  recognized  authority  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness. Mr.  Moore,  during  his  almost  life- 
long residence  in  Altoona,  was  ever  ready 
to  do  all  in  his  power  to  advance  the  best 
interests  of  his  home  town. 

John  Moore,  grandfather  of  Delano 
Riddle  Moore,  was  of  Leinster  county. 
Ireland,  and  was  forced  by  political  trou- 
ble to  leave  his  native  country  and  take 
refuge  in  the  United  States,  landing  at 
Alexandria  (Virginia).  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He  was 
accompanied  to  this  country  by  his  three 
children:  Robert;  Johnston,  mentioned 
below ;  and  Ann. 

Johnston  Moore,  son  of  John  Moore, 
was  a  farmer  in  Morrison's  Cove,  Blair 
county,  Pennsylvania.  He  married  Maria 
Jane  Wilson.  Their  children  were:  Itha- 
mar,  died  in  1905 ;  Theodosia.  married 
Thomas  B.  Delo,  of  Elmira,  New  York, 
and  died,  leaving  two  children,  Roy  B. 
and  Johnston  Moore,  a  physician,  of  Phil- 
adelphia; Cassandra,  married  James  P. 
Stewart,  now  deceased,  banker  and  pro- 


thonotary,  of  lioUidaysburg,  later  a  resi- 
dent of  Webb  City ;  Delano  Riddle,  men- 
tioned below ;  Charles  W.,  a  business  man 
of  Altoona,  married  Mary  Aiken,  of  Mel- 
roy,  Pennsylvania,  and  died  November  5, 
1914;  Samuel  T.,  of  Harrisburg,  chief 
forester  of  Pennsylvania,  married  Anna 
Swartz  and  has  two  children,  Erma  and 
^lary. 

Delano  Riddle  Moore,  son  of  Johnston 
and  Maria  Jane  (Wilson)  Moore,  was 
born  March  14.  1843,  at  Morrison's  Cove, 
near  Williamsburg,  Pennsylvania.  He 
received  his  primary  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Altoona,  afterward  at- 
tending the  State  College.  His  inclina- 
tions were  for  mercantile  life  and  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  he  went  to  Altoona  and 
there  entered  upon  the  career  which  was 
to  bring  him  not  only  pecuniary  profit 
but  a  most  enviable  reputation.  In  asso- 
ciation with  his  brother  Ithamar  he  es- 
tablished the  lumber  business  which  he 
conducted  to  the  close  of  his  life.  Under 
his  capable  management  the  concern 
gradually  enlarged  the  scope  of  its  trans- 
actions, eventually  operating  five  mills  in 
Cambria  county.  Mr.  Moore  was  the 
owner  of  extensive  lumber  and  coal  lands 
and  devoted  all  the  energies  of  his  vigor- 
ous and  well  balanced  mind  to  the  guid- 
ance and  control  of  the  great  enterprise 
which  owed  its  success  and  magnitude 
chiefly  to  his  aggressive  boldness  and 
wise  conservatism. 

As  a  citizen  with  exalted  ideals  of  good 
government  and  civic  virtue  Mr.  Moore 
stood  in  the  front  rank.  His  political 
affiliations  were  with  the  Republicans, 
but  he  never  took  an  active  part  in  the 
afifairs  of  the  organization,  matters  of 
business  engrossing  his  entire  time  and 
office-seeking  being  foreign  to  his  nature. 
He  was  ever  ready  to  do  all  that  lay  in 
his  power  for  the  betterment  of  condi- 
tions in  his  community  and  his  charities 
were  numerous  but  invariably  bestowed 
597 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  the  quietest  manner  possible.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church. 

In  early  manhood  Mr.  Moore,  like  so 
many  other  young  men  of  his  generation, 
abandoned  business  pursuits  in  order  to 
respond  to  the  call  to  arms  and  enlisted 
in  the  Union  army,  but  conditions  frus- 
trated his  intention  of  going  to  the  front. 

The  personality  of  Mr.  Moore  was  that 
of  a  genial,  kindly,  warm-hearted,  thor- 
oughly well  balanced  man,  of  strong 
mental  endowments  and  exceptional  ca- 
pacity for  judging  the  motives  and  merits 
of  men.  He  was  of  medium  height  and 
stout  figure,  but  alert  and  active  in  his 
movements,  always  preserving  his  youth- 
ful energy.  His  hair  and  whiskers  were 
light  and  his  well  moulded  features  were 
expressive  of  his  dominant  traits  of  char- 
acter. His  eyes,  piercingly  keen,  held  in 
their  depths  a  humorous  gleam  which 
told  of  the  fund  of  dry  humor  for  which 
he  was  noted  and  which  was  one  of  his 
most  attractive  qualities.  His  business 
transactions  were  conducted  in  accord- 
ance with  the  highest  principles  and  he 
was  widely  beloved,  numbering  friends  in 
all  classes  of  the  community,  and,  it 
might  be  added,  among  the  noblest  of 
the  brute  creation,  for  he  delighted  in 
dogs  and  horses  and  they  returned  his 
affection. 

Mr.  Moore  married,  December  7,  1864, 
at  Altoona,  Emma  L.,  daughter  of  Judge 
Benjamin  Franklin  and  Eliza  (Addle- 
man)  Patton.  The  following  children 
were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moore:  Cora 
Estella,  who  died  in  infancy ;  Helen,  wife 
of  David  Frank  Gibson  Crawford,  of 
Pittsburgh,  general  superintendent  of 
motive  power  of  Pennsylvania  railroad 
line  west ;  Marie  Jessie,  wife  of  Roland 
Eldridge  Hoopes,  freight  and  passenger 
agent  at  Denora,  Pennsylvania.  By  his 
marriage  Mr.  Moore  gained  the  life  com- 
panionship of  a  charm ine  and  congenial 


woman,  a  true  helpmate  for  one  the  gov- 
erning motive  of  whose  life  was  love  for 
wife  and  children  and  who  delighted  in 
the  exercise  of  hospitality.  Mrs.  Moore, 
in  her  widowhood,  resides  in  Pittsburgh, 
where  she  takes  an  active  part  in  charit- 
able work,  from  time  to  time  seeking  en- 
joyment  and  recuperation   in   travel. 

When  scarcely  past  the  prime  of  life 
Mr.  Moore  closed  his  honorable  and  use- 
ful career,  passing  away  March  9,  1904. 
leaving  a  record  strikingly  illustrative  of 
the  essential  principles  of  a  true  life,  a 
solid,  simple,  strong  and  serviceable  life, 
the  life  of  a  noble  and  upright  man  who 
fulfilled  to  the  letter  every  trust  commit- 
ted to  him  and  was  generous  in  his  feel- 
ings and  conduct  toward  all.  The  lum- 
ber trade  of  Pennsylvania  constitutes  one 
of  her  chief  sources  of  revenue  and  forms 
an  integral  part  of  her  commercial  great- 
ness. It  has  been  made  what  it  is  by  such 
men  as  Delano  Riddle  Moore. 


PATTON,  Benjamin  Franklin, 

Lawyer,   Honored  Jurist. 

The  judges  of  the  courts  of  Pennsyl- 
vania have  ever  been  men  of  fine  talents 
and  unblemished  character,  noted  for 
their  rigid  impartiality  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  justice  and  for  their  unflinch- 
ing loyalty  to  duty.  In  this  noble  group 
of  old-time  jurists  none  stood  higher  than 
the  late  Judge  Benjamin  Franklin  Pat- 
ton,  of  Altoona,  Pennsylvania.  Judge 
Patton  came  of  old  colonial  and  Revolu- 
tionary stock,  both  his  parents  having 
been  members  of  families  distinguished 
in  the  annals  of  the  Keystone  State. 

John  Patton,  founder  of  that  branch 
of  the  race  of  which  Benjamin  Franklin 
Patton  was  a  scion,  was  born  in  the  north 
of  Ireland,  and  came  of  Covenanter 
stock.  In  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth 
century  he  emigrated  to  the  province  of 
Pennsylvania,  settling  in  Cumberland 
county,  and  in  1735  taking  up  a  tract  of 


f598 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


land.  He  married  Susanna  Tussey,  and 
their  children  were  :  William,  mentioned 
below ;  Mary ;  and  Benjamin,  who  settled 
in  North  Carolina,  and  was  a  member  of 
the  convention  that  passed  the  famous 
"Mecklenberg  Declaration."  John  Pat- 
ton  died  in  June,  1767,  at  his  home  in 
Cumberland  county. 

William,  son  of  John  and  Susanna 
(Tussey)  Patton,  was  born  in  1730,  in 
the  North  of  Ireland,  and  was  a  young 
child  when  brought  by  his  parents  to 
Pennsylvania.  He  led  a  life  of  pioneer 
hardship  and  adventure,  being  once 
obliged  to  flee  from  his  home  in  conse- 
quence of  an  Indian  raid  and  take  refuge 
with  his  family  in  Carlisle.  He  married, 
August  5,  1754,  Elizabeth  Moore,  born 
in  1732,  and  the  following  were  their  chil- 
dren :  Mary ;  John,  mentioned  below ; 
Elizabeth;  James;  Letty;  Benjamin,  died 
in  infancy;  and  Benjamin  (2)  and  Joseph, 
twins.  Joseph,  in  1801  and  1805,  was 
coimty  commissioner  of  Huntingdon 
county,  Pennsylvania.  William  Patton 
died  March  23,  1777,  and  his  widow  sur- 
vived him  many  years,  passing  away, 
June  II,  1819. 

John,  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth 
(Moore)  Patton,  was  born  December  25, 
1757,  in  Cumberland  (now  Franklin) 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  early  in  life 
took  up  a  tract  of  land  in  the  Woodcock 
valley,  near  McConnellstown,  and  there 
made  his  home  during  the  greater  part  of 
his  remaining  years.  During  the  Revo- 
lution he  was  one  of  the  Cumberland 
County  Associators  and  saw  active  ser- 
vice in  defending  the  frontier  from  in- 
vasion by  the  British  and  Indians  from 
New  York.  He  enlisted  in  the  Continen- 
tal army  as  a  private  and  between  1778 
and  1782  served  as  lieutenant  of  the 
county  militia.  Between  1788  and  1821 
he  served  nine  terms  as  sheriff  of  Hunt- 
ingdon county,  having  four  successive 
yearly    appointments    and    five    elective 


terms.  In  183 1  he  was  engaged  in  the 
construction  of  the  Pennsylvania  canal. 
His  religious  affiliations  were  with  the 
Presbyterian  church.  Lieutenant  Patton 
married,  April  16,  1801,  Rebecca  Simp- 
son, whose  ancestral  record  is  appended 
to  this  sketch,  and  their  children  were: 
Margaret  Murray  ;  William  Moore  ;  John 
Simpson;  Elizabeth  and  James,  twins; 
Joseph ;  Benjamin  Franklin,  mentioned 
below ;  George ;  and  Rebecca  Simp- 
son. Lieutenant  Patton  died  May  23, 
1836.  on  the  home  farm  in  Woodcock 
valley,  Huntingdon  county.  He  was  an 
efficient  and  at  the  same  time  a  popular 
official  and  presented  a  striking  appear- 
ance in  the  picturesque  costume  of  the 
Revolutionary  period, 

Benjamin  Franklin  Patton,  son  of  John 
and  Rebecca  (Simpson)  Patton,  was  born 
November  26,  1812,  and  early  elected  to 
follow  a  business  career.  His  success 
soon  made  it  apparent  that  his  talents 
were  such  as  fitted  him  in  an  exceptional 
degree  for  the  calling  to  which  his  in- 
clinations drew  him,  and  he  became  the 
leading  merchant  of  Warriors  Mark, 
Huntingdon  county.  As  a  business  man 
he  was  in  many  respects  a  model.  Suc- 
cess was,  of  course,  the  goal  of  his  am- 
bition, but,  like  the  high-minded  man 
that  he  was,  he  scorned  all  success  which 
had  not  for  its  basis  truth  and  honor.  A 
just  and  kind  employer,  he  won  from  his 
subordinates  the  devoted  attachment  and 
loyal  co-operation  which  his  attitude  to- 
ward them  richly  merited. 

In  the  sphere  of  politics  Mr.  Patton 
played  an  active  part,  always  acquitting 
himself  in  such  a  manner  as  to  command 
the  respect  and  admiration  of  his  fellow 
citizens.  Zeal  for  the  public  good  was 
his  governing  motive,  and  his  neighbors 
showed  their  appreciation  of  this  by  mak- 
ing him  justice  of  the  peace.  He  was  also 
elected  sheriff  of  the  county  and  filled  the 
office  with   no  less  acceptance  than   his 


1599 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


father  had  done.  In  1856  he  was  elevated 
to  the  bench  as  associate  judge,  and  in 
1861  re-elected.  This  was  the  crowning 
honor  of  his  life  and  the  efficiency  and 
strict  adherence  to  principle  in  the  dis- 
charge of  the  important  duties  to  which 
he  was  called  showed  him  to  be  in  the 
highest  degree  worthy  of  it. 

Judge  Patton  was  a  man  of  noble  mien 
and  dignified  and  gracious  manners.  His 
features  bore  the  imprint  of  the  sound 
judgment  and  alert  energy  which  made 
him  a  widely  known  and  successful  busi- 
ness man.  His  eyes,  with  all  their  keen- 
ness, had  the  intensely  reflective  look  of 
the  jurist  who  has  been  accustomed  to 
study  and  ponder  the  most  intricate 
problems  of  law  and  the  whole  counte- 
nance had  an  aspect  of  deep  thoughtful- 
ness  softened  by  the  large  benevolence 
which  was  so  marked  a  feature  of  his 
character.  He  was  a  true  and  kindly 
gentleman  and  an  upright,  courageous 
man. 

Judge  Patton  married,  January  23, 
1836,  Eliza,  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah 
(Ganoe)  Addleman,  and  among  their 
eight  children  was  Emma  L.,  now  the 
widow  of  Delano  Riddle  Moore,  a  bi- 
ography of 'whom  appears  elsewhere  in 
this  work.  Peculiarly  happy  in  his  do- 
mestic relations,  Judge  Patton  was  a  man 
to  whom  the  ties  of  family  and  friend- 
ship were  sacred.  He  loved  his  home 
and  all  who  were  ever  privileged  to  be  his 
g-uests  could  testify  that  he  was  a  de- 
lightful host.  His  conversational  powers 
were  remarkable  and  his  fund  of  infor- 
mation unusually  comprehensive,  the  re- 
sult of  his  long  and  close  contact  with 
prominent  men  of  all  professions  and  call- 
ings. 

In  1867  Judge  Patton  removed  to  Al- 
toona,  and  there  made  his  home  during 
the  remainder  of  his  life,  honored  as  he 
deserved  to  be.  On  July  6,  1885,  he  passed 
away,  leaving  the  record  of  a  well-spent 


life,  a  life  of  worthy  achievement,  that  of 
an  honorable  merchant  and  an  upright 
judge,  "a  man  who  kept  his  word  abso- 
lutely." 

Benjamin  Franklin  Patton  was  one  of 
the  last  surviving  jurists  of  a  former  gen- 
eration. Truly  could  it  be  said:  "Never 
was  there  a  judge  who  preserved  more 
inviolably  the  sanctities  of  his  high  office 
and  kept  the  ermine  purer  and  more  un- 
sullied than  did  this  noble  magistrate  of 
the  old  Commonwealth." 

John  Simpson,  father  of  Mrs.  Rebecca 
(.Simpson)  Patton,  was  born  in  1744,  and 
during  the  Revolutionary  War  served 
with  the  rank  of  second  lieutenant  in  a 
company  of  Pennsylvania  militia  com- 
manded by  Captain  James  Murray.  Lieu- 
tenant Simpson  married  Margaret  Mur- 
ray (see  below)  and  his  death  occurred 
in  1S07.  Their  daughter  Rebecca,  born 
April  8,  1777,  became  the  wife  of  John 
Patton  and  died  October  13,  1S45. 

John  Murray,  founder  of  the  American 
branch  of  the  family,  came  from  Scotland 
in  173J  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania.  He 
was  accompanied  by  his  two  sons :  Wil- 
liam, mentioned  below  ;  and  John. 

William,  son  of  John  Murray,  set- 
tled on  the  Swartara,  in  Pennsylvania. 
Among  his  children  was  James,  men- 
tioned below. 

James,  son  of  William  jNIurray,  was 
born  in  1729,  presumably  in  Scotland,  and 
in  the  first  year  of  the  Revolutionary  War 
was  a  member  of  the  Committee  of  Ob- 
servation of  Lancaster  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, subsequently  serving  in  the  Con- 
tinental army  with  the  rank  of  captain. 
He  participated  in  the  battles  of  Trenton 
and  Princeton.  Captain  Murray  owned  a 
farm  in  Dauphin  county  and  in  1768  en- 
tered an  application  for  more  in  the  Land 
Office.  He  represented  Paxtang  town- 
ship on  the  Committee  of  Safety.  Cap- 
tain Murray  married  Rebecca  McLean 
and  their  daughter  Margaret  became  the 
600 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


wife  of  John  Simpson  (see  Simpson  rec- 
ord).    Captain  Murray  died  in  1804. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  among  the 
descendants  of  John  Murray,  the  immi- 
grant, was  Lindley  Murray,  famous  as 
the  author  of  "Murray's  Grammar." 


STEWART,  Henry  S.  Atwood, 

Financier,  Public-spirited  Citixen. 

Pittsburgh,  like  every  other  great  city, 
places  her  main  reliance  for  power  and 
prosperity  on  the  strength  of  her  financial 
institutions — and  not  in  vain.  They  are, 
indeed,  her  Gibraltar,  fortified  and  con- 
trolled as  they  are  by  men  of  sterling 
worth,  men  of  the  type  of  Henry  S.  At- 
wood Stewart,  vice-president  and  direc- 
tor of  the  Fidelity  Title  and  Trust  Com- 
pany, and  officially  connected  with  other 
leading  monetary  institutions  and  with 
great  manufacturing  concerns.  For  more 
than  forty-five  years  Mr.  Stewart  has 
been  prominently  identified  not  only  with 
the  business  interests  of  Pittsburgh  but 
with  all  the  elements  essential  to  her 
existence  as  a  powerful  municipality. 

Henry  S.  Atwood  Stewart  was  born 
December  5,  1846,  in  Steubenville,  Ohio, 
and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Eliza  (Glenn) 
Stewart.  A  sketch  of  William  Stewart, 
with  a  history  of  the  Stewart  family,  ap- 
pears elsewhere  in  this  work;  also  a 
sketch  of  his  son,  David  Glenn  Stewart. 
Henry  S.  Atwood  Stewart  was  educated 
in  public  schools  of  Steubenville  and 
Gambler,  Ohio,  and  began  his  business 
career  at  McConnellsville,  Pennsylvania, 
in  association  with  the  oil  industry,  then 
in  its  infancy.  This  was  about  1858-60, 
and  at  the  end  of  the  two  years  he  became 
freight  bookkeeper  for  the  Pan  Handle 
Railroad,  looking  after  the  freight  agents 
between  Pittsburgh  and  Columbus,  Ohio. 
Before  taking  this  position  he  had  made 
his  first  essay  as  a  Pittsburgh  business 
man  by  serving  as  clerk  for  a  coal  com- 
pany in  that  city. 


It  was  there  that  he  first  became,  in 
1867,  an  independent  manufacturer,  own- 
ing and  operating,  in  connection  with  his 
father,  a  small  refinery  on  Thirty-third 
street,  the  business  being  in  the  name  of 
H.  S.  A.  Stewart.  There,  until  1874,  he 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  burning 
and  lubricating  oil  and  then  sold  out  to 
the  Standard  Oil  Company.  For  ten 
years  thereafter  he  remained  with  this 
famous  concern,  looking  after  their  re- 
fineries in  Pittsburgh,  developing  those 
executive  abilities  and  gaining  that  ripe 
experience  which  have  made  him  a  force- 
ful factor  in  the  business  world.  He  next 
turned  his  attention  to  real  estate,  becom- 
ing an  extremely  successful  operator  and 
developing,  by  building  and  in  similar 
ways,  Negley  avenue,  Stanton  avenue. 
Hays  street  and  other  portions  of  the 
East  End.  For  about  sixteen  or  eighteen 
years  he  was  engaged  in  this  manner  and 
during  that  time  did  much  to  improve 
with  handsome  residences  this  part  of  the 
city. 

At  the  present  time  Mr.  Stewart  de- 
votes the  greater  portion  of  his  attention 
to  the  care  of  his  own  extensive  private 
interests,  being  prominently  associated, 
however,  with  various  large  financial  in- 
stitutions. He  was  one  of  the  original 
subscribers  to  incorporate  the  Fidelity 
Title  and  Trust  Company,  and  when  it 
was  incorporated,  on  November  2"],  1886, 
he  was  elected  one  of  its  first  directors, 
and  has  been  a  director  continuously  ever 
since.  In  1904  he  became  one  of  its  vice- 
presidents.  He  is  also  a  director  and 
member  of  the  executive  committee  of 
the  Crucible  Steel  Company,  vice-presi- 
dent and  director  of  the  Western  Insur- 
ance Company,  director  of  the  People's 
National  Bank  and  the  Union  Fidelity 
Title  Insurance  Company  and  trustee  of 
the  C.  L.  Magee  estate,  and  the  Elizabeth 
Steel  Magee  Hospital.  He  has  been  at 
different  times  financially  connected  with 


1601 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


many  Pittsburgh  concerns,  both  in  the 
oil  business  and  along  manufacturing 
lines.  In  all  business  transactions  he  is 
characterized  by  quick  appreciation, 
prompt  decision  and  the  courage  to  ven- 
ture where  favorable  opportunity  is  pres- 
ent— a  combination  of  qualities  which  in- 
sures the  realization  of  hopes  and  the 
consummation  of  enterprises. 

Public-spirited  and  possessed  of  rare 
rapidity  of  judgment,  Mr.  Stewart  has 
been  able,  in  the  midst  of  incessant  busi- 
ness activity,  to  give  to  city  affairs  valu- 
able effort  and  notably  was  this  the  case 
at  the  time  when  he  was  a  member  of 
the  old  Fourth  Ward  school  board,  serv- 
ing also  on  the  financial  committee,  the 
other  members  being  James  M.  Bailey 
and  Dr.  Charles  Shaw,  both  now  de- 
ceased. Mr.  Stewart  was  active  in  the 
building  of  the  North  school  at  Eighth 
street  and  Duquesne  Way,  and  so  ad- 
vantageously did  the  financial  committee 
dispose  of  the  old  school  property,  situ- 
ated where  Joseph  Home's  store  now 
stands,  that  it  was  not  necessary  to  levy 
a  tax  to  erect  the  new  school  building, 
and  after  the  completion  of  the  structure 
a  sum  remained  sufficient  to  defray  its 
expenses  for  several  years — a  thing  un- 
precedented in  Pittsburgh  school  annals 
and  largely  due  to  the  public-spirited 
efforts  of  Henry  S.  Atwood  Stewart. 

In  politics  Mr.  Stewart  is  a  Republican 
and  has  occupied  a  seat  in  the  select 
council,  the  only  office  he  ever  consented 
to  hold  with  the  exception  of  that  of 
member  of  the  school  board.  No  good 
work  done  in  the  name  of  charity  or  re- 
ligion appeals  to  him  in  vain.  He  belongs 
to  the  Duquesne  Club  (of  which  he  was 
for  two  years  president),  the  University 
Club,  the  Pittsburgh  Golf  Club,  the  Pitts- 
burgh Athletic  Association,  and  many 
other  similar  organizations,  both  in  Pitts- 
burgh and  elsewhere.  He  attends  the 
Presbyterian  Church. 


The  impression  conveyed  by  Mr.  Stew- 
art's personality  is  that  of  a  broad-minded 
man  of  much  quiet  force,  a  progressive 
man  accustomed  to  exerting  a  strong  in- 
fluence in  business  circles.  Of  average 
height,  and  florid  complexion,  his  head 
crowned  with  snow-white  hair  and  his 
face  lighted  by  grey  eyes  which,  with  all 
their  keenness,  are  yet  most  kindly  in  ex- 
pression, and  in  manner  always  genial 
and  courteous,  he  wins  friends  in  all 
grades  of  society.  A  man  of  cultivated 
tastes  and  liberal  views,  he  advocates 
progressive  interests  with  a  ready  recog- 
nition of  his  duties  and  obligations  to  his 
fellowmen. 

Mr.  Stewart  married,  December  4. 1888, 
Annie  E.,  daughter  of  William  H.  and 
Annie  Armstrong,  of  Williamsport,  Penn- 
sylvania, where  Mr.  Armstrong  was  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  law.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Stewart  became  the  parents  of  one 
child :  Henry  S.  Atwood  Stewart  Jr., 
born  May,  1890,  and  educated  by  tutors 
and  in  private  schools.  Mrs.  Stewart, 
who  passed  away  January  11,  1904,  was  a 
woman  of  fine  fibre  and  delicate  culture, 
invested  with  the  charm  of  domesticity 
and  presiding  with  innate  grace  over  the 
beautiful  home  in  the  East  End  which 
was  a  centre  of  hospitality. 

Few  men,  throughout  the  entire  course 
of  their  business  careers,  have  touched 
life  at  as  many  points  as  Mr.  Stewart, 
and  still  fewer  have  been  so  uniformly 
successful.  Public-spirited  in  all  things, 
he  has  caused  the  fruition  of  his  labors 
to  benefit  not  himself  alone,  but  also  the 
city  with  which  they  have  all  been  identi- 
fied. Nor  has  it  been  in  material  pros- 
perity only  that  he  has  rendered  Pitts- 
burgh stronger  and  more  opulent.  By 
his  efforts  in  behalf  of  her  school  system 
he  has  helped  to  lay  the  best  foundation 
for  the  making  of  good  citizens.  The 
man  who  does  this  deserves  to  be  held 
602 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  lasting  honor  and  Pittsburgh  will  not 
show  herself  ungrateful  to  Henry  S.  At- 
wood  Stewart. 


SEMPLE,  John,  M.  D., 

Physician,    Public-Spirited    Citizen. 

In  recalling  the  names  of  the  eminent 
physicians  and  surgeons  of  Western 
Pennsylvania  who  have  now  passed  into 
history,  that  of  Dr.  John  Semple  imme- 
diately recurs  to  the  mind  and  rises  to 
the  lips  of  all  those  familiar  with  the 
medical  annals  of  that  portion  of  the 
State  during  the  latter  half  of  the  nine- 
teenth century.  For  more  than  fifty  years 
this  distinguished  physician  and  noble 
man  was  identitied  with  Wilkinsburg,  not 
only  standing  foremost  in  the  ranks  of 
the  medical  profession,  but  taking  a  great 
and  beneficial  interest  in  all  that  made 
for  her  best  welfare  and  her  truest  prog- 
ress. 

James  Semple,  grandfather  of  John 
Semple,  was  born  March  9,  1756,  in  Cum- 
berland county,  Pennsylvania,  and  dur- 
ing his  youth  lived  for  a  time  in  Mary- 
land. While  still  very  young  he  returned 
to  Pennsylvania,  taking  up  his  abode  in 
his  old  county.  During  the  Revolution- 
ary War  he  served  as  captain  in  the  Sixth 
Company,  Third  Battalion  of  Cumber- 
land County,  Pennsylvania  Militia.  On 
the  return  of  peace  he  removed  to  Alle- 
gheny county,  where  he  took  up  a  tract 
of  land,  on  a  portion  of  which  Millvale 
now  stands.  At  his  death  the  estate  was 
divided  among  his  sons,  and  a  portion  of 
it  consisting  of  four  hundred  acres,  at 
Pine  Creek,  now  Wildwood,  is  still  in  the 
possession  of  the  Semple  family.  In  Alle- 
gheny county  James  Semple  was  a  leader 
in  public  affairs,  and  was  the  second 
sherifif  ever  elected  in  that  county.  His 
calling  in  life  was  that  of  a  farmer,  and 
his  industry  resulted  in  the  acquisition 
of  a  considerable  fortune.  Mr.  Semple 
married  Christina  Taggart,  born  May  12, 


1755,  and  their  children  were:  Mary, 
James,  John,  Thomas;  Robert  Anderson, 
mentioned  below;  Samuel,  Eliza,  and 
William.  The  mother  of  the  family  died 
November  10,  1829,  and  the  father  sur- 
vived her  but  one  year,  passing  away  No- 
vember 13,  1830. 

Robert  Anderson,  son  of  James  and 
Christina  (Taggart)  Semple,  was  born 
December  10,  1793,  on  the  homestead  at 
Gertys  Run,  now  a  part  of  Pittsburgh. 
Like  his  father,  he  was  a  successful  agri- 
culturist. He  married  Mary  Simpson, 
and  ihe  following  children  were  born  to 
them:  James,  married  Jane  Ross;  John, 
mentioned  below ;  William,  died  at  the 
age  of  twenty-two  years;  David,  died 
in  childhood ;  Eliza,  married  William 
Hutchinson;  Mary;  Sarah,  married  Rob- 
ert Ferguson ;  Robert,  married  Hannah 
Myers ;  and  Silas,  married  Eliza  J.  Stew- 
ard. Robert  Anderson  Semple  died  Oc- 
tober 7,  1886,  the  death  of  his  wife  occur- 
ring July  12,  1885. 

Dr.  John  Semple,  son  of  Robert  Ander- 
son and  Mary  (Simpson)  Semple,  was 
born  February  16,  1822,  on  the  homestead 
at  Wildwood,  and  his  preliminary  educa- 
tion was  received  from  his  grandfather. 
Later  he  attended  the  college  at  Canons- 
burg,  Pennsylvania,  graduating  with 
honor  from  this  institution.  Deciding  to 
devote  himself  to  the  profession  of  medi- 
cine, he  began  his  studies  under  the  pre- 
ceptorship  of  Drs.  Brooks  and  Spear,  sub- 
sequently entering  Jefferson  Medical  Col- 
lege, Philadelphia,  and  in  1848  receiving 
from  that  institution  the  degree  of  Doc- 
tor of  Medicine.  Immediately  thereafter 
Dr.  Semple  entered  upon  a  career  of 
active  practice  in  Ebensburg,  Cambria 
county,  Pennsylvania,  but  at  the  end  of 
one  year  was  summoned  to  Wilkinsburg 
to  take  charge  of  the  clientele  of  Dr. 
James  Crothers.  For  the  remainder  of 
his  long  and  useful  life  this  was  his  home 
town,  and  he  rapidly  developed  that  ex- 


1603 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


traordinary  ability  which  gave  him  a  repu- 
tation not  merely  local  but  extending 
throughout  Western  Pennsylvania.  The 
highest  tribute  to  the  character  of  Dr. 
Semple,  both  as  a  physician  and  a  man, 
is  found  in  the  enthusiastic  devotion 
which  his  patients  evinced  toward  him. 
He  was  not  the  family  physician  alone ; 
he  was  also  the  family  friend,  ministering 
to  three  generations  of  the  most  distin- 
guished residents  of  the  city.  In  his  lat- 
ter weeks,  when  not  strong  enough  to 
leave  his  home,  his  patients  insisted  upon 
visiting  him  there.  He  was  the  medical 
adviser  and  also  the  warm  personal  friend 
of  Andrew  Carnegie.  Dr.  Semple  was  a 
member  of  the  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciation, the  State  Medical  Association 
and  the  Bedford  Medical  Association. 
For  the  last-named  organization  he  wrote 
many  noteworthy  papers,  making  a  spe- 
cialty of  subjects  having  a  bearing  upon 
botany. 

While  never  allowing  anything  to  inter- 
fere with  the  discharge  of  his  professional 
duties,  Dr.  Semple  ever  manifested  an 
active  and  helpful  interest  in  all  matters 
pertaining  to  the  betterment  of  conditions 
in  his  home  city.  He  bestowed  special 
attention  upon  the  cause  of  education, 
greatly  to  the  benefit  of  the  school  sys- 
tem, and  one  of  the  public  schools  of 
Wilkinsburg  was  named  in  his  honor.  In 
politics  he  was  an  ardent  and  active  Re- 
publican, serving  from  1888  to  1890  as 
burgess  of  Wilkinsburg.  The  philan- 
thropic institutions  of  the  city  received 
from  him  liberal  aid  and  encouragement, 
but  so  unostentatious  were  his  many  acts 
of  private  charity  that  a  number  of  them 
were  discovered  only  after  he  had  ceased 
from  earth.  He  was  prominent  in  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  and  was  one  of  the 
charter  members  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Wilkinsburg,  generously 
contributing  to  its  work  and  support  and 
until  his  death  holding-  the  ofifice  of  elder. 


Strong  mental  endowments  and  strict 
adherence  to  the  loftiest  standards  of 
right  and  duty  were  combined  in  the  char- 
acter of  Dr.  Semple  with  unbounded  kind- 
ness of  heart  and  an  exceptionally  mag- 
netic personality.  He  was  of  medium 
height  and  rather  massive  proportions, 
having  a  noble  head  crowned  with  snowy 
hair,  a  white  moustache  imparting  an  air 
of  singular  distinction  to  strong,  clear- 
cut  and  refined  features.  The  calm, 
searching,  steady  but  infinitely  benevo- 
lent gray  eyes  told  their  own  story  of 
thought,  experience  and  accomplishment. 
It  was  a  delight  to  know  him  and  a  joy 
to  meet  him  and  no  man  ever  felt  or  in- 
spired more  ardent  and  lasting  friendship. 

Dr.  Semple  married  (first)  March  20, 
1848,  Isabella,  daughter  of  William  T. 
and  Margaret  (Russell)  Smith,  from  the 
neighborhood  of  Glasgow,  Scotland.  On 
coming  to  the  United  States  they  settled 
first  in  Ligonier,  Pennsylvania,  where 
Mr.  Smith  engaged  in  farming,  later  re- 
moving to  Pittsburgh.  Dr.  and  INIrs. 
Semple  were  the  parents  of  one  child: 
Mary  I.  R.  Semple,  who  now  resides  in 
the  old  family  mansion  and  is  the  centre 
of  a  group  of  warmly  attached  friends. 
On  March  22,  1852,  Mrs.  Semple  passed 
away,  and  Dr.  Semple  married  (second) 
June  8,  1854,  Nancy,  daughter  of  Edward 
Thompson,  of  Wilkinsburg.  The  only 
child  of  this  marriage  was  another  daugh- 
ter: Margaret  Jane  Semple,  who  became 
the  wife  of  Maurice  Scott,  and  died  Janu- 
ary 23,  1885,  leaving  one  son,  John 
Semple  Scott.  In  compliance  with  a  wish 
of  Dr.  Semple,  who  earnestly  desired  that 
the  family  name  should  not  become  ex- 
tinct in  his  own  line  of  succession,  appli- 
cation was  made  to  the  legislature  to 
have  the  boy's  name  changed  to  John 
Scott  Semple.  Mrs.  Semple  died  January 
26,  1895. 

John  Scott  Semple  was  born  December 
8,  1879,  and  received  his  early  education 
604 


"LrZ-^C 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  Pittsburgh  schools,  passing  thence  to 
St.  John's  Military  Academy  and  gradu- 
ating from  that  institution.  He  is  now 
the  owner  of  a  plantation  in  Florida.  Mr. 
Semple  married.  May  i,  1901,  Marguerite 
O.  Downing,  of  Eastern  Pennsylvania, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren: Mary  Margaret,  born  January  16, 
1905;  John  Semple,  born  June  27,  191 1; 
and  Robert  Downing,  born  October  11, 
1912. 

The  home  of  Dr.  Semple  was  a  spaci- 
ous and  attractive  house  erected  by  him- 
self on  Penn  avenue,  and  there  he  had  his 
offices  to  the  close  of  his  life.  He  was 
essentially  a  home-lover,  and  delighted 
in  the  exercise  of  hospitality.  A  great 
lover  of  animals,  he  always  had  about  his 
dwelling  a  number  of  pets,  notable  among 
them  being  a  macaw  which  attained  to 
the  age  of  twenty-six  years.  Much  of 
Dr.  Semple's  leisure  time  was  devoted  to 
the  study  of  botany  and  horticulture  and 
in  these  branches  of  research  he  was  a 
recognized  authority. 

On  October  9,  1901.  this  gifted  and  lov- 
able man  passed  away,  "full  of  years  and 
of  honors."  He  was  one  of  the  oldest 
and  most  eminent  physicians  of  Western 
Pennsylvania  and  a  leader  in  all  that 
made  for  the  best  in  his  community.  The 
memory  of  a  man  like  Dr.  John  Semple 
is  imperishable.  It  lives  not  only  by  rea- 
son of  great  attainments  and  valuable 
services  but  by  the  ever-living  force  of 
a  most  noble  and  endearing  personality. 
Eminent  in  his  Drofession  he  was  and  in  its 
annals  his  name  is  enduringly  inscribed, 
but  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  knew  him 
and  in  the  hearts  of  their  children  and 
their  children's  children  it  will  continue 
to  live  as  that  of  a  "man  greatly  beloved." 


MILLER,  Zachariah  Taylor, 

Homoeopatliic  Physician  and  Anthor. 

The  long  roll  of  those  that  have  won 
fame  and  honor  for  conspicuous  service 

I 


to  humanity  in  the  Homoeopathic  School 
of  Medicine  in  Pennsylvania,  bears  per- 
haps no  name  more  brilliant  than  that  of 
Zachariah  Taylor  Miller. 

Endowed  with  a  mind  of  unusual 
strength  and  clearness  and  a  character  of 
unwavering  fixity  of  purpose,  he  early 
won  to  the  commanding  position  as  a 
leader  in  his  profession,  which  he  main- 
tained until  his  death.  His  work  as  a 
doctor  and  his  writings  on  medical  and 
scientific  subjects  brought  him  wide  rec- 
ognition, and  his  personal  charm  and 
broad  catholicity  of  tastes  gained  him 
many  warm  friendships  with  men  promi- 
nent in  varied  fields  of  endeavor. 

A  doctor  of  notable  ability,  a  writer 
whose  polemics  won  respect  even  from 
his  bitterest  opponents,  and  whose  fic- 
tion and  verse  charmed  all  who  read,  a 
painter  of  no  mean  powers,  an  accom- 
plished musician,  a  recognized  critic  and 
connoisseur  in  all  that  pertained  to  music, 
£irt  and  literature,  a  conversationalist 
whose  well  formed  ideas  and  keen  clear 
opinions,  tinged  with  a  subtle  cynicism 
all  his  own,  delighted  all  who  met  him, 
kindly,  genial,  afifectionate — such  was  Dr. 
Miller.  And  when  from  the  midst  of  his 
busy  work,  in  the  prime  of  his  life  with 
his  powers  unimpaired,  he  went  to  that 
"bourne  whence  no  traveller  returns,"  he 
left  a  great  void. 

Dr.  Miller  was  born  November  17,  1847, 
the  seventh  child  in  a  family  of  twelve. 
He  was  the  son  of  William  and  Ann 
(Cline)  Miller;  at  the  time  of  his  birth 
his  father  owned  a  small  tobacco  farm 
and  country  store  near  the  little  town  of 
Mason,  Ohio,  not  far  from  Cincinnati. 
For  three  years  he  attended  the  country 
schools  of  Mason,  and  the  common 
schools  of  Miamisburg,  Ohio,  where  the 
family  afterward  made  their  home.  He 
was  destined  however  to  receive  scant 
schooling,  for  at  the  age  of  fourteen  the 
outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  so  seriously 
605 


ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF  BIOGRAPHY 


alifected  the  finances  of  the  family  that  it 
became  necessary  for  him  to  seek  some 
means  of  supporting  himself.  He  worked 
for  a  few  months  on  a  farm,  and  then  in 
response  to  the  call  for  troops,  enlisted 
as  a  musician  in  Company  B  of  the  Sixty- 
first  Regiment  Ohio  Volunteers.  He 
served  but  a  short  time  with  his  com- 
pany, however,  being,  through  the  inter- 
est of  his  commanding  ofificer,  detailed  to 
act  as  a  clerk  to  Captain  Edward  Robin- 
son, of  the  staff  of  General  Carl  Schurz, 
in  which  capacity  he  served  through  the 
greater  part  of  the  term  of  his  enlistment. 
After  his  discharge  he  acted  as  civilian 
clerk  at  the  quartermaster's  office  in  At- 
lanta until  the  close  of  the  war.  Through 
the  nearly  four  years  of  his  service  he 
saw  many  of  the  stirring  events  that 
marked  the  progress  of  the  great  conflict. 
His  diary,  which  was  as  much  a  record  of 
the  boy's  development  to  manhood  as  a 
journal  of  the  war,  tells  of  the  battle  of 
Bull  Run,  the  battles  and  skirmishes  of 
Lookout  Mountain  and  Missionary  Ridge, 
of  Gettysburg,  of  the  fall  of  Atlanta,  and 
the  beginning  of  the  famous  March  to  the 
Sea. 

The  experience  and  training  gained 
during  his  service  were  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance to  the  development  of  his  mind. 
When  he  enlisted  he  was  a  callow  boy  of 
fourteen,  with  the  rudiments  of  a  coun- 
try school  education.  When  he  returned 
home,  though  only  eighteen  years  of  age, 
he  was  a  man  with  a  well  developed  mind 
and  firmly  defined  character.  The  con- 
tact with  the  men  who  were  guiding  the 
destinies  of  a  great  army,  who  were 
carrying  out  no  inconsiderable  part  of  the 
work  of  ending  the  rebellion,  enlarged  his 
vision,  developed  the  feeling  of  responsi- 
bility, and  established  within  him  an  am- 
bition to  accomplish  something  for  him- 
self in  the  world's  work. 

Upon  his  release  from  duty,  he  returned 
home    and    for    a    time    worked    on    his 


father's  farm.  While  so  occupied,  he  de- 
voted his  evenings  and  spare  time  to  the 
study  of  telegraphy,  and  as  soon  as  he 
had  become  proficient,  secured  a  position 
as  telegrapher  at  Miamisburg,  later  shift- 
ing to  the  growing  city  of  Dayton,  where 
he  was  employed  for  several  years.  It 
was  during  his  residence  in  the  latter 
place  that  he  first  came  in  contact  with 
the  most  potent  influence  of  his  life. 
While  on  a  visit  to  some  relatives,  he 
met  and  fell  in  love  with  a  fourth  cousin, 
Katherine  Keziah  King.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Benjamin  King,  a  manufac- 
turer and  bridge  builder  of  Tippecanoe, 
Ohio,  and  Julia  Ann  (Bolanderj  King. 
Like  Dr.  Miller,  she  was  of  German  ex- 
traction, of  hardy  stock,  and  possessed 
many  charms  of  mind  and  character. 
Their  mutual  interest  deepened  into  a 
profound  attachment,  and  on  June  ii, 
1872,  they  were  married  at  Troy,  Ohio. 
Mrs.  Miller  had  received  a  thorough  edu- 
cation which  she  supplemented  after  her 
marriage  with  a  short  course  in  a  normal 
school.  She  was  fitted  in  many  ways  to 
enter  into  and  to  share  the  activities  of 
her  husband's  life,  and  was  able  to  give 
him  a  companionship  that  meant  much  in 
encouragement  through  the  difficulties  of 
his  career. 

After  his  marriage  he  continued  for  a 
time  at  his  telegraph  key  in  Dayton,  later 
removing  to  Cleveland.  While  in  the 
Cleveland  telegraph  office  a  very  serious 
error  was  made  by  a  fellow  employee,  for 
which  he  was  compelled  to  take  the 
blame,  though  he  was  in  no  way  respon- 
sible. He  promptly  resigned  and  re- 
moved to  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  secured  a  position  as  night  oper- 
ator in  the  Western  Union  Company. 
Rut  his  experience  in  Cleveland  had  been 
very  distasteful,  and  he  determined  that 
he  would  become  his  own  master  as  soon 
as  possible.  He  continued  to  work  as  a 
telegrapher,  but  with  the  sole  objec*;  of 
606 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


saving  enough  to  get  the  training  neces- 
sary for  the  practice  of  medicine.  His 
wife  taught  school  in  the  old  city  of  Alle- 
gheny, with  the  same  object  in  view  and 
together  they  worked,  he  at  the  key — she 
at  school  during  the  day,  both  doing  pre- 
paratory dissecting  in  the  evening  for 
several  years,  until  the  goal  was  almost 
reached.  His  plans  were  perfected,  all 
arrangements  made,  when  the  bank  which 
they  had  entrusted  with  their  savings 
failed,  and  the  results  of  their  years  of 
labor  and  self-denial  were  swept  away. 
Such  a  blow  would  have  broken  the  spirit 
of  many  a  man,  but  Dr.  Miller  and  his 
wife  wasted  no  time  in  idle  regrets.  They 
commenced  over  again  and  he  was  soon 
able  to  leave  his  instrument  and  carry  out 
his  ambition  of  going  to  a  medical  school. 
He  chose  homoeopathy  because  he  was 
convinced  of  the  justice  of  its  claims  as 
an  exact  science.  The  Hahnemannian 
principles  appealed  to  him  as  eminently 
rational.  An  early  experience  at  the 
hands  of  a  homceopathician  had  demon- 
strated to  him  the  efficacy  of  the  treat- 
ment, and  his  own  studies  and  investiga- 
tions confirmed  him  in  his  choice.  He 
pursued  his  studies  for  four  years,  first  at 
the  New  York  Medical  College,  and  later 
at  the  Hahnemann  Medical  College  of 
Philadelphia,  where  he  was  graduated  in 
the  class  of  1877.  During  the  summer 
vacation  and  for  some  time  after  receiv- 
ing his  degree  as  a  doctor  of  medicine,  he 
returned  to  the  key,  working  as  a  night 
operator  and  spending  his  days  in  his 
office.  As  soon,  however,  as  he  succeed- 
ed in  establishing  a  practice  sufficient  to 
support  himself  and  his  wife,  he  left  his 
instrument  and  devoted  his  entire  time  to 
the  practice  and  study  of  homceopathy. 
About  this  time  he  removed  to  the  South 
Side,  locating  on  Carson  street,  near  the 
Jones  &  Laughlin  Mills,  in  what  was  then 
known  as  Birmingham. 

As  his  practice  prospered,  Mrs.  Miller 


gave  up  teaching,  and  turned  her  atten- 
tion to  the  making  of  a  home.  A  house 
was  built  on  Carson  street,  not  far  from 
their  first  location,  that  should  serve  as 
home  and  office,  and  here  centered  all  the 
interests  of  his  life.  Here  for  twenty- 
eight  years  he  practiced  medicine,  here 
his  only  child,  a  daughter,  Louise  Rive 
King,  was  born,  and  here  first  his  wife, 
and  four  years  later  he  himself,  passed 
away. 

Mrs.  Miller  died  December  30,  1909.  of 
cedema  of  the  lungs,  which  developed 
very  rapidly  after  a  severe  cold.  With 
the  passing  of  his  wife,  Dr.  Miller's  inter- 
est in  life  waned.  Though  he  continued 
his  medical  work  until  the  end,  he  never 
ceased  to  mourn  the  loss  of  the  one  who 
had  been  the  sole  spur  and  inspiration  of 
his  career,  and  when  his  time  came,  it 
was  with  a  feeling  of  relief  that  he  wel- 
comed release  from  the  sorrow  that 
weighed  so  heavily  on  his  spirit.  Dr. 
Miller  died  very  suddenly  of  an  attack  of 
angina  pectoris,  November  14,  1913,  with- 
in three  days  of  his  sixty-sixth  birthday. 

Though  there  were  many  interesting 
facets  to  the  character  and  personality  of 
Dr.  Miller,  the  dominant  interest  of  his 
life  was  homoeopathy.  He  devoted  all 
the  vitality  and  concentration  of  his 
vigorous  mind  to  a  study  and  to  the 
propagation  of  its  principles.  lie  was  a 
"high  potency"  prescriber  and  clung  so 
closely  to  the  methods  of  the  founder  of 
homoeopathy,  he  came  to  be  known  as  a 
"true  Hahnemannian,"  and  his  reputation 
as  an  advisor  and  consultant  gained  him 
also  the  title  of  "the  Doctor's  Doctor," 
he  was  so  frequently  called  in  by  his  fel- 
low practitioners.  For  thirty-five  years 
he  served  on  the  staff  of  the  Pittsburgh 
Homoeopathic  Hospital.  His  methods  of 
diagnosis  and  the  minute  care  he  gave 
to  the  study  and  analysis  of  each  case 
produced  results  which  justly  marked 
607 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


him  as  a  doctor  of  exceptional  ability  and 
success. 

Pie  had  formed  many  firmly  entrench- 
ed convictions  on  medical  subjects  as  a 
result  of  his  long  years  of  study  and  ob- 
servation, some  of  which  were  greatly  at 
variance  with  the  ideas  of  the  majority 
of  his  fellow  practitioners.  For  these  he 
contended  with  all  the  strength  at  his 
command  and  in  their  support  contrib- 
uted articles  and  letters  to  the  current 
medical  journal,  and  read  papers  before 
the  County,  State  and  National  Homoeo- 
pathic societies.  His  writings  on  such 
subjects  were  notable  for  their  original- 
ity, both  of  subject  and  treatment  and 
the  strength  of  his  own  convictions  gave 
an  earnestness  to  his  expressions  that  im- 
pressed his  hearers  and  won  him  the  repu- 
tation of  a  most  careful  observer  and 
original  thinker. 

Of  his  many  points  of  variance  with 
his  time,  he  undoubtedly  considered  his 
stand  on  the  question  of  vaccination  as 
the  most  important.  He  was  one  of  the 
earliest  investigators  to  point  out  the  dan- 
gers of  the  practice  and  the  evil  effects 
of  its  universal  enforcement,  and  threw 
himself  into  the  fight  against  compulsory 
vaccination  with  all  his  customary  vigor 
and  enthusiasm.  He  was  firmly  convinced 
that  vaccination  was  the  chief  cause  of 
the  alarming  growth  and  propagation  of 
tuberculosis,  the  number  of  cases  of 
which  he  saw  in  his  own  time  increase 
by  leaps  and  bounds.  He  was  equally 
sure  from  the  results  of  his  own  practice 
that  as  a  prevention  of  smallpox  it  was 
ineffectual.  He  showed  that  modern  and 
improved  methods  of  sanitation,  if  uni- 
versally applied,  would  act  as  efficiently 
as  any  serum  in  the  suppression  of  small- 
pox, without  entailing  the  penalty  of  the 
diseases  that  the  latter  left  in  its  train. 
In  conjunction  with  a  small  group  of 
physicians  who  agreed  with  him,  he 
founded    the   Anti-Compulsory    Vaccina- 


tion Society  of  Western  Pennsylvania,  of 
which  until  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 
president.  He  was  also  elected  honor- 
ary vice-president  of  the  national  society 
as  a  recognition  of  his  services  to  the 
cause  of  anti-compulsory  vaccination  in 
the  State  of  Pennsylvania. 

Dr.  Miller  kept  in  close  touch  with  the 
scientific  movements  and  pioneer  work 
of  his  time,  being  a  close  student  of  every 
new  method  or  theory  that  was  presented 
to  his  profession,  but  his  coldly  analytic 
mind  rejected  many  of  the  vaunted  "dis- 
coveries" of  the  day  which  afterwards 
failed  to  make  good  the  claims  of  their 
discoverers. 

He  maintained  an  active  interest  in  the 
work  of  the  medical  societies,  being 
throughout  his  practice  a  member  of  the 
Allegheny  County  Medical  Society  of  the 
State  Society,  the  American  Institute  of 
Homceopathy,  of  which  he  was  past  presi- 
dent and  an  honored  senior,  and  the  In- 
ternational Hahnemannian  Society.  In 
all  of  these  organizations  he  held  at  vari- 
ous times  the  highest  offices  in  their 
power  to  give. 

Through  the  years  of  his  service  to 
medicine  his  practice  grew  and  his  repu- 
tation spread  until  his  patients  were  no 
longer  confined  to  the  vicinity  of  Pitts- 
burgh, but  were  scattered  throughout  the 
country, — they  came  or  wrote  to  him  over 
long  distances.  His  first  interest  was  the 
good  of  humanity  and  no  doctor  in  Pitts- 
burgh carried  more  free  patients  or  gave 
more  of  his  time  to  charity  than  Dr. 
Miller. 

While  devoting  the  major  part  of  his 
time  to  his  profession.  Dr.  Miller  did  not 
fail  to  keep  in  touch  with  his  time  in  other 
matters.  He  was  well  informed  on  topics 
of  general  interest — politics,  science,  lit- 
erature and  art  all  drew  his  attention, 
and  he  former  clear,  well-balanced  opin- 
ions on  such  matters,  which  he  expressed 
extremely  well.  He  was  a  charming  con- 
608 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


versationalist,  clever,  witty,  of  most 
cheerful  humor  and  with  a  style  of  speech 
and   thought  that  was  most  fascinating. 

He  had  many  avocations  to  which  he 
turned  for  rest  and  relaxation.  His  early 
love  of  music  never  faded,  and  he  became 
proficient  with  several  wind  instruments. 
He  had  always  taken  a  great  interest  in 
painting  and  counted  among  his  friends 
a  number  of  artists  who  had  made  their 
mark.  His  interest  led  him  to  attempt 
expression  in  color  with  a  success  that 
surprised  no  one  more  than  himself.  He 
painted  during  his  spare  time  for  many 
years  and  produced  a  number  of  can- 
vasses that  were  professional  in  spirit. 
In  this  as  in  other  things  Dr.  Miller  was 
confessedly  an  amateur,  but  the  quality 
of  his  work  indicated  what  might  have 
resulted  had  he  turned  his  undivided  at- 
tention to  its  study. 

Perhaps  his  favorite  amusement  was 
writing.  He  wrote  much  verse,  some  fic- 
tion and  an  enormous  number  of  papers 
on  literary,  scientific  and  political  sub- 
jects. He  was  for  many  years  a  member 
of  the  Franklin  Literary  Society,  and 
presented  many  papers  at  its  weekly 
meetings.  In  addition  to  his  many  other 
activities,  he  held  from  the  time  of  its 
founding,  until  his  death  the  chair  of 
artistic  anatomy  in  the  School  of  Applied 
Design  at  the  Carnegie  Institute  of  Tech- 
nology. He  was,  too,  a  member  of  the 
Union  Veteran  Legion. 

The  year  that  marked  Dr.  Miller's 
death,  robbed  the  two  institutions  he 
loved  and  served  of  their  most  devoted 
support.  The  deaths  of  Dr.  McClelland, 
who  passed  away  a  few  hours  after  Dr. 
Miller,  and  Dr.  Gregg,  who  preceded  him 
by  but  a  few  months,  left  the  hospital 
bereft,  and  the  passing  of  Dean  Charles 
Hewlett,  of  Applied  Design,  who  was 
buried  the  day  of  Dr.  Miller's  death,  left 
a  vacancy  well  nigh  impossible  to  fill. 

The  hospital  in   the  memorial  it  held 


for  its  three  good  servants,  paid  Dr.  Mil- 
ler an  exquisitely  appropriate  tribute. 
But  among  the  many  tributes  to  his  life 
and  work,  the  editorial  in  the  Pittsburgh 
"Gazette  Times"  has  perhaps  summed  it 
up  the  best : 

Literally  like  a  thief  in  the  night,  came  the 
Man  on  a  Pale  Horse  to  that  house  on  Carson 
street,  and  when  he  rode  away  he  carried  with 
him  a  physician  and  philosopher,  a  soldier  and  a 
gentleman — one  who  lived  by  the  side  of  the 
road  and  found  his  life's  mission  in  being  a 
friend  to  man.  It  seems  hardly  possible  that  Dr. 
Miller  will  not  again  brighten  the  homes  that 
have  known  him,  the  hospital  in  which  he  was  so 
active  and  valuable,  the  societies  and  institutions 
that  were  his  vogue  and  special  delight.  Why, 
he  was  at  the  theatre  on  Tuesday  evening  and 
at  a  family  gathering  of  friends  on  Sunday  even- 
ing, and  possibly  was  around  somewhere,  where 
there  was  music,  or  painting,  or  cultural  enlight- 
enment or  entertainment  as  late  as  Wednesday 
and  Thursday  evenings.  For  more  than  a  gen- 
eration he  had  practiced  medicine  on  the  South 
Side,  and  he  was  personally  known  to  thousands 
of  Pittsburghers,  old  families  and  new.  In  what- 
soever was  good  for  the  community — for  its 
health,  its  elevation,  its  education,  its  proper 
diversion  and  its  progress  in  refinement,  there 
was  Dr.  Miller,  with  its  benign  personality,  his 
staunch  individualism  and  his  rugged  and  homely 
philosophy.  Advancing  years  were  not  permitted 
to  warp  his  judgments  nor  to  sour  the  milk  of 
human  kindness  which  had  been  his  abiding 
blessing.  The  glasses  through  which  he  peered 
at  his  patients,  if  they  disclosed  the  bad  there  is 
in  the  world,  never  blinded  him  to  the  good,  nor 
misled  him  into  the  bypaths  of  the  sated  cynic. 
A  bugler  in  the  civil  war  at  fourteen,  fifty  years 
and  more  later  he  still  retained  a  boy's  zest  in 
the  things  that  enrich  living  and  refresh  the  mind 
and  body.  He  was  about  as  independent  in  his 
mental  processes,  his  intellectual  freedom,  as  a 
man  can  be,  resisting  the  encroachments  of 
those  whom  he  considered  experimentalists  and 
resenting  their  alleged  discoveries  with  stout 
scorn.  But  what  would  you?  That  physician 
who  does  not  think  for  himself  will  not  go  far 
for  others — and  Dr.  Miller  went  far  for  many. 
His  degree  is  embalmed  in  the  work  of  relief 
and  healing  he  bore  to  countless  households,  and 
it  is  written  in  the  hearts  that  were  warmed  by 
his. 


1609 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


To  words  like  these  what  can  be  added? 
Scholar,  author,  artist — all  these  was  Dr. 
Miller,  but  oftenest  and  longest  will  he  be 
remembered,  in  the  annals  of  his  profes- 
sion and  in  the  hearts  of  those  to  whom 
he  brought  help  and  healing,  as  "the  Be- 
loved  Physician." 


WESLEY,  Frank  Augustus, 

Insurance  Actuary. 

Frank  Augustus  Wesley,  vice-president 
and  director  of  agencies  of  the  Standard 
Life  Insurance  Company  of  Pittsburgh, 
has,  during  the  last  ten  years,  fully  suc- 
ceeded in  establishing  his  claim  to  promi- 
nence in  the  field  of  the  insurance  busi- 
ness. 

Peter  G.  Wesley  was  the  great-great- 
grandfather of  Frank  Augustus  Wesley. 
Peter  G.  (2)  was  the  son  of  Peter  G.  (i) 
Wesley.  Michael  G.,  son  of  Peter  G.  (2) 
Wesley,  was  of  Canada,  and  migrated  to 
Massachusetts,  where  he  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits.    He  married  Christine  Gay. 

x-\ugustus  G.,  son  of  Michael  G.  and 
Christine  (Gay)  Wesley,  was  born  in 
October,  1842,  and  was  of  Cambridge, 
Massachusetts.  He  married  Mary  Jane 
Stevens,  whose  ancestral  record  is  ap- 
pended to  this  biography.  Mrs.  Wesley 
passed  away  December  2,  1914. 

Frank  Augustus  Wesley,  son  of  Au- 
gustus G.  and  Mary  Jane  (Stevens)  Wes- 
ley, was  born  January  14,  1875,  at  Cam- 
bridge, ^Massachusetts,  and  received  his 
education  at  the  East  Greenwich  Acad- 
emy and  the  Wesleyan  University.  He 
at  once  associated  himself  with  the  insur- 
ance business  with  which  he  has  ever 
since  been  continuously  identified,  enter- 
ing its  ranks  immediately  after  his  grad- 
uation from  the  university.  At  the  out- 
set of  his  career,  Mr.  Wesley  worked  for 
the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Company, 
leaving  it  to  become  assistant  New  Eng- 
land manager  for  the  Bankers'  Life  In- 


surance Company  of  New  York.  Mean- 
while, in  association  with  Mr.  Wood- 
bridge,  he  worked  for  a  year  and  a  half 
on  plans  for  the  organization  of  the  Co- 
lumbian National  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany of  Boston,  and  for  nine  years  was 
associated  with  the  concern,  filling  al- 
most every  capacity  of  leadership.  He 
was  first  made  Boston  manager  of  the 
company,  and  his  success  in  this  limited 
field  led  to  his  promotion  to  the  position 
of  manager  of  the  New  England  territory. 
The  manner  in  which  he  launched  the 
company's  business  in  all  the  New  Eng- 
land States  was  the  beginning  of  his  ad- 
vancement, which  was  very  rapid  and 
due  entirely  to  his  executive  abilities  and 
untiring  energy.  Mr.  Wesley  was  next 
made  assistant  director  of  agencies  for 
the  Columbian  National  Life  Insurance 
Company,  later  director  of  agencies  and 
he  was  then  admitted  to  the  directorship 
of  the  company. 

During  these  years  Mr.  Wesley's  work 
had  attracted  attention,  gaining  for  him 
an  assured  reputation,  and  in  May,  1910, 
he  severed  his  connection  with  the  Co- 
lumbian National  and  accepted  the  posi- 
tion of  vice-president  and  director  of 
agencies  of  the  Standard  Life  Insurance 
Company  of  Pittsburgh.  This  position 
he  has  since  continuously  filled.  The  or- 
ganization which  Mr.  Wesley  now  rep- 
resents is  one  of  the  most  important  and 
successful  in  Pennsylvania.  He  is  familiar 
with  every  detail  of  the  business,  his 
knowledge  being  the  fruit  of  actual  ex- 
perience. His  mind  is  essentially  that  of 
an  organizer  and  originator  and  he  has 
introduced  into  life  insurance  work  some 
special  plans  which  have  proved  ex- 
tremely efficacious  in  the  promotion  of 
the  business.  It  would  be  impossible  to 
convey  in  a  single  paragraph  any  ade- 
quate idea  of  the  comprehensiveness  of 
his  work  as  a  director  of  agencies.  This 
branch  of  the  insurance  business  is  con- 


1610 


/beytAyUf   °2^^xi^  ^^' 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


sidered  one  of  the  most  important  factors 
in  the  upbuilding  of  any  company,  requir- 
ing as  it  does  the  highest  degree  of  in- 
sight and  the  minutest  conception  of  de- 
tail. As  one  of  the  leading  spirits  in  a 
splendidly  equipped  and  organized  com- 
pany he  holds  a  commanding  position  in 
the  insurance  circles  of  the  state. 

In  public  afifairs  Mr.  Wesley  takes  the 
keen  and  helpful  interest  expected  and 
demanded  of  every  good  citizen,  and  to 
any  movement  which  in  his  judgment 
tends  to  promote  betterment  of  condi- 
tions in  his  home  city  he  gives  ready  aid 
and  substantial  support.  He  affiliates 
w^ith  Oriental  Lodge,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  of  Edgartown.  Massachusetts. 

Mr.  Wesley  married,  December  lo, 
1902,  Stella  Emery,  whose  ancestral  rec- 
ord is  appended  to  this  biography,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  one  son :  Robert 
Emery  Wesley,  born  April  10,  1909.  Mr. 
Wesley,  while  of  social  temperament,  is 
extremely  domestic  in  his  tastes,  spend- 
ing the  happiest  hours  of  his  busy  life  in 
the  home  presided  over  by  his  wife,  a 
charming  and  congenial  woman  of  many 
social  gifts  and  withal  devoted  to  the  ties 
and  duties  of  the  household. 

(The   Stevens  Line). 

Stevens  married  Desire  Churchill. 

Their  son,  Hubbard,  married  Harriet 
Brackett  (see  Brackett  line).  Mary  Jane, 
daughter  of  Hubbard  and  Harriet  (Brack- 
ett) Stevens,  was  born  at  Acton,  Maine, 
and  became  the  wife  of  Augustus  G.  Wes- 
ley, as  stated  above. 

(The  Brackett  Line). 

Samuel  Brackett,  the  first  ancestor  of 
lecord,  married  Elizabeth  Emery. 

(II)  Joshua,  son  of  Samuel  and  Eliza- 
beth (Emery)  Brackett,  was  born  July 
9,  1728,  in  Berwick. 

(III)  Jacob,  son  of  Joshua  Brackett, 
was  born  August   14.   1760,  and  married 


Hannah,  born  February  25,  1777,  daugh- 
ter of  Gersom  and  Hannah  (Young) 
Wentworth. 

(IV)  Harriet,  daughter  of  Jacob  and 
Hannah  (Wentworth)  Brackett,  was  born 
February  i,  1808,  and  became  the  wife  of 
Hubbard  Stevens    (see  Stevens  line). 

(The  Emery  Line). 

John  S.  Emery  was  born  July  22,  1808, 
and  married  Eliza  Emery,  who  was  born 
January  8,  181 1.  Mr.  Emery  died  Sep- 
tember 9,  1858,  and  his  widow  passed 
away  December  17,  1S73.  Their  son  mar- 
ried Amelia,  daughter  of  Bradford  Bul- 
lock. Bradford  Bullock  was  born  July 
20,  1809,  at  Grafton,  New  Hampshire,  and 
died  September  26.  1876.  His  wife  was 
born  December  25.  1813,  at  Alexandria, 
New  Hampshire,  and  died  February  4, 
1S79.  ]Mr.  Emery  was  of  Concord,  New 
Hampshire.  His  daughter  Stella  is  now 
the  wife  of  Frank  Augustus  Wesley,  as 
stated  above. 


MASON,  Henry  Lee,  Jr., 

Man  of  Affairs,  Enterprising  Citiren. 

Among  the  solid  business  men  of  Pitts- 
burgh must  be  numbered  Henry  Lee  Ma- 
son Jr.,  president  of  the  old-established 
J.  R.  Weldin  Company,  and  officially  con- 
nected with  a  number  of  the  benevolent 
and  philanthropic  institutions  of  his  na- 
tive city  of  which  he  has  been  a  life-long 
resident. 

Henry  Lee  Mason  Jr.  was  born  Sep- 
tember 16,  1868,  in  Pittsburgh,  and  is  a 
son  of  the  late  Henry  Lee  and  Myra  (Mc- 
Laughlin) Mason.  A  biography  and  por- 
trait of  Mr.  Mason  appear  elsewhere  in 
this  work.  Henry  Lee  ]Mason  Jr.  was 
educated  in  private  schools,  at  Shady 
Side  Academy,  and  Princeton  University. 
When  the  time  came  for  him  to  begin  the 
active  work  of  life  he  entered  the  book 
and  stationery  store  of  J.  R.  Weldin  & 
Company,  the  business  being  then  owned 


161 1 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


by  his  father  and  having  been  founded 
by  the  latter's  uncle,  and,  starting  at  the 
bottom,  became  thoroughly  familiar  with 
every  detail  of  the  management.  Begin- 
ning as  assistant  bookkeeper,  in  1890,  Mr. 
Mason  steadily  advanced  until  he  came, 
in  the  course  of  time,  to  occupy  his  pres- 
ent position.  While  bestowing  the  most 
careful  attention  on  every  department  of 
the  establishment  he  has  always  taken 
special  interest  in  the  steel  and  copper 
plate  engraving  department.  He  is  quietly 
and  ably  conducting  the  business  of  his 
father  and  his  grand-uncle,  J.  R.  Weldin, 
and  under  his  capable  management  it  has 
retained  its  position  as  the  leading  sta- 
tionery and  book  concern  of  Western 
Pennsylvania.  In  1913  he  purchased  the 
business  from  the  estate  of  his  father  and 
incorporated  it,  and  in  the  spring  of  1914 
the  company  moved  the  retail  department 
into  handsome  new  quarters  on  Wood 
street,  giving  up  the  jobbing  portion  of 
the  business. 

In  politics  ]\Ir.  Mason  is  a  Republican, 
and  in  everything  pertaining  to  the  wel- 
fare and  progress  of  his  home  city  he  has 
always  taken  a  keen  and  helpful  interest. 
He  holds  directorships  in  the  Union  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Pittsburgh  and  the  Tri- 
State  Telephone  and  Telegraph  Company 
of  St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis.  In  the  West- 
ern Pennsylvania  Humane  Society  he 
holds  the  office  of  treasurer,  and  in  the 
Western  Pennsylvania  Institution  for  the 
Deaf  and  Dumb  he  occupies  a  seat  on 
the  board  of  directors.  He  is  a  vice- 
president  of  the  Kingsley  House  Asso- 
ciation and  one  of  the  managers  of  the 
Pittsburgh  Free  Dispensary.  His  private 
charities  are  numerous  but  very  quietly 
bestowed.  He  belongs  to  the  Duquesne, 
Union,  Pittsburgh.  Allegheny  Country 
and  Pittsburgh  Golf  clubs  and  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Automobile  Club,  being  par- 
ticularly fond  of  motoring.     He  is  a  mem- 


ber and  vestryman  of  Trinity  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church. 

The  personality  and  appearance  of  Mr. 
Mason  are  those  of  an  able  business  man 
of  cultivated  tastes  and  genial  disposi- 
tion. He  is  essentially  a  man's  man, 
popular  with  men  because  he  is  so  thor- 
oughly manly. 

Mr.  Mason  married,  June  25,  1895, 
Martha  Frew,  daughter  of  the  late  Charles 
and  Jane  (Walker)  Lockhart.  Mrs.  Lock- 
hart  was,  in  her  day,  one  of  the  most 
charming  women  in  Pittsburgh  and  many 
of  her  graces,  together  with  her  loveli- 
ness of  character  have  been  inherited  by 
her  daughter.  Mrs  Mason,  who  is  several 
years  younger  than  her  husband,  is  a 
graduate  of  the  Pennsylvania  College  for 
Women.  Gentle  and  self-efifacing,  but 
with  a  quiet  charm  pervasive  as  the  odor 
of  violets,  she  might  almost  be  described 
as  an  influence  rather  than  a  personality 
were  it  not  for  the  intense  individuality 
which  impresses  all  who  are  brought  into 
contact  with  her.  Possessing  uncommon 
strength  of  character  softened  and 
adorned  by  the  most  perfect  womanli- 
ness and  controlled  by  the  loftiest  pur- 
poses, she  has  ever  been  to  her  husband 
at  once  the  presiding  genius  of  his 
hearthstone  and  his  inspiration  in  all  that 
is  highest  and  noblest.  Endowed  with 
wealth,  she  has  consecrated  it  to  the  serv- 
ice of  the  poor,  the  ignorant  and  the  suf- 
fering. Without  children  of  her  own,  her 
heart  has  gone  out  to  the  neglected  and 
unfortunate  waifs  of  the  great  city  and 
among  the  numerous  charitable  organiza- 
tions with  which  she  is  identified  is  the 
Children's  Hospital  of  Pittsburgh  of 
which  she  is  one  of  the  managers.  For 
the  last  few  years  in  frail  health,  Mrs. 
]\Iason  has.  nevertheless,  given  herself 
without  stint  to  aiding  the  progress  of 
philanthropic  enterprises  and  to  further- 
ing the  work  of  the  Sixth  United  Presby- 
terian Church  of  which  she  is  a  member. 


1612 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


In  benevolent  and  religious  work,  as  in 
all  things  else,  she  and  her  husband  have 
gone  hand  in  hand,  fellow-workers  in 
causes  equally  dear  to  both.  The  city 
residence  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mason  is  the 
old  Lockhart  mansion  in  the  East  End 
and  their  summer  home  is  situated  on 
Sewickley  Heights.  Country  life  appeals 
strongly  to  both  and  at  their  rural  retreat 
some  of  their  happiest  hours  are  passed. 
Essentially  home-lovers  and  delighting  in 
the  companionship  of  their  friends,  soci- 
ety, in  the  usual  sense  of  the  term,  has 
few  attractions  for  them.  Mrs.  Mason 
belongs  to  no  clubs  with  the  exception  of 
the  Twentieth  Century,  the  Pittsburgh 
Golf  and  the  Allegheny  Country. 

Mr.  Mason  is  a  true  Pittsburgher,  con- 
servative, yet  quietly  aggressive,  but  al- 
ways too  busy  to  talk  about  what  he  is 
doing  and  leaving  his  work  and  its  re- 
sults to  speak  for  him. 


ELLIOTT,  Byron  Kenneth, 

Enterprising   Business   Man. 

Byron  Kenneth  Elliott,  president  of  the 
B.  K.  Elliott  Company  has  been  for 
nearly  a  score  of  years  a  conspicuous 
figure  in  the  business  circles  of  Pitts- 
burgh. ]\Ir.  Elliott  is  a  representative  of 
a  family  which  has  been  for  about  two 
centuries  resident  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
has  given,  in  the  successive  generations, 
useful  and  patriotic  citizens  to  the  com- 
monwealth. 

William  Elliott,  great-great-grand- 
father of  Byron  Kenneth  Elliott,  was  of 
West  Nantmell  township,  Chester  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  and  married  Mary 
.  The  will  of  Mr.  Elliott  was  pro- 
bated May  19,  1769. 

(H)  Samuel,  son  of  William  and  Mary 
Elliott,  was  of  Caernarvon  township. 
Lancaster  county.  Pennsylvania,  and  dur- 
ing the  Revolutionary  War  served  as  cap- 
tain of  a  company  of  the  Fifth  Battalion, 
Lancaster   County   Militia.   Pennsylvania 


troops.  He  married  Susannah  Hughes. 
From  1759  to  1786  Captain  Elliott  was  a 
vestryman  of  Bangor  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church,  at  Churchtown,  Lancaster 
county. 

(HI)  James,  son  of  Samuel  and  Sus- 
annah (Hughes)  Elliott,  was  born  in 
1772.  He  was  a  farmer  of  Raccoon  Creek, 
Beaver  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  later 
moved  to  the  neighborhood  of  Ohioville, 
in  the  same  county.  He  also  lived  at  one 
time  in  Allegheny  county.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Laughlin,  whose  family  record 
is  appended  to  this  biography,  and  their 
children  were:  ^Morgan,  of  McDonald, 
Pennsylvania :  Laughlin,  of  Smith's 
Ferry,  Pennsylvania ;  Samuel,  mentioned 
below ;  Ferguson,  a  physician  of  Ohio- 
ville, Pennsylvania;  Wilson,  of  Ohioville, 
Pennsylvania ;  James,  of  the  same  place ; 
Barbara ;  and  Rebecca.  Both  the  daugh- 
ters are  of  Ohioville.  Mrs.  Elliott  passed 
away  in  1832,  and  the  death  of  Mr.  El- 
liott occurred,   1847. 

(IV)  Samuel  (2),  son  of  James  and 
Elizabeth  (Laughlin)  Elliott,  was  born 
March  13,  1818,  where  Murdocksville. 
Pennsylvania,  now  stands,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  schools  of  the  neighborhood,  and 
also  for  a  time  taught  school  in  Beaver 
county.  He  studied  dentistry,  and  almost 
to  the  close  of  his  life  practiced  his  profes- 
sion in  Hagerstown,  Indiana.  He  was  a 
Republican  in  politics.  Mr.  Elliott  mar- 
ried, October  27,  1858,  Mary  Agnes  Herd- 
man,  whose  ancestral  record  is  appended 
to  this  biography,  and  the  following  chil- 
dren were  born  to  them:  Georgia,  of 
Flagerstown,  Indiana ;  Jennie,  married 
Walter  S.  Sprankle,  of  Indianapolis,  Indi- 
ana, and  died  August  26,  1899;  Elizabeth, 
wife  of  George  H.  Best,  of  Delphi,  Indi- 
ana ;  and  Byron  Kenneth,  mentioned  be- 
low. Mr.  Elliott  died  December  13,  1899, 
and  was  survived  by  his  widow  until 
June  29.   191 1. 

(V)  Byron    Kenneth    Elliott,    son    of 


1613 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Samuel  and  Mary  Agnes  (lierdman)  El- 
liott, was  born  May  15,  1870,  in  Hagers- 
town,  Wayne  county.  Indiana,  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  his  birthplace.  He  was  then  for  two 
years  engaged  in  mercantile  business  in 
Richmond,  Indiana,  and  in  1889  entered 
the  service  of  the  engineering  department 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Company  Lines 
West,  being  employed  one  year  in 
Logansport,  Indiana ;  one  year  in  Hamil- 
ton, Ohio,  and  five  years  in  Pittsburgh. 
An  afifection  of  the  eyes  forced  him  to 
resign  this  position,  and  he  was  then  from 
1895  to  1897  connected  with  a  mathe- 
matical house  in  the  Iron  City. 

Now  came  the  turning  point  in  his  life. 
Having  formed  a  partnership,  he  pur- 
chased the  business  operating  under  the 
firm  name  of  the  Elliott  Electric  Blue 
Print  Company,  situated  for  a  time  at 
Twenty-fifth  street  and  the  Allegheny 
Valley  railroad,  and  later  at  723  Liberty 
street.  In  1905  the  concern  was  incor- 
porated as  the  B.  K.  Elliott  Company, 
with  Mr.  Elliott  as  president  and  treas- 
urer. Their  place  of  business  was  at  this 
time  situated  at  108  Sixth  street,  but  in 
April.  1915,  they  took  possession  of  the 
handsome  new  Elliott  building  on  Sixth 
street,  a  fireproof  structure  of  seven 
stories  and  a  basement.  The  company 
employs  the  most  modern  methods,  carry- 
ing drawing  materials,  surveying  instru- 
ments, all  kinds  of  artists'  materials  and 
projection  apparatus  and  a  full  line  of 
optical  goods.  An  air  of  quiet  elegance 
pervades  the  establishment,  and  all  the 
appointments  are  handsome  and  har- 
monious. The  firm  constitutes  an  optical 
house  unequalled  in  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  not  surpassed  by  any  in  the 
United  States.  A  branch  is  situated  in 
Cleveland,  Ohio. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Elliott  is  a  Republican, 
and  is  always  found  in  the  van  of  any 
movement  tending  to  promote  the  prog- 


ress of  his  city.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the  trade  ex- 
tension committee  of  same.  His  clubs 
are  the  Rotary,  the  Pittsburgh  Archi- 
tectural and  the  Engineers'  Society  of 
Western  Pennsjdvania,  and  he  is  a  Thir- 
ty-second Degree  Mason,  a  Knight 
Templar  and  a  Shriner ;  is  treasurer  of 
the  Indiana  State  Society,  and  belongs  to 
the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church. 

The  air  of  quiet  determination  which 
characterizes  Mr.  Elliott's  demeanor  is  an 
indication  of  the  unobtrusive  force  which 
has  marked  his  entire  career,  force  which 
attains  its  object  almost  without  appar- 
ent efifort,  and  in  doing  so  never  loses 
sight  of  the  consideration  due  the  rights 
and  feelings  of  others  He  is  manifestly 
a  leader,  and  a  stranger,  on  entering  his 
establishment,  would  immediately  recog- 
nize him  as  the  proprietor.  A  man  of 
pleasing  personality  and  most  courteous 
manners,  he  inspires  sincere  respect  and 
cordial  liking  in  all  who  are  in  any  way 
associated  with  him. 

Mr.  Elliott  married,  June  18,  1907,  Mar- 
garet, daughter  of  Robert  and  Agnes 
(Coulter)  Martin,  of  Pittsburgh.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Martin,  who  are  natives  of  the 
North  of  Ireland,  went  first  to  Scotland 
and  then  came  to  the  United  States.  Mr. 
Martin  has  now  retired  from  business. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Elliott  are  the  parents  of 
two  children  :  Virginia  Agnes,  born  July 
22,  1909;  and  Byron  Kenneth,  born  Oc- 
tober 5,  1912.  Mrs.  Elliott  is  a  member 
of  St.  James'  Memorial  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church,  and  belongs  to  the  board 
of  managers  of  the  Public  Wash  House 
and  Baths  Association  of  Lawrenceville. 
Mr.  Elliott  is  devoted  to  his  family  and 
both  he  and  his  wife,  a  woman  of  charm- 
ing personality,  enjoy  a  high  degree  of 
popularity  in  Pittsburgh  society.  Their 
614 


U^n.^'-yyyyyyyuJ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


attractive  home  in  the  East  End  is  a  cen- 
tre of  hospitality. 

Mr.  EUiott  is  a  type  of  man  that  repre- 
sents quiet  aggressiveness,  a  type  v^^hich 
aids  infiuentially  and  permanently  in  the 
upbuilding  of  great  cities.  There  can  be 
no  better  wish  for  Pittsburgh  than  that 
she  may  find  herself  in  the  future  pos- 
sessed of  many  such  citizens. 

(The  Laughlin  Line). 

James  Laughlin  was  of  Washington 
county,  Pennsylvania.  He  married,  and 
his  children  were :  William  B. ;  Wilson, 
born  in  1791,  in  Washington  county, 
Pennsylvania,  died  in  1868,  in  Rush  coun- 
ty, Indiana;  and  Elizabeth. 

William  B.,  son  of  James  Laughlin, 
served  an  apprenticeship  of  seven  years 
learning  the  hatter's  trade  and  meanwhile 
embraced  every  opportunity  of  supplying 
his  educational  deficiencies.  By  the  time 
he  had  finished  his  apprenticeship  he  was 
fitted  to  enter  Jeflferson  College,  where 
he  took  a  full  course,  graduating  at  the 
end  of  six  years.  In  1812  he  migrated  to 
Scott  county,  Kentucky,  and  in  1816  set- 
tled in  Franklin  county,  Indiana,  where 
he  entered  upon  the  study  of  medicine. 
In  1820  he  removed  to  Rush  county,  with 
the  early  settlement  of  which  he  was 
prominently  identified,  naming  the  county 
and  its  chief  town  in  honor  of  Dr.  Benja- 
min Rush,  of  Philadelphia.  He  studied 
law  in  Pennsylvania,  and  was  elected 
judge  soon  after  settling  in  Franklin 
county.  In  1818  he  became  a  member  of 
the  Indiana  legislature,  which  met  at 
Corydon,  then  the  capital  of  the  State. 
He  owned  the  land  upon  which  the 
greater  portion  of  Rushville  now  stands, 
and  in  1822  he  donated  twenty-five  acres 
of  this  land  to  the  county  for  the  pur- 
pose of  having  the  county  seat  estab- 
lished thereon.  Judge  Laughlin  died  Jan- 
uary I,  1836. 

Elizabeth,   daughter  of  James   Laugh- 


lin, became  the  wife  of  James  Elliott,  as 
stated  above. 

(The   Herdman  Line). 

William  Herdman,  grandfather  of  Mrs. 
Mary  Agnes  (Herdman)  Elliott,  was 
numbered  as  a  resident  of  South  Fayette 
township,  Allegheny  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, prior  to  1810.     He  married. 

(II)  Robert,  son  of  William  Herdman, 
was  of  Allegheny  county  and  married 
Jane  Hanson.  Their  children  were : 
Thomas,  D.  D.,  dean  of  McKendree  Col- 
lege, Lebanon,  Illinois ;  Hamilton,  of 
Mount  Vernon,  Illinois ;  Mary  Agnes, 
mentioned  below;  John,  of  Xenia,  Illi- 
nois; James,  of  Monmouth,  Illinois;  and 
Jennie,  wife  of  Dr.  A.  Z.  Given,  of  Pax- 
ton,  Illinois. 

(III)  Mary  Agnes,  daughter  of  Robert 
and  Jane  (Hanson)  Herdman,  was  born 
January  26,  1836,  and  became  the  wife  of 
Samuel  Elliott,  as  stated  above. 


CUMMINS,  Robert  Wallace, 

Lawyer,  Man  of  Affairs. 

Both  as  lawyer  and  business  man,  Rob- 
ert Wallace  Cummins  has  long  been  a 
markedly  conspicuous  representative  of 
the  oil  and  gas  interests  of  the  city  of 
Pittsburgh  and  the  State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Mr.  Cummins  is  counsel  for  the 
South  Penn  Oil  Company  and  a  num- 
ber of  similar  corporations,  president  and 
director  of  the  Hazelwood  Oil  Company, 
and  an  actively  public-spirited  citizen  of 
the  most  progressive  metropolis  in  the 
world. 

Robert  Cummins,  grandfather  of  Rob- 
ert Wallace  Cummins,  was  a  native  of 
Mifflin  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  mar- 
ried Mary  Sterrett,  daughter  of  David 
and  Elizabeth   Hannah  Sterrett  in   181 1. 

Cyrus,  son  of  Robert  and  Mary  (Ster- 
rett) Cummins,  was  born  July  10,  1812, 
in  Mififlin  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was 


1615 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


a  minister  of  the  Associate,  now  United 
Presbyterian  Church,  first  in  Greene 
county,  Ohio,  and  later  in  Lawrence  and 
Mercer  counties,  Pennsylvania.  He  mar- 
ried Nancy,  daughter  of  Archibald  and 
Eleanor  (Wallace)  Collins,  and  their  chil- 
dren were :  Mary,  of  Pittsburgh ;  Archi- 
bald, married  and  now  of  Virginia ;  Rob- 
ert Wallace,  mentioned  below;  and  John 
C,  of  Lexington,  Kentucky,  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  New  Domain  Oil  and  Gas 
Company.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Cummins  passed 
away  September  12,  1887,  leaving  the 
record  of  a  faithful  ministry  and  a  self- 
denying  life. 

Robert  Wallace  Cummins,  son  of  Cyrus 
and  Nancy  (Collins)  Cummins,  was  born 
October  9,  1854,  in  Greene  county,  Ohio, 
and  at  the  age  of  five  years  was  taken  by 
his  parents  to  Lawrence  county,  Penn- 
sylvania. His  education  was  received 
first  in  local  public  schools  and  subse- 
quently from  private  tutors  and  at  Blairs- 
ville  Academy.  He  began  the  study  of 
law  with  D.  W.  &  A.  S.  Bell,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, with  whom  he  remained  one  year, 
afterward  completing  his  course  under 
the  guidance  of  his  brother  Archibald. 
In  1879  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
Since  that  event  Mr.  Cummins  has  con- 
tinuously practiced  in  Pittsburgh,  for  the 
first  five  years  alone,  and  subsequently 
as  counsel  for  oil  companies.  From  1889 
to  1902  he  was  connected  with  the  Forest 
Oil  Company  and  from  that  time  to  the 
present  has  been  counsel  for  the  South 
Pennsylvania  Oil  Company.  As  corpora- 
tion counsel  he  occupies  a  commanding 
position  and  as  a  business  man  has  made 
a  brilliant  record,  being  president  and 
director  of  the  Hazelwood  Oil  Company 
and  director  of  the  Pen-Mex  Fuel  Com- 
pany and  others. 

The  political  affiliations  of  Mr.  Cum- 
mins are  with  the  Republicans,  and  he 
has  taken  an  active  part  in  local  affairs, 
consenting,  despite  the  pressure  of  pro- 


16 


fessional  demands,  to  become  a  candidate 
for  office  in  the  borough  of  Swissvale. 
He  was  thrice  elected  a  member  of  the 
council,  and  for  two  terms  served  on  the 
school  board.  He  belongs  to  the  Alle- 
gheny County  Bar  Association  and  the 
Edgewood  Club,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  church. 

The  face  of  Mr.  Cummins  is  that  of  a 
man  whom  nothing  escapes — alert  to  op- 
portunity but  ever  mindful  of  the  rights 
and  feelings  of  others.  Gray  hair  and 
moustache,  strong  features  and  eyes 
kindly,  humorous  and  keenly  observant 
constitute  an  aspect  familiar  to  many  and 
always  cordially  welcome  to  a  host  of 
friends. 

Mr.  Cummins  married,  August  10, 
1886,  Minnie  S.  Curry,  whose  ancestral 
record  is  appended  to  this  biography,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren :  Alden  Curry,  born  July  10,  1887 ; 
Marian  W.,  educated  at  Mount  Holyoke 
College ;  and  Anna  Lois,  educated  at  Miss 
Cowles'  School  for  Girls,  Hollidaysburg, 
Pennsylvania.  Alden  C.  Cummins  was 
educated  in  Pittsburgh  schools  and  at 
Lehigh  University,  graduating  in  191 1  as 
electrical  engineer  and  now  with  the 
L'uited  States  Steel  Corporation.  He 
married  Harriet,  daughter  of  the  late  S. 
B.  Donaldson,  a  Pittsburgh  lawyer,  and 
they  have  one  child,  Nancy  J.  Cummins. 
Mrs.  Robert  Wallace  Cummins  is  a  mem- 
ber of  various  clubs  and  withal  an  accom- 
plished homemaker.  She  and  her  hus- 
band delight  in  the  exercise  of  hospitality 
and  the  whole  family  enjoy  a  high  degree 
of  popularity  in  the  social  circles  of  Pitts- 
burgh. 

Men  of  ability  and  force  of  character 
invariably  stamp  themselves,  though  in 
different  ways,  upon  their  communities. 
Robert  Wallace  Cummins  has  placed 
upon  his  city  and  state  the  impress  of  an 
able  lawyer  and  a  gifted  man  of  affairs. 
6 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


(The  Curry  Line). 
Samuel  Curry,  the  first  ancestor  of  rec- 
ord, came  in  1733  from  Scotland  to  the 
province  of  Pennsylvania,  settling  in 
Chester  county.  He  married,  in  his  na- 
tive land. 

(II)  Moses,  son  of  Samuel  Curry,  was 
born  in  1733,  on  the  voyage  to  America. 
He  married  Sarah  Moore,  of  York  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania. 

(III)  Moses  (2),  son  of  Moses  (i)  and 
Sarah    (Moore)    Curry,   was   born   April 

18,  1770,  and  followed  the  calling  of  a 
surveyor.  He  went  to  Virginia,  and  then 
to  Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania,  set- 
tling in  1805  near  Bethel  Church.  He  mar- 
ried, January  27,  1803,  Elizabeth  Barnes, 
of  Havre  de  Grace,  Maryland,  and  their 
children  were :  Nancy,  born  March  24, 
1806,  died  in   1888;  Mary,  born  October 

19,  1807,  married  Robert  Shaw  and  died 
in  1872 ;  Sarah,  born  November  28,  1809, 
married  Mitchell  Bryant,  of  Washington 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  died  in  1904; 
John,  born  November  2j,  181 1,  died  in 
1873 ;  Moses,  mentioned  below ;  Eliza- 
beth, born  May  20,  1817,  died  February 
10,  1825 ;  and  Margaret,  born  September 
22,  1819,  died  February  11,  1825.  Moses 
Curry,  the  father,  died  August  16,  1833. 

(IV)  Moses  (3),  son  of  Moses  (2)  and 
Elizabeth  (Barnes)  Curry,  was  born  No- 
vember 27,  1813,  received  his  education 
in  the  schools  of  Allegheny  county,  and 
in  1846  settled  in  McKeesport,  Pennsyl- 
vania, engaging  in  the  tanning  business 
with  Robert  Shaw,  his  brother-in-law. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  council  and  for 
years  served  on  the  school  board.  He 
married,  in  November,  1847,  Sarah,  born 
in  April,  1826,  daughter  of  James  Nich- 
olls,  of  Elizabeth  township,  Allegheny 
county,  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  NichoUs  was 
a  farmer  and  belonged  to  an  old  family  of 
Western  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Curry  were  the  parents  of  the  following 


children:  Elizabeth  L. ;  Alfaretta  ;  Minnie 
S.,  mentioned  below;  James  A.,  with  the 
South  Pennsylvania  Oil  Company ;  three 
who  died  young;  and  Glendon  Elder,  a 
Pittsburgh  physician.  Mr.  Curry  died 
February  28,  1898,  and  his  widow  passed 
away  in  March,  1913.  Both  were  charter 
members  of  the  First  United  Presbyterian 
Church  of  McKeesport. 

(V)  Minnie  S.,  daughter  of  Moses  (3) 
and  Sarah  (Nicholls)  Curry,  became  the 
wife  of  Robert  Wallace  Cummins,  as 
stated  above. 


BOYD,  David  Hartin, 

Physician,  Hospital  Official. 

One  of  Pittsburgh's  younger  physicians 
who  has  not  yet  completed  a  decade  of 
successful  practice  is  Dr.  David  Hartin 
Boyd,  already  well  and  favorably  known 
to  the  public  and  the  profession.  Dr. 
Boyd  is  a  native  Pittsburgher,  and  has 
entered  upon  his  work  with  the  intention 
of  making  the  city  of  his  birth  the  scene 
of  his  professional  achievements. 

David  Boyd,  grandfather  of  David  Har- 
tin Boyd,  came  from  the  north  of  Ireland 
to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  Ohio, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  grain  business, 
owning  mills  and  grain  elevators.  He 
married  Mary  Hartin.  Mr.  Boyd  died  in 
1912,  in  Kansas  City,  Kansas. 

Thomas  H.  Boyd,  son  of  David  and 
Mary  (Hartin)  Boyd,  was  born  in  Hunts- 
ville,  Logan  county,  Ohio,  and  came  to 
Pittsburgh,  where  he  is  now  officially 
connected  with  the  Gulf  Refining  Com- 
pany. He  married  Sarah,  daughter  of 
John  A.  and  Eleanor  (Anderson)  McKee, 
of  Pittsburgh.  Mr.  McKee  came  from 
Ireland  to  Westmoreland  county,  Penn- 
sylvania and  later  to  Pittsburgh,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  oil  business  and  event- 
ually sold  out  to  the  Standard  Oil  Com- 
pany. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boyd  were  the  par- 
ents of  three  children  :  Morton  M.,  whole- 


1617 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


sale  grocer  of  Pittsburgh,  married  and 
has  three  children :  David  Hartin,  men- 
tioned below ;  and  Eleanor  N.,  died  in 
girlhood. 

David  Hartin  Boyd,  son  of  Thomas  H. 
and  Sarah  (McKee)  Boyd,  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 17,  1880,  in  Allegheny,  now  North 
Side,  Pittsburgh,  and  after  graduating 
from  the  public  and  high  schools  of  his 
native  city  entered  Washington  and  Jef- 
ferson College,  receiving  from  that  insti- 
tution in  1902  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Arts.  He  was  fitted  for  his  profession 
at  Harvard  Medical  College,  graduating 
in  1906  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Medicine.  After  serving  for  thirteen 
months  as  interne  in  the  Allegheny  Gen- 
eral Hospital,  Dr.  Boyd,  in  1909,  entered 
upon  a  career  of  general  practice  on  the 
North  Side,  Pittsburgh,  meeting  from  the 
outset  with  a  gratifying  measure  of  suc- 
cess. He  has  for  some  time  given  special 
attention  to  the  treatment  of  children's 
diseases  and  to  obstetrics,  and  it  seems 
probable  that  he  will  eventually  devote 
himself  exclusively  to  these  two  branches 
of  his  profession.  He  is  assistant  obstet- 
rician on  the  stafif  of  the  Allegheny  Gen- 
eral Hospital  and  assistant  physician  on 
the  staff  of  the  Children's  Hospital.  His 
private  practice  is  already  large  and  he 
has  begun  to  be  known  as  a  contributor 
to  medical  journals.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Pittsburgh  Academy  of  Medicine,  the 
American  Medical  Association,  the  Penn- 
sylvania State  Medical  Association  and 
the  Allegheny  County  Medical  Society. 

A  good  citizen,  Dr.  Boyd  is  deeply  in- 
terested in  all  that  makes  for  betterment 
of  conditions  and  gives  the  support  of  his 
vote  to  all  measures  which  he  deems  cal- 
culated to  further  that  end.  He  belongs 
to  the  University  Club  and  the  Stanton 
Heights  Golf  Club,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church. 


ROBINSON,  William  Henry, 

Treasurer  of  H.  J.  Heinz  Company. 

William  Henry  Robinson,  treasurer  and 
director  of  the  H.  J.  Heinz  Company,  is 
one  of  those  quiet,  forceful  business  men 
who  have  done  so  much  to  build  up  and 
maintain  the  industrial  and  commercial 
greatness  of  Pittsburgh.  For  thirty  years 
Mr.  Robinson  has  been  a  resident  of  the 
Iron  City  and  has  ever,  to  the  utmost  of 
his  power,  given  encouragement  and  sup- 
port to  all  her  leading  interests. 

William  Robinson,  grandfather  of  Wil- 
liam Henry  Robinson,  was  born  in  Lan- 
caster county,  Pennsylvania,  and  married 
Mary  Francina  Lewis. 

Joseph  P.,  son  of  William  and  Mary 
Francina  (Lewis)  Robinson,  was  born 
February  10,  1842,  in  Chester  county,  and 
for  years  was  engaged  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness in  Clearfield  county,  Pennsylvania. 
During  the  Civil  War  he  enlisted  in  the 
Ninety-seventh  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers,  and  served  three  years.  He  is 
a  Republican,  and  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Robinson 
married  Hannah  Jane,  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Lucinda  (Hindman)  Wilson,  of  Ches- 
ter county,  and  their  children  are :  Jose- 
phine, married  Harry  Emery,  of  Phillips- 
burg,  Pennsylvania,  and  has  one  child, 
William  F. ;  William  Henry,  mentioned 
below ;  Emma  May,  living  in  Curwens- 
ville,  Pennsylvania ;  Ruth  Anna ;  and  Ida 
Blanche.  Mr.  Robinson  is  now  living  in 
retirement,  having  withdrawn  from  the 
cares  and  excitements  of  the  business 
world. 

William  Henry  Robinson,  son  of  Joseph 
P.  and  Hannah  Jane  (Wilson)  Robinsom 
was  born  February  13,  1866,  at  Old  Brick 
Meeting  House,  Maryland,  and  received 
his  education  in  the  schools  of  Clearfield 
county,  Pennsylvania.  His  first  business 
venture  was  in  the  lumber  trade,  and  was 
made  at  Curwensville,  Pennsylvania.     It 


1618 


S,-j  ^^.'^  .vs^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


was  of  short  duration,  and  in  1884  he 
came  to  Pittsburgh  and  associated  him- 
self with  the  H.  J.  Heinz  Company.  Be- 
ginning with  office  work,  he  was  advanced 
to  the  accounting  department,  and  in  1891 
acquired  an  interest  in  the  business.  In 
1905,  when  the  concern  was  incorporated, 
he  was  chosen  to  fill  his  present  positions 
of  treasurer  and  director. 

The  history  of  the  great  productive  en- 
terprise with  which  Mr.  Robinson  has 
now  been  for  many  years  connected  be- 
gan in  1869  in  a  vegetable  garden  at 
Sharpsburg.  The  world  knows  the  rest. 
How,  in  1872,  the  increased  proportions 
of  the  undertaking  justified  the  opening 
of  a  business  house  in  Pittsburgh  and 
how,  as  the  years  went  on,  larger  and 
larger  quarters  were  required,  until  to- 
day, in  twenty-three  spacious  brick 
buildings  each  of  which  embodies  the 
best  features  of  the  most  approved  of 
modern  factories,  is  carried  on  a  portion 
of  what  the  company  is  doing.  Its  branch 
houses  are  found  in  all  parts  of  the 
world.  The  many  years  of  Mr.  Robin- 
son's connection  with  the  company  are 
in  themselves  a  statement  of  his  effi- 
ciency. He  is  thoroughly  familiar  with 
every  department  of  the  great  concern, 
and  how  much  its  present  proportions 
are  the  result  of  his  astute  foresight 
and  wisely  directed  aggressiveness  can 
be  fully  known  to  none  but  his  associates. 
Mr.  Robinson  is  also  a  director  of  the 
Real  Estate  Trust  Company,  the  Central 
Accident  Insurance  Company,  the  Arm- 
strong Cork  Company  and  the  Parrell 
Durango  Railroad  Company. 

In  the  charitable  and  philanthropic  in- 
stitutions of  his  city,  Mr.  Robinson  takes 
a  special  interest,  giving  to  benevolent 
work  as  much  time  as  his  engrossing 
business  duties  will  allow.  He  is  a  trus- 
tee of  St.  Barnabas'  Home,  and  is  also 
interested  in  the  Soho  Settlement  Baths. 
He  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  and 


belongs  to  the  Duquesne,  Oakmont 
Country  and  Pittsburgh  Country  Clubs, 
and  the  Pittsburgh  Athletic  Association. 
He  is  a  member  and  trustee  of  the  Point 
Breeze  Presbyterian  Church. 

One  very  distinctive  feature  of  Mr. 
Robinson's  personality,  and  one  which 
undoubtedly  has  had  much  to  do  with 
his  exceptional  success,  is  his  capacity 
for  hard  work.  In  the  course  of  each  day 
he  accomplishes  much  more  than  the 
average  man  is  capable  of  and  that  with- 
out seeming  fatigue  or  excitement.  His 
general  appearance,  his  expression,  his 
manner  and  the  glance  of  his  eyes  are  all 
indicative  of  quiet  power  and  also  of  a 
kindliness  and  good  will  which  has  drawn 
to  him  many  warm  and  loyal  friends. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Robinson,  on 
April  16,  1896,  to  Martha  Jane,  daughter 
of  the  late  Thomas  and  Martha  Jane 
(Porter)  Armstrong,  secured  for  him  the 
life  companionship  of  a  woman  of  much 
sweetness  of  disposition  and  beauty  of 
character.  Mrs.  Robinson,  who  is  a 
member  of  the  Twentieth  Century  and 
many  other  clubs,  goes  hand  in  hand 
with  her  husband  in  his  philanthropic 
endeavors,  taking  a  special  interest  in 
the  institutions  which  most  engage  his 
attention.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robinson  are 
the  parents  of  four  children:  Thomas 
Armstrong,  born  February  4,  1897,  who 
received  his  preparatory  education  at  the 
Boys'  Collegiate  and  Hills'  Schools  and 
will  graduate  from  Yale  University  with 
the  class  of  1918;  Mary  Armstrong,  edu- 
cated at  Winchester  School ;  William 
Henry,  born  March  6,  1905;  and  Eliza- 
beth Jane. 

Mr.  Robinson  is  a  true  Pittsburgher, 
averse  to  speaking  of  himself  and  equally 
averse  to  laudation  from  others.  The 
narrative  of  his  work  is  here  presented  as 
he  would  wish  to  have  it,  without  com- 
mendation other  than  that  conveyed  by 
the  simple  statement  of  fact. 


1619 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


McLAIN,  Benjamin  Negley, 

Prominent  Business  Man. 

Prominent  in  that  class  of  progressive 
business  men  so  essentially  ch'aracter- 
istic  of  Pittsburgh  is  Benjamin  Negley 
^McLain,  president  and  director  of  the 
well  known  J.  G.  Bennett  Company.  In 
the  course  of  his  long  and  successful 
business  career  Mr.  McLain  has  been 
associated  with  leading  interests  of  his 
native  city  and  has  done  all  in  his  power 
for  their  promotion  and  support. 

Benjamin  Negley  McLain  was  born 
December  19,  1849,  in  Pittsburgh,  and 
is  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Susan  Story 
(Johnson)  McLain,  and  a  brother  of 
John  Westfall  Johnson  McLain,  whose 
biography,  with  ancestral  record,  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  work.  Benjamin  Neg- 
ley McLain  received  his  preparatory  edu- 
caiion  in  Pittsburgh  schools,  and  for  a 
time  attended  the  Western  University 
of  Pennsylvania,  now  the  University  of 
Pittsburgh. 

It  was  as  clerk  for  J.  D.  Ramaley,  hat- 
ter, that  Mr.  McLain  made  his  entrance 
into  the  business  world,  thus  associating 
himself  at  the  outset  with  the  line  of 
industry  with  which  he  has  ever  since 
been  so  notably  connected.  In  1877  he 
allied  himself  with  the  late  John  G.  Ben^ 
nett,  and  slowly  but  surely  began  to  rise 
into  the  prominence  which  his  talents 
and  integrity  so  richly  merited.  In  1900, 
when  the  firm  was  incorporated,  he  be- 
came vice-president,  and  on  the  death  of 
Mr.  Bennett,  in  1912,  succeeded  to  the 
presidency.  The  establishment  of  the 
company  is  the  finest  of  its  kind  in  the 
city  and  during  the  thirty-eight  years  of 
Mr.  McLain's  connection  with  the  busi- 
ness his  clearheaded  sagacity  and  fine 
administrative  abilities  have  contributed 
immeasurably  to  its  prosperity.  Under 
his  wise  and  capable  leadership  this  pros- 
perity is  maintained  on  sure  foundations. 


all  the  departments  being  in  the  most 
flourishing  condition.  From  time  to  time 
Mr.  McLain  has  been  interested  in  out- 
side concerns,  and  for  a  certain  period 
was  director  of  the  Pension  Mutual  Life 
Insurance  Company,  but  his  attention  is 
now  given  exclusively  to  the  discharge  of 
the  important  duties  and  strenuous  obli- 
gations of  his  responsible  position,  which 
alone  would  transcend  the  capabilities  of 
any  man  less  systematic  and  executive 
than  himself. 

A  steadfast  adherent  of  the  Republican 
party,  Mr.  McLain  possesses  a  full  share 
of  the  public  spirit  always  characteristic 
of  his  family,  and  in  1895  represented  the 
Twentieth  ward  in  the  city  council.  He 
is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  afifiliat- 
ing  with  all  Masonic  bodies,  and  in  1910 
was  grand  standard  bearer  of  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania,  Knights  Templar.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Pittsburgh  Athletic  Associa- 
tion, and  the  Church  Club  of  the  Diocese 
of  Pittsburgh,  and  has  been  for  fifteen 
years  a  member  of  St.  Andrew's  Protest- 
ant Episcopal  Church,  in  which  he  holds 
the  office  of  junior  warden. 

Aggressiveness  is  a  marked  trait  in  Mr. 
McLain's  character,  but  always  unobtru- 
sively exercised  and  recognized  chiefly  in 
its  results.  Always  dignified  and  cour- 
teous, he  possesses  withal  much  geniality 
of  nature  and  kindness  of  heart  and  num- 
bers friends  in  all  classes  of  the  commun- 
ity. 

Mr.  McLain  married,  December  9,  1869, 
Martha  F.,  daughter  of  the  late  John  and 
Catherine  (Hutton)  Liggett,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, and  sister  of  the  late  Sidney  B. 
Liggett,  whose  biography,  with  ancestral 
record,  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  McLain  are  the  parents  of 
one  daughter,  Loucindia  Childs  McLain, 
who  was  educated  in  public  and  private 
schools  of  Pittsburgh.  Devotion  to  home 
and  family  has  ever  been  a  dominant 
motive  in  Mr.  McLain's  life  and  he  finds 


1620 


(^J?. 


Z-~«  ff.s,<^r'ca.'  ^^  ^'^ 


ENXYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


one  of  his  chief  pleasures  in  the  exercise 
of  hospitality. 

Benjamin  Negley  McLain  is  one  of 
those  men  whose  quiet  force  exerts  a 
more  dominating  influence  than  is  fully 
realized  even  by  those  who  most  appre- 
ciate it.  Working  without  friction  and 
without  display  he  has  aided  and  pro- 
moted, at  different  times,  not  only  the 
business  interests  of  his  city,  but  other 
elements  essential  to  her  true  prosperity, 
and  his  work,  unostentatious  though  it  is, 
has  a  very  real  and  permanent  value. 


CLARK,  James  Bly, 

Ijeading  Moving  Picture  Proprietor. 

James  Bly  Clark,  of  the  firm  of  Row- 
land &  Clark,  of  Pittsburgh,  one  of  the 
largest  moving  picture  concerns  in  the 
United  States.  "'Enough  !"  the  public  ex- 
claims. "What  need  is  there  for  further 
words?  Every  Pittsburgher,  every  Penn- 
sylvanian,  every  American  citizen,  knows 
all  about  James  Bly  Clark,  and  his  phe- 
nomenal achievements."  That  is  true, 
but  we  are  writing  for  future  generations 
of  Pittsburghers,  Pennsylvanians  and 
American  citizens  at  large,  who,  while 
they  will  certainly  be  familiar  with  Mr. 
Clark's  name,  cannot  be  acquainted,  ex- 
cept by  the  pen  of  the  historian,  with  the 
many  interesting  details  which  go  to 
make  up  one  of  the  most  remarkable  busi- 
ness careers  of  modern  times.  It  is  to 
place  them  in  possession  of  these  facts 
that  this  biography  is  given  to  the  world. 

James  Clark,  grandfather  of  James  Bly 
Clark,  was  a  farmer  of  Indiana,  Pennsyl- 
vania. His  son,  James  L.  Clark,  was  of 
Pittsburgh,  and  married  Laura  E.  Meix- 
ner. 

James  Bly,  son  of  James  L.  and  Laura 
E.  (Meixner)  Clark,  was  born  February 
17,  1871,  in  Pittsburgh,  and  received  his 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Indi- 
ana, Pennsylvania,  and  at  the  Indiana 
Normal  School  of  the  same  place.     After 


completing  his  course  of  study  he  went 
to  Pittsburgh  where  he  became  book- 
keeper for  Gillespie,  Curll  &  Company, 
wholesale  grocers.  The  fact  that  he  re- 
tained the  position  eighteen  years  is  con- 
clusive proof  of  his  ability  and  faithful- 
ness, but  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  re- 
signed in  order  to  enter  the  field  in  which 
he  was  destined  to  achieve  a  national 
reputation. 

In  1905  Air.  Clark  associated  himself 
with  Richard  A.  Rowland  in  the  moving 
picture  film  business,  forming  the  Pitts- 
burgh Calcium  Light  and  Film  Company. 
In  the  course  of  time  they  sold  this  to 
the  General  Film  Company,  and  then  en- 
tered the  film  business  as  independent 
operators.  This  was  in  1910,  and  Mr. 
Clark  is  now  president  of  the  Pittsburgh 
Photo  Play  Company  and  the  Famous 
Players  Film  Service  Company,  vice- 
president  of  the  Metro  Pictures  Corpora- 
tion, a  director  of  the  Independent  Film 
Exchange,  and  a  stockholder  in  the  Para- 
mount Pictures  Corporation,  also  treas- 
urer of  the  Features  Film  and  Calcium 
Light  Company.  His  firm  controls  the 
following  theatres :  Regent ;  Schenley 
Photo,  Oakland;  Belmar,  Homewood; 
Columbia.  Fifth  avenue ;  Crystal  Amuse- 
ment Company,  with  two  theatres  in 
Braddock ;  McKeesport  Amusement 
Company,  with  three  theatres  in  McKees- 
port;  Bellevue  Theatre,  Bellevue;  the 
Cameraphone  Company  of  Cleveland  and 
the  Cameraphone  Company  of  Pitts- 
burgh. These  represent  only  one  phase 
of  Mr.  Clark's  activities,  as  his  firm  con- 
trols the  franchises  for  a  large  part  of  the 
country  of  the  output  of  the  Paramount 
Pictures  Corporation  and  the  Universal 
and  Mutual  Film  Companies.  Rowland 
&  Clark  also  own  the  Pittsburgh  Cal- 
cium Light  and  Film  Company,  which  is 
the  parent  organization  from  which  all 
their  other  enterprises  have  sprung,  and 
the  firm,  in  addition,  are  the  larsfest  stock- 


1621 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


holders  in  the  General  Film  Company  of 
New  York  and  was  a  large  and  influen- 
tial factor  in  the  recent  organization  of 
the  Metro  Pictures  Corporation,  of  which, 
as  stated  above,  Mr.  Clark  is  vice-presi- 
dent. He  is  also  president  of  the  Camera- 
phone  Company  of  Pittsburgh  and  the 
Bellevue  x\musement  Company,  secretary 
of  the  Crystal  Amusement  Company  of 
Braddock,  Pennsylvania,  and  secretary 
and  treasurer  of  the  McKeesport  Amuse- 
ment Company.  All  this  has  been  accom- 
plished by  a  man  who  has  only  just  en- 
tered upon  the  period  known  as  the  prime 
of  life.  What  may  not  the  future  hold 
for  him  ? 

The  last  theatre  built  by  Mr.  Clark  is 
the  Regent  Theatre,  in  the  East  Liberty 
section  of  Pittsburgh,  a  structure  which 
has  been  pronounced  by  competent  judges 
one,  of  the  most  beautiful  moving  picture 
theatres  in  the  United  States.  The  full 
area  of  the  building  is  occupied  by  seats 
so  arranged  that  the  screen  can  be  readily 
seen  from  every  part  of  the  auditorium, 
and  a  beautiful  fountain  is  situated  on  the 
centre  isle,  the  main  figure,  which  is  of 
bronze,  having  been  imported  from  Italy. 
The  main  auditorium  is  decorated  in  the 
style  of  the  Italian  Renaissance  and  is 
provided  with  an  organ  of  singular  rich- 
ness of  tone  and  fullness  of  volume.  The 
building  is  absolutely  fire-proof  and  is 
furnished  with  every  possibly  facility  for 
safety.  None  but  pictures  of  the  highest 
class  are  displayed  here  and  all  the 
amusement  companies  controlled  by  Mr. 
Clark  are  noted  for  the  superior  quality 
and  originality  of  their  presentments. 
Striking  as  it  does  a  note  of  refinement 
and  pervaded  by  an  atmosphere  of  ele- 
gance, Pittsburgh  may  well  be  proud  of 
not  only  the  theatre  itself,  but  also  of  the 
citizen  whose  enterprise  and  genius  have 
made  it  an  ornament  to  the  city. 

By  voice  and  vote  Mr.  Clark  is  an  ad- 
vocate of  the  principles  of  the  Republican 


party,  but  politics  can  claim  only  a  small 
share  of  his  attention,  absorbed  as  he  is 
in  a  business  which  not  only  provides 
entertainment  for  the  public,  but  exerts 
a  widely  instructive  and  distinctly  refin- 
ing influence.  He  is  a  thirty-second  de- 
gree Alason,  a  Shriner  and  a  Knight 
Templar,  affiliating  with  Crafton  Lodge, 
No.  653.  He  belongs  to  the  Union  and 
Press  Clubs  and  the  Pittsburgh  Athletic 
Association  and  is  a  rnember  of  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  church. 

Perhaps  the  dominant  trait  in  the  char- 
acter of  Mr.  Clark  is  self-reliance  and  of 
this  his  clean-shaven  face,  with  its  finely 
moulded  features,  is  strongly  expressive. 
It  is  the  face  of  a  man  who  thinks  far 
ahead  and  plans  with  wisdom  and  bold- 
ness. Eloquent  as  it  is  of  energy  it  has 
none  of  the  hard  determination  some- 
times seen  in  the  faces  of  men  who  have 
carved  out  success  for  themselves  by 
their  own  unaided  eflforts.  Rather  it  is 
genial,  kindly,  expressive  of  considera- 
tion for  the  rights  and  feelings  of  others 
and  also  of  a  large  and  ever-active  benev- 
olence. Mr.  Clark  is,  in  the  broadest 
sense,  one  of  the  men  who  cause  their 
achievements  and  triumphs  to  minister  to 
the  general  good. 

Some  years  before  entering  upon  that 
phase  of  his  career  which  has  won  for 
him  a  national  reputation  >\Ir.  Clark  con- 
tracted the  marriage  which  has  made  the 
happiness  of  his  life.  On  August  g,  1899. 
he  was  united  to  Gertrude,  daughter  of 
James  and  Emma  (Morton)  Rowland,  of 
London,  England,  and  he  and  his  wife 
are  now  the  parents  of  two  children  :  Ger- 
trude Hewitt,  educated  at  Dilworth  Hall ; 
and  Mary  Rowland.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark 
are  extremely  popular  in  Pittsburgh  soci- 
ety. They  delight  in  the  exercise  of  hos- 
pitality, Mrs.  Clark  presiding  with  the 
most  gracious  tact  over  the  beautiful  fam- 
ily home  in  the  East  End. 

The  true  Pittsburgher  is  possessed  not 


1622 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  foresight  only,  but  also  of  courage  to 
advance  in  the  direction  which  his  keen 
vision  shows  him  to  be  the  pathway  to 
success.  Mr.  Clark  was  one  of  the  few 
who  discerned  the  latent  possibilities  of 
what  is  now  a  colossal  interest  and  it  is 
largely  through  his  wisely  directed  efiforts 
that  it  has  attained  its  present  propor- 
tions in  Western  Pennsylvania.  Truly 
has  it  been  said  of  James  Bly  Clark  that 
he  has  the  typical  Pittsburgh  aggressive- 
ness. 


McCREADY,  James  Homer,  M.  D., 
Practitioner    and    Professional    Instructor. 

During  the  early  years  of  the  twen- 
tieth century  the  medical  profession  of 
Pittsburgh  has  been  recruited  from  a 
body  of  young  men  who  have  infused  into 
their  chosen  work  an  element  of  vigor 
and  enthusiasm  which  augurs  well  for 
the  future  of  medical  science.  Note- 
worthy among  these  physicians  of  the 
new  era  who  are  now  coming  forward  to 
fill,  in  the  course  of  time,  the  places  of 
their  noble  predecessors,  is  Dr.  J.  Homer 
McCready,  Instructor  in  Laryngology  at 
the  University  of  Pittsburgh  and  already 
numbered  among  the  city's  successful 
practitioners.  Dr.  McCready  is  a  repre- 
sentative of  one  of  the  old  families  of 
Western  Pennsylvania,  distinguished  in 
the  Revolutionary  period  of  our  history 
and  now  numbering  several  members  in 
the  medical  profession. 

Robert  McCready,  great-grandfather  of 
J.  Homer  McCready,  was  born  in  Scot- 
land, and  in  1772  emigrated  to  the  Ameri- 
can colonies.  After  working  for  a  time 
on  a  farm  in  New  Jersey  he  went  to  York 
county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  followed 
the  calling  of  a  schoolmaster  until  the 
outbreak  of  the  Revolutionary  War. 
Without  delay  he  took  up  arms  in  the 
service  of  his  adopted  country,  enlisting 
in    the    Continental   army   and   marching 


and  fighting  under  the  orders  of  Wash- 
ington. Subsequently  he  returned  to 
York  county  and  in  the  autumn  of  1776 
removed  to  Western  Pennsylvania,  set- 
tling near  Eldersville,  Washington 
county,  on  a  farm  of  three  hundred  and 
thirty-two  acres  now  occupied  by  Robert 
B.  W.  McCready.  He  held  the  office 
of  county  commissioner  and  for  many 
years  served  as  justice  of  the  peace.  Dur- 
ing the  war  of  1812  he  served  as  adjutant 
in  the  Lisbon  company.  A  man  of  com- 
manding presence,  with  a  voice  of  un- 
usual strength,  he  seemed,  in  these  re- 
spects, as  well  as  by  coolness,  courage 
and  self-control,  well  fitted  for  military 
duties.  In  the  latter  part  of  his  life  Mr. 
McCready  was  a  ruling  elder  in  Cross 
Creek  Presbyterian  Church.  He  died  in 
1846,  at  the  venerable  age  of  ninety-four 
years. 

Joseph,  son  of  Robert  McCready,  was 
a  native  of  Washington  county  and  in  the 
course  of  time  removed  to  Columbiana 
county,  Ohio,  where  he  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  He  married  Martha 
Campbell  and  their  children  were:  Cyn- 
thia J.,  wife  of  Robert  Smith,  of  Ashland 
county.  Ohio ;  Margaret  A.,  wife  of 
Thomas  Cameron,  of  Onslow,  Jones 
county,  Iowa ;  James  Campbell,  mention- 
ed below;  Robert  J.;  and  Joseph  A.;  the 
two  last-named  being  Pittsburgh  physi- 
cians. Mr.  McCready  passed  away  in  the 
seventy-fifth  year  of  his  age. 

James  Campbell,  son  of  Joseph  and 
Martha  (Campbell)  McCready,  was  a 
builder,  real  estate  broker  and  insurance 
agent  of  Pittsburgh,  and  married  Mary, 
daughter  of  Phillip  Mcintosh.  They  were 
the  parents  of  four  children :  Mary  Belle, 
wife  of  A.  J.  Worley.  of  Pittsburgh  ;  Avie, 
of  Pittsburgh  ;  R.  A.,  in  real  estate  busi- 
ness in  Pittsburgh ;  and  J.  Homer,  men- 
tioned below.  The  death  of  Mr.  Mc- 
Cready occurred  in  August,  1914. 

J.    Homer    McCready,   son    of    James 


1623 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Campbell  and  Mary  (Mcintosh)  Mc- 
Cready,  was  born  February  i8,  1882,  in 
Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  and  received 
his  education  in  local  public  and  high 
schools.  Choosing  to  devote  himself  to 
the  profession  of  medicine  he  entered 
Jefferson  Medical  College,  graduating  in 
igo6  virith  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medi- 
cine. For  one  year  thereafter  Dr.  Mc- 
Cready  served  as  interne  in  the  West 
Pennsylvania  Hospital  and  then  went  to 
Vienna  for  post-graduate  work,  making  a 
study  of  diseases  of  the  ear,  nose  and 
throat.  In  1908  he  returned  to  Pittsburgh 
and  began  practice  as  a  specialist  in  these 
ailments,  meeting  from  the  outset  with 
favorable  recognition  and  acquiring  a 
steadily  increasing  clientele.  Since  191 1 
he  has  been  instructor  in  laryngology  at 
the  University  of  Pittsburgh,  and  since 
1914  has  served  on  the  staff  of  the  Eye 
and  Ear  Hospital.  The  professional  or- 
ganizations of  which  he  is  a  member  in- 
clude the  American  College  of  Surgeons, 
the  American  Laryngological,  Rhinologi- 
cal  and  Otological  Society,  the  American 
Academy  of  Ophthalmology  and  Laryn- 
gology, the  College  of  Physicians,  the 
American  Medical  Association,  the  Penn- 
sylvania State  Medical  Association  and 
the  Allegheny  County  Medical  Society. 

Politically  Dr.  McCready  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  has  never  been  found  wanting 
in  the  public  spirit  which  has  always  been 
a  characteristic  of  his  family.  He  be- 
longs to  the  University  Club  and  the  Phi 
Beta  Pi  fraternity  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Sixth  Presbyterian  Church. 

The  personality  of  Dr.  McCready  is 
that  of  a  man  of  great  mental  activity, 
strong  reasoning  powers  and  keen  per- 
ceptive faculties.  His  countenance  bears 
the  imprint  of  these  qualities  and  also 
reflects  that  kindness  of  heart  essential  to 
the  character  of  the  true  physician.  He 
makes  friends  easily  and,  what  is  more, 
holds  them  long. 


Dr.  McCready  married,  December  3, 
1912,  Jean  Alice,  daughter  of  William  S. 
and  Emma  (Chapman)  Brown,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, and  they  have  one  son :  James 
Homer,  born  September  20,  1913.  Mrs. 
McCready,  who  was  educated  at  the  Na- 
tional Park  Seminary,  Washington,  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia,  is  a  woman  of  culture 
and  charm  and  Dr.  McCready  is  never 
so  contented  as  in  those  hours  which  the 
demands  of  an  exacting  profession  permit 
him  to  spend  in  his  own  home. 

For  nearly  half  a  century  the  name 
of  McCready  has  been  associated  in  West- 
ern Pennsylvania  with  military  and  civic 
virtue  and  excellence  in  the  medical  pro- 
fession. The  career  of  Dr.  J.  Homer  Mc- 
Cready places  the  record  of  another  suc- 
cessful physician  on  the  pages  of  the 
familv  annals. 


READ,  Rev.  James  Logan, 

Clergyman,  Man  of  Many  Talents. 

The  early  and  traditional  history  of  the 
Read  family  is  full  of  interest,  dating 
back  as  it  does  to  the  dim  ages  of  antiq- 
uity and  the  early  history  of  the  Phoe- 
nician people.  The  following  facts  have 
been  well  established.  The  family  name 
first  appears  among  the  Phoenicians,  be- 
ing spelled  (in  hieroglyphics)  Raad.  The 
Phoenician  people  were  great  sailors  and 
explorers,  and  many  centuries  ago,  a  party 
of  these  sailed  through  the  Mediterra- 
nean, out  through  the  "Pillars  of  Her- 
cules," (Straits  of  Gibraltar),  up  the  west 
coast  of  Spain  and  on  up  to  the  west  coast 
of  Ireland.  Here  they  landed,  crossed 
Ireland  into  Scotland  and  settled  in  the 
southeastern  part,  driving  out  the  inhabi- 
tants. The  river  "Rede"  in  this  locality 
is  still  so  called,  and  remains  of  rude 
earthworks  thrown  up  by  this  tribe  are 
still  visible.  Being  without  literature  or 
any  system  of  records,  it  is  now  impos- 
sible to  recognize  individuals,  but  it  is 
well  established  that  all  the  Reads  in 
624 


^  ^^C.UUlcxx/:^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


England  came  from  this  tribe,  and  all  the 
Reads  in  America  came  from  English 
t>tock,  which  makes  the  general  chain 
quite  complete. 

Sir  Reginald  Reed  is  the  first  mdi- 
vidual  of  the  family  of  whom  there  is 
any  account.  He  was  distinguished  in 
the  Border  wars,  and  upon  the  edge  of 
Carterfell,  a  mountain  between  England 
and  Scotland,  is  Reed's  Square,  thus 
named  in  honor  of  the  knight.  In  the 
fifteenth  century  flourished  Robert  Reed, 
or  Robin  of  Redesdale,  as  he  was  called. 
He  was  associated  with  the  Earle  of  War- 
wick. This  Robin  was  of  sufficient  im- 
portance to  have  a  monument  or  figure  of 
himself  cut  in  high  relief  upon  a  rock  ;  the 
figure  represents  a  giant  in  armor. 

Through  Sarah  Warren,  wife  of  Wil- 
liam Read,  and  lineal  descendant  of  Rich- 
ard Warren,  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
compact,  membership  with  the  May- 
flower Society  may  be  claimed,  a  mem- 
bership which  is  most  highly  prized. 

Members  of  the  Read  family  have  been 
very  active  in  the  governmental  afifairs  of 
this  nation.  Many  of  the  citizens,  who,  in 
the  early  period  of  this  country's  life  de- 
voted their  energies  to  the  promotion  of 
the  general  welfare  of  the  people,  were 
descended  from  this  famous  old  family. 
George  Reade,  who  came  to  Virginia  in 
1637,  was  the  great-great-grandfather  of 
George  Washington,  the  first  president  of 
the  United  States. 

For  nearly  half  a  century  there  were 
in  Pittsburgh,  few  men  with  a  more  im- 
pressive personality  than  the  late  Rev. 
James  Logan  Read,  for  many  years  head 
of  the  Methodist  Book  Store  in  that  city. 
As  minister  of  the  gospel,  citizen  and 
scholar  Mr.  Read  exerted  the  most  bene- 
ficent influence,  and  was  venerated,  and 
admired  by  all  who  knew  him. 

Charles  Read  (the  first),  founder  of 
the  Pennsylvania  branch  of  the  family, 
came  to  America   in   1678,  on   the    ship 

16 


"Shields,"'  and  settled  in  Burlington,  New 
Jersey,  passing  the  spot  on  which  some 
three  years  later  the  city  of  Philadelphia 
was  founded.  The  descendants  of  Charles 
Read  have  constituted,  for  more  than  two 
centuries,  one  of  the  leading  families  of 
the  Iveystone  State,  and  have  formed 
alliances  with  the  Logans,  and  other  dis- 
tinguished houses  of  colonial  record. 

Charles  Read  (the  second),  son  of  the 
above,  was  councilman,  alderman  and 
mayor  of  Philadelphia,  and  also  sheriff, 
trustee  of  the  Loan  Office,  Judge  of  the 
Admiralty,  and  Provincial  Councillor  of 
Pennsylvania.  He  died  in  1736.  He  was 
one  of  the  owners  of  the  Durham  Fur- 
nace, now  owned  by  Cooper,  Hewitt  & 
Company. 

Charles  Read  (the  third),  son  of  the 
above,  was  born  at  Philadelphia,  in  1713. 
He  was  a  midshipman  on  the  British 
ship  "Penzance."  He  was  also  clerk  of 
Burlington,  Collector  of  the  Port,  and 
clerk  of  the  circuits.  From  1747  to  1771 
lie  had  almost  absolute  control  of  Gov- 
ernor, Council  and  Assembly  of  the 
"Province  of  West  Jersey,"  as  New  Jer- 
sey was  then  known.  In  1743  he  was 
made  Deputy  Secretary,  and  was  some 
time  third  and  second  Chief  Justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court,  and  had  a  large  law 
practice.  He  built  the  Batsto  Iron 
Works  and  Lamberton  Fisheries.  He 
was  made  colonel  of  the  provincial  regi- 
ment raised  at  Burlington  to  oppose  the 
Indians.     He  died  in  1774. 

Charles  Read  (the  fourth),  son  of  the 
rbove,  was  born  at  Philadelphia  about 
1740.  He  engaged  in  business,  and  in 
1776  was  commissioned  colonel  of  a  bat- 
talion of  the  "Flying  Camp"  in  New  Jer- 
sey.    He  died  in  1783. 

William  Logan  Read  (son  of  the 
above),  was  of  Philadelphia,  and  married 
Mary  Throp,  of  Burlington,  New  Jersey. 
Their  children  were:  Charles,  who  was 
killed    in   battle    in    the   Seminole   War; 

25 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


William,  who  went  to  West  Point,  and  in 
1846  lost  his  life  in  the  Mexican  War; 
Elizabeth,  born  1799;  Ann,  born  1805; 
and  James  Logan,  mentioned  below.  It 
appears  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Read  were 
members  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  inas- 
much as  when  the  latter  died  in  Phil- 
adelphia, February  21,  18 17,  aged  forty 
years,  she  was  interred  in  the  Arch  street 
Friends'  burying  ground.  After  the 
death  of  his  wife,  Mr.  Read  went  to 
Mount  Pleasant,  Ohio,  where  he  passed 
away  February  26,  1820,  at  the  age  of 
forty-two. 

James  Logan,  son  of  William  Logan  and 
Mary  (Throp)  Read,  was  born  March 
28,  1808,  in  Philadelphia,  and  was  about 
nine  years  old  when  taken  by  his  father 
to  Mount  Pleasant.  After  the  death  of 
his  father,  the  boy  went  to  Wheeling, 
West  Virginia,  and  while  still  a  youth 
engaged  in  the  dry  goods  business,  suc- 
cessfully conducting  for  a  number  of 
vears,  a  store  in  partnership  with  Joseph 
Morrison. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  he  had 
been  brought  up  in  the  doctrines  of  the 
Friends,  while  in  Wheeling  Mr.  Read  was 
converted  to  the  belief  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  became  one  of  its 
circuit  preachers.  This  useful  and  self- 
sacrificing  body  of  men  were  not  then  re- 
quired to  pursue  a  special  course  of  study 
in  order  to  enter  upon  the  discharge  of 
their  duties,  and  Mr.  Read's  ministry  was 
crowned  with  many  beneficent  and  most 
gratifying  results.  His  ability  and  zeal 
speedily  brought  him  into  prominence 
and  in  1840  he  came  to  Pittsburgh  to  take 
charge  of  the  Methodist  Book  Concern,  a 
position  for  which  he  was  exceptionally 
adapted,  possessing  as  he  did,  fine  busi- 
ness ability  and  being  particularly  fitted 
for  affairs  requiring  executive  and  admin- 
istrative talent.  Gentle  and  courteous, 
yet  firm,  courageous  and  honest,  he  com- 
bined rare  diplomatic  tact  with  strict  ad- 


herence to  principle  and  his  most  notable 
work  was  accomplished  as  head  of  this 
celebrated  organization.  After  some 
years  Mr.  Read  resigned  his  position  and 
established  his  own  independent  book 
business,  taking  this  step  mainly  for  the 
sake  of  his  son.  After  a  time,  however, 
the  business  was  discontinued  and  Mr. 
Read  devoted  the  remainder  of  his  life 
to  other  pursuits.  .A.s  a  citizen  he  was 
public-spirited,  ever  aiding,  to  the  utmost 
of  his  power,  all  movements  and  meas- 
ures which  he  deemed  calculated  to  fur- 
ther the  best  interests  of  the  community, 
and  no  work  done  in  the  name  of  charity 
or  religion  sought  his  co-operation  in 
vain. 

Nothing  about  Mr.  Read  was  more  ex- 
traordinary than  the  versatility  of  his 
talents.  Although  not  a  college  graduate, 
he  was  a  very  good  Greek  scholar,  pos- 
sessing also  a  knowledge  of  Latin  and 
other  languages,  and  at  one  time  he  pur- 
sued the  study  of  medicine.  While  a 
close  student  and  a  passionate  lover  of 
literature,  he  was  also  a  devoted  seeker 
after  the  beauties  of  nature,  revelling  in 
the  ever-varying  charm  of  the  woods  and 
fields.  His  personal  appearance  was  strik- 
ing. Five  feet  ten  inches  in  stature,  his 
snowy  flowing  beard  and  moustache  ac- 
centuating strong  yet  sensitive  features, 
gave  him  a  patriarchal  aspect  which  was 
increased  by  the  white  hair  which  crown- 
ed his  noble  head  and  lofty  brow.  Hi? 
dark  eyes  had  the  keenness  of  the  ob- 
server combined  with  the  reflectiveness 
of  the  scholar,  and  his  manner  was  one 
of  quiet  dignity  and  winning  geni-ility. 
Never  did  he  forsake  a  friend,  and  hon- 
esty and  honor  were  his  mottoes  for  all 
living.  He  was  a  genial,  kindly,  warm- 
hearted, thoroughly  well-balanced  man, 
and  his  mind  and  heart  were  strangers 
to  nothing  that  could  interest  a  keen  in- 
tellect, broaden  the  mental  vision  or  en- 
large the  range  of  human  sympathies. 
626 


(3,  >t^ '  2y>^' 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Mr.  Read  married,  November  lo,  1831, 
in  Washington,  Pennsylvania,  Mary  Has- 
lett,  daughter  of  James  and  Elizabeth 
(Reynolds)  Shannon,  and  the  following 
children  were  born  to  them :  Elizabeth 
Shannon,  widow  of  Simon  Johnston, 
whose  biography  and  portrait  appear 
elsewhere  in  this  work ;  William  Roszell, 
died  in  1885,  in  Pittsburgh;  Ann  Eliza, 
deceased,  married  William  McCullough, 
of  Pittsburgh,  also  deceased,  of  Byers. 
McCullough  &  Company,  iron  manufac- 
turers ;  James  Sansom,  a  physician  of 
Arkansas,  served  in  the  Civil  War,  then 
studied  and  practiced  medicine ;  Mary 
Emily,  married  George  L.  McCoy,  of 
Pittsburgh,  connected  with  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad ;  and  Charles  Hamline.  of 
Pittsburgh,  prominent  in  the  iron  and 
steel  business.  Mrs.  Read,  a  woman  of 
gentle  breeding  and  rare  wifely  qualities, 
was  admirably  fitted  to  be  an  ideal  help- 
mate to  a  man  of  her  husband's  type, 
sympathizing  with  his  lofty  aims  and 
making  his  home  the  abode  of  peace  and 
happiness.  Mr.  Read  was  a  devoted  hus- 
band and  father  and  no  place  was  so 
dear  to  him  as  his  own  fireside.  An  ex- 
ceptionally congenial  union  of  more  than 
fifty  years'  duration  was  dissolved  by  the 
death  of  Mrs.  Read,  who  passed  away 
March  15,  1883,  at  her  home  in  Pitts- 
burgh. 

The  beginning  of  the  year  1889  found 
Mr.  Read,  though  nearing  the  completion 
of  his  eighty-first  year,  still  vigorous  in 
mind  and  body,  and  it  was  in  the  full 
tide  of  activity  that  his  career  was  ab- 
ruptly, and  as  it  seemed,  tragically  ter- 
minated. On  January  9,  1889,  as  he  was 
ascending  in  the  elevator  to  his  office  in 
the  Weldin  Building,  on  Wood  street, 
Pittsburgh,  the  structure  was  completely 
demolished,  a  large  building  in  the  rear 
falling  upon  it  with  crushing  force. 
Among  those  killed  was  the  Rev.  James 
Logan  Read. 


When  the  news  spread  through  the 
city  that  this  venerable  man  was  one  of 
ihe  victims  of  the  disaster,  grief  and 
horror  were  depicted  on  every  face.  The 
mourning  was  universal,  the  involuntary 
tribute  of  "all  sorts  and  conditions  of 
men"  to  the  character  and  work  of  one 
who  had,  for  more  than  the  span  of  a 
generation,  presented  to  the  community 
an  example  of  every  public  and  private 
virtue — a  scholar  and  a  gentleman.  A 
quarter  of  a  century  has  elapsed  since 
Pittsburgh  sorrowed  for  this  noble  and 
saintly  man  and  today  she  bears  grateful 
testimonv  that  his  works  will  follow  him. 


DICKINSON.  Breese  Morse.  M.  D., 

Practitioner  and  Author. 

The  history  of  the  medical  profes.sion 
in  Pittsburgh  is  well-nigh  coeval  with 
the  existence  of  the  city  and  is  a  record 
of  steady  upward  progress  and  ever-in- 
creasing renown.  Its  standing  at  the 
present  day  is  higher  than  ever  before 
and  among  its  foremost  representatives 
must  be  numbered  Dr.  Breese  ]\Torse 
Dickinson,  distinguished  as  a  specialist  in 
the  treatment  of  diseases  of  the  nose  and 
throat.  Dr.  Dickinson,  in  addition  to  his 
work  as  a  practitioner,  is  widely  and 
favorably  known  as  a  contributor  to 
medical  literature. 

John  Dickinson,  grandfather  of  Breese 
Morse  Dickinson,  was  a  Virginian,  of 
noted  Colonial  descent,  and  was  a  min- 
ister of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
He  married  Lucinda  Nottingham,  also  of 
Virginia.  The  death  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Dickinson  occurred  about  1888.  As  a 
useful  and  earnest  man  of  unblemished 
character  he  was  an  ornament  to  his 
sacred  profession. 

Martin  B.,  son  of  John  and  Lucinda 
(Nottingham)  Dickinson,  was  born  Jan- 
uary 8,  1837,  near  Jonesville,  Virginia, 
and  became  a  ranchman  in  the  West, 
later  engaging  in  business  in  Kansas  City, 


1627 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Kansas,  where  he  is  now  living  in  retire- 
ment. He  married  Carrie  Finley,  daugh- 
ter of  James  and  Jane  (Chamberlain) 
Twist,  who  were  both  of  English  descent 
and  emigrated  from  Ireland  to  the  United 
States,  first  making  their  home  in  Pitts- 
burgh and  later  removing  to  the  West. 
The  following  children  were  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Dickinson :  Don  P.,  a  farmer 
of  Kansas ;  Breese  Morse,  mentioned  be- 
low ;  Robert  Lee,  died  in  boyhood ;  Wil- 
liam Boyd,  a  lawyer  of  Kansas  City,  Mis- 
souri ;  Ray  T.,  a  merchant  of  Baker,  Kan- 
sas ;  Cedric  M.,  a  journalist  of  Fort  Wil- 
liam, Ontario,  Canada;  Rebecca,  wife  of 
Cornelius  Mills,  a  contractor  of  Blue 
Springs,  Missouri ;  Eva.  wife  of  William 
Modie;  twins;  Lucy;  and  James  John,  a 
nose  and  throat  specialist  of  Pittsburgh, 
associated  with  his  elder  brother. 

Dr.  Breese  Morse  Dickinson,  son  of 
Martin  B.  and  Carrie  Finley  (Twist) 
Dickinson,  was  born  April  4,  1871,  at 
Robinson,  Kansas,  and  received  his  pre- 
paratory education  in  the  schools  of  his 
native  town,  afterward  entering  the  LTni- 
versity  of  Kansas,  and  graduating  in 
1895  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts. 
His  professional  training  was  received  in 
the  Medical  Department  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pennsylvania,  that  institution  con- 
ferring upon  him  in  1898  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Medicine.  After  spending  one 
year  as  interne  in  the  Mercy  Hospital, 
Pittsburgh,  and  the  Philadelphia  Hos- 
pital, Philadelphia,  Dr.  Dickinson  entered 
upon  a  career  of  general  practice  in  East 
Liberty,  a  suburb  of  the  Iron  City.  During 
this  period  he  fitted  himself  for  his  pres- 
ent work  as  a  specialist  by  studving  in 
different  cities  and  acquainting  himself 
with  the  most  advanced  ideas  in  regard 
to  that  branch  of  his  profession.  In  1905 
he  established  himself  as  a  specialist  in 
the  treatment  of  diseases  of  the  nose  and 
throat  and  down  to  the  present  time  this 
work  has  continuously  occupied  him.    He 


has  acquired  a  large  practice  and  is  oi;e 
of  the  most  prominent  specialists  of  his 
class  in  Pittsburgh.  His  pen,  mean- 
while, has  been  frequently  employed  in 
the  cause  of  medical  science,  varioU'S  ar- 
ticles of  his  authorship  having  appeared 
from  time  to  time  in  the  medical  jour- 
nals, and  he  has  also  read  before  medical 
societies  papers  which  have  been  received 
with  distinguished  approval.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Academy  of  Medicine  of 
which,  in  1913,  he  was  vice-president,  and 
he  also  belongs  to  the  College  of  Physi- 
ciars,  the  American  College  of  Surgeons, 
the  American  Medical  Association,  the 
Pennsylvania  State  Medical  Association 
and  the  Allegheny  County  Medical  So- 
ciety. 

The  political  affiliations  of  Dr.  Dickin- 
son are  with  the  Republican  party  and  as 
a  Mason  he  affiliates  with  Hailman  Ledge 
No.  321,  of  Pittsburgh.  He  belongs  to 
the  Press,  University  and  Crystal  S|)rings 
Hunting  clubs  and  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa 
fraternity,  the  members  of  which  are  se- 
lected by  their  respective  colleges  for 
their  high  standing. 

While  the  words,  "a  learned,  aggres- 
sive and  thoroughly  well  balanced  phy- 
sician" would  furnish  a  life-like  descrip- 
tion of  the  personality  of  Dr.  Dickinson 
they  would  fail  in  conveying  a  complete 
idea  of  a  character  as  fully  developed  as 
his,  including  as  it  does  all  that  consti- 
tutes what  is  known  as  an  "all-round 
man."  Dr.  Dickinson  is  eminently  social 
and  greatly  enjoys  life  in  the  open,  hunt- 
ing being  one  of  his  favorite  recreations. 
The  glance  of  his  eyes,  his  countenance, 
manner  and  bearing  all  show  him  to  be 
the  man  he  is. 

Before  Dr.  Dickinson  had  been  many 
years  a  resident  of  Pittsburgh  he  added 
to  the  ties  which  already  bound  him  to 
the  city  by  espousing  one  of  its  fairest 
daughters — Clara,  daughter  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Gotthart)  Fite,  Mr.  Fite  be- 
628 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ing  a  wholesale  grocer.  The  marriage 
took  place  on  March  21,  1905,  and  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Dickinson  are  now  the  parents  of 
the  following  children :  Breese  M. ; 
Dorothy ;  Virginia ;  ]\Iarian ;  and  Clara 
Fite.  Dr.  Dickinson  and  his  wife  occupy 
a  prominent  place  in  Pittsburgh  society. 

A  descendant  of  Virginia  ancestors  and 
born  in  the  Middle  West,  Dr.  Dickinson 
came  to  Pittsburgh  a  representative  of  a 
family  presumably  allied  to  one  already 
famous  in  the  annals  of  the  Keystone 
State.  For  more  than  a  century  and  a 
half  the  name  of  Dickinson  has  been  as- 
sociated in  Pennsylvania  with  traditions 
of  learning,  patriotism  and  public  and 
private  virtue.  Dr.  Dickinson  has  al- 
ready made  it  synonymous  with  distinc- 
tion in  the  medical  profession  and  his  rec- 
ord indicates  that,  as  the  years  go  on, 
they  will  bring  with  them  steadily  in- 
creasing prestige. 


RIGG,  John  Edwin,  M.  D., 

Practitioner,  Public  Official. 

One  of  the  representative  men  of  Penn- 
sylvania, both  in  medicine  and  finance,  is 
Dr.  John  Edwin  Rigg,  of  Wilkinsburg. 
Not  only  is  Dr.  Rigg  identified  with  his 
home  town  as  one  of  her  foremost  medi- 
cal practitioners,  but  with  a  number  of 
her  leading  interests  he  has  been  officially 
and  influentially  associated  and  has  thus 
done  much  for  their  promotion  and  de- 
velopment. 

Hijah  Rigg,  grandfather  of  John  Ed- 
win Rigg,  was  a  descendant  of  English 
ancestors  and  belonged  to  one  of  the  pio- 
neer families  of  Washington  county, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  resided  for  many 
years,  much  respected  by  the  entire  com- 
munity. 

Newton,  son  of  Hijah  Rigg,  in  his 
younger  manhood  worked  at  the  carpen- 
ter's trade  in  Pike  Run  township,  Wash- 
ington county,  subsequently  purchasing 
a   farm  near  Scenery   Hill,   in   the  same 


county,  where  he  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
He  married  Margaret,  daughter  of  Jona- 
than and  Mary  (Wallace)  Winnett.  Mr. 
Winnett  was  a  well  known  farmer,  promi- 
nent in  the  afifairs  of  that  part  of  the 
state  in  which  he  resided.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Rigg  were  the  parents  of  the  following 
children:  Ella;  John  Edwin,  mentioned 
below ;  Laura,  of  California,  Washington 
county.  Pennsylvania ;  and  Mark  A.  The 
death  of  Mr.  Rigg  occurred  October  19, 
1879,  when  he  had  reached  the  age  of 
sixty-eight.  He  and  his  wife  were  for 
many  years  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church. 

Dr.  John  Edwin  Rigg,  son  of  Newton 
and  Margaret  (Winnett)  Rigg,  was  born 
October  13,  1S55,  in  Washington  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  until  the  age  of  four- 
teen attended  the  district  school,  at  the 
same  time  assisting  his  father  on  the 
farm.  After  this  he  studied  for  a  time 
with  a  private  tutor,  then  took  a  college 
course  in  pharmacy  and  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  entered  a  drug  store.  After  per- 
fecting himself  in  the  study  of  pharmacy 
he  became  a  clerk  in  the  prescription  de- 
partment, retaining  the  position  for  two 
or  three  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time 
he  resigned,  took  a  course  at  the  Long 
Island  Medical  College,  Brooklyn,  New 
York,  and  in  1879  received  from  the  Col- 
lege of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Bal- 
timore the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine. 
He  subsequently  took  a  partial  course  at 
Johns  Hopkins  University,  and  in  the 
winter  of  1885-86  took  a  full  course  at  the 
Philadelphia  Polyclinic. 

Ere  this,  however.  Dr.  Rigg  had  estab- 
lished himself  as  a  practitioner  at  Ston- 
ersville,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  remain- 
ed seven  years.  In  1886  he  went  to  Wil- 
kinsburg, where  he  rapidly  came  into  pos- 
session of  a  large  and  lucrative  clientele. 
While  engaged  in  general  practice  he 
specializes  in  the  treatment  of  diseases  of 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  eye,  ear,  nose  and  throat,  and  in  this 
department  of  his  profession  has  met  with 
marked  success. 

In  addition  to  exceptional  fitness  for  his 
chosen  work  Dr.  Rigg  possesses  uncom- 
mon talent  for  affairs,  and  this  he  has 
exercised,  without  in  the  least  neglecting 
his  professional  duties,  to  the  great  bene- 
fit of  his  community.  He  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Wilkinsburg  Electric 
Light  Company,  and  his  wise  counsel  and 
prudent  foresight  have  been  one  main 
cause  of  its  prosperity.  Politically  he  is 
a  staunch  Republican,  and  has  taken  an 
active  part  in  public  afifairs.  For  a  time 
he  was  president  of  the  board  of  health, 
for  two  terms  he  served  as  school  direc- 
tor and  for  three  terms  held  the  office  of 
township  auditor.  His  discharge  of  the 
duties  of  these  responsible  positions  was 
marked  by  administrative  ability  of  no 
common  order.  Ever  ready  to  respond  to 
any  deserving  call  made  upon  him.  he  is 
widely  but  unostentatiously  charitable. 
He  is  a  Scottish  Rite  Mason,  afifiliating 
with  Orient  Lodge,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  and  with  the  Valley  of  Pitts- 
burgh Consistory,  and  belongs  to  the  Im- 
proved Order  of  Heptasophs,  the  Royal 
Arcanum  and  the  Wilkinsburg  Club.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  and  was  a  representative  at  the 
general  conference  held  in  Cleveland.  In 
former  years  Dr.  Rigg  contributed  vari- 
ous articles  and  editorials  to  medical  jour- 
nals, but  of  late  pressure  of  other  matters 
has  caused  him  to  discontinue  these  pro- 
ductions of  his  pen.  He  belongs  to  the 
American  Medical  Association  and  the 
Allegheny  County  Medical  Society. 

Public-spirited,  aggressive,  charitable, 
genial — these  qualities  combined  with  the 
temperaments  of  the  student  and  the  ex- 
ecutant in  even  balance,  make  Dr.  Rigg 
what  he  is  widely  known  to  be,  a  learned 
and  skillful  physician  and  a  progressive 
and  enlightened  man  of  affairs.  His  coun- 


tenance and  bearing  are  expressive  of  his 
dominant  attributes,  his  eyes  are  keen, 
kindly  and  deeply  thoughtful  and  his 
manner  is  that  of  the  dignified,  polished 
gentleman. 

Dr.  Rigg  married,  January  i8,  1878, 
Ida  Belle,  daughter  of  John  H.  and  Eliza 
(McDonald)  Weaver,  and  their  children 
are:  Lida,  married  Dr.  J.  V.  Ballytine, 
of  Wilkinsburg,  Pennsylvania,  and  has 
three  children:  Dorothy  Virginia,  John 
Edwin  and  James  Van  Horn ;  Carl  Haz- 
lett,  born  March  10,  1884,  educated  in 
public  schools  and  Mercersburg  Acad- 
emy; Laura  Belle,  married  Joseph  Walter 
Lewis,  connected  with  Westinghouse  In- 
terests of  Pittsburgh ;  Edna  Winnett, 
married  A.  Todd  Brown,  of  the  faculty 
of  State  College,  Pennsylvania ;  and  Mar- 
garet Stella,  educated  in  music  at  Oberlin 
College,  Ohio.  Dr.  Rigg,  the  governing 
motive  of  whose  life  is  devotion  to  the 
ties  of  family  and  friendship,  is  excep- 
tionally happy  in  his  union  with  a  charm- 
ing and  congenial  woman,  fitted  to  be  at 
once  his  intelligent  comrade  and  the  pre- 
siding genius  of  his  home.  Both  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Rigg  delight  in  the  exercise  of  hos- 
pitality and  to  their  rare  gifts  as  host  and 
hostess  their  many  friends  can  abund- 
antly testify. 

The  work  of  Dr.  Rigg  as  a  financier 
and  the  incumbent  of  offices  of  public 
trust  has  done  much  for  the  upbuilding 
and  prosperity  of  his  community.  His 
work  as  a  physician  transcends  monetary 
and  political  boundaries,  making,  as  it 
does,  for  the  relief  and  uplifting  of  hu- 
manity, and  giving  him  a  wider  field  of 
action.  What  he  has  accomplished  in 
both  spheres — that  of  the  able  medical 
practitioner  and  the  astute  man  of  affairs 
— has  brought  him  the  reward  which  he 
so  richly  merits  and  which  he  prizes 
above  any  pecuniary  profit,  though  that, 
too,  is  his — the  gratitude,  respect  and 
affection  of  his  fellow-men. 


1630 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


NEGLEY, 

Important  Family. 

The  Negley  family  is  descended  from 
John  Nageli,  of  Canton  Berne,  Switzer- 
land, co-temporary  and  fellow  worker 
with  Zwingli,  with  whom  he  went  from 
Switzerland  into  Germany  in  the  six- 
teenth century,  preaching  the  Reforma- 
tion. The  original  Swiss  spelling  of  the 
name  "Nageli"  still  maintains  with  the 
Swiss  branch  of  the  family.  Some  slight 
variation  in  the  spelling  of  the  name  Neg- 
ley is  noticeable  in  early  documents,  as 
in  most  names  at  that  time,  but  the  pres- 
ent Anglicized  form  dates  back  more  than 
a  century.  The  Swiss  name  has  a  floral 
signification,  meaning  "a  little  pink,"  and 
the  crest  used  by  one  branch  of  the  Swiss 
family  in  modern  times  presents  the  car- 
nation as  its  distinguishing  feature.  The 
name  is  beloved  by  the  Swiss,  as  also  by 
the  Germans,  through  their  devotion  to 
Hans  George  Nageli,  Doctor  of  Philos- 
ophy, the  illustrious  composer,  lecturer 
and  author  of  valuable  works  on  music, 
member  of  congress  and  simultaneously 
president  of  the  Swiss  Association  of 
Music.  He  was  born  in  the  Canton 
Zurich,  March  27,  1773,  and  died  in  Zu- 
rich, December  26,  1836.  He  is  affection- 
ately known  as  "Fater  Nageli,"  "Father 
of  the  folk  songs  of  Switzerland,"  and 
founder  of  choral  societies.  A  pedestal 
bust  to  his  memory  stands  in  the  public 
park  in  Zurich, 

Another  illustrious  member  of  the 
Swiss  family  was  Carl  Wilhelm  Nageli, 
naturalist,  born  in  1817,  near  Zurich, 
professor  of  botany  at  Zurich  and  later  at 
Munich.  He  opened  new  fields  in  all 
branches  of  botany  and  was  the  author 
of  a  large  number  of  master  works  on  this 
science.  A  collection  of  his  works,  in- 
cluding many  specimens,  have  been  col- 
lected in  a  museum  in  a  park  in  the  sub- 
urbs of  Zurich.  A  German  branch  of 
the  family  has  long  been  identified  with 
PEN— 12  163 


Heidelberg,  Professor  Nageli  having  oc- 
cupied with  distinction  the  chair  of  medi- 
cine in  Heidelberg  University,  in  which 
office  he  succeeded  his  illustrious  father- 
in-law,  Professor  Mai,  a  great-uncle  of 
Mrs.  Matthew  B.  Riddle,  of  Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania. 

(I)  Jacob  Negley,  descendant  of  the 
John  Negley,  of  Switzerland,  and  father 
of  the  founder  of  East  Liberty,  Penn- 
sylvania, now  the  beautiful  residential 
suburb  of  the  city  of  Pittsburgh,  was 
born  at  Frankfort-on-the-Main,  Ger- 
many. He  and  his  two  brothers  sailed 
from  Germany  with  their  families  for 
America  in  1739.  Jacob  Negley  died  en 
voyage,  and  was  buried  at  sea,  his  widow 
and  three  children,  Alexander,  Casper  and 
Elizabeth,  proceeding  to  this  country, 
settled  in  Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania, 
when  Alexander  was  but  five  years  of 
age. 

One  brother  settled  in  Maryland,  and 
the  other  settled  on  the  banks  of  the  Dela- 
ware river,  and  Negley's  Hill,  still  so- 
called,  within  the  suburban  limits  of  Phil- 
adelphia, commemorates  the  family  resi- 
dence there. 

(II)  Alexander  Negley,  son  of  Jacob 
Negley,  was  born  in  Frankfort,  Germany, 
in  1734;  came  to  America  in  1739.  He 
grew  to  manhood  in  Eastern  Pennsyl- 
vania, receiving  a  good  education  in  the 
eastern  schools  of  that  day.  It  is  said 
he  became  enamored  of  the  West  during 
his  term  of  service  in  the  Revolutionary 
army,  and  determined  to  make  it  his 
future  home.  Upon  leaving  Bucks 
county,  owing  to  the  Indian  insurrection 
in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Pitt,  however,  he 
first  located  for  a  time  on  a  farm  between 
New  Florence  and  Ligonier,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  this  property  is  now  a  portion 
of  the  estate  of  his  great-grandson,  James 
Ross  Mellon. 

In  1762  he  married  Mary  Ann  Berk- 
stresser,  and  their  son  John  was  born 
I 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


within  Fort  Ligonier  in  i/jS.  the  family 
being  in  the  fort  at  the  time  of  his  birth 
seel^ing  refuge  from  the  Indians.  Later 
in  the  same  year,  1778.  with  his  wife  and 
five  children  he  migrated  to  what  is  now 
Allegheny  county,  where  he  settled  on  a 
farm  of  three  hundred  acres  on  the  Alle- 
gheny river,  the  present  site  of  Highland 
Park.  Here  he  first  built  a  log  house. 
and  later  a  red  brick  mansion,  the  brick 
being  burned  on  the  farm ;  and  beautified 
the  grounds  with  orchards  and  groves. 

He  was  the  first  permanent  white  set- 
tler in  the  East  Liberty  Valley,  and  this 
vicinity  was  long  known  as  Negleystown. 
He  utilized  Negley's  Run,  which  took  its 
name  from  him  by  erecting  a  grist  mill 
and  a  fulling  mill  for  the  cleaning  of 
wool.  He  purchased  a  farm  for  each  of 
l;is  children.  He  served  his  country  in 
the  Revolutionary  War,  the  Government 
records  showing  that  Alexander  Negley 
v/as  a  member  of  Captain  Samuel  Moor- 
head's  Independent  Company  of  Pennsyl- 
vania Troops,  which  was  annexed  to  the 
Eighth  Pennsylvania  Regiment,  October 
9,  1779,  and  his  naxne  is  on  the  list  of  the 
men  of  that  company  present  in  Pitts- 
burgh, June  15,  1777.  His  name  also  ap- 
pears on  the  petition  presented  to  the 
Legislature,  February  15,  1787,  for  the 
erection  of  Allegheny  county. 

True  to  his  ancestral  blood,  Alexander 
Negley  was  ever  loyal  to  his  Christian 
faith,  and  proved  himself  the  strong  sup- 
porter of  the  renowned  Rev.  John  Wil- 
liam Weber,  who  accomplished  so  much 
at  an  early  day  in  establishing  German 
Reformed  churches  through  Western 
Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Negley  was  one  of 
forty-two  men  whose  names  are  recorded 
as  the  founders  of  the  first  church  organ- 
ization in  Pittsburgh,  that  of  the  First 
German  United  Evangelical  Protestant 
Congregation  at  Smithfield  street  and 
Sixth  avenue,  the  land  for  that  purpose 
being  conveyed  from  William  Penn  the 


younger  and  William  Penn  the  elder  for 
the  sum  of  five  s'hillings,  June  18,  1788, 
property  now  worth  more  than  a  million. 
In  these  early  days  the  country  was  wild, 
Indians  roaming  about,  and  the  roads  bad 
in  winter  time,  so  that  for  the  people  of 
Negleystown  to  attend  church  service  at 
such  a  distance  was  difScult.  For  this 
reason  Alexander  Negley  had  a  preacher, 
usually  Mr.  Weber,  come  and  hold  re- 
ligious services  at  his  home,  now  High- 
land Park,  about  once  a  month,  for  his 
own  family  and  neighbors.  It  was  at  one 
of  these  services,  in  1790,  that  his  son 
Jacob  first  observed  and  became  enam- 
ored of  his  future  wife,  Barbara  Anna 
Winebiddle,  who  was  then  but  tvv^elve 
years  of  age.  About  five  years  later,  June 
19,  1795,  they  were  married. 

Alexander  Negley  was  personally  a 
man  of  noble  character  and  ideals,  as  well 
as  superior  judgment  and  foresight.  He 
died  November  3,  1809,  aged  seventy-five 
years,  leaving  his  noble  widow  and  eight 
surviving  children,  three  having  died  in 
childhood.  Mrs.  Negley  died  in  1829. 
They  were  both  buried  on  the  home  farm, 
as  were  about  fifty  of  their  neighbors  and 
some  members  of  their  family.  The  cen- 
ter of  this  old  private  burial  ground  is 
marked  by  a  beautiful  granite  monument 
to  the  memory  of  these  noble  pioneers, 
and,  surrounded  by  a  railing,  is  known  in 
Highland  Park  as  Negley  Circle.  Their 
children  were:  i.  Felix,  born  September 
22,  1764,  died  April  19,  1836.  2.  Jacob, 
born  August  28,  1766,  died  March  18. 
1826.  3.  Peter,  died  in  infancy,  1768.  4. 
Elizabeth,  born  February  15,  1772,  died 
November  15,  1855 ;  she  married  John 
Powell  and  was  the  mother  of  eight  chil- 
dren. 5.  Peter,  born  February  6,  1774, 
died  1791.  6.  Margaret,  born  June  10, 
1776,  died  March  11,  1857;  married  Phil- 
lip Burtner,  and  they  had  ten  children. 
7.  John,  born  April  6,  1778,  died  August 
II,   1870.     8.  Alexander,  born  August  i. 


1632 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


17S1,  died  August  2,  1807.  9.  Casper, 
born  March  17,  1784,  died  May  23,  1877. 

10.  Mary  Ann,  born  August  20,  1786, 
died  December  4,  1833;  married  Samuel 
Byington,   and   they   had   four   children. 

11.  Henry,  born  October  20,  1790,  died 
1791. 

(HI)  Jacob  Negley,  Sr.,  who  laid  out 
East  Liberty,  and  for  whom  the  avenue 
on  which  he  resided  is  named,  was  the 
second  son  of  Alexander  Negley,  Sr.,  and 
was  born  August  28,  1766,  in  Bucks 
county,  Pennsylvania,  coming  with  his 
parents  to  East  Liberty  in  1778,  when 
but  twelve  years  of  age.  His  descend- 
ants have  to  a  greater  extent  than  any 
other  branch  of  Alexander  Negley's  fam- 
ily remained  in  Pittsburgh,  where  many 
of  them  have  proven  themselves  impor- 
tant factors,  especially  so  in  the  molding 
of  the  religious  and  educational  life  of  the 
city.  In  addition  to  the  property  in^ 
herited  from  his  father,  Jacob  Negley 
purchased  large  tracts  of  land,  his  hold- 
ings comprising  about  fifteen  hundred 
acres,  on  which  he  laid  out  a  town  at  the 
junction  of  the  Pittsburgh  and  Greens- 
burg  turnpike  and  Frankstown  road,  long 
known  as  Negleystown,  afterward  called 
East  Liberty.  He  continued  to  operate 
his  father's  mills.  His  great  landed  in- 
terests, to  which  were  added  his  wife's 
large  real  estate  holdings,  together  with 
superior  judgment  and  acumen,  made 
him  a  recognized  power  of  his  day  in 
Western  Pennsylvania.  In  1816  Mr.  Neg- 
ley erected  the  first  steam  flouring  mill 
west  of  the  Allegheny  mountains,  for  at 
this  early  date  milling  throughout  the 
country  was  done  by  rudely  constructed 
mills  on  small  streams,  which  became  dry 
and  the  mill  stood  idle  throughout  the 
summer,  causing  great  inconvenience  and 
sometimes  partial  famine.  The  cost  of 
the  mill  was  great,  as  the  machinery  had 
to  be  brought  over  the  mountains  by 
wagons  from  Philadelphia. 


Mr.  Negley  was  a  civil  engmeer  and  a 
manager  of  the  Pittsburgh  &  Greensburg 
Turnpike  Company.  His  appreciation  of 
the  future  importance  of  Pittsburgh  is 
shown  in  the  fact  that  he  laid  out  Penn 
avenue  one  hundred  feet  wide  as  far  as 
it  passed  through  his  own  and  his  wife's 
domains,  which  is  now  the  business  cen- 
ter of  East  Liberty.  He  endeavored  to 
have  that  width  continue  into  the  city, 
but  was  unable  to  convince  the  other 
property  holders  of  the  wisdom  of  his 
proposition.  He  was  a  director  of  the 
Farmers'  and  Mechanics'  Bank  of  Pitts- 
burgh, in  early  days  located  on  Third 
street,  between  Market  and  Wood  streets. 

June  19,  1795,  Jacob  Negley  married 
Barbara  Anna,  daughter  of  John  Conrad 
Winebiddle.  (For  Winebiddle  ancestry 
see  biography  of  William  Penn  Baum). 

In  1808  he  built  what  was  then  regard- 
ed as  the  finest  residence  west  of  the 
Allegheny  mountains,  a  large  red  brick 
edifice  known  as  the  Negley  Mansion,  at 
the  intersection  of  what  is  now  North 
Negley  and  Stanton  avenues,  the  brick 
being  made  on  the  grounds.  This  build- 
ing was  removed  only  about  a  decade  ago 
to  make  way  for  modern  improvements. 
Mr.  Negley  located  Negley  avenue  in  a 
direct  southern  line  from  his  front  door 
to  the  Pittsburgh  and  Greensburg  turn- 
pike. He  planted  fruit  trees  and  had 
about  a  hundred  acres  around  his  home 
under  fine  cultivation. 

These  hardy  pioneers  heartily  appre- 
ciated the  necessity  for  providing  re- 
ligious and  educational  advantages  for 
their  children.  In  the  early  part  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  some  years  previous 
to  1819,  Jacob  Negley  built  a  comfortable 
frame  school  house  of  good  dimensions 
on  the  site  of  the  present  East  Liberty 
Presbyterian  Church  edifice,  on  what  is 
now  the  corner  of  Penn  and  South  High- 
land avenues,  to  provide  educational 
facilities    for   his    own    children    and   the 

633 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


youth  of  the  growing  neighborhood.  For 
years  previous  to  1819  religious  services 
■were  held  in  this  school  house,  also  in 
the  spacious  parlors  of  the  Negley  Man- 
sion, virhere  he  had  a  portable  pulpit 
erected,  and  some  of  the  children  vi^ere 
baptized.  In  the  year  1819  the  school 
house  gave  v^ay  to  a  church  building,  the 
first  in  the  East  Liberty  Valley  on  the 
same  site,  erected  upon  a  lot  containing 
one  and  one-half  acres  of  ground,  which 
Mrs.  Barbara  Anna  Negley  conveyed  to 
certain  persons  to  be  held  in  trust  for  the 
East  Liberty  congregation,  the  property 
being  a  portion  of  her  paternal  inherit- 
ance, which  has  ever  since  been  conse- 
crated ground.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Negley 
contributed  largely  to  the  building  fund, 
as  the  old  record  specifies  "of  building  a 
school  and  Meeting  house,  said  Meeting 
house  to  be  for  the  use  of  the  Presby- 
terian Congregation,  called  the  East  Lib- 
erty Congregation."  This  conveyance 
bears  date  April  12,  1819,  and  it  has  been 
stated  on  reliable  authority  that  at  that 
time  the  houses  in  Pittsburgh  numbered 
but  a  little  over  fourteen  hundred  all  told, 
and  that  its  population  scarcely  exceeded 
seven  thousand  souls.  The  first  church 
building  on  this  sacred  site  was  of  brick, 
forty-four  feet  square,  with  one  corner 
toward  the  Greensburg  turnpike,  now 
Penn  avenue.  The  pulpit  occupied  one 
corner.  The  first  Sabbath  school  was 
organized  with  two  teachers  and  nine 
pupils.  The  formal  organization  was  not 
effected  until  Sabbath,  September  28, 
1828.  When  the  petition  was  presented 
to  the  Presbytery  for  a  church  organiza- 
tion in  East  Liberty,  spirited  opposition 
was  encountered  from  the  representatives 
of  Beulah  Church,  who  regarded  it  as  a 
serious  infringement  upon  their  congre- 
gational boundaries.  In  1847,  when  the 
congregation  were  about  to  erect  the  sec- 
ond house  of  worship,  also  a  building 
called    the    lecture    room    in    which    Mr. 


Moore's  academy  held  its  sessions,  Mrs. 
Negley  added  another  piece  of  property 
eastward  of  her  former  gift,  which  proved 
a  wise  addition.  In  1864  the  third  church 
building  became  necessary,  and  in  1887 
the  present  spacious  structure  was  erect- 
ed on  the  same  sacred  site,  and  the  East 
Liberty  Presbyterian  Church  has  been 
the  mother  church  of  the  Presbyterian 
churches  in  this  vicinity. 

Jacob  Negley,  Sr.,  died  March  18,  1826. 
His  wife,  Barbara  Anna  Winebiddle,  was 
born  in  Pittsburgh,  September  15,  1778, 
and  died  May  10,  1867.  During  the  forty- 
one  years  of  her  widowhood,  as  well  as 
in  earlier  life,  Mrs.  Negley  proved  her- 
self a  woman  of  rare  graces  of  character, 
as  well  as  superior  executive  ability,  ever 
in  touch  with  any  movement  for  the  wel- 
fare of  the  community.  Her  latest  gift 
to  the  church  she  so  dearly  loved  was  the 
melodious  bell  which  still  summons  to 
worship,  and  whose  first  peals  sounded 
her  requiem,  as  the  funeral  procession 
wended  its  way  to  the  Negley  family  lot 
in  the  beautiful  Allegheny  Cemetery, 
where  she  and  her  husband  and  their 
twelve  children  are  interred. 

These  noble  pioneers  and  their  co-lab- 
orers who  bravely  endured  hardships  in 
their  faithful  struggles  to  erect  a  solid 
foundation  built  on  the  rock  of  Christian 
faith  and  effort  for  the  superstructure  of 
social,  educational,  industrial  and  re- 
ligious life  which  we  now  enjoy  are 
worthy  of  our  highest  esteem. 

The  children  born  to  Jacob  and  Bar- 
bara Anna  Negley  were:  i.  John,  born 
June  28,  1796,  died  February  20,  1802.  2. 
Elizabeth,  born  June  23,  1798,  died  No- 
vember II,  1799.  3.  Jacob,  Jr.,  born  Feb- 
ruary 16,  1800,  died  January  30,  1830.  4. 
Daniel,  born  April  10,  1802,  died  Decem- 
ber 4,  1867.  5.  Mary  Ann,  born  October 
4,  1805,  died  in  October,  1829;  married 
Daniel  Berlin  and  had  two  children,  one 
dying  in  infancy.    6.  George  Gibson,  born 

634 


i>C^J^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


April  27,  1808,  died  March  26,  1884.  7. 
Catharine  R.,  born  February  13,  1810, 
died  August  11,  1897.  8.  Margaret,  born 
February  7,  1812,  died  May  3,  1815.  9. 
William,  born  June  25,  1814,  died  Sep- 
tember 14,  1816.  ID.  Sarah  Jane,  born 
February  3,  1817;  married  Judge  Thomas 
Mellon  (see  Mellon  biography).  She 
died  January  19,  1909.  11.  Alexander, 
born  March  2,  1819,  died  February  12, 
1864.  12.  Isabella  M.,  born  October  25, 
1 82 1,  died  March  3,  1849;  married  Rich- 
ard C.  Beatty,  M.  D. ;  they  had  three  chil- 
dren. 

(IV)  George  Gibson  Negley,  son  of 
Jacob  and  Barbara  Anna  (Winebiddle) 
Negley,  was  born  April  27,  1808,  at  the 
Negley  home.  North  Negley  and  Stanton 
avenues.  He  was  educated  in  the  private 
schools  of  Pittsburgh,  and  while  the 
schools  and  academies  of  that  day  did  not 
afiford  the  elaborate  curriculum  of  a  later 
era,  yet  they  provided  excellent  instruc- 
tion in  the  essentials  of  a  good  education. 
Composition  and  penmanship  were  given 
important  consideration,  hence  the  dig- 
nified style  of  letters  and  documents  of 
that  period.  Some  of  Mr.  Negley's  let- 
ters, which  have  been  preserved,  form  a 
striking  illustration  of  this  fact,  the 
choice  diction  and  manner  of  address  giv- 
ing a  dignity  to  the  correspondence  which 
is  too  often  lacking  at  the  present  day. 
The  neatness  and  lucidity  of  his  business 
documents  also  show  the  impress  of  this 
early  training.  His  father  died  when 
George  was  not  quite  eighteen  years  of 
age,  he  being  the  eldest  unmarried  son  at 
this  time.  After  his  father's  death  his 
health  became  impaired,  and  it  was  neces- 
sary for  him  to  seek  a  less  rigorous 
climate.  He  vv^ent  South  for  a  short  time, 
locating  in  Milledgeville,  Georgia,  where 
he  taught  a  private  school,  remaining 
until  his  health  was  entirely  restored, 
when  he  returned  to  be  the  counsellor 
and  main  stay  of  his  widowed  mother. 

I 


Mr.  Negley  engaged  in  business  with 
his  brother  Daniel,  and  for  some  years 
they  were  the  leading  merchants  of  the 
East  Liberty  district,  conducting  the 
present-day  department  store  in  embryo 
on  Penn  avenue.  George  Negley  later 
withdrew  from  the  firm,  and  devoted  his 
time  to  the  management  of  his  own  large 
real  estate  interests,  and  as  the  efficient 
assistant  of  his  mother  in  the  manage- 
ment of  her  finances.  Mr.  Negley, 
throughout  the  seventy-five  years  of  his 
useful  life,  was  closely  identified  with  the 
growth  and  advancement  of  his  native 
city,  but  the  East  Liberty  district,  settled 
by  his  ancestors,  and  the  scene  of  his  own 
boyhood  days,  as  well  as  later  life,  always 
claimed  a  special  share  of  his  loyal  inter- 
est and  labors. 

Mr.  Negley  inherited  large  tracts  of 
land  in  the  East  End,  Pittsburgh,  and, 
owing  to  his  wide  experience  along  these 
lines,  he  was  recognized  as  an  authority 
on  real  estate  values,  and  his  superior 
judgment  and  counsel  were  ever  in  de- 
mand by  civic  authorities  as  well  as  pri- 
vate individuals.  While  his  father,  as  a 
civil  engineer,  originally  laid  out  the 
town  of  East  Liberty,  George  G.  Negley 
laid  out  and  named  many  of  the  later 
streets.  As  a  director  in  the  old  Birming- 
ham Street  Railway,  he  took  an  active 
part  in  advancing  transportation  facili- 
ties. His  innate  love  of  horticultural  and 
agricultural  pursuits  made  him  a  potent 
factor  in  the  work  of  the  Allegheny 
County  Agricultural  Society,  of  which  he 
was  a  leading  director,  and  he  gave 
stimulus  to  the  annual  exhibits  by  con- 
tributing the  finest  specimens  from  his 
own  private  gardens,  which  frequently 
took  first  rank. 

On  Highland  avenue,  two  squares 
north  of  Penn  avenue,  Mr.  Negley's 
homestead,  "Rural  Home,"  was  located, 
which  long  stood  as  a  landmark  in  the 
East  End.     The  mansion  was  a  spacious 

635 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


structure  built  after  a  modified  Colonial 
style  of  architecture,  and  was  most  beau- 
tifully placed  in  a  picturesque  setting  of 
more  than  seven  acres  of  finely  cultivated 
grounds.  When  clad  in  summer  verdure, 
the  green  lawns,  wide-spreading  shade 
and  fruit  trees,  the  long  driveways  and 
flower  gardens,  planted  with  exquisite 
taste  from  Mr.  Negley's  private  conserva- 
tory, made  the  place  one  of  the  most 
strikingly  beautiful  and  attractive  in 
Pittsburgh,  a  love  of  floral  culture  being 
a  characteristic  taste  in  the  Negley  fam- 
ily. In  the  early  days  Rural  avenue  was 
a  private  driveway  to  "Rural  Home,"  and 
when  it  was  opened  to  the  public  Mr. 
Negley  deferred  the  naming  of  the  new 
street  to  his  wife,  Mrs.  Eliza  Johnson 
Negley,  who  named  it  Rural  avenue  in 
honor  of  the  old  homestead,  which  name 
it  still  retains.  In  the  march  of  time  the 
house  has  been  removed  and  the  property 
divided  into  building  lots,  two  churches 
and  many  dwellings  occupying  the  old 
site. 

As  one  of  the  early  stockholders  and  a 
member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
City  Deposit  Bank,  the  first  institution 
of  the  kind  in  East  Liberty,  Mr.  Negley 
helped  to  build  up  a  sound  banking  sys- 
tem. 

He  was  a  firm  Abolitionist,  and  an 
ardent  supporter  of  the  Union.  Even  be- 
fore the  Civil  War  opened,  not  a  few  op- 
pressed slaves  were  assisted  to  freedom 
from  cruel  taskmasters  by  his  kindliness 
and  generosity.  During  the  war,  in  his 
unostentatious  way,  he  personally  re- 
lieved much  destitution  in  families  of 
those  whose  bread-winners  had  gone  to 
the  front.  After  the  war  he  gave  sub- 
stantial assistance  toward  the  building  of 
a  house  of  worship  for  the  negroes  in  the 
East  End,  a  church  organization  which 
still  continues.  When  Pittsburgh  did 
honor  to  the  good  and  great  President 
Lincoln,   Mr.   Negley  was   a   member  of 


the  reception  committee  appointed  to  re- 
ceive and  honor  him,  who  later  became 
our  Martyr-President. 

Although  Mr.  Negley's  own  children 
were  educated  almost  entirely  at  private 
schools,  yet  no  man  of  his  day  did  more 
to  establish  and  advance  in  efficiency  the 
public  school  system  of  the  East  End.  He 
was  an  energetic  promoter  and  director 
in  the  township  schools  of  the  old  nine- 
teenth ward,  when  the  district  was  known 
as  "Collins  Independent  School  District," 
previous  to  annexation  to  the  city.  He 
was  also  a  member  of  the  board  of  direc- 
tors after  annexation  to  the  city,  and  ren- 
dered most  efficient  service.  He  made  a 
point  of  keeping  in  personal  touch  with 
the  nature  of  the  work  being  done  In  the 
school. 

Identified  from  his  youth  with  the  East 
Liberty  Presbyterian  Church,  founded 
by  his  parents  in  all  its  varied  activi- 
ties, Mr.  Negley  was  during  many  years 
of  his  life  an  honored  officeholder  and 
contributed  by  personal  work  and  of  his 
means  to  the  building  up  not  only  of  that 
church,  but,  like  his  ancestors,  to  the 
establishment  of  a  Christian  community 
where  family  life  may  enjoy  the  safe- 
guards of  spiritual  and  intellectual  cul- 
ture. 

George  G.  Negley  was  a  "gentleman  of 
the  old  school,"  genial,  kindly  and  un- 
selfish in  disposition,  devoted  to  his  fam- 
ily and  home  life,  faithful  to  his  friends, 
true  to  his  country,  dignified  and  retiring 
m  manner,  generous  and  sincere.  While 
he  gave  liberally  of  his  time  and  means 
to  advance  the  public  welfare,  he  was  not 
solicitous  of  public  office  or  preferment. 
Possessed  of  deep  piety  and  a  tender  con- 
science, he  held  a  pure  and  lofty  stand- 
ard of  Christian  living,  not  only  adhering 
to  the  letter  of  the  law,  but  recognizing 
the  higher  Christian  ethics  of  the  Master, 
and  His  sermon  on  the  mount.  True  to 
his  ancestral  blood,  he  left  the  impress  of 


1636 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


his  sterling-  integrity  and  wise  judgment 
on  the  life  of  Pittsburgh. 

Mr.  Negley  was  twice  married.  Octo- 
ber 25,  1832,  he  married  Miss  Eleanor 
Boyd,  daughter  of  Rev.  Abraham  Boyd, 
of  Tarentum,  Pennsylvania,  born  Janu- 
ary 5,  1807,  died  May  10,  1854.  By  this 
union  there  were  the  following  children : 
I.  Jacob  B.  2.  William  Mcllvaine.  3. 
Olive  X..  died  in  childhood.  4.  Henry 
Hillis.  5.  Theodore  Shields.  6.  Mary  E. 
February  21,  1856,  iNIr.  Negley  married 
Miss  Eliza  J.  Johnson,  a  resident  of  the 
North  Side,  Pittsburgh.  The  following 
children  represent  this  union:  i.  Sarah  J. 
jMellon.  2.  Anna  Barbara,  who  married 
Joseph  K.  Brick,  of  Philadelphia.  3.  M. 
Alice.  4.  Georgina  G.  5.  Alexander 
Johnson.  Mrs.  Negley  was  a  woman  of 
most  attractive  personality,  of  rare  graces 
of  manner  and  beauty  of  character,  who 


Oliver  Cameron,  a  minister  and  author 
of  numerous  religious  works,  of  Bush 
Mills,  County  Antrim,  Ireland.  She  was 
also  a  cousin  of  the  revered  Dr.  John 
Boyd,  M.  P.,  of  Dunduan  House,  County 
Londonderry,  who,  for  many  years,  until 
his  death,  January  2,  1862,  represented  in 
the  Imperial  Parliament  the  borough  of 
Coleraine,  where,  after  half  a  century,  his 
memory  is  still  fragrant.  Mrs.  Negley 
died  May  12,  1883.  Mr.  Negley  died 
^larch  26,  1884. 

Jacob  B.  Negley,  eldest  son  of  George 
G.  Negley,  was  born  September  30,  1833, 
died  January  15,  1898.  He  graduated 
from  Jefferson  College,  Canonsburg, 
Pennsylvania.  He  was  engaged  in  the 
banking  business  in  ?\Iuscatine,  Iowa,  for 
a  number  of  years,  returning  in  1874  to 
his  native  city,  he  became  cashier  of  the 
City    Deposit    Bank,   where   he    rendered 


shared  with  her  husband  his  noble  ideals  efficient  service  for  many  years.     He  was 

of  life.  She  was  born  in  Coleraine,  County  an   active    member   of   the   East    Liberty 

Antrim,    Ireland,    March    25,     1S35,    the  Presbyterian  Church.     In  June,  1874,  he 

daughter  of  James  and  Sallie  Boyd  John-  married  Cynthia  Trull.    She  died  May  12, 

son,  the  descendant  of  Scotch-Irish  cove-  1901. 

nanters.  Her  father  was  a  grandson  of  William  Mcllvaine  Negley,  son  of 
Rev.  Patton,  D.  D.,  of  Edinburgh,  Scot-  George  G.  Negley,  is  a  graduate  of  the 
land.  Mr.  Johnson  was  a  man  of  fine  old  Saltsburg  Academy,  Saltsburg,  Penn- 
qualities  of  head  and  heart,  a  civil  engi-  sylvania.  He  was  for  manv  years  con- 
neer.  and  a  brother  of  Dr.  David  John-  nected  with  the  coal  interests  of  Pitts- 
son,    of    Glasgow,    Scotland,    an    eminent  burgh.     During  the  Civil  War  he  joined 


physician  and  surgeon  of  his  day.  On 
the  sudden  death  of  her  father,  in  Airs. 
Negley's  childhood,  her  mother's  deep 
grief  prompted  her  to  seek  a  change  of 
environment,  and  having  relatives  in 
Philadelphia  and  Pittsburgh,  who  urged 
her  to  come  to  America,  she  consented  to 
do  so,  and  left  the  beautiful  ancestral 
home,  which  is  still  standing,  its  sloping 
terraces  extending  down  to  the  pictur- 
esque River   Bann.     She  located  on   the 


the  Fifteenth  Regiment,  National  Guard 
of  Pennsylvania,  mustered  into  L'nited 
States  service  under  command  of  Dr.  A. 
H.  Gross,  for  a  short  time.  He  is  now 
a  member  of  Alexander  Plays  Post,  No. 
3  ;  an  active  member  of  the  Fourth  United 
Presbyterian  Church ;  married  Isabella 
Douglass,  September  28,  1S65  !  she  died 
August  16,  1914;  they  had  eight  children: 
Anna  B.,  Sadie  Bell;  William  Douglass; 
George  Gibson ;  Eleanor  Johnson,  all  de- 


North  Side,  Pittsburgh,  where  she  lived  ceased;  Harvey  B.,  mechanical  drafts- 
until  her  death,  April  12,  1856.  Mrs.  man;  Walter,  died  in  infancy;  Oliver 
Johnson  was  the  granddaughter  of  Rev.      James,    associated    for    some   years    past 

1637 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


with  the  Atlantic  Coast  Line  railroad. 
The  two  surviving  sons  reside  with  their 
father  in  Pittsburgh. 

Henry  Hillis  Negley,  son  of  George  G. 
Negley,  was  born  in  East  Liberty,  Penn- 
sylvania, June  29,  1843,  died  May  7,  1912. 
He  was  educated  in  private  schools  and 
Moore's  Academy,  after  which  he  entered 
the  Pennsylvania  State  College,  being  a 
member  of  the  class  of  1862,  which  dis- 
banded shortly  before  graduation  in  re- 
sponse to  Lincoln's  call  for  volunteers 
At  the  time  of  the  building  of  the  Davis 
Island  dam,  over  the  Ohio  river,  Mr. 
Negley  was  associated  with  Captain  Ma- 
han,  and  rendered  efficient  assistance  in 
that  work.  For  the  last  two  decades  of 
his  life,  he  gave  his  attention  largely  to 
real  estate  investment,  and  was  consid- 
ered an  authority  on  real  estate  values  in 
Pittsburgh.  He  was  a  life  member  and 
director  of  the  Pittsburgh  Board  of 
Trade,  ever  taking  a  deep  interest  in  the 
upbuilding  and  efficiency  of  this  organ- 
ization, where  he  served  in  various  official 
capacities.  Mr.  Negley  was  a  member  of 
the  board  of  directors  of  the  Oakdale 
Boys'  Home  and  of  the  Allegheny  Ceme- 
tery. He  was  an  active  member  of  the 
Botanical  Society,  and  was  especially  in- 
terested in  the  private  culture  of  rare 
orchids.  He  was  for  many  years  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Civic  Club  of  Pittsburgh  and 
was  ever  ready  to  assist  in  the  advance- 
ment of  civic  interests.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  East  Liberty  Presbyterian 
Church,  founded  by  his  grandparents,  and 
for  twenty-one  years  served  on  the  board 
of  trustees  of  that  church,  and  for  nine- 
teen years  as  president  of  the  board.  He 
proved  himself  capable  as  a  teacher  of 
young  men  in  the  Sunday  school,  and 
was  a  charter  member  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  of  East  Lib- 
erty. Mr.  Negley  was  a  man  of  genial 
sympathies,  generous  but  retiring  dispo- 
sition,   quite    an    extensive    traveler,    yet 


fond  of  home  life.  November  9,  1897,  he 
married  Miss  Margaret  Johnson,  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  Johnson,  de- 
ceased. Mr.  Negley  died  May  7,  1912. 
His  widow  still  survives  and  occupies  the 
homestead  at  North  Negley  avenue. 

Rev.  Theodore  S.  Negley,  son  of  George 
G.  Negley,  born  June  17,  1846,  died  May 
18,  igii.  Graduated  from  Princeton  Uni- 
versity in  1873,  3^"d  from  Princeton  Semi- 
nary in  1876.  His  first  pastorate  was 
that  of  the  East  Brady  (Pennsylvania) 
Presbyterian  Church,  followed  by  a  pas- 
torate in  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Wil- 
cox, Pennsylvania.  For  twenty-two  years 
he  was  the  beloved  and  efficient  pastor  of 
the  historic  Little  Redstone  Presbyterian 
Church  of  I'ayette  county,  Pennsylvania, 
which  during  his  pastorate  celebrated 
the  centennial  of  its  organization,  and 
from  which  he  retired  owing  to  failing 
health  only  a  few  weeks  before  he  entered 
into  rest.  For  many  years  he  served  as 
stated  clerk  of  his  presbytery,  and  was 
much  beloved  by  his  fellow  pastors.  Oc- 
tober 25,  1876,  he  married  Susan  C.  Todd, 
of  Stamford,  Connecticut.  They  had 
three  children  :  Mary  Hunter,  deceased  ; 
George  D.,  who  married  Angeline  Wal- 
lace, of  Chicago,  January  25,  191 1,  they 
had  one  child,  George  D..  Jr.,  who  died 
in  infancy;  Jeanette  B.,  resides  with  her 
mother  in  Belle  Vernon,  Pennsylvania. 

Mary  E.,  eldest  daughter  of  George  G. 
Negley,  was  educated  at  private  schools 
and  the  Pittsburgh  Female  College.  Her 
useful  life  was  lived  in  Pittsburgh,  where 
she  died  December  22,  1894. 

Sarah  J.  Mellon,  daughter  of  George  G. 
Negley,  graduated  from  Vassar  College, 
Poughkeepsie,  New  York.  For  some 
years  after  her  graduation  she  occupied 
the  chair  of  Belles  Lettres  at  the  Penn- 
sylvania College  for  Women  with  effi- 
ciency and  honor.  She  resides  at  the 
family  home.  North  Negley  avenue,  Pitts- 
burgh. 
638 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Anna  Barbara  Negley,  daughter  of 
George  G.  Negley,  was  educated  at  pri- 
vate schools  and  the  Pennsylvania  Col- 
lege for  Women.  October  i6,  1879,  she 
married  Joseph  K.  Brick,  of  Philadelphia, 
and  spent  the  remainder  of  her  useful 
life  as  a  resident  of  that  city,  where  she 
was  an  active  and  efificient  member  of 
the  West  Walnut  Street  Presbyterian 
Church.  Mrs.  Brick  died  June  22,  1909. 
Her  husband,  Joseph  K.  Brick,  died  July 
16,  1912. 

M.  Alice  Negley,  daughter  of  George 
G.  Negley,  was  educated  at  private 
schools  and  the  Pennsylvania  College  for 
Women.  She  resides  at  the  family  home. 
North  Negley  avenue,  Pittsburgh. 

Georgina  G.  Negley,  daughter  of  George 
G.  Negley,  is  a  graduate  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania College  for  Women.  She  resides 
at  the  family  home,  North  Negley  ave- 
nue, Pittsburgh. 

Alexander  Johnson  Negley,  youngest 
son  of  George  G.  Negley,  represents  the 
fourth  generation  of  the  historic  name  of 
the  first  white  settler  in  the  East  Libertv 
valley.  Mr.  Negley  was  educated  at  pri- 
vate schools,  the  Newell  Institute  and 
University  of  Pittsburgh.  He  was  for 
many  years  identified  with  the  banking 
interests  of  his  native  city,  first  with  the 
City  Deposit  Bank  and  later  with  the 
Bank  of  Commerce,  since  merged  with 
the  Mellon  National  Bank.  He  was  after- 
ward engaged  in  the  development  of  lum- 
ber and  mining  interests  in  the  West. 
Among  other  things  Mr.  Negley's  culti- 
vated taste  is  manifested  in  his  love  of 
nature  and  private  orchid  culture.  Octo- 
ber 12,  1S93,  he  married  Elizabeth  Gray- 
son Wishart,  daughter  of  Dr.  John  W. 
and  Mary  (McClurg)  Wishart,  deceased. 
They  reside  at  the  family  home.  North 
Negley  avenue,  Pittsburgh. 

(V)  Major-General  James  Scott  Neg- 
ley, son  of  Jacob  Negley,  Jr.,  and  Mary 
Ann    Scott,    and    nephew    of    George    G. 


Negley,  was  for  many  years  a  conspicu- 
ous personage  in  the  history  of  Pitts- 
burgh. He  had  an  enviable  record  for 
heroism  in  both  the  war  with  Mexico  and 
the  Civil  War  and  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  Major-General  after  the  battle  of 
Stone  river.  He  was  born  December  22, 
1826,  at  East  Liberty,  Pennsylvania,  and 
was  educated  at  the  public  schools  and  at 
the  Western  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
but  before  his  graduation  he  enlisted  in 
the  Duquesne  Grays,  which  organization 
became  a  part  of  the  First  Pennsylvania 
Regiment.  He  participated  in  the  siege 
of  Vera  Cruz  and  battles  of  Cerro  Gordo, 
La  Perote  and  Las  Vegas,  and  was  at  the 
siege  of  Puebla.  After  this  war  ended  he 
returned  to  Pittsburgh  and  for  a  time  en- 
gaged in  manufacturing  pursuits,  but 
soon  began  farming  and  horticulture.  He 
became  one  of  the  most  skilled  horticul- 
turists in  the  whole  country.  While  thus 
engaged,  and  prior  to  the  Civil  War,  he 
took  a  deep  interest  in  the  military  mat- 
ters of  his  State,  and  was  chosen  briga- 
dier-general of  the  Eighteenth  Division 
of  the  .State  militia.  Foreseeing  the  civil 
conflict  coming  on,  he  as  early  as  Decem- 
ber, i860,  made  formal  offer  of  an  organ- 
ized brigade  to  the  Governor  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, but  it  was  not  until  the  President's 
first  call  for  troops,  April  17,  i86r,  that 
authority  was  given  him,  after  having 
been  summoned  to  Ilarrisburg  by  the 
Governor,  to  recruit  and  organize  volun- 
teers. He  was  mustered  in  as  brigadier- 
general  of  volunteers  and  placed  in  com- 
mand of  the  State  encampment  at  Lan- 
caster. General  Patterson  chose  him  to 
lead  one  of  his  brigades  in  the  Shenan- 
doah campaign  during  the  early  part  of 
the  rebellion.  He  was  prominent  at  the 
engagement  at  Falling  Waters,  Virginia, 
and  after  his  three  months'  term  had  ex- 
pired he  was  placed  in  command  of  the 
volunteer  camp  at  Harrisburg  and  later, 
with    his   brigade,   joined    General    Sher- 


1639 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


man's  command  in  Kentucky.  Under 
General  Rosecrans,  General  Negley  be- 
came quite  prominent  again  in  the  opera- 
tions of  the  Tennessee  campaign.  He  led 
the  forces  against  Morgan's  command  at 
Shelby ville;  was  at  the  battle  of  La- 
vergne,  October  7,  1S62,  and  defeated  the 
Confederates  under  Anderson  and  For- 
rest. At  the  battle  of  Stone  river,  in 
front  of  Murfreesboro,  he  commanded  the 
Eighth  Division,  Fourteenth  Army  Corps, 
and  throughout  that  never-to-be-forgotten 
campaign  performed  heroic  services  of 
which  the  government  was  not  unmind- 
ful. He  drove  Breckenridge  from  the  in- 
trenchments  and  insured  final  success  to 
the  Union  army.  For  this  valor  and  gal- 
lantry in  this  signal  victory,  he  was  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  major-general  of 
volunteers.  He  led  the  advance  at  Look- 
out Mountain  and  drove  the  enemy  from 
its  position  and  skillfully  saved  General 
Thomas'  corps  from  an  overwhelming  de- 
feat at  Davis'  Cross  Roads.  At  Chicka- 
mauga,  Rossville  and  Chattanooga  his 
services  make  for  him,  indeed,  a  proud 
record. 

Soon  after  the  latter  engagement  Gen- 
eral Negley  resigned,  took  leave  of  his 
command  and  returned  to  Pennsylvania. 
In  1868  he  took  an  active  part  in  politics 
and  was  in  the  campaign  of  "Grant,  Col- 
fax and  Peace,"  and  elected  to  a  seat  in 
the  Forty-first  Congress  from  the  Twenty- 
second  Congressional  District  of  Penn- 
sylvania, by  almost  five  thousand  major- 
ity. He  was  reelected  to  the  Forty-second 
and  Forty-third  Congresses,  and  again  in 
1874  was  elected  to  Congress  as  well  as 
to  the  Fort}f-ninth  Congress,  after  which 
he  retired,  and  in  New  York  City  em- 
barked in  railroad  enterprises.  While  in 
Congress  he  conceived  the  idea  of  making 
Pittsburgh  a  deep  water  harbor  and  ob- 
tained the  first  appropriation  for  this  pur- 
pose. He  also  aided  Ohio  river  and  other 
river   and    harbor   enterprises.      He   was 


largely  interested  in  Mexican  railway 
building.  At  one  time  he  was  president 
of  the  Union  National  League  of  Amer- 
ica; member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic  ;  Scott  Legion  ;  Masonic  frater- 
nity ;  National  Board  of  Steam  Naviga- 
tion ;  Shipping  League,  etc.,  holding  offi- 
cial places  in  all.  Pittsburgh  will  long 
remember  his  work  in  securing  the  ap- 
propriation for  the  Davis  Island  Dam. 

General  Negley  was  twice  married.  In 
1848  to  Miss  Kate  Losey,  by  whom  he 
had  three  sons,  Clififord,  James  S.  and 
George — all  deceased.  By  his  second 
marriage,  to  Miss  Grace  Ashton,  he  had 
three  daughters :  Grace,  who  married 
Enoch  Farson.  They  have  two  sons  and 
reside  at  West  Chester,  Pennsylvania. 
Edith  and  Mabel,  who  reside  with  their 
mother  in  New  York.  General  Negley 
died  August  7,  1901,  and  was  laid  to  rest 
in  the  Negley  family  lot  in  Allegheny 
Cemetery  with  military  honors. 


BAUM,  William  Penn, 

Merchant,   Financier. 

In  Pittsburgh  were  the  seats  of  the 
mighty  long  before  the  inception  of  the 
empire  of  steel,  and  of  the  sturdy  pioneers 
who  in  those  early  days  amassed  wealth, 
and  in  doing  so  laid  deep  and  sure  the 
foundations  of  the  city  of  the  present 
time,  none  appears  to  our  retrospective 
vision  with  a  more  masterful  and  im- 
pressive aspect  than  does  the  late  Wil- 
liam Penn  Baum,  for  many  years  a  domi- 
nant figure  in  the  mercantile  and  financial 
circles  of  the  Iron  City,  and  a  power  in 
the  political  world  as  one  of  the  heroic 
champions  of  an  unpopular  cause. 

Christian  Baum,  father  of  William 
Penn  Baum,  was  a  native  of  Lancaster 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  served  in  the 
patriot  army  of  the  Revolution,  as  did  also 
his  father.  After  the  termination  of  the 
struggle  for  independence.  Christian 
Baum  became  a  contractor  and  builder 
640 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAl'HY 


in  Baltimore,  conducting  a  flourisliing 
business.  He  married  Margaret  Darr,  a 
native  of  Virginia,  and  several  children 
were  born  to^  them.  Their  descendants 
are  now  numbered  among  the  most  dis- 
tinguished and  influential  members  of 
the  commonwealth. 

William  Penn,  son  of  Christian  and 
Margaret  (Darr)  Baum,  was  born  June 
6,  1800,  in  Baltimore,  ^Maryland,  and  at 
the  age  of  twelve  years  came  to  Pitts- 
burgh with  a  friend  of  his  father,  Charles 
Volz,  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  that 
early  period.  The  boy  remained  with  Air. 
Volz  for  a  number  of  years,  working  in 
his  protector's  office  during  the  day,  and 
in  the  evening  attending  night  school. 
He  early  developed  the  business  ability 
for  which  in  later  years  he  became  so  dis- 
tinguished, and  on  reaching  man's  estate 
engaged  in  a  manufacturing  enterprise  on 
Wood  street.  After  this  initiatory  ex- 
perience, Mr.  Baum  engaged  in  the  busi- 
ness with  which  his  name  was  destined 
to  be  associated  during  the  remainder  of 
his  life,  becoming  a  toy  merchant  on  an 
extensive  scale.  During  all  these  years 
his  place  of  business  was  situated  on 
Sixth  street.  Always  conspicuous  for  in- 
dustry, energy,  courage  and  fidelity  to 
principle,  he  displayed  also  the  power  of 
organization  and  remarkably  good  busi- 
ness judgment.  In  the  commercial  aflfairs 
of  the  city  he  was  extremely  active,  being 
a  director  in  the  Merchants'  and  Manu- 
facturers' National  Bank  from  its  organ- 
ization until  his  death.  To  his  associates 
Mr.  Baum  showed  a  genial,  kindly, 
humorous  side  of  his  nature  which  made 
their  business  relations  most  enjoyable, 
while  his  justice  and  consideration  toward 
his  employes  were  beyond  all  praise,  and 
elicited  their  most  loyal  service  and 
hearty  co-operation. 

As  a  citizen  with  exalted  ideas  of  good 
government  and  civic  virtue,  Mr.  Baum 
stood  in  the  front  rank,  while,  as  a  man 


of  action  rather  than  words,  he  demon- 
strated his  public  spirit  by  actual  achieve- 
ments that  advanced  the  prosperity  and 
wealth  of  the  community.  To  whatever 
he  undertook  he  gave  his  whole  soul,  al- 
lowing none  of  the  many  interests  in- 
trusted to  his  care  to  suffer  for  want  of 
close  and  able  attention  and  industry. 
Ever  ready  to  respond  to  any  deserving 
call  made  upon  him,  the  full  number  of 
his  benefactions  will,  in  all  probability, 
never  be  known,  for  he  delighted  to  give 
in  such  a  manner  that  few  were  aware  of 
it.  He  was  active  in  the  formation  of 
the  Republican  party,  to  which  he  ad- 
hered during  the  remainder  of  his  life, 
and  his  name  is  entitled  to  imperishable 
honor  bv  reason  of  the  fact  that  he  was 
an  ardent  Abolitionist  at  a  time  when  to 
be  so  involved  political  obloquy  and  social 
ostracism.  He  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  East  End  Calvary  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church,  in  which  he  served  as  a 
vestryman. 

Personally,  Mr.  Baum  was  a  man  who 
drew  men  to  him.  His  great  strength  of 
character  and  tenacity  of  purpose  were 
manifest  both  in  countenance  and  bear- 
ing, while  at  the  same  time  there  was  a 
geniality  in  face  and  manner  which  at- 
tracted all  who  approached  him.  An  af- 
fectionate and  loyal  friend,  few  men  have 
been  more  deeply  revered  and  loved. 

Mr.  Baum  married.  May  10,  1832,  Re- 
becca, daughter  of  John  and  Kitty  (Wine- 
biddle)  Roup,  and  they  became  the  par- 
ents of  the  following  children,  all  of 
whom  were  born  on  the  old  Roup  home- 
stead, which  had  been  the  birthplace  of 
their  mother:  i.  John  Roup,  born  No- 
vember 8,  1833,  died  February  8,  1906.  2. 
Charles  Volz,  born  August  12,  1835,  died 
February  23,  1900.  3.  Kitty  Winebiddle. 
born  August  3.  1837,  died  June  15,  1840. 
4.  Frederick  Konig,  born  September  4, 
1839,  died  March  25,  1909.  5.  Henry 
Schwoeppe,  born  July  5,  1841,  died  Janu- 


1641 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ary  24,  1914.  6.  Jonas  Horr,  born  Janu- 
ary 5,  1844.  7-  Kate  Johnston,  born  No- 
vember 25,  1845,  married  Dr.  G.  M  Shil- 
lito.  8.  Richard  Beatty,  born  January  28, 
1848.  9.  James  Negley,  born  February  6, 
1850,  died  April  7,  1909.  10.  William 
Winebiddle,  born  April  10,  1852.  11.  Ger- 
trude Roup,  born  April  14,  1854,  died 
1855.  12.  George  R.  White,  born  Decem- 
ber 7,  1856. 

While  deriving  great  pleasure  from 
the  management  of  extensive  interests, 
Mr.  Baum  was  essentially  a  lover  of  home 
and  family,  and  his  domestic  life  was  one 
of  rare  beauty  and  serenity.  Never  was 
he  so  happy  as  when  surrounded  by  his 
family  and  friends. 

On  January  30,  1867,  while  still  in  the 
full  maturity  of  his  powers,  this  noble 
and  lovable  man  passed  away,  leaving  the 
record  of  a  singularly  well-rounded  life 
and  a  name  that  has  ever  stood  as  a 
synonym  for  all  that  is  enterprising  in 
business  and  progressive  in  citizenship. 
Simple,  true,  unassuming  and  strong  in 
all  that  constitutes  ideal  manliness,  he 
stood  for  many  years  before  the  com- 
munity as  an  example  of  every  public  and 
private  virtue. 

The  Pittsburgh  of  to-day,  sitting  regal- 
ly on  her  seventeen  hills,  looks  back  with 
pride  and  gratitude  to  the  time  when  the 
foundations  of  her  greatness  were  laid 
deep  and  sure  by  merchants  and  manu- 
facturers of  the  type  of  William  Penn 
Baum,  one  of  the  strongest  of  the  strong 
men  of  the  Old  City. 

(The   Roup   Line^. 

Jonas  Roup  was  born.  October  26,  1760, 
in  Strausburg,  Lancaster  county,  Penn- 
sylvania. He  came  to  Pittsburgh  in  1800, 
and  later  became  the  owner  of  an  iron 
foundry  and  a  maple  sugar  farm.  He 
married,  September  14,  1782,  in  Lancaster 
county,  Ablonia  Horr,  born  in  Germany 
in    1759,   died   March   12,   1837,   in   Pitts- 

164 


burgh.  Children  of  Jonas  and  Ablonia 
(Horr)  Roup:  i.  John  Roup,  born  June 
14,  1782.  2.  Elizabeth,  born  February 
21,  1784,  married  John  McClintock.  3. 
Susannah,  born  March  25,  1786,  married 
Philip  Winebiddle.  4.  Jacob,  born  Au- 
gust 8,  1787,  married  Mary  Thompson. 
5  Catherine,  born  March  21,  1789,  mar- 
ried Jacob  Walters.  6.  Mary,  born  No- 
vember II,  1792,  died  February  7,  1877. 
7.  Rebecca,  born  May  11,  1798,  died  Janu- 
ary 21,  1800.  The  death  of  Jonas  Roup, 
the  father,  occurred  in  Pittsburgh,  April 
30,  1857- 

(11)  John  Roup,  son  of  Jonas  and  Ab- 
lonia (Horr)  Roup,  was  born  June  14, 
1782,  and  died  January  3,  1867.  He  mar- 
ried, March  16,  1809,  Kitty  Winebiddle, 
born  June  20,  1790,  died  October  21,  1877, 
daughter  of  John  Conrad  and  Elizabeth 
(Weitzel)  Winebiddle,  of  Pittsburgh. 
The  only  child  of  John  and  Kitty  (Wine- 
biddle) Roup  was  Rebecca,  born  Novem- 
ber 15,  1812,  who  became  the  wife  of 
William  Penn  Baum,  as  above.  John 
Roup  inherited  the  large  real  estate  hold- 
ings of  his  father,  and  was  a  farmer  all 
his  life. 

(The  Winebiddle  Line). 
Among  the  early  land  owners  of  the 
East  Liberty  Valley  was  John  Conrad 
Winebiddle,  a  name  memorialized  in  one 
of  the  avenues  of  Pittsburgh.  Mr.  Wine- 
biddle came  from  Germany  in  early  man- 
hood, where  he  was  born  at  Bernzabern, 
March  11,  1741.  His  father  and  mother 
having  been  laid  to  rest  on  the  other  side, 
and  being  the  sole  survivor  of  the  family, 
Mr.  Winebiddle  came  to  America  pos- 
sessed of  considerable  gold,  and  estab- 
lished a  tannery  on  the  banks  of  the  Alle- 
gheny river,  in  the  vicinity  of  Lawrence- 
ville,  about  where  the  government  arsenal 
was  later  located.  His  business  was  very 
j)rosperous  and  lucrative,  and  he  invested 
his  money  largely  in  real  estate,  buying 
up  five  hundred  and  fifty  acres.    The  tract 


'^^>^.^4 


y>^^ 


^> 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


which  he  thus  acquired  extended  from 
the  Lawrenceville  district  to  Neg-leys- 
town.  Mr.  Winebiddle  married  Elizabeth 
Weitzel,  and  their  first  home  was  on  the 
Allegheny  river,  not  far  from  the  tannery 
from  which  the  fleets  of  canoes  filled  with 
Cornplanter  Indians  sailing-  back  and 
forth  to  the  town  was  a  frequent  and  in- 
teresting sight.  Later  the  family  occu- 
pied the  home  on  Second  street,  now  Sec- 
ond avenue.  They  had  five  children,  four 
of  whom  lived  to  inherit  the  large  estate. 
These  were  Anna  Barbara  AVinebiddle, 
who  married  Jacob  Negley ;  Kitty  W'ine- 
biddl'e,  who  married  John  Roup,  as  above  ; 
J.  Conrad,  and  Phillip  Winebiddle.  John 
Conrad  Winebiddle  died  September  ii, 
1795,  and  is  buried  in  the  churchyard  of 
the  First  German  United  Evangelical 
Protestant  Church,  of  which  he  was  one 
of  the  founders.  His  remains,  with  those 
of  his  wife,  were  later  transferred  to  the 
Baum  burial  lot  in  the  Allegheny  ceme- 
tery- 


DARLINGTON,  Harry, 

Froxainent   Man   of   Affairs. 

History  shows  that  when  a  man 
achieves  marked  success  in  any  sphere  of 
action  the  greater  part  of  his  life  is  gen- 
erally devoted  to  the  activities  of  that 
sphere,  and  it  rarely  happens  that  he  at- 
tains distinction  in  any  other  field.  The 
exceptions  to  this  rule  are  few,  but  one 
of  the  most  notable  is  furnished  by  the 
record  of  the  late  Harry  Darlington.  For 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  Mr. 
Darlington  was  prominently  identified 
with  railroad  interests  and  was  also  one 
of  the  conspicuous  figures  in  the  business 
world  of  Pittsburgh,  but  then,  withdraw- 
ing from  these  activities,  he  was  known, 
for  nearly  thirty  years  previous  to  his 
death,  as  a  brilliant  and  influential  man 
of  affairs,  a  leader  in  charitable  and  phil- 
anthropic enterprises,  a  distinguished 
yachtsman   and   prominent   in   the   social 


and  club  life  of  the  city  with  which  his 
name  is  inseparably  associated.  Mr. 
Darlington  was  always  loyal  to  the 
metropolis  of  Pennsylvania  and  her  vital 
interests  had  no  more  zealous  supporter 
or  aggressive  advocate. 

The  race  of  the  Darlingtons  is  a  very 
ancient  one  and  was  originally  seated  in 
Cheshire,  England.  The  family  first  ap- 
pears in  history  in  1282,  when  the  death 
is  recorded  of  John  Darlington  (or  de 
Arlington),  Archbishop  of  Dublin.  Many 
branches  have  been  represented  in  com- 
merce, in  the  professions  and  in  the 
church. 

The  Darlington  escutcheon  is :  Arms — 
Azure  guttee  argent,  on  a  fesse  between 
three  leopards'  heads  or,  three  cross 
crosslets  gules.  Crest — A  winged  pillar, 
surmounted  by  a  globe.  Motto — Crucc 
duni  spiro  spcro. 

Francis  Morris  Darlington,  father  of 
Harry  Darlington,  came  from  England 
in  1835,  being  the  only  one  of  the  family 
to  come  to  the  United  States.  Mr.  Dar- 
lington married,  October  20,  1836,  at  St. 
Stephen's  Church,  Philadelphia,  Ellen 
Hardy,  of  ancient  Quaker  lineage.  The 
following  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Darlington :  Harry,  mentioned  be- 
low ;  Annie ;  Mary,  wife  of  Joseph  R.  T. 
Coates,  of  Coatesville,  Pennsylvania;  and 
Ellen,  who  died  in  August,  1914,  and  was 
the  widow  of  Julius  Augustus  Dutton,  a 
coal  merchant  of  Chester,  Pennsylvania. 

Harry  Darlington,  son  of  Francis  Morris 
and  Ellen  (Hardy)  Darlington,  was  born 
January  3,  1838,  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  received  his  primary  education 
in  the  schools  of  his  native  town,  passing 
thence  to  the  Philadelphia  Fligh  School 
and  graduating  from  that  institution.  After 
studying  for  a  time  at  the  Western  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania  (now  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pittsburgh),  Mr.  Darlington,  while 
still  a  youth,  entered  the  railroad  busi- 
ness as  an  employe  of  the  Philadelphia, 
643 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Wilmington  &  Baltimore  railroad,  which 
was  one  of  the  first  railroads  constructed 
in  the  United  States.  Mr.  Darlington  was 
employed  in  the  Philadelphia  office  and 
the  marked  ability  which  he  manifested 
from  the  very  outset,  combined  with  his 
unswerving  integrity,  early  attracted  the 
notice  of  his  superiors.  The  career  which 
opened  with  such  bright  prospects  was 
interrupted  by  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil 
War.  The  patriotism  which,  throughout 
life  was  one  of  Mr.  Darlington's  salient 
characteristics,  was  fanned  into  a  flame 
by  the  bombardment  of  Fort  Sumter  and 
at  the  first  call  for  troops  he  hastened  to 
ofifer  his  services  to  the  government.  En- 
listing in  the  Union  army,  he  served  with 
credit  for  three  years,  receiving  at  the 
end  of  that  time  an  honorable  discharge. 
In  the  sixties,  after  severing  his  con- 
nection with  the  Philadelphia,  Wilming- 
ton &  Baltimore  railroad,  Mr.  Darlington 
went  to  Pittsburgh,  and  one  of  his  first 
undertakings  in  that  city  was  the  opera- 
tion of  a  brewery  which  he  conducted 
successfully  for  a  number  of  years.  In 
1886  he  disposed  of  the  business  to  the 
Pittsburgh  Brewing  Company,  and  im- 
mediately organized  the  Westmoreland  & 
Cambria  Natural  Gas  Company,  of  which 
he  became  president.  This  company  de- 
veloped the  Grapeville  district,  east  of 
Jeannette,  Pennsylvania,  supplying  gas  to 
Greensburg.  Latrobe,  Derry  and  Johns- 
town. Mr.  Darlington  leased  the  Elba 
Iron  Works,  in  Second  avenue,  and  for 
a  number  of  years  operated  the  plant  with 
marked  success.  At  different  times  he 
belonged  to  the  directorates  of  numerous 
companies  in  Pittsburgh  district,  but  was 
never  associated  with  the  steel  corpora- 
tion, his  holdings  being  entirely  inde- 
pendent. He  gradually  extended  his  in- 
terests and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was 
a  director  of  the  Cleveland  &  Pittsburgh 
Railroad  Company,  the  Grand  Rapids  & 
Indiana    Railroad    Company,    the    Pitts- 


burgh Steel  Foundry  Company,  the  Pitts- 
burgh, Youngstown  &  Ashtabula  Rail- 
road Company,  the  Diamond  Alkali  Com- 
pany, of  which  he  was  one  of  the  princi- 
pal owners,  and  the  Union  National 
Bank.  He  was  also  a  director  of  the 
Follansbee  Brothers  Company,  sheet  and 
tinplate  makers,  and  the  Pittsburgh 
Forge  and  Iron  Company.  He  was  vice- 
president  and  director  of  the  Macbeth- 
Evans  Glass  Company.  His  real  estate 
holdings  were  extensive  in  Pittsburgh. 
Throughout  his  business  career  Mr.  Dar- 
lington showed  himself  to  be  a  man  of 
broad  gauge,  inexhaustible  energy,  daunt- 
less courage  and  unflinching  fidelity  to 
principle — a  veritable  captain  of  industry. 

As  a  vigilant  and  attentive  observer  of 
men  and  measures,  holding  sound  opin- 
ions and  taking  liberal  views,  Mr.  Dar- 
lington was  frequently  consulted  in  re- 
gard to  matters  of  municipal  importance, 
and  his  public  spirit  and  rapidity  of  judg- 
ment enabled  him,  despite  the  engross- 
ing demands  of  the  many  interests  which 
claimed  his  attention,  to  give,  in  such  in- 
stances, valuable  counsel  and  earnest 
efifort.  He  was  an  ardent  clubman  and 
was  instrumental  in  the  organization  of 
the  Duquesne  Club,  the  Pittsburgh  Club 
and  the  Allegheny  Country  Club.  He 
also  belonged  to  the  University  Club,  the 
Pittsburgh  Golf  Club,  the  New  York 
Golf  Club,  the  Westchester  Country  Club, 
and  the  New  York  Larchmont,  American 
and  Corinthian  Yacht  clubs,  of  New 
York,  and  the  Racquet  Club  of  New 
York.  He  was  enrolled  in  the  Union 
League  Club  of  Philadelphia,  and  was  a 
Blue  Lodge  and  Chapter  Mason.  For 
years  he  served  as  a  vestryman  of  Trinity 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

In  the  prime  of  life  Mr.  Darlington 
withdrew  from  the  activities  of  business, 
but  it  was  only  that  he  might  seek  out- 
lets in  other  channels  for  the  exercise  of 
his  exuberant  energies,  his  versatile 
644 


I        3X<? 


4  *  4  «  i^i^  *  «  »  « 

*     *     4     4^*^11^  I     «    «    « 

«    •    «    t- 

1    ♦      *     4      «   >-^  -, 


■  >.\         •     ♦     *     4 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


talents  and  his  all-embracing  benevo- 
lence. He  was  said  to  have  been  the 
largest  single  contributor  to  the  fund  for 
the  erection  of  the  Allegheny  General 
Hospital,  of  vv^hich  he  was  a  director,  and 
it  was  within  the  two  last  years  of  his 
life  that  he  and  his  wife  erected  the  chil- 
dren's ward  of  that  institution  at  an  ex- 
pense of  more  than  thirty  thousand  dol- 
lars. At  Christmas,  all  the  children  in 
the  hospital  and  in  the  other  institutions 
in  which  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Darlington  were 
interested,  received  gifts,  a  representa- 
tive having  been  previously  sent  among 
them  to  learn  what  they  most  desired.  In 
every  instance,  it  was  said,  each  child  re- 
ceived the  thing  that  it  wished  for,  if  it 
could  possibly  be  procured,  no  matter 
what  the  cost.  Do  Christmas  annals  re- 
cord any  deed  more  beautiful  than  this? 
Old  servants  and  friends  who  had  be- 
come reduced  in  circumstances  could 
bear  grateful  testimony  to  the  generosity 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Darlington.  Mr.  Dar- 
lington was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Allegheny  Preparatory  School  and  con- 
tributed largely  to  its  support,  also  giv- 
ing many  scholarships  to  Pittsburgh  boys 
and  girls.  His  private  charities  were  nu- 
merous and  widespread,  but  their  full 
number  will  never  be  known  to  the  world. 
A  man  nobly  planned  was  Flarry  Dar- 
lington and  his  face  was  an  index  to  his 
character — the  broad  forehead,  so  mani- 
festly the  abode  of  intellect,  and  the  clear- 
cut  features,  sensitive  yet  strong,  and  ac- 
centuated by  a  white  moustache  which 
imparted  an  air  of  singular  distinction  to 
a  countenance  which  spoke  of  quiet  force, 
innate  refinement  and  a  rarely  genial  and 
sympathetic  nature.  The  eyes,  while 
keen  and  searching,  were  eloquent  of 
afifection  and  kindliness.  His  manner 
was  one  that  drew  men  to  him.  His  very 
presence  compelled  friendship.  Loyal 
and   generous,  of  incorruptible   integrity 


and  stainless  honor,  he  looked  what  he 
was — a  high-minded  gentleman,  a  man  of 
broad  views,  large  faith  and  a  great  heart. 

Mr.  Darlington  married  (first)  March 
29,  1858,  Margaret  McCanles  De  Wald, 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  a  son  and 
a  daughter:  Frank  Groef,  of  Indianap- 
olis, Indiana,  married  Elise  Willis  Buck- 
ingham and  has  four  children  ;  and  Mar- 
garet Hardy,  who  died  April  11,  1915 ; 
she  married  Stephen  Howe  Bennett,  of 
Boston,  and  they  had  three  children,  Eliz- 
abeth McCullough  Darlington  ;  Margaret 
D. ;  and  Helen  Howe.  Mrs.  Darlington 
died  in  1872,  and  Mr.  Darlington  married 
(second)  November  6,  1877,  Mary  Eliza- 
beth, daughter  of  J.  N.  and  Rebecca  T. 
(Andrews)  McCullough.  Mr.  McCul- 
lough was  then  first  vice-president  of  the 
Pennsylvania  railroad,  and  after  his  death 
Mr.  Darlington  became  one  of  three  trus- 
tees and  upon  the  death  of  two  co- 
trustees he  became  sole  trustee  of  the 
McCullough  estate,  retaining  the  office 
even  after  retiring  from  active  business. 
The  following  children  were  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Darlington :  Rebecca  McCul- 
lough ;  Jacob  Nessly,  deceased ;  Eliza- 
beth, deceased;  Harry,  Jr.;  and  Mary 
Laughlin,  deceased.  Rebecca  McCullough 
Darlington  became  the  wife  of  Louis  E 
Stoddard,  a  prominent  Yale  graduate  and 
a  member  of  the  international  polo  team 
that  was  victorious  in  the  contest  for  the 
American  cup. 

On  December  13,  1913,  Mrs.  Stoddard 
passed  away,  leaving  three  young  chil- 
dren, two  daughters  and  a  son.  She  was' 
a  woman  of  lovely  personality,  with  a  face 
expressive  both  of  character  and  sweet- 
ness, and  was  prominent  in  Pittsburgh, 
New  York  and  New  Haven  society,  the 
last-named  being,  after  her  marriage,  her 
home  city.  The  home  life  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Darlington  was  one  of  ideal  beauty  and 
felicity.    They  stood  at  the  head  of  Pitts- 


1645 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


burgh  society,  Mrs.  Darlington,  a  woman 
of  gentle  breeding  and  unusual  charm, 
being  an  acknowledged  leader.  The  beau- 
tiful city  residence  of  the  family  and  their 
lovely  summer  home — "Seven  Oaks" — at 
Mamaroneck,  New  York,  were  centres  of 
hospitality,  and  all  who  were  ever  privi- 
leged to  be  the  guests  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Darlington  can  testify  to  their  charm  as 
host  and  hostess.  Mrs.  Darlington,  by 
her  exquisite  graciousness  of  manner,  put 
at  ease  all  who  came  into  her  presence, 
and  Mr.  Darlington,  delightful  at  all 
times,  was  never  so  fascinating  as  at  his 
own  fireside.  He  was  conspicuous  not 
only  in  club  life,  but  also  in  j^achting 
circles.  His  magnificent  yacht,  one  of 
the  finest  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  was 
christened  the  "Elreba,"  a  combination 
of  the  names  of  his  wife  and  daughter. 
He  was  also  noted  as  an  amateur  horse- 
man, owning  a  number  of  the  finest 
horses  which,  however,  he  never  allowed 
to  be  entered  on  a  race  track. 

The  sudden  death  of  Mrs.  Stoddard 
was  a  great  shock  to  Mr.  Darlington,  and 
from  that  time  his  health  rapidly  de- 
clined. On  September  27,  1914,  he  passed 
away,  at  "Seven  Oaks,"  deeply  and  sin- 
cerely mourned  by  his  many  personal 
friends  and  by  multitudes  who  had  never 
looked  upon  his  face.  He  was  a  man 
whose  presence  radiated  sunshine  and 
there  are  those  to  whom  the  world  will 
never  again  seem  as  bright  as  when  they 
possessed  his  companionship.  His  was 
a  well  rounded  and  a  truly  noble  life.  At 
all  times  he  seemed,  in  his  efforts  for  the 
advancement  of  all  that  was  best  and 
highest,  like  an  incarnation  of  that  age 
of  world-progress,  the  latter  decades  of 
the  nineteenth  century  and  the  opening 
years  of  the  twentieth.  Realizing  that  he 
would  not  pass  this  way  again  he  made 
wise  use  of  his  opportunities  and  his 
wealth,  conforming  his  life  to  the  loftiest 


standards,  and  leaving  a  record  in  per- 
fect harmony  with  the  history  of  an 
honorable  and  distinguished  ancestry. 

When  a  man  touches  life  at  as  many 
points  as  did  Harry  Darlington  he  leaves 
upon  his  community  the  impress  of  an 
extremely  complex  character,  and  in 
order  to  describe  him  adequately  it  is 
necessary  to  consider  him  not  as  one,  but 
as  several  distinct  personalities.  As  busi- 
ness man  Mr.  Darlington  helped  to  make 
Pittsburgh  the  capital  of  the  industrial 
world.  As  railroad  magnate  he  enlarged 
her  horizon,  placing  her  in  communica- 
tion with  her  remote  ports  and  markets. 
As  citizen  he  was  largely  instrumental  in 
increasing  her  power  as  a  municipality, 
upholding  by  word  and  deed  the  cause  of 
good  government  and  civic  virtue.  In  all 
these  different  spheres  of  action  he  won 
honor  during  his  lifetime  and  after  he 
rested  from  his  labors  he  was  accorded 
a  monumental  place  in  the  history  of  his 
city.  There  remains,  however,  yet  an- 
other phase  of  his  character  to  be  con- 
sidered— his  work  and  influence  as  a 
philanthropist.  It  is  thus  that  he  will  be 
remembered  longest,  most  reverently  and 
most  affectionately,  and  it  is  thus  that  he 
would  most  earnestly  choose  to  be  re- 
membered. His  heart  glowed  with  love 
for  humanity.  His  wealth  was  predomi- 
nently  a  means  of  ministering  to  the 
needy  and  uplifting  the  discouraged  and 
downtrodden.  Men  and  women  and  little 
children  loved  and  venerated  him  and 
called  down  blessings  on  his  name.  We 
will  not  call  him  a  philanthropist.  The 
word  seems  cold  when  applied  to  one  of 
his  warmth  of  heart  and  tenderness  of 
feeling.  W^e  will  call  him  what  future 
generations  of  his  fellow  citizens  will  call 
him  in  preference  to  the  prouder  titles 
which  were  so  universally  accorded  him. 
They  will  say,  "Harry  Darlington  was 
one  'who  loved  his  fellow  men'." 


1646 


fa>7n^ 


^^^ 


-e_' 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


GABLE,  William  Francis, 

Public-Spirited  Citizen. 

In  the  record  that  follows  of  the  life 
and  work  of  William  F.  Gable,  of  Al- 
toona,  Pennsylvania,  there  occurs  de- 
scription of  his  entry  into  many  fields  of 
endeavor  other  than  that  in  which  he  has 
made  his  greatest  mark,  mercantile  trade, 
and  the  narration,  with  unvarying  regu- 
larity, of  his  success  and  prominence  in 
those  enterprises  to  which  he  has  ad- 
dressed himself.  And  when  the  final 
analysis  has  been  made  and  the  fact  of  his 
natural  talents  and  abilities  discounted, 
there  remains  as  the  keynote  of  his 
achievement  in  many  lines  his  limitless 
energy,  his  boundless  capacity  for  unre- 
mitting toil,  and  his  untiring  industry. 
To  this  eiifect  have  spoken  and  written 
those  who  know  Air.  Gable  as  an  inti- 
mate, who  appreciate  the  sterling  qual- 
ities he  possesses,  and  who  are  consid- 
erate in  their  observation  of  his  well 
known  distaste  for  personal  public  atten- 
tion. From  the  following  pages  could  be 
taken  paragraphs  which  would  compose 
a  creditable  record  of  one  who  had  made 
his  chief  and  highest  aim  merchandising, 
the  raising  of  blooded  stock,  the  collect- 
ing of  old  and  valuable  books  and  docu- 
ments, or  intelligently  directed  philan- 
thropy, yet  such  activity  has  been  that  of 
William  F.  Gable  alone,  and  that  in  the 
midst  of  other  connections  and  obliga- 
tions in  multitudinous  array.  Altoona 
with  justice  has  done  him  abundant 
honor,  honor  merited  by  his  devotion  to 
her  interests,  by  his  service  in  the  causes 
of  municipal  righteousness  and  uplift. 

William  F.  Gable,  son  of  Isaac  and 
Hannah  M.  (Wollerton)  Gable,  grandson 
of  Peter  and  Sarah  (Mast)  Gable,  de- 
scends paternally  from  German  forbears, 
his  maternal  line  tracing  to  early  Penn- 
sylvania colonial  days  and  George  Smed- 
ley,  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends, 
who  came  from  England  in  1682.     From 


him,  the  American  founder  of  the  Smed- 
ley  family,  Mr.  Gable  is  seventh  in  de- 
scent. William  F.  Gable  was  born  in 
Upper  Uwchlan,  Chester  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, February  12,  1856,  and  it  is 
worth  while  to  state  here  that  Mr.  Gable 
has  said  that  if  he  could  have  chosen  his 
own  natal  day  it  would  have  been  the 
1 2th  of  February,  for  that  date  is  the 
birthday  of  the  man  he  considers  the 
greatest  citizen  of  the  United  States  of 
any  period,  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  at- 
tended the  country  schools  of  his  native 
county  and,  his  parents  moving  to  Read- 
ing, Pennsylvania,  when  he  was  a  youth 
of  thirteen  years,  the  Reading  High 
School.  He  was  also  a  student  in  the 
Reading  Commercial  College,  maintained 
by  Professor  Chester  N.  Farr,  and  was 
graduated  from  that  institution. 

His  business  career  began  with  his  em- 
ployment as  bookkeeper  for  Boas  & 
Raudenbush,  a  prosperous  lumber  firm  of 
Reading,  and  after  five  years  of  service 
with  this  house  he  accepted  a  similar  posi- 
tion with  Dives,  Pomeroy  &  Stewart, 
well  known  as  a  leading  dry  goods  con- 
cern, in  which  employ  he  remained  for 
six  years.  On  March  i,  1884,  his  first 
connection  with  the  business  interests  of 
Altoona  was  formed  and  he  became  a 
partner  in  a  small  business  that,  through 
many  stages  and  periods  of  growth  and 
development  covering  a  period  of  more 
than  thirty-one  years,  has  become  the 
great,  modern  "Daylight  Store"  of  Wil- 
liam F.  Gable  &  Company.  His  original 
partner  in  this  enterprise  was  John  R. 
Sprecher,  and  as  Sprecher  &  Gable  the 
business  was  founded,  although  within  a 
few  months  Mr.  Sprecher's  interest  was 
purchased  by  Mr.  Gable's  former  em- 
ployers. Dives,  Pomeroy  &  Stewart,  the 
firm  name  becoming  William  F.  Gable  & 
Company.  Under  this  caption  the  busi- 
ness has  been  continued,  constantly  ex- 
panding as  additional  success  and  pros- 


1647 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


perity  rewarded  adherence  to  strict  and 
upright  principles  of  dealing.  Its  growth 
has  been  vigorous  and  natural,  and  the 
proud  position  it  now  occupies  is  one 
that  is  well  deserved  and  that  bears  elo- 
quent testimony  to  the  business  genius 
of  him  who  has  had  its  destinies  in  hand. 
One  of  the  rules  of  conduct  in  the  Gable 
Store  of  paramount  importance  in  its  re- 
lation to  the  public,  has  been  the  system 
of  cash  payment,  at  this  time  an  unusual 
feature  in  department  store  management 
the  worth  of  which  has  been  fully  proven, 
since  while  it  has  been  in  force  the  size 
of  the  store  has  increased  from  a  small 
room  twenty  by  forty  feet,  to  an  estab- 
lishment with  approximately  three  acres 
of  floor  space,  while  at  the  same  time  the 
operating  force  of  the  store  has  grown 
from  ten  or  twelve  to  between  three  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five  and  five  hundred 
persons.  Every  invention  and  improve- 
ment applicable  to  department  stores 
has  found  its  way  into  the  nearly  fifty 
departments  of  the  Gable  store,  while 
the  elaborate  details  of  its  management 
have  been  worked  out  by  Mr.  Gable  and 
his  assistants  from  deep  knowledge 
and  long  experience.  In  every  relation 
between  the  store  organization  and  the 
public  the  utmost  has  been  done  for 
the  patrons  of  the  store,  not  only  in 
quality  and  price  of  merchandise,  but  in 
matters  of  comfort,  convenience  and  en- 
joyment, and  the  place  the  store  holds  in 
the  confidence  of  the  city's  people  be- 
speaks their  appreciation.  Within  the 
store,  and  in  many  cases  unknown  to  the 
public,  are  clubs  and  organizations  among 
the  many  employees,  and  a  hearty  spirit 
of  cooperation  has  been  built  up  through 
Mr.  Gable's  constant  aid  and  sympathy, 
his  attitude  speaking  in  his  expression  of 
this  sentiment :  "There  is  no  line  drawn 
in  my  mind  or  heart  between  employer 
and  employee."  The  welfare  and  happi- 
ness of  those  who  are  his  assistants  in 


Kx 


the  operation  of  his  business  are  among 
his  greatest  concerns,  and  he  is  ceaseless 
in  his  efl:orts  to  insure  these  blessing  to 
them. 

That  this  regard  and  concern  are  ap- 
preciated by  their  recipients  and  that  in 
every  employee  of  his  store  Mr.  Gable 
has  a  true  and  admiring  friend  is  testi- 
fied to  by  everyone  familiar  with  the 
facts,  and  expression  was  given  to  this 
feeling  at  the  banquet  tendered  the  store 
employees  by  Mr.  Gable  in  celebration 
of  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the 
business,  when  Mr.  Gable  was  presented 
with  a  silver  loving  cup,  engraved  with 
his  monogram,  an  etching  of  the  store  in 
its  present  appearance,  and  the  words 
quoted  above.  On  this  gala  occasion 
there  were  present  several  of  the  intel- 
lectual lights  of  the  country,  friends  of 
Mr.  Gable,  including  Horace  Traubel  and 
the  late  Elbert  Plubbard. 

But  the  story  of  the  life  and  work  of 
the  store  might  be  prolonged  through 
pages  and  pages,  were  an  attempt  made 
to  tell  the  interesting  story,  of  many  of 
the  departments  and  inner  organizations, 
such  as  the  "Quarter  Century  Club," 
membership  in  which  is  based  upon 
twenty-five  years  in  the  employ  of  the 
firm,  at  the  end  of  which  time  the  new 
member  is  presented  with  one  hundred 
dollars  in  gold ;  or  the  remarkable  photo- 
graphic studio,  presided  over  by  Mr. 
Gable's  son,  Robert,  which  is  the  largest 
between  New  York  and  Chicago,  and  so 
excellently  equipped  that  pictures  can  be 
made  "any  size,  any  place,  any  time." 
This,  however,  is  a  chronicle  of  the  activ- 
ities of  William  Francis  Gable,  and  the 
foregoing  has  been  told  only  that  a 
proper  conception  of  the  magnitude  and 
importance  of  his  commercial  operations 
might  be  gained. 

It  is  difficult  to  determine  whether  Al- 
toona  is  prouder  of  Mr.  Gable  as  a  suc- 
cessful business  man  than  n<:  a  loyal, 
^8 


ENCYCLOPEDIA   OE   BIOGRAPHY 


public-spirited  citizen,  or  the  reverse,  but 
in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  and  respon- 
sibiUties  in  the  latter  role  he  has  estab- 
lished a  wonderful  standard.  His  inter- 
est extends  to  every  department  of  the 
city  life.  He  places  prizes  for  competi- 
tion in  different  departments  of  the  Al- 
toona  schools,  conducts  a  regular  weekly 
sewing  class  with  qualified  instructors  in 
his  large  store  for  the  young  girls,  and, 
with  praiseworthy  wisdom  and  foresight, 
distributes  thousands  of  trees  among  the 
school  children  of  Blair  county,  for  plant- 
ing on  Arbor  Day.  His  gift  of  trees  in 
1914  was  twenty-five  thousand  white 
ashes,  the  previous  year  the  same  num- 
ber of  elms,  and  in  1912  and  191 1  twenty 
thousand  silver  maples  and  catalpas.  Mis 
private  benevolences  are  large  and  in 
most  cases  attended  to  by  him  in  person. 
Xo  worthy  object  in  his  city  has  been 
long  without  his  substantial  aid,  and  the 
measure  of  the  good  he  has  accomplished 
cannot  be  told. 

One  of  j\Ir.  Gable's  most  pleasurable 
relaxations  from  the  cares  of  business  is 
in  his  library  and  collection  of  old  and 
rare  books,  autographs  and  manuscripts, 
which  he  has  gathered  because  of  his 
love  of  literary  and  historical  study  and 
his  regard  for  those  men  and  women  who 
have  made  literature  and  history.  Repre- 
sented in  his  collection  are  manuscripts 
and  epistolary  correspondence  of  the 
notables  of  many  countries  and  periods, 
and  it  includes  original  autograph  letters 
of  nearly  all  of  the  signers  of  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence,  letters  of  Benja- 
min Franklin,  and  a  complete  set  of  let- 
ters of  all  the  Presidents  of  the  United 
States,  many  written  while  in  office.  Mr. 
Gable  is  the  owner  of  one  of  the  largest 
collections  extant  of  the  letters  and  manu- 
scripts of  Bayard  Taylor,  John  Green- 
leaf  Whittier,  Plenry  \\'.  Longfellow, 
Oliver  Wendell  Holmes,  Thomas  Bailev 
Aldrich,    Walt    Whitman,    Mark    Twain, 


Eugene  Eield,  James  W'hitcomb  Riley, 
and  he  possesses  in  large  numbers  letters 
of  John  Ruskin,  Charles  Dickens,  Charles 
Darwin,  Robert  Burns,  Thomas  Henry 
Huxley  and  John  Tyndall.  Mr.  Gable  is 
particularly  proud  of  his  ownership  of 
many  of  the  original  writings  of  Colonel 
Robert  G.  Ingersoll,  being  a  great  ad- 
mirer of  the  talented  colonel. 

Another  of  Mr.  Gable's  interests,  which 
partakes  of  the  nature  of  both  business 
and  pleasure,  is  his  stock  farm  of  more 
than  five  hundred  acres,  "Glen  Gable 
Farms,"  in  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where,  under  the  management  of  his  son, 
Lowell  B.,  thoroughbred  Guernsey  cattle 
are  raised  and  blooded  trotting  horses,  of 
both  of  which  he  is  very  fond.  The  estate 
is  magnificently  equipped  for  the  pur- 
pose, every  sanitary  and  scientific  appli- 
ance having  been  obtained,  and  many 
honors  have  come  to  the  stock  there  bred 
and  the  dairy  products  of  the  farm.  In 
1913  "Glen  Gable  Farms"  won  the  gold 
medal  at  the  National  Dairy  Show  at 
Chicago,  Illinois,  for  the  finest  milk  pro- 
duced in  Pennsylvania,  with  a  score  of 
06.75,  while  at  the  Panama-Pacific  Inter- 
national Exposition  at  San  Francisco, 
California,  yet  further  distinction  was 
gained.  Ilere  the  gold  medal  and  the 
medal  of  honor  in  the  market  milk  class 
were  awarded  "Glen  Gable  Farms,"  over 
twenty-five  hundred  competitors,  the  best 
in  the  world,  the  average  of  excellence 
being  here  raised  to  ninety-seven  out  of 
a  possible  one  hundred  points.  This 
achievement  the  Altoona  "Mirror"  com- 
mented upon  editorially  as  follows:  "Mr. 
Gable  is  a  gold  medal  business  man.  a 
gold  medal  collector  of  manuscripts  and 
rare  books,  a  gold  medal  friend,  and  now 
to  these  svmbols  of  superiority  has  been 
adrled  the  gold  medal  as  a  farmer." 

Mr.  Gable's  historical  interests  have 
led  him  to  membership  in  the  Historical 
Societv  of  Pennsvlvania  and  the  Thomas 


1649 


EXCYCLOPEDIA  OF   BIOGRAPHY 


Paine  Xatioiial  Historical  Society,  his 
activity  as  a  stock  raiser  in  the  American 
Guernsey  Cattle  Club,  and  his  literary 
tastes  in  the  Altoona  Robert  Burns  Club. 
He  is  a  sympathizer  with  no  religious 
sect  or  creed,  and  views  with  distaste  the 
dissensions  and  differences  that  have 
given  rise  to  these.  Plis  broad-minded 
outlook  is  best  shown  in  his  own  words  : 
"Henceforth  let  us  recognize  only  the 
brotherhood  of  man.  Let  us  bid  adieu  to 
the  'Elect'  and  'Select.'  No  more  "Ala- 
sons,"  'Knights,"  or  'Odd  Fellows,"  but 
one  universal  order  of  "Good  Fellows," 
honest  men  and  honest  women,  bearing 
the  banners  of  right  and  justice  every- 
where."" The  foregoing  has  been  in  part 
a  revelation,  not  only  of  the  actual  ac- 
complishment of  his  career,  but  of  the 
strength  of  mind  and  purity  of  character 
that  his  intimates  know.  Two  quotations 
from  himself  give  a  still  further  insight 
into  his  hopes  and  ideals,  into  the  spirit 
that  animates  his  restless  endeavor.  The 
first  is  from  his  speech  of  greeting  to  his 
guests  at  the  banquet  on  the  occasion  of 
the  silver  anniversary :  "Just  a  word  be- 
fore closing  about  the  ideal  store,  or  'the 
store  beautiful,"  that  1  often  dream  of. 
Present  economic  conditions  interfere 
with  this  store  being  all  we  would  like 
it  to  be.  The  mad,  wild,  greedy  rush  of 
competition  forces  us  to  use  some 
methods  that  we  would  instantly  dis- 
pense with  were  it  not  that  we  must  pro- 
tect ourselves  vmder  present  conditions. 
One  establishment  cannot  fight  the  battle 
alone.  We  do  what  we  can  to  make 
things  better  and  hope  for  the  day  when 
the  competitive  system  will  be  no  longer 
in  the  way  of  a  higher  and  better  civiliza- 
tion. Under  a  cooperative  common- 
wealth we  could  get  nearer  the  ideal 
store.  With  the  passing  of  pay  rolls  and 
profits  the  real  pleasure  of  work  would 
begin.  That  time  is  coming  with  as  much 
certainty  and  splendor  as  an  Alleghany 


mountain  sunrise."  And  the  second  is 
his  contribution  to  the  1914  Xew  Year 
sentiments  of  Blair  county  published  in 
an  Altoona  journal:  "Alay  1914  give  us: 
More  druggist  Taylors,  shovel  in  hand, 
on  all  the  corners  of  all  the  streets.  The 
man  with  the  shovel  beats  the  man  with 
the  banner.  May  1914  give  us  bigger 
crops  of  wheat,  corn,  and  potatoes.  May 
1914  give  us  better  live  stock  and  more 
live  people  ;  more  democrats  and  less  aris- 
tocrats ;  more  states  to  give  votes  to 
women  ;  more  vision  for  men  and  women 
to  broaden  their  minds  and  prepare  them 
to  save  for  all  the  people,  this  land  of 
Liberty.'" 

So  this  brief  record  closes.  Xone 
doubts  but  that  in  the  coming  years  ever 
increasing  benefit  will  flow  from  him  to 
all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact,  and 
that  the  best  chapters  of  his  life  story 
remain  to  be  written. 

William  F.  Gable  married.  May  7.  187Q, 
Kate  Elizabeth  P'Over,  born  in  Reading. 
Pennsylvania.  January  24,  i860,  daugh- 
ter of  Benjamin  Franklin  and  Elizabeth 
(Clouser)  Boyer,  Rev.  A.  H.  Sembower 
performing  the  ceremony.  Children  of 
William  Francis  and  Kate  Elizabeth 
(Boyer)  Gable:  i.  Edna  Luella,  born 
April  22.  1881  ;  married.  May  26,  1903. 
James  ?L  Powers,  and  has  children: 
\\'ollerton,  born  May  24,  1904,  Lowell 
Gable,  born  January  5.  1907,  Elizabeth 
Boyer,  born  December  19.  1908,  Pauline 
Penelope,  born  August  27,  1910,  James 
Henry,  born  April  2,  191 2.  2.  Bayard 
Wollerton,  born  March  12,  1883,  died 
June  25,  1906,  at  sea.  3.  Lowell  Boyer, 
born  February  26,  1887.  4.  Elizabeth 
Smedley,  born  June  22,  1888,  died  July 
16,  1888.  5.  Gertrude  Pellman,  born  Sep- 
tember 8,  1889;  married,  September  5, 
1912,  George  Pomeroy  Stewart,  and  has 
a  daughter,  Frances  Gable  Stewart,  born 
July  23,  1913.  6.  Robert  Blair,  born  May 
7,  1892;  married,  October  21,  1914,  Lillian 
650 


The  dentury  Puilishmg  &J!n.^rdvin|  do.  Shica^o  . 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Calhoun  Burns.  7.  Anna  Katharine,  born 
June  2,  1896.  8.  George  Pomeroy,  born 
March  18,  1898.  9.  Mary  Virginia,  born 
July  31,  1901. 


HAYS,  WUliam, 

Iiegislator,   Jurist. 

John  Hays,  the  American  ancestor  of 
the  William  Hays  family  of  Pittsburgh, 
came  to  this  country  from  the  North  of 
Ireland,  in  1730,  and  settled  in  Chester 
county,  Pennsylvania.  He  erected  a 
house  which  was  destroyed  by  fire ;  he 
then  removed  to  Bucks  county  (now 
Northampton)  in  1732,  locating  near 
Weaversville,  where  he  kept  an  inn,  store 
and  tannery.  Mention  of  this  is  to  be 
found  in  Egles'  "History  of  Pennsyl- 
vania." According  to  the  records  he  was 
one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  the  Craig, 
or  Scotch-Irish  settlement,  in  East  Allen 
township,  Northampton  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  becarne  widely  known  in 
church  and  Colonial  affairs.  He  was  an 
elder  in  the  First  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Weaversville,  Northampton  county, 
which  was  built  of  logs  in  1746.  He  was 
a  leader  in  the  community  in  which  he 
dwelt  and  was  a  captain  of  the  company 
in  defense  of  the  frontier  from  the  In- 
dians prior  to  1756,  when,  in  January  of 
that  year  a  company  of  Scotch-Irish, 
commanded  by  Captain  John  Hays,  sent 
to  protect  the  settlers  on  the  frontier  at 
Gnadenhuten  (Tents  or  Huts  of  Grace), 
through  disregard  of  their  captain's  cau- 
tions, were  ambushed  by  the  Indians  and 
nearly  all  killed.  On  May  22,  1775,  he 
was  appointed  committeeman  for  Allen 
township,  Northampton  county  by  the 
Committee  of  Correspondence.  In  De- 
cember, 1776,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four, 
John  Hays  was  chosen  as  captain  of  a 
company  and  marched  with  it  to  Phila- 
delphia. This  company  was  one  of  the 
first  from  the  Scotch-Irish,  or  Craig  set- 
tlement in  Allen  township,  to  respond  to 

I 


General  Washington's  requisition.  His 
company  was  raised  and  reported  for 
duty  at  forty  hours'  notice  and  formed 
the  nucleus  of  what  was  called  Washing- 
ton's "Flying  Camp,"  numbering  two 
thousand  men.  They  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Long  Island,  Trenton  and 
Brandywine.  (See  Egles'  "History  of 
Pennsylvania"). 

John  Hays  died  November  16,  1789, 
aged  eighty-five  years,  and  was  buried  in 
the  churchyard  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  near  Weaversville.  He  was  mar- 
ried, in  Ireland,  to  Jane  Love,  who  was 
born  in  1702,  and  who  died  at  Derry, 
Northumberland  county,  in  1806,  aged 
ninety-four.  Issue:  i.  John,  of  whom 
below.  2.  William.  3.  Robert.  4.  James. 
5.  Francis.  6.  Jane.  7.  Isabelle.  8.  Mary. 
9.  Elizabeth.  All  of  the  sons,  except 
William,  who  died  young,  served  in  the 
Revolutionary  War;  two  of  them  are 
said  to  have  been  with  the  parties  left  to 
keep  up  the  camp  fires  at  Trenton  when 
Washington  surprised  the  British  at 
Princeton. 

(II)  John  Hays,  eldest  son  of  John  and 
Jane  (Love)  Hays,  was  born  in  the  North 
of  Ireland,  in  1728,  and  came  with  his 
parents  to  America  in  1730.  The  first 
authentic  record  of  his  activity  in  colo- 
nial affairs  states  that  on  June  28,  1757, 
he  returned  from  Juniata  on  the  outlook 
for  hostile  Indians.  In  1760  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  Provincial  Council  a  mem- 
ber of  a  delegation  to  attend  "Tecdyus- 
cung,"  one  of  the  most  noted  kings  of  the 
Delaware  Indians,  to  the  Great  Indian 
council  to  be  held  by  the  Western  In- 
dians over  the  Ohio;  returned  July  i, 
1760,  to  Bethlehem  having  been  denied 
passage  through  the  country  of  the 
Seneca  Indians  (Journal  of  their  travels 
and  proceedings  can  be  found  in  the 
Pennsylvania  Archives,  vol.  iii.,  p.  735V 

On  October  16,  1776,  he  was  appointed 
second  lieutenant  of  the  Twelfth  Bat- 
651 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


talion  of  Foot,  Pennsylvania  Regiment, 
Continental  Line,  for  continental  service, 
commanded  by  Colonel  William  Cooke ; 
appointed  by  the  "Council  of  Safety"  in 
Philadelphia.  This  battalion  viras  com- 
posed of  good  riflemen  and  scouts  who 
participated  in  the  "hottest  part  of  the 
battle  of  Brandywine  and  lost  heavily," 
and  in  the  battle  of  Trenton  in  the  "hot- 
test fight  in  Germantown,  also  losing 
heavily,  the  remnant  being  nearly  des- 
troyed at  Monmouth."  (See  Pennsyl- 
vania Archives,  Second  Series,  vol.  x.,  pp. 
758-760). 

In  documentary  records  it  is  found  that 
he  was  spoken  of  as  Colonel  Hays  and 
also  as  Counsel  Colonel  Hays.  After  the 
war  Colonel  John  Hays  resided  in  the 
settlement,  engaged  in  milling,  tanning, 
farming,  etc.  The  Moravians  wishing  to 
exchange  a  large  tract  of  land,  in  what 
is  now  Crawford  county,  for  the  prop- 
erty on  which  he  resided,  and  wishing  a 
property  large  enough  to  locate  his  large 
family  near  each  other,  he  undertook,  in 
company  with  his  son  William,  a  journey 
on  horseback  to  examine  the  property. 
While  engaged  in  that  work  he  became 
overheated,  and  drinking  too  much  cold 
water  from  a  spring,  sickened  and  died 
at  Meadville,  Pennsylvania,  November  3, 
1796,  aged  sixty-six. 

He  was  twice  married  (first)  in  Octo- 
ber, 1760,  to  Barbary  King,  who  died  Au- 
gust 13.  1770;  (second)  in  August,  1771, 
to  Jane  Walker,  who  died  December  15, 
1825.  Issue  by  first  wife:  i.  Mary.  2. 
John.  3.  James.  4.  Jane.  5.  Elizabeth. 
Issue  by  second  wife:  i.  Ann.  2.  Wil- 
liam. 3.  Isabelle.  4.  Robert.  5.  Rich- 
ard. 6.  Thomas.  7.  Samuel.  8.  IMary. 
9.  Joseph.     ID.  Rebecca. 

The  Hon.  William  Hays,  early  mem- 
ber of  the  Pennsylvania  State  Legisla- 
ture, and  influential  business  man  of 
Pittsburgh,  was  born  in  Northampton 
county,  Pennsylvania,  June  27,  1774,  son 

165 


of  John  and  Jane  (Walker)  Hays.  He 
joined  the  State  militia  at  an  early  age, 
?nd  was  a  member  of  the  organized  body 
called  into  active  service  for  the  sup- 
pression of  the  Whiskey  Rebellion.  After 
that  duty  was  performed  and  the  troops 
were  disbanded,  he  visited  the  north- 
western part  of  the  State,  known  as  the 
lake  region.  Here  he  acquired  the  title 
to  several  tracts  of  land,  which  he  im- 
proved. In  1796  he  settled  permanently 
in  Pittsburgh,  and  began  his  active  pub- 
lic career,  which  caused  his  fellow  citi- 
zens to  honor  his  life  and  revere  his 
memory. 

William  Hays  established  large  tan- 
neries, which  he  continued  to  operate 
until  advanced  age  forced  him  to  leave  his 
sons  the  active  management  of  the  busi- 
ness. In  the  directory  of  Pittsburgh,  of 
1815,  is  given:  "William  Hays,  tanner, 
corner  of  Diamond  alley  and  Liberty, 
dwelling  W.  side  of  Liberty  between 
Diamond  alley  and  5th."  He  was  one 
of  the  signers  of  the  memorial  presented 
to  the  State  Legislature  in  1810,  asking 
for  a  charter  for  the  Bank  of  Pittsburgh, 
but  this  was  refused,  and  the  bank  was 
operated  as  a  private  institution  under 
the  name  of  the  Pittsburgh  Manufactur- 
ing Company  until  1814,  at  which  time 
a  state  charter  was  secured,  and  of  this 
bank  he  was  a  director. 

His  fellow-citizens  recognized  in  him 
the  qualities  desired  in  a  public  ofificial 
and  lawmaker,  and  elected  him  to  the 
State  Legislature,  where  he  was  contin- 
ued for  several  term.s  (from  1831  to  1833) 
by  reelection,  representing  Allegheny 
county  in  both  Assembly  and  Senate.  He 
was  honest  and  safe  in  counsel,  deliberate 
and  conservative  in  action,  and  his  col- 
leagues and  associates  trusted  him  im- 
plicitly, relying  upon  his  general  intelli- 
gence and  sound  judgment.  Upon  retir- 
ing from  the  Senatorship,  William  Hays 
was     elected    Associate    Judge    of     the 


rm. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


County  Court  in  December  17,  183S,  and 
again  April,  1840.  After  a  brief  service 
he  found  the  duties  too  exacting  and 
onerous  for  his  age  and  waning  strength, 
and  his  resignation  was  therefore  tend- 
ered and  he  retired  to  private  life.  He 
served  as  a  member  of  the  convention 
that  framed  and  adopted  the  Pennsyl- 
vania State  Constitution. 

In  both  public  and  private  life  Wil- 
liam Hays  earned  the  plaudits  of  the  com- 
munity as  a  good  and  faithful  public  ser- 
vant, an  honorable  and  upright  citizen. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyte- 
rian Church,  and  never  neglected  the  ob- 
ligations of  Christianity.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  Pittsburgh,  October  14,  1848. 

William  Hays  married,  February  14, 
1805,  Lydia  Semple.  born  November  24, 
1778,  in  Carlisle,  Cumberland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  died  in  Pittsburgh,  May 
16,  1854,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Eliza- 
beth Young  Semple.  Children  of  Wil- 
liam and  Lydia  (Semple)  Hays:  i.  John 
Hays.  2.  Elizabeth  Hays.  3.  Robert 
Semple  Hays.  4.  James  Hays.  5.  Wil- 
liam Hays,  junior.  6  Richard  Hays.  7. 
Jane  Walker  Hays,  married  Mansfield 
Brown.  8.  Henry  Hays.  9.  Charles 
Hays. 


HAYS,  Charles, 

Manufacturer,   Financier. 

Some  men  there  are  who  touch  life  at 
so  many  points  that,  in  order  to  convey 
an  adequate  conception  of  their  person- 
ality, it  seems  necessary  to  describe 
them  in  several  characters.  A  man  of  this 
type  was  the  late  Charles  Hays,  one  of 
the  strong  men  of  the  Old  Pittsburgh, 
whose  commanding  form,  seen  through 
ihe  gathering  mists  of  the  fast-receding 
years,  rises  before  us  as  business  man, 
financier  and  public-spirited  citizen. 

Charles  Hays,  son  of  William  and 
Lydia  (Semple)  Hays,  was  a  native  of 
Pittsburgh,  born  December  28,  1822.    He 


was  a  luember  of  a  family  of  Sco*-ch- 
Irish  descent,  prominent  in  the  commerce 
and  industry  of  Pittsburgh  for  over  a 
century.  Like  his  father  and  brothers, 
he  was  closely  identified  with  the  many 
institutions  contributing  to  the  growth 
and  prosperity  of  Western  Pennsylvania. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  and  pri- 
vate schools  of  Pittsburgh.  During 
early  manhood  he  was  employed  as  chief 
clerk  on  a  line  of  passenger  steamboats 
Ijlying  the  waters  of  the  Ohio  and  Miss- 
issippi rivers,  which  at  the  time  were  the 
great  common  carriers  connecting  the 
east  with  the  west  and  south.  After  a  few 
years  he  left  the  river  and  became  asso- 
ciated with  his  father  and  brother  in  the 
tanning  and  leather  business.  Upon  the 
retirement  of  his  father  from  active  busi- 
ness life,  the  firm  was  reorganized  under 
the  name  of  Hays  &  Stewart.  Charles 
Ha}-s  retained  a  financial  interest  in  the 
Ijusiness,  but  for  many  years  devoted  his 
time  to  other  pursuits.  He  was  elected 
president  of  the  Allegheny  Insurance 
Company,  and  discharged  the  duties  of 
that  office  in  a  most  satisfactory  manner. 
Pie  was  director  of  the  Bank  of  Pitts- 
burgh, National  Association,  and  was 
connected  with  many  other  important 
financial  institutions  of  Pittsburgh  as  in- 
vestor and  adviser. 

A  man  of  fine  personal  appearance,  of 
a  nature  so  genial  and  sympathetic  as  to 
possess  a  rare  magnetism,  Mr.  Hays  was 
a  man  who  drew  men  to  him.  Person- 
ality— coupled  with  great  ability — was,  in 
fact,  the  secret  of  his  success,  making 
possible  undertakings  which,  in  the 
hands  of  an  ordinary  man,  would  have 
met  with  utter  failure.  His  broad  grasp 
of  afl:'airs  may  be  inferred  from  the  simple 
statement  that  he  served  the  city  in  many 
capacities.  The  Sixth  Street  Bridge  was 
one  of  the  local  improvements  which 
profited  by  his  connection  with  it  as  presi- 
dent of  the  company.     He  was  a  member 


1653 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  the  famous  volunteer  fire  company  of 
the  city,  known  as  the  "Old  Eagle,"  and 
was  accustomed  to  run  to  fires  with  his 
associates.  His  countenance  was  indica- 
tive of  great  force  and  also  of  that  capac- 
ity for  friendship  which  made  him  the 
object  of  the  loyal  and  devoted  attach- 
ment of  all  who  were  in  any  way  asso- 
ciated with  him. 

Mr.  Hays  married,  August  15,  1854. 
Isabella,  daughter  of  James  and  Eliza 
(Steel)  McLaughlin,  and  granddaughter 
of  the  Rev.  Robert  Steel,  one  of  the  early 
pastors  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Pittsburgh.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hays  were 
the  parents  of  two  children,  Eliza  Mc- 
Laughlin, who  died  in  infancy,  and  Carrie 
S.,  wife  of  Rev.  Samuel  G.  Craig  (q.  v.), 
of  Pittsburgh.  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Craig  are 
the  parents  of  a  son,  Charles  Hays  Craig, 
named  for  his  grandfather. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Hays,  which  occurred 
March  29,  1902,  deprived  Pittsburgh  of 
a  man  whose  business  talents  were  of  the 
highest  order  and  whose  will  was  simply 
indomitable.  Full  of  work,  of  fiery  energy 
and  unquenchable  hope,  he  represented  a 
type,  the  value  of  which  to  a  city  it  is 
impossible  to  estimate.  The  influence 
of  such  men  ramifies  all  through  the  com- 
mercial and  industrial  life,  extending  it- 
self to  the  whole  social  economy,  and 
every  man,  from  the  toiling  laborer  to  the 
merchant  prince,  receives  benefit  from 
them. 


NICHOLSON,  Edgar  West, 

Prominent  Business  Man. 

Edgar  West  Nicholson,  son  of  William 
R.  and  Anna  j.  (Hopson)  Nicholson,  a 
promment  member  of  the  fourth  genera- 
tion of  Nicholsons  in  Philadelphia  and 
the  fifth  generation  in  the  state  of  Penn- 
sylvania, was  born  November  iS,  1876, 
in  Philadelphia.  His  father,  William  R. 
Nicholson,  president  of  the  Land  Title 
iSi   Trust   Company  of   Philadelphia   and 


one  of  the  widely  known  stable,  progres- 
sive and  executive  business  men  of  Phil- 
adelphia, has  set  a  pace  for  his  descend- 
ants in  the  business  world.  Edgar  W. 
Nicholson,  the  subject  of  this  biography, 
though  still  a  young  man,  has  already 
shown  sterling  qualities  and  has  well 
merited  a  place  among  the  progressive 
business  men  of  the  state. 

Mr.  Nicholson  v/as  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  city,  the  Ham- 
ilton School  and  Princeton  University, 
graduating  with  the  class  of  1899.  He 
afterwards  became  partner  in  the  firm  of 
Fell  &  Nicholson  in  the  brokerage  and 
banking  business,  and  has  since  shown 
activity  in  various  lines,  being  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Nicholson  &  Herbert,  real 
estate ;  vice-president  and  director  of  the 
Haney-White  Company,  builders  sup- 
plies ;  secretary,  treasurer  and  director  of 
the  Philadelphia  Stock  Exchange  Build- 
ing Company ;  director  of  the  Radnor 
Development  Company ;  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  Haverford  Development 
Company. 

Mr.  Nicholson  is  also  prominently  iden- 
tified with  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  and  is  treasurer  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  of  the  Covenant  at  Cyn- 
wyd,  being  the  representative  of  the 
fourth  consecutive  generation  to  become 
a  trustee  in  the  Presbyterian  church  in 
Philadelphia.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Union  League  Club  of  Philadelphia,  City 
Club  of  Philadelphia,  the  Automobile 
Club  of  Philadelphia,  Colonial  Club  of 
Princeton,  Corinthian  Yacht  Club  of  Cape 
May,  the  National  Geographical  Society, 
the  Pennsylvania  State  Historical  So- 
ciety and  Forestry  Association  of  Penn- 
.^ylvania.. 

Mr.  Nicholson  married,  October  i, 
1 901,  Ruth  Arnold,  a  daughter  of  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Isaac  Arnold  Jr.,  of  the 
Ordnance     Department    of    the     United 

654 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


States  Army.  They  are  the  parents  of 
three  children:  Lawrence  Arnold,  born 
October  ii,  1902;  Edgar  West  Jr.,  born 
August  29,  1906;  Ruth  A.,  born  Septem- 
ber II,  1910. 

Mr.  Nicholson  exercises  his  right  of 
franchise  in  a  thoroughly  independent 
manner  and  might  be  classed  as  an  In- 
dependent in  politics.  Determination  and 
energy  have  with  him  spelled  success 
and  yet  he  has  not  reached  the  prime  of 
life  nor  the  zenith  of  his  powers. 


GOEHRING,  John  Meek, 

liatvyer.   Legislator,   Man   of   Affairs. 

Prominent  among  those  members  of 
the  Pittsburgh  bar  who  have  combined 
professional  distinction  with  political 
leadership  is  John  Meek  Goehring,  who 
can  now  look  back  upon  nearly  forty  years 
of  successful  and  honorable  practice  in 
the  courts  of  Allegheny  county.  Mr. 
Goehring  has  represented  his  fellow- 
citizens  in  the  State  Senate  and  in  the 
city  councils,  and  is  now  president  of  the 
latter  body. 

The  original  home  of  the  Goehring 
family  was  the  small  village  of  Albisheim, 
near  the  Rhine,  and  not  far  from  the  city 
of  Worms,  in  Bavaria,  Germany.  The 
race  was  transplanted  to  the  United 
States  nearly  a  century  ago  and  its  repre- 
sentatives are  now  to  be  found  in  Balti- 
more and  in  nearly  all  the  counties  of 
Western  Pennsylvania. 

Wolfgang  William  Goehring,  the  first 
ancestor  of  record,  was  born  about  1638, 
in  Albisheim,  and  on  November  24,  1663, 
married  IMaria  Margaretta  Beroz.  Their 
ion,  John  Jacob  Goehring,  was  born  Sep- 
tember 19,  1669,  and  married  Maria  Mar- 
garet Kuchler.  John  Jacob  Goehring 
died  in  1738. 

George  Michael  Goehring,  son  of  John 
Jacob  and  Maria  Margaret  (Kuchler) 
Goehring,    was    born    in     1700,    married 


Maria  Catherine  Maurer,  and  died  in 
1767. 

John  Engelbarth  Goehring,  son  of 
George  i\Iichael  and  Maria  Catherine 
(Maurer)  Goehring,  was  born  in  1725, 
and  married  Anna  Margaret  Werl.  The 
date  of  the  death  of  John  Engelbarth 
Goehring  has  not  been  recorded. 

John  Jacob  (2)  Goehring,  son  of  John 
Engelbarth  and  Anna  Margaret  (Werl) 
Goehring,  was  born  in  1771,  and  between 
the  years  1818  and  1821,  accompanied  by 
his  two  brothers,  Henry  William  and 
John,  emigrated  to  the  United  States. 
They  brought  with  them  their  families, 
and  some  of  the  members  remained  in 
Baltimore,  others  proceeding  to  Lancas- 
ter, Pennsylvania,  whence  some  of  them 
later  migrated  to  Beaver  county  and 
Robbstown,  now  West  Newton,  West- 
moreland county.  It  is  believed  that  all 
of  the  name  of  Goehring  now  found  in 
Pennsylvania  trace  their  lineage  back  to 
one  or  another  of  these  three  immigrants. 
John  Jacob  Goehring  married,  and  his 
death  occurred  April  22,  i860. 

Charles  William  Goehring,  son  of  John 
Jacob  (2)  Goehring,  married  Maria  Eliza- 
beth Heintz. 

Charles  Louis  Goehring,  son  of  Charles 
William  and  Maria  Elizabeth  (Heintz) 
Goehring,  was  of  Pittsburgh,  and  from 
1S35  to  1840  carried  on  a  confectionery 
business  in  association  with  his  brother 
Jacob.  They  built  up  a  large  and  lucra- 
tive concern,  and  after  their  retirement 
Charles  Louis  was  interested  as  a  capa- 
talist  in  various  business  enterprises.  For 
a  time  he  was  connected  with  the  iron 
industry  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Coleman,  Rahm  &  Company,  and  after 
his  withdrawal  became  first  president  of 
the  Consolidated  Gas  Company  of  Pitts- 
burgh. He  was  connected  with  various 
banking  concerns,  among  them  the  Pitts- 
burgh Savings  Bank.  From  1858  to  i860 
Mr.  Goehring  represented  his  Republican 

655 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


fellow-citizens  in  the  State  Legislature, 
and  at  one  time  he  served  on  the  Seventh 
ward  school  board  of  Allegheny  City, 
now  North  Side,  Pittsburgh.  His  busi- 
ness success  dated  from  the  very  begin- 
ning of  his  active  life,  his  first  venture, 
which  was  in  the  oil  industry,  having 
proved  highly  remunerative.  Mr.  Goeh- 
ring  married,  December  lo,  1845,  Eliza, 
daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Porter) 
Meek,  of  Pittsburgh,  Mr.  Meek  being  en- 
gaged in  the  lumber  business.  The  fol- 
lowing children  were  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Goehring:  John  Meek,  mentioned 
below;  Louis  S. ;  Lizzie  H.,  married 
Henry  Smith ;  Yetta  H.,  married  Stewart 
Robertson ;  Emma  P.,  became  the  wife  of 
James  Black;  Amelia  P.,  married  William 
C.  Haslage ;  and  Annie  W.,  became  the 
wife  of  Christian  Steffen. 

John  Meek  Goehring,  son  of  Charles 
Louis  and  Eliza  (Meek)  Goehring, 
was  born  October  13.  1848,  in  z\lle- 
gheny  City,  now  North  Side,  Pitts- 
burgh, and  received  his  preparatory  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools,  afterward 
entering  the  Western  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, now  the  University  of  Pitts- 
burgh. He  was  fitted  for  his  profession 
by  a  special  course  at  the  Harvard  Law 
School,  and  in  1876  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  of  Allegheny  county.  He  has  since 
been  continuously  engaged  in  general 
practice  in  Pittsburgh,  but  has  never  had 
a  partner.  His  reputation  at  the  bar  is 
of  the  highest  and  has  been  won  by 
broad  legal  knowledge,  administrative 
ability  and  unremitting  devotion  to  duty. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Allegheny  County 
Bar  Association. 

Always  a  faithful  adherent  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  Mr.  Goehring  took  no  ac- 
tive part  in  politics  until  1895,  when  he 
was  elected  to  represent  the  Eleventh 
ward  of  Allegheny  (now  North  Side),  in 
the  common    council.     In   1899    he    was 


chosen  president  of  that  branch  of  the 
city  government,  and  served  until  1902, 
when  his  fellow-citizens  paid  him  the  fur- 
ther tribute  of  electing  him  to  the  State 
Senate  from  the  Forty-second  Senatorial 
District.  He  occupied  a  seat  in  that  body 
until  December,  1906,  having  served  in 
that  year  as  a  member  of  a  special  session 
of  the  legislature,  held  at  the  time  of  the 
Citizens'  Party,  which  accomplished 
much  for  the  cause  of  political  reform  in 
Pennsylvania.  He  was  the  author  of 
what  is  known  as  the  "Greater  Pittsburgh 
Act,"'  which  provided  for  the  annexation 
of  cities,  boroughs,  etc.,  to  a  larger  city, 
by  a  vote  of  the  citizens  of  the  annexed 
territory.  Under  this  act,  the  city  of 
Pittsburgh  has  been  greatly  enlarged.  In 
July,  191 1,  Mr.  Goehring  was  appointed, 
by  the  Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  one  of 
the  first  nine  councilmen  under  the  new 
charter  for  cities  of  the  second  class,  and 
upon  the  organization  of  the  councils  he 
was  elected  to  the  office  of  president  of 
that  body.  At  the  succeeding  election  he 
was  chosen  by  the  people  for  a  term  of 
four  years,  at  which  time  he  was  elected 
to  succeed  himself  as  president  for  a 
term  of  two  years,  and  at  the  expiration 
of  that  time  was  again  elected  president, 
which  office  he  now  (1915)  holds.  He  is 
a  director  of  the  Commonwealth  Trust 
Company  and  the  United  States  Amuse- 
ment Company,  a  trustee  of  the  Carnegie 
Free  Library,  the  Carnegie  Institute  and 
the  Carnegie  Music  Hall ;  and  a  member 
of  the  North  Side  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
the  Pittsburgh  Board  of  Trade  and  the 
Pittsburgh  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  is 
a  member  of  the  Western  Pennsylvania 
Historical  Society.  In  addition  to  above, 
Mr.  Goehring  has  been  in  former  years 
connected  with  various  financial  and  in- 
dustrial concerns.  He  was  for  years 
president  of  the  congregation  and  a  mem- 
ber and  trustee  of  the  Eleventh  United 


1656 


i 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Presbyterian  Church  of  Allegheny,  but 
withdrew  when  he  moved  to  the  East 
End,  Pittsburgh. 

The  dual  personality  of  Mr.  Goehring 
which  has  found  such  full  expression  in 
his  varied  and  eventful  career  is  finely 
exemplified  in  his  appearance,  the  digni- 
fied yet  alert  bearing  and  keen  yet 
thoughtful  countenance  speaking  equally 
of  the  learned  and  skillful  advocate  and 
the  able  and  astute  legislator.  A  man  of 
broad  culture  and  a  wide  range  of  in- 
terests, he  finds  time,  amid  the  press  of 
professional  and  public  duties,  to  think 
of  our  feathered  songsters  who  add  so 
much  of  charm  to  the  life  of  both  town 
and  country.  Among  their  strongest  pro- 
tectors in  Pennsylvania  they  number 
John  Meek  Goehring  whose  name  is  also 
enrolled  as  a  member  of  the  Audubon 
Society.  Long  a  leader  and  a  force  in 
his  state,  Mr.  Goehring  is  in  every  way 
fitted  for  high  political  place,  not  only  by 
reason  of  ability,  but  by  sterling  worth  of 
character  and  broad  human  sympathies. 
He  has  the  courage  of  his  own  deep  con- 
victions and  an  enthusiasm  for  all  that 
makes  for  the  best  in  the  service  of  hu- 
manity. 

The  year  of  Mr.  Goehring's  entrance 
into  politics  was  exactly  a  decade  later 
than  that  of  his  marriage.  On  April  29, 
1885,  he  was  united  to  Mary  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  the  late  William  and  Eliza- 
beth (Voegtly)  Neeb.  A  biography  and 
portrait  of  Mr.  Neeb  appear  elsewhere  in 
this  work.  Mrs.  Goehring  is  a  woman  in 
whom  liberal  culture,  strength  of  charac- 
ter and  sweetness  of  disposition  combine 
to  form  a  personality  at  once  winning 
and  inspiring,  and  to  her  husband  she  has 
ever  been  the  genius  of  his  fireside  and 
his  comrade  in  thought  and  purpose.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Goehring  are  the  parents  of 
three  sons  and  a  daughter:  William 
Neeb,  born  June  24,  1886,  educated  in 
Pittsburgh  schools,  at  Westminster  Col- 


lege, Pittsburgh,  and  at  the  Medical 
School  of  the  University  of  Pittsburgh, 
graduating  in  1914  and  now  practicing 
in  his  native  city ;  Harvey  John,  born 
January  10,  1891,  educated  in  Pittsburgh 
schools  and  Allegheny  High  School  and 
now  connected  with  the  hardware  firm  of 
Steiner-Voegtly,  Pittsburgh  ;  Louis  Meek, 
born  November  22,  1892,  educated  in 
Pittsburgh  schools  and  Washington  and 
Jefferson  College,  class  of  1915,  and  in- 
tends entering  the  profession  of  the  law ; 
and  Flora  Sadie,  educated  at  Winchester 
School,  class  of  1915. 

After  nearly  four  decades  of  brilliant 
work  at  the  bar  and  a  score  of  years  in 
the  public  service,  Mr.  Goehring  is  still 
active  in  both  fields  of  duty,  and,  for  the 
honor  of  his  city  and  state,  long  may  he 
continue  to  be  so,  for  the  old  Common- 
wealth needs  all  her  representative  men, 
and  on  none  can  she  rely  with  greater 
confidence  than  on  John  Meek  Goehring. 


DURHAM,  Joseph  Edward, 

Progressive   Business   Man. 

As  insurance  manager  and  as  a  Penn- 
sylvania manufacturer,  Mr.  Durham  has 
state-wide  reputation.  His  insurance 
business,  one  of  the  largest  in  the  United 
States  has,  since  1897,  been  located  in  the 
Stephen  Girard  Building,  Philadelphia; 
his  manufacturing  interests  in  Allentown 
and  elsewhere. 

Mr.  Durham  descends  from  James 
Durham,  a  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterian, 
who  founded  the  family  in  Pennsylvania, 
fought  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  was 
captured  at  Fort  Freeland  in  1779  and 
confined  at  Fort  Niagara  for  a  long  time. 
He  married,  in  1774,  Margaret  McClin- 
tock,  born  about  1750,  died  February  8, 
1828.  In  177S  she  was  captured  and 
scalped  by  the  Indians,  but  survived  that 
inhuman  deed  about  fifty  years.  Hef 
father  and  two  brothers,  Matthew  and 
John    McClintock,   were   soldiers   of   the 


1657 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Revolution,  all  killed  July  28,  1779,  with 
others  of  Captain  Hawkins  Boone's  com- 
pany, marching  to  the  relief  of  Fort  Free- 
land  at  McClungs,  near  Milton,  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

James  (2)  Durham,  son  of  James  (i) 
and  Margaret  Durham,  lived  at  Milton, 
Pennsylvania,  a  farmer,  merchant  and 
distiller.  His  wife.  Charlotte  (Gaston) 
Durham,  was  a  daughter  of  Joseph, 
granddaughter  of  Robert  and  great- 
grandaughtcr  of  Joseph  (i)  Gaston,  of 
New  Jersey,  of  French  Huguenot  blood, 
tracing  to  Jean  Baptiste  Gaston,  Grand 
Duke  of  Tuscany,  son  of  Louis  XIII.,  of 
France.  Charlotte  (Gaston)  Durham 
was  a  sister  of  Rev.  Daniel  Gaston,  con  ■ 
iiected  with  Lafayette  College  in  its  early 
days  and  pastor  of  Gaston  Memorial 
Church  in  Philadelphia. 

Joseph  Gaston  Durham,  son  of  James 
(2)  and  Charlotte  Durham,  married  Mar- 
garet Laird  Lowry,  a  daughter  of  James 
McLenahan  Lowry,  a  soldier  of  the  war 
of  1812,  son  of  Samuel  Lowry,  son  of 
Hugh  Lowry,  who  left  Scotland  in  1760, 
died  in  Ireland  in  1761.  Mrs.  Margaret 
(Lowry)  Lowry,  widow  of  Hugh  Lowry. 
came  to  Pennsylvania  with  her  children 
in  1774,  settling  in  the  northw  ,lstern  part 
of  the  state,  and  there  purchasing  a  tract 
of  ten  thousand  acres,  which  she  subse- 
quently lost  in  suit  with  the  Holland 
Land  Company.  Sarah  (Laird)  Lowry, 
wife  of  James  McLenahan  Lowry,  traced 
descent  to  Matthew  Laird,  who  came  to 
Pennsylvania  prior  to  1750,  and  to  Hon. 
James  McLenahan,  who  settled  in  Han- 
over township,  Lancaster  county,  prior 
to  1735.  afterward  moving  to  White 
Deer  township,  then  in  Northumberland 
county,  member  of  the  Committee  of 
Safety  of  Northumberland  county,  1776, 
one  of  those  who  met  at  Lancaster,  July 
4,  1776',  to  elect  two  brigadier-generals; 
member  of  Assembly,  1783. 

Joseph  Edward  Durham,  son  of  Joseph 


Gaston  and  Margaret  Laird  (Lowry) 
Durham,  was  born  near  Watsontown, 
Northumberland  county,  Pennsylvania, 
October  22,  1857.  His  early  education 
was  obtained  at  Dewart  and  Watsontown 
academies,  completing  his  preparatory 
study  at  Bloomsburg  State  Normal  School 
in  1873  and  1874.  He  then  entered  Lafay- 
ette College  whence  he  was  graduated 
with  honors,  classical  course,  class  of 
1878.  He  was  class  day  presentation 
orator,  president  one  term  of  Franklin 
Hall,  member  of  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon, 
and  other  college  organizations,  ranking 
as  one  of  the  leading  students  and  pop- 
ular men  of  his  class.  After  leaving  La- 
fayette he  began  the  study  of  law  under 
Flon.  Franklin  Bound,  of  Milton,  Penn- 
sylvania, continuing  study  under  Bent- 
ley  and  Parker,  of  Williamsport.  In  Oc- 
tober, 1882,  he  was  admitted  to  the  Ly- 
coming county  bar,  but  the  illness  of  his 
father,  then  president  of  the  Watsontown 
National  Bank,  called  him  home,  which 
prevented  his  engaging  in  practice.  He 
became  a  member  of  the  mercantile  firm 
J.  E.  Durham  &  Company,  during  his 
years  of  legal  study  and  for  several  years 
he  continued  interests  in  mercantile  and 
manufacturing  enterprises. 

After  the  death  of  his  father,  January 
26,  1883,  J.  Edward  Durham  formed  a 
connection  with  the  Penn  Mutual  Life 
Insurance  Company,  of  Philadelphia,  and 
in  May,  1883,  located  in  AUentown  as 
general  agent  for  the  Lehigh  Valley.  In 
i88.|  he  was  transferred  to  Williamsport 
as  general  agent  for  North  Central  Penn- 
sylvania, remaining  there  until  February, 
1887,  when  he  became  a  member  of  the 
firm.  Bourne  &  Durham,  general  man- 
agers of  the  Penn  Mutual  for  Northeast- 
ern and  Central  Pennsylvania,  with  ter- 
ritory in  New  York  and  New  Jersey.  The 
firm  established  central  offices  in  Allen- 
town  and  made  that  city  their  official 
headquarters  until  the  close  of  1897,  when 
658 


^^A^^^^ 


.^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAniY 


the  city  of  Philadelphia  was  added  to 
their  territory  and  headquarter  offices 
opened  in  the  Stephen  Girard  Building  in 
Philadelphia.  In  1900  Mr.  Bourne  re- 
tired from  active  participation  in  the  busi- 
ness, which  has  since  been  conducted  by 
Mr.  Durham  alone,  his  being  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  important  of  the  many 
agencies  of  the  Penn  Mutual,  of  which 
company  he  has  been  for  many  years  a 
trustee.  Mr.  Durham  in  addition  to  be- 
ing a  trustee  of  the  Penn  Mutual  Life 
Insurance  Company  of  Philadelphia,  is  a 
director  of  the  Standard  Cast  Iron  Pipe 
&  Foundry  Company  of  Bristol,  and  of 
the  National  Bank  of  Germantown.  He 
accjuired  interests  in  public  utilities  cor- 
porations and  in  the  manufacturing 
world,  being  president  of  the  Bonney 
Vise  &  Tool  Works  (Incorporated)  of 
Allentown,  and  otherwise  interested  in 
the  activities  of  that  city.  He  was  one 
of  the  incorporators  of  the  Flint  Light 
&  Power  Company,  of  Flint,  Michigan, 
serving  that  corporation  as  president. 

Mr.  Durham  is  a  member  of  the  Phil- 
adelphia Life  Insurance  Underwriters 
Association,  formerly  its  president,  was 
among  the  first  presidents  of  the  Living- 
ston Club  of  Allentown,  is  a  member  of 
the  Union  League  Club,  the  Pen  and 
Pencil  Club,  the  Automobile  Club  of  Ger- 
mantown, the  Merion  Cricket  Club  and 
the  Lehigh  Country  Club.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  order  and  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  of  Germantown,  and  in 
political  faith  is  a  Republican.  His  resi- 
dence in  Philadelphia  and  winter  home  is 
No.  319  West  Johnson  street,  German- 
town. 

Mr.  Durham  married,  June  29,  188 1, 
Nellie  R.  Stranahan,  born  March  2,  1859, 
daughter  of  Dr.  Daniel  V.  Stranahan,  a 
noted  physician  of  his  day,  and  his  wife, 
Rebecca  (Jackson)  Stranahan,  daughter 
of  David  Jackson,  of  Warren,  Pennsyl- 
vania.     The    Stranahan    ancestry    traces 

I 


to  James  Stranahan,  born  1699,  died  1782, 
who  came  to  Rhode  Island  from  the  north 
of  Ireland  in  1725.  Children  of  Joseph 
E.  and  Nellie  R.  Stranahan:  Joseph 
Edward  (2),  now  vice-president  and  sec- 
retary of  the  Bonney  Vise  &  Tool  Works 
(Incorporated)  ;  Fred  Stranahan,  vice- 
president  and  treasurer,  Bonney  Vise  & 
Tool  Works  (Incorporated)  ;  Lowry 
Stranahan,  born  October  11,  1888,  died 
May  20,  1890,  and  Eleanor  Lewis  Dur- 
ham. Both  sons  are  graduates  of  Prince- 
ton University,  class  of  1906,  and  associ- 
ated in  manufacturing  with  their  father. 


McCULLOUGH,  Jacob  Nessly, 

Prominent    Railroad    Official. 

In  writing  of  the  pioneers  of  Pittsburgh 
and  the  region  now  known  as  the  Middle 
West  it  is  necessary  to  distinguish  be- 
tween the  men  of  the  Colonial  and  Revo- 
lutionary periods  and  those  who  came 
in  with  the  nineteenth  century.  These 
it  was  who  built  railroads  and  steam- 
boats, operated  mines  and  caused  gigan- 
tic iron  and  steel  works  to  darken  the 
heavens  with  their  smoke  by  day  and 
illuminate  them  with  their  fires  by  night. 
In  thinking  of  the  marvellous  network  of 
railroads  which  now  centre  in  Pittsburgh, 
and  which  have  brought  power  and  pros- 
perity to  the  metropolis  and  to  all  the 
vast  region  round  about,  the  name  of 
Jacob  Nessly  McCullough  instinctively 
rises  to  our  lips  and  we  see  in  retrospec- 
tive vision  the  commanding  form  of  the 
man  in  whose  genius  this  mighty  system 
had  its  origin.  For  more  than  thirty 
years  Mr.  McCullough  was  president  of 
the  Pittsburgh  &  Cleveland  Railroad 
Company,  and  for  a  briefer  period,  during 
the  latter  portion  of  his  life,  was  first 
vice-president  and  executive  officer  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Company. 

William  McCollough  (so  he  spelled  the 
name),  father  of  Jacob  Nessly  McCul- 
lough, was  as  his  patronymic  denotes,  of 

659 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Scottish  ancestry,  but  whether  born  in 
the  land  of  Knox  and  Burns  the  record 
does  not  inform  us.  We  find  him  in 
Ohio,  where  he  accumulated  a  fortune  in 
the  steamboat  business  and  as  a  salt 
manufacturer.  He  married  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Nancy  (Myers) 
Nessly,  and  granddaughter  of  Jacob 
Nessly,  who  was  one  of  the  first  settlers 
in  Ohio  and  owned  all  the  land  around 
Yellow  Creek,  and  a  large  amount  of 
what  is  now  Hancock  county,  West  Vir- 
ginia. He  came  to  Virginia  in  1785,  from 
Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
took  up  seven  thousand  acres  of  land  on 
the  Ohio  river  which  have  ever  since 
remained  in  the  possession  of  his  de- 
scendants. The  one  hundredth  anniver- 
sary of  his  settlement  was  celebrated  by 
the  family,  his  granddaughter,  Nancy 
Hewitt,  who  was  present,  being  the  old- 
est living  descendant.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mc- 
Collough  were  the  parents  of  the  follow- 
ing children :  Jacob  Nessly,  mentioned 
below;  Mary  Anne,  married  Duncan  Mc- 
Donald, of  Pittsburgh,  and  had  four  chil- 
dren ;  John,  married  Jennie  Arbuckle,  of 
Pittsburgh,  and  had  three  childrep ;  Hes- 
ter, married  Isaiah  Grafton,  and  had  one 
daughter,  Elizabeth,  who  became  the 
wife  of  Charles  F.  Nevin,  of  Sewickley, 
Pennsylvania,  and  had  two  sons,  both  of 
whom  are  now  deceased ;  Samuel,  now 
deceased ;  William  G.,  lives  on  the  old 
hfimestead  at  Yellow  Creek,  near  Wells- 
ville,  Ohio ;  and  Nancy,  married  Carter 
>.'urtis  Blair,  of  Pittsburgh,  and  had  two 
children,  Howard,  of  Sewickley,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Dr.  Her- 
bert M.  Bishop,  of  Los  Angeles,  Cali- 
fornia. William  McCollough,  the  father 
of  the  family,  passed  away  November  28, 
1857,  leaving  to  his  four  sons  independ- 
ent fortunes,  and,  what  was  of  infinitely 
greater  value,  the  priceless  legacy  of  a 
good  example  and  an  honorable  name. 
Jacob  Nessly  McCullough,  son  of  Wil- 

I 


Ham  and  Elizabeth  (Nessly)  McCollough, 
was  born  September  5,  1821,  at  Yellow 
Cireek,  Ohio.  He  received  his  education 
in  the  country  schools.  Until  reaching 
his  majority  he  was  the  energetic  assist- 
ant of  his  father,  both  on  the  farm  and  in 
matters  of  business,  but  afterward  he 
entered  upon  the  independent  course  in 
which  he  was  destined  to  achieve  dis- 
tinction. Going  to  Wellsville,  Ohio,  he 
became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  D.  and 
L\  McDonald,  wholesale  grocers,  and  ere 
lor.g  clearly  demonstrated  the  fact  that 
nature  had  intended  him  for  a  business 
career  For  fifteen  years  he  was  a  potent 
factor  in  the  conduct  of  a  flourishing 
trade,  spending  his  winters  in  New 
Orleans  purchasing  molasses,  sugar  and 
other  Southern  products  for  the  firm. 

The  sphere  of  finance,  also,  had  attrac- 
tions for  Mr.  McCullough,  and  in  it  he 
gave  striking  proof  of  his  ability.  The 
year  which  witnessed  the  election  of 
James  Buchanan  to  the  presidency  of 
the  United  States  was  the  year  in  which 
this  successful  business  man  became  a 
banker.  In  association  with  John  S.  Mc- 
intosh, of  Wellsville,  Ohio,  he  founded 
the  house  of  Mcintosh,  McCullough  & 
Company.  Mr  McCullough  had  by  this 
time  accumulated  a  comfortable  fortune 
and  begun  to  invest  in  railroad  proper- 
ties. 

One  of  his  first  ventures  was  to  become 
the  financial  backer  of  a  contractor  who 
built  a  section  of  the  Cleveland  &  Pitts- 
burgh Railroad,  and  subsequently  he  be- 
came agent  of  this  line  at  Wellsville, 
Ohio.  The  road  did  not  pay,  but  in  1858, 
when  its  afifairs  were  at  the  lowest  ebb, 
it  was  McCullough  to  the  rescue  !  In  that 
year  Mr.  McCullough  was  elected  presi- 
dent and  the  road  was  saved.  In  the  brief 
period  of  five  years,  by  economy  and 
good  management,  he  lifted  it  out  of  debt 
and  made  it  one  of  the  best  paying  rail- 
road properties  in  the  United  States.  He 
660 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


retained  the  presidency  to  the  close  of 
his  life. 

Not  long  after  Mr.  McCullough  had 
given  this  brilliant  proof  of  his  ability  as 
a  man  of  affairs,  Fisk  and  Gould  were  at 
the  height  of  their  Erie  successes  and 
were  eager  for  another  chance  at  a  rich 
road.  Their  eyes  fell  on  the  Cleveland  & 
Pittsburgh  and  they  set  quietly  to  work. 
With  what  result?  In  1868,  Fisk  and 
Gould,  with  Lane,  their  New  York  part- 
ner lawyer,  had  secured  the  majority  of 
the  stock  of  the  road  of  which  Mr.  Mc- 
Cullough was  president.  The  conspira- 
tors elected  a  dummy  board,  prepared  to 
issue  all  the  bonds  the  road  would  bear. 
It  is  related  as  an  incident  of  the  election 
that  when  the  paymaster  of  the  road 
picked  up  his  inkstand  and  said  he  was 
going  to  put  it  away  lest  they  should 
steal  it,  Mr.  Lane  bluntly  retorted :  "We 
don't  steal  that  sort  of  thing,  it's  rail- 
roads we're  after."  But  the  scheming 
triumvirate  knew  not  the  man  with  whom 
they  had  to  deal.  Most  truly  was  it  said 
of  Mr.  McCullough  that  "though  slow  to 
provoke  antagonism  in  business  he  was 
a  man  of  unshrinking  courage."  He 
promptly  challenged  the  Fisk,  Gould  and 
Lane  management  in  the  courts,  threw 
the  road  into  the  hands  of  a  receiver  (ten 
years  before  he  had  saved  it  by  having 
himself  appointed  receiver),  and  forced 
a  surrender  upon  men  little  accustomed 
to  defeat.  It  was  one  of  the  greatest 
triumphs  of  principle  ever  recorded  in  the 
history  of  railroads.  A  compromise  was 
finally  reached,  Mr.  McCullough  resum- 
ing control  of  the  road,  which  shortly 
afterward  became  part  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania system. 

His  pronounced  ability  and  marked 
success  had,  long  ere  this,  attracted  the 
attention  of  railroad  men,  and  in  1863  he 
had  been  offered  the  position  of  general 
superintendent  of  the  Pittsburgh,  Fort 
Wayne  &  Chicago  road.     At  that  time 


the  Fort  Wayne,  with  insuthcient  equip- 
ment and  crippled  by  various  causes,  was 
doing  a  limited  business.  With  charac- 
teristic clear-sightedness  the  new  super- 
intendent discerned  the  heart  of  the 
trouble.  Proceeding  on  the  theory  that 
what  the  company  needed  was  tonnage, 
and  that  equipment  and  extension  would 
follow  as  a  necessity,  he  directed  his  en- 
ergies to  the  care  of  the  commercial  in- 
terests of  the  concern.  In  every  con- 
ceivable quarter  he  sought  and  got  traf- 
fic, pouring  into  the  Fort  Wayne  such  a 
tremendous  volume  of  trade  that  the  road 
in  a  few  years  became  known  as  a  trunk 
line  of  the  first  importance. 

The  achievements  of  Mr.  McCullough 
in  connection  with  this  road  attracted  the 
notice  of  the  leading  railroad  men  of  the 
United  States  and  thenceforth  he  was  an 
acknowledged  power  in  every  interest 
identified  with  the  general  railroad  affairs 
of  the  country.  In  1871  the  Fort  Wayne 
line  was  leased  by  the  Pennsylvania  Rail- 
road Company  and  Mr.  McCullough  was 
promoted  to  the  position  of  general  man- 
ager. Several  years  after  what  was 
known  as  the  Pennsylvania  Company 
was  organized,  and  of  this  concern  Mr. 
AlcCullough  was  elected  first  vice-presi- 
dent and  executive  officer.  The  Pitts- 
burgh, Cincinnati  &  St.  Louis  Railroad 
(Panhandle)  and  all  other  Pennsylvania 
lines  west  of  Pittsburgh,  numbering  in 
all  several  score  of  greater  or  less  im- 
portance, were  also  included  in  his  juris- 
diction, and  these  ofBces  he  retained  to 
the  last  day  of  his  life. 

In  connection  with  Mr.  McCullough's 
administration  of  this  great  trust  the  fol- 
lowing sentence  stands  on  record:  "His 
services  in  perfecting  the  almost  flawless 
combination  which  these  roads  formed 
were  of  incalculable  value."  Throughout 
the  system  he  had  charge  of  matters  re- 
lating to  transportation,  rates,  construc- 
tion and  improvement.  His  special  pride 
661 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


was  the  road  with  which  he  had  first 
become  connected — the  old  Cleveland 
&  Pittsburgh,  for  which  he  secured  the 
most  complete  terminal  facilities  of  any 
line  entering  Cleveland  and  with  which 
he  was  identified  for  nearly  forty  years. 
On  this  road,  so  peculiarly  his  own,  he 
was  familiarly  known  as  "The  General." 

In  politics  Mr.  McCullough  was  a  Re- 
publican, but  never  took  an  active  part  in 
the  afifairs  of  the  organization  beyond 
contributing  to  campaign  funds.  In  re- 
ligion he  was  a  Presbyterian  as  was  his 
father  before  him.  His  phenomenal  suc- 
cess Mr.  McCullough  attributed  to  execu- 
tive ability,  methodical  habits  and  infinite 
capacity  for  hard  work.  Modest  in  man- 
ner and  frugal  in  living,  he  had  great 
perceptive  powers  and  an  insight  into 
character  which  was  absolutely  unerring. 
Pie  was  of  noble  presence.  His  hair  and 
full  beard  were  black,  his  eyes  dark  and 
piercing.  His  words  were  few,  but  always 
to  the  point.  For  any  man  wHo  evaded 
a  contract  or  told  a  lie  he  had  a  thorough 
and  lasting  contempt.  Warm-hearted 
and  loyal  in  his  attachments,  he  possessed 
a  loftiness  of  character  and  a  personal 
magnetism  which  surrounded  him  with 
friends  and  commanded  the  most  pro- 
found respect. 

Mr.  McCullough  married,  September 
22,  1852,  Rebecca  T.  Andrews,  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  two  children,  one 
of  whom,  Ida  May,  died  young,  and  the 
other,  Mary  Elizabeth,  became  the  wife 
of  Harry  Darlington,  a  biography  and 
portrait  of  whom  appear  in  this  work. 
In  inherited  characteristics  Mrs.  Darling- 
ton is  a  true  representative  of  her  dis- 
tinguished father,  possessing,  in  combi- 
nation with  a  charming  womanly  person- 
ality, much  of  his  force  of  character  and 
strength  of  purpose. 

On  February  8,  1891,  Mr.  McCullough 
passed  away,  "full  of  years  and  of 
honors."     His  city  and  his  state  mourned 


him,  and  far  beyond  the  confines  of  Penn- 
sylvania it  was  felt  that  a  great  person- 
ality had  been  withdrawn  from  the  scenes 
of  a  long  brilliant  and  most  honorable 
career.  The  following  tribute  most  truly 
expressed  the  public  sentiment: 

"For  more  than  thirty  years  Mr.  Mc- 
Cullough has  been  a  power  in  the  rail- 
road management  of  the  country.  In 
peace  and  war  he  always  held  his  own. 
Never  unduly  aggressive,  always  ready  to 
concede  just  claims,  he  held  the  respect 
and  confidence  of  both  friends  and  foes. 
His  clear,  cool  judgments  will  be  sorely 
missed  by  many  of  his  contemporaries. 
He  was  a  man  of  great  perceptive  power, 
good  judgment  of  men,  had  the  magnetic 
power  of  attracting  friends,  was  frugal  in 
his  habits,  unostentatious,  kind  to  every 
one,  easily  approached  by  his  men  and  all 
men,  afifectionate  to  his  family;  a  man  to 
be  remembered  by  all  who  knew  him." 

Jacob  Nessly  McCullough  was  a  man 
who  did  large  things  in  a  large  way,  be- 
cause his  nature  was  of  grander  mould 
than  is  often  met  with  in  any  sphere  of 
activity  or  walk  of  life.  Generous,  high- 
minded,  of  invincible  will  and  valiant 
tenacity  of  purpose,  he  overcame  the 
force  of  adverse  circumstances  and  the 
machinations  of  dishonest  men  and  his 
name  has  passed  into  history  as  that  of 
one  of  the  noblest  upbuilders  of  the  great- 
ness of  the  city  of  Pittsburgh  and  of  three 
mighty  states  of  the  American  Union. 


NIMICK,  William  Kennedy, 

Prominent  Manufacturer   and   Financier. 

jVmong  the  names  eminent  in  the  busi- 
ness world  of  Pittsburgh  during  the  mid- 
dle decades  of  the  nineteenth  century  that 
of  the  late  William  Kennedy  Nimick,  of 
the  famous  old  firm  of  Singer,  Nimick  & 
Company,  holds  a  foremost  place.  For  a 
period  of  thirty  years  Mr.  Nimick  was 
conspicuously  identified  with  the  manu- 
facturing and  financial  interests  of  his 
662 


//f  /fu/  in     Jl        )  on  I  c/i 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


native  city  and  was  ever  zealous  in  the 
promotion  of  all  movements  that  medi- 
tated her  truest  progress  and  most  essen- 
tial welfare. 

William  Nimick,  father  of  William 
Kennedy  Nimick,  was  a  native  of  Ireland, 
and  in  1813  emigrated  to  the  United 
States,  coming  from  County  Antrim.  He 
settled  first  in  Philadelphia,  removing  in 
1817  to  Pittsburgh,  and  early  becoming 
identified  with  the  commercial  life  of  that 
city.  For  years  he  was  engaged  in  the 
wholesale  grocery  business  on  Market 
street,  and  in  the  Pittsburgh  directory  for 
1826  his  name  appears  as  that  of  a  mer- 
chant. In  politics  he  was  a  Whig,  but 
never  consented  to  become  a  candidate 
for  office.  Mr.  Nimick  married,  in  Ire- 
land, Jane  Kennedy,  of  an  ancient  Irish 
family  whose  origin  and  early  history 
are  appended  to  this  sketch,  and  their 
children  were:  i.  Jane,  died  April  5,  1867. 
2.  James,  born  in  1818,  died  in  1881  ;  mar- 
ried Harriet  Matthews,  born  in  1818,  died 
in  1892 ;  children :  William  Albert,  de- 
ceased ;  Bella,  married  Walter  Berringer, 
of  Pittsburgh ;  and  James,  deceased.  3. 
Alexander.  4.  Mary  Ann,  died  January 
23,  1896.  5.  William  Kennedy,  mentioned 
below.  6.  Elizabeth,  died  January  3, 
1882.     7.  Sarah,  died  April  26,  1873. 

The  mother  of  these  children  died 
September  8,  1857,  five  years  after  her 
husband,  he  having  passed  away  June  10, 
1852,  some  years  after  his  retirement 
from  business.  William  Nimick,  himself 
a  man  of  prominence,  was  the  founder  of 
one  of  Pittsburgh's  dynasties — a  dynasty 
industrial,  financial  and  philanthropic,  his 
descendants  in  the  third  generation  stand- 
ing to-day  in  the  front  rank  of  the  bankers, 
manufacturers  and  public-spirited  citizens 
of  the  metropolis  of  Pennsylvania. 

William  Kennedy,  son  of  William  and 
Jane   (Kennedy)   Nimick,  was  born  May 

PEN— 14  I 


25,  1823,  in  Pittsburgh,  and  received  his 
education  in  the  schools  of  his  native  city. 
At  an  early  age  he  became  a  clerk  in  the 
forwarding  and  commission  house  of 
Michael  Allen  &  Company,  and  in  the 
course  of  a  few  years  was  admitted  to 
partnership.  The  business  became  very 
extensive,  largely  through  the  eflforts  of 
Mr.  Nimick  and  his  brother  Alexander, 
who  was  also  associated  with  the  firm, 
and  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Allen,  in  1845, 
the  concern  was  purchased  by  the  two 
brothers,  who  conducted  it  under  the 
name  of  Nimick  &  Company.  They  were 
extremely  successful,  and  in  1848  Mr. 
Nimick  associated  himself  with  the  firm 
of  Singer,  Nimick  &  Company,  steel 
manufacturers.  Nimick  &  Company,  in 
addition  to  the  commission  and  forward- 
ing business,  engaged  largely  in  pig  metal, 
prospering  in  this  also.  The  record  of 
Singer,  Nimick  &  Company,  with  their 
great  steel  works,  forms  part  of  the  indus- 
trial annals  of  Pittsburgh,  but  their  suc- 
cess was  largely  due  to  the  indomitable 
perseverance,  boldness  of  operation  and 
far-sighted  sagacity  of  Mr.  Nimick.  He 
was  also  a  member  of  Phillips,  Nimick  & 
Company,  owners  of  the  Sligo  Rolling 
Mills,  and  of  the  Jacobus-Nimick  Com- 
pany. 

With  the  financial  interests  of  Pitts- 
burgh, Mr.  Nimick  was  also  prominently 
associated.  He  was  one  of  the  original 
stockholders  of  the  Pittsburgh  Trust 
Company,  which  later  became  the  First 
National  Bank  and  is  now  the  reorganized 
First-Second  National  Bank.  To  the  close 
of  his  life  Mr.  Nimick  was  vice-president 
of  this  institution.  He  was  a  director  of 
the  Pittsburgh  Bank  for  Savings,  and  a 
stockholder  in  many  other  banks,  insur- 
ance companies  and  monied  institutions. 
As  a  stockholder  and  director  of  the  Alle- 
gheny Valley  railroad,  Mr.  Nimick  as- 
sisted Colonel  William  Phillips  in  the  ex- 
663 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tension  of  that  road  to  Oil  City,  rendering 
this  enterprise  possible  by  the  financial 
aid  which  he  extended  in  a  time  of  need. 

In  all  concerns  relative  to  the  welfare 
of  Pittsburgh,  Mr.  Nimick  took  a  deep 
and  lively  interest.  In  politics  he  was 
first  a  Whig  and  later  a  Republican,  but 
always  steadily  refused  to  accept  office, 
preferring  to  concentrate  his  energies  on 
the  strenuous  duties  and  momentous  re- 
sponsibilities of  the  great  business  organ- 
izations with  which  he  was  officially  con- 
nected. Of  the  duties  of  citizenship  he 
was  never  neglectful,  rendering  unfailing 
support  to  all  measures  which  he  deemed 
calculated  to  promote  the  public  welfare. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Pittsburgh 
Chamber  of  Commerce.  A  liberal  giver 
to  charity,  he  ever  sought,  in  the  be- 
stowal of  his  benefactions,  to  shun  the 
public  gaze.  His  church  was  the  Pres- 
byterian. 

In  person  Mr.  Nimick  was  tall  and  slen- 
der, with  gray-blue  eyes,  black  hair  and 
features  expressive  of  quiet  determina- 
tion. His  demeanor,  while  forceful  and 
resolute,  carried  with  it  the  suggestion  of 
a  nature  gentle  and  genial,  and  I's  man- 
ners, dignified  and  polished,  commanded 
respect  and  elicited  regard.  Quick  of  de- 
cision and  firm  of  purpose,  he  lived  up  to 
the  letter  and  spirit  of  his  word  and  was 
of  unfailing  fidelity  in  friendship. 

Mr.  Nimick  married  Elizabeth,  born 
October  21,  1824,  daughter  of  Francis 
and  Mary  A.  (Beltzhoover)  Bailey,  and 
granddaughter  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth 
(Livingston)  Bailey.  The  Baileys  held  a 
one-hundred-year  lease  on  an  estate  on 
the  Baun  Waters,  near  Colerain,  Ireland, 
and  the  Livingstons  were  an  old  Scottish 
family.  Francis  Bailey  came  from  Ire- 
land in  1814,  settling  first  in  Philadelphia 
and  in  1820  removing  to  Pittsburgh.  A 
full  account  of  the  Bailey  family  may  be 
found  in  the  biography  of  the  late  James 


M.  Bailey  which,  together  with  his  por- 
trait, appears  elsewhere  in  this  work. 

Following  are  the  children  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Nimick:  i.  Mary  Bailey,  born  De- 
cember 10,  1847;  married  Anthony  S. 
Murray,  of  Pittsburgh,  and  died  Septem- 
ber 22,  1888,  leaving  two  children :  Wil- 
liam Nimick,  president  of  the  Standard 
Auto  Company  of  Pittsburgh,  and  Alex- 
ander, deceased.  2.  Frank  Bailey,  a  prom- 
inent business  man  of  Pittsburgh  whose 
biography  and  portrait  appear  on  another 
page  of  this  work.  3.  Elizabeth  Kennedy, 
married  John  Milton  Bonham,  and  died 
April  6,  1886,  aged  thirty-three  years.  4. 
William,  died  June  6,  1859,  aged  three 
years  and  nine  months.  5.  Jennie  L.,  mar- 
ried David  Glenn  Stewart,  whose  biog- 
raphy and  portrait  appears  elsewhere  in 
this  work.  6.  Alexander  Kennedy,  de- 
ceased, whose  biography  and  portrait  are 
on  another  page  of  this  work.  7.  Blanche, 
who  died  August  5,  1863,  aged  four 
months. 

Mrs.  Nimick  was  a  woman  whose 
gracious  tact,  kindness  and  thoughtful- 
ness  endeared  her  to  all  who  were 
brought  within  the  sphere  of  her  fine  in- 
fluence. She  was  an  ideal  wife  and 
mother,  making  her  husband's  fireside  the 
place  where  he  passed  his  happiest  hours, 
devoted  as  he  was  to  the  ties  of  home  and 
family.  He  delighted  to  entertain  his 
friends  and  all  who  were  ever  privileged 
to  be  his  guests  could  testify  to  his  charm 
as  a  host.  On  May  10,  1866,  he  was  de- 
prived by  death  of  the  companion  of  more 
than  twenty  years. 

In  the  prime  of  life  and  before  he  had 
begun  to  feel  the  encroachments  of  ad- 
vancing years,  Mr.  Nimick  closed  his 
career  of  usefulness  and  honor,  passing 
away  April  19,  1875,  leaving  to  his  chil- 
dren not  material  wealth  alone,  but  the 
far  richer  legacy  of  an  unsullied  character 
and  an  upright  life.    What  he  was  to  his 


1664 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


city  may  be  faintly  and  imperfectly  under- 
stood from  the  following  appreciations. 

The  Pittsburgh  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
at  a  meeting  held  April  19,  1875,  paid  him 
this  tribute  :  "The  Chamber  of  Commerce 
of  Pittsburgh  have  learned  with  profound 
regret  of  the  death  of  William  K.  Nimick, 
for  many  years  so  prominently  and  honor- 
ably connected  with  the  growth  and  de- 
velopment of  the  business  interests  of  this 
city.  In  all  the  relations  of  life  he  was 
known  for  his  manly  fidelity  to  every 
trust  and  his  unvarying  courtesy  to  every 
one  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  His 
business  career  furnishes  a  conspicuous 
example  to  those  beginning  life  of  the 
highest  success,  achieved  by  force  and 
integrity  of  character  alone,  and  as  an 
example  of  industry,  sagacity  and  up- 
rightness is  worthy  of  all  imitation." 

The  "Pittsburgh  Commercial"  said,  in 
part :  "As  a  citizen  Mr.  Nimick  was  enter- 
prising, progressive  and  patriotic;  as  a 
business  man  he  was  prompt,  sagacious, 
upright  and  honorable ;  and  in  his  social 
relations  he  was  kind,  genial,  generous 
and  devoted.  He  was  beloved  by  family 
and  friends,  and  respected  and  honored 
by  all  who  knew  him." 

The  "Pittsburgh  Post"  said,  in  part : 
"From  his  youth  he  had  been  closely  iden- 
tified with  the  great  industrial  interests  of 
Pittsburgh,  and  his  death  will  be  a  great 
loss  to  these  interests.  In  every  respect 
William  K.  Nimick  stood  foremost  among 
our  best  citizens.  We  do  not  speak  in  the 
general  sense  of  good  citizenship,  but  in 
the  sense  that  the  finest  and  best  qualities 
of  the  title  met  in  him.  While  no  man 
was  more  enterprising  than  Mr.  Nimick, 
no  man  could  be  more  generous  in  the 
application  of  his  means.  He  did  not 
throw  away  his  means,  but  used  them 
with  a  judicious  generosity,  which,  while 
it  reflected  credit  upon  his  head  and  heart, 
enabled  others  to  achieve  competence  and 
comfort.     *     *     *     There  was  no  public 


enterprise  in  which  Mr.  Nimick  did  not 
take  an  active  part,  giving  of  his  means 
more  liberally  even  than  of  his  counsels, 
and  there  was  no  deserving  charity  that 
appealed  to  his  nature  in  vain.  We  have 
no  words  adequate  to  express  properly 
the  loss  the  community  suffers  in  his 
death." 

William  Kennedy  Nimick  was  the 
bearer  of  two  distinguished  names,  one 
renowned  in  the  industrial  and  financial 
annals  of  the  New  World  and  the  other 
famous  in  the  history  of  the  Old,  and  to 
both  of  them  the  record  of  his  noble  and 
useful  life  has  imparted  added  lustre. 

(The  Kennedy  Family). 

The  Kennedy  family  of  Ireland  derives 
its  origin  from  Milesius,  King  of  Spain, 
through  Heber,  third  son  of  that  mon- 
arch, and  oldest  of  those  who  conquered 
the  Tuatha  de  Dananns  and  colonized 
Ireland.  The  Kennedys  were  of  the  Dal- 
cassian  tribe,  founded  by  Cas,  son  of 
Olliol  Ollum,  first  absolute  king  of  Mun- 
ster,  A.  D.  177.  The  founder  of  the 
Kennedy  family  was  Kennedy,  King  of 
Thomond,  or  North  Munster,  who  reigned 
in  the  middle  of  the  tenth  century.  The 
name  was  taken  from  Cinneidigh,  son 
of  Dunehuan,  brother  of  Brian  Boru. 
The  ancient  name  was  Ceanadh,  or 
Ceannfhada,  which  signifies  "Favoring," 
and  the  titles  of  the  chiefs  were  Lord  of 
Ormond  and  Chief  of  Thire.  They  pos- 
sessed lands  in  Kerry,  Clare,  Tipperary, 
Antrim  and  Colerain.  The  original  coun- 
try of  the  Kennedys  was  Glen  Omra,  em- 
bracing the  present  parish  of  Killoken- 
nedy,  in  the  county  of  Clare,  but  during 
the  civil  wars  of  Thomond  they  were 
partly  pushed  out,  although  some  of  the 
race  remained  and  their  descendants  are 
to  be  found  in  Glen  Orma  and  its  vicin- 
ity. The  O'Kennedys,  after  crossing  the 
Shannon,  settled  in  Tipperary,  where 
they  possessed  the  barony  of  Upper  Or- 
665 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


mond,  which  was  then  much  more  exten- 
sive than  it  was  in  more  modern  times. 
The  sept  subsequently  subdivided  into 
three  branches,  namely,  the  O'Kennedy 
Finn,  or  Fair,  the  O'Kennedy  Don,  or 
Brown,  and  the  O'Kennedy  Ruadh,  or 
Red.  The  chiefs  of  the  O'Kennedys  re- 
tained their  titles  as  Princes  or  Lords  of 
Ormond,  and  held  their  broad  possessions 
down  to  the  reign  of  Elizabeth. 

The  O'Kennedys  took  a  prominent  part 
in  the  war  of  the  Revolution  of  1688, 
many  of  them  being  officers  in  the  horse, 
foot  and  dragoon  regiments  of  James  the 
Second.  Many  of  them  were  accordingly 
proscribed  by  the  adherents  of  William, 
Prince  of  Orange,  and  deprived  of  their 
estates.  In  the  Irish  Brigade  in  France 
the  O'Kennedys  were  also  well  repre- 
sented. They  contributed  officers  to  the 
regiments  of  O'Brien,  Clare,  Lee,  Bulke- 
ley,  Dillon,  Berwick  and  others,  and  we 
read  their  names  among  those  who  were 
honored  for  their  services  with  the  Order 
of  Chevaliers  of  St.  Louis.  One  of  them, 
Captain  Kennedy,  of  Clare's  Regiment, 
was  killed  at  Fontency,  and  another,  Cap- 
tain Kennedy,  was  slain  at  the  battle  of 
Lauffielt. 

From  this  ancient  race  of  royal  origin 
was  descended  Jane  Kennedy,  wife  of 
William  Nimick  and  mother  of  William 
Kennedy  Nimick. 


NIMICK,  Frank  Bailey, 

Man   of   Large   Affairs. 

The  men  who  have  occupied  leading 
places  in  the  business  world  of  Pitts- 
burgh have  been  men  able  to  stamp  their 
own  individuality  upon  the  interests  di- 
rectly under  their  control  and  thus  make 
them  merge  into  those  general  conditions 
which  go  to  make  up  the  city's  welfare. 
Prominent  among  these  men  is  Frank 
Bailey  Nimick,  for  many  years  secretary 
and   manasfer   of  the   celebrated   firm   of 


Singer,  Nimick  &  Company  and  now 
officially  associated  with  a  number  of 
leading  business  and  financial  organiza- 
tions of  the  Iron  City. 

Frank  Bailey  Nimick  was  born  Decem- 
ber 14,  1849,  iri  Pittsburgh,  and  is  a  son  of 
the  late  William  Kennedy  and  Elizabeth 
(Bailey)  Nimick.  A  biography  and  por- 
trait of  William  Kennedy  Nimick,  includ- 
ing the  Nimick  genealogy,  appears  on  a 
preceding  page  in  this  work.  Frank 
Bailey  Nimick  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  city  and  at  the  Western  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania,  now  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pittsburgh,  and  began  his  busi- 
ness life  by  associating  himself  with  the 
firm  of  Singer,  Nimick  &  Company,  in 
which  his  father  and  his  uncle,  Alexander 
Nimick,  were  partners.  By  industry, 
joined  to  innate  ability,  the  young  man 
acquired  a  thorough  knowledge  of  steel 
manufacture,  advancing  step  by  step  en- 
tirely on  his  own  merits  until  he  became 
manager  and  finally  secretary  and  man- 
ager. This  responsible  position  he  filled 
most  ably  for  a  number  of  years,  and  in 
1902  resigned,  the  company  having  in 
1900  been  merged  with  the  Crucible  Steel 
Company  of  America. 

Much  of  Mr.  Nimick's  time  is  now  de- 
voted to  looking  after  his  extensive  pri- 
vate interests,  and  he  also  maintains  a 
connection  with  various  enterprises.  He 
is  vice-president  of  the  Duquesne  Inclined 
Plane  Company,  director  in  the  Monon- 
gahela  Inclined  Plane  Company  and  the 
Dollar  Savings  Bank,  and  a  director  of  the 
Exchange  National  Bank,  the  West  End 
Savings  Bank  and  Trust  Company  and  the 
First-Second  National  Bank  (his  father 
having  been  for  a  number  of  years  vice- 
president  of  the  First  National,  which  was 
later  merged  with  the  Second  National, 
the  reorganized  institution  thus  forming 
the  First-Second  National),  and  a  director 
of  the  Colonial  Steel  Company. 


1666 


I  . 


/'Vv^^^-^      ^,   /'^LCi'KX.cJ^ 


5..c^ 


rhe  Century  r'ab  2.  Eng.  C  q,  Lhicagc 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


As  a  true  citizen,  Mr.  Nimick  is  always 
ready  to  give  practical  aid  to  any  move- 
ment which  he  believes  would  advance  the 
public  welfare.  He  affiliates  with  the  Re- 
publicans. The  educational,  political  char- 
itable and  religious  interests  which  consti- 
tute the  chief  features  in  the  life  of  every 
city,  have  all  profited  by  his  support  and 
cooperation.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
executive  boards  of  the  Homoeopathic 
Hospital  and  the  Pittsburgh  Free  Dis- 
pensary, and  serves  on  the  executive  com- 
mittee of  the  Allegheny  Cemetery  Com- 
pany. He  belongs  to  the  Pittsburgh  Ath- 
letic Association  and  the  Pittsburgh,  Oak- 
mont  Country  and  Pittsburgh  Automo- 
bile Clubs,  serving  on  the  board  of  the 
last-named. 

The  countenance  of  Mr.  Nimick  is  that 
of  a  man  of  deep  convictions  and  great 
force  of  character,  energy  and  intensity 
being  strongly  stamped  on  his  massive 
features.  The  grey  eyes  look  you  straight 
in  the  face  in  an  open,  candid  manner  and 
his  hair  and  moustache  are  iron  gray.  As 
a  progressive  business  man  he  is  regarded 
as  a  safe  adviser,  his  enterprise  being  tem- 
pered by  a  wise  conservatism,  and  for  the 
same  reason  his  influence  is  potent  in  all 
boards  upon  which  he  serves.  His  nature 
is  most  kindly  and  companionable  and  his 
manners,  while  dignified,  are  warmly 
genial.  The  number  of  his  friends  is 
legion  and  the  success  he  has  gained  is 
one  not  to  be  measured  by  financial  pros- 
perity alone,  but  by  the  gentle  amenities 
and  congenial  associations  that  go  to  sat- 
isfy man's  kaleidoscopic  nature. 

Mr.  Nimick  married,  November  20, 
1888,  Eleanor  Howard,  daughter  of  the 
late  Thomas  M.  and  Mary  Ann  (Palmer) 
Howe,  and  they  became  the  parents  of 
the  following  children:  Francis  Bailey, 
born  September  29,  1890,  educated  at 
Thurston  School  and  Shady  Side  Acad- 
emy, Pittsburgh,  and  Princeton  Univer- 
sity, graduating  in   1913,  and  now  with 


Colonial  Steel  Company;  Thomas  M.  H., 
born  January  19,  1892,  educated  at  same 
institutions  as  his  elder  brother  and  a 
graduate  of  Princeton,  class  of  1915,  and 
now  attending  Harvard  Law  School ;  and 
William  Kennedy,  born  November  18, 
1897,  attended  Thurston  School,  gradu- 
ate of  Shady  Side  Academy,  and  now 
attending  Princeton,  class  1919.  The  eld- 
est of  these  sons  has  recently  entered 
upon  a  business  career  and  the  others 
will  successively  take  their  places  in  such 
spheres  of  action  as  their  talents  and 
tastes  shall  incline  them  to — all  worthily 
upholding  in  the  years  to  come  the  well- 
earned  prestige  of  the  family  name. 

A  man  of  strong  domestic  affections, 
Mr.  Nimick  ever  found  in  his  home  the 
sources  of  his  highest  happiness,  one  of 
his  greatest  pleasures  being  the  exercise 
of  hospitality.  She  who  was  the  presid- 
ing genius  of  his  fireside  passed  away 
January  25,  1904. 

The  record  of  Frank  Bailey  Nimick  is 
that  of  an  able,  aggressive  business  man 
and  an  upright,  public-spirited  citizen. 
He  is  a  true  man  of  his  race. 


SINGER,  George,  Jr., 

Enterprising  Citizen. 

Pittsburgh,  the  spot  repeatedly  drench- 
ed with  the  blood  of  French  and  British 
pioneers,  has  been  advanced  to  her  pres- 
ent position  of  proud  supremacy  by  other 
pioneers  who  won  their  laurels  in  times 
of  peace — the  pioneers  of  the  great  steel 
industry,  who  set  in  motion  those  mills 
and  furnaces  which  by  day  darken  the 
sky  with  incessant  smoke  and  at  night 
redden  the  heavens.  As  we  direct  our 
gaze  into  the  years  that  are  gone  we  can 
discern — conspicuous  among  these  heroes 
of  the  past — the  figure  of  George  Singer, 
Jr.,  for  nearly  half  a  century  of  the  firm 
of  Singer,  Nimick  &  Company,  that 
famous  and  long-enduring  power  in  the 
business  world  of  Western  Pennsylvania. 


1667 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Simon  Singer,  grandfather  of  George 
Singer,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Carlisle,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  later  moved  to  Greensburg,  in 
the  same  State.  He  married  Mary  Claus- 
sen  and  sons  and  daughters  were  born  to 
them. 

George,  son  of  Simon  and  Mary  (Claus- 
sen)  Singer,  was  born  in  1797,  in  Greens- 
burg, Pennsylvania,  and  in  1833  removed 
to  Pittsburgh,  where  he  engaged  in  busi- 
ness. He  married  Elizabeth  Flieger,  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  eight  children. 

George  (2),  son  of  George  (i)  and  Eliz- 
abeth (Flieger)  Singer,  was  born  January 
16,  1832,  in  Greensburg,  Pennsylvania, 
and  was  but  one  year  old  when  his  par- 
ents removed  to  Pittsburgh.  He  received 
his  preparatory  education  in  the  schools 
of  that  city,  afterward  entering  the  West- 
ern (now  Pittsburgh)  University.  His 
entrance  into  business  life  was  made  in 
the  office  of  John  F.  Singer  &  A.  M. 
Wallingford,  a  firm  conducting  a  general 
commission  and  forwarding  business,  re- 
maining until  the  organization  of  the  firm 
of  Singer,  Hartman  &  Company,  steel 
manufacturers,  with  which  he  became 
identified.  In  i860  the  style  was  changed 
to  Singer,  Nimick  &  Company,  Mr.  Singer 
becoming  the  senior  partner.  He  was 
also  elected  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
company,  positions  which  he  held  for 
more  than  forty  years.  In  addition  to 
exceptional  business  talents  Mr.  Singer 
possessed  resolute  industry,  purity  of 
purpose  and  integrity  of  conduct,  and  on 
these  foundation  stones  the  fair  structure 
of  his  success  was  reared.  He  was  be- 
loved by  his  employes,  trusted  by  his 
business  associates  and  honored  by  all. 
Never  did  he  allow  questionable  methods 
to  enter  into  any  of  his  transactions  and 
over  the  record  of  his  business  life  there 
falls  no  shadow  of  wrong  or  suspicion  of 
evil. 

As  a  citizen  with  exalted  ideas  of  good 


government  and  civic  virtue,  Mr.  Singer 
stood  in  the  front  rank.  A  vigilant  and 
attentive  observer  of  men  and  measures, 
his  opinions  were  recognized  as  sound 
and  his  views  as  broad,  and  his  ideas 
therefore  carried  weight  among  those 
with  whom  he  discussed  public  problems. 
A  man  of  fine  personal  appearance,  he 
was  of  a  nature  so  genial  and  sympathetic 
as  to  win  friends  wherever  he  went.  No 
good  work  done  in  the  name  of  charity 
or  religion  sought  his  co-operation  in 
vain,  and  he  brought  to  bear  in  his  work 
of  this  character  the  same  discrimination 
and  thoroughness  which  were  manifest 
in  his  business  life.  In  youth  he  became 
a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  Pittsburgh,  and  later  identified 
himself  with  the  East  Liberty  Presby- 
terian Church,  of  which  he  was  a  mem- 
ber at  the  time  of  his  death. 

Mr.  Singer  married,  February  19,  1857, 
Oliveretta,  daughter  of  Major  William 
Graham,  a  veteran  of  the  War  of  1812, 
and  five  of  the  children  born  to  them  are 
now  deceased.  Those  living  are:  W. 
Henry,  married  Julia  B.  Morgan ;  E. 
Louise,  married  Stansbury  Sutton,  and 
has  one  child,  Oliveretta  Singer.  There 
is  also  one  grandson,  George  Singer  Eb- 
bert,  a  prominent  business  man  of  Pitts- 
burgh. Mrs.  Singer  was  a  woman  of  rare 
qualities  of  mind  and  heart,  and  her  hus- 
band found  in  her  a  helpmate  truly  ideal. 
Her  death  occurred  April  6,  1914,  in  Pitts- 
burgh. The  Singer  home  was  one  of  the 
most  attractive  residences  in  that  most 
beautiful  part  of  Pittsburgh,  the  East 
End,  and  was  the  scene  of  many  social 
gatherings. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Singer,  which  oc- 
curred March  2-j,  1903,  deprived  Pitts- 
burgh of  one  of  her  most  respected  citi- 
zens and  foremost  business  men,  one  who 
fulfilled  to  the  letter  every  trust  com- 
mitted to  him  and  was  generous  in  his 


[668 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


feelings  and  conduct  toward  all.  The 
character  of  the  man  can  be  best  de- 
scribed in  the  words  of  a  lifelong  friend : 
"George  Singer,  Jr.,  was  always  a  gentle- 
man, courteous  and  affable  by  nature. 
He  was  always  straightforward  and  up- 
right in  his  business  transactions.  His 
word  was  all  that  any  one  who  knew  him 
required,  and  when  that  was  once  given 
it  was  sacred." 

To  these  words — so  eloquent  in  their 
simplicity — what  could  be  added?  George 
Singer,  Jr., — able  business  man,  upright 
citizen,  loyal  friend — was  one  of  the 
"Alakers  of  Pittsburgh." 


EVERSON,  William  Henry, 

Ironmaster,   Financier. 

Sixty-nine  years  is  a  long  time  in  the 
history  of  Pittsburgh,  and  the  sixty-nine 
years  between  1838  and  1907  embrace  a 
period  which  witnessed  the  entire  rise 
and  progress  of  the  city  of  the  present 
day.  Hardly  one  of  the  men  who  helped 
to  create  that  rise  and  progress  lived 
throughout  the  sixty-nine  years,  but  this 
was  the  span  of  usefulness  of  the  late 
William  H.  Everson,  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  Pennsylvania  Iron  Works 
and  an  undisputed  authority  in  all  that 
pertained  to  an  industry  which  lies  at 
the  foundation  of  Pittsburgh's  greatness. 
Not  only  was  Mr.  Everson  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  the  iron  world,  but  his  influ- 
ence was  powerfully  felt  in  the  realm  of 
finance  and  in  all  that  made  for  the  bet- 
terment of  conditions  in  his  community. 

William  H.  Everson  was  born  in  1818, 
in  Gloucestershire,  England,  and  was  a 
son  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Winter) 
Everson.  In  1838  the  youth  came  with 
his  father  to  the  United  States  and  to 
Pittsburgh,  where  the  father  died  in  1854. 
Immediately  on  arriving  in  the  city,  Wil- 
liam H.  Everson  associated  himself  with 
the  industry  with   which  his   name  was 


thenceforth  to  be  permanently  identified, 
securing  employment  in  the  iron  mill  of 
Leonard  &  Company. 

During  the  years  that  he  spent  with 
this  firm  Mr.  Everson  became  thoroughly 
familiar  with  every  detail  of  the  business, 
commending  himself  to  his  employers  by 
unusual  ability,  untiring  industry,  ever- 
alert  energy  and  the  strictest  honesty. 
The  result  was  that  in  1846  he  found 
himself  in  circumstances  to  justify  inde- 
pendent enterprise,  and  accordingly,  in 
association  with  Barclay  Preston,  T.  J. 
Hoskinson,  Samuel  Caskey  and  William 
Foale,  he  organized  the  Pennsylvania 
Iron  Works.  They  were  situated  on 
Second  avenue,  near  Tenth  street,  and 
were  among  the  first  of  the  kind.  In 
these  works  was  manufactured  the  first 
pair  of  steamboat  shafts  ever  used  on  the 
Monongahela  river.  The  business  grew 
and  prospered  as  it  could  hardly  fail  to  do 
with  a  man  like  Mr.  Everson  at  the  head 
of  affairs  and  in  the  course  of  time  plants 
were  erected  at  Scottdale  and  Everson, 
in  Westmoreland  county.  Mr.  Everson 
gave  proof,  in  a  wider  field  and  on  a 
larger  scale,  of  the  possession  of  the  traits 
of  character  which  had  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  his  fortune  by  winning  for  him 
approval  and  confidence  when  he  was  but 
a  youth  beginning  life  for  himself.  No 
man  in  the  business  world  stood  higher 
or  was  more  implicitly  trusted.  In  1888 
he  retired. 

In  the  sphere  of  finance  also,  Mr.  Ever- 
son was  active  and  influential.  In  asso- 
ciation with  the  late  William  C.  Macrum, 
he  founded  the  Commercial  Banking 
Company,  which  was  later  merged  in 
what  became  the  Marine  National  Bank. 
Of  this  institution  Mr.  Everson  was  presi- 
dent for  a  number  of  years.  He  was  also 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  People's  Na- 
tional Bank. 

The  political  allegiance  of  Mr.  Ever- 
son was  given  to  the  Republican  party, 
669 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  there  was  no  phase  of  citizenship  in 
which  he  was  not  loyal  to  obHgation.  He 
was  present  at  the  meeting  held  in  the 
old  Lafayette  Hall,  Pittsburgh,  when  the 
Republican  party  was  launched.  Espe- 
cially was  Mr.  Everson  interested  in  the 
cause  of  education,  manifesting  his  inter- 
est not  by  words  alone,  but  in  the  far 
more  convincing  language  of  deeds.  He 
was  one  of  the  originators  of  the  Pitts- 
burgh Board  of  Education,  and  at  one 
time  he  and  the  late  David  Hutchison 
supplied  the  old  Eighth  Ward  school  with 
funds  in  order  that  the  children  of  that 
ward  might  enjoy  educational  benefits. 
]\Ir.  Everson  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  original  Pittsburgh  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  and  for  sixty-five 
years  held  the  offices  of  deacon  and  trus- 
tee in  the  First  Baptist  Church.  He  also 
served  seven  or  eight  years  as  organist 
of  the  church,  being  a  musician  of  good 
taste. 

It  was  by  force  of  character  and  lib- 
erality of  sympathy  and  sentiment  no  less 
than  by  great  abilities  and  brilliant  suc- 
cess, that  Mr.  Everson  acquired  the  in- 
fluence which  strengthened  with  'he  lapse 
of  years.  In  face  and  manner  he  showed 
himself  to  be  what  he  was — a  true  gentle- 
man and  a  noble  and  kindly  man. 

William  H.  Everson  married  (first)  in 
1840,  Mary,  daughter  of  Benjamin  and 
Elizabeth  (Bissell)  Harker,  of  East  Liver- 
pool, Ohio.  Mr.  Harker  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  East  Liverpool,  and  its  first 
pottery  manufacturer.  The  Harker  fam- 
ily is  allied  to  the  Harcourts,  who  are 
English  of  Huguenot  descent.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Everson  were  the  parents  of  the 
following  children :  Amelia,  married  Na- 
thaniel G.  Macrum,  of  Pittsburgh,  had 
seven  children,  and  is  now  deceased,  as  is 
her  husband ;  John  O. ;  George  H.,  died 
April  II,  1912;  Thomas  Bissell;  Barclay 
M.,  deceased  ;  Mary  Gertrude,  died  young ; 
and  Charlotte,  wife  of  John  C.  Thomp- 


son, of  East  Liverpool,  Ohio.  Mrs.  Ever- 
son died  February  26,  i860,  and  Mr.  Ever- 
son married  (second)  in  1864,  Sarah, 
daughter  of  the  late  William  and  Mary 
(Shuter)  Alacrum,  of  Pittsburgh.  Mr. 
Macrum  was  born  in  County  Armagh, 
Ireland,  whither  his  ancestors  had  mi- 
grated from  Scotland  on  account  of  re- 
ligious persecution.  They  belonged  to 
one  of  the  clans,  the  name  being  spelled 
MacCrum,  but  in  Ireland  it  assumed  its 
present  form.  By  his  second  marriage 
Mr.  Everson  became  the  father  of  two 
sons :  William  Henry,  died  October  20, 
1902;  and  Malcolm  Wayland,  a  physician 
of  Pittsburgh,  whose  biography  appears 
on  a  following  page.  One  of  the  most 
marked  features  of  Mr.  Everson's  char- 
acter was  devotion  to  the  ties  of  family 
and  friendship,  and  this,  together  with 
the  congeniality  of  his  domestic  relations, 
made  him  always  happiest  at  his  own 
fireside,  where  he  delighted  to  exercise 
hospitality. 

From  the  age  of  twenty  to  the  tradi- 
tional limit  of  human  life  Mr.  Everson 
was  actively  engaged  in  business.  After 
half  a  century's  service  he  enrolled  him- 
self among  the  veterans  and  for  nine- 
teen years  he  was  a  guide  and  counsellor 
to  the  younger  generation.  On  April  11, 
1907,  he  passed  away,  leaving  to  his  chil- 
dren and  grandchildren  not  wealth  alone 
but  the  far  richer  legacy  of  a  noble  and 
stainless  life. 

Even  when  William  H.  Everson  ceased 
from  earth,  his  influence  did  not  pass 
away.  It  is  still  felt  in  the  city  that  he 
loved  and  Pittsburgh  is  to-day  stronger, 
richer  and  happier  because  of  his  true 
life  and  lasting  work. 


EVERSON,  Malcolm  Wayland, 

Physician   and   Surgeon. 

Among  the  leading  medical  practition- 
ers of  Pittsburgh  must  be  numbered  Dr. 
Malcolm   Wayland    Everson,    whose   en- 


1670 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tire  professional  career  of  a  quarter  of  a 
century  has  been  associated  with  his  na- 
tive city.  Dr.  Everson  has  during  that 
period  been  the  incumbent  of  positions 
which  clearly  demonstrate  his  high  stand- 
ing as  a  physician. 

Malcolm  Wayland  Everson  was  born 
December  3,  1S67,  in  Pittsburgh,  and  is 
a  son  of  the  late  William  Plenry  and 
Sarah  (Macrum)  Everson.  On  a  preced- 
ing page  of  this  work  may  be  found  a 
biography  of  Mr.  Everson,  who  was  one 
of  the  pioneer  iron  manufacturers  of 
Pittsburgh.  Alalcolm  Wayland  Everson 
received  his  preparatory  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  city  and  then 
entered  the  Western  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, now  the  University  of  Pitts- 
burgh, graduating  in  1885  with  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  Immediately  there- 
after he  matriculated  at  Jefferson  Medical 
College,  Philadelphia,  and  in  1889  that 
institution  conferred  upon  him  the  de- 
gree of  Doctor  of  Medicine. 

Without  delay  Dr.  Everson  opened  an 
office  in  Pittsburgh,  and  has  ever  since 
been  continuously  engaged  in  general 
practice,  having  a  large  and  steadily  in- 
creasing clientele.  He  was  for  a  number 
of  years  surgeon  to  the  Pittsburgh  Trac- 
tion Company,  the  Duquesne  Traction 
Company,  the  Linden  Steel  Works  and 
the  Pittsburgh  Day  Nursery  for  Children- 
He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Medical 
Association,  the  Pennsylvania  State  Med- 
ical Association  and  the  Allegheny  County 
Aledical  Society. 

Politically  Dr.  Everson  is  a  Republican, 
but  has  never  had  either  time  or  inclina- 
tion for  office-holding.  He  affiliates  with 
Pittsburgh  Lodge,  No.  484,  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons,  and  belongs  to  the  Pitts- 
burgh Country  Club  and  the  Automobile 
Club  of  America,  a  New  York  organiza- 
tion. He  attends  the  First  Baptist  Church. 

The  aspect  and  bearing  of  Dr.  Everson 
are  those  of  the  cultivated  physician  of 


genial  nature  and  polished  manner.  He 
is  a  forceful  influence  in  all  that  makes 
for  advancement  in  medicine,  being  widely 
read  in  all  that  pertains  to  his  profession. 
His  countenance  is  indicative  of  strength 
of  character  and  tenacity  of  purpose  and 
withal  of  the  companionable  disposition 
which  has  surrounded  him  with  friends 
both  in  and  out  of  his  profession.  He  has 
travelled  much  and  is  particularly  fond 
of  motoring. 

On  December  14,  1899,  Dr.  Everson 
married  Alice  May,  daughter  of  James 
A.  and  Clare  E.  (Goodrich)  Tvvitchell,  of 
Olean,  New  York.  Mr.  Twitchell  was 
formerly  engaged  in  business  as  an  oil 
operator.  IMrs.  Everson  is  the  possessor 
of  an  exceptionally  fine  voice  and  has 
studied  under  Madame  Marchesi  of  Paris 
and  under  other  instructors  in  other 
European  cities.  She  is  now  studying 
vocal  music  under  Professor  Bimboni,  of 
the  ^Metropolitan  Opera  Company  of  New 
York. 

For  three-quarters  of  a  century  the 
name  of  Everson  has  been  associated  in 
Pittsburgh  with  business  ability,  musical 
talent  and  good  citizenship.  It  has  re- 
mained for  Dr.  Malcolm  Wayland  Ever- 
son to  identify  it  with  professional  dis- 
tinction. 


STEPHENSON,  Capt.  James, 

Veteran  of  the  Civil  W^ar. 

In  her  soldier-citizens  Pittsburgh  has 
taken  a  special  pride.  Turning  away,  as 
young  men,  from  the  vistas  of  profit  and 
distinction  which  opened  before  them  in 
the  callings  to  which  they  had  elected  to 
devote  themselves,  they  took  up  arms  in 
the  defense  of  the  Union  and  on  the 
battlefield  and  in  the  prison  many  of  them 
laid  down  their  lives.  Those  who  re- 
turned— not  a  few  laboring  under  disabil- 
ities incurred  in  the  service — worthily  re- 
cruited the  ranks  of  the  professions  as 
well  as  those  of  commerce  and  finance. 


1671 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Among  those  who  were  thus  brave  and 
faithful  in  peace  no  less  than  in  war 
was  the  late  Captain  James  Stephenson, 
founder  and  for  many  years  head  of  the 
well  known  firm  of  James  Stephenson  & 
Sons.  Captain  Stephenson,  during  his 
long  residence  in  Pittsburgh,  was  an 
earnest  and  influential  supporter  of  all 
the  interests  most  essential  to  the  wel- 
fare of  his  adopted  city. 

John  Stephenson,  mentioned  in  the 
book  of  Captain  John  Smith  as  one  of 
those  whO'  accompanied  him  to  Virginia 
in  1607,  is  said  to  have  been  the  founder 
of  the  American  branch  of  the  family. 
Another  tradition  says  that  it  was  planted 
in  that  province  by  one  of  the  associates 
of  Sir  William  Berkele3\ 

Richard  Stephenson,  great-grandfather 
of  Captain  James  Stephenson,  is  the  first 
ancestor  of  authentic  record.  He  mar- 
ried Mrs.  Onora  (Grimes)  Crawford, 
mother  of  Colonel  William  and  Valentine 
Crawford,  and  their  children  were :  John, 
Hugh,  Richard  ;  James,  mentioned  below  ; 
and  Marcus.  Both  John  and  Hugh  Ste- 
phenson served  in  the  Revolutionary 
army,  and  with  the  rank  of  colonel.  James 
Stephenson  served  as  paymaster  oi  the 
Fifth  Virginia  Riflemen.  Colonel  Wil- 
liam Crawford  was  burned  at  the  stake 
by  Indians  at  Sandusky. 

James,  son  of  Richard  and  Onora 
Grimes  (Crawford)  Stephenson,  was  born 
in  Berkeley  county,  Virginia,  and  soon 
after  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War 
removed  to  Pennsylvania.  He  settled  in 
Cherry  Valley,  on  a  grant  of  one  thou- 
sand acres  given  him  by  the  government 
for  colonial  and  revolutionary  services, 
and  the  house  which  he  built  on  this  land 
is  still  in  the  family  name.  James  Ste- 
phenson became  a  prosperous  farmer  and 
a  man  of  influence  in  the  community, 
serving  as  a  member  of  the  legislature. 
He  married  (first)  Miss  McKeevers.  of 
New  York.     He  married   (second)   Mar- 

167 


tha  Barr,  and  among  their  children  was 
a  son  John,  mentioned  below.  Mr.  Ste- 
phenson died  in  1814. 

John,  son  of  James  and  Martha  (Barr) 
Stephenson,  was  born  February  17,  1803, 
on  the  homestead  in  Cherry  Valley,  and 
married  Susan  Shipley,  (daughter  of  Ed- 
ward  Shipley,   a   soldier  of   the   War  of 

1812,  whose  ancestors  came  over  with 
Lord  Baltimore),  who  was  born  March  9, 

1813.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  fol- 
lowing children :  Sabot  A.,  born  May  29, 
1834,  died  February  2^,  1839;  James, 
mentioned  below ;  Martha  E.,  born  May 
22,  1838,  married  Dr.  William  Simcox; 
Sabot  A.  (2),  born  February  3,  1841,  died 
February  4,  1878;  John  P.,  born  October 
17,  1843,  married  Dora  Parsons;  Edward 
Shipley,  born  March  23,  1845,  died  De- 
cember 9,  1884;  Robert  Scott,  born  April 
II,  1848,  married  (first)  Ella  Reiter  and 
(second)  Frances  Graham ;  Anna  May, 
born  May  24,  1850,  married  Francis  Scott ; 
Margaret,  born  October  10,  1852,  married 
Samuel  McNary  ;  and  Wallas,  born  March 
2T„  1855,  died  January  17,  1859.  The 
mother  of  these  children  passed  away 
January  24.  1857,  and  the  death  of  Mr. 
Stephenson  occurred  January  9,  1890. 

James  (2),  son  of  John  and  Susan 
(Shipley)  Stephenson,  was  born  March 
6,  1836,  in  Burgettstown,  Washington 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  received  as 
good  an  education  as  the  schools  of  the 
neighborhood  at  the  time  aflforded.  Until 
attaining  his  majority  he  assisted  his 
father  in  the  management  and  cultivation 
of  the  home  farm,  afterward  spending 
some  time  travelling  the  west. 

W^hen  the  bombardment  of  Fort  Sum- 
ter thundered  the  announcement  of  Civil 
War,  and  President  Lincoln  issued  his 
first  call  for  troops,  Mr.  Stephenson  (as 
he  then  was)  was  one  of  those  who  im- 
mediately responded,  enlisting  at  Pitts- 
burgh in  the  Duquesne  Grays,  Twelfth 
Regiment,  and  serving  until  August  5, 
2 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


1861,  when  he  was  mustered  out.  Re- 
enlisting,  he  assisted  in  organizing  Bat- 
talion C,  Thompson  Independent  Light 
Artillery,  and  rose  to  the  rank  of  senior 
first  lieutenant.  After  the  death  on  May 
7,  1863,  of  the  commander  of  Hampton's 
Battery,  that  battery  was  for  a  time  com- 
manded by  Lieutenant  Stephenson.  At 
the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run  he  was 
twice  shot  through  the  right  leg,  at  Chan- 
cellorsville  the  drum  of  his  left  ear  was 
broken  by  the  noise  of  the  concussion, 
and  at  Gettysburg  he  was  slightly  wound- 
ed. He  served  in  all  the  engagements  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  until  1864, 
when  he  resigned.  On  March  13,  1865, 
Lieutenant  Stephenson  was  made  captain 
by  brevet  for  gallant  and  meritorious 
services  at  the  battles  of  Bull  Run  and 
Gettysburg. 

After  leaving  the  service.  Captain  Ste- 
phenson established  the  Excelsior  Coffin 
Factory,  which  he  subsequently  sold,  and 
then  for  eight  years  filled  the  position  of 
assistant  general  superintendent  of  the 
Central  Transportation  Company.  In 
1899,  i"  association  with  his  sons,  he  or- 
ganized the  firm  of  James  Stephenson  & 
Sons,  retaining  to  the  close  of  his  life  the 
headship  of  this  concern.  This  enter- 
prise was  very  successful,  as  it  could 
hardly  fail  to  be,  having  for  its  leader  a 
clear-headed,  straightforward  business 
man — one,  moreover,  whose  judgment  of 
men  was  intuitive,  and  who  was  thus  en- 
abled to  surround  himself  with  assistants 
who  seldom  failed  to  meet  his  expecta- 
tions. Honest,  able  and  self-reliant  and, 
withal,  a  just  and  kind  employer.  Cap- 
tain Stephenson  reaped  the  large  success 
which  naturally  attend  men  of  fine 
judgment  and  unblemished  integrity. 

In  all  concerns  relative  to  the  city's 
welfare  he  ever  manifested  a  deep  and 
sincere  interest,  readily  according  the 
support  of  his  influence  and  means  to 
any  project  which,  in  his  judgment,  tend- 

I 


ed  to  further  that  end.  A  Democrat  in 
politics,  the  only  public  office  which  he 
ever  accepted  was  that  of  a  member  of 
the  school  board,  which  he  retained  for 
many  years,  being  especially  interested 
in  the  cause  of  education.  Widely  but 
unostentatiously  charitable,  no  good  work 
done  in  the  name  of  philanthropy  or  re- 
ligion sought  his  co-operation  in  vain. 
He  belonged  to  Post  No.  259,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  the  Union  Veteran 
Legion,  and  the  Military  Order  of  the 
Loyal  Legion,  and  affiliated  with  Frank- 
lin Lodge  No.  221,  Free  and  Accepted 
Alasons.  He  was  not  a  member  of  any 
one  particular  church,  but  was  a  liberal 
contributor  to  the  financial  needs  of 
churches  of  all  denominations,  without 
distinction. 

The  noble  and  intellectual  countenance 
of  Captain  Stephenson  was  a  reflex  of  his 
character.  The  broad  forehead,  search- 
ing dark  eyes  and  strong,  clear-cut  fea- 
tures, accentuated  by  gray  hair,  beard 
and  moustache,  were  all  expressive  of  a 
rare  tenacity  of  purpose  and  mental  en- 
dowments of  no  common  order.  The  de- 
ficiencies of  his  early  education  were  sup- 
plied by  exceptional  powers  of  observa- 
tion and  the  studious  habits  of  later  life 
and  he  was  known  as  a  man  of  wide  read- 
ing and  cultivated  tastes.  A  genial  na- 
ture which  recognized  and  appreciated 
the  good  in  others  rendered  his  personal- 
ity extremely  winning  and  elicited  the 
warm  and  loyal  attachment  of  all  who 
were  in  a  way  associated  with  him. 

Captain  Stephenson  married,  June  17, 
1869,  Margaret  Reed,  daughter  of  Ed- 
ward and  Sarah  Ann  (Robinson)  Taylor, 
of  English  and  Irish  ancestry.  Captain 
and  Mrs.  Stephenson  were  the  parents 
of  the  following  children:  Charles  E. ; 
Ella  B. ;  Maude  ;  India  ;  and  Don  Frank- 
lin. The  sons  were  associated  with  their 
father  in  business.  Mrs.  Stephenson,  a 
woman  of  rare  wifely  qualities  and  ad- 

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mirably  fitted  by  her  excellent  practical 
mind  to  be  to  her  husband  a  true  and 
sympathizing  helpmate,  presided  with  in- 
nate grace  over  the  beautiful  home  at 
Edgewood  which  was  the  seat  of  gracious 
and  refined  hospitality.  At  the  time  of 
his  death,  Captain  Stephenson  had  re- 
sided for  twenty-eight  years  in  this 
charming  suburb,  where  he  was  the 
owner  of  considerable  property.  He  was 
a  man  to  whom  the  ties  of  home  and 
friendship  were  sacred  and  his  happiest 
hours  were  passed  at  his  own  fireside. 
Mrs.  Stephenson,  in  her  widowhood,  is 
surrounded  by  warmly  attached  friends 
and  is  active  in  church  circles  and  in 
deeds  of  charity.  She  is  a  member  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  church. 

The  death  of  Captain  Stephenson, 
which  occurred  June  2.  1903,  deprived 
Pittsburgh  of  one  of  her  most  valued 
citizens  and  foremost  business  men.  Hon- 
orable in  purpose  and  fearless  in  conduct, 
he  used  his  talents  and  opportunities  to 
the  utmost  in  every  work  which  he 
undertook,  fulfilled  to  the  letter  every 
trust  committed  to  him  and  was  gener- 
ous in  his  feelings  and  conduct  toward 
all. 

A  descendant  of  ancestors  who  helped 
to  make  us  a  nation,  this  brave  soldier 
worthily  bore  his  part  in  the  struggle 
which  enabled  us  to  remain  one.  An 
early  generation  rendered  the  Union  pos- 
sible, a  later  one  preserved  its  integrity. 
To  Captain  James  Stephenson  and  his 
heroic  comrades  we  should  ever  pay  trib- 
ute and  the  veneration  and  gratitude 
which  we  accord  to  the  patriot  soldiers  of 
the  war  for  independence. 


KEARNS,  Edward  Lee, 

Lawyer,   Officer  of  National   Gnard. 

Pittsburgh,  among  her  many  causes 
for  just  and  laudable  pride,  has  none 
greater  than  that  furnished  by  the  his- 
tory of  her  Bar  and  by  its  present  status. 

I 


Conspicuous  among  the  younger  mem- 
bers who  now  aid  in  the  maintenance  of 
that  high  status  is  Edward  Lee  Kearns, 
who  has  now  been  for  well  nigh  a  score 
of  years  in  active  and  successful  practice. 
Mr.  Kearns  has  long  been  prominently 
identified  with  military  matters  and  has 
a  national  reputation  for  the  disciplinary 
measures  and  various  innovations  which 
he  has  introduced  into  his  soldier  corps. 

Edward  Kearns,  grandfather  of  Ed- 
ward Lee  Kearns,  was  born  September 
17.  I793»  at  Carrick  Macross,  County 
Monaghan,  Ireland,  and  when  a  boy  came 
to  the  United  States,  settling  first  in  Bal- 
timore and  in  1807  removing  to  Pitts- 
burgh. He  married,  in  that  city,  Feb- 
ruary 6,  1823,  Mary  Quinn,  who  died  No- 
vember 10,  1866.  The  death  of  Mr. 
Kearns  occurred  October  14,  1864. 

Edward  P.,  son  of  Edward  and  Mary 
(Quinn)  Kearns,  was  born  February  23, 
1833,  in  Pittsburgh,  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
city  and  at  Gray's  School.  He  was  em- 
ployed in  the  old  postoffice,  and  was  at 
one  time  connected  with  the  "Pittsburgh 
Post."  In  association  with  Bartley 
Campbell,  the  once  famous  actor  and 
playwright,  he  published  the  "Working 
Man's  Advocate,"  and  later  was  in  the 
United  States  revenue  service,  being  ap- 
pointed by  President  Cleveland,  on  May 
2^,  1893,  Collector  of  Internal  Revenue. 
Mr.  Kearns  married  Martina  Burke,  May 
28,  1868,  at  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania; 
her  ancestral  record  is  appended  to  this 
biography.  Their  children  were:  Ed- 
ward Lee,  mentioned  below ;  Burke  U. 
born  March  10,  1877,  of  Pittsburgh ;  and 
A.  Reginald,  born  May  22,  1878,  a  min- 
ing engineer  at  Cananea,  Sonora,  Mexico. 

Edward  Lee,  son  of  Edward  P.  and 
Martina  (Burke)  Kearns,  was  born 
March  31,  1873,  at  the  Bolton  Hotel, 
Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  and  received 
his  education  at  the  Harrisburg  Academy 
674 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  at  Duquesne  University.  He  read 
law  under  the  preceptorship  of  David  T. 
Watson,  the  noted  lavi^yer,  and  on  De- 
cember 14,  1895,  was  admitted  to  the 
Allegheny  county  bar.  For  four  years 
after  this  Mr.  Kearns  practiced  alone,  but 
in  1899  formed  a  partnership  with  An- 
drew G.  Smith  under  the  firm  name  of 
Smith  and  Kearns.  This  connection  con- 
tinued until  October  i,  1905,  since  which 
time  Mr.  Kearns  has  again  practiced 
alone.  His  singular  fitness  for  his  chosen 
profession  was  manifested  very  early  in 
his  career  and  the  lapse  of  time  has 
brought  ever-increasing  proof  of  it.  Per- 
fectly self-reliant,  with  a  mind  keenly 
analytical  and  a  wealth  of  legal  knowl- 
edge, it  was  entirely  by  his  own  unaided 
efforts  that  he  advanced  steadily  and 
rapidly  to  the  leading  position  which  he 
has  so  long  occupied. 

With  military  afifairs  Mr.  Kearns  has 
for  many  years  been  actively  and  promi- 
ently  associated.  In  1898,  during  the 
Spanish-American  war,  he  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  Troop  M,  First  United  States 
Volunteer  Cavalry  ("Rough  Riders"), 
which  was  stationed  at  Tampa,  Florida, 
and  mustered  out  of  service  at  Montauk 
Point,  Long  Island,  New  York,  without 
having  been  actively  engaged.  Mr. 
Kearns  then  again  enlisted  as  a  private 
in  Company  B,  Eighteenth  Regiment 
(Duquesne  Greys),  on  January  19,  1899, 
and  on  March  29,  of  the  same  year,  was 
elected  second  lieutenant,  becoming  first 
lieutenant  on  January  31,  1900.  On  No- 
vember 13,  1902,  he  was  appointed  cap- 
tain and  regimental  adjutant,  and  on 
March  4,  1904,  was  elected  major.  Since 
October  2,  1912,  he  has  been  lieutenant- 
colonel.  In  October,  1902,  during  the 
momentous  coal  strike  which  then  oc- 
curred, Mr.  Kearns  served  as  first  lieu- 
tenant of  Company  B,  the  regiment 
being  stationed  at  Shenandoah.     He  be- 


longs to  the  Army  and  Navy  Club  of 
New  York  City. 

Politically  Mr.  Kearns  is  a  Republican, 
his  vote  and  influence  being  always  exert- 
ed in  behalf  of  the  principles  of  the  party. 
He  belongs  to  the  Pittsburgh  Athletic 
Association  and  the  Pennsylvania  For- 
estry Association,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Harkaway  Hunt  and  Americus  Repub- 
lican clubs. 

A  glance  at  Mr.  Kearns'  countenance 
reveals  him  as  a  man  of  strong  nature 
and  cultivated  mind.  His  clearly-cut  fea- 
tures are  expressive  at  once  of  force  and 
refinement  and  his  eyes  have  the  clear, 
resolute  look  which  goes  far  to  explain 
his  success  in  dififerent  fields.  Dignified 
in  his  professional  relations,  he  is  in 
these,  no  less  than  in  social  intercourse, 
essentially  courteous.  Those  whom  he 
admits  to  the  inner  circle  of  his  intimacy 
know  him  as  a  man  of  genial  disposition 
and  a  true  and  steadfast  friend. 

By  Mr.  Kearns'  work  as  a  lawyer  he 
has  earned  distinction  for  himself  and 
conferred  honor  upon  his  profession.  By 
his  military  services  he  has  aided  in  the 
strengthening  and  upbuilding  of  one  of 
the  bulwarks  of  the  commonwealth.  He 
worthily  represents  one  of  the  types  most 
valued  by  his  city  and  State — the  lawyer- 
soldier  of  Pittsburgh. 

(The  Burke  Line). 

The  Burke  family  is  of  Irish  origin  and 
the  name  is  one  of  historical  distinction. 
The  escutcheon  of  the  race  bears  the 
motto :    Un  Roy,  un  Loy  et  un  Foy. 

Michael  Burke,  father  of  Mrs.  Martina 
(Burke)  Kearns,  was  born  September  29, 
1797,  in  Temple  Trathen,  County  Tip- 
perary,  Ireland,  and  as  a  boy  went  to 
Newfoundland,  later  extending  his  mi- 
grations as  far  as  the  United  States.  He 
was  a  contractor,  and  constructed  por- 
tions of  the  Juniata  Division  of  the  Penn- 

675 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


sylvania  canal  between  Mexico  and 
Lewistown,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  in- 
terested in  the  first  packet  line  from  Phil- 
adelphia to  Harrisburg,  of  which  he  was 
the  originator,  and  he  was  also  interested 
in  the  portable  line  over  the  mountains. 
In  association  with  Governor  David  Rit- 
tenhouse  Porter  Mr.  Burke  built  the  first 
blast  furnace  erected  at  Harrisburg,  also 
constructing  portions  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad  between  Harrisburg  and 
Pittsburgh,  as  well  as  parts  of  the  North- 
ern Central  Railroad  between  Harrisburg 
and  York,  Pennsylvania.  The  original 
bridge  spanning  the  Susquehanna  river 
at  Rockville  was  erected  under  his  super- 
vision and  in  i860  he  constructed  the  res- 
ervoirs of  Baltimore.  Mr.  Burke's  inter- 
est in  Harrisburg's  first  system  of  water 
works  rendered  him  extremely  popular. 
He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  borough 
council  and  for  a  time  was  president  of 
the  legislative  body  of  the  city,  becoming 
personally  responsible  for  the  payment 
of  loans  secured  for  the  construction  of 
the  water  works.  Mr.  Burke  married, 
April  6,  1824,  at  Lockport,  New  York, 
Mary  A.  Findlay.  At  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  August  15,  1864, 
he  was  engaged  in  the  erection  of  the 
reservoir  at  Washington,  District  of  Col- 
umbia.    Mrs.  Burke  died  July  21,  1893. 

Martina,  daughter  of  Michael  and  Mary 
A.  (Findlay)  Burke,  was  born  October 
13,  1844,  at  Harrisburg,  and  became  the 
wife  of  Edward  P.  Kearns. 


WALTON,  Joseph, 

Prominent  in  Coal  and  Transportation. 

The  country  may  well  look  with  pride 
upon  its  citizens  when  it  numbers  among 
them  men  of  the  stamp  of  the  late  Joseph 
Walton,  of  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania, 
who  was  equally  prominent  as  a  financier, 
statesman,  captain  of  industry  and  phil- 
anthropist. He  was  a  true  aristocrat  by 
the  divine  right  of  his  achievements.    His 


16; 


indomitable  perseverance  in  any  under- 
taking in  which  he  once  embarked,  his 
boldness  of  operation,  his  sagacious  judg- 
ment, his  integrity  and  his  loyalty  to  his 
friends,  are  qualities  which  it  is  a  rare 
thing  to  find  united  in  one  person.  Under 
the  most  trying  conditions  his  self-reli- 
ance never  failed  him,  and  his  study  of 
mankind  enabled  him  to  fill  the  various 
important  positions  under  him  with  men 
on  whom  he  could  depend  in  an  emer- 
gency. The  commanding  traits  he  pos- 
sessed came  to  him  by  fair  inheritance 
from  his  ancestors,  who  were  distin- 
guished in  various  walks  of  life.  His 
great-uncle,  George  Walton,  was  one  of 
the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence. His  father,  who  was  of  Phila- 
delphia, Pennsylvania,  was  a  millwright 
and  bridge  builder  by  occupation.  The 
first  bridge  that  was  ever  thrown  across 
the  Allegheny  river  was  of  his  construc- 
tion, also  the  two  bridges  which  cross 
the  Tuscarora  and  Muskingum  rivers, 
and  the  building  known  as  Hill's  Mill. 

Joseph  Walton  was  born  in  Westmore- 
land county,  Pennsylvania,  March  24, 
1826.  He  received  the  customary  educa- 
tion accorded  a  boy  at  that  time,  but  be- 
ing ambitious,  he  branched  out  for  him- 
self when  he  had  attained  his  fourteenth 
year.  He  went  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and 
there  commenced  to  learn  the  carpenter's 
trade,  at  which  he  worked  until  he  was 
nineteen  years  of  age.  At  this  time  he 
commenced  work  as  a  millwright,  and  he 
was  so  successful  in  this  field  that,  in 
association  with  a  German  builder,  he 
erected  a  number  of  houses  and  sawmills, 
some  of  which  are  in  operation  at  the 
present  tim,e.  He  was  then  engaged  in 
the  same  line  of  construction  in  Tem- 
peranceville,  under  James  Wood,  leaving 
him  to  enter  the  employ  of  Judge  Heath, 
whose  partner  he  subsequently  became. 
The  history  of  his  business  operations  is 
intimately  connected  with  the  history  of 
6 


^cJeft/i      'W^l/<. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  prosperity  of  Western  Pennsylvania. 
In  i860  Mr.  Walton  founded  the  firm 
which  ultimately  became  known  as  Joseph 
Walton  &  Company,  coal  operators  and 
shipowners,  Pittsburgh.  It  was  founded 
under  the  name  of  the  Eagle  Coal  Com- 
pany, and  at  this  time  Mr.  Walton  was 
engaged  in  the  saw  mill  and  lumber  busi- 
ness under  the  name  of  Walton,  Phillips 
&  Company.  He  and  his  associates  had 
a  large  capital  tied  up  among  the  coal 
men,  for  whom  they  had  built  boats  and 
barges,  and  they  felt  necessitated  to  pur- 
chase large  supplies  of  coal  which  they 
then  floated  in  boats  to  the  lower  mar- 
kets. This  entry  into  the  coal  business 
was  efifected  in  or  about  1858,  and  two 
years  later  they  purchased  the  "S.  B. 
Eagle,"  and  engaged  regularly  in  the  coal 
business,  forming  a  separate  copartner- 
ship under  the  style  of  the  Eagle  Coal 
Company,  the  members  of  which  were : 
Joseph  Walton,  John  O.  Phillips,  W. 
Mettenzwy,  Peter  Haberman  and  Joseph 
Keeling.  In  1862  this  partnership  was 
dissolved,  Joseph  Walton  purchasing  the 
boats  and  barges,  and  utilizing  them  in 
the  shipping  of  coal  to  Cairo,  Memphis 
and  New  Orleans,  Cincinnati  and  Louis- 
ville, to  which  points  he  was  shipping 
large  quantities  under  contract  with  the 
government ;  branch  offices  were  finally 
formed  at  these  points.  Great  success 
attended  his  operations  in  this  direction 
which  were  continued  until  1865,  that  he 
found  it  necessary  to  purchase  another 
large  boat,  "The  Coal  City,"  a  number  of 
barges,  and  the  small  steamer  "Painter 
No.  2."  During  this  time,  however,  he 
disposed  of  the  "Eagle."  During  these 
years  he  was  also  associated  with  Thomas 
Fawcett  as  an  independent  coal  shipping 
concern  for  the  government,  and  also  very 
successfully.  Under  one  contract  the 
supply  of  coal  they  furnished  was  two 
millions  of  bushels.  The  coal  works  at 
West    Elizabeth,    which    had    been    pur- 

I 


chased  by  Walton  &  Fawcett,  were 
sold  to  Joseph  Walton  in  1865  for  the 
sum  of  eighty  thousand  dollars,  and  the 
affairs  of  the  company  wound  up.  Mr. 
Walton  then  organized  the  Coal  City 
Coal  Company,  the  other  members  of  the 
corporation  being  Joseph  Keeling,  Peter 
Haberman  of  Pittsburgh,  and  Robert  B. 
Smith  of  Cincinnati.  The  stock  in  trade 
consisted  of  the  coal  works  at  West  Eliz- 
abeth, the  steamer  "Coal  City"  and 
"Painter  No.  2,"  and  a  large  number  of 
flats  and  barges.  The  coal  was  to  be 
mined  and  shipped  to  Cincinnati,  where 
Mr.  Smith  had  a  depot  and  retail  busi- 
ness, but  the  results  achieved  were  not 
as  satisfactory  as  had  been  anticipated. 
There  were  a  number  of  adverse  condi- 
tions to  be  contended  with  and  the  part- 
nership was  dissolved  in  1869,  Mr.  Wal- 
ton purchasing  the  interest  of  Mr.  R.  B. 
Smith,  the  retail  business  being  dispensed 
with  at  this  time.  It  was  at  this  time  the 
firm  name  was  changed  to  Joseph  Walton 
&  Company,  the  members  being  Joseph 
Walton,  Peter  Haberman  and  Joseph 
Keeling.  When  Joseph  Keeling  retired, 
October  i,  1872,  Isaac  Bunton  took  his 
place,  at  which  time  the  consolidation 
with  the  Niagara  Coal  Company  was 
efifected,  of  which  Joseph  Walton,  Peter 
Haberman  and  Isaac  N.  Bunton  were 
also  the  firm  mem,bers.  Joseph  Walton, 
who  was  the  senior  member,  superin- 
tended the  finances  of  this  combina- 
tion; Peter  Haberman,  the  coal  works; 
and  Isaac  Bunton,  the  steamboats  and 
accounts.  They  erected  a  saw  mill  in 
1872  on  the  West  Elizabeth  property, 
and  there  built  their  own  coal  barges  and 
boats,  and  furnished  building  material  for 
outside  operations.  November  17,  1872, 
when  it  had  been  in  operation  scarcely 
nine  months,  the  entire  building  with  its 
contents,  and  a  large  stock  of  lumber 
stored  on  the  property  were  completely 
destroyed  by  fire.  The  loss  was  more 
677 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


than  twenty  thousand  dollars,  and  the 
insurance  carried  was  only  one-quarter 
of  that  amount.  With  his  usual  energy 
and  executive  ability  matters  were  pushed 
in  a  most  determined  manner,  with  the 
result  that  in  four  months  another  mill 
was  in  operation  which  far  surpassed  the 
one  which  had  preceded  it.  It  was  equip- 
ped with  the  most  modern  machinery  of 
the  time,  and  with  every  appliance  that 
could  lessen  and  facilitate  labor.  The 
steamer  "Bengal  Tiger"  had  been  pur- 
chased in  1872,  and  the  following  year 
two  more  boats  were  added — the  "Joseph 
Walton,"  "Nellie  Walton,"  "Isaac  N.  Bun- 
ton,"  "D.  T.  Watson,"  "John  F.  Walton," 
"Coal  City,"  "Samuel  Clark."  In  addition 
to  the  coal  works  at  West  Elizabeth  the 
company  has  several  others  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Pittsburgh.  They  have  unrivalled 
facilities  for  mining  and  shipping  and  in 
addition  to  owning  about  six  hundred 
acres  of  coal  land,  have  more  than  one 
hundred  tenement  houses  in  which  the 
miners  live  with  their  families.  At  West 
Elizabeth  they  have  a  fine  hotel  building, 
called  the  Walton  House,  which  is  four 
stories  in  height  and  contains  upward  of 
fifty  rooms.  The  firm  of  Walton,  Lynch 
&  Company  occupies  the  entire  lower 
floor  as  a  store  for  general  merchandise, 
and  here  the  miners  can  obtain  all  neces- 
sary supplies.  The  capital  of  the  com- 
pany is  upward  of  one  million  dollars,  and 
they  give  employment  to  more  than  one 
thousand  men. 

His  ability  and  success  as  a  business 
man  naturally  brought  Mr.  Walton  into 
great  prominence  in  various  other  direc- 
tions and,  in  1870,  he  was  elected  on  the 
Republican  ticket  to  serve  in  the  legisla- 
ture. At  the  conclusion  of  his  term  of 
office  he  returned  to  Pittsburgh  and 
again  devoted  his  time  and  attention  to 
the  manifold  business  interests  which 
awaited  him.  He  served  as  a  member 
of  the  school  board  for  the  greater  part 

I 


of  a  quarter  of  a  century  and  spent  much 
time  in  furthering  the  cause  of  public 
education.  In  addition  to  his  coal,  lumber 
and  shipping  interests,  Mr.  Walton  was 
engaged  with  a  number  of  other  enter- 
prises. Among  them,  may  be  mentioned: 
President  of  the  Keystone  Glass  Com- 
pany; stockholder  in  the  glass  business  of 
Stewart,  Estep  &  Company ;  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Chess,  Smythe  &  Company, 
manufacturers  of  rolling  mill  nails  and 
tacks;  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Birmingham  and  Alle- 
gheny; one  of  the  organizers  and  direc- 
tors in  the  Pittsburg,  Virginia  &  Charles- 
ton Railroad  Company.  On  August  4, 
1880,  he  was  elected  president  of  the 
Farmers  Deposit  National  Bank  and 
served  continuously  until  the  date  of  his 
death. 

In  the  Masonic  fraternity  he  held  high 
rank,  and  in  matters  pertaining  to  religion 
he  took  foremost  rank.  He  established 
a  Sunday  school  in  Birmingham  many 
years  ago,  and  himself  undertook  the 
responsible  duties  of  superintendent, 
greatly  to  the  benefit  of  all  interested. 
The  liberal  donation  he  made  in  the  cen- 
tenary year  of  Methodism,  made  it  pos- 
sible for  that  denomination  to  erect  a 
church  on  the  lot  on  which  the  Sunday 
school  had  been  established,  and  as  a 
mark  of  appreciation  to  his  great  gener- 
osity, the  church  was  named  the  "Walton 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church." 

Mr.  Walton  married,  August  8,  1858, 
Annie,  daughter  of  James  Fawcett,  presi- 
dent of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Birm- 
ingham. Children  :  John  F.,  deceased ; 
Clara  W.,  married  Thomas  McK.  Cook; 
Ida  W.,  married  James  W.  Scully;  Nellie 
W.,  married  James  Wood ;  Samuel  B. ; 
Alice  F.,  married  J.  H.  Childs. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Walton,  which  occur- 
red in  Allegheny,  Pennsylvania,  Decem- 
ber 5,  1892,  left  a  void  which  can  never 
be  filled.  Few  men  have  so  endeared 
678 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


themselves  to  all  classes  as  was  the  case 
with  Mr.  Walton.  A  devoted  husband 
and  father,  a  sincere  friend,  an  honorable 
and  generous  business  associate,  an  up- 
right statesman,  he  won  the  sympathies 
and  love  of  all  with  whom  he  had  deal- 
ings. In  public  and  private  life  he  was 
actuated  by  the  highest  and  purest  mo- 
tives. Ever  ready  to  see  the  good  in 
others  and  to  find  excuses  for  what  there 
was  of  evil,  his  high  principles  are  well 
worthy  of  imitation.  As  a  host  he  was 
most  delightful  and  gracious,  and  the 
brilliant  flow  of  his  conversation  was  ap- 
preciated by  those  fortunate  enough  to 
be  invited  to  the  cheerful  and  intellectual 
home  of  which  he  was  head.  His  ripe  and 
varied  experiences  furnished  him  with  a 
rich  fund  of  anecdotes  which  he  related  in 
an  inimitable  manner.  His  charities  were 
large  and  Avidespread,  but  none  save  the 
recipients  will  ever  know  their  fviU  extent, 
for  it  was  his  pleasure  to  bestow  in  an 
unostentatious  manner. 


WENDT,  Charles  Isaac, 

Physician,   Hospital   Official. 

In  the  present  generation  of  Pittsburgh 
physicians,  Dr.  Charles  Isaac  Wendt  oc- 
cupies a  position  of  prominence,  having 
for  the  last  seventeen  years,  practiced 
with  distinguished  success  in  the  Iron 
City.  Dr.  Wendt  is  a  representative  of  a 
family  which  has  been  resident  in  Pitts- 
burgh since  the  latter  part  of  the  eigh- 
teenth century  and  has  been  noted  in 
both  commercial  and  professional  annals. 

Frederick  Wendt,  great-grandfather  of 
Charles  Isaac  Wendt,  emigrated  from 
Hanover,  Germany,  to  the  United  States 
at  some  period  between  the  close  of  the 
Revolutionary  War  and  the  year  1800. 
After  spending  a  short  time  in  New  York 
State  he  came  to  Pittsburgh,  where  he 
was  employed  in  the  glass  works  of  James 
O'Hara.    Later,  in  association  with  Chris- 


tian Ihmsen,  William  Eichbaum  and 
others,  he  established  the  Birmingham 
Glass  Company,  at  what  was  then  Birm- 
ingham and  is  now  known  as  South  Side, 
Pittsburgh.  The  enterprise  was  extreme- 
ly successful  and  Mr.  Wendt  conducted  it 
during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  was 
identified  with  various  other  concerns  and 
became  the  owner  of  a  large  amount  of 
South  Side  real  estate.  Mr.  Wendt  mar- 
ried (first)  Charlotte,  sister  of  William 
Eichbaum,  and  (second)  Nancy  Gates,  of 
Hagerstown,  Maryland,  a  niece  of  Gen- 
eral Horatio  Gates,  becoming  by  this 
union  the  father  of  several  children. 

Frederick  (2),  son  of  Frederick  (i)  and 
Nancy  (Gates)  Wendt,  was  born  in  1799, 
in  Birmingham,  now  South  Side,  Pitts- 
burgh, and  succeeded  his  father  in  the 
glass  business,  ably  conducting  to  the 
close  of  his  life  the  great  factory  of  which 
he  became  proprietor  by  inheritance.  He 
married  Almira  Taylor  Brock,  a  relation 
of  General  Brock  of  the  English  army, 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  three 
children:  George;  Almira,  who  married 
John  W.  Patterson  ;  and  Christian  Ihm- 
sen, mentioned  below.  Mr.  Wendt  died 
April  22,  1848. 

Christian  Ihmsen,  son  of  Frederick  (2) 
and  Almira  Taylor  (Brock)  Wendt,  was 
born  in  1840,  in  Birmingham,  Pittsburgh. 
Departing  from  the  commercial  tradition 
of  his  family,  he  studied  medicine,  and 
practiced  his  profession  in  Beaver  county, 
Pennsylvania.  In  addition  to  taking  high 
rank  as  a  physician,  Dr.  Wendt  was  prom- 
inently associated  with  the  affairs  of  the 
county,  and  in  1875  was  elected  by  the 
Republicans  to  represent  his  district  in 
the  State  Legislature.  Dr.  Wendt  mar- 
ried Agnes,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary 
(Walker)  Scott,  the  latter  a  granddaugh- 
ter of  Isaac  Walker  and  William  Ewing, 
both  early  settlers  in  Robinson  township, 
Allegheny  county.  John  Scott  was  asso- 
ciate judge  of  Beaver  county,  and  a  man 
679 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  prominence  in  that  part  of  the  State. 
He  was  a  descendant  of  James  Scott,  of 
Roxbvirghshire,  Scotland,  who  emigrated 
to  Pennsylvania  during  the  Revolution- 
ary War,  and  after  spending  a  short  time 
in  Pittsburgh  moved  down  the  Ohio  river 
and  settled  on  land  which  he  purchased 
on  the  Broadhead  road,  in  Beaver  county. 
Judge  Scott  died  in  1862.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Wendt  were  the  parents  of  three  sons 
and  one  daughter :  John  Scott,  whose 
biography  and  portrait  appear  elsewhere 
in  this  work  ;  Edwin  Frederick ;  Charles 
Isaac,  mentioned  below  :  and  Almira,  now 
living  in  New  Brighton,  Pennsylvania. 
The  death  of  Dr.  Wendt,  which  occurred 
October  23,  1S83,  at  New  Brighton,  proved 
the  truth  of  the  saying  that  "Death  loves 
a  shining  mark,"  for  he  was  a  man  of 
many  brilliant  attainments,  and  not  the 
medical  profession  alone,  but  the  city  at 
large,  felt  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss 
of  one  whom  it  could  ill  afford  to  resign. 
Mrs.  Wendt  survived  her  husband  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  passing  away 
January  29,   191 1. 

Charles  Isaac,  son  of  Christian  Ihmsen 
and  Agnes  (Scott)  Wendt,  was  bc-'n  Oc- 
tober 13,  1871,  in  New  Brighton,  Beaver 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  received  his 
preparatory  education  in  the  public 
schools,  afterward  studying  at  Geneva 
College,  Beaver  Falls,  Pennsylvania. 
He  then  spent  two  years  at  Johns  Hop- 
kins University,  doing  pathological  work 
in  its  hospital,  and  at  the  end  of  that 
time  entered  Hahnemann  College,  Phila- 
delphia, graduating  in  1895  with  the  de- 
gree of  Doctor  of  Medicine. 

His  first  year  after  graduation  was 
spent  by  Dr.  Wendt  in  the  Metropolitan 
Hospital,  New  York,  where  he  served  as 
interne  and  official  pathologist.  He  then 
practiced  for  a  short  time  in  Jersey  City, 
New  Jersey,  and  in  1897  came  to  Pitts- 
burgh, opening  an  office  on  Penn  avenue 
and  entering  upon  a  career  of  general 
practice,   where    he   has   since   remained. 


building  up  a  large  and  constantly  in- 
creasing clientele.  He  is  surgeon  to  the 
Homeopathic  Hospital  and  the  Pitts- 
burgh and  Lake  Erie  railroad.  He  has 
contributed  to  medical  journals  various 
articles  on  difficult  cases,  thus  giving  per- 
manence, in  literary  form,  to  some  of  the 
fruits  of  his  experience.  He  belongs  to 
the  American  Institute  of  Homeopathy, 
the  State  Homeopathic  Medical  Associa- 
tion and  the  Allegheny  County  Homeo- 
pathic Medical  Society,  having  once  serv- 
ed as  its  vice-president.  He  is  secretary  of 
the  East  End  Doctors'  Club.  In  politics  Dr. 
Wendt  is  an  Independent  Republican  and 
his  public  spirit  evinces  itself  in  a  keen 
and  helpful  interest  in  any  movement 
which,  in  his  judgment,  tends  to  promote 
the  betterment  of  conditions  in  his  home 
city.  He  is  a  liberal  but  very  unobtrusive 
giver  to  charity.  The  demands  of  profes- 
sional duty  leave  him  little  time  for  social 
intercourse  and  his  onl}^  non-professional 
club  is  the  Pittsburgh  Field  Club.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Sixth  United  Presbyte- 
rian Church. 

The  countenance  of  Dr.  Wendt  gives 
evidence  of  the  reflective  and  at  the  same 
time  active  temperament  which,  in  com- 
bination with  a  love  of  science  and  a  be- 
nevolent disposition,  has  made  him  a  suc- 
cessful physician.  He  is  both  a  student 
and  an  executant  and  his  eyes  are  those 
of  a  man  who  has  seen  and  thought  and 
done.  He  is  an  able  and  devoted  physi- 
cian and  a  true  and  kindly  gentleman. 

Dr.  Charles  Isaac  Wendt  is  the  son  and 
grandson  of  men  who  were  pioneers  in 
the  development  of  one  of  the  industries 
which  have  given  to  Pittsburgh  her 
world-wide  celebrity,  and  he  is  the  son 
of  a  physician  whose  record  adds  lustre 
to  the  medical  annals  of  his  city  and  state. 
Plis  own  career  has,  thus  far,  increased 
the  professional  prestige  of  the  family 
name,  and  warrants  the  expectation  that, 
in  the  years  to  come  it  will  augment  it 
still  further. 


1680 


vs««-^^jf:-. 


(/^^^^  /^.CyU. 


r 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


KELLY,  John, 

Froniinent  in  Early  Day  Oil  Industry. 

History  reminds  us  of  a  fact  which  is 
not  always,  perhaps,  sufficiently  remem- 
bered, namely,  that  Pittsburgh,  among 
her  other  titles  to  distinction,  rightfully 
claims  that  of  having  largely  aided  in  the 
shaping  of  the  whole  petroleum  industry. 
It  was  by  Pittsburgh  men  that  the  first 
oil  fields  were  developed,  and  prominent 
among  those  pioneers  was  the  late  John 
Kelly,  of  the  widely  known  Weldon  & 
Kelly  Company,  and  a  life-long  resident 
of  the  city  which  was  his  birthplace  and 
with  the  best  interests  of  which  he  was 
constantly  and  zealously  identified. 

John  Kelly  was  born  December  17, 
1834,  on  Liberty  avenue,  near  Strawberry 
alley,  Pittsburgh,  and  was  a  son  of  Ed- 
ward and  Catherine  Kelly.  After  leaving 
school  he  learned  the  cabinetmaking  trade 
and  for  a  number  of  years  followed  it  suc- 
cessfully, although,  as  his  subsequent 
career  proved,  his  talents  especially 
adapted  him  for  a  business  life.  Later,  in 
1864,  Mr.  Kelly  then  engaged  in  the  oil 
and  lamp  business,  formed  a  partnership 
with  James  G.  Weldon,  who  was  at  that 
time  engaged  in  the  plumbing  business, 
thus  enlarging  his  association  with  the  oil 
industry.  At  the  very  inception  of  the 
development  of  oil  in  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania this  firm  entered  the  field,  estab- 
lishing themselves  as  oil  refiners.  Their 
success,  which  was  remarkable,  was 
largely  due  to  Mr.  Kelly's  unrelenting 
perseverance,  indomitable  will-power  and 
last,  but  not  least,  his  breadth  of  mental 
vision  which  enabled  him,  to  read  the 
future  and  shape  his  course  accordingly. 
In  1895  Mr.  Weldon  died  and  the  busi- 
ness was  incorporated,  in  1900,  as  the 
Weldon  &  Kelly  Company. 

In  all  concerns  relative  to  the  city's 
welfare  Mr.  Kelly's  interest  was  deep  and 
sincere  and  wherever  substantial  aid 
would    further    public    progress    it    was 


freely  given.  He  was  liberal  in  his  bene- 
factions to  charity,  but  so  quietly  were 
they  bestowed  that  their  full  number  will, 
in  all  probability,  never  be  known  to  the 
world.  In  1897,  when  the  order  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  was  instituted  in 
Pittsburgh,  Mr.  Kelly  was  selected  as  a 
charter  member  of  Duquesne  Council  and 
thenceforth  was  one  of  its  faithful  sup- 
porters. He  was  a  charter  member  of 
the  Pittsburgh  Athletic  Association  and 
belonged  to  the  Columbus  Club,  for  four 
years  serving  as  its  president.  He  was 
also  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Savings 
Bank  and  was  vice-president  for  years. 
He  attended  St.  Paul's  Cathedral  and  was 
a  member  of  the  church  committee. 

The  personality  of  Mr.  Kelly  might  be 
broadly  summarized  in  two  phrases, 
largeness  of  heart  and  generosity  of  char- 
acter. Both  these  attributes  were  strongly 
stamped  upon  his  countenance,  speaking 
in  the  clear,  keen,  direct  and  kindly  gaze 
of  the  dark  eyes  and  in  the  expression  of 
benevolence  which  softened  the  strong, 
finely-moulded  features,  accentuated  by 
light  gray  hair  and  beard.  Sagacity  and 
force  were  his  in  large  measure  and  a 
chivalrous  sense  of  honor  dominated  his 
every  action.  He  was  one  of  the  men  of 
whom  it  could  be  said  with  literal  truth, 
"his  word  is  as  good  as  his  bond."  Ardent 
and  loyal  in  his  friendships,  he  possessed 
the  lifelong  affection  and  regard  of  all 
who  were  in  any  way  associated  with 
him,  while  his  sterling  qualities  of  man- 
hood commanded  the  respect  of  the  en- 
tire community.  His  presence  was  digni- 
fied, his  manner  courteous,  in  every  sense 
of  the  word  he  was  a  gentleman. 

Mr.  Kelly  married,  in  1864,  Catherine, 
daughter  of  Peter  Doyle,  and  they  were 
the  parents  of  two  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters :  William  Austin,  John  Clement, 
Stella  M.  and  Mary  Bertilla.  Mr.  Kelly 
was  devoted  to  his  home  and  family  and 
delighted  to  entertain  his  friends. 


1681 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


The  death  of  Mr.  Kelly,  which  occurred 
September  13,  1913,  deprived  Pittsburgh 
of  one  of  the  most  widely-known  and 
highly-respected  of  her  business  men,  up- 
right, resourceful  and  of  unquestioned  in- 
tegrity. In  passing  from  the  scene  of  his 
lifelong  activities  he  left  behind  him  sons 
who  are  his  worthy  successors,  prominent 
in  the  business  life  of  the  city  and  earn- 
est in  the  furtherance  of  the  cause  of 
good  government  and  municipal  reform. 
An  able  man,  "diligent  in  business,"  faith- 
ful to  the  duties  of  citizenship,  in  social 
life  irreproachable,  such  was  the  well- 
rounded  character  of  John  Kelly. 


WRIGHT,  Samuel, 

Civil  War  Veteran,   Civil  Engineer. 

Samuel  Wright,  of  Columbia,  Pennsyl- 
vania, is  the  senior  member  of  the  Wright 
family,  an  ancient  one  both  in  this  coun- 
try and  in  England,  where  the  first  of  the 
name  of  whom  we  have  recorded  was 
James  Wright,  Senior,  of  Cadished,  Lan- 
cashire, who  died  May  14,  1668. 

James  Wright  Jr.,  son  of  James  Wright 
Sr.,  married,  June  19,  1666,  Susanna 
Crowdson,  and  died  November  i,  1688. 

John  Wright,  son  of  James  and  Sus- 
anna (Crowdson)  Wright,  was  born  in 
W^arrington,  Lancashire,  England,  April 
15,  1667,  and  died  at  Hempfield,  Lancas- 
ter county,  Pennsylvania,  October  i,  1749. 
He  emigrated  to  America,  April  15,  1714, 
with  his  wife  and  four  children,  and  set- 
tled at  Chester,  Pennsylvania,  where  his 
son  James,  the  first  American  of  the  fam- 
ily, was  born.  Prior  to  his  arrival  here, 
he  had  purchased  a  plantation  which  he 
called  Cadished.  He  soon  entered  into 
public  life  as  one  of  the  representatives 
of  Chester  county  in  the  Provincial  As- 
sembly. In  1726  he  purchased  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  acres  of  land  at  the  Indian 
village  of  Shawanatown,  on  the  Susque- 
hanna river,  adjoining  one  hundred  acres 


previously  acquired  by  his  daughter,  Sus- 
anna, took  possession  of  his  purchase  in 
September  of  that  year,  and  removed  with 
his  family  in  1727  to  this  frontier  settle- 
ment that  was  called  Hempfield.  In  the 
year  1729  he  was  one  of  a  commission 
appointed  to  set  ofif  territory  from  Ches- 
ter county  to  form  a  new  county  that  was 
called,  from  Lancashire,  John  Wright's 
English  home,  Lancaster  county ;  and 
this  division  he  represented  in  the  Pro- 
vincial Assembly  for  the  years  1729-30, 
^733-34,  and  1737  to  1748,  inclusive.  He 
was  appointed  presiding  magistrate  of 
the  courts  of  the  new  county.  He  was  a 
confidential  agent  of  the  Penns,  especially 
in  their  friendly  negotiations  with  the  In- 
dians remaining  in  this  territory.  In  1730 
he  obtained  a  grant  for  a  ferry  over  the 
Susquehanna  river,  and  from  this  the 
settlement  came  to  be  known  as  Wright's 
Ferry.  He  presided  over  the  courts  of 
the  county  until  1741,  when  his  name, 
with  others,  was  omitted  in  the  new  ap- 
pointments to  the  bench  of  magistrates 
on  account  of  his  opposition  in  the  As- 
sembly to  what  he  deemed  oppressive 
acts  of  Governor  Thomas.  His  farewell 
address  to  the  grand  jury  was  published 
by  resolutions  of  that  body,  and  is  regard- 
ed as  an  important  public  document.  In 
it  he  made  one  of  the  earliest  protests 
against  arbitrary  government — a  fore- 
runner of  the  "Declaration."  He  had  re- 
ceived a  medical  education  in  London, 
but  at  the  time  of  his  immigration  was  a 
manufacturer  in  Manchester.  He  mar- 
ried, September  2y,  1692,  Patience  Gibson, 
and  had  children:  i.  Susanna,  who  suc- 
ceeded to  the  care  of  her  father's  family 
on  the  death  of  her  mother  at  Chester, 
November  15,  1722,  and  after  his  death 
became  the  recognized  head  of  the 
Wrights  and  of  the  Hempfield  settle- 
ment. She  was  a  prominent  and  notable 
woman  of  her  day.  She  corresponded 
with  Franklin,  James    Logan,    the    Nor- 


1682 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


rises,  John  Dickinson,  and  with  the  lead- 
ing men  in  public  life,  who  consulted  her. 
She  introduced  and  practiced  silk  culture, 
and  died  December  i,  1784.  2.  Elizabeth, 
born  December  25,  1702,  married,  May 
8,  1728,  at  Hempfield,  Samuel  Taylor,  and 
had  a  daughter  Sarah,  who  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 3,  1729;  she  married,  September  26, 
1746,  Robert,  son  of  Robert  Barber, 
original  settler.  3.  Patience,  born  July  6, 
1706,  married,  June  8,  1728,  Richard  Low- 
don  ;  their  son  John,  was  born  July  5, 
1730;  married,  March  27,  1760,  Sarah 
Connor ;  he  commanded  a  company  in  the 
Pennsylvania  Rifle  Battalion  during  the 
Revolutionary  War,  and  lived  in  North- 
umberland county,  where  he  died.  4. 
John,  born  March  18,  1710,  who  died  at 
Wright's  Ferry,  York  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  October,  1759.  He  represented 
York  county  in  the  Provincial  Assembly 
after  its  erection  from  the  territory  of 
Lancaster  county  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Susquehanna  river,  at  the  same  time  that 
his  father  represented  the  mother  county. 
He  married,  in  April,  1734,  Eleanor,  a 
daughter  of  Robert  Barber,  one  of  the 
three  original  settlers  of  Hempfield,  and 
from  them  are  descended  the  Ewings, 
Houstons  and  two  branches  of  Mifflins. 
Children:  Patience,  born  March  24,  1737, 
died  at  Woodbine,  York  county,  in  1794, 
married,  August  28,  1760,  James  Ewing, 
later  brigadier-general  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary army ;  Susanna,  born  August  24, 
1752,  died  in  York  county,  August  9, 
1729,  married.  May  6,  1773,  Dr.  John 
Houston,  surgeon  in  the  Revolutionary 
army.     5.  James,  of  further  mention. 

James  Wright,  son  of  John  and  Pa^ 
tience  (Gibson)  Wright,  was  born  at 
Chester,  Pennsylvania,  November  19, 
1714,  and  died  at  Hempfield,  Pennsyl- 
vania, March  5,  1775.  He  succeeded  his 
father  at  Hempfield  and  as  representative 
of  his  county  in  the  Assembly,  where  he 
served  for  the   years,    1749    to   1768    in- 


clusive, and  for  the  year  1770.  He  was 
prominent  in  the  affairs  of  the  province 
and  of  his  home  county.  He  married  for 
his  second  wife,  January  4,  1753,  Rhr:'da 
Paterson.  Children:  i.  Samuel,  of  fur- 
ther mention.  2.  Elizabeth,  born  April 
2,  1758,  died  in  Hempfield  township,  Lan- 
caster county,  April  29,  1785.  She  mar- 
ried, January  29,  1784,  Major  Thomas 
Boude,  distinguished  in  revolutionary 
service  at  the  storming  of  Stony  Point, 
and  had  a  daughter,  Elizabeth  Wright, 
who  was  born  February  21,  1785,  and 
died  unmarried,  April  29,  1839.  3.  John, 
born  December  12,  1760,  died  April  20, 
1806,  in  the  original  house  of  the  first 
settler,  his  ancestor,  John  Wright.  He 
laid  out  his  share  of  his  father's  estate, 
"John  Wright's  Addition"  to  Columbia. 
He  married,  November  6,  1782,  Amelia 
Davies,  and  had  children  :  i.  Anna  Rhoda, 
born  August  27,  1783,  died  ]\Iay  24,  1839; 
she  married  James  Houston,  a  son  of  a 
son  of  Dr.  John  and  Susanna  (Wright) 
Houston.  ii.  James,  born  April  15, 
1785,  died  without  issue.  He  laid  out 
"Columbia  Extended,"  from  property 
purchased  from  Samuel  Wright  and  from 
his  father's  share  of  James  Wright's 
estate.  He  was  an  active  business  man 
and  instrumental  in  building  up  the  new 
town.  iii.  Thomas  Davies,  born  Novem- 
ber 24,  1786,  married  Ann  Sensenig,  and 
had  children:  John  D.,  born  February 
12,  1816,  died  December  15,  1870,  mar- 
ried, January  9,  1844,  Christiana  Barr; 
James,  born  July  8,  1817,  died  May  30, 
1878,  married,  December  25,  1839,  Re- 
becca T.  Currie.     iv.  Elizabeth,  born  Au- 


gust 


died,    unmarried,    January 


20,  1855.  V.  Samuel,  born  July  30,  1790; 
left  Columbia  and  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Buffalo  Valley,  Union  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  subsequently  removed  with 
his  family  to  Stephenson  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  died.  He  married  Mary  Lewis, 
and  had  children  :  Paschal  Lewis  ;  Jane 
683 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Lawson ;  William ;  John,  married  Mary 
Bethel  Meise,  a  great-great-granddaugh- 
ter of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  (Wright) 
Taylor;  Elizabeth,  married  Alexander 
Templeton.  vi.  Amelia,  who  died  unmar- 
ried. 4-  Susanna,  born  March  8,  1764, 
died  September  27,  1821,  at  "Hybla," 
York  county,  where  her  portion  of  her 
father's  estate  lay.  She  married,  Novemr 
ber  21,  1800,  Jonathan  Mifflin,  and  had  a 
son,  Samuel  Wright  Mifflin,  born  June  2, 
1805,  died  at  Wayne,  Delaware  county, 
Pennsylvania,  July  26,  1885.  He  was  a 
distinguished  civil  engineer,  esteemed  one 
of  the  best  locating  railroad  engineer:;  of 
his  time.  He  was  connected  with  the 
Pennsylvania,  Philadelphia  and  Reading, 
Wrightsville,  York  and  Gettysburg,  New 
York  and  Erie,  and  other  important  lines, 
and  was  employed  in  United  States  gov- 
ernment work  on  the  Lakes.  He  married 
(first)  Elizabeth  Martin,  (second)  Han- 
nah Wright  (of  a  different  family).  5. 
James,  born  August  8,  1766,  died  October 
25,  1838.  His  inheritance  from  his  father 
was  in  York  county,  and  he  was  a  highly 
intelligent  and  valued  citizen  of  Colum- 
bia. He  married,  October  30,  1788,  Eliza- 
beth, a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Sarah 
(Taylor)  Barber.  They  had  children :  i. 
Charles  N.,  born  January  4,  1796,  died 
May  30,  1861.  He  married  Susan  Stum.p, 
and  had  children :  Sarah  Barber,  born 
December  23,  1827,  married,  November 
21,  1848,  GeorgQ  Charles  Franciscus; 
Mary  Barber,  born  March  3,  1829,  mar- 
ried, October  21,  1853,  Andrew  O.  Baker; 
Elizabeth,  born  March  19,  1831,  died 
July  3,  1884,  married,  October  14,  1858, 
Beverly  Randolph  Mayer;  Catherine  G., 
born  July  26,   1833,  died  June  22,   1874, 

married  Breese;   Emily   S.,   born 

July  15,  1835.  died  unmarried,  November 
21,  1861  ;  Rhoda  Barber,  born  September 
21,  1837,  died  September  24,  1873,  unmar- 
ried; Charles  Frederick,  born  August  12, 
1841,  served  in  the  Civil  War,  and  died 


without  issue,  July  16,  1886.  ii.  Robert 
Barber,  born  March  26,  1798,  was  a  prom- 
inent and  useful  citizen,  and  died,  Decem- 
ber 24,  1855.  He  married,  March  29, 
1821,  Sarah  Brown,  and  had  a  daughter: 
Elizabeth  Ellen,  born  April  3,  1827,  died 
December  24,  1852,  married,  November 
25,  1851,  Dr.  Ormsby  S.  Mahon.  iii. 
Rhoda,  born  December  27,  1791,  died 
April  14,  1864,  unmarried,  iv.  Elizabeth, 
born  March  24,  1802,  died  unmarried, 
March  18,  1874.  6.  William,  born  Sep- 
tember 9,  1770,  died  in  Columbia,  Sep- 
tember 6,  1846,  without  issue.  He  laid  out 
an  addition  to  his  brother's  town  of 
Wrightsville,  from  his  share  of  his 
father's  York  county  land.  He  was  a 
very  active  and  useful  citizen  of  Colum- 
bia, foremost  in  projecting  and  support- 
ing public  improvements.  He  was  an 
original  Abolitionist,  very  earnest  in  his 
advocacy  of  freedom  for  the  negroes,  and 
through  his  generosity  to  emancipated 
slaves  from  Virginia  came  the  settlement 
of  the  large  colored  element  of  the  town's 
population.  He  married,  July  31,  1800, 
Deborah  Parrish,  of  Philadelphia.  7.  Pa- 
tience, born  May  6,  1773,  died  October  18, 
1821.  She  married  Dr.  Vincent  King,  had 
no  children.  Up  to  this  time  the  Wrights 
were  affiliated  with  the  Society  of 
Friends. 

Samuel  Wright,  son  of  James  Wright, 
was  born  May  12,  1754,  and  died  July  7, 
181 1.  He  inherited  from  his  father  prop- 
erty purchased  from  the  heirs  of  Samuel 
Blunston  (one  of  the  original  settlers  of 
Hempfield)  and  by  testament  of  Susanna 
Wright  her  original  one  hundred  acres. 
On  a  part  of  this  land  he  laid  out  his  town 
of  Columbia,  and  later  "Columbia  Con- 
tinued." He  also  laid  out  the  town  of 
Wrightsville,  in  York  county.  Columbia 
rose  rapidly  in  population  and  business 
under  his  able  direction.  He  married, 
October  22,  1795,  Susanna,  born  June  15, 
1763,   died  April  28,    1800,   at   Columbia, 


1684 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Pennsylvania,  a  daughter  of  John  Low- 
don,  granddaughter  of  John  Wright  ist. 

John  Lowdon  Wright,  son  of  Samuel 
and  Susanna  (Lowdon)  Wright,  was 
born  December  31,  1797,  and  died  Decem- 
ber 29,  1856.  As  sole  heir  he  succeeded 
to  his  father's  real  estate  in  Columbia 
and  West  Hempfield  township.  This  he 
farm,ed  by  several  tenants,  and  but  few 
acres  were  alienated  during  his  life.  He 
was  interested  in  the  breeding  of  good 
stock,  and  it  was  largely  owing  to  his 
efforts  that  the  class  of  horses,  cattle  and 
swine  of  this  locality  was  so  greatly  im- 
proved. He  married  for  his  second  wife, 
February  2"],  1828,  Ann  Evans,  born  No- 
vember 2,  1806,  died  January  6,  1894,  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Margaret  (Barber) 
Evans.  Children:  i.  Samuel,  of  further 
mention.  2.  Margaret  Evans,  born  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1830,  died  at  Lebanon,  Pennsyl- 
vania, November  7,  1909.  She  married, 
February  13,  1855,  James  Armstrong 
Richards,  born  July  6,  1826,  died  July  5, 
1890.  3.  Susan,  born  October  22,  1831, 
is  unmarried.  4.  Mary  Evans,  born  No- 
vember 3,  1834,  is  unmarried.  5.  John 
Lowdon,  born  October  i,  1838,  enlisted 
in  May,  1861,  as  a  private  in  a  company 
of  volunteers  recruited  in  Columbia, 
which  was  enrolled  in  the  Fifth  Regiment 
of  Pennsylvania  Reserve  Volunteers.  He 
was  elected  first  and  second  lieutenant  in 
June,  1861,  was  commissioned  adjutant 
of  the  regiment  in  May,  1863,  and  reached 
the  captaincy  in  May,  1864.  His  service 
was  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
through  the  campaigns  of  1861-62-63-64. 
In  1862  he  was  detailed  on  recruiting  ser- 
vice at  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  when 
Governor  Curtin  called  out  the  militia  to 
repel  the  expected  invasion  by  the  Con- 
federate forces.  He  was  offered  the  com- 
mand of  the  Second  Regiment  which,  on 
advice  of  his  brigade  commander.  Gen- 
eral John  G.  Reynolds,  detailed  from  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  to  the  command  of 


the  Pennsylvania  militia,  he  accepted.  He 
was  assigned  by  General  Reynolds  to  the 
command  of  the  Second  Brigade  of  Mili- 
tia. He  was  mustered  out  of  the  volun- 
teer service  as  captain  in  1864,  and  was 
brevetted  captain  of  United  States  Volun- 
teers in  1865.  After  the  close  of  the  war 
he  for  some  years  farmed  a  portion  of  the 
family  estate.  He  served  as  postmaster 
of  Columbia,  1890-94;  served  in  the  bor- 
ough council  three  years,  and  was  elected 
president  of  that  body  in  1914.  He  mar- 
ried, August  17,  1862,  Mary  A.  Beiter. 
6.  William,  born  April  30,  1841,  enlisted 
in  1861  as  a  private  in  a  company  of  the 
150th  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volunteers 
(Second  Bucktails),  was  promoted  to 
commissary  sergeant,  and  later  to  first 
lieutenant  and  adjutant  of  the  regiment. 
He  served  with  his  regiment  in  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  for  the  greater  part  of  the 
time  as  a  part  of  the  Fifth  Corps,  up  to 
October  27,  1864,  when  he  was  captured 
at  Hatcher's  Run.  For  a  time  he  was 
held  in  Libby  and  Danville  prisons,  and 
exchanged  in  February,  1865.  Upon  his 
return  from  service  he  farmed  a  part  of 
the  West  Hempfiekl  township  land.  He 
is  now  a  hardware  merchant  in  Consho- 
hocken,  Montgomery  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  married,  November  26,  1866, 
Frances  Caroline  Cresson.  7.  James 
Mifflin,  born  December  26,  1842,  died  No- 
vember 26,  1902.  He  married,  June  12, 
1866,  Lovica  Hudson.  8.  Annie,  born 
November  i,  1844,  married,  June  28,  1866, 
James  Ewing  Mifitlin,  son  of  James 
Ewing  and  Susan  (Houston)  Mifflin. 

Samuel  Wright,  son  of  John  Lowdon 
and  Ann  (Evans)  Wright,  was  born  De- 
cember 13,  1828.  For  many  years  he  has 
now  been  a  civil  engineer.  He  was  the 
editor  and  publisher  of  the  "Columbia 
Spy,"  from  1857  to  1863,  when  he  received 
the  appointment  of  captain  and  assistant 
adjutant-general  of  United  States  Volun- 
teers, and  reported  to  General  Burnside 


1685 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


at  Cincinnati  for  duty.  He  served  in  the 
Army  of  the  Ohio  on  the  Headquarters 
Staff  of  the  Ninth  Army  Corps,  under 
General  John  G.  Parke  and  General  Rob- 
ert B.  Potter,  through  the  East  Tennes- 
see campaign,  and  under  the  last-named 
general  on  the  staff  of  the  Second  Divis- 
ion, Ninth  Army  Corps,  in  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  through  the  Virginia  cam- 
paign of  1864-65,  up  to  the  disbanding  of 
the  army.  He  was  brevetted  major  and 
assistant  adjutant-general  of  United 
States  Volunteers  in  1864,  and  lieutenant- 
colonel  and  assistant  adjutant-general  of 
volunteers  in  1865.  After  leaving  the  ser- 
vice he  resumed  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession of  civil  engineering,  and  w^as  en- 
gaged for  many  years  in  railroad  work. 
He  served  several  terms  as  borough  regu- 
lator (engineer)  in  Columbia.  Mr.  Wright 
married,  March  14,  1865,  Ellen  White 
Bruner,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Daniel  Ireland 
and  Elizabeth  (Davies)  Bruner. 


HAWORTH,  Jehu, 

Enterprising  Man,  Honored  Citizen. 

In  recalling  the  pioneers  of  Pittsburgh 
we  find  few  whose  records  cover  rs  long 
a  period  as  that  of  the  late  Jehu  Haworth, 
founder  and  head  of  the  widely  known 
firm  of  Haworth  &  Dewhurst,  and  promi- 
nently identified  with  many  other  lead- 
ing business  institutions  of  the  Iron  City. 
F'or  nearly  three-quarters  of  a  century 
Mr.  Haworth  was  a  resident  of  Pitts- 
burgh, and  the  influence  which  he  exerted 
in  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  her 
most  essential  interests  defies  accurate 
computation. 

The  Haworth  family  is  of  ancient 
origin,  having  been  seated  from  a  remote 
period  at  Haworth,  county  of  Lancaster 
(or  Lancashire),  England.  Jehu  Haworth 
was  born  April  i,  1804,  in  Bury,  Lanca- 
shire, England,  and  was  a  son  of  Richard 
and  Margaret  (Pilkington)  Haworth,  the 


former  being  by  trade  a  weaver.  Jehu 
Haworth  was  educated  in  his  native  land, 
and  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  emigrated 
to  the  United  States,  landing  in  New 
York,  where  he  remained  until  1830.  In 
that  year  he  came  to  Pittsburgh,  making 
the  journey  by  boat  to  Albany,  thence  by 
stage  to  Buft'alo,  and  from  Buft'alo  to 
Pittsburgh  by  the  old  canal,  that  being, 
in  those  days,  the  quickest  route.  On 
arriving  in  the  city  which  was  destined 
to  be,  to  the  close  of  his  long  and  useful 
life,  his  home  and  the  scene  of  his  honor- 
able and  successful  business  career,  Mr. 
Haworth  engaged  in  the  boot  and  shoe 
trade,  his  place  of  business  being  situated 
in  Federal  street,  Allegheny,  now  the 
North  Side.  After  a  time  he  abandoned 
this  and  associated  himself  with  plumb- 
ing, as  member  of  the  firm  of  Bailey, 
Haworth  &  Company,  now  known  as 
Bailey  &  Farrell.  Subsequently  he  pur- 
chased an  interest  in  a  wholesale  drug 
house  in  Allegheny,  in  conjunction  with 
Mr.  Robert  Morris.  In  1855  Mr.  Haworth 
removed  to  Pittsburgh  and  established  a 
grocery  house  on  the  Diamond.  In  i860 
he  went  into  the  coal  business,  also  be- 
coming president  of  the  Little  Saw  Mill 
Run  railroad,  an  office  which  he  held 
almost  to  the  close  of  his  life. 

In  1866,  at  an  age  when  many  men 
would  begin  to  think  of  withdrawing 
from  the  activities  of  life,  Mr.  Haworth 
embarked  in  his  most  notable  and  suc- 
cessful enterprise.  In  the  spring  of  that 
year  he  formed  a  partnership  with  James 
B.  Dewhurst  (whose  biography  and  por- 
trait appear  elsewhere  in  this  work), 
under  the  firm  name  of  Haworth  &  Dew- 
hurst, founding  the  famous  grocery  house 
with  which  his  name  is  still  associated. 
The  success  which  attended  it  from  the 
outset  was  mainly  due  to  the  unfaltering 
courage,  wisely  directed  aggressiveness 
and  sterling  integrity  of  Mr.  Haworth. 
who  might  truthfully  be  termed,  in  many 


1686 


rjv;sf^^,s^/j°u^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


respects,  the  model  business  man.  Cher- 
ishing a  legitimate  ambition,  he  scorned 
all  success  which  had  not  for  its  basis 
veracity  and  honor.  His  every  action 
was  pervaded  by  a  spirit  of  justice  and 
his  benevolent  kindness  toward  his  sub- 
ordinates won  for  him  their  zealous  co- 
operation and  loyal  regard. 

Intensely  public-spirited,  Mr.  Haworth 
was  identified  with  every  movement 
which  in  his  judgment  made  for  the  bet- 
terment of  conditions  in  his  home  city. 
Ever  ready  to  respond  to  any  deserving 
call  made  upon  him,  so  quietly  were  his 
benefactions  bestowed  that  their  full 
number  will,  in  all  probability,  always 
remain  unknown.  He  was  passionately 
fond  of  music,  going  to  hear  all  the  noted 
musicians,  and  traveling  at  one  time  to 
England  with  the  sole  purpose  of  hearing 
Jenny  Lind.  He  was  a  student  and  pa- 
tron of  art,  doing  some  painting  himself 
and  encouraging  a  number  of  promising 
artists.  Socially  his  manner  was  a  charm, 
and  his  wide  experience,  extensive  travels 
and  broad  mind  made  conversation  with 
him  a  delight.  His  home,  which  was  in 
Allegheny  until  a  few  years  ago,  was 
always  open  in  its  hospitality.  When 
eleven  years  of  age,  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Church  of  England,  and  at  one 
time  sang  in  the  choir  of  Trinity  Church, 
Pittsburgh.  He  was  a  member,  and  for 
twenty  years  senior  warden,  of  Christ 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  Allegheny 
City. 

To  a  singularly  vigorous  mentality  and 
a  broad  grasp  of  afifairs,  Mr.  Haworth 
added  the  results  of  ripe  and  varied  ex- 
perience, and  he  also  possessed,  to  a  re- 
markable degree,  the  judicial  mind,  a 
combination  of  attributes  which  caused 
him  to  be  much  sought  as  a  counsellor, 
not  only  in  business  matters  but  in  all  the 
affairs  of  life.  He  was  of  fine  personal 
appearance,  his  strong  features,  accen- 
tuated  by   snowy   hair,  bearing  the   im- 

I 


print  of  the  deep  convictions  and  high 
principles  which  were  so  strikingly  ex- 
emplified in  every  phase  of  his  career. 
His  manner  dignified,  courteous  and 
genial,  inspired  respect  and  admiration  in 
all  and  won  for  him  many  ardent  and 
loyal  friends. 

Mr.  Haworth  married  (first)  IMiss 
Lucy  Lake,  daugiiter  of  John  Lake,  a 
native  of  England,  who  died  in  i860.  He 
married  (second)  in  1867,  Anna  Alary 
Mosscroft,  daughter  of  Richard  and  Eliza 
(Cubbage)  Dewhurst  and  sister  of  his 
partner,  James  B.  Dewhurst.  The  fol- 
lowing children  were  born  to  Mr. 
Haworth  and  his  wife:  i.  Jehu  Frederick, 
treasurer  and  secretary  of  Haworth  & 
Dewhurst,  Limited.  2.  Riddle  Dewhurst, 
chairman  of  the  board  of  directors  of 
Haworth  &  Dewhurst,  Limited.  3.  Lucy 
Eliza.  4.  Charles  Howard,  who  died  in 
infancy.  5.  Mary  Maud  Alice.  Mrs. 
Haworth,  a  thoughtful,  clever  woman  of 
culture  and  character,  of  most  endearing 
personality  and  always  devoted  to  her 
home  and  family,  continues  in  her  widow- 
hood those  works  of  charity  in  which  she 
and  her  husband  were  so  long  united. 

On  May  2,  1S99,  Mr.  Haworth  passed 
away  at  his  home  in  Edgeworth,  Penn- 
sylvania, "full  of  years  and  of  honors." 
Of  his  ninety-five  years  of  life,  sixty-nine 
had  been  spent  in  Pittsburgh.  During 
that  long  period  he  stood  as  one  of  her 
most  eminent  and  valued  citizens,  an  able 
exponent  of  the  spirit  of  the  age  in  his 
efforts  to  advance  progress  and  improve- 
ment, making  wise  use  of  his  opportun- 
ities and  conforming  his  life  to  the  loftiest 
standards,  thus  causing  his  entire  record 
to  be  in  harmony  with  the  history  of  an 
honorable  ancestry. 

For  well-nigh  threescore  years  and  ten 
Mr.  Haworth  was  a  resident  of  Pitts- 
burgh. He  saw  the  infant  industries  of 
the  little  city  of  1830  gradually  assume 
the  colossal  proportions  in  which  they 
687 


ExXCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


now  challenge  the  competition  of  the 
world.  He  saw  the  incipient  commerce 
become  international.  He  saw  every 
element  which  ministers  to  the  life  of  a 
great  municipality  bud,  blossom  and 
flourish  in  the  sunlight  of  an  unexampled 
prosperity — a  prosperity  which  he  helped 
to  create.  On  the  strong  foundations 
which  are  in  part  his  work  stands,  in 
power  and  beauty,  the  fair  and  noble  city 
of  to-day.  Among  the  stalwart  worthies 
of  the  past  there  is  none  whom  she  honors 
more  sincerely  than  the  noble  pioneer, 
Jehu  Haworth. 


CHANDLER,  Charles  F.,  M.  D. 

Proiniii.ent  Physician. 

Dr.  Charles  Frederick  Chandler,  a 
prominent  and  successful  representative 
of  the  medical  fraternity  of  Philadelphia, 
was  born  in  Detroit,  Michigan,  in  1870, 
and  is  the  son  of  William  A.  Chandler, 
whose  biography  is  interlinked  with  the 
progressive  history  and  educational  de- 
velopment of  the  Keystone  State,  and  his 
name  and  work  is  also  well  known  in  the 
Quaker  City ;  he  having  been  the  first 
principal  of  the  West  Chester  Normal 
School,  and  a  man  prominently  identified 
with  the  organizing  of  the  Union  League 
Club.  The  Chandlers  have  figured  con- 
spicuously in  the  history  of  the  State,  Dr. 
Chandler's  grandfather  being  a  represen- 
tative in  Congress  and  the  emigrant  set- 
tlers arriving  in  Pennsylvania  with  Wil- 
liam Penn. 

Dr.  Charles  F.  Chandler  received  his 
early  education  in  the  Central  High 
School,  Fifteenth  and  Race  streets,  Phil- 
adelphia, and  was  graduated  from  the 
Medico-Chirurgical  College.  Since  that 
time  he  has  become  identified  with  the 
various  prominent  medical  societies  and 
clubs,  including  the  Philadelphia  Gurn- 
gamein  ;  Physicians  Club  of  Philadelphia  ; 
Physicians  Motor  Club  ;  County  Medical 


Society;  State  ^Medical  Society;  Ameri- 
can ]\Iedical  Society ;  Philadelphia  Clin- 
ical Society ;  Pennsylvania  Society  of 
Physico-Therapy. 

Dr.  Chandler  married,  in  1903,  Miss 
Amelia  Konrad,  a  daughter  of  Karl  and 
Katherine  Konrad. 

Dr.  Chandler  has  built  up  a  large  and 
important  practice.  In  every  relation  of 
life  he  has  measured  up  to  the  full  stand- 
ard of  honorable  upright  manhood.  Zeal- 
ous and  earnest  in  his  profession,  he  has 
won  deserved  and  well-merited  success. 
He  resides  at  Park  and  Montgomery  ave- 
nue, Philadelphia. 


LEE,  Caleb, 

Knterprising  Citizen. 

Pittsburgh  is  older  than  the  steel  in- 
dustry. Before  the  industrial  monarchs 
of  today  were  born  the  city  was  a  me- 
tropolis with  vigorous  and  wide-reaching 
commercial  and  financial  interests. 
Among  the  men  who.  as  merchants  and 
citizens,  gave  to  the  old  city  of  Pittsburgh 
her  mercantile  and  municipal  renown  the 
late  Caleb  Lee,  in  the  three-fold  character 
of  business  man,  agriculturist  and  citizen, 
holds  a  foremost  place.  Mr.  Lee  was  for 
more  than  half  a  century  identified  with 
the  leading  interests  of  Pittsburgh  and 
was  numbered  among  their  most  promi- 
nent and  influential  promoters. 

John  Lee,  father  of  Caleb  Lee,  was 
born  July  29,  1767,  and  died  August  24, 
1827.  He  married  Miriam  Carl  and  their 
children  were:  Kate,  born  June  18,  1793; 
Deenche,  born  October  24,  1795;  Thomas 
C,  born  May  30,  1798,  died  January  10, 
1826;  Caleb,  see  forward;  John,  born 
July  30,  1802;  Lucinda,  born  May  9,  1804, 
died  July  20,  1819;  Margaret,  born  April 
27,  1806.  married  Abel  Hastings,  of  Pitts- 
burgh;  Ruth,  born  March  30.  1808,  died 
1865  ;  Nancy,  born  June  15,  1810,  married 
a  Mr.  Rush  ;  Isaac,  born  August  16,  1812, 


l^Oy/l^  Uii 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


died  March  7,  1831 ;  George  H.,  born  Jan- 
uary 3,  1817;  and  Laura,  born  July  18, 
1820,  died  January  4,  1821. 

Caleb  Lee  was  born  September  i,  1800, 
in  Dauphin  county,  New  York,  and  was 
a  son  o£  John  and  Miriam  (Carl)  Lee. 
Being  one  of  a  large  family  he  was 
early  obliged  to  engage  in  a  means  of  live- 
lihood and  his  education  was  acquired 
solely  by  his  own  exertions.  This  is  say- 
ing much,  for  he  became,  in  the  course  of 
time,  an  extremely  well-read  man,  being 
especially  versed  in  history  and  geog- 
raphy. 

At  the  age  of  nine  years  the  boy  came 
to  Pittsburgh,  where  he  was  apprenticed 
to  the  trade  of  tailoring.  It  is  needless 
to  trace  his  advancement  step  by  step. 
The  history  of  the  intervening  years  is 
contained  in  the  statement  that  before  he 
reached  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  was  in 
business  for  himself.  His  loyalty  to  his 
work,  his  sturdy  trustworthiness,  his 
clear-headedness,  his  determination  of 
character — all  these  insured  his  success 
and  he  built  up  a  large  and  flourishing 
business,  several  of  his  sons  learning  the 
trade  under  his  supervision.  His  estab- 
lishment was  next  to  the  old  banking 
house  of  N.  Holmes  &  Sons,  on  Market 
street,  and  close  by  was  the  dry  goods 
store  of  George  R.  White.  These  three 
men,  leading  representatives  of  the  mer- 
cantile and  financial  interests  of  the  city, 
were  close  and  steadfast  friends.  Mr. 
Lee,  always  keeping  absolutely  abreast  of 
the  times  and  ever  on  the  alert  to  seize 
opportunity,  made  frequent  trips  to  the 
East  to  replenish  his  stock.  A  just  and 
kind  employer,  he  held  his  subordinates 
to  the  same  undeviating  line  of  rectitude 
which  he  observed  himself  and  from 
which  no  prospect  of  gain  had  power  to 
lure  him. 

About  1845  Mr.  Lee  retired  from  busi- 
ness, taking  up  his  residence  on  an  estate 
which  he  had  purchased  at  Oakmont  and 


devoting  the  remainder  of  his  life  to  agri- 
culture. He  invested  largely  in  Pitts- 
burgh real  estate  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death  owned  twelve  hundred  acres  at 
Oakmont.  He  was  a  fine  judge  of  the 
dormant  possibilities  of  landed  property, 
and  in  this  way  did  much  to  improve  the 
city  and  its  suburbs.  A  true  citizen,  he 
was  interested  in  all  enterprises  which 
meditated  the  material  prosperity  and 
moral  and  social  culture  of  his  commun- 
ity, and  to  any  movement  which,  in  his 
judgment,  tended  to  further  these  ends 
his  hearty  co-operation  was  never  want- 
ing. He  was  one  of  the  twelve  men  who 
secured  the  right  of  way  for  the  Alle- 
gheny Valley  railroad  from  Kittanning  to 
Pittsburgh.  It  was  much  needed.  In  the 
early  years  of  his  residence  at  Oakmont 
he  and  his  family,  in  the  absence  of  a 
railroad,  were  obliged  to  make  the  trip  to 
the  city  by  the  canal.  In  politics  he  was 
first  a  Whig  and  later  a  Republican,  and 
while  a  staunch  upholder  of  the  principles 
of  his  party  neither  sought  nor  accepted 
office.  He  was  one  of  the  original  mem- 
bers of  the  Fourth  Avenue  Baptist 
Church,  now  situated  in  the  Schenley  dis- 
trict of  Pittsburgh,  and  for  years  served 
in  the  capacity  of  elder. 

Fidelity  to  principle  and  the  cour'ge  of 
his  convictions  were,  perhaps,  Mr.  Lee's 
most  striking  characteristics,  equalled, 
however,  by  tenacity  of  purpose.  It  was 
said  of  him,  "he  carried  to  completion 
anything  he  ever  undertook" — truly,  a 
wonderful  tribute.  He  was  a  man  of  fine 
appearance,  his  patrician  features  and 
beautifully  formed  hands  giving  him  a 
singular  air  of  distinction.  His  hair  was 
dark  and  his  searching  dark  eyes  had  an 
expression  at  once  commanding  and 
kindly.  His  manner  was  dignified  and 
genial  and  he  was  richly  endowed  with 
those  endearing  personal  qualities  that 
win  and  hold  friends.  His  intellect  was 
keen  and  vigorous.    No  man  ever  recog- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


nized  with  more  electrical  quickness  a 
business  opportunity  and  this,  combined 
with  his  rare  talents  and  unquestioned 
integrity,  made  him  truly  "a  man  of 
mark"  and  won  for  him  wide  popularity 
and  far-reaching  influence.  He  was  a 
most  interesting  conversationalist  and 
possessed  a  singular  fund  of  humor  which, 
however,  was  always  controlled  by  his 
consideration  for  others  and  his  great 
kindness  of  heart.  He  wielded  a  facile 
pen,  having  at  command  a  rich  store  of 
knowledge  and  wealth  of  illustration.  He 
was  a  man  of  intense  humanity — one  of 
those  men  who  leave  the  world  better 
than  they  found  it. 

Mr.  Lee  married,  October  17,  1822, 
Margaret,  born  August  15,  1805,  daughter 
of  John  Paul  and  Amanda  (Ausmand) 
Skelton,  the  former  a  prominent  physi- 
cian of  Pittsburgh,  who  died  October  12, 
1856.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lee  were  the  parents 
of  the  following  children: 

1.  John  Skelton,  born  August  6,  1823, 
died  August,  1904,  married  (first)  Annie 
Thompson,  who  died  January  5,  1848,  no 
children.  Married  (second)  Emily  P., 
daughter  of  George  Singer,  a  chair  manu- 
facturer of  Pittsburgh.  Mrs.  Lee  died 
December  30,  1866;  two  children:  Emily, 
who  died  in  infancy,  and  George  Singer, 
who  died  February  23,  1875,  aged  twenty 
3'ears. 

2.  Andrew  Jackson,  born  January  8, 
1825,  died  January  31,  1S95  ;  married  Ara- 
bella McMillan  ;  ten  children  :  i.  Richard 
Henry,  of  Pittsburgh,  retired,  married 
Eliza,  daughter  of  the  late  George  For- 
tune, a  mayor  of  Pittsburgh.  2.  Annie, 
deceased,  married  Jacob  H.  Blackmore, 
of  Pittsburgh,  whose  father  was  a  mayor 
of  that  city.  3.  James  Hutchinson,  de- 
ceased, married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
John  McKelvey,  a  farmer  of  Plum  town- 
ship ;  no  children.  4.  Charles,  of  Oak- 
mont,   married   Amelia    Mcllvaine,   three 


children — William,  of  Detroit,  Margaret 
and  Elizabeth.  5.  Wilson  Miller,  died  Au- 
gust, 1908,  married  Ada  Bonnfield,  now 
of  Pittsburgh ;  children,  two  daughters : 
Effie,  wife  of  W.  G.  Shallcross,  and  Es- 
ther.    6.   Edward,  died  in  childhood.     7. 

Robert  A.,  of  Oakmont.     8.  ,  died 

in   infancy.     9.  ,   died   in   infancy. 

10.  Annabelle,  died  in  1895. 

3.  Maria  Skelton,  died  young. 

4.  Caleb,  born  November  18,  1827,  died 
March  31,  1907;  married  Mary,  daughter 
of  Robert  Knox ;  children  :  Robert  Knox, 
died  March  9,  1879,  father  of  Robert  and 
Caleb,  of  Oakmont ;  and  Jennie,  wife  of 
Harry  S.  Paul,  of  Oakmont,  president  of 
the  Verona  Tool  Works. 

5.  William  Carl,  born  May  23,  1829, 
died  June  25,  1867 ;  married  Caroline, 
daughter  of  Oliver  Rippey,  a  tailor.  Mrs. 
Lee  died  December  6,  1854. 

6.  Margaret,  born  November  18,  1830, 
died  November  29,  1830. 

7.  Anna  Eliza,  born  January  28,  1832, 
died  March  i,  1835. 

8.  Miriam  Carl,  born  January  28,  1834, 
died  August  7,  1855;  married,  October  5, 
1854,  Wilson  Miller,  a  sketch  and  por- 
trait of  whom  appear  elsewhere  in  this 
work. 

9.  Thomas,  born  November  4,  1835,  died 
November  19,  1835. 

10.  George  Luckey,  born  June  17,  1837, 
died  September  24,  1902,  married.  Febru- 
ary 17.  1858,  Rebecca,  daughter  of  the 
Rev.  Samuel  M.  and  Nancy  Cowan  (Gil- 
christ) McClung,  and  sister  of  ex-Judge 
Samuel  and  William  H.  McClung,  of 
Pittsburgh,  biographies  and  portraits  of 
both  McClungs  elsewhere.  Children  of 
Mr.  and  I\Irs.  Lee:  i.  Ida,  wife  of  Dr. 
James  Hamilton,  of  Oakmont.  2.  Caleb 
C.  3.  Elizabeth,  married  Robert  McLean, 
of  Oakmont,  Pennsylvania.  4.  Samuel 
McClung,  of  Bellevue,  Pennsylvania.  5. 
Annie,  married  the  Rev.  George  Holter. 


1690 


cJm'\  /ii^   ^/6.Jd. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


6.  Cora,  of  Oakmont.  7.  Alfred.  8. 
Nancy  jMcClung.  9.  Alargaret.  10.  Re- 
becca.   The  four  last  are  of  Oakmont. 

11.  Hannah  jMaria,  born  October  17, 
1839,  died  January  i,  1903,  married,  Feb- 
ruary 23,  1859,  Wilson  Miller,  mentioned 
above. 

12.  Richard  Henry,  born  August  5, 
1841,  died  September  24,  1862.  from  the 
effects  of  exposure  about  the  time  of  the 
second  battle  of  Bull  Run.  He  was  a 
member  of  Knapp's  Battery  which  has 
one  monument  in  Pittsburgh  and  another 
at  Gettysburg. 

13.  Ann  Warden,  born  June  13.  1843, 
married,  February  28,  1871,  Hugh  \\'il- 
liams,  son  of  Hugh  and  Eliza  (Scott) 
Alexander.  Children:  Will  Miller,  mar- 
ried Mrs.  Mazie  (Fullwood)  Runnette ; 
children — Will  M.  and  Lee  Aiken ;  Fred- 
erick Scott,  died  in  infancy ;  Frank  Mar- 
shall, married  Jane  Packham,  of  Ohio ; 
and  Ann  Lee,  married  Howard  G.  De 
Van. 

14.  Robert  Peter,  born  April  15,  1845, 
died  June  24,  1847. 

15.  Emma  Louise,  born  October  21, 
1848,  married,  February  5,  1874,  George 
V.  IMarshall,  of  Pittsburgh,  head  of  the 
firm  of  Marshall  Brothers,  elevator 
builders.  Children:  Vardie  Hemming- 
ray,  married  Dr.  R.  B.  Armor,  of  Grafton, 
Pennsylvania ;  Lee  Holmes,  married 
Helen  Lewis ;  Margaret  Miller,  married 
Charles  S.  Hamilton;  and  Elizabeth. 

In  his  family  relations  Mr.  Lee  was 
singularly  fortunate.  His  wife  was  a 
woman  who  breathed  the  charm  of  do- 
mesticity and  made  his  home  a  refuge 
and  place  of  repose  after  the  cares  and 
excitements  of  business.  It  was  there  he 
passed  his  happiest  hours,  delighting  to 
gather  his  friends  about  him.  Before  re- 
moving to  Oakmont  he  resided  many 
years  in  the  old  First  ward  of  Pittsburgh. 
Mrs.  Lee  survived  her  husband,  passing 
away  September  28,  1883. 


The  death  of  Mr.  Lee,  which  occurred 
July  9,  1878,  deprived  Pittsburgh  of  one 
who,  both  as  business  man  and  citizen, 
had  at  all  times  stood  as  an  able  exponent 
of  the  spirit  of  the  age  in  his  efforts  to 
advance  progress  and  improvement,  who 
actively  aided  a  number  of  institutions  by 
his  influence  and  means  and  who  was 
widely  but  unostentatiously  charitable. 
Realizing  that  he  would  not  pass  this  way 
again,  he  made  wise  use  of  his  opportuni- 
ties and  his  wealth,  conforming  his  life 
to  the  loftiest  standards  of  rectitude. 

All  honor  to  Caleb  Lee  and  his  contem- 
poraries, strong  men  of  the  old  city  of 
Pittsburgh  !  They  strengthened  her  com- 
mercially and  financially,  enlarged  her 
boundaries  and  rendered  her  beautiful 
and  honorable.  Their  keen  vision  dis- 
cerned and  their  wisdom  and  energy 
made  possible  the  magnificent  city  of  the 
present  day. 


KING,  James, 

Distinguished  Physician  and  Surgeon. 

Some  men  there  are  who  take  posses- 
sion of  the  public  heart  and  hold  it  after 
they  have  gone,  not  by  the  might  of 
genius  alone,  nor  even  by  the  power  of 
brilliant  services,  but  also  by  the  force 
of  personal  character  and  by  steady  and 
persistent  good  conduct  in  all  the  situ- 
ations and  under  all  the  trials  of  life. 
While  men  like  these  are  found  in  every 
walk  and  station  of  society  and  in  every 
calling  and  occupation  they  are,  perhaps, 
most  frequently  met  with  among  mem- 
bers of  the  medical  profession — votaries 
of  an  art,  which,  more  than  any  other,  is 
consecrated  to  the  relief  and  uplifting  of 
humanity.  The  roll  of  Pittsburgh  physi- 
cians shows  the  names  of  many  who  ex- 
emplified the  highest  virtues  of  their  call- 
ing, but  none  which  is  invested  with 
nobler  associations  and  more  cherished 
memories  than  that  of  the  late  Dr.  James 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


King,  Surgeon-General  of  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  for  more  than  a  quar- 
ter of  a  century  one  of  the  leading  prac- 
titioners and  sterling  citizens  of  Pitts- 
burgh, being  identified  not  only  with  her 
professional  interests,  but  with  all  the 
leading  and  most  essential  elements  of 
her  life  as  a  municipality. 

James  King  was  born  January  i8,  1816, 
in  Bedford  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
was  a  son  of  John  and  Christine  (Berk- 
stresser)  King.  John  King  was  a  well 
known  ironmaster  and  influential  citizen. 
The  education  of  James  King  was  re- 
ceived at  the  Bedford  Classical  and 
Mathematical  Academy,  then  presided 
over  by  the  Rev.  Boynard  R.  Hall,  noted 
both  for  scholarship  and  administrative 
ability.  On  making  choice  of  the  profes- 
sion of  medicine,  Mr.  King  entered  the 
University  of  Transylvania,  at  Lexington, 
Kentucky,  where  he  enjoyed  the  benefit 
of  the  instructions  of  Dr.  Benjamin  W. 
Dudley,  the  distinguished  lithotomist  and 
professor  of  anatomy  and  surgery.  On 
March  14,  1838,  he  received  the  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Medicine. 

The  young  physician  immediately  en- 
tered upon  the  practice  of  his  profe^^sion, 
establishing  himself  at  Hollidaysburg, 
Pennsylvania,  where  a  fair  measure  of 
success  attended  him.  In  1844  he  re- 
moved to  Washington,  Pennsylvania,  and 
there  acquired  a  large  and  lucrative  prac- 
tice. During  a  portion  of  the  period  of 
his  residence  there  he  held  the  position  of 
Lecturer  on  Anatomy,  Physiology  and 
Hygiene  in  Washington  College.  Im- 
paired health  forced  him  to  resign,  and 
in  1850  he  removed  to  Pittsburgh,  where 
his  skill  and  learning,  combined  with 
force  of  character,  a  reputation  without 
blemish  and  a  singularly  attractive  per- 
sonality, speedily  advanced  him  to  the 
high  professional  standing  which  was  his 
for  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

Upon    the    breaking    out    of    the    Civil 

169, 


War,  Dr.  King,  resigning  his  practice 
with  all  its  emoluments,  hastened  to  ofifer 
his  services  to  the  Federal  government. 
He  was  successively  surgeon  at  Camp 
Curtin,  division  surgeon  of  the  State  and 
medical  director  of  the  Pennsylvania  Re- 
serves, holding  the  last-named  position 
during  the  greater  portion  of  the  time 
elapsing  between  the  date  of  their  muster- 
ing in  to  cooperate  with  the  government 
forces  and  the  occurrence  of  the  battle  of 
Antietam.  He  participated  actively  in  all 
their  battles  and  operations  up  to  that 
time,  and  then,  at  the  request  of  Governor 
Curtin,  was  mustered  out  of  the  United 
States  service  in  order  that  he  might  as- 
sume the  position  of  Surgeon-General  of 
the  State  of  Pennsylvania.  He  was  thus 
charged  with  the  examination  of  the  med- 
ical ofificers  sent  by  the  State  into  the 
field,  and  was  an  influential  member  of 
the  first  examining  board  organized  by 
his  predecessor,  Surgeon-General  Smith. 
Subsequently,  Dr.  King's  unequalled  re- 
ports as  Surgeon-General  of  Pennsyl- 
vania were  taken  by  the  Surgeon-General 
of  Ohio  as  a  model  for  his  own.  While 
engaged  in  the  field  or  hospital.  Dr.  King 
was  distinguished  by  heroic  self-possess- 
ion in  the  performance  of  the  most  try- 
ing and  perilous  duties  and  on  several 
occasions  risked  his  own  life  to  save  the 
lives  of  suffering  and  disabled  soldiers. 
On  August  I,  1864,  he  resigned  his  honor- 
able and  responsible  office  in  order  to  re- 
sume his  practice  in  Pittsburgh.  Not  only 
had  he  accomplished  faithfully  the  ordi- 
nary routine  duties  attached  to  his  posi- 
tion, but  in  many  and  various  ways  he  had 
systematized  and  improved  the  scope  of 
its  management  and  regulation. 

On  his  return  to  Pittsburgh  Dr.  King 
at  once  entered  upon  a  laborious  and  re- 
munerative practice  and  in  1866  received 
the  highest  honor  the  physicians  of  Penn- 
sylvania could  bestow — the  presidency  of 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  Medical  Society  of  the  State  of  Penn- 
sylvania. 

In  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  Pitts- 
burgh Dr.  King  ever  manifested  the  keen- 
est interest,  assisting,  by  his  influence  and 
means,  all  charitable  and  benevolent  un- 
dertakings. Fraternally  he  was  affiliated 
with  the  Masonic  order,  and  stood  high 
in  their  councils.  Though  intensely  pub- 
lic-spirited, he  neither  sought  nor  desired 
office,  and  repeatedly  refused  to  allow 
himself  to  be  drawn  into  prominence  as 
a  politician.  For  years  he  was  a  member 
and  elder  of  the  Central  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  later  held  the  same  office  in 
the  Second  Presbyterian  Church,  and  at 
the  time  of  his  death  was  a  member  of  the 
Third  Presbyterian  Church  of  Bellefield. 

This  brave  soldier  and  beloved  physi- 
cian was  a  man  nobly  planned,  possessing 
generous  impulses  and  a  chivalrous  sense 
of  honor.  Energy  and  intensity,  fidelity 
and  tenacity  were  deeply  imprinted  on 
his  clear-cut,  finely  moulded  features,  ac- 
centuated as  they  were  by  dark  mous- 
tache and  whiskers  and  flowing  beard. 
His  hair,  too,  was  dark  and  the  form  of 
his  head  indicative  of  an  exceptionally 
large  and  strong  mentality.  His  eyes 
were  at  once  kindly,  humorous  and  philo- 
sophical, rich  and  wise  Avith  the  life 
which  they  had  looked  upon.  Both  in 
and  out  of  his  profession  the  number  of 
his  friends  was  legion. 

Dr.  King  married,  December  5,  1839, 
Anne  Lyon,  daughter  of  James  McPher- 
son  and  Rebecca  (Lyon)  Russell,  and 
their  five  children  were :  Winslow  Dud- 
ley, died  aged  twenty-one  years ;  James 
Russell ;  John  Lyon ;  Annie  Lyon,  who 
became  the  wife  of  William  Scott,  a 
prominent  attorney  of  Pittsburgh,  now 
deceased,  whose  biography  and  portrait 
appear  elsewhere  in  this  work ;  and  Effie 
Bakewell.  Mrs.  King's  death  occurred 
July  4,  1884.  Dr.  King  was  devoted  to 
his  home  and  family  and  in  his  domestic 


relations  was  singularly  fortunate.  Few 
men  have  been  endowed  with  more  not- 
able social  gifts  and  to  his  charm  as  a  host 
many  can  testify. 

On  March  11,  1880,  Dr.  King  passed 
away.  The  medical  profession  was  de- 
prived of  a  man  of  many  brilliant  attain- 
ments, eminently  fitted  for  his  high  posi- 
tion, and  Pittsburgh  suffered  the  loss  of 
one  of  her  most  loved  and  venerated  citi- 
zens. 

The  fifties,  sixties  and  seventies  con- 
stituted one  of  Pittsburgh's  most  brilliant 
epochs.  Her  annals  of  that  period,  show- 
ing records  of  industrial  enterprise  and 
commercial  progress,  also  contain  brave 
and  inspiring  tales  of  professional  devo- 
tion and  military  valor,  and  of  these  pages 
none  are  brighter  than  those  which  tell 
the  story  of  the  noble  soldier-surgeon, 
Dr.  James  King. 


McCURDY,  Stewart  LcRoy, 

Surgeon,    Author    and    Editor. 

Stewart  LeRoy  McCurdy  was  born  at 
Bowerston,  Harrison  county,  Ohio,  July 
15,  1859,  son  of  Peter  and  Alary  A. 
(Bower)  jNIcCurdy,  and  grandson  of 
Abel  ]\IcCurdy,  whose  father  emigrated 
from  the  North  of  Ireland  during  Revo- 
lutionary times  and  settled  in  Danville, 
New  York. 

He  was  educated  in  the  Dennison 
(Ohio)  schools,  was  graduated  from  the 
Columbus  Medical  College  in  1881,  took 
the  full  course  at  the  New  York  Pbst- 
Graduate  Medical  School  in  1885,  and  re- 
ceived the  od  cnndnm  degree  of  AI.  D. 
from,  the  Ohio  Medical  University  (De- 
partment of  Ohio  State  University)  in 
1890.  The  degree  of  A.  M.  was  conferred 
upon  him  by  Scio  College  in  1894.  In 
1890  he  served  at  the  Vanderbilt  Clinic, 
the  Orthopedic  Hospital  and  the  Institute 
for  Ruptured  and  Crippled  Children,  New 
York  City.     He  was  a  trustee  from  1887 


1693 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


to  1893  and  Proiessor  of  Orthopedic  Sur- 
gery from  1887  to  1891,  at  the  Ohio  Med- 
ical University.  In  1882  he  became  sur- 
geon for  the  Pittsburgh,  Cincinnati,  Chi- 
cago and  St.  Louis  railroad  at  Dennison, 
Ohio,  and  in  1894  was  transferred  to 
Pittsburgh,  and  is  now  head  surgeon  for 
that  company.  He  is  also  surgeon  for  the 
Pennsylvania  railroad  at  Wilkinsburg, 
where  he  has  his  residence.  He  is  ortho- 
pedic surgeon  for  the  Presbyterian  and 
Columbia  Hospitals.  He  has  been  Pro- 
fessor of  Anatomy  and  Oral  Surgery  in 
the  Dental  Department  of  the  University 
of  Pittsburgh  since  1895,  having  been  in- 
strumental in  organizing  this  department 
of  which  he  was  a  trustee  and  secretary 
for  eight  years.  He  was  also  Professor 
of  Orthopedic  and  Clinical  Surgery  in  the 
West  Penn  Medical  College  from  1900  to 
1909. 

He  has  been  a  prolific  contributor  to 
medical  journals  for  the  past  twenty-five 
years,  and  is  managing  editor  of  the 
"Pittsburgh  Medical  Journal."  He  is  the 
author  of  the  following  books :  "Ortho- 
pedic Surgery,"  published  in  1898;  "A 
Manual  of  Oral  Surgery,"  published  in 
1902 ;  "Anatomy  in  Abstract,"  published 
in  1905,  which  has  passed  through  four 
editions,  with  a  total  sale  of  15,000  copies; 
"Medical  and  Surgical  Emergencies,"  pub- 
lished in  1906;  "Bone  and  Joint  Surgery," 
published  in  1909;  "A  Text  Book  on  Oral 
Surgery,"  published  by  Appleton  in  1912; 
"General  Anatomy  for  Dental  Students," 
published  in  1916;  and  "Minor  Medicine 
and  Surgery,"  published  in  1916.  He  is 
owner  and  manager  of  the  Medical  Ab- 
stract Publishing  Company.  He  is  a  fel- 
low of  the  American  College  of  Surgeons, 
and  a  member  of  the  American  Medical 
Association,  American  Academy  of  Medi- 
cine, Pennsylvania  Medical  Society,  Alle- 
gheny County  Medical  Society,  Ameri- 
can    Orthopedic     Association     and     the 


Pennsylvania    Railroad    Surgeons    Asso- 
ciation. 

On  September  i,  1887,  he  married 
Susan  Rigg  Street,  daughter  of  Charles 
B.  and  Blance  Rigg  Street,  of  Dennison, 
Ohio. 


BLACK,  George, 

Financier,  Man  of  Enterprise. 

During  the  middle  decades  of  the  nine- 
teenth century  Pittsburgh  could  boast  of 
no  more  brilliant  man  of  afifairs  than  the 
late  George  Black,  organizer  and  for 
many  years  member  of  the  well  known 
firm  of  Lloyd  &  Black,  and  officially  con- 
nected with  a  number  of  the  city's  finan- 
cial institutions.  Mr.  Black  was  for  a 
long  period  prominently  identified  with 
the  transportation  trade  and  during  his 
lifelong  residence  in  Pittsburgh  was  in- 
separably associated  with  all  her  most 
essential  interests. 

Philip  Black,  father  of  George  Black, 
was  born  in  1788,  in  Eastern  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  when  a  young  man  settled  in 
Pittsburgh,  where  he  married  Martha 
Finley  Brown,  a  native  of  Saegerstown. 
Pennsylvania.  Philip  Black  died  about 
1824,  leaving  a  young  widow  and  a  fam- 
ily of  six  children. 

George  Black,  son  of  Philip  and  Martha 
Finley  (Brown)  Black,  was  born  May  8, 
1814,  in  Pittsburgh,  not  far  from  old  Fort 
Duquesne,  and  after  the  death  of  his 
father  continued  to  attend  school  until  the 
age  of  thirteen  when  it  became  necessary 
for  him  to  begin  to  earn  a  livelihood,  his 
widowed  mother  being  largely  dependent 
upon  him.  After  spending  several  years 
as  office  boy  and  clerk  with  James  Dal- 
zell,  who  conducted  a  boat  supply  busi- 
ness on  Water  street,  the  youth's  spirit  of 
enterprise  prompted  him  to  strike  out  into 
new  fields  of  endeavor,  and  to  seek  larger 
opportunities  for  the  exercise  of  his  ener- 


1694 


^<c./^. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


gies.  In  1840  Mr.  Black  entered  the  ser- 
vice of  the  firm  of  D.  Leech  &  Company, 
who  had  almost  exclusive  control  of  the 
transportation  trade  by  canal  and  the  Por- 
tage railroad  between  Pittsburgh  and 
Philadelphia.  In  this  position  he  had  an 
opportunity  for  fully  developing  those 
qualities  of  tact,  prudence  and  foresight 
which,  joined  to  an  untiring  energy  and 
an  unwavering  adherence  to  the  strictest 
principles  of  rectitude,  soon  resulted  in 
his  becoming  a  member  of  the  firm  and 
occupying,  while  still  one  of  the  youngest 
business  men  of  his  time,  a  conspicuous 
position  in  commercial  circles.  After 
mastering  fully  the  details  of  the  trans- 
portation trade,  he  associated  himself 
with  Robert  Hays  under  the  firm  name  of 
Hays  &  Black,  with  the  control  of  a 
packet  line  between  Pittsburgh  and  Cin- 
cinnati. For  a  number  of  years  the  busi- 
ness flourished,  largely  in  consequence  of 
the  capable  management  and  unfaltering 
enterprise  of  Mr.  Black,  but  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  in  a 
direction  parallel  with  the  canal  diverted 
the  shipment  of  through  freight  and  re- 
duced the  business  of  the  canal  to  carry- 
ing between  local  points  on  its  line,  virtu- 
ally destroying  canal  transportation.  The 
services  of  Mr.  Black  who  was  then  wide- 
ly known  as  a  man  of  ability  and  experi- 
ence, were  eagerly  sought  by  the  Penn- 
sylvania railroad,  and  he  associated  him- 
self with  the  firm  of  Clark  &  Thaw,  taking 
charge  of  all  the  freight  arriving  over 
their  route  which  required  reshipment. 
This  position  he  retained  until  1859  when 
impaired  health  forced  him  to  tender  his 
resignation. 

Meanwhile  he  had  become  interested  in 
the  iron  trade,  then  coming  into  promi- 
nence in  the  Pittsburgh  district,  his  in- 
clinations in  this  direction  having  been 
fostered  by  his  marriage  with  the  daugh- 
ter of  Alexander  Miller,  one  of  the  heav- 
iest iron   founders  of  the  day.     In   1848 


he  had  become  interested  with  Mr.  Miller 
in  the  Kensington  Iron  Works  and  in 
1854  Henry  Lloyd  was  admitted  to  the 
firm,  which  was  thenceforth  known  as 
Miller,  Lloyd  &  Black.  About  this  time 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company, 
which  had  a  rare  faculty  of  discovering 
the  full  merit  of  men,  made  Mr.  Black  a 
most  flattering  offer  of  a  very  responsible 
and  lucrative  position.  After  mature  con- 
sideration, Mr.  Black  finally  declined  this 
offer,  and  in  1857,  Mr.  Miller  having  sold 
his  interest  to  the  other  partners,  organ- 
ized, in  association  with  Henry  Lloyd, 
the  firm  of  Lloyd  &  Black.  To  the  affairs 
of  this  concern  Mr.  Black  thenceforth  de- 
voted his  energies,  largely  assisting  to 
build  up  on  a  sure  foundation  an  exten- 
sive business  and  to  make  the  firm  of 
Lloyd  &  Black  a  synonym  for  inflexible 
integrity. 

As  a  business  man,  Mr.  Black  was  in 
many  respects  a  model,  scorning  all  suc- 
cess which  had  not  for  its  basis  truth  and 
honor  and  carefully  systematizing  every 
department  in  order  that  there  might  be 
no  needless  expenditure  of  time,  material 
and  labor.  His  conduct  toward  his  em- 
ployes was  likewise  worthy  of  emulation. 
Never  did  he  make  the  grave  mistake  of 
regarding  them  merely  as  parts  of  a 
great  machine.  On  the  contrary,  he  rec- 
ognized their  individuality,  making  it  a 
rule  that  faithful  and  efficient  service 
should  be  promptly  rewarded  with  pro- 
motion as  opportunity  offered. 

With  the  financial  interests  of  Pitts- 
burgh, Mr.  Black  was  closely  identified, 
and  in  this  connection  displayed  no  less 
ability  than  in  mercantile  pursuits.  He 
was  a  director  of  the  Pennsylvania  Rail- 
road Company  and  the  Merchants'  and 
Manufacturers'  Bank,  and  a  trustee  of  the 
Dollar  Savings  Bank.  He  was  an  organ- 
izer and  director  of  the  People's  National 
Bank,  the  People's  Savings  Bank  and  the 
Pittsburgh  Insurance  Company.  To  what- 


1695 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ever  he  undertook  he  gave  his  whole  soul, 
allowing  none  of  the  many  interests  in- 
trusted to  his  care  to  suffer  for  want  of 
close  and  able  attention  and  industry. 

As  a  citizen  Mr.  Black  was  universally 
esteemed,  always  sustaining  the  character 
of  a  true  man  and  giving  loyal  support  to 
all  measures  which,  in  his  judgment, 
tended  to  promote  the  welfare  of  Pitts- 
burgh. In  his  response  to  all  demands 
made  upon  him  in  behalf  of  the  public 
weal  his  generosity  kept  pace  with  his 
wealth  and  no  good  work  done  in  the 
name  of  charity  or  religion  sought  his  co- 
operation in  vain.  He  was  a  constant 
attendant  of  the  First  English  Lutheran 
Church,  assisting  liberally  in  its  support 
and  contributing  generously  toward  the 
maintenance  of  its  work. 

About  the  whole  personality  of  Mr. 
Black  there  was  a  certain  grave  firmness 
and  an  earnestness  of  manner  which  ac- 
corded with  the  broad,  intelligent  fore- 
head, square  jaw  and  resolute  chin,  the 
whole  countenance  being  frequently  il- 
lumined by  the  calm  smile  of  one  who 
sees  the  best  in  the  world  and  has  learned 
to  comprehend  its  seriousness  and  .0  for- 
give its  frivolity.  Of  deep  convictions 
and  great  force  of  character,  he  was  pre- 
eminently a  man  to  lean  upon — a  man 
upon  whom  men  leaned.  As  a  business 
man  he  was  remarkable  for  his  method- 
ical habits  and  these,  in  combination  with 
a  very  retentive  memory,  made  every  de- 
tail, past  or  present,  always  as  familiar  to 
him  as  every-day  facts.  His  personal 
magnetism  joined  to  his  genius  for  leader- 
ship gave  him  a  matchless  following  and 
compelled  the  unquestioning  confidence 
of  men  of  affairs. 

Mr.  Black  married,  February  19,  1846, 
Jane,  daughter  of  Alexander  and  Mar- 
garet (Clark)  Miller,  and  the  following 
children  were  born  to  them:  Margaret, 
deceased ;  Alexander ;  Martha  ;  Lillie  ; 
Mary;  Georee  P.  and  William  H.     Mrs. 

1696 


Black  was  one  of  those  rare  women  who 
combine  with  perfect  womanliness  and 
domesticity  an  unerring  judgment,  traits 
of  the  greatest  value  to  her  husband,  to 
whom  she  was  not  alone  a  charming  com- 
panion but  a  trusted  confidante.  Devoted 
in  his  family  relations,  Mr.  Black  was 
never  so  happy  as  at  his  own  fireside 
where  he  delighted  to  gather  his  friends 
about  him.  Mrs.  Black  survived  her  hus- 
band many  years,  passing  away  May  7, 
1896. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Black,  which  occurred 
August  5.  1872,  was  a  direct  blow  to 
Pittsburgh,  depriving  her  of  a  liberal, 
clear-headed  manufacturer  of  broad 
views  and  superior  business  methods  who 
reflected  honor  upon  our  city  while  ad- 
vancing her  interests.  In  passing  on  to 
a  position  of  wealth  and  influence  never 
did  he  neglect  an  opportunity  to  assist 
one  less  fortunate  than  himself  and  his 
life  was  in  large  measure  an  exemplifica- 
tion of  his  belief  in  the  brotherhood  of 
mankind.  A  man  of  stainless  character 
in  every  relation  of  life,  there  falls  over 
his  record  no  shadow  of  wrong  nor  sus- 
picion of  evil. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  the 
resolutions  passed  by  the  board  of  direc- 
tors of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Com- 
pany: 


Whereas,  This  board  has  heard  with  sincere 
sorrow  of  the  decease  of  their  late  fellow-mem- 
ber, George  Black,  Esquire,  of  Pittsburgh,  who 
for  the  period  of  more  than  four  years  served 
as  director  of  this  company,  representing  espe- 
cially the  interests  of  the  city  of  Pittsburgh,  we 
regret  the  loss  of  an  esteemed  colleague  whose 
integrity  was  of  the  highest  character  and  whose 
sound  judgment  was  always  exercised  for  the 
best  interests  of  the  stockholders. 

An  old  resident  of  Pittsburgh  who  had 
known  Mr.  Black  for  years  said  of  him : 

George  Black  was  a  man  nobly  planned.  He 
possessed  generous  impulses  and  a  chivalrous 
sense  of  honor.     The  adage,  "his  word  was  as 


^^^-^zt^   (a<^' 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


good  as  his  bond,"  was  not  infrequently  quoted 
in  giving  an  estimate  of  his  character  when  his 
memory  was  referred  to  in  social  intercourse, 
and  it  admirably  epitomized  his  dominant  trait. 
He  was  ardent  in  his  friendships,  and  those  who 
enjoyed  his  esteem  could  forfeit  it  only  by  their 
deviation  from  his  high  standard  of  honor  and 
integrity.  For  dissimulation  or  intrigue  when 
disclosed  he  had  no  toleration.  His  tempera- 
ment was  bright  and  cheerful,  his  apprehension 
acute  and  sagacious,  but  always  held  in  abey- 
ance to  his  matured  judgment.  Such  constitu- 
ents combining  in  the  formation  of  his  char- 
acter rendered  his  large  success  an  inevitable 
consequence. 

During  his  life  of  more  than  half  a 
century  Mr.  Black  witnessed  the  advance- 
ment of  his  native  city  to  the  proud  posi- 
tion of  the  industrial  centre  of  the  United 
States,  and  in  the  promotion  of  that  ad- 
vancement he  played  a  most  important 
part.  More  than  forty  years  have  now 
elapsed  since  he  passed  from  the  scene 
of  his  activities,  but  in  the  forces  which 
he  set  in  motion  his  influence  still  sur- 
vives and  the  Pittsburgh  of  to-day  is 
largely  his  fitting  monument. 


ESSER,  Jacob  Bieber, 

Enterprising   Journalist. 

For  a  quarter  of  a  century  Mr.  Esser 
has  been  the  editor  and  publisher  of  the 
"Kutztown  Journal,"  a  newspaper  on 
which  years  before  he  had  learned  the 
printer's  trade,  therefore  it  may  be  said 
that  his  entire  business  life  has  been  spent 
in  the  service  of  the  people  of  Kutztown. 
A  review  of  his  life  will  prove  that  state- 
ment to  be  literally  true,  and  will  also 
prove  that  there  are  few  of  the  activities 
and  interests  of  that  borough  which  have 
not  benefitted  by  his  interest  and  public 
spirit. 

Mr.  Esser  descends  from  Jacob  Esser, 
a  cabinet-maker  of  Kutztown,  Berks 
county,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  whose 
record  of  service  is  on  file  in  the  Pension 
Bureau  at  Washington.     One  of  his  spe- 


cialties in  cabinet  work  was  in  the  making 
of  cases  for  the  old  style  "grandfather's 
clocks,"  and  specimens  of  his  handiwork 
are  yet  to  be  found  in  old  Berks  county 
homes.  He  was  born  December  29,  1758, 
died  August  24,  1845,  ^"^  was  buried  in 
the  graveyard  of  the  old  Lutheran  and 
Reformed  church  in  Kutztown.  He  mar- 
ried Anna  Maria  Croll,  who  was  buried 
by  his  side  in  the  old  graveyard.  His 
son,  Jacob  Esser,  married  Sarah  Fisher, 
and  had  but  one  son,  Charles  W.,  father 
of  Jacob  Bieber  Esser. 

Charles  W.  Esser  was  born  at  his 
father's  farm  in  Maxatawny  township, 
Berks  county,  and  in  early  life  learned 
the  hatter's  trade.  After  finishing  his 
years  of  apprenticeship  he  opened  a  store 
in  Kutztown,  using  the  rear  as  a  shop  in 
which  to  make  the  hats,  and  the  front 
part  for  a  salesroom.  He  was  an  ardent 
Democrat,  was  for  many  years  a  justice 
of  the  peace,  and  a  candidate  for  sheriflF 
of  Berks  county.  He  married  (first) 
Anna  Maria  Schwoyer;  (second)  Mary, 
daughter  of  John  and  Salome  (Fetherolf) 
Bieber  of  a  prominent  Berks  county  fam- 
ily. Charles  W.  Esser  died  August  20, 
1863,  his  widow  surviving  him  until  Sep- 
tember 8,  1894,  and  both  are  buried  in  the 
same  plot  in  Hope  Cemetery,  Kutztown. 
By  his  second  wife  he  had  a  daughter 
Sarah,  who  married  Samuel  Smith,  of 
Kutztown,  and  a  son  Charles  Bieber. 

Jacob  Bieber  Esser  was  born  in  Kutz- 
town, Berks  county,  Pennsylvania,  Jan- 
uary 5,  1863,  and  there  his  life  has  been 
mainly  spent.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Kutztown,  and  in  Key- 
stone State  Normal,  beginning  his  life's 
work  as  an  apprentice  in  the  printing 
room  of  the  "Kutztown  Journal,"  then 
edited  and  published  by  A.  B.  Urick.  For 
two  years  after  completing  his  trade  he 
worked  on  a  Philadelphia  paper,  then 
spent  three  years  in  a  printing  office  in 
New  York  City,  acquiring  a  thorough 
697 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


knowledge  of  metropolitan  printing  meth- 
ods, and  becoming  master  of  the  printer's 
art.  He  then  returned  to  Kutztown,  and 
in  1887  purchased  "The  Journal"  and  the 
"Kutztown  Patriot,"  two  valuable  news- 
paper properties  that  he  yet  owns  and 
publishes,  "The  Journal"  printed  in  Ger- 
man, "The  Patriot"  in  English.  He  has 
ever  given  his  business  close  personal  at- 
tention, and  both  under  his  wise,  liberal 
and  energetic  direction  have  added  in  cir- 
culation and  influence  to  the  high  stand- 
ing both  have  attained  since  the  time  they 
became  his  property.  His  office  is  a  sur- 
prisingly modern  one  for  a  country  bor- 
ough, the  press  room  equipped  with  lino- 
type, improved  presses,  folders  and  other 
modern  machinery,  the  job  work  and  both 
papers  presenting  superior  typographic 
appearance.  The  evidence  is  everywhere 
apparent  that  a  master  workman  and  a 
modern  newspaper  man  is  in  command. 
The  newspapers  are  influential  each  in 
its  own  field  and  the  plant  a  prosperous 
one. 

As  editor  of  "The  Journal"  and  "Pa- 
triot," Mr.  Esser  has  maintained  a  liberal 
public-spirited  policy  toward  borough 
and  county,  and  as  a  citizen  has  ever 
striven  to  advance  the  best  interests  of 
his  native  town.  For  nine  years  he  was 
secretary  of  the  old  Kutztown  Fair  Asso- 
ciation, and  was  one  of  the  leaders  and 
the  first  president  of  the  new  association, 
whose  outlay  for  ground  and  improve- 
ment totalled  more  than  $30,000.  In  poli- 
tics a  Democrat,  he  has  labored  strenu- 
ously for  party  success.  For  six  consecu- 
tive years  he  served  on  the  county  com- 
mittee, and  four  of  these  years  was  secre- 
tary. In  1903  he  was  chosen  assistant 
chairman  of  the  committee,  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  chairman.  He  has  been  a 
frequent  delegate  to  county  and  State 
conventions,  and  in  1901  was  the  success- 
ful candidate  for  the  ofiice  of  clerk  of  the 
Court  of  Quarter  Sessions  of  Berks  coun- 


ty, the  first  and  the  last  time  he  ever  ac- 
cepted public  office. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania 
State  Editorial  Association,  and  belongs 
to  the  Press  Club  of  Reading.  In  the 
Masonic  order  he  is  a  thirty-second  de- 
gree Mason,  Ancient  Accepted  Scottish 
Rite,  a  master  Mason  of  Huguenot  Lodge, 
a  companion  of  Excelsior  Chapter  (Read- 
ing), a  sir  knight  of  Reading  Command- 
ery,  and  a  noble  of  the  Mystic  Shrine. 
He  also  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  the 
Golden  Eagle  and  the  Junior  Order  of 
the  American  Mechanics. 

Mr.  Esser  married,  October  10,  1887, 
Mary  L.,  daughter  of  John  C.  Hillegas,  of 
Pennsbury,  Alontgomery  county,  Penn- 
sylvania. Children  :  Florence  O.,  Charles 
H.  and  Helen  M. 


WILSON,  Adam, 

Enterprising    Bnilder,    Financier. 

Among  the  men  of  Pittsburgh — whose 
intelligence,  courage  and  industry  won 
for  that  marvellous  city  her  world  fame 
as  the  industrial  centre  of  civilization — 
was  the  late  Adam  Wilson,  president  and 
director  of  the  famous  A.  &:  S.  Wilson 
Company  and  officially  identified  with 
other  leading  business  and  financial  or- 
ganizations of  his  native  city. 

Adam  Wilson  was  born  in  Pittsburgh, 
August  28,  1854,  the  son  of  the  late  Sam- 
uel and  Eliza  (Mitchell)  Wilson,  his 
father  having  achieved  prominence  as  a 
contractor  and  builder.  He  received  his 
early  education  in  Pittsburgh  public 
schools.  After  graduating  from  the  pub- 
lic schools  and  from  Newell's  Academy, 
he  entered  the  firm  of  A.  &  S.  Wilson  as 
assistant  bookkeeper.  After  working  sev- 
eral years  as  bookkeeper  and  gaining 
considerable  experience  in  the  practical 
side  of  contracting  and  building,  he  be- 
came a  member  of  the  firm,  on  the  death 
of  his  uncle,  Alexander  Wilson,  in  1886. 


1698 


'(cL-^  y^/^^^c^v^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


In  1902  the  business  was  incorporated  as 
the  A.  &  S.  Wilson  Company,  and  he 
became  its  president,  an  office  which  he 
held  until  death. 

The  progress  of  the  work  of  this  widely 
known  firm  furnishes  interesting  evidence 
of  the  structural  changes  the  city  has 
undergone.  At  the  time  of  Its  erection 
by  the  Wilsons,  the  Lewis  Block,  on 
Smithfield  street,  was  regarded  as  Pitts- 
burgh's finest  business  building.  But 
then  came  the  era  of  large  structures,  the 
utilization  of  steel  and  improved  fire- 
proofing  material.  In  the  Keenan  build- 
ing, the  Jones  &  Laughlin  building,  the 
Union  Bank,  the  Commonwealth  build- 
ing, the  Hostetter  building,  the  Allegheny 
county  jail  and  the  Highland  building, 
are  splendidly  exhibited  the  present-day 
work  of  the  A.  &  S.  Wilson  Company. 
So  well  equipped  is  the  organization,  both 
in  respect  to  financial  resources  and 
working  force,  that  it  is  well  prepared  at 
any  time  to  undertake  building  contracts 
of  any  description.  The  capitalization  of 
the  corporation  is  $1,200,000,  and  it  em- 
ploys upward  of  one  thousand  men. 

Aside  from  his  connection  with  this 
great  organization,  Mr.  Wilson  was  a 
director  in  the  Union  National  Bank,  the 
Iron  City  Trust  Company,  the  National 
Fireproofing  Company,  the  United  States 
and  Nicaragua  Company  and  the  Build- 
ers' Exchange  League.  He  was  also  a 
member  of  the  Master  Builders'  Associa- 
tion. 

Politically,  Mr.  Wilson  was  a  Repub- 
lican, and  while  he  never  accepted  any 
active  part  in  public  affairs,  or  any  nomi- 
nation for  office,  he  took  the  interest  of 
a  good  citizen  in  all  matters  of  local  and 
national  importance,  and  in  regard  to 
questions  of  municipal  significance  his 
counsel  was  frequently  solicited.  In  his 
benefactions  to  charity  he  was  generous 
and  constantly  sought  to  avoid  the  pub- 
lic gaze.     Fond  of  athletics  and  outdoor 


sports,  he  was  a  member  of  the  Pitts- 
burgh Athletic  Association,  and  the  Du- 
quesne  and  Union  clubs.  He  was  an 
active  member  also  of  the  Third  United 
Presbyterian  Church. 

Mr.  Wilson  married,  October  12,  1897, 
Miss  Mary  Dickson,  daughter  of  the  late 
Alexander  M.  and  Mary  Way  (Dickson) 
Watson.  By  this  marriage  Mr.  Wilson 
gained  the  life  companionship  of  a  charm- 
ing and  congenial  women,  and  one  fitted 
in  all  ways  to  be  a  worthy  helpmate. 
Children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilson:  Ed- 
ward ;  Mary  Dickson ;  and  Agnes  Mitchell 
Wilson.  Mrs.  Wilson  is  a  Daughter  of 
the  American  Revolution. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Wilson,  which  oc- 
curred December  17,  1912,  deprived  Pitts- 
burgh of  one  of  her  most  respected  citi- 
zens, and  foremost  business  men,  one 
whose  career  was  illustrative  of  the  essen- 
tial principles  of  a  true  life,  who  fulfilled 
to  the  letter  every  trust  committed  to 
him  and  was  generous  in  his  feelings  and 
conduct  toward  all.  The  son  of  the  origi- 
nator of  a  great  business  enterprise, 
Adam  Wilson  ably  and  worthily  carried 
it  forward.  He  was  one  whom  his  native 
city  will  never  forget,  because  she  is,  in 
a  sense,  his  handiwork.  He  was  one  of 
the  "Makers  of  Modern  Pittsburgh." 

(Mrs.   Adam  Wilson's  Line). 

Robert  Morgas  Roberts,  Cecil  County 
(Maryland)  Regiment,  married  Mary 
Richford,  the  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Esther  Richford,  born  at  Georgetown 
Cross  Roads.  Kent  county,  Maryland. 
Their  fifth  child,  Elizabeth,  married  Wil- 
liam Lindsay,  of  Mercer  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, August,  1798.  Their  daughter 
Nancy  married  Nicholas  Way,  of  Sewick- 
ley,  Pennsylvania,  1819.  Their  daughter, 
Mary  Ann  Way,  born  February  27,  1820, 
married  John  Dickson,  M.  D.,  August  27, 
1838.  John  Dickson  was  born  in  Cecil 
county,  Maryland,  April  24,  1812.    Their 


1699 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


daughter,  Mary  Way  Dickson,  married 
Alexander  McLeod  Watson  (attorney-at- 
law),  of  Pittsburgh,  September  6,  1859. 
Their  daughter,  Mary  Dickson  Watson, 
married  Adam  Wilson,  October  12,  1897. 
Edward,  Mary  Dickson  and  Agnes  Mitch- 
ell are  the  children  of  this  marriage. 


HOLLOPETER,  William  C,  M.  D., 

Hospital    Official,    Professional   Author. 

A  graduate  of  the  Medical  Department 
of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  class 
of  'JT,  Dr.  Hollopeter  has  since  that  event 
vi^on  his  way  from  the  foot  of  the  ladder 
to  a  position  of  honor  and  renown  in  his, 
the  oldest  of  professions.  To  deep  re- 
search, investigation  and  experience,  he 
adds  a  sound  judgment  and  rare  discrimi- 
nation in  diagnosis  and  treatment  that 
places  him  among  the  foremost  of  Phila- 
delphia physicians,  while  the  talent  he 
possesses  in  a  high  degree  for  imparting 
knowledge  to  others  has  rendered  him 
a  most  valuable  addition  to  the  faculty 
of  the  Medico-Chirurgical  Medical  Col- 
lege. His  hospital  work  has  been  very 
extensive  and,  although  his  practice  has 
been  general,  his  skill  in  the  treatment  of 
diseases  of  children,  has  won  him  fame 
as  a  specialist  in  those  diseases.  To  his 
many  years  of  service  as  practitioner  and 
professor,  Dr.  Hollopeter  has  added  offi- 
cial connection  with  the  medical  soci- 
eties, local  and  national,  and  to  the  litera- 
ture of  his  profession  has  contributed  by 
the  authorship  and  publication  of  two 
standard  text  books.  His  prominence  in 
his  profession  has  been  fairly  earned  and 
merited,  coming  as  it  has  through  hard 
work,  deep  study,  research,  native  ability 
and  consecration  to  the  art  of  healing. 
With  his  high  professional  attainments 
go  a  fine  personality  and  a  sterling  man- 
hood, that  command  the  admiration  and 
respect  of  all  who  know  him  either  pro- 
fessionally or  socially. 

I 


William  C.  Hollopeter  was  born  at 
Muncy,  Lycoming  county,  Pennsylvania, 
May  5,  1856,  and  there  his  early  youth 
was  spent  acquiring  an  elementary  and 
preparatory  education  in  public  and  pri- 
vate schools.  He  completed  his  classical 
study  at  Bucknell  University,  Lewisburg, 
Pennsylvania,  graduating  with  the  class 
of  '74,  and  soon  afterward  entering  the 
Medical  Department  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  whence  he  was  graduated 
Doctor  of  Medicine,  class  of  '"JT.  He 
spent  the  following  eighteen  months  as 
interne  at  the  Presbyterian  Hospital, 
Philadelphia,  then  for  three  years  was 
associated  as  student  and  assistant  with 
Dr.  George  Strawbridge,  making  a  spe- 
cial study  of  diseases  of  the  throat,  eye 
and  ear.  He  then  began  private  practice, 
and  to-day  is  the  loved  and  trusted  family 
physician  in  many,  many  households, 
among  the  best  families  of  Philadelphia. 

In  1888  Dr.  Hollopeter  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  medical  staff  of  the  newly  es- 
tablished Methodist  Hospital,  and  in  1890 
began  his  long  term  as  an  instructor  at 
the  Medico-Chirurgical  College  as  lec- 
turer on  diseases  of  children.  Later  he 
became  a  full  member  of  the  faculty,  fill- 
ing the  chair  of  Pediatrics,  and  since  1890 
has  been  Professor  of  the  chair.  Diseases 
of  Children,  few  professors  being  better 
qualified  for  the  chair  they  fill.  In  1895 
he  was  elected  Pediatrician  to  St.  Joseph's 
Hospital,  and  the  following  year  was  ap- 
pointed attending  physician  to  that  insti- 
tution. In  1900  he  was  elected  by  the 
City  Board  of  Charities  and  Corrections 
as  attending  physician  in  all  diseases  of 
children  at  the  Philadelphia  Hospital. 
Thus  in  hospital  work,  educational  in- 
struction and  in  private  practice  his  life 
would  seem  to  have  been  a  full  one,  but 
these  do  not  fully  measure  the  extent  of 
his  activity  and  usefulness.  They  have, 
however,  rendered  him  an  authority 
among  his  professional  brethren,  and  in 
700 


^^'  -  ^ 

J,  1 ^-^ 

t 

^^^r 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


recognition  of  his  study,  research  and 
successful  practice  he  has  been  chosen 
president  of  the  Association  of  American 
Teachers  of  the  Diseases  of  Children.  He 
holds  membership  in  the  city  and  State 
medical  societies,  also  in  the  American 
Medical  Association,  and  was  formerly 
chairman  of  the  section  on  Diseases  of 
Children.  He  belongs  to  the  Pediatric 
and  Philadelphia  clubs,  and  takes  active 
part  in  the  proceedings  and  deliberations 
of  the  various  bodies  of  which  he  is  a 
member. 

As  an  author  of  standard  text  books, 
Dr.  Hollopeter  is  well  known  to  the  pro- 
fession through  his  publication  of  "A 
Text  Book  on  Hay  Fever"  that  has  run 
through  three  editions,  and  his  "Dis- 
eases of  Children,"  which  is  a  standard 
authority.  He  is  also  a  frequent  contrib- 
utor to  the  medical  journals,  his  articles 
on  diseases  in  which  he  has  specialized 
carrying  authority  as  to  their  prevention 
and  treatment. 


HART,  William  Kennedy, 

Financier,  Insurance  Actuary. 

The  fifty  years  which  in  our  national 
history  are  emblazoned  in  their  centre 
with  the  sanguinary  ensign  of  Civil  War, 
constituted  a  momentous  era  in  the  annals 
of  Pittsburgh,  and  during  that  memor- 
able half-century  the  one  man  who  was 
perhaps  more  influential  than  any  other 
in  developing  the  financial  interests  of 
our  city,  was  the  late  William  Kennedy 
Hart,  for  many  years  head  of  the  banking 
firm  known  successively  as  Hart,  Caughey 
&  Company  and  Hart  &  Wilkinson.  Mr. 
Hart  was  also  largely  instrumental  in  the 
organization  and  progress  of  numerous 
Pittsburgh  business  concerns  which  have 
since  grown  to  huge  proportions. 

Joshua  Hart,  father  of  William  Ken- 
nedy Hart,  was  a  preacher,  and  married 
Rachel,   daughter  of  Nathan  and   Lydia 


(Russom)  Fleming.  Nathan  Fleming, 
who  went  in  1789  to  West  Virginia,  was 
a  son  of  William  Fleming,  who  was  born 
in  1717  and  married  Jean  Frame.  His 
forefathers  were  forced  by  religious  per- 
secution to  leave  their  native  Scotland 
and  take  refuge  in  the  North  of  Ireland. 
Joshua  Hart  and  his  wife  were  the  par- 
ents of  the  following  children :  William 
Kennedy,  mentioned  below ;  Nathan  F., 
deceased,  whose  biography  and  portrait 
appear  elsewhere  in  this  work ;  and  Mar- 
tha, now  the  widow  of  Dr.  W.  S.  Mackin- 
tosh, whose  biography  and  portrait  may 
also  be  found  on  another  page  of  this 
work.  Joshua  Hart  was  a  man  of  high 
principles  and   most  lovable  disposition. 

William  Kennedy,  son  of  Joshua  and 
Rachel  (Fleming)  Hart,  was  born  June 
2,  1816,  at  Uniontown,  Pennsylvania.  He 
was  blessed  with  parents  whose  teachings 
were  illustrated  and  enforced  by  the  daily 
example  of  their  truly  Christian  lives. 
An  imperfect  description  of  his  father's 
personality  has  already  been  presented 
and  in  saying  that  his  mother  was  a 
woman  of  strong  character,  excelling  in 
all  the  domestic  virtues  we  give  but  a 
faint  idea  of  all  that  she  was  to  her  fam- 
ily. William  Kennedy  Hart  received  a 
public  school  education,  and  at  an  early 
age  came  to  Pittsburgh,  where  he  was 
employed  as  bookkeeper  on  boats  carry- 
ing merchandise  between  that  city  and 
New  Orleans. 

It  was  not  long,  however,  before  Mr. 
Hart  turned  his  attention  to  that  sphere 
in  which  he  was  destined  to  achieve  great 
and  permanent  success — the  sphere  of 
banking.  He  was  first  associated  with 
the  firm  of  Hussey,  Hanna  &  Company, 
and  later  became  a  partner,  the  style 
being  changed  to  Hanna,  Hart  &  Com- 
pany. When  Mr.  Hanna  retired  the  firm 
was  reorganized  as  Hart,  Caughey  & 
Company,  private  bankers.  The  last 
change  was  to  Hart  &  Wilkinson,  and  as 


1701 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


such  the  firm  remained  until  the  close  of 
Mr.  Hart's  life.  Well  directed  aggres- 
siveness, coupled  with  wise  conservatism, 
made  of  Mr.  Hart  the  ideal  banker,  and 
the  strength  and  prosperity  of  the  firm 
of  which  he  was  for  many  years  the  rul- 
ing spirit  were  a  conspicuous  memorial 
to  his  wisdom  and  ability. 

During  the  Civil  War,  Mr.  Hart  was 
the  agent  of  Jay  Cooke,  transacting  all 
business  in  regard  to  the  sale  of  govern- 
ment bonds,  and  his  great  and  unques- 
tioned integrity,  force  of  character  and 
insight  into  the  motives  and  merits  of 
men  inspired  in  the  public  the  most  im- 
plicit confidence  and  gave  him  an  influ- 
ence scarcely  to  be  estimated. 

To  Mr.  Hart  belongs  the  distinction  of 
having  been  the  first  man  in  Pittsburgh 
to  send  money  by  express,  thus  broaden- 
ing to  an  immeasurable  extent  the  scope 
of  our  financial  system.  He  was  secre- 
tary and  treasurer  of  the  Monongahela 
Navigation  Company,  and  a  partner  in 
the  firm  of  Chess,  Smyth  &  Company, 
being  also  connected  with  several  other 
large  banking  institutions  and  mercan- 
tile concerns  of  Pittsburgh. 

Seldom,  indeed,  is  it  that  a  man  as  active 
and  successful  in  business  as  Mr.  Hart 
takes  the  keen  and  helpful  interest  in 
civic  aft'airs  which  he  ever  manifested. 
His  political  affiliations  were  with  the  Re- 
publicans, but  he  was  never  numbered 
among  office-seekers,  preferring  to  con- 
centrate his  energies  on  his  duties  and  re- 
sponsibilities as  a  banker  and  business 
man,  and  being,  moreover,  a  man  to 
whom  political  wire-pulling  was  an  in- 
trinsic impossibility.  In  all  movements 
which,  in  his  judgment,  tended  to  pro- 
mote the  welfare  of  Pittsburgh,  his  co- 
operation was  never  wanting,  and  his 
ideas  in  regard  to  both  local  and  national 
questions  of  importance  were  respected 
as  those  of  a  vigilant  and  attentive  ob- 
server of  men  and  measures.     Ever  ready 


to  respond  to  any  deserving  call  made 
upon  him,  he  was  widely  but  unostenta- 
tiously charitable.  Among  the  benevo- 
lent institutions  on  which  he  bestowed 
personal  attention  was  the  House  of 
Refuge,  occupying,  for  some  time,  a  seat 
on  its  board  of  directors.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church. 
The  dominant  traits  of  Mr.  Hart's  char- 
acter, which  have  been  described  as  verac- 
ity, honesty  and  generosity  and  which 
were  strikingly  manifested  throughout 
his  career,  were  plainly  written  on  his 
countenance  and  spoke  in  the  searching 
yet  kindly  glance  of  his  eye  and  the  firm 
and  earnest  tones  of  his  voice.  The  some- 
what trite  yet  always  forceful  saying, 
"His  word  was  as  good  as  his  bond,"  ad- 
mirably epitomizes  the  trait  which  was 
the  cornerstone  of  his  exceptional  suc- 
cess. He  was  skilled  in  reading  the 
"signs  of  the  times"  and  in  shaping  his 
course  in  accordance  with  what  he  fore- 
saw would  be  the  issue  of  events.  In- 
variably dignified  and  courteous,  he  pos- 
sessed withal  a  geniality  of  disposition 
that  drew  men  to  him.  His  ripe  and 
varied  experience  made  him  the  trusted 
counsellor  of  young  and  old  alike,  and  he 
was  ever  a  loyal  friend  and  a  true  Chris- 
tian gentleman. 

Mr.  Hart  married,  in  May,  1854,  Mar- 
garet Latimer  McCook,  whose  family 
record  is  appended  to  this  sketch,  and 
the  following  children  were  born  to  them  : 
Virginia,  widow  of  James  M.  Wilkinson, 
whose  biography  may  be  found  on  an- 
other page  of  this  work  ;  Ella,  died  young; 
and  William  Kennedy,  mentioned  below. 
Mrs.  Hart,  a  perfect  type  of  the  refined 
and  cultured  gentlewoman,  possessed  the 
breadth  of  mind  and  the  liberality  of  sen- 
timent, together  with  the  accomplish- 
ments of  a  homemaker,  necessary  to  make 
her  the  sympathetic  helpmate  of  such  a 
man  as  her  husband,  the  ruling  motive  of 
whose  life  was  devotion  to  his  family  and 
1702 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


who  was  never  so  happy  as  when  sur- 
rounded by  the  members  of  his  house- 
hold. Mrs.  Hart  was  actively  engaged  in 
church  and  charitable  work  and  during 
the  civil  war  belonged  to  societies  organ- 
ized to  make  clothing  for  the  soldiers. 
For  many  years  she  was  a  member  of  the 
Second  Presbyterian  Church.  Mrs.  Hart 
survived  her  husband  many  years,  pass- 
ing away  January  29,  1914,  at  the  vener- 
able age  of  eighty-six. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Hart,  which  occurred 
October  5,  1890,  deprived  Pittsburgh  of 
one  who  had  long  been  a  recognized 
leader  in  banking  circles  and  in  the  busi- 
ness world.  Broad  in  his  views,  unfail- 
ingly self-reliant  and  intensely  public- 
spirited,  he  left  to  his  city,  to  his  family 
and  friends,  the  memory  of  a  noble  and 
upright  life. 

Great  cities  are  built  up  not  alone  by 
the  men  whose  colossal  achievements 
form  part  of  the  world's  history,  but  also 
by  those  whose  services,  while  of  less 
magnitude,  are  of  wide-reaching  force  and 
revolutionizing  influence.  To  this  impor- 
tant and  pervasive  class  of  workers  Mr. 
Hart  distinctively  belonged.  He  was  the 
originator  of  ideas  which  strengthened, 
extended  and  in  some  respects  trans- 
formed the  banking  system  and  business 
methods  of  Pittsburgh.  He  was  the  chief 
promoter  of  a  number  of  enterprises 
which  to-day  are  among  the  well  known 
and  prosperous  concerns  of  the  city.  He 
aided  to  a  degree  which,  perhaps,  will 
never  be  fully  appreciated,  in  upholding 
lofty  standards  of  citizenship  and  of  finan- 
cial honor.  The  Pittsburgh  of  to-day  is 
what  she  is  largely  because  of  the  life  and 
work  of  William  Kennedy  Hart. 

William  Kennedy,  son  of  William  Ken- 
nedy and  Margaret  Latimer  (McCook) 
Hart,  was  born  May  9,  1861,  in  Pitts- 
burgh, and  graduated  from  the  commer- 
cial department  of  the  Central  High 
School  of  his  native  city.    In  1878  he  be- 

I 


came  a  clerk  in  the  general  store  of  H. 
C.  Frick  &  Company,  at  Dunbar,  Fayette 
county,  and  from  1^79  to  1891,  was  asso- 
ciated with  the  Second  National  Bank  of 
Pittsburgh,  first  as  a  messenger,  and  then 
in  the  positions  of  assistant  teller  and  dis- 
count clerk.  From  1891  to  1903  he  was 
teller  of  the  Liberty  National  Bank,  and 
from  1903  to  1905  treasurer  in  the  East 
End  Savings  and  Trust  Company.  In 
1906  illness  caused  his  temporary  retire- 
ment, and  in  1907  he  removed  to  Midland, 
Beaver  county,  where  he  has  since  been 
engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  insurance 
business,  under  the  firm  name  of  Porter 
&  Hart. 

In  politics  Mr.  Hart  is  a  Republican, 
but  has  never  consented  to  hold  any  office 
with  the  exception  of  member  of  the 
council  of  Midland,  in  which  he  served 
a  four  years'  term.  He  gives  to  any 
measure  which  he  thinks  calculated  to 
advance  the  general  welfare  the  support 
of  his  influence  and  means  and  his  char- 
ities are  numerous  but  without  publicity. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Midland. 

The  countenance  of  Mr.  Hart  is  expres- 
sive of  the  resolution,  thoughtfulness  and 
executive  ability  which  form  part  of  his 
family  traditions,  and  his  manner  and 
bearing  reveal  him  as  the  able  business 
man  and  good  citizen  which  his  commun- 
ity knows  him  to  be.  One  of  his  favorite 
recreations  is  baseball  and  as  a  lover  of 
nature  he  enjoys  tramping  over  the  coun- 
try roads  and  through  the  deep  woods. 
The  two  things  which  he  believes  will 
contribute  most  to  the  strengthening  of 
sound  ideals  and  the  attainment  of  true 
success  in  life  are  "a  clear  conscience  and 
proper  care  of  the  body." 

Mr.  Hart  married,  April  27,  1905,  Lucy, 
daughter  of  Professor  B.  C.  and  Anna 
(Rovoudt)  Jillson,  grandaughter  of  Seth 
and  Elizabeth  (Speer)  Jillson  and  An- 
drew and  Sarah  (Grant)  Rovoudt,  and  a 

703 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


descendant  of  John  Alden  and   Priscilla 
Mullins,  of  "Mayflower"  fame. 

(The  McCook  Line). 

George  McCook,  grandfather  of  Mrs. 
Margaret  Latimer  (McCook)  Hart,  mar- 
ried Mary  McCormick,  and  they  were  the 
parents  of  three  sons :  George,  mentioned 
below ;  Daniel,  who  married  Martha  Lati- 
mer and  during  the  civil  war  served  with 
his  nine  sons  in  the  Union  Army,  in  the 
annals  of  which  they  were  known  as  "the 
fighting  McCooks;"  and  John,  who  lived 
in  Ohio,  married  Catherine  Sheldon,  and 
had  the  following  children :  Colonel  Ed- 
ward McCook,  once  Governor  of  Dakota ; 
Anson,  for  years  Secretary  of  the  Treas- 
ury, now  a  lawyer  of  New  York ;  John, 
Professor  of  Languages  at  Trinity  Col- 
lege ;  Mary,  now  living  in  New  York, 
widow  of  William  Sheldon ;  and  Henry 
Christopher,  author,  scientist  and  minis- 
ter, was  of  Philadelphia  and  died  in  1912. 
He  was  a  great  friend  of  the  Rev.  Henry 
Van  Dyke. 

George,  son  of  George  and  Mary  (Mc- 
Cormick) McCook,  was  born  in  June, 
1795,  in  Canonsburg,  Washington  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  and  before  attaining 
his  majority  commenced  the  study  of 
medicine,  graduating  with  honor  a  year 
or  two  later  at  one  of  the  best  medical 
schools  in  the  United  States.  In  1818  he 
went  to  New  Lisbon,  Ohio.  His  ability 
and  determination  triumphed  over  all  ob- 
stacles and  he  soon  ranked  among  the 
best  physicians  of  Ohio.  For  thirty  years 
he  was  closely  identified  with  the  inter- 
ests of  Columbiana  county,  and  though 
the  greater  portion  of  his  time  was  de- 
voted to  his  profession  bestowed  much 
attention  on  the  promotion  of  the  general 
prosperity  of  the  county,  laboring  espe- 
cially for  the  improvement  of  horses  and 
cattle. 

Despite  the  fact  that  he  was  consider- 
ably  advanced   in   years   he   offered   his 

I 


services  to  the  government  and  during 
the  war  served  at  various  periods  in  dif- 
ferent positions  of  trust  and  usefulness. 
In  1868  and  1872  he  was  an  ardent  sup- 
porter of  General  Grant.  In  1844  Dr. 
McCook  was  appointed  Professor  of  Sur- 
gery in  the  medical  school  connected  with 
Willoughby  University,  then  the  best 
medical  school  in  Ohio,  and  after  leav- 
ing that  institution  received  a  similar  ap- 
pointment in  Baltimore  Medical  College, 
where  he  remained  two  years.  About 
1850  he  removed  to  Pittsburgh,  where  he 
devoted  his  entire  time  to  the  practice  of 
his  profession,  commanding  an  enviable 
position  in  the  medical  fraternity  of  that 
city. 

Dr.  McCook  married  Margaret,  daugh- 
ter of  Alexander  and  Margaret  Latimer, 
and  their  children  were :  Martha,  mar- 
ried Theobald  Umbstaetter  and  had  three 
sons.  James  E.  Umbstaetter,  Charles  L. 
Umbstaetter  and  Edwin  S.  Umbstaetter; 
Catherine,  married  Benjamin  Hanna ;  Dr. 
George  L.,  born  July  31,  1824,  died  in 
Pittsburgh,  January  6,  1874,  father  of 
Willis  McCook,  of  that  city ;  Mary,  mar- 
ried Kersey  Hanna,  of  Cleveland,  uncle 
of  Mark  Hanna,  the  statesman ;  Margaret 
Latimer,  mentioned  below ;  Elizabeth 
Ledley,  married  Jonathan  Wallace,  of 
Lisbon,  Ohio;  Frances,  widow  of  Otis  B. 
Childs,  of  Pittsburgh,  children:  Otis  H., 
deceased,  and  Elizabeth  W.,  of  Pitts- 
burgh ;  Amelia ;  and  David  Beggs,  died 
young.  Dr.  McCook  spent  his  last  years 
at  Lisbon,  Ohio,  where  he  died  June  25, 
1873.  Few  men  labored  more  earnestly 
for  the  benefit  of  others  and  few  accom- 
plished more. 

Margaret  Latimer,  daughter  of  Alex- 
ander and  Margaret  (Latimer)  McCook, 
was  born  September  28,  1828,  at  Lisbon. 
Ohio,  and  attended  the  old  school  near 
her  home.  In  1850  she  came  to  Pitts- 
burgh with  her  parents,  an(3  in  1854  she 
became  the  wife  of  William  Kennedy 
Hart,  as  stated  above. 
704 


f^  iA^^^     ^^^p._^z^     /^. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


SCHAEFFER,  Charles  D., 

Physician,   Hospital   Official,   Financier. 

Charles  D.  Schaeffer,  M.  D.,  surgeon- 
in-chief  of  the  Allentown  Hospital,  a  son 
of  David  and  Esther  Ann  (Christ)  Schaef- 
fer, was  born  in  Maxatawny  township. 
Berks  county,  November  4,  1864.  Like 
his  older  brothers,  it  seems  he  had  a  nat- 
ural desire  for  higher  education,  and  at 
an  early  age  he  became  a  student  at  the 
Keystone  State  Normal  School,  where  he 
received  his  college  preparatory  training. 
He  was  graduated  with  honors  from 
Franklin  and  Marshall  College  in  1886, 
and  from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania 
in  the  M.  D.  course  in  1889.  Locating  in 
Allentown  after  his  graduation,  he  soon 
achieved  more  than  a  local  reputation  as 
a  physician  and  surgeon.  For  a  number 
of  years  he  was  the  president  of  the  Board 
of  Health  of  Allentown.  When  Dr.  Yost's 
health  failed  and  he  could  no  longer 
attend  to  his  duties  as  mayor  of  Allen- 
town, Dr.  Schaefifer  was  appointed  to  fill 
the  office,  and  on  April  22,  1907,  he  was 
unanimously  elected  by  council,  mayor 
of  Allentown,  to  fill  Dr.  Yost's  unexpired 
term. 

Dr.  Schaeffer  has  taken  a  keen  interest 
in  the  financial  affairs  of  the  city,  being 
a  director  and  vice-president  of  the  Allen- 
town National  Bank.  He  has  been  prom- 
inently identified  with  the  Allentown 
Hospital  since  its  inception  in  1898,  as 
a  trustee,  and  surgeon-in-chief.  The 
splendid  results  accomplished  at  the  insti- 
tution are  the  effects  of  his  untiring 
energy.  To  him  more  than  to  any  other 
individual  the  hospital  owes  its  marvelous 
success.  He  is  widely  known  as  a  skill- 
ful and  successful  physician  and  surgeon. 
While  a  student  at  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  Dr.  Schaeffer  was  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  Agnew  Society  and  is 
now  a  member  of  the  Lehigh  County 
Medical  Society ;  the  Lehigh  Valley  Med- 

1705 


ical  Society;  the  Medical  Society  of  Penn- 
sylvania; the  Mississippi  Valley  Medical 
Society;  the  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion, and  the  Roentgen  Ray  Society;  and 
a  member  of  the  College  of  Surgeons  of 
America.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Jordan  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  the 
Elks.  He  is  the  medical  examiner  for  the 
following  life  insurance  companies  :  Penn 
Mutual,  Great  Northwestern,  National 
Life,  New  England  Mutual,  Scranton 
Life,  Fidelity,  of  Philadelphia,  and  the 
Pittsburgh  Mutual  Life,  Provident  Life 
and  Trust  Company. 

On  October  5,  1885,  Dr.  Schaeffer  was 
married  to  Clara  Smith,  daughter  of 
Benneville  and  Feilana  (Weorley)  Smith, 
of  Smithville,  Lehigh  county.  Dr.  Schaef- 
fer and  wife  are  prominently  identified 
with  Salem  Reformed  Church,  of  Allen- 
town, which  he  served  as  elder  and  mem- 
ber of  the  chapel  building  committee. 
Mrs.  Schaeffer  takes  an  active  interest  in 
the  various  activities  of  the  church. 


WEAVER,  Henry  Augustus, 

Man    of    Enterprise,    Mayor   of    Pittsburgh. 

The  mayoralty  of  Pittsburgh  has  in  the 
great  majority  of  instances  been  held  by 
men  who  were  in  all  respects  worthy  of 
the  important  trust  to  which  they  were 
called.  None,  however,  more  strikingly 
proved  their  eminent  fitness  for  the  dis- 
charge of  its  responsible  duties  than  did 
the  late  Henry  Augustus  Weaver,  who 
for  the  space  of  three  years  served  with 
ability  and  honor  as  chief  executive  of 
the  metropolis  of  Pennsylvania.  In  addi- 
tion to  filling  for  a  long  period  a  conspic- 
uous place  in  the  political  world,  Mr. 
Weaver  was  for  many  years  a  leading 
business  man  of  the  Iron  City,  and  was 
prominently  identified  with  the  promo- 
tion of  her  most  essential  interests. 

The  Weaver  family  is  of  ancient  origin 
and  the  escutcheon  of  the  Pennsylvania 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


branch  is:  Arms:  Quarterly  first  and 
fourth  azure  a  sinister  arm  or,  holding 
in  the  hand  the  point  of  a  lance  proper, 
second  and  third  or,  an  oak  tree  proper. 
Crest :  A  sinister  arm  or,  cuffed  gules, 
holding  in  the  hand  proper  an  olive 
branch  vert.     Motto:    Esto  fidelis. 

Henry  Weaver,  great-grandfather  of 
Henry  Augustus  Weaver,  and  the  first 
American  ancestor  of  record,  was  prob- 
ably a  member  of  one  of  the  numerous 
families  of  the  name  who  came  from 
Switzerland  in  1680  and  settled  near 
Churchtown,  Lancaster  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, planting  a  colony  called  Weaver 
Land,  or  "Weber's  Thai." 

(II)  Henry  (2),  son  of  Henry  (i) 
Weaver,  was  born  on  his  father's  farm  in 
Weaver  Land,  February  22,  1732,  the 
same  day  and  year  that  witnessed  the 
birth  of  George  Washington.  Henry 
Weaver  the  second  became  in  the  course 
of  time  possessed  of  great  wealth,  or 
what  was  esteemed  such  at  that  early 
period,  and  during  the  Revolutionary 
War  gave  proof  of  his  patriotism  by  fur- 
nishing provender  to  the  army  of  Gen- 
eral Washington  at  Brandywine  ard  Val- 
ley Forge.  From  time  to  time  he  received 
from  the  government  on  account  some 
Continental  money,  but  at  the  close  of 
war  the  debt  amounted  to  $140,000.  This 
was  never  paid,  because  the  vouchers  had 
been  lost  and  could  not  be  duplicated. 
The  Continental  money  which  he  had 
already  received  had  become  worthless 
and  thus  the  important  aid  rendered  by 
this  noble  man  in  the  darkest  hour  of  his 
country's  need  remained  always  without 
compensation.  Henry  Weaver  married, 
in  1771,  near  Benders  Church,  Cumber- 
land township,  York  county,  Elizabeth, 
born  in  October,  1752,  near  Benders, 
daughter  of  John  Smith,  a  notable  man 
in  the  colonial  wars,  who  in  1754  was 
captured  by  the  Indians  on  Sideling  Hill, 
Bedford  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  taken 


to  Fort  Duquesne.  James  Smith,  brother 
of  John  Smith,  was  one  of  the  signers  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence.  Henry 
Weaver  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of 
the  following  children:  Barbara,  who 
remembered  hearing  the  guns  at  the  bat- 
tle of  Brandywine;  Henry  Augustus; 
Jacob  ;  John  ;  George ;  David  ;  Samuel ; 
Joseph;  Benjamin,  mentioned  below; 
Peter;  and  Elizabeth.  Henry  Weaver 
died  August  3,  1807,  at  Gettysburg,  Penn- 
sylvania. He  was  a  man  of  more  than 
ordinary  intellectual  powers  and  his 
moral  standing  was  above  reproach.  His 
widow  survived  him  many  years,  passing 
away  November  3,  1830,  at  Freeport, 
Pennsylvania. 

(Ill)  Benjamin,  son  of  Henry  (2)  and 
Elizabeth  (Smith)  Weaver,  was  born 
September  24,  1793,  in  Adams  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  was  fourteen  years  old 
when  death  deprived  him  of  his  father. 
In  1810  he  went  with  his  mother  to  Free- 
port,  Pennsylvania,  and  for  one  year  was 
employed  in  the  store  of  his  brother 
Jacob.  In  1812-13  he  was  associated  with 
his  brother-in-law.  Christian  Stouffer,  and 
in  181 5  he  came  to  Pittsburgh  at  the  re- 
quest of  John  Means,  owner  of  the  Spread 
Eagle  Tavern  on  Liberty  street,  now  the 
site  of  the  Seventh  Avenue  Hotel.  John 
Means  was  related  by  marriage  to  Henry 
Augustus  W'eaver,  brother  of  Benjamin, 
and  after  spending  some  time  in  Pitts- 
burgh the  latter  returned  to  Freeport, 
where  he  took  charge  of  the  distillery  of 
his  brother  Henry  Augustus.  Benjamin 
Weaver  later  purchased  property  in  New 
Salem,  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  fitted  it  for  a  hotel,  moving 
thither  in  the  autumn  of  1820.  He  be- 
came, in  association  with  General  More- 
head,  owner  of  the  stage  line  running 
from  Blairsville  to  Pittsburgh.  After  con- 
ducting for  nearly  ten  years  a  profitable 
business  at  New  Salem,  Mr.  Weaver  sold 
the  property  to  James  Clow,  of  Pitts- 
706 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


burgh,  and  on  April  i,  1830,  removed  to 
that  city  which  was  destined  to  be  his 
home  for  many  years.  In  1831  he  became 
proprietor  of  the  celebrated  old  Alansion 
House,  on  the  corner  of  Wood  street  and 
Fifth  avenue,  and  conducted  it  success- 
fully until  1839.  In  1840  he  was  nomi- 
nated by  the  Whigs  for  sheriff  of  Alle- 
gheny county,  the  Democratic  candidate 
being  Colonel  Elijah  Troville,  and  was 
elected  by  a  majority  of  six  hundred  and 
twenty-eight.  At  the  close  of  his  term  he 
purchased  the  Pittsburgh  Hotel,  on  the 
corner  of  Wood  street  and  Third  avenue, 
m,oving  there  March  17,  1845.  On  April 
10,  of  the  same  year  occurred  the  "great 
fire,"  and  in  that  conflagration  the  hotel 
was  totally  destroyed.  In  the  spring  of 
1847  ^Ii"-  Weaver  opened  a  new  hotel — 
the  Merchants'  Hotel — at  the  corner  of 
Smithfield  street  and  Third  avenue,  and 
later  met  with  an  accident  by  which  his 
thigh  was  broken  and  he  was  forced  to 
relinquish  all  active  business.  In  1857 
he  went  to  Durant,  Iowa,  where  his  son 
Joseph  lived,  and  there  made  his  home 
for  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

Mr.  Weaver  married,  in  June,  1819, 
Nancy,  daughter  of  Frederick  and  Bar- 
bara (Eicher)  Shaffer,  the  former  a 
farmer  in  the  vicinity  of  Freeport,  and 
their  children  were :  Henry  Augustus, 
mentioned  below ;  Jacob,  born  June  22, 
1821,  died  August  25,  1870;  Barbara  Ann, 
born  August  28,  1822,  married  Captain 
David  Holmes  in  1841  ;  Joseph,  born  Jan- 
uary I,  1824,  died  December  31,  1904;  Ben- 
jamin, born  May  25,  1825,  died  in  Pitts- 
burgh, September  23,  185 1  ;  Elizabeth, 
born  November  18,  1828,  died  in  1903 ; 
Nancy,  born  August  2.-i^.  1829,  died  1836; 
John  B.,  born  August  17,  1830,  died  Oc- 
tober 22,  1878;  Mary,  born  October  18, 
1832,  died  October  18,  1833 ;  and  Samuel 
C,  born  August  i,  1834,  died  May  27, 
1885.  The  mother  of  these  children  died 
in  May,  1847,  and  the  father  passed  away. 


September  14,  1861,  at  Durant,  Iowa.  He 
was  a  just,  honorable  and  truly  benevo- 
lent man,  beloved  by  a  large  circle  of 
friends  and  respected  by  the  entire  com- 
munity. 

(I\')  Henry  Augustus,  son  of  Benja- 
min and  Xancy  (Shaffer)  Weaver,  was 
born  April  i,  1820,  at  Freeport,  Arm- 
strong county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  but 
a  few  months  old  when  his  parents  moved 
to  New  Salem.  On  his  tenth  birthday  the 
family  went  to  Pittsburgh,  and  in  1838 
the  youth  began  his  business  career  in 
the  retail  dry  goods  store  of  Edward 
Isett,  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Fourth 
avenue  and  Market  street.  The  following 
year  he  entered  the  wholesale  dry  goods 
establishment  of  Waterman  Palmer,  on 
Wood  street,  and  it  was  here  that  his 
talents  and  preferences  first  distinctly 
asserted  themselves,  for  when  his  father 
was  elected  sheriff  of  Allegheny  county 
and  desired  his  son  to  assist  him  as  clerk, 
the  latter  declined,  saying  that  he  pre- 
ferred business  pursuits. 

In  1 841  Mr.  Weaver  and  his  brother 
Jacob  bought  out  the  canal  boat  business 
of  Frank  Sellers,  on  the  corner  of  Tenth 
street  and  Exchange  alley,  and  estab- 
lished themselves  under  the  firm  name 
of  Henry  A.  &  Jacob  Weaver,  junior,  fur- 
nishers of  supplies  to  canal  boats.  They 
conducted  a  profitable  business  until 
1847,  when  the  partnership  was  dissolved, 
Jacob  opening  a  wholesale  store  on  the 
corner  of  First  avenue  and  Market  street. 
Henry  Augustus  conducted  the  original 
establishment  alone  until  1852,  when  he 
disposed  of  the  concern  and  for  the  next 
two  years  took  a  much  needed  rest,  relin- 
quishing for  the  time  being,  all  business 
cares  and  responsibilities.  In  1854  he 
took  charge  of  the  Pittsburgh  interests  of 
the  Ohio  and  Madison  Coal  Company,  as 
the  representative  of  Captain  David 
White,  of  Madison,  Indiana.  Captain 
White  was  a  very  wealthy  man,  owning 
707 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  coal  works  at  Whiteville,  on  the 
Monongahela  river  and  also  two  steam- 
boats for  towing  coal  from  Pittsburgh  to 
Madison.  The  responsibilities  of  Mr. 
Weaver  were  very  great,  but  he  was  fully 
equal  to  them  and  found  actual  pleasure 
in  the  solution  of  the  many  complicated 
problems  constantly  submitted  for  his 
consideration.  The  enterprise  was,  how- 
ever, overtaken  by  unforseen  disaster. 
Captain  White  was  an  extensive  pork 
packer  at  Madison  and  during  the  Cri- 
mean war  had  a  contract  with  the  agent 
of  the  Turkish  government  to  supply  a 
large  quantity  of  pork  and  deliver  it  in 
Boston  by  December  i,  1855.  There  be- 
ing no  railroad  along  the  Ohio  river  the 
pork  was  shipped  in  seven  steamboats 
which  were  all  frozen  in  at  a  place  called 
Ravenswood.  Captain  White  was  thus 
unable  to  fulfill  his  contract,  and  pork  de- 
clining, the  Turkish  government  refused 
to  take  it  off  his  hands.  In  the  financial 
embarrassment  which  ensued  Mr.  Weav- 
er was  instructed  to  close  the  business 
which  he  did  with  such  ability  that  in 
after  years,  when  Captain  White  again 
became  a  wealthy  man,  he  expres  >ed,  by 
a  munificent  gift,  his  appreciation  of  this 
most  valuable  service. 

In  early  manhood  Mr.  Weaver  entered 
politics  and  in  1855  he  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  select  council  from  the  then 
Seventh  ward  of  Pittsburgh.  In  the  presi- 
dential campaign  of  1856  he  was  a  very 
active  worker  for  Fremont,  serving  as  sec- 
retary of  the  county  committee.  In  recog- 
nition of  his  services  he  was  nominated 
for  mayor  of  Pittsburgh,  January  13,  1857, 
and  was  elected  in  opposition  to  both  the 
Democratic  and  Native  American  candi- 
dates by  a  majority  of  483.  He  was  unan- 
imously nominated  by  the  Republicans 
for  a  second  term,  and  was  re-elected  by 
a  majority  of  1485,  Christopher  Magee  be- 
ing the  Democratic  candidate.  Mr. 
Weaver's   administration  has  long  since 


passed  into  history,  its  record  forming 
some  of  the  brightest  pages  in  the  politi- 
cal annals  of  Pittsburgh.  His  terms  were 
filled  with  many  acts  which  redounded 
to  the  good  of  the  city,  one  of  the  most 
important  being  the  Pittsburgh  Centen- 
nial, November  25,  1858,  all  Western 
Pennsylvania  and  Eastern  Ohio  uniting 
with  the  metropolis  to  insure  the  brilliant 
success  of  the  occasion. 

In  February,  i860,  Mr.  Weaver  retired 
from  office  and  returned  to  the  world  of 
business,  taking  charge  of  the  clerical 
department  of  an  oil  refinery.  He  was 
associated  with  his  brothers-in-law,  Rob- 
ert Arthurs  and  Dr.  Biddle  Arthurs,  their 
refinery  being  among  those  early  estab- 
lished in  the  neighborhood  of  Pittsburgh. 
In  the  conduct  of  the  business  Mr. 
Weaver's  spirit  of  enterprise  was  con- 
spicuously displayed.  Having  a  large 
stock  of  oil  on  hand  and  the  market  being 
dull  he  shipped  oil  to  Chicago  with  most 
successful  results. 

In  the  presidential  campaign  of  i860 
Mr.  Weaver  was  one  of  the  Republican 
delegates  for  Allegheny  county  to  the 
Chicago  convention  and  there  voted  for 
Lincoln.  Later  he  went  to  Springfield, 
Illinois,  where  he  became  acquainted 
with  the  future  president  and  his  family. 
Mr.  W^eaver  was  elected  president  of  the 
Allegheny  county  Republican  committee 
of  this  period.  At  the  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  W^ar  he  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Curtin  commissary  of  the  two  state 
camps  in  Western  Pennsylvania,  Camp 
Wilkins  and  Camp  Wright,  being  invest- 
ed with  the  rank  of  major.  After  the 
state  troops  were  mustered  from  these 
camps  into  the  United  States  service  Mr. 
Weaver  went  to  Washington  and  was 
appointed  United  States  Commissary, 
with  the  rank  of  major,  being  assigned 
to  General  McCall's  division  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Reserves.  In  September,  1862, 
he  became  a  United  States  Assessor  of 
708 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Internal  Revenue,  being  the  first  to  re- 
ceive this  appointment  from  President 
Lincoln.  This  office  Mr.  Weaver  held 
until  June,  1869,  when  he  resigned. 

The  same  year  he  was  elected  president 
of  the  Monongahela  Savings  Bank,  and 
was  also  chosen  a  director  in  the  Manu- 
facturers' and  Merchants'  Insurance  Com- 
pany. In  1870  he  became  a  director  in 
the  Odd  Fellows'  Savings  Bank  and  the 
Merchants'  Bank.  In  1871  the  Honorable 
James  H.  Hopkins  and  Alexander  Tindall 
procured  a  charter  for  the  Union  Insur- 
ance Company  of  Pittsburgh  and  Mr. 
Weaver  was  chosen  one  of  its  directors, 
and  in  1872,  when  the  Monongahela  In- 
cline Plane  was  chartered,  he  became  a 
director  in  association  with  William  H. 
Lyon,  James  M.  Bailey  and  others.  On 
October  16,  1874,  he  was  elected  a  trus- 
tee in  the  Dollar  Savings  Bank,  and  this 
position  he  held  to  the  close  of  his  life. 

In  all  that  concerned  the  welfare  of 
Pittsburgh  Mr.  Weaver  ever  manifested 
a  keen  and  helpful  interest  and  all  chari- 
table and  religious  enterprises  found  in 
him  an  earnest  advocate  and  supporter. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Pittsburgh 
Chamber  of  Commerce  and  one  of  the 
first  life  members  of  the  Exposition  So- 
ciety. In  1857  he  was  initiated  in  Wash- 
ington Lodge,  of  Pittsburgh,  and  in  1858 
was  Worshipful  Master.  In  1850  he  as- 
sisted in  the  organization  of  St.  Peter's 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  and  remain- 
ed to  the  close  of  his  life  an  active  mem- 
ber, zealously  cooperating  in  its  work  and 
aiding  in  its  maintenance. 

In  the  face  of  Mr.  Weaver  the  keen- 
ness of  the  trained  observer  and  the  ag- 
gressive decision  of  the  man  of  action 
were  blended  with  depth  of  thought  and 
kindliness  of  nature.  The  clear-cut,  in- 
cisive features,  accentuated  by  flowing 
whiskers  touched  with  silver,  spoke  of  re- 
finement and  culture  and  the  look  of  the 
dark  eyes  was  that  of  strength  of  char- 


acter, indomitable  determintaion  and 
withal  a  large  benevolence.  It  is  easy  to 
understand,  in  scanning  his  countenance, 
why  he  was,  pre-eminently,  a  man  of 
many  friends.  With  a  vigorous  and  lumi- 
nous intellect  and  inexhaustible  energy 
he  combined  rarely  endearing  personal 
qualities.  He  was  one  of  the  men  who 
take  possession  of  the  public  heart  and 
hold  it  not  only  while  they  remain  with 
us  but  after  they  have  ceased  from  earth. 

Mr.  Weaver  was  married  by  Rev.  He- 
min  Dyer,  pastor  of  St.  Paul's  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  of  Laceyville,  Penn- 
sylvania, February  9,  1843,  to  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Colonel  William  and  Maria 
(Martin)  Arthurs  and  sister  of  Robert 
Arthurs,  president  of  the  Fifth  National 
Bank  of  Pittsburgh.  Colonel  William 
Arthurs  was  born  at  Carlisle,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  when  very  young  came  to 
Pittsburgh  with  his  brothers  and  sisters. 
To  his  own  unaided  energy  and  ability 
he  owed  the  accumulation  of  a  large  for- 
tune. He  was  a  public-spirited  citizen, 
active  in  promoting  the  welfare  of  his 
community.  In  1816  he  was  invested 
with  the  rank  of  colonel,  in  1840  he  serv- 
ed as  county  commissioner  and  in  later 
years  he  was  known  as  Squire  Arthurs, 
being  justice  of  the  peace  for  Pitt  town- 
ship. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weaver  were  the 
parents  of  children :  Annie,  who  be- 
came the  wife  of  James  Lee  Marshall, 
whose  biography  appears  elsewhere  in 
this  work;  Jane,  Emma  and  Lide,  wife  of 
William  Wayne  Vodges,  of  Philadelphia, 
she  died  March  8,  1872.  In  his  domestic 
relations  Mr.  Weaver  was  peculiarly 
happy.  He  was  a  man  to  whom  the  ties 
of  home  and  friendship  were  sacred  and 
he  had  no  greater  pleasure  than  render- 
ing service  to  those  he  loved. 

Active  to  the  end,  Mr.  Weaver,  during 
the  latter  years  of  his  life,  was  engaged 
in  business  with  his  son-in-law,  James 
Lee   Marshall,   under  the   firm   name   of 


1709 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Henry  A.  Weaver  &  Company,  dealers  in 
real  estate  and  mortgages.  On  Septem- 
ber 21,  1890,  he  passed  away,  leaving  a 
record  w^hich  remains  as  an  inspiration  to 
his  successors,  the  record  of  an  honorable 
business  man,  an  incorruptible  public 
official  and  a  man  admirable  in  all  the 
relations  of  private  life. 

In  days  like  these,  when  betrayal  of 
public  trust  is  all  too  frequent,  it  is  re- 
freshing to  recall  the  history  of  men  who 
emerged  from  the  fiery  ordeal  of  political 
office  with  clean  hands  and  unstained 
honor.  Such  a  man  was  Henry  Augustus 
Weaver,  Mayor  of  Pittsburgh. 


BEATTY,  Hamilton  Kelly, 

Physician.  Sanitarist. 

In  the  medical  history  of  Pittsburgh 
during  the  last  thirty-five  years  one  figure 
stands  out  with  peculiar  impressiveness. 
It  is  that  of  the  late  Dr.  Hamilton  Kelly 
Beatty,  superintendent  of  the  Bureau  of 
Sanitation  in  the  Department  of  Health, 
and  long  a  recognized  authority  and  an 
acknowledged  power  in  the  vitally  im- 
portant cause  he  so  ably  represented. 
Dr.  Beatty  was  for  a  third  of  a  century 
a  resident  of  Pittsburgh  and  was  number- 
ed among  her  sterling  citizens. 

Hamilton  Kelly  Beatty  was  born  April 
12,  1848,  near  Kittanning,  Pennsylvania, 
and  was  a  son  of  William  W.  and  Jane 
(Patterson)  Beatty.  William  W.  Beatty 
was  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  and 
both  he  and  his  wife  belonged  to  pioneer 
families  of  the  county.  Hamilton  Kelly 
Beatty  received  his  preparatory  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  the  neighborhood, 
afterward  graduating  from  Westminster 
College,  New  Wilmington,  Pennsylvania. 
At  the  age  of  fifteen,  the  Civil  War  being 
then  in  progress,  he  enlisted  in  the  Nine- 
ty-seventh Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  serving  two  years  and 
three  months,  his  creditable  record  being 


indicated  by  the  fact  that  he  was  mus- 
tered out  as  a  brevet  second  lieutenant. 

On  his  return  to  civil  life,  the  young 
soldier  decided  to  devote  himself  to  the 
profession  of  medicine,  and  accordingly 
entered  Jefferson  Medical  College,  Phila- 
delphia, graduating  in  due  time  with  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  He  im- 
mediately began  practice  in  Kittanning, 
meeting  with  a  fair  measure  of  success. 
In  1878  he  moved  to  Parnassus,  where 
he  practiced  for  two  years.  In  1880  Dr. 
Beatty  removed  to  Allegheny,  now  the 
North  Side,  Pittsburgh,  and  speedily 
came  into  professional  prominence,  serv- 
ing on  the  initial  staff  of  the  Allegheny 
General  Hospital,  and  was  appointed  by 
Mayor  Charles  F.  Kirschler  superintend- 
ent of  the  Health  Department.  Dr.  Beatty 
thoroughly  reorganized  the  department, 
giving  special  attention  to  the  Bureau  of 
Sanitation.  Such  was  his  success  that, 
after  the  consolidation  of  the  two  cities, 
he  was  made  superintendent  of  the  Bu- 
reau of  Sanitation.  No  man  could  have 
been  better  fitted  for  the  position  either  in 
scientific  knowledge  or  in  enthusiasm  for 
the  cause.  Always  a  vigorous  fighter 
against  unsanitary  conditions,  he  was  in- 
tensely progressive,  keeping  constantly 
abreast  of  modern  thought  and  by  his 
well  directed  vigilance  conferring  incal- 
culable benefit  on  the  city  he  served. 

For  many  years  Dr.  Beatty  served  on 
the  Government  Pension  Board.  He  was 
an  active  member  of  Abe  Patterson  Post, 
No.  88,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic ;  a 
thirty-second  degree  Mason  and  affiliated 
with  Pittsburgh  Commandery  No.  i. 
Knights  Templar,  and  with  the  Order  of 
the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  also  belonged  to 
the  Royal  Arcanum.  For  fifteen  years 
he  was  a  trustee  of  the  Western  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  and  he  held  the  office  of 
elder  in  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Pittsburgh. 

With  strong  intellectual  endowments 
710 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Dr.  Beatty  combined  quick  perceptions 
and  a  keen  insight  into  character.  He 
was  enthusiastic  in  his  efforts  to  elevate 
the  standards  of  the  medical  profession, 
especially  in  regard  to  sanitation.  An 
ideal  progressive  physician,  he  was  also 
endowed  with  business  talents  of  no  com- 
mon order,  holding  the  positions  of  vice- 
president  and  director  in  the  Pittsburgh 
Brass  Manufacturing  Company.  His 
personal  appearance  was  striking.  His 
open,  manly  countenance,  his  well  mould- 
ed features  accentuated  by  white  beard 
and  whiskers,  his  noble  head  crowned 
with  snowy  hair  and  his  keen  yet 
thoughtful  blue  eyes  all  gave  assurance 
of  a  man  of  purpose.  The  geniality  of 
his  nature  was  reflected  in  his  face  and 
spoke  in  his  cordial  manner.  Loved  and 
venerated  by  all  classes  of  the  commu- 
nity, he  was  one  of  the  men  who  take 
possession  of  the  public  heart  and  hold  it 
after  they  have  gone. 

Dr.  Beatty  married,  September  28, 
1870,  Isabelle,  daughter  of  Archibald  and 
Jane  (Smith)  Robinson,  and  they  betame 
the  parents  of  one  son,  Albert  Robinson, 
who  died  several  years  before  his  father. 
Dr.  Beatty  was  a  man  of  strong  domes- 
tic tastes  and  affections  and  found  in  his 
wife,  a  woman  of  charming  personality, 
a  true  and  sympathizing  helpmate.  His 
happiest  hours  were  passed  at  his  own 
fireside,  where  he  delighted  to  gather 
about  him  a  circle  of  congenial  friends. 

The  death  of  Dr.  Beatty,  which  occur- 
red October  6,  1913,  deprived  Pittsburgh 
of  a  man  eminently  fitted  for  the  respon- 
sible position  which  he  had  so  long  and 
so  ably  filled,  his  labors  resulting  in  a 
rich  harvest  of  blessing  to  the  community. 
It  was  felt  by  all  that  not  only  the  medi- 
cal profession  but  the  city  at  large  had 
sustained  a  well-nigh  irreparable  loss. 

The  branch  of  medical  science  to  which 
Dr.  Beatty  devoted  so  many  years  of  his 
life  is  one  which  underlies  the  very  foun- 

PEN-17  171 


dations  of  the  public  welfare.  Ihe  men 
who  labor  for  its  advancement  are  work- 
ing for  the  relief  and  uplifting  of  human- 
ity. To  one  of  these  benefactors  of  man- 
kind Pittsburgh  owes  an  incalculable 
debt  of  gratitude — to  the  noble  physician 
and  true  philanthropist.  Dr.  Hamilton 
Kelly  Beatty. 


SCULLY,  John  Sullivan, 

Financier,  Man  of  Affairs. 

The  late  John  Sullivan  Scully  was  one 
of  the  comparatively  few  men  who  com- 
bine with  sagacity  and  acumen  in  busi- 
ness and  finance  commanding  talent  as 
an  organizer.  For  more  than  half  his 
life  Mr.  Scully  was  a  resident  of  Pitts- 
burgh, and  within  the  period  of  his  public 
activities  assisted  very  influentially  in  the 
founding  of  several  financial  institutions 
and  commercial  corporations. 

John  Sullivan  Scully,  grandfather  of 
John  Sullivan  Scully,  of  Pittsburgh,  was 
born  in  County  Cork,  Ireland,  and  in  1803 
came  to  the  United  States,  settling  in 
Chartiers  township,  Allegheny  county, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  acquired  one 
thousand  acres  and  became  a  man  of 
prominence  in  the  community.  For  thirty 
years  he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace. 
Mr.  Scully  died  in  1837,  at  the  age  of 
seventy. 

Cornelius,  son  of  John  Sullivan  Scully, 
was  born  December  7,  1817,  in  Chartiers 
township,  Allegheny  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  passed  his  life  as  a  farmer  in 
his  native  county.  He  married,  in  1840, 
Matilda,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Isabel 
(Lawson)  Duff,  of  the  same  neighbor- 
hood. Mr.  Scully  was  a  Democrat,  and 
filled  a  number  of  minor  offices,  among 
them  that  of  school  director.  He  died  in 
October,  1896. 

John  Sullivan,  son  of  Cornelius  and 
Matilda  (Duff)  Scully,  was  born  August 
14,    1844,   at   Scully's   Springs,   Chartiers 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


township,  Allegheny  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  received  his  primary  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  the  neighborhood, 
afterward  attending  Curry  College.  After 
taking  charge  for  one  term,  of  a  country 
school,  at  the  age  of  seventeen  he  came 
to  Pittsburgh  and  obtained  a  position  as 
clerk  in  the  old  Pittsburgh  Trust  Com- 
pany, of  which  his  cousin,  John  D.  Scully, 
was  cashier.  This  was  the  beginning  of 
a  career  of  more  than  ordinary  distinc- 
tion. It  soon  became  evident  that  Mr. 
Scully  possessed  talents  as  a  financier, 
and  he  himself  seems  to  have  felt  that 
he  had  found  the  field  best  suited  to  him 
for  he  remained  with  the  institution, 
which  later  became  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Pittsburgh,  until  1869,  when  he 
associated  himself  with  the  Mechanics' 
National  Bank.  In  1871  he  became  cash- 
ier of  the  Diamond  Savings  Bank,  which 
he  had  helped  to  organize,  and  which  later 
he  assisted  in  reorganizing  as  the  Dia- 
mond National  Bank.  He  was  cashier 
of  the  latter  institution,  later  becoming 
vice-president  and  finally  president.  For 
many  years  he  was  conspicuously  and 
honorably  identified  with  the  banking  in- 
terests of  Pittsburgh. 

But  it  was  not  only  financial  institu- 
tions of  which  Mr.  Scully  was  the 
founder.  He  helped  to  organize  the  First 
Pool  Monongahela  Gas  Coal  Company, 
afterward  absorbed  by  the  Pittsburgh 
Coal  Company,  and  he  also  assisted  in  the 
organization  of  the  West  Side  Belt  Rail- 
road Company,  now  owned  by  the  Wa- 
bash. Before  the  transfer  Mr.  Scully  was 
president  and  director  of  the  West  Side 
Belt  Line.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he 
was  a  director  in  the  Columbian  Na- 
tional Life  Insurance  Company  of  Bos- 
ton, the  Kansas  National  Gas  Company, 
the  Pittsburgh  Oil  and  Gas  Company  and 
the  Adirondack  Electric  Power  Company. 

In  politics  Mr.  Scully  was  a  Republi- 
can, taking  the  most  intense  interest  in 

17 


everything  which  he  deemed  calculated 
to  further  public  progress  and  giving 
special  attention  to  the  matter  of  good 
roads.  When  a  bill  which  promised  to 
provide  these  for  Pennsylvania  was  be- 
fore the  legislature  Mr.  Scully  did  much 
to  insure  its  passage.  He  served  on  the 
board  of  the  Homoeopathic  Hospital  and 
was  a  member  of  the  executive  commit- 
tee of  the  Young  Women's  Christian  As- 
sociation of  Washington,  District  of  Co- 
lumbia. He  affiliated  with  Franklin 
Lodge,  No.  321,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  and  belonged  to  the  Duquesne 
Club.  From  young  manhood  he  was  an 
active  church  member  and  after  going  to 
Washington  became  a  member  of  the 
Church  of  the  Covenant  of  that  city. 

A  keen  forceful  and  most  kindly  face 
was  that  of  John  Sullivan  Scully,  the  face 
of  a  man  of  great  tenacity  of  purpose, 
but  always  having  at  heart  the  best  inter- 
ests of  those  with  whom  he  was  asso- 
ciated and  the  welfare  of  his  city  and  his 
state.  Possessed  of  generous  impulses 
and  a  chivalrous  sense  of  honor  he  was 
implicitly  trusted  and  greatly  beloved. 
His  word  was  never  doubted,  and  his 
name  was  a  synonym  for  honorable  deal- 
ing. 

Mr.  Scully  married,  September  12,  1871, 
Mary  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Felix  and 
Margaret  (Dickson)  Negley,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, ^Ir.  Negley  being  a  representa- 
tive of  an  old  family  of  that  city. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scully  were  the  parents  of 
the  following  children:  i.  John  Sullivan, 
born  October  23,  1873,  orchardist  of 
Stevensville,  Montana,  married  Mary, 
daughter  of  Thomas  J.  and  Martha  (Hast- 
ings) Gillespie,  and  has  three  children: 
John  Sullivan,  Jane  Hastings  and 
Thomas  Gillespie.  2.  Cornelius  Decatur, 
a  biography  of  whom  follows  in  this 
work.  3.  Margaret,  wife  of  Henry  B. 
Zimmele,  of  Bethlehem,  Pennsylvania, 
who  died  July  9,  1906 ;  they  had  one  child, 
12 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Marriet  M.  4.  Mary  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
Paul  Killian,  lawyer  of  Pittsburgh,  they 
are  the  parents  of  one  child,  Mary  Eliza- 
beth. Mr.  Scully  was  a  man  thoroughly 
domestic,  home-loving  and  devoted  to  his 
family,  and  for  forty-three  years  his  home 
was  the  abode  of  happiness  and  hospital- 
ity. 

In  1903  Mr.  Scully  disposed  of  his 
Pittsburgh  interests  and  removed  to 
Washington,  D.  C,  where  he  made  his 
home  during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
On  October  4,  1914,  he  passed  away, 
sincerely  mourned  in  the  city  of  which 
he  was  then  a  resident  and  in  the  metrop- 
olis which  was,  for  so  many  years,  the 
centre  of  his  interests  and  the  home  of 
his  heart.  Mr.  Scully  left  the  stamp  of 
his  individuality  upon  the  institutions 
which  he  helped  to  fovnid  and,  through 
them,  on  the  business  world  of  Pitts- 
burgh— the  individuality  of  a  large- 
hearted,  high-minded  man  of  affairs. 
Would  that  our  city  had  more  of  the 
same  type ! 


SCULLY,  Cornelius  Decatur, 

Iia-w-yer,   Enterprising   Citizen. 

Cornelius  Decatur  Scully,  of  the  well 
known  law  firm  of  Mehard,  Scully  and 
Mehard,  has  made  for  himself  an  assured 
and  honorable  position  as  a  member  of 
the  Pittsburgh  bar.  Mr.  Scully,  in  addi- 
tion to  his  reputation  as  a  lawyer,  is  also 
known  as  a  talented  business  man  and  is 
prominently  identified  with  the  leading 
interests  of  his  home  city. 

Cornelius  Decatur  Scully  was  born  No- 
vember 30,  1878,  at  Wind  Gap,  Chartiers 
township,  Allegheny  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  is  a  son  of  the  late  John  Sul- 
livan and  Mary  Elizabeth  (Negley) 
Scully.  A  biography  of  Mr.  Scully,  with 
ancestral  record,  appears  on  a  preceding 
page  in  this  work.  Cornelius  Decatur 
Scully  received  his  preparatory  education 

i: 


in  schools  of  his  birthplace  and  of  Pitts- 
burgh, attending  the  Pittsburgh  High 
School.  He  then  entered  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania,  graduating  in  1901  with 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science.  His 
professional  training  was  received  in  the 
Pittsburgh  Law  School,  which  conferred 
upon  him  in  1904  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Laws.  In  1904  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  of  Allegheny  county. 

On  entering  upon  the  practice  of  his 
profession  Mr.  Scully  became  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Lee  and  Mackey,  his  part- 
ners being  James  W.  Lee  and  Eugene 
Mackey.  The  connection  was  maintained 
until  the  death  of  Mr.  Lee,  in  1908,  when 
the  firm  was  reorganized  as  Mackey  & 
Scully,  the  partnership  continuing  until 
1910.  Mr.  Scully  then  practiced  alone 
for  two  years,  and  in  1912  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Mehard,  Scully  and  Me- 
hard. From  the  beginning  of  his  career 
his  fitness  for  his  chosen  profession  was 
distinctly  manifest  and  early  marked  him 
as  one  of  the  coming  lawyers  of  Pitts- 
burgh. 

In  public  afifairs  Mr.  Scully  has  always 
taken  an  active  interest.  Politically  he  is 
an  Independent,  and  in  1910  was  one  of 
the  organizers  of  the  Keystone  party,  and 
once  its  candidate  for  State  Treasurer. 
The  Supreme  Court,  however,  decreed 
there  was  no  vacancy.  He  is  a  director 
of  the  Ouapaw  Gas  Company,  the  Wich- 
ita Gas  Company  and  the  United  States 
Coal  Company,  and  secretary  of  the 
American  Roller  Bearing  Company  and 
other  concerns.  He  affiliates  with  Mc- 
Candless  Lodge,  No.  390,  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons,  belongs  to  the  Duquesne 
and  University  Clubs  and  the  Kappa 
Sigma  fraternity,  and  is  a  member  of 
Calvary  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

No  one  who  is  brought  into  contact 
with  Mr.  Scully,  however  slightly  or  for 
however  short  a  time,  can  fail  to  be  im- 
pressed with  the  fact  that  he  is  emphat- 
13 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ically  a  man  of  the  present,  keeping  con- 
stantly abreast  of  the  latest  thought  in 
all  that  pertains  to  his  profession  and 
always  in  the  van  in  regard  to  matters  of 
general  concern.  His  eye,  his  voice  and 
his  step  are  all  those  of  an  aggressive 
and  purposeful  man  in  whose  atmosphere 
stagnation  and  retrogression  are  alike  im- 
possible, who  is  a  warm  friend  and  who 
has  in  him  the  elements  of  an  inspiring 
leader. 

Mr.  Scully  married,  June  lo,  1905, 
Rosalie,  daughter  of  Dudley  D.  and  Helen 
(Boteler)  Pendleton,  of  Shepherdstown, 
West  Virginia,  Mr.  Pendleton  being  a 
representative  of  a  distinguished  Virginia 
family.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scully  are  -the  par- 
ents of  the  following  children :  Alice 
Pendleton  ;  Elizabeth  Negley  ;  Cornelius 
Decatur,  born  May  19,  1910;  and  John 
Pendleton,  born  May  2^,  1914.  Mrs. 
Scully,  who  is  a  woman  of  intellectual 
force  and  most  attractive  personality,  is  a 
suffragist  and  a  member  of  various  clubs, 
including  the  College  Club.  Both  she  and 
her  husband  are  essentially  domestic  and 
thoroughly  devoted  to  the  ties  of  family 
and  friendship. 

In  the  comparatively  few  years  of  his 
practice  at  the  bar  Mr.  Scully  has  achiev- 
ed much,  but  the  greater  part  of  his 
career  is  yet  to  come  and  everything  indi- 
cates that  the  brightest  pages  of  his 
record  are  to  be  written  in  the  future. 


STEWART,  Reuel,  M.  D. 

Physician,    Honored    Citizen. 

Now  in  his  eighty-sixth  year  and  re- 
tired from  the  profession  he  graced  for  so 
long.  Dr.  Stewart  reviews  a  long  and  suc- 
cessful life  with  the  satisfaction  of  a  man 
who  has  gained  eminence  in  his  profes- 
sion and  the  solid  regard  of  his  fellow 
men.  He  descends  from  a  line  of  distin- 
guished ancestors  whose  virtues  he  emu- 
lated, and  in  turn  has  transmitted  to  chil- 


dren, grandchildren,  and  great-grandchil- 
dren the  heritage  of  an  unsullied  name 
and  unblemished  honor. 

In  lineal  descent  he  traces  to  William 
Stewart,  a  Scotch-Irish  gentleman,  a  de- 
scendant of  the  Earl  of  Bute,  and  to  John 
Colver,  born  in  1640,  whose  son  John 
married  Sarah  Winthrop,  whose  son, 
John  Colver,  married  Mary  Winthrop,  a 
daughter  of  Governor  John  Winthrop,  of 
Connecticut,  and  granddaughter  of  Gov- 
ernor John  Winthrop,  who  came  to  the 
Massachusetts  Bay  Colony  in  1630  and 
v.as  for  many  years  their  ruler,  adviser 
and  historian.  To  this  distinguished  Pil- 
grim ancestry,  with  collateral  lines  of 
scarcely  less  importance,  the  children  of 
Dr.  Stewart  add  that  of  their  wonderful 
mother,  Rebecca  Egge,  born  in  1831,  and 
yet  most  capable  and  energetic.  She  is  a 
descendant  of  the  Achey  (De  Achey) 
family,  belonging  to  the  nobility  of 
France,  in  v/hose  line  there  was  a  Count 
de  Achey.  During  the  religious  persecu- 
tions or  other  uprising  in  France,  the 
De  Achey  family  left  that  country  and 
went  to  Germany,  where  the  "De"  was 
dropped,  and  Achey  became  the  family 
name.  From  Germany  they  came  to 
America,  where  "Egge"  was  finally 
evolved  from  Achey.  The  family  bore 
arms:  "Gules,  two  battle  axes,  addorsed 
or."  Motto:  Jamais  las  d'acher.  Cath- 
erine Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Dr.  Stew- 
art, married  William  Brewster  Wood, 
of  equally  distinguished  ancestry,  and 
through  him  their  daughter,  Constance, 
adds  to  her  Winthrop  and  allied  lines 
direct  descent  from  one  of  the  "May- 
flower" Pilgrims,  "Elder"  William  Brew- 
ster. 

The  .Stewart  descent  from  the  Earl  of 
Bute  begins  in  America  with  William 
Stewart,  who  with  brothers,  Archibald 
and  James,  came  from  Ballantoy,  County 
Antrim,  Ireland,  settling  in  Warren 
county.  New  Jersey,  at  Hackettstown. 
14 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Archibald  and  James  seem  to  have  de- 
voted themselves  to  public  official  life, 
and  figure  prominently  in  the  history  of 
that  day  as  patriotic  citizens,  while  Wil- 
liam, no  less  patriotic,  was  more  faithful 
to  the  church.  All  served  the  First  Pres- 
byterian Church  of  Hackettstown,  but 
none  so  long  and  devotedly  as  William. 
Archibald,  born  in  1737,  died  January  14, 
1815,  was  president  of  the  first  board  of 
trustees  of  that  church,  was  a  member  of 
the  convention  that  met  to  elect  delegates 
to  the  Continental  Congress,  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Committees  of  Safety  and  Cor- 
respondence, and  was  a  delegate  to  the 
Provincial  Congress,  appointed  to  hll  a 
vacancy.  The  line  of  descent  to  Dr.  Reuel 
?tewart  is  through  W^illiam. 

William  Stewart,  born  in  P.allanto}-, 
County  Antrim,  Ireland,  in  1739,  died  at 
Hackettstown,  New  Jersey,  February  17, 
1810.  The  brothers.  Archibald,  James 
and  William,  came  to  America  together, 
and  seem  to  have  been  men  in  years,  well 
educated,  and  possessed  of  ample  means. 
all  becoming-  very  large  land  owners. 
William  Stewart  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Hackettstown,  and  was  one  of  its  strong- 
est pillars  of  support.  He  was  for  thirty- 
two  years  ruling  elder  of  the  church,  and 
when  no  minister  was  obtainable  he 
preached  and  taught  as  a  lay  minister. 
All  the  early  Stewarts  and  their  families 
are  buried  in  the  graveyard  belonging  to 
the  church,  and  on  the  seven  foot  marble 
slab  covering  William  Stewart  is  this  in- 
scription : 

Sacred  to  the  memory  of  William  Stewart  who 
departed  this  life  February  17,  1810,  in  the  J2 
year  of  his  age.  For  32  years  he  was  a  ruling 
elder  in  the  church,  highly  reverenced  and 
esteemed  by  all  its  members  for  his  edifying  life 
and  conversation.  And  his  care  in  instructing 
the  youth  of  the  congregation  while  destitute  of 
a  pastor  will  long  be  remembered  by  the  friends 
of  Zion.  With  truth  it  may  be  said:  Here  lies 
the  affectionate  husband,  the  kind  father,  the 
devout  Christian. 


In  God's  own  arms  he  left  the  breath 
That  God's  own  spirit  gave, 
His  was  the  noblest  road  to  death, 
And  his  the  sweetest  grave. 

Near  him  are  his  two  wives,  Frances 
and  Bethany.  Frances,  the  first  wife, 
bore  him  sons,  and  these  sons — John, 
James  and  Samuel — are  the  ancestors  of 
all  the  Stewarts  of  that  section  of  New 
Jersey. 

James  Stewart,  son  of  William  and 
Frances  Stewart,  was  born  in  1772,  at 
Hackettstown,  New  Jersey,  died  there  De- 
cember 15,  1834,  and  is  buried  in  the  old 
First  Presbyterian  Church  graveyard.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Colver,  "who  departed 
this  life  March  22,  1826,  in  the  51st  year 
of  her  age."  She  was  a  lineal  descendant 
of  the  Pilgrim  Winthrops,  governors  of 
Massachusetts  and  Connecticut,  father 
and  son,  John  (ij  and  John  (2).  (See 
Colver  line). 

Dr.  Thomas  Page  Stewart,  son  of  James 
and  Elizabeth  (Colver)  Stewart,  was  born 
at  Hackettstown,  New  Jersey,  June  7, 
1798,  died  there  October  26,  1S46,  his 
death  resulting  from  an  accidental  fall 
from  his  buggy,  his  horse  becoming 
frightened.  After  completing  his  class- 
ical education  he  studied  medicine  under 
the  preceptorship  of  Dr.  Reuel  Hampton, 
and  so  well  did  he  prepare  himself,  in  the 
opinion  of  his  instructor,  that  when  he 
was  awarded  his  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Medicine,  Dr.  Hampton  admitted  him  in 
1820  to  a  partnership.  The  two  men  be- 
came fast  friends,  practiced  many  years 
together,  and  vv'hen  finally  the  older  man 
was  "gathered  to  his  fathers,"  his  mantle 
fell  on  Dr.  Stewart,  who  continued  prac- 
tice in  Hackettstown  until  his  death 
which  came  while  he  was  engaged  in  the 
discharge  of  professional  duty.  He  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  Warren  County 
Medical  Society,  also  was  a  member  of 
the  New  Jersey  State  Medical  Society, 
and  in  1840  was  elected  its  president,  the 
first  Warren   county  physician   to  enjoy 

715 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


that  honor.  "He  was  an  elder  in  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church,  pious  and  devoted 
to  the  cause  of  Christ,  a  true  friend,  hos- 
pitable, kindly  hearted,  charitable  and  sin- 
cere." Dr.  Thomas  Page  Stewart  mar- 
ried Susanna  Beavers  (see  Beavers),  who 
bore  him :  Archibald,  died  in  youth ; 
Hampton,  died  in  infancy ;  Reuel,  of  fur- 
ther mention ;  Robert,  died  in  youth ; 
Catherine,  died  in  youth  ;  James  Townley, 
a  veteran  of  the  civil  war,  yet  living. 

Dr.  Reuel  Stewart,  son  of  Dr.  Thomas 
Page  and  Susanna  (Beavers)  Stewart, 
was  born  at  Hackettstown,  May  7,  1829, 
and  now,  in  his  eighty-seventh  year,  after 
an  active  professional  life  of  over  half  a 
century,  is  living  a  quiet  retired  life  at  his 
Philadelphia  home.  No.  1840  Green  street, 
and  his  country  home  at  Meadowbrook. 
He  was  named  after  his  father's  lifelong 
friend  and  associate.  Dr.  Reuel  Hampton, 
and  the  example  of  the  two  men  he  most 
reverenced  no  doubt  led  him  into  the  pro- 
fession both  honored.  He  obtained  a  good 
preparatory  education  in  Hackettstown 
schools,  then  in  1847  entered  Princeton 
College,  whence  he  was  graduated  with 
honors,  class  of  '50.  He  delivered  the 
.senior  oration,  September  24,  1849.  w^as 
a  member  of  the  college  literary  society, 
the  Clio,  and  took  an  abounding  interest 
in  the  life  of  his  alma  mater.  After  leav- 
ing Princeton  he  entered  the  medical  de- 
department  of  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, was  graduated  Doctor  of  Medicine, 
and  at  once  began  general  practice  in 
Philadelphia.  He  rose  rapidly  in  public 
esteem,  and  as  the  years  passed  his  prac- 
tice grew  to  large  proportions.  He  spe- 
cialized in  obstetrical  practice,  and  had 
the  largest  practice  of  any  physician  in 
the  city  during  the  years  he  was  physi- 
cally equal  to  every  demand  made  upon 
him.  His  skill  in  obstetrical  operations 
was  everywhere  acknowledged,  and  he 
was  regarded  by  his  professional  brethren 
as  a  final  authoritv  on  difficult,  unusual 


cases.  He  gave  freely  of  his  strength  and 
skill  to  suffering  humanity,  and  it  was  not 
until  he  was  nearing  his  eightieth  year 
that  the  good  doctor  said  "It  is  enough," 
and  retired  to  a  peaceful,  contented  old 
age  with  his  flowers  and  his  garden, 
where  close  by  he  can  summon  three  gen- 
erations of  his  own  blood,  daughter, 
granddaughter,  and  great-granddaughter. 

He  was  made  a  Mason,  February  28, 
1870,  in  Lodge  No.  450,  Philadelphia,  but 
the  exhausting  duties  of  his  profession 
prevented  his  taking  active  part  in  lodge 
work.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and 
in  religious  faith  adheres  to  the  Presby- 
terian church,  a  denomination  sacred  to 
him  as  the  "faith  of  his  fathers"  through 
all  the  years  in  America.  He  was  elected 
elder  when  a  young  man,  and  has  held 
that  office  continuously.  He  belonged  to 
and  was  actively  interested  in  the  city. 
State,  and  national  medical  societies,  and 
the  Obstetrical  Society  of  Philadelphia. 
Dr.  Stewart's  long  life  has  been  one  of 
highest  professional  and  private  honor, 
during  which  he  has  gained  the  esteem 
and  respect  of  a  very  large  circle  of 
friends  and  the  loving  devotion  of  thou- 
sands of  sufiferers  he  has  brought  safely 
through  their  hours  of  disease  and  peril. 

He  married  Rebecca  Egge.  of  French 
Huguenot  descent,  born  May  14,  1831, 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Bush)  Egge. 
She  is  a  wonderfully  well  preserved  lady, 
very  active  and  energetic  in  both  mind 
and  body.  Children  :  Thomas  Page,  died 
aged  three  years ;  Catherine  Elizabeth, 
married  William  Brewster  Wood  (q.  v.)  ; 
Sallie  Blanche,  married  Henry  Warner 
Lambirth,  resides  at  Meadowbrook;  Wil- 
lie, died  in  infancy ;  Aline,  died  in  infancy. 

Catherine  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Dr. 
Reuel  and  Rebecca  (Egge)  Stewart,  mar- 
ried (first)  William  Brewster  Wood  (q. 
v.).  Their  only  daughter.  Constance, 
married  Allen  Rhoads  Evans,  and  has  a 
daughter.  Beatrice.  Mrs.  Wood  married 
716 


^^^K^M:w^%^>:>M^?^^i^^H^S^^^^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


(second)  Otto  Walther  Kulling.  The 
arms  of  the  Kulling  family  is  as  follows : 
Argent,  a  chevron  gules,  between  three 
birds  vert.  Crest :  A  bird  vert.  She  is  a 
lady  of  finest  culture,  a  world  wide  trav- 
eler, converses  in  several  languages,  and 
is  well  informed  on  all  national  and  inter- 
national topics  of  interest. 

It  is  through  her  interest  in  family  his- 
tory that  this  record  here  appears. 


WOOD,  William  Brewster, 

Man    of    Scholarly    Tastes. 

Amply  blessed  with  this  world's  goods, 
Mr.  Wood,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
years  spent  as  a  member  of  the  iron  manu- 
facturing firm,  Alan  Wood  &  Company, 
passed  a  life  of  exemption  from  business 
cares.  lie  was  very  fond  of  studying  man 
under  home  conditions,  and  when  a  young 
man  made  a  trip  around  the  world,  pre- 
ferring to  pass  the  years  usually  devoted 
to  college  in  that  manner.  This  love  of 
travel  was  not  "wanderlust,"  but  had  a 
scientific  basis,  and  after  his  marriage  he 
toured  the  world  anew,  residing  for  years 
in  France.  Italy,  Germany,  Holland,  and 
visiting  for  briefer  periods  many  other 
countries.  He  was  a  born  student,  but  his 
plans  were  not  those  of  university  and 
college,  reading  and  observation  being  his 
methods  of  acquiring  learning.  He  was 
endowed  with  a  marvelous  memory,  no 
fact  of  importance  ever  escaping  him.  He 
was  a  perfect  type  of  the  educated  gentle- 
man, no  trait  belonging  to  good  blood 
lacking  in  his  make-up.  He  was  also  a 
general  sportsman,  good  swimmer,  fine 
shot,  but  being  fond  of  animals  he  never 
hunted  ;  he  was  particularly  fond  of  horses 
and  rode  daily,  and  later  he  took  long 
motor  trips,  being  among  the  first  to  pur- 
chase an  automobile,  but  his  love  for 
horses  was  predominant.  He  came  right- 
fully by  his  manly,  upright  character,  the 
blood    of    many    generations    of    sterling 

17 


New  England  families  coursing  his  veins. 
He  was  a  direct  descendant  of  "Elder" 
William  Brewster,  of  the  "Mayflower." 
through  his  son  Wrestling  Brewster,  his 
son  John  Brewster,  his  son  John  (2) 
Brewster,  his  son  Samuel  Brewster,  his 
son  Colonel  William  Brewster,  his  daugh- 
ter Eliza  Brewster  married  Josiah  Flagg, 
D.  D.  S.,  the  first  American-born  dentist 
to  practice,  their  son  John  Foster  Brew- 
ster Flagg,  D.  D.  S.,  his  daughter  Mary 
Jackson  Flagg  married  Thomas  Wood, 
father  of  William  Brewster  Wood. 

The  Flagg  family  was  a  distinguished 
one,  and  was  connected  with  many  emi- 
nent New  England  families — Brewster, 
Waterman,  Jackson,  and  others.  A  Flagg 
produced  and  conducted  the  first  oratorio 
given  by  American  singers  in  New  Eng- 
land. Dr.  Josiah  Flagg  was  an  eminent 
surgeon  dentist,  the  first  American  bom 
practitioner  of  dentistry.  John  Foster 
Brewster  Flagg,  surgeon  dentist,  and  a 
very  remarkable  man,  was  a  cousin  of  Dr. 
Brewster,  physician  at  the  court  of  Na- 
poleon IH.  It  was  through  the  request 
of  Dr.  Brewster,  of  Paris,  that  Dr.  Evans 
was  selected  by  Dr.  Flagg  and  sent  to 
Paris  to  introduce  to  the  court  American 
dental  methods.  There  were  at  that  time 
three  branches  of  the  Brewster  family — 
the  American  branch,  the  Paris  branch, 
and  the  English  branch,  headed  by  Sir 
David  Brewster,  the  astronomer,  whose 
only  daughter  was  Constance.  Dr.  Brew- 
ster, of  Paris,  had  a  son  who  married  a 
German  woman  of  rank,  and  a  daughter 
who  married  a  Frenchman  of  high  birth. 
Dr.  John  F.  B.  Flagg  was  a  man  of  rare 
attainment  and  is  credited  with  being  the 
first  man  to  use  ether  and  chloroform  in 
dental  practice.  He  published  in  1851  a 
"Work  on  Ether  and  Chloroform,  their 
Employment  in  Surgery,  Dentistry,  Mid- 
wifery, Therapeutics,  etc." 

The  Flagg  American  ancestor  was 
Thomas    Flagg,    who   settled    in    Water- 

17 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


town,  Massachusetts,  in  1642.  The  line 
continues  through  his  son,  Lieutenant 
Gersham  Flagg,  of  Woburn,  Massachu- 
setts, and  his  wife,  Hannah  Leffingwell, 
their  son,  Ebenezer  Flagg  and  his  wife, 
Elizabeth  Carter,  their  son,  Josiah  Flagg 
and  his  wife  Mary  Willis,  their  son,  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Josiah  Flagg  and  his  wife, 
Elizabeth  Hawks,  their  son,  Dr.  Josiah 
Flagg,  D.  D.  S.,  and  Eliza  Brewster,  de- 
scendant of  "Elder"  William  Brewster, 
their  son,  John  Foster  Brewster  Flagg 
and  his  wife,  Mary  Waterman  Jackson, 
of  a  noted  Rhode  Island  family,  their 
daughter,  Mary  Jackson  Flagg  and  her 
husband,  Thomas  Wood. 

Thomas  Wood  was  second  son  of  Alan 
Wood  and  Ann  Flunter  Dewees,  his  wife, 
who  was  a  daughter  of  Walters  Devvces 
and  Ann  Bull,  his  wife,  she  a  descendant 
of  Colonel  Thomas  Bull  and  Ann  Hunter, 
his  wife.  These  were  families  of  note  in 
New  England  and  Pennsylvania,  many 
colonial  and  Revolutionary  patriots,  men 
high  in  Church  and  State,  in  the  profes- 
sions and  in  business  bearing  proudly  the 
names  included  in  the  foregoing  brief 
resume  of  the  ancestry  of  ^\'illiam  IVew- 
ster  Wood. 

William  Brewster  Wood  was  born  in 
Philadelphia,  on  Friday,  July  25,  1851, 
died  at  his  residence.  No.  1838  Green 
street,  Philadelphia,  of  heart  disease, 
April  24,  1905,  son  of  Thomas  Wood,  a 
graduate  of  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, born  in  Delaware,  December  12, 
1827,  and  Maria  Jackson  Flagg,  his  wife, 
born  in  Providence,  Rhode  Island.  He 
was  educated  in  Philadelphia,  attending 
the  Saunders  Military  Academy,  and  al- 
though prepared  to  enter  college  relin- 
quished that  great  privilege  in  favor  of 
one  he  regarded  as  more  beneficial,  an 
extended  trip  around  the  world.  On  his 
return  to  Philadelphia  he  was  for  about 
eight  years  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Alan 
Wood   &   Company,   iron   manufacturers, 


then  retired  from  business,  and  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life  in  scientific  study, 
reading,  and  travel  at  home  and  abroad, 
living  for  a  long  time  in  Europe.  He  was 
an  omnivorous  reader,  his  mind  a  veri- 
table storehouse  of  information.  His 
marvelous  memory  never  allowed  him  to 
forget,  and  his  constant  reading,  study 
and  travel  so  constantly  furnished  him 
with  fresh  information  that  he  became  a 
real  encyclopedia  of  useful  facts.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Art,  Country,  Athletic 
and  Vesper  Boat  Clubs  of  Philadelphia, 
but  was  not  a  "clubman,"  rarely  visiting 
any  to  which  he  belonged.  Home  and 
library  filled  his  life  to  overflowing;  a 
fine  shot,  but  never  hunted  because  of 
love  for  animal  life;  good  swimmer;  in 
fact,  he  was  fond  of  all  outdoor  sports ; 
a  lover  of  horses,  being  a  fine  rider,  and 
he  was  the  first  automobile  owner  to 
make  an  extended  tour  of  the  United 
'■^tates.  one  of  his  trips  covering  a  dis- 
tance of  three  thousand  miles,  lie  was 
a  devoted  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  and  in  politics  a  Republican.  At 
dififerent  periods  he  maintained  residences 
on  the  continent  of  Europe,  in  favorite 
localities  in  France,  Germany,  Holland, 
and  Italy.  He  studied  deeply  continental 
life,  not  content  with  the  wonders  of  art 
or  scenery.  His  mother,  Mary  Jackson 
Flagg,  was  a  rare  genius  and  gifted 
authoress,  her  published  works  compris- 
ing three  volumes  of  poetry — "Calvary," 
"The  Golden  Wedding,"  "Faded  and 
Other  Poems."  In  her  son  she  lived 
again,  he  in  many  respects  resembling 
her. 

Mr.  Wood  married  Catherine  Elizabeth 
Stewart,  daughter  of  Dr.  Reuel  and  Re- 
becca (Egge)  Stewart,  of  previous  men- 
tion. In  them  met  again  the  blood  of 
Governor  John  Winthrop  and  "Elder" 
William  Brewster,  the  eminent  Pilgrim 
fathers,  nearly  three  centuries  after  the 
landing  at  Plymouth  Rock.  Constance, 
18 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  only  child  of  William  Brewster  and 
Catherine  Elizabeth  (Stewart)  Wood, 
married  Allen  Rhoads  Evans,  of  Phila- 
delphia, and  has  a  daughter.  Beatrice. 

(The  Colver-Winlhrop  Line). 

James  Stewart,  son  of  Elder  William 
Stewart,  the  American  ancestor,  married 
Elizabeth  Colver,  a  lineal  descendant  of 
Governor  John  Winthrop,  of  Massachu- 
setts, she  being  of  the  seventh  generation. 

John  Winthrop  came  to  Plymouth, 
Massachusetts,  with  a  company  of  nine 
hundred  persons  in  1630,  and  was  for 
many  years  governor  and  deputy-gov- 
ernor. 

lie  was  a  just  and  good  ruler,  and 
very  popular.  For  nineteen  years  he  kept 
a  journal  of  everything  that  happened  in 
the  colony,  and  in  1790  a  part  of  the 
journal  was  published.  In  1816  the  rest 
of  the  manuscript  was  found  in  the  tower 
of  Old  South  Church,  Boston,  and  was 
published.  Governor  Winthrop  died  in 
Boston,  Massachusetts,  March  26,  1649, 
aged  sixty-one  years. 

John  (2)  Winthrop  was  born  in  Gro- 
ton,  England,  February  12,  1C06,  died  in 
Boston,  April  5,  1676,  son  of  Governor 
John  Winthrop  and  his  first  wife.  Fie 
came  to  New  England  with  an  English 
company  in  1635.  He  built  a  fort  and 
founded  the  town  of  Saybrook,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Connecticut  river,  and  in 
1645  founded  the  town  of  New  London. 
He  was  governor  of  Connecticut  for 
seventeen  years,  and  in  1661  obtained 
from  Charles  II.  the  charter  which  united 
the  colonies  of  Connecticut  and  New 
Haven.  He  was  a  man  of  scientific  at- 
tainments, and  one  of  the  strong  men  of 
early  Connecticut.  The  second  wife  of 
Governor  John  (2)  Winthrop  was  Eliza- 
beth, daughter  of  Edmund  Reade,  of 
Essex  county,  England,  a  sister  of  Colo- 
nel Thomas  Reade,  of  the  Parliamentary 
army. 


Mary  Winthrop,  daughter  of  Governor 
John  (2)  Winthrop,  married,  in  1672, 
John  Colver.  She  was  born  in  1644.  John 
Colver,  born  April  15,  1640,  was  a  son  of 
Edward  and  Ann  Ellis  Colver. 

John,  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Win- 
throp) Colver,  born  in  1674,  married 
Sarah  Winthrop. 

Robert,  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Win- 
throp)  Colver,  was  born  in  1714,  died  in 

1783- 

Robert  (2),  son  of  Robert  (i)  and  Anne 
Colver,  died  in  1785. 

Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Robert  (2)  and 
Martha  Colver,  was  born  in  1776,  died 
March  22,  1826.  She  married  James  Stew- 
art, grandfather  of  Dr.  Reuel  Stewart,  of 
Philadelphia. 

(The   Beavers   Line). 

Thomas  Page  Stewart,  M.  D.,  grandson 
of  Elder  William  and  son  of  James  and 
Elizabeth  (Colver)  Stewart,  married 
Susan  S.  Beavers.  In  the  old  Mansfield 
Cemetery  just  a  short  distance  from 
Washington,  New  Jersey,  are  found  many 
tombstones  inscribed  "Beavers."  Two  of 
these  are  here  quoted:  "Robert  Beavers 
died  Oct  11  1822  in  his  75th  year."  "Cath- 
erine wife  of  Robert  Beavers  died  April 
2,  1859  in  her  g6th  year."  This  Robert 
was  a  son  of  Judge  Robert  Beavers,  whose 
ancestry  is  not  known,  but  it  is  believed 
he  came  to  New  Jersey  from  Virginia. 
Robert  Beavers,  of  Virginia,  nephew  of 
Judge  Robert  Beavers,  had  gold  stolen 
from  his  saddle  bags  during  an  over-night 
stay  at  Right's  Tavern,  Pennsylvania. 
February  20,  1802,  while  making  the  jour- 
ney from  County  Hampshire,  Virginia, 
to  New  Jersey.  The  name  is  found  as 
Bever,  Bevier,  Beaver,  and  Beavers,  the 
generations  named  using  the  last  form 
largely. 

Robert  (2),  a  son  of  Judge  Robert, 
was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  serv- 
ing as  lieutenant  and  captain  in  the  First 


1719 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Regiment,  Sussex  county,  New  Jersey, 
militia,  from  the  beginning  until  the  end 
of  the  war.  He  fought  in  many  battles 
and  skirmishes,  including  Trenton,  Bound 
Brook,  Germantown,  and  Springfield.  He 
was  also  a  judge  of  Sussex  county  courts. 
His  second  wife  was  Catherine  Ker,  a  de- 
scendant of  Sir  Walter  Ker,  who  came 
from  Scotland  in  1685,  under  sentence  of 
banishment.  He  was  related  to  the  Earls 
of  Roxburghe,  and  his  sentence  was  pro- 
nounced because  of  his  attempts  to  ob- 
tain his  rightful  honors  and  property.  He 
married  Catherine  Mattison  and  settled 
in  Monmouth  county.  He  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  Old  Tennent  Church,  near 
Freehold.     His  tombstone  reads: 

Here  lies  what's  mortal  of  Walter  Ker  de- 
ceased June  10  in  ye  92  year  of  his  age  who  long 
with  patience  bore  life's  heavy  load,  ready  to 
spend  and  be  spent  for  God. 

The  noble  portrait  in  a  line  to  paint. 
He  breathed  a  father  and  dy'd  a  saint. 
Here  sleeps  in  peace  the  aged  sire's  dust. 
Till  the  glad  trump  arouse  the  sleeping  just. 

He  had  four  sons,  one  of  them,  Joseph, 
the  father  of  Catherine  Ker,  second  wife 
of  Judge  Robert  (2)  Beavers.  Judge 
Beavers  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  at  Greenwich,  New 
Jersey,  built  his  own  pew  in  the  church, 
and  attended  service  in  state,  accom- 
panied by  slaves  carrying  his  personal  be- 
longings. 

Four  generations  of  ■'Stewarts  reside 
at  Meadowbrook,  Montgomery  county, 
Pennsylvania,  just  outside  Philadelphia, 
Dr.  Reuel  Stewart,  aged  eighty-six  years, 
and  his  wife ;  Catherine  Elizabeth,  their 
daughter,  widow  of  William  Brewster 
Wood  and  wife  of  Otto  Walther  Kulling ; 
Constance,  her  daughter  by  first  mar- 
riage, wife  of  Allen  Rhoads  Evans ;  Bea- 
trice, their  daughter,  a  charming  little 
miss  of  three  summers,  for  whose  benefit 
this  record  of  her  mother's  ancestry  has 
been  prepared. 


GRIGGS,  Joseph  Franklin, 

Accomplislied   Educator. 

The  late  Joseph  Franklin  Griggs,  Pro- 
fessor of  the  Greek  Language  and  Litera- 
ture in  the  Western  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania (now  the  University  of  Pitts- 
burgh), and  one  of  the  founders  of  that 
institution,  was  a  representative  of  an 
ancient  family  of  English  origin,  of  Colo- 
nial and  Revolutionary  record  in  Massa- 
chusetts, and  during  the  national  period 
of  our  history  distinguished  in  that  and 
other  states  of  the  American  Union. 

The  name  Griggs  is  of  great  antiquity, 
being  found  in  British  records  as  far  back 
as  the  thirteenth  century.  The  majority 
of  the  name  were  from  the  south  of  Eng- 
land. The  arms  granted  to  the  family 
are  :  Arms  :  Gules,  three  ostrich  feathers 
argent.  Crest :  A  sword  in  pale  enfiled 
with  a  leopard's  face,  all  proper. 

(I)  The  American  branch  was  trans- 
planted in  the  seventeenth  century  to  the 
province  of  Massachusetts,  and  the  orig- 
inal home  of  the  family  in  the  New  World 
was  in  Boston.  Joseph  Griggs,  the  first 
ancestor  of  record,  and  presumably  the 
immigrant,  was  born  in  1625,  and  mar- 
ried (second)  in  1654,  Hannah  Davis, 
who  died  in  1683.  The  death  of  Joseph 
Griggs  occurred  in  1715. 

(II)  Ichabod,  son  of  Joseph  and  Han- 
nah t  Davis)  Griggs,  was  born  September 
8,  16 — ,  and  married  Margaret  Bishop. 

(HI)  Thomas,  son  of  Ichabod  and  Mar- 
garet (Bishop)  Griggs,  was  born  Febru- 
ary 25,  1715,  and  married.  September  i, 
1743.  Margaret  Williams,  whose  ancestral 
record  is  appended  to  this  biography. 
Thomas  Griggs  died  July  7,  1782,  and  his 
widow  passed  away  September  11,  1800. 

(IV)  Thomas  (2).  son  of  Thomas  (i) 
and  Margaret  (Williams)  Griggs,  was 
born  April  20,  1750,  in  Brookline,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  was  a  corporal  in  the  com- 
pany of  minute-men   which   marched   on 


^CiyUu^  /^Jj^;^,^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  alarm  of  April  19,  1775,  afterward 
serving  as  a  sergeant  in  Captain  John 
Howard's  company,  Colonel  Jonathan 
Plolman's  regiment,  at  the  time  of  the 
surrender  of  General  Burgoyne.  He  also 
served  later  in  Captain  Jonathan  Wood- 
bury's company,  Colonel  Jacob  Davis's 
regiment,  receiving  an  honorable  dis- 
charge on  August  8,  1780.  Sergeant 
Griggs  married,  July  4,  1776,  Mary  God- 
dard,  who  was  born  in  1747.  It  was  a 
noteworthy  coincidence  that  the  birthday 
of  the  nation  should  be  the  wedding-day 
of  a  soldier  fighting  in  the  cause  of  inde- 
pendence. Tradition  says  that  his  trade 
was  that  of  a  blacksmith.  He  passed 
away  on  April  17,  1800,  in  Sutton,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  the  death  of  his  widow  oc- 
curred November  6,  1824. 

(V)  John,  son  of  Thomas  (2)  and  Mary 
(Goddard)  Griggs,  was  born  February  15, 
1785,  and,  like  his  father,  followed  the 
calling  of  a  blacksmith.  He  married,  No- 
vember 19,  1812,  Mary  Thurston,  great- 
granddaughter  of  the  Rev.  John  Camp- 
bell, the  first  minister  of  Oxford,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  a  member  of  the  celebrated 
clan  Campbell,  the  Loudon  branch  of 
which  were  the  founders  of  Worcester, 
Massachusetts.  John  Griggs  and  his  wife 
became  the  parents  of  eleven  children, 
among  whom  was  Joseph  Franklin,  men- 
tioned below.  Mr.  Griggs  died  June  i, 
1850,  and  his  widow,  who  was  born  June 
30,  1794,  passed  away  March  25,  1878. 

(VI)  Joseph  Franklin,  son  of  John  and 
Mary  (Thurston)  Griggs,  was  born  April 
24,  i82!2,  at  Sutton,  Massachusetts,  and 
received  his  elementary  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  town,  after- 
ward attending  the  academies  of  Wilbra- 
ham  and  Leicester,  meanwhile  teaching 
a  public  school  in  Sutton  during  some  of 
the  winters.  In  1842  he  entered  Yale 
University,  graduating  in  1846  with  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  and  in  1862 
receiving   from   his   alma   mater   that   of 

172 


Master  of  Arts.  In  1846  he  entered  An- 
dover  Theological  Seminary,  but  was 
forced  by  failing  health  to  abandon  his 
intention  of  studying  for  the  ministry. 
Instead,  he  consecrated  his  remarkable 
intellectual  powers  to  the  noble  work  of 
an  instructor,  and  in  1847  ^"^  1848  taught 
select  schools  at  Sutton  and  Holden,  Mas- 
sachusetts. In  1848  and  1849  he  was 
principal  of  the  Men's  Winter  School  at 
Worcester,  Massachusetts,  and  in  the  lat- 
ter year  removed  by  invitation  to  Alle- 
gheny, Pennsylvania,  where  he  opened  a 
private  classical  school  for  boys.  It  was 
extremely  successful,  and  in  1852  Mr. 
Griggs  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr. 
Nicholas  Veeder,  who  presided  over  a 
school  in  Pittsburgh.  The  following  year 
the  school  of  Mr.  William  T.  McDonald, 
also  of  Pittsburgh,  made  a  third  in  the 
combination,  and  this  triple  consolida- 
tion became  the  nucleus  of  the  Western 
University  of  Pennsylvania.  In  1855,  on 
the  completion  of  the  buildings  of  the  in- 
stitution, Mr.  Griggs  was  chosen  to  fill 
the  chair  of  ancient  languages,  which  he 
continued  to  do  until  1864,  then  becom- 
ing Professor  of  the  Greek  Language  and 
Literature.  In  1880  he  was  made  Pro- 
fessor Emeritus  and  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  the  board  of  trustees,  also 
librarian,  curator  of  the  museum,  and  cus- 
todian of  the  university  property.  In 
1892  he  was  compelled  by  impaired  health 
to  retire  from  active  work. 

In  order  to  obtain  a  true  idea  of  the 
personality  of  Professor  Griggs,  it  would 
be  necessary  to  gather  the  impressions  of 
the  multitudes  of  youths  and  young  men 
to  whom  his  instructions  formed  a  large 
part  of  the  equipment  for  the  battle  of 
life.  Nor  need  we  ask  what  these  im- 
pressions were.  A  majority  of  his  stu- 
dents, by  their  lives  and  work  as  well  as 
by  the  spoken  and  written  word,  have 
amply  testified  to  the  worth  of  his  in- 
structions, and,  above  all,  to  the  inesti- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


mable  value  of  the  example  of  his  life. 
Of  strong  character,  vigorous  mentality 
and  possessing  a  wealth  of  learning  and 
experience,  he  was  also  a  man  of  liberal 
sentiments,  large  heart  and  deep  and  loyal 
affections.  In  appearance  and  manner 
he  was  the  ideal  type  of  the  scholar  and 
the  gentleman.  Politically,  Professor 
Griggs  was  allied  with  the  Republican 
party  and  in  national  and  community 
affairs  he  ever  manifested  the  active  in- 
terest of  a  good  citizen.  From  the  age  of 
seventeen  to  the  close  of  his  life,  he  was 
a  member  of  the  church  and  for  thirty- 
five  years  he  served  as  elder  in  the  Third 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Pittsburgh. 

Professor  Griggs  mai-ried,  April  i6, 
1863,  Eliza  Buchanan,  born  September 
26,  1829,  daughter  of  Dr.  Jeremiah  and 
Martha  (Buchanan)  Brooks,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, and  their  children  were:  Martha 
Buchanan,  a  member  of  General  Rufus 
Putnam  Chapter,  Daughters  of  the  Amer- 
ican Revolution,  of  Sutton.  Massachu- 
setts ;  Jeremiah  Brooks,  of  Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania ;  Thomas  Campbell,  whose 
biography  may  be  found  on  another  page  ; 
and  Joseph  Franklin,  a  physician  at  Ta- 
coma,  Washington. 

Love  of  home  and  family  was  Profes- 
sor Griggs'  inmost  nature,  and  his  do- 
mestic relations  were  of  unusual  felicity. 
Mrs.  Griggs  survived  her  husband  some 
years,  passing  away  on  December  6,  1906. 
The  death  of  Professor  Griggs,  which  oc- 
curred April  I,  1897,  marked  the  close  of 
more  than  half  a  century  of  usefulness 
and  honor.  At  the  time  of  his  passing  he 
was  the  oldest  member  of  the  Yale 
Alumni  .A^ssociation  of  Pittsburgh.  Deeply 
mourned  in  his  home  city,  he  was  grieved 
for  in  regions  far  remote.  Throughout 
the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land  men  in 
various  callings  felt  bereaved  when  they 
heard  that  the  honored  instructor  of  their 
youth  had  passed  away.  Tributes  of 
gratitude  and  afifection  were  the  offerings 


of  countless  hearts.  The  work  to  which 
Professor  Griggs  so  ardently  and  stead- 
fastly devoted  himself  is  one  that  bids 
defiance  to  "the  chances  and  changes  of 
this  mortal  life."  Such  a  man,  long  after 
he  has  ceased  from  earth,  remains  as  an 
ennol)ling  influence  in  the  lives  of  the 
generations  that  come  after  him. 

(The  WiUiams  Line). 

Stephen  Williams,  of  Great  Yarmouth, 
county  of  Norfolk,  England,  of  a  six- 
teenth century  family  residing  in  that 
town,  married,  at  St.  Nicholas'  Church, 
September  22,  1605,  Margaret,  daughter 
of  Nicholas  and  Winifred  Cooke,  of  North 
Repps,  county  of  Norfolk.  Their  children 
were:  Robert,  mentioned  below;  and 
Nicholas,  who  died  at  his  brother's  house. 
Roxbury,  Massachusetts,  August  2"],  1672. 
Stephen  Williams  died  in  September, 
1625. 

(II)  Robert,  son  of  Stephen  and  Mar- 
garet (Cooke)  Williams,  was  baptized  De- 
cember II,  1608,  at  Great  Yarmouth.  In 
1630  he  was  made  a  freeman  of  Norwich, 
and  in  1635  warden  of  his  guild.  In  1637  he 
emigrated  to  ^Massachusetts,  and  in  1638 
was  made  a  freeman  of  Roxbury.  In  1644 
he  became  a  member  of  the  Ancient  and 
Honorable  Artillery  Company.  He  mar- 
ried (first)  in  England,  Elizabeth  Stal- 
ham,  and  among  their  seven  children  was 
Stephen,  mentioned  below.  Mrs.  Wil- 
liams died  July  28,  1674,  in  Roxbury,  and 
Air.  Williams  married  (second)  the 
widow  of  John  Fearing,  who  came  from 
England  on  the  "Diligent,"  in  1638.  Rob- 
ert Williams  died  in  September,  1693. 

(III)  Stephen  (2),  son  of  Robert  and 
Elizabeth  (Stalham)  Williams,  was  born 
November  8,  1640,  at  Roxbury,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  followed  the  calling  of  a 
farmer.  He  was  known  as  "Captain." 
Captain  Williams  married,  in  1666,  Sarah, 
born  December  19,  1647,  daughter  of  Jo- 
seph   and    Mary    (Thompson)    Wise,    of 

722 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Roxbury,  and  twelve  children  were  born 
to  them,  six  sons,  one  of  whom  was  John, 
mentioned  below,  and  six  daughters. 
Captain  Williams  died  February  15,  1720, 
and  his  widow  survived  until  1728. 

(IV)  John,  son  of  Stephen  (2)  and 
Sarah  (Wise)  Williams,  was  born  Janu- 
ary 16,  1684,  and  married,  March  15,  1716, 
Dorothy,  born  June  19,  1697,  daughter  of 
Nathaniel  and  Martha  (Weld)  Brewer, 
of  Roxbury,  Massachusetts.  Their  daugh- 
ter Margaret  is  mentioned  below. 

(V)  Margaret,  daughter  of  John  and 
Dorothy  (Brewer)  \\'iniams,  was  born 
February  19,  1723.  and  became  the  wife 
of  Thomas  Griggs,  as  stated  above. 

The  arms  of  the  Vv''illiams  family  are : 
Arms:  Sable,  a  lion  rampant  argent, 
armed  and  langued  gules.  Crest :  A  moor 
cock  proper.  Motto:  Cognosce  occasioncm. 


GRIGGS,  Thomas  Campbell, 

Financier,   Bank   Official. 

Thomas  Campbell  Griggs,  assistant  to 
the  president  of  the  First-Second  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Pittsburgh,  has  been  from 
the  outset  of  his  career  continuously 
identified  with  the  financial  interests  of 
his  native  city. 

Thomas  Campbell  Griggs  was  born 
March  29,  1868,  in  Pittsburgh,  and  is  a 
son  of  the  late  Joseph  Franklin  and  Eliza 
Buchanan  (Brooks)  Griggs.  A  biography 
of  Joseph  Franklin  Griggs,  with  ances- 
tral record,  appears  elsewhere  in  this 
work.  Thomas  Campbell  Griggs  was 
educated  in  schools  of  his  native  city  and 
at  the  Western  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, now  the  University  of  Pittsburgh. 

On  December  14,  1885,  Mr.  Griggs  be- 
gan his  business  career  by  entering  the 
service  of  the  First  National  Bank.  His 
aptitude  for  the  work  was  soon  apparent, 
and  he  steadily  rose,  attaining  to  the  posi- 
tion of  cashier.  Upon  the  consolidation 
of  the   Second   National   Bank  with   the 


First  National,  under  the  title  of  the 
First-Second  National  Bank,  Mr.  Griggs 
succeeded  to  his  present  position  of  as- 
sistant to  the  president  of  the  new  insti- 
tution. He  is  now  in  the  thirtieth  year 
of  an  uninterrupted  identification  with 
the  banking  business  of  Pittsburgh. 

In  politics  Mr.  Griggs  is  a  Republican, 
but  takes  no  active  part  in  the  affairs  of 
the  organization,  though  manifesting,  in 
all  that  relates  to  the  betterment  of  condi- 
tions, the  helpful  interest  demanded  of 
every  good  citizen.  His  clubs  are  the 
Union  and  Duquesne,  and  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Third  Presbyterian  Church. 

]\Ir.  Griggs  married,  February  28,  1901, 
Christine,  daughter  of  James  R.  and 
Christiana  Wallace  (Sproull)  Newell.  Mr. 
Newell  was  president  of  Newell's  Insti- 
tute of  Pittsburgh,  one  of  the  city's 
famous  old  institutions  of  learning.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Griggs  are  the  parents  of  three 
children :  Marian  Thurston ;  Thomas 
Newell,  born  May  20,  1904;  and  Christine. 


IRISH,  Capt.  Dallas  Cadwallader, 

Civil  "WsiT  Veteran,  Excellent  Citizen. 


A  high-minded  business  men,  a  brave 
soldier  and  a  gentleman  of  ancient  line- 
age— this  is  what  the  name  of  the  late 
Captain  Dallas  Cadwallader  Irish  meant 
and  still  means  to  his  fellow  citizens  of 
Pittsbiirgh.  During  the  earlier  and  the 
latter  years  of  his  life.  Captain  Irish  was 
a  resident  of  the  Iron  City  and  he  was 
always  associated  with  the  advancement 
of  the  best  interests  of  Pittsburgh. 

The  Irish  family  is  one  of  colonial  rec- 
ord and  the  following  is  the  escutcheon 
of  the  Pennsylvania  branch :  Arms — 
Azure,  a  fess  argent,  over  all  a  bend  gules. 
Crest:  On  an  oak  tree  eradicated  and 
erect  proper  a  dragon  or.  pierced  through 
the  breast  with  a  sword  of  the  first,  hilt 
of  the  second. 

Nathaniel    Irish,    great-grandfather    of 

1723 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Dallas  Cadwallader  Irish,  was  born  of 
English  parentage,  on  the  island  of  Mont- 
serrat,  one  of  the  Leeward  Islands  of  the 
West  Indies,  and  early  in  the  eighteenth 
century  came  to  Pennsylvania,  settling  in 
Bucks  (now  Northampton)  county,  where 
he  acquired  a  plantation  on  Saucon  creek, 
at  its  confluence  with  the  Delaware  river. 
Here  he  built  a  grist  mill  and  a  saw  mill 
on  the  "Great  Road"  from  Philadelphia, 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Saucon  river.  He  left 
behind  him  in  his  native  island  a  sister, 
Elizabeth  Lee,  who  was  the  mother  of 
three  daughters — Sarah,  Elizabeth  and 
Ann.  In  April,  1741,  he  was  commis- 
sioned a  justice  of  the  peace  in  Bucks 
county,  and  served  until  December,  1745. 
In  1743  he  hired  an  African  slave  known 
as  Joseph,  alias  Boston,  who  after  1732 
had  been  brought  by  his  master  from 
Montserrat  to  Durham  Furnace,  in  what 
is  now  Northampton  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Nathaniel  Irish  married,  and  had 
a  son  and  a  daughter,  Nathaniel  and  Ann. 
He  died  in  1748,  at  Union  Furnace,  Hun- 
terdon county,  New  Jersey.  His  daugh- 
ter Ann  inherited  under  his  will  a  planta- 
tion called  "Private  Neck,"  on  the  west 
branch  of  the  Delaware  river,  being  part 
of  his  original  survey  at  the  mouth  of 
Saucon  creek,  which  he  reserved  when  he 
sold  his  plantation  to  George  Crookshank. 
He  also  left  his  daughter  ^500  in  money 
to  be  put  out  at  interest  until  she  came 
of  age,  also  a  negro  woman  Martilla,  and 
her  daughter  Betty.  Ann  Irish's  guar- 
dian was  William  Allen,  chief  justice  of 
Pennsylvania.  Nathaniel  Irish  also  men- 
tioned in  his  will  a  nephew,  William  Irish, 
and  a  niece,  Sarah  Irish. 

(II)  Nathaniel  (2),  son  of  Nathaniel 
(i)  Irish,  was  born  May  8,  1737,  in  Sau- 
con, Bucks  (now  Northampton)  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  received  part  of  his 
education  in  Philadelphia.  His  portrait 
appears  with  this  biography.  He  was 
only  eleven  years  of  age  when  his  father 


died,  and,  early  manifesting  an  interest 
in  the  iron  business  established  by  his 
father,  he  became  manager  of  Union  Fur- 
nace. At  the  beginning  of  the  Revolu- 
tion he  commenced  the  manufacture  of 
cannon  from  wrought  iron,  but  the  Brit- 
ish obtaining  knowledge  of  this,  sent  out 
a  secret  expedition  and  destroyed  the  fur- 
nace. He  then  raised  a  company  of  ar- 
tillery and  was  commissioned  captain, 
February  7,  1777,  in  the  regiment  of  Colo- 
nel Benjamin  Flower,  and  remained  in 
active  service  until  January  i,  17S3.  He 
was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the 
Society  of  the  Cincinnati.  After  the  war. 
Captain  Irish  settled  on  a  tract  of  land  he 
had  taken  up  on  Plum  creek,  Westmore- 
land county  (now  Allegheny).  The  State 
of  Pennsylvania  gave  him  a  warrant  for 
five  hundred  acres  of  donation  land  for 
his  services  in  the  Revolution,  which  was 
located  in  the  first  district  in  what  was 
subsequently  Lawrence  county.  A  por- 
tion of  this  land  remains  in  the  possession 
of  the  family.  About  1790  Captain  Irish 
located  in  Pittsburgh,  and  was  elected 
first  assistant  burgess  upon  the  incorpora- 
tion of  that  borough  in  April,  1794. 

Captain  Irish  married  (first)  in  1758. 
Elizabeth  (1735-1789),  daughter  of  John 
Thomas,  ironmaster,  of  Merion,  Philadel- 
phia, Pennsylvania,  and  their  children 
were,  besides  those  that  died  in  infancy: 
William  Beckford,  mentioned  below ; 
Anne  (1760-1840).  married  Major  George 
McCully;  Elizabeth  (1762-1807),  married 
Captain  Thomas  Wylie  ;  Nathaniel  (1766- 
181 1).  and  Alary  (1771-1833),  who  mar- 
ried Colonel  Henry  Smith. 

Elizabeth  (Thomas)  Irish,  called  a 
"Glorious  Matron  of  the  Revolution."  on 
account  of  her  services  and  good  deeds 
during  that  struggle,  died  July  11.  1789,  at 
Plum  Creek,  Allegheny  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  was  buried  in  a  private  grave- 
yard there.  Captain  Irish  spent  his  latter 
years  quite  retired,  and  died  in  Pittsburgh 

24 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


September  ii,  1816.  He  married  (second) 
Mary  Irwin,  who  lies  buried  with  him  in 
Trinity  Church-yard. 

(III)  William  Beckford,  son  of  Na- 
thaniel (2)  and  Elizabeth  (Thomas)  Irish, 
was  born  August  21,  1773,  in  Philadel- 
phia. He  spent  the  early  years  of  his  life 
in  Pittsburgh  (later  going  to  New  Lis- 
bon, Ohio).  He  was  United  States  mar- 
shal under  President  James  Monroe.  He 
married  (first)  Hannah  Cadwallader,  the 
Cadwalladers  being  a  prominent  Virginia 
family;  of  their  seven  children  only  one 
lived  to  maturity,  a  son,  Franklin,  who 
was  born  January  12,  1820,  and  died  Au- 
gust 7,  1869.  He  was  a  resident  and  a 
prominent  physician  of  Pittsburgh,  and 
served  throughout  the  Civil  War  as  sur- 
geon in  the  Seventy-seventh  Regiment 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  William  Beck- 
ford  married  (second)  Lydia,  daughter  of 
Septimus  and  Sarah  (Dallas)  Cadwalla- 
der, born  at  Redstone,  now  Brownsville, 
Pennsylvania;  their  children  were:  Elias 
Hicks,  attorney  in  Pittsburgh,  and  State 
Senator,  born  August  20,  1830,  died  No- 
vember 24,  1866;  Dallas  Cadwallader, 
mentioned  below;  William  Beckford 
(1835-1853)  ;  Ellen  (1837-1897),  married 
William  Stanton;  Nathaniel  (1840-1870), 
who  served  in  the  Civil  War,  first  as  lieu- 
tenant in  Hampton  Battery  F,  Pennsyl- 
vania Light  Artillery,  and  after  the  death 
of  Captain  Hampton,  as  captain  of  the 
battery,  from  June,  1863,  until  it  was 
mustered  out  in  June,  1865.  William 
Beckford  Irish  died  March  23.  1850,  in 
Lawrence  county,  and  was  buried  in  New 
Lisbon,  Ohio,  and  later  reinterred  in  New 
Castle,  Pennsylvania. 

(IV)  Dallas  Cadwallader,  son  of  Wil- 
liam Beckford  and  Lydia  (Cadwallader) 
Irish,  was  born  April  3,  1832,  in  what  is 
now  Lawrence  county,  Pennsylvania,  but 
was  then  a  part  of  the  counties  Beaver 
and  Mercer.  His  boyhood  was  spent  in 
New    Lisbon,    Ohio,    his    family   moving 


thence  to  New  Brighton,  Pennsylvania, 
in  1858,  and  later  taking  up  their  resi- 
dence in  Pittsburgh.  Mr.  Irish  received 
his  higher  education  at  JefTerson  (now 
Washington  and  Jefferson)  College,  and 
after  leaving  college  successfully  con- 
ducted a  wholesale  and  retail  commission 
business  in  Pittsburgh. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  Mr. 
Irish  was  among  the  iirst  to  respond  to  the 
call  to  arms,  and  in  1861  he  was  appointed 
by  President  Lincoln  to  the  captaincy  of 
Company  G,  Thirteenth  Regiment  United 
States  Infantry,  then  commanded  by 
Colonel  William  T.  Sherman,  and  having 
as  one  of  its  captains  Philip  H.  Sheridan. 
With  this  regiment  Captain  Irish  served 
with  distinction  during  the  entire  war, 
being  brevetted  major  for  "gallant  and 
meritorious  service"  after  the  battle  of 
Arkansas  Post,  and  lieutenant-colonel 
after  the  siege  of  Vicksburg.  For  a  year 
after  the  close  of  the  conflict  he  served 
on  the  plains,  being  stationed  at  Forts 
Riley  and  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  and  also 
in  Colorado,  escorting  government  sur- 
veys and  protecting  them  from  the  In- 
dians, who  were  carrying  on  guerilla  war- 
fare. On  April  9,  i8fi6,  he  resigned  his 
commission   and  returned   to   Pittsburgh. 

In  1867  Captain  Irish  moved  to  New 
Castle,  Pennsylvania,  returning  in  1894 
to  Pittsburgh,  where  he  took  a  leading 
part  in  municipal  affairs,  and  was  ever 
ready  to  lend  aid  and  encouragement  to 
any  project  which  he  deemed  calculated 
to  advance  the  public  welfare.  For  many 
years  he  was  a  Republican.  In  1882, 
while  a  resident  of  New  Castle,  he  was 
identified  with  the  Independent  Repub- 
licans, but  later  he  associated  himself 
with  the  Prohibitionists.  His  charities, 
which  were  numerous,  were  always  be- 
stowed in  the  quietest  manner  possible. 
He  was  a  member  of  Point  Breeze  Pres- 
byterian Church.  He  was  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Societv  of  the  Cincinnati  ;  the 


1725 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Pennsylvania  Society  of  Sons  of  the  Rev- 
olution, and  of  the  Pennsylvania  Loyal 
Legion.  A  portrait  of  D.  C.  Irish  appears 
with  this  biography. 

In  Pittsburgh,  the  Irish  property  on 
Sixth  street,  now  Federal  street,  owned  by 
Captain  Irish  and  his  sister,  was  purchased 
by  their  grandfather,  Captain  Nathaniel 
Irish  from  John  Penn  and  John  Penn,  Jr., 
at  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  the 
original  deed  of  which  is  in  possession  of 
members  of  the  Irish  family. 

Captain  Irish  married,  January  7,  1869, 
Linda,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Fannie 
(Say)  Jack,  and  they  became  the  parents 
of  two  sons  and  a  daughter — William 
Beckford,  a  well  known  physician,  who 
died  March  22,  1907 ;  Franklin  Cadwalla- 
der,  and  Charlotte  Dallas. 

The  death  of  Captain  Irish,  which  oc- 
curred November  7,  1899,  deprived  Pitts- 
burgh of  a  citizen  whose  unblemished 
honor  in  every  relation  of  life  had  ren- 
dered him  an  example  to  the  entire  com- 
munity and  placed  him  high  on  the  list 
of   Pittsburgh's  representative   men. 

Captain  Nathaniel  Irish  was  one  of 
those  who  fought  in  the  army  of  Wash- 
ington to  win  acknowledgment  of  the  in- 
dependence of  the  United  States.  Cap- 
tain Dallas  Cadwallader  Irish  made  a 
brilliant  record  in  helping  defend  the  in- 
tegrity of  the  Union.  His  name  lives  in 
the  annals  of  his  country  and  his  record 
is  cherished  with  just  and  affectionate 
pride  by  his  home  city  of  Pittsburgh. 


SHAW,  Henry  Clay, 

Civil  Engineer,  Man  of  Affairs. 

.Among  the  well  known  manufacturers 
of  the  Iron  City  was  the  late  Henry  Clay 
Shaw,  vice-president  of  the  A.  Garrison 
Foundry  Company  and  the  Fawcus  Ma- 
chine Company.  !Mr.  Shaw  was  a  repre- 
sentative of  one  of  the  old  and  leading 
families  of  Pittsburgh,  and  always  mani- 


fested a  lojal  interest  in  the  progress  and 
well  being  of  his  native  city. 

Henry  Clay  Shaw  was  born  February 
26,  1855,  it^  Pittsburgh,  and  was  a  son  of 
the  late  Dr.  Thomas  Wilson  and  Cath- 
erine W.  (Stoner)  Shaw.  A  biography  of 
Dr.  Shaw,  with  full  ancestral  record  and 
portrait  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
Henry  Clay  Shaw  received  his  prepara- 
tory education  in  the  public  schools  and 
then  entered  the  Rensselaer  Polytechnic 
Institute,  Troy,  New  York,  graduating 
in  1876,  with  the  degree  of  Civil  Engi- 
neer. After  serving  for  a  time  on  the 
government  survey  of  the  Ohio  and  Alle- 
gheny rivers,  Mr.  Shaw  became  division 
engineer  on  the  construction  of  the  Pitts- 
burgh &  Western  railroad.  Afterward  he 
held  for  ten  years  the  position  of  mechan- 
ical engineer  of  the  Troy  Steel  and  Iron 
Company,  and  then  became  engineer  of 
the  Joliet  Works  of  the  Illinois  Steel  Com- 
pany, going  to  his  post  of  duty  on  Janu- 
ary 17,  18S9,  and  remaining  until  June. 
1S92,  and  on  leaving  the  Joliet  Works  he 
became  inspector  of  steel  at  the  Home- 
stead Steel  Works  at  the  time  of  the  great 
strike,  his  assistant  being  poisoned  to 
death  with  others  by  agents  of  the 
strikers.  He  next  became  connected  with 
the  Lewis  Foundry  and  ^lachine  Com- 
pany of  Pittsburgh,  filling  successively 
the  positions  of  engineer,  secretary  and 
vice-president,  and  maintaining  his  asso- 
ciation with  the  concern  for  a  period  of 
nearly  ten  years.  In  1902  he  accepted  the 
position  of  vice-president  of  the  A.  Garri- 
son Foundry  Company,  which  he  held 
till  death.  Mr.  Shaw  was  also  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Fawcus  Machine  Company 
of  Pittsburgh. 

In  politics  he  was  an  independent  Re- 
publican, but  took  no  active  part  in  the 
affairs  of  the  organization.  He  was  a 
vice-president  of  the  Civic  Club  of  Alle- 
gheny county,  and  a  member  of  the  Amer- 
ican Association  for  the  Advancement  of 


1726 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Science,  the  American  Geographical  Soci- 
ety, the  American  Forestry  Association, 
the  Rensselaer  Society  of  Engineers,  the 
Engineers'  Society  of  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania, the  West  Pennsylvania  Historical 
Society,  the  Presbyterian  Historical  So- 
ciety, and  Sons  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion. He  belonged  to  the  Duquesne  Club, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  Glenshaw  Pres- 
byterian Church. 

Mr.  Shaw  married,  October  i,  1889,  in 
New  York  City,  Fanny  Maria  Patchin, 
whose  ancestral  record  is  appended  to 
this  biography,  and  they  became  the  par- 
ents of  five  daughters:  Katherine  Lydia. 
educated  at  Bryn  Mawr ;  Martha,  edu- 
cated at  Miss  Kirk's  School,  Bryn  Mawr, 
Pennsylvania,  and  at  Dana  Hall,  Worces- 
ter, Massachusetts ;  Caroline  Tompkins, 
educated  at  Bryn  Mawr ;  Elizabeth  Ar- 
buthnot ;  and  Margaret  Fay.  Mrs.  Shaw 
passed  away  on  April  5,  191 1.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Daughters  of  the  Ameri- 
can Revolution  and  numerous  clubs,  and 
was  a  woman  of  culture  and  character, 
possessing  withal  a  most  lovely  and  win- 
ning personality. 

Mr.  Shaw  was  the  bearer  of  a  name 
long  known  to  Pittsburgh  as  a  synonym 
for  good  citizenship  and  public  service  in 
professional  and  commercial  life.  The 
death  of  Henry  C.  Shaw  occurred  Sep- 
tember 26,  1915,  at  his  home  in  Sewick- 
ley,  Pennsylvania. 

(The  Patchin  Line). 

Jacob  Patchin,  the  first  ancestor  of  rec- 
ord, was  born  about  1663,  ^^^  was  of 
Fairfield,  Connecticut.  He  married  Mary 
Hubbard,  who  was  born  in  October, 
168 —  or  1692.  Jacob  Patchin  died  Feb- 
ruary 15,  1750,  and  his  wife  passed  away 
March  25.  1758. 

(II)  Jacob  (2),  son  of  Jacob  (i)  and 
Mary  (Hubbard)  Patchin,  was  baptized 
November  2,  1701,  and  married  Abigail 
Sterling,  who  died  before   February   16, 


1796.     The  death   of  Jacob   Patchin   oc- 
curred April  4,  1764. 

(III)  Jabez,  son  of  Jacob  (2)  and  Abi- 
gail (Sterling)  Patchin,  was  born  April 
9,  1727,  and  married  Hannah  Squire,  of 
Norwalk,  Connecticut,  August  17,  1748. 

(IV)  Samuel,  son  of  Jabez  and  Han- 
nah (Squire)  Patchin,  was  born  June  10, 
1758,  and  was  of  Wilton  Parish,  town  of 
Norwalk,  Connecticut.  He  married  Mary 
Elizabeth  Hollister.  and  passed  away  on 
March  18,  1844. 

(V)  Lyman,  son  of  Samuel  and  Mary 
Elizabeth  (Hollister)  Patchin,  was  bom 
in  1780,  at  Sabbath  Day  Point,  Lake 
George,  and  married  Fanny  Squiers,  born 
February  27,  1789.  The  death  of  Lyman 
Patchin  occurred  August  16,  1857,  and  his 
wife  passed  away  September  17,  1834. 

(VI)  Henry,  son  of  Lyman  (2)  and 
Fanny  (Squiers)  Patchin,  was  born  Jan- 
uary 4,  1820,  and  was  of  Bennington,  Ver- 
mont, but  later  of  Troy,  New  York.  He 
married  Lydia  Pierce  Tompkins  (see 
Tompkins  line),  and  his  death  occurred 
September  15,  1886. 

(VII)  Fanny  Maria,  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Lydia  Pierce  (Tompkins)  Patchin, 
became  the  wife  of  Henry  Clay  Shaw,  as 
stated  above. 

(The  Tompkins  Line). 

John  Tompkins,  founder  of  the  Ameri- 
can branch  of  the  family,  was  born  in 
England,  and  in  1630  emigrated  to  the 
province  of  Massachusetts,  landing  in, 
Boston.  He  afterward  lived  at  Concord, 
in  1648,  and  died  in  1688,  at  Fairfield, 
Connecticut. 

(II)  Nathaniel,  son  of  John  Tompkins, 
married  Elizabeth ,  and  died  Sep- 
tember 6,  1684,  in  East  Chester,  New 
York. 

(III)  Stephen,  son  of  Nathaniel  and 
Elizabeth  Tompkins,  married  Ann . 

(IV)  Jonathan  Griffin,  son  of  Stephen 
and   Ann   Tompkins,   was   born   June   8, 


1727 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


1736,  and  before  the  Revolutionary  War 
was  regent  of  King's  College  (now  Col- 
umbia University),  New  York  City,  and 
served  on  the  New  York  Committee  of 
Safety  in  the  Revolution  and  as  mem- 
ber of  Assembly.  Jonathan  Griffin  Tomp- 
kins married  Sarah  Hyatt,  who  was  born 
April  28,  1740,  and  died  April  22,  1810. 
The  death  of  Judge  Tompkins  occurred 
May  22,  1823.  He  left  two  sons :  Enoch, 
mentioned  below;  and  Daniel  D.,  who 
was  governor  of  the  State  of  New  York 
during  the  War  of  1812,  and  vice-president 
of  the  United  States  during  the  adminis- 
tration of  James  Madison. 

(V)  Enoch,  son  of  Jonathan  Griffin 
and  Sarah  (Hyatt)  Tompkins,  was  born 
August  21,  1771,  and  married  Mary 
Barker,  who  was  born  in  1777,  and  died 
February  i,  1854,  surviving  her  husband, 
who  passed  away  April  4,  1843. 

(VI)  Daniel  D.,  son  of  Enoch  and 
Mary  (Barker)  Tompkins,  was  born  No- 
vember 30,  1798,  and  received  the  name 
of  his  distinguished  uncle.  He  himself 
was  known  to  fame  as  a  soldier,  in  the 
regular  army  of  the  United  States,  attain- 
ing the  rank  of  general,  and  serving  dur- 
ing the  Mexican  War.  General  Tomp- 
kins married  Mary  Perry  Pierce,  who  was 
born  September  20,  1807,  and  died  Janu- 
ary 24,  1845.  The  death  of  General  Dan- 
iel D.  Tompkins  occurred  February  26, 
1863. 

(VII)  Lydia  Pierce,  daughter  of  Dan- 
iel D.  and  Mary  Perry  (Pierce)  Tomp- 
kins, became  the  wife  of  Henry  Patchin 
(see  Patchin  line). 


STILLWAGEN,  Charles  A., 

Surgeon,  Gynaecologist. 

The  high  rank  of  Pittsburgh  as  a  centre 
of  medical  science  has  been  uninterrupt- 
edly maintained  for  more  than  a  century 
and   among   the   specialists   who   are   to- 


day making  splendid  records  is  Dr. 
Charles  Augustine  Stillwagen,  widely  dis- 
tinguished as  a  gynaecologist.  Since  the 
opening  of  his  career  Dr.  Stillwagen  has 
practiced  continuously  in  Pittsburgh  and 
for  many  years  has  occupied  a  leading 
place  in  the  ranks  of  her  medical  profes- 
sion. 

Jacob  Stillwagen,  great-grandfather  of 
Charles  Augustine  Stillwagen,  emigrated 
from  Ireland  a  number  of  years  prior  to 
the  Revolution,  and  served  for  four  years 
in  the  Continental  army,  the  fact  being 
amply  proved  by  papers  relative  to  his 
service  and  discharge,  and  also  by  a 
sword,  musket  and  bayonet  which  are  still 
in  the  possession  of  his  descendants.  He 
married  Johanna  Shean,  a  native  of  Ire- 
land, whom  he  tirst  met  on  the  ship  that 
brought  them  to  this  country,  and  who 
lived  for  a  year  before  her  marriage  in 
Eastern  Pennsylvania.  Jacob  Stillwagen 
and  his  wife  settled  in  1765  in  Pigeon 
Creek,  Washington  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

Adam,  son  of  Jacob  and  Johanna 
(Shean)  Stillwagen,  was  born  near  Mo- 
nongahela  City,  and  spent  the  active 
years  of  his  life  in  the  labors  of  a  farmer. 
He  married  Mary  Dougherty,  who  was 
born  in  the  same  neighborhood,  and  their 
children  were :  Jacob,  Charles,  Andrew 
J.,  Adam,  Elizabeth,  Susan,  and  Michael, 
mentioned  below. 

Michael,  son  of  Adam  and  Mary 
(Dougherty)  Stillwagen,  was  born  in 
Washington  county,  where  he  engaged  in 
mercantile  business  and  was,  in  his  day, 
a  man  of  some  prominence.  His  political 
affiliations  were  with  the  Democrats  and 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church.  He  married  Mary  Nease,  and 
the  following  children  were  born  to  them : 
Asbury  J.,  deceased;  Charles  Augustine, 
mentioned  below ;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  H. 
W.  Williams,  of  Homestead,  Pennsyl- 
728 


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A^ 


uy 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


vania ;  Regina,  wife  of  John  Slater,  of 
Washington,  Pennsylvania;  and  Frances, 
wife  of  E.  M.  Behem,  of  Pittsburgh.  Mr. 
Stillwagen  died  November  12,  1891. 

Charles  Augustine,  son  of  Michael  and 
Mary  (Nease)  Stillwagen,  was  born 
April  6,  1866,  at  Claysville,  Pennsylvania, 
and  received  his  preparatory  education  in 
the  public  schools,  passing  thence  to 
Washington  and  Jefferson  College,  which 
he  left  at  the  end  of  his  sophomore  year. 
He  then  entered  Jefferson  Medical  Col- 
lege, graduating  in  1892  with  the  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  After  a  year 
spent  as  resident  physician  at  the  Mercy 
Hospital,  Pittsburgh,  Dr.  Stillwagen 
took  up  general  practice  as  a  surgeon,  and 
now  devotes  himself  exclusively  to  gynae- 
cology. He  has  a  large  and  profitable 
clientele,  and  the  high  reputation  which 
he  enjoys  is  justly  merited,  for  he  has 
performed  successfully  many  difficult 
operations  and  is  frequently  called  in  con- 
sultation in  cases  presenting  unusual 
complications.  He  is  gynaecologist  to  the 
Pittsburgh  Hospital  and  the  Columbia 
Hospital  and,  despite  the  arduous  and  en- 
grossing nature  of  his  professional  duties, 
makes  frequent  contributions  to  medical 
journals.  Dr.  Stillwagen  is  a  Fellow  of 
the  American  College  of  Surgeons,  which 
is  now  building  a  permanent  home  in 
Washington,  D.  C.  the  structure  to  be 
modeled  after  the  Royal  College  of  Sur- 
geons of  London.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Allegheny  County  Medical  Society, 
the  Pennsylvania  State  Medical  Associ- 
ation, the  American  Medical  Association, 
and  the  American  Obstetrical  and  Gynae- 
cological Society. 

As  a  citizen  with  exalted  ideals  of  good 
government  and  civic  virtue,  Dr.  Still- 
wagen stands  in  the  front  rank.  He  ad- 
vocates the  principles  of  the  Democratic 
party,  but  has  never  been  numbered 
among  office-seekers.     His  charities  are 


numerous  but  unostentatious.  He  be- 
longs to  the  University  Club,  and  is  a 
member  of  Cathedral  Parish,  Roman 
Catholic  church. 

With  a  vigorous  and  luminous  intellect, 
Dr.  Stillwagen  combines  strength  of 
character  and  a  genial  disposition.  This 
union  of  traits  explains  in  large  measure 
his  success  and  gives  promise  of  even 
more  signal  achievements  in  the  future. 
He  is  a  close  student,  keeping  fully 
abreast  of  modern  thought  in  all  matters 
pertaining  to  his  profession  and  possesses 
the  high  esteem  and  implicit  confidence 
of  the  medical  fraternity  and  the  general 
public.  Of  large  stature  and  dignified 
bearing,  with  well  moulded  features,  keen 
yet  kindly  eyes  and  a  manner  at  once 
courteous  and  cordial,  he  presents  a  per- 
fect picture  of  the  typical  successful  phy- 
sician and  numbers  a  host  of  friends  both 
in  and  out  of  his  profession. 

Dr.  Stillwagen  married,  April  18,  1907, 
Isabel,  daughter  of  Walter  J.  and  Isabel 
(McClusky)  Kelly,  of  Pittsburgh,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren:  Charles  Kelly,  born  January  12, 
1908;  Mary  Virginia;  Isabel  McClusky; 
Jane  Downing;  and  Michael  Lawrence, 
born  May  12,  1914.  Mrs.  Stillwagen,  a 
woman  of  charming  personality  and  many 
social  gifts,  is  also  invested  with  a  per- 
fect domesticity,  a  combination  of  attri- 
butes which  admirably  fits  her  to  be  the 
true  helpmate  of  a  man  like  her  husband 
the  ruling  motive  of  whose  life  is  love 
for  home  and  family  and  who  finds  one 
of  his  chief  pleasures  in  the  exercise  of 
hospitality. 

For  a  century  and  a  half  the  name  of 
Stillwagen  has  been  associated  in  West- 
ern Pennsylvania  with  patriotism  and 
the  other  virtues  of  citizenship.  Dr. 
Charles  Augustine  Stillwagen  has  invest- 
ed it  with  the  additional  lustre  derived 
from  professional  prestige. 
729 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


HEYER,  Charles  Henry, 

Financier,  Real  Estate  Operator. 

As  one  of  the  young,  successful  and 
progressive  real  estate  brokers  of  Phila- 
delphia but  residing  in  Bustleton  where 
he  also  has  important  interests,  Mr. 
Heyer  represents  attainment  worthy  of 
all  commendation.  A  graduate  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania  he  chose  a 
business  career  in  preference  to  a  pro- 
fessional one  and  in  his  chosen  field  has 
won  both  competence  and  high  reputa- 
tion. He  is  a  grandson  of  Captain  Jacob 
Heyer,  whose  valiant  service  as  com- 
mander of  Company  A,  Twenty-third 
Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, is  attested  by  a  medal  and  sword 
presented  to  him  after  the  war,  and 
which  evidences  of  his  valor  are  highly 
prized  by  his  descendant,  Charles  H. 
Heyer. 

Captain  Heyer  went  to  the  front  as 
sergeant  of  Company  A,  recruited  in 
Philadelphia,  in  which  he  enlisted  August 
8,  1861,  and  quickly  began  his  rise  to  im- 
portant command.  On  October  2,  1861, 
he  was  promoted  to  first  sergeant,  on 
July  14,  1862,  to  second  lieutenant, 
on  March  i,  1863,  to  first  lieutenant,  and 
on  November  22,  1863,  to  captain,  and  on 
September  8,  1864,  was  mustered  out  with 
his  command,  the  Twenty-third  being  a 
three  years  regiment.  He  saw  hard  ser- 
vice with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
fighting  at  Fair  Oaks  and  other  battles 
of  the  Peninsular  campaign ;  Fredericks- 
burg, Chancellorsville,  Gettysburg  and 
Cold  Harbor.  Captain  Heyer  married 
Miss  Lafayette,  of  a  family  distinguished 
in  American  history.     He  died   in   1880. 

Franklin  Pierce  Heyer,  son  of  Captain 
Jacob  Heyer,  was  for  several  years  a 
contractor  of  Philadelphia,  but  later  be- 
came an  agriculturist.  He  married  Adela 
Louise  Dewese,  of  an  old  and  prominent 
family. 


Charles  Henry,  son  of  Franklin  Pierce 
and  Adela  Louise  (Dewese)  Heyer,  was 
born  in  Philadelphia,  November  28,  1879. 
He  obtained  his  early  education  in  Fay- 
ette public  schools,  prepared  for  college 
at  Central  High  School,  from  which  he 
graduated,  and  then  entered  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pennsylvania  whence  he  was 
graduated  Bachelor  of  Arts,  class  of  1902. 

He  began  business  life  as  a  salesman 
in  Philadelphia,  representing  B.  D.  An- 
derson &  Company,  a  Baltimore  firm. 
He  continued  with  that  firm  until  1904, 
but  in  the  meantime  had  been  doing  some 
dealing  in  real  estate.  In  1904  he  resigned 
his  position  as  salesman,  and  from  that 
year  until  the  present  has  been  engaged 
in  the  real  estate  business  in  Philadel- 
phia, his  present  offices  being  at  1501 
Real  Estate  Trust  Building,  as  a  broker. 
He  is  a  director  of  the  Fox  Chase  Bank, 
and  at  his  office  in  Bustleton  maintains 
a  depository  for  funds  to  be  later  deposit- 
ed in  the  Fox  Chase  Bank.  He  is  also 
notary  public,  and  in  both  his  Philadel- 
phia and  Bustleton  offices  transacts  a 
large  general  real  estate  business.  Several 
years  ago  Mr.  Heyer  became  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Althouse  &  Heyer,  his  part- 
ner, a  practical  chemist,  the  inventor  of 
a  process  to  prevent  the  shrinking  of 
woolen  cloth.  This  process,  termed  "the 
Never-shrink,"  has  proved  very  valuable, 
and  exclusive  rights  to  its  use  have  been 
sold  covering  Norway,  Germany  and 
some  of  the  American  States.  The  firm 
of  Althouse  &  Heyer  is  located  in  Read- 
ing, Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Heyer  is  the 
youngest  member  of  the  directorate  of 
the  Fox  Chase  Bank,  but  is  nevertheless 
one  of  its  most  valued  and  progressive 
members.  He  is  thoroughly  alive  to  the 
responsibilities  of  the  position  he  occupies 
and  is  unremitting  in  his  efiforts  to  ad- 
vance the  bank's  interests. 

In  politics  he  is  an  independent  Repub- 
lican, believing  that    character  is    more 


1730 


^<^/C.^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


important  for  a  candidate  to  possess  than 
a  party  label.  He  is  an  ofificial  member 
of  St.  Luke's  Memorial  Church,  and  at 
the  time  of  his  election  as  Accounting 
Warden,  was  the  youngest  member  of 
the  board.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic order,  belonging  to  Frankford 
Lodge,  No.  506,  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons, and  to  Jerusalem  Chapter,  No.  3. 
Royal  Arch  Masons. 

Mr.  Heyer  married,  June  12,  1907, 
Elizabeth  May  Toy,  a  descendant  of  one 
of  the  earliest  of  Pennsylvania  settlers. 


MARSHALL,  James  Lee, 

Enterprising  Citizen. 

A  successful  business  man  of  old  fam- 
ily, cultivated  tastes  and  high  ideals  of 
citizenship.  These  simple  sentences  con- 
tain a  true  but  most  inadequate  descrip- 
tion of  the  personality  of  the  late  James 
Lee  Marshall,  for  many  years  a  member 
of  the  widely  known  firm  of  Lee  &  Mar- 
shall and  officially  identified  with  other 
leading  business  organizations.  Mr. 
Marshall  was,  for  nearly  half  a  century, 
a  recognized  authority  in  the  wool  and 
coal  trades  of  Pittsburgh,  and  his  in- 
fluence as  a  citizen  was  ever  exerted  in 
behalf  of  all  that  made  for  the  best  inter- 
ests of  the  metropolis. 

The  Marshall  family  is  of  English 
origin  and  ancient  record,  and  since  the 
dawn  of  American  history  the  race  has 
been  distinguished  in  the  annals  of  the 
New  World.  John  Marshall,  Chief  Jus- 
tice of  the  United  States,  belonged  to  the 
Virginia  branch  of  the  family,  and  the 
Marshalls  of  Pennsylvania  have  ever  been 
numbered  among  the  leading  families  of 
the  Keystone  State.  The  Marshall  escut- 
cheon is:  Arms — Barry  of  six  ermine 
and  azure  a  horseshoe  or  between  three 
bezants.  Crest — A  bezant  charged  with 
a   horseshoe   azure   between    two    wings 


barry  of  six  ermine  and  azure.  Motto — 
Vi  niartiali. 

George  Marshall,  father  of  James  Lee 
Marshall,  was  born  December  23,  1806, 
in  Union  county,  Pennsylvania,  near  Mil- 
ton, and  was  a  son  of  James  and  Nancy 
(Adams)  Marshall.  He  was  one  of  five 
children.  He  was  educated  at  Milton 
Academy,  at  Dickinson  College,  and  at 
Jefferson  College,  graduating  from  the 
latter  institution  in  1831  with  the  degree 
of  A.  B.  His  preceptor  in  theology  was 
Dr.  Stockton,  of  Cross-creek  village,  and 
on  April  17,  1833,  he  was  licensed  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Washington,  preaching  his 
first  sermon  on  July  11  of  the  same  year. 
In  June,  1833,  he  was  installed  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Ohio  as  pastor  of  Bethel 
Church,  Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania. 
The  church  was  then  very  small,  but  by 
his  rare  ability  and  disinterested  devotion 
he  caused  it  to  attain  a  flourishing  con- 
dition. In  January,  1843,  he  accepted  an 
agency  tendered  him  by  the  Board  of 
Home  Missions,  and  was  temporarily  re- 
leased from  the  care  of  his  church.  In 
1844  he  resumed  his  pastoral  duties  and 
continued  to  discharge  them  with  char- 
acteristic energy  and  self-abnegation  un- 
til failing  health,  in  1872,  rendered  fur- 
ther work  impossible.  In  addition  to  his 
pastoral  work  he  was  active  in  the  cause 
of  education.  Chiefly  through  his  per- 
sonal eff'orts  a  building  was  erected  and 
an  academic  school  established  at  which 
many  now  in  the  ministry  and  other  pro- 
fessions received  their  training.  He  was 
a  trustee  of  Jefiferson  College,  and  that 
institution  conferred  upon  him  the  hon- 
orary degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity.  Dr. 
Marshall  was  a  public-spirited  citizen, 
and  adhered  to  the  Republican  party. 

On  April  14,  1830,  Dr.  Marshall  married 
Mary,  born  November  3,  1805,  died  Janu- 
ary 15,  1888,  daughter  of  Hugh  and  Han- 
nah  (Orr)    Lee,  of    Cross-creek    village, 

731 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Washington  county,  Pennsylvania.  Hugh 
Lee  emigrated  about  1798,  from  Ireland, 
settling  in  Washington  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  purchased  two  hundred 
acres  of  land,  then  known  as  "Holmes's 
Victory,"  so  named  in  honor  of  James 
Holmes  who  settled  it  in  1774.  Mr.  Lee 
married  in  1804  and  became  the  father 
of  eleven  children,  five  of  whom  grew  to 
maturity,  one  of  them  being  Mary,  men- 
tioned above,  and  the  others  two  sons, 
Hugh  Jr.,  of  Mansfield,  Pennsylvania, 
now  known  as  Carnegie,  and  Major  Wil- 
liam, father  of  Mrs.  John  McDonald,  of 
McDonald,  Pennsylvania;  Mrs.  Jane  Lee 
Kess,  Mrs.  Hannah  Lee  Duncan,  both 
residents  of  Cross-creek  Village.  Pennsyl- 
vania. Dr.  and  Mrs.  Marshall  were  the 
parents  of  six  children:  i.  James  Lee, 
see  below.  2.  Hugh  Lee.  3.  Sarah 
Agnes,  married    William  James    Kiddoo. 

4.  Mary  Amanda,  married  Jared  B.  Fife. 

5.  Hannah  Margaret.  6.  John  Stockton. 
Dr.  Marshall  died  April  30,  1872,  and  his 
widow  passed  away  January  15,  1S88. 
A  ripe  scholar,  especially  noted  for  his 
proficiency  in  Hebrew,  Dr.  Marshall  was 
A  great  linguist,  speaking  some  of  the 
dead  languages  as  well  as  the  modern 
foreign  tongues.  As  a  preacher  he  has 
been  described  as  "scriptural,  doctrinal, 
practical  and  persuasive."  At  the  time 
of  his  death  he  was  in  the  fortieth  year 
of  a  happy  and  fruitful  pastorate.  Could 
there  be  a  higher  eulogy? 

James  Lee,  son  of  George  and  Mary 
(Lee)  Marshall,  was  born  September  24, 
1832,  in  Canonsburg,  Pennsylvania,  and 
received  his  preparatory  education  at 
Bethel  Academy,  the  institution  founded 
by  his  father.  He  afterward  entered 
Jefferson  College,  graduating  in  the  clas- 
sical course  with  the  class  of  1852. 
Choosing  to  devote  himself  to  a  mercan- 
tile career  he  associated  himself  with  his 
uncle,  Hugh  Lee,  in  the  wholesale  wool 


business,  under  the  firm  name  of  Lee  & 
Marshall.  For  thirty  years  he  was  one  of 
the  heads  of  this  well  known  house,  and 
he  was  also  identified  with  the  production 
of  oil,  real  estate  interests  and  the  coal 
business.  His  talents  as  a  business  man 
were  of  no  common  order.  He  was  wise, 
cool,  aggressive  and  yet  conservative  and 
possessed  that  essential  qualification  of  a 
successful  merchant — ability  to  read  the 
future  and  shape  his  course  m  accordance 
with  the  trend  of  events.  His  integrity 
was  unquestioned  and  his  name  was  a 
synon_\  m  for  honorable  dealing. 

As  a  citizen  with  high  ideals  of  good 
government  and  civic  virtue  Mr.  Marshall 
stood  in  the  front  rank  and  his  penetrat- 
ing thought  very  often  added  wisdom  to 
public  movements.  His  name  will  ever 
be  entitled  to  grateful  remembrance  as 
that  of  the  one  who,  associated  with  his 
uncle  Hugh  Lee,  laid  out  Chartiers  Ceme- 
tery. Politically  a  Republican,  he  was 
never  numbered  among  office-seekers. 
His  charities  were  numerous  but  bestow- 
ed with  an  entire  absence  of  ostentation. 
He  was  an  elder  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  Pittsburgh,  taking  an  active  in- 
terest in  its  work  and  support,  for  forty 
years.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was  a 
director  of  the  Humane  Society  of  West- 
ern Pennsylvania. 

A  handsome  man  of  medium  height, 
with  dark  hair  and  moustache,  finely-cut 
features  and  brilliant  complexion,  Mr. 
Marshall's  countenance,  in  its  expression 
of  intellectual  vigor,  tenacity  of  purpose 
and  refinement  of  feeling,  was  an  index 
to  his  character.  The  dark  eyes,  steady, 
keen  and  kindly,  were  those  of  a  man  who 
has  seen  and  thought  and  done,  and  his 
whole  aspect  indicated  a  nature  reserved 
and  yet  genial.  A  lover  of  literature,  he 
was  also  a  fascinating  conversationalist 
and  one  of  his  gifts  was  a  rare  capacity 
for  friendship.    He  was  a  true  and  perfect 


1732 


-^i^    ..^/lau^^  Z^^^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


gentleman  and  an  upright,  courageous 
man. 

Mr.  Marshall  married,  December  29, 
1868,  Annie,  born  November  30,  1843, 
died  October  7,  1913,  daughter  of  Henry 
Augustus  and  Elizabeth  (Arthurs) 
Weaver.  A  biography  of  Mr.  Weaver 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  vi^ork.  The  only 
child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marshall  is  a 
daughter,  Elizabeth  Arthurs  Marshall, 
a  graduate  of  Vassar.  In  Mrs.  Mar- 
shall, a  woman  ot  gentle  breedmg  and 
with  a  charming  graciousness  of  manner, 
her  husband  found  a  helpmate  in  all 
respects  most  perfectly  suited  to  a  man 
of  his  type,  and  his  devotion  to  home  and 
family  was  strikingly  exemplified  by  the 
fact  that  he  was  a  member  of  no  clubs. 
Nothing  could  give  him  the  happiness 
which  he  enjoyed  when  surrounded  by 
the  members  of  his  household  and  a  circle 
of  congenial  friends. 

In  the  death  of  Mr.  Marshall,  which 
occurred  February  28,  191 1,  Pittsburgh 
lost  one  of  her  most  influential  citizens 
and  one  who  had  ever  studied  her  welfare 
and  prosperity.  Honorable  in  purpose 
and  fearless  in  conduct,  he  had  stood  for 
many  years  as  a  splendid  type  of  the 
American  man  of  affairs  whose  interests 
are  broad  and  whose  daily  life  affords  an 
example  of  a  recognition  of  the  respon- 
sibilities of  wealth  as  well  as  of  ability  in 
the  successful  control  of  matters  commer- 
cial and  financial. 

One  of  the  chief  needs  of  any  city  is  a 
class  of  citizens  without  which  no  munici- 
pality can  hope  to  attain  the  highest 
greatness — men  of  all-round  development, 
even  poise  and  well  balanced  forces.  The 
man  who  combines  with  traditions  of 
birth  and  breeding  a  high  order  of  busi- 
ness ability,  aggressive  public  spirit  and 
a  pure  and  lofty  personal  character  is  the 
ideal  citizen.  Such  a  man  was  James 
Lee  Marshall. 


AYERS,  Henry  Clinton, 

Life  Insurance  Actuary. 

It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  many  of 
Pittsburgh's  finest  business  men  have 
come  to  her  from  New  England,  and  a 
striking  instance  in  proof  of  this  is  the 
career  of  the  late  Henry  Clinton  Ayers, 
general  agent  of  the  Northwestern  Life 
Insurance.  Mr.  Ayers  resided  in  Pitts- 
burgh for  a  quarter  of  a  century  and  was 
active  not  only  in  local  but  also  in  na- 
tional affairs  of  the  insurance  world. 

Henry  Clinton  Ayers  was  born  Janu- 
ary 6,  1839,  in  Canterbury,  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  was  a  son  of  Joseph  Sherburne 
and  Lucy  Caroline  (Emery)  Ayers,  and 
a  grandson  of  Jonathan  Ayers.  Henry 
Clinton  Ayers  studied  at  Andover,  and 
graduated  from  Dartmouth  College,  tak- 
ing the  classical  degree.  He  was  then  for 
a  time  engaged  in  teaching,  taking  charge 
of  different  schools,  but  his  strong  inclina- 
tion for  a  business  career  prompted  him 
to  associate  himself  with  insurance  inter- 
ests in  Titusville,  Pennsylvania.  The 
success  which  attended  him  from  the  out- 
set showed  that  he  was  fitted  for  a  wider 
field  and  in  1875  he  removed  to  Pitts- 
burgh. 

In  this  city,  which  was  to  be  for  the 
remainder  of  his  life  the  centre  of  all  his 
interests,  Mr.  Ayers  found  full  scope  for 
the  exercise  of  his  ever-alert  energy  and 
exceptional  executive  abilities.  He  rose 
rapidly  into  prominence  in  insurance 
circles  as  a  man  of  sound  judgment  and 
far-sighted  discernment,  able  to  look  into 
the  future  and  shape  his  course  accord- 
ingly. He  became  one  of  the  best  known 
insurance  men  in  the  United  States  and 
almost  to  the  close  of  his  life  retained 
his  position  as  general  agent  of  the 
Northwestern  Life  Insurance  Company. 

The  political  affiliations  of  Mr.  Ayers 
were  with  the  Republicans,  and  in  the 
7Z2, 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


welfare  and  progress  of  his  home  city  he 
ever  manifested  a  deep  and  sincere  inter- 
est. He  was  president  of  the  local  insur- 
ance fraternity,  and  held  the  office  of 
elder  in  the  East  Liberty  Presbyterian 
Church. 

The  dominant  note  of  Mr.  Ayers'  char- 
acter was  duty,  and  to  his  convictions  of 
duty  he  was  ever  unswervingly  faithful — 
a  fact  which  was  plainly  written  in  every 
line  of  his  tinely-cut  sensitive  face.  His 
brown  eyes,  while  they  expressed  keen 
insight,  slso  spoke  of  a  deeply  sympa- 
thetic nature  and  a  great  kindly  heart. 
At  the  time  of  his  death  his  brown  hair 
and  moustache  were  only  streaked  with 
gray,  and  he  retained  the  rather  slender 
proportions  of  his  youthful  figure.  His 
finely-strung  nervous  organization  yet 
possessed  a  strong  fibre  of  endurance, 
and  he  continued  his  activities  almost  to 
the  very  end.  His  serenity  was  seldom 
ruffled,  and  at  all  times  he  was  the  polish- 
ed, courteous  gentleman. 

It  was  in  Pittsburgh  that  Mr.  Ayers 
found  the  companion  of  his  life.  In  that 
city,  on  December  28,  1871,  he  was  united 
to  Mary  Laughlin,  daughter  of  the  late 
Samuel  and  Elizabeth  (McKee)  Rea,  of 
Pittsburgh.  Mr.  and  Mrs  Ayers  were 
the  parents  of  two  daughters  :  Elizabeth 
Rea,  educated  at  Pennsylvania  College 
and  Miss  Dana's  School,  Morristown, 
New  Jersey,  married  Graham  Chapin 
Wells,  in  insurance  business  in  Pitts- 
burgh, and  has  one  child,  Clinton  Ayers, 
born  September  4,  1900;  and  Eleanore 
Sherburne,  educated  at  the  college  and 
St.  Margaret's  School,  Waterbury,  Con- 
necticut. The  domestic  relations  of  Mr. 
Ayers  were  of  singular  felicity,  and  the 
rare  beauty  of  his  home  life  can  be  known 
only  to  the  members  of  his  household.  It 
lingers  even  now  as  a  sacred  and  com- 
forting memory.  Mrs.  Ayers  and  the 
daughter  who  still  remains  with  her 
spend  much  time  in  travel,  both  in  this 


country  and  abroad.  They  are  active  in 
the  social  and  philanthropic  circles  of 
Pittsburgh,  and  are  the  possessors  of  the 
warm  attachment  of  many  devoted 
friends. 

On  September  24,  1899,  while  still  in 
the  prime  of  life,  Mr.  Ayers  closed  his 
useful  and  beneficent  course,  deeply 
mourned  by  all  who  had  ever  been  in 
any  way  associated  with  him.  While  he 
was  still  with  them  all  had  paid  him  the 
tribute  of  respect  and  love  and  now, 
though  he  has  long  since  ceased  from 
earth,  his  memory  is  tenderly  cherished 
in  many  hearts. 

The  peculiar  lovableness  of  Mr.  Ayers' 
personality,  his  singular  power  of  inspir- 
ing affectionate  loyalty,  was  nowhere 
more  strikingly  manifest  than  among 
his  business  associates.  Although  fifteen 
years  have  passed  since  his  bodily  pres- 
ence was  withdrawn  from  the  scenes 
where  it  was  so  long  familiar,  it  is  no 
uncommon  occurrence  at  the  present  day. 
on  entering  the  offices  of  men  with  whom 
he  had  been  in  close  touch,  to  see,  sus- 
pended on  the  wall,  in  a  place  of  promi- 
nence, the  presentment  of  the  face — calm, 
strong  and  benignant  as  in  life — of  Henry- 
Clinton  Ayers. 


HAYS,  James  H.  and  Henry  B., 

Enterprising  Bnsiness  Men. 

Soldier,  business  man  and  citizen — 
under  all  these  aspects  must  his  bi- 
ographer consider  the  late  Henry  Blake 
Hays,  one  of  the  most  brilliant  men  and 
representative  Pittsburghers  of  whom 
the  Iron  City  could  boast  during  the 
middle  decades  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury. Mr.  Hays  was  prominently  iden- 
tified with  the  coal  industry  of  Western 
Pennsylvania  as  head  of  the  well  known 
firm  of  H.  B.  Hays  &  Brother,  and  in 
addition  to  having  served  with  distinction 
in  the  United  States  regular  army,  was 

734 


^^■^^&a-  I^i^-trJ^^^z  3ta-pd^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


also  officially  and  conspicuously  con- 
nected with  the  Pennsylvania  State 
troops.  Mr.  Hays  was  a  representative 
of  a  family  which  has  been  for  a  century 
and  a  half  resident  in  Allegheny  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  during  that  period  has 
borne  a  leading  part  in  its  history  and 
development. 

The  orthography  of  the  patronymic 
has  undergone  various  changes,  having 
been  formerly  spelled  de  la  Haye  and  de 
la  Haya.  Its  modern  forms  are  Hay, 
Hays  and  Hayes. 

(I)  Abraham  Hays,  born  in  Baltimore 
county,  Maryland,  May  20,  1722,  was  a 
son  of  Edmund  and  Mary  Hays.  He  re- 
moved, about  1767,  from  Maryland  to 
Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania,  thus 
planting  the  family  where  it  was  destined 
thenceforth  to  remain.  Abraham  Hays 
settled  one  mile  above  Homestead,  oppo- 
site Braddock's  Field,  but  at  the  end  of 
nine  months  trouble  with  the  Indians 
caused  him  to  return  to  Maryland.  About 
1769,  however,  he  once  more  came  to 
Pennsylvania  and  to  Allegheny  county, 
where  he  ultimately  took  up  land  which 
is  still  in  the  possession  of  his  descend- 
ants— the  land  on  which  he  had  originally 
settled  two  years  before.  He  married, 
October  21,  1744,  in  Maryland,  Frances 
Petite  (church  record  Fannie  Little), 
who  was  of  French  birth  or  extraction, 
one  of  her  ancestors  being  Louis  Petite, 
and  their  children  were:  Francis;  Isaac; 
Abraham ;  Patty ;  Jacob,  mentioned  be- 
low ;  John ;  Thomas ;  Sarah  ;  and  Eliza- 
beth. Abraham  Hays  was  a  Presbyterian 
and  an  upright  and  honorable  citizen. 
He  and  his  wife  died  on  the  homestead, 
where  the  greater  portion  of  their  lives 
had  been  passed.  Mrs.  Abraham  Hays 
died  in  1818,  and  Abraham  Hays  died  in 
1808. 

(II)  Jacob,  son  of  Abraham  and 
Frances  (Petite)  Hays,  was  born  in  Alle- 
gheny county,  Pennsylvania,  February  4, 

1735 


1779.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  He  married,  October, 
1799,  Jane  Scott  Harden,  born  September 
18,  1780,  daughter  of  Thomas  Scott  and 
Mary  (McGee)  Harden.  Thomas  Scott 
Harden  was  an  officer  in  the  Continental 
army.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jacob  Hays  were 
the  parents  of  the  following  children : 
I.  James  Harden,  mentioned  below.  2. 
Edward  West,  married  (first)  Mary  Ivy 
Mackenzie,  a  daughter  of  Alexander  Mac- 
kenzie, of  the  British  Navy ;  married 
(second)      Susan     .      3.    Thomas 


Harden,  married  Sarah  Stewart,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Hon.  Lazarus  Stewart  and  Mary 
Thompson  Stewart.  4.  Emily,  married 
Charles  Gibbs.  5.  Abraham,  born  July 
18.  1809,  married  Sarah  Brenneman, 
daughter  of  Jacob  Brenneman;  he  died 
September  10,  1887.  6.  Mary  Harden, 
born  April  2,  1810,  married  Jacob 
Painter,  January  17,  1833;  she  died  Oc- 
tober 6,  1871.  7.  John  McKee,  married 
Christiana  Large;  he  died  March  25, 
1882.  8.  Frances,  born  April  8,  1816,  mar- 
ried James  A.  Reppert ;  she  died  Decem- 
ber 5,  1904.  9.  Nancy,  born  March  31, 
1818,  married  Henry  Alexander;  she  died 
October  16,  1906.  10.  Alexander,  died  as 
a  child.  II.  Sarah  Jane,  born  September 
24,  1824,  married  David  Edgar  Park, 
June  24,  1845 '  she  died  November  19, 
1892.  12.  Ivy  Mackenzie,  married  (first) 
Christian  Seewald ;  married  (second) 
Edward  Taylor.  13.  Caroline,  died  as  a 
child.  Jacob  Hays  died  January  2,  1866, 
and  his  widow  passed  away  on  March 
28,  of  the  same  year. 

(Ill)  James  Harden  Hays,  son  of 
Jacob  and  Jane  (Harden)  Hays,  was 
born  September  3,  i8co,  in  Mifflin  town- 
ship, Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania. 
He  eventually  engaged  in  the  coal  busi- 
ness, in  which  he  was  one  of  the  pioneers. 
About  1828  he  began  mining  operations 
at  the  mouth  of  Birds  Run,  opposite 
Hazelwood,  and  later  at  Becks  Run  and 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Hays  Station,  Allegheny  county.  The 
development  of  the  coal  interests  of  these 
neighborhoods  caused  a  number  of  vil- 
lages to  spring  up  along  what  afterward 
became  the  route  of  the  Pittsburgh,  Vir- 
ginia and  Charleston  railroad.  Mr.  Hays 
married.  April  12,  1821,  Mary  Cready, 
born  May  g,  1804,  died  April  10,  1882, 
daughter  of  John  and  Ann  Eva  (Weilel) 
Cready,  of  Allegheny  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. John  Cready  was  born  in  1758, 
died  February  12,  1827,  married,  April 
20,  1780,  Ann  Eva  Weilel,  born  August 
28,  1762,  died  December  10,  1846.  James 
iriarden  and  Mary  (^Cready)  Hays  were 
the  parents  of  the  following  children:  i. 
Ann  Eva,  born  February  9,  1822,  mar- 
ried. May  21,  1844,  Reuben  Bughman ; 
she  died  October  12,  1887.  2.  Mary  Jane, 
born  June  7,  1824,  married  July  8,  1847, 
Robert  Wilson.  3.  Josephine,  born  Sep- 
tember 2,  1826,  married  August  19,  1852, 
John  Scott  Willock;  she  died  September 
22,  1912.  4.  Henry  Blake,  see  below.  5. 
Emmeline,  born  January  14,  1832,  mar- 
ried, September  8,  1853,  Rev.  John  Davis  ; 
she  died  June  5,  1893.  6.  Sarah,  born 
May  31,  183.1,  married,  March  21,  1861, 
James  Watson.  7.  Agnes,  born  May  19, 
1837,  married,  December  3,  1873,  Wil- 
liam Theodore  Wylie.  8.  James  Harden 
Jr.,  born  July  22,  1840,  married  Sarah 
McClurg;  he  died  January  27,  1870.  9. 
John  Shoenberger,  born  May  4,  1842. 
married,  February  20,  1868,  Jennie  Lind 
Dithridge;  he  died  October  15,  1882.  10. 
Walter  Forward,  died  unmarried. 

James  Harden  Hays,  the  father,  died 
March  30,  1876,  and  his  biographer  pays 
the  following  tribute  to  his  character  and 
work : 

The  good  fortune  which  attended  Mr.  Hays  in 
all  his  transactions  was  not  in  any  sense  acci- 
dental. It  was  a  necessary  consequence  of  un- 
tiring industry,  good  management  of  his  inter- 
ests, and,  above  all,  of  a  firm,  uncompromising 
spirit  of  personal  honor  and  integrity.     For  this 

I 


latter  quality  he  was  pre-eminently  noted  in  the 
community  in  which  he  lived.  *  *  *  When 
he  began  trade  the  speculative  tendency  which 
has  so  conspicuously  marked  the  conduct  of  mer- 
cantile pursuits  of  late  years  was  comparatively 
unknown;  capital  was  limited,  machinery  rela- 
tively undeveloped,  business  principles  few  and 
simple,  and  the  standard  of  individual  rectitude 
severer  than  we  find  it  in  our  day.  Hard  and 
persistent  labor, 'diligence,  punctuality  in  fulfill- 
ing engagements,  and,  to  use  a  trite  but  expres- 
sive phrase,  "square  dealing,"  were  then  the 
prime,  we  might  say  the  only,  factors  of  success. 
These  Mr.  Hays  possessed  in  a  remarkable 
degree.  His  name  was  from  the  first  and  to  the 
last  continued  a  synonym  for  excellent  judgment 
and  sterling  honesty. 

A  portrait  of  Mr.  Hays  accompanies 
this  biography. 

(IV)  Henry  Blake  Hays,  son  of  James 
Harden  and  Mary  (Cready)  Hays,  was 
born  August  12,  1829,  'in  Allegheny 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  received  his 
education  through  private  tutors.  At  the 
outset  of  his  career  he  was  appointed 
private  secretary  to  the  Hon.  Walter 
Forward,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  of 
United  States,  and  a  leader  of  the  Pitts- 
burgh bar,  and  when  the  latter  was  sent 
as  minister  to  Denmark,  Mr.  Hays  be- 
came an  attache  of  the  United  States 
Legation  in  1850.  In  June,  1851,  he  went 
to  the  Industrial  Exposition  in  London, 
afterward  travelling  extensively  through 
Egypt,  Europe  and  Asia.  He  was  a  fine 
French  and  German  scholar  and  also 
spoke  and  read  with  facility  several  other 
languages. 

On  returning  about  1854  to  the  United 
States,  Mr.  Hays  went  to  Shawneetown, 
Illinois,  where  he  superintended  the 
building  of  some  coal  railroads,  as  late  as 
T857.  When  the  storm-cloud  of  Civil 
War  appeared  on  the  national  horizon, 
he  was  again  in  Pittsburgh,  where  he 
equipped  a  regiment  and  on  May  13, 
1861,  entered  the  I'nited  States  arni>  as 
captain  in  the  Third  Regiment,  United 
States  Cavalry.  On  August  5,  1861,  he 
736 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


was  made  captain  in  the  Sixth  Regiment, 
United  States  Cavalry,  Company  M,  and 
served  through  the  entire  peninsular  cam- 
paign, participating  in  all  the  battles.  As 
aide  on  General  Pleasanton's  staff  he  was 
honorably  distinguished,  and  was  later 
appointed  recruiting  officer  in  Pittsburgh. 
Near  the  close  of  the  war  he  held  the 
position  of  paymaster  in  Philadelphia. 

After  the  return  of  peace,  Mr.  Hays 
entered  upon  a  business  career,  and  as  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  H.  B.  Hays  & 
Brother,  was  conspicuously  associated 
with  the  coal  industry  of  the  western 
portion  of  his  native  State.  His  position 
was  that  of  managing  partner  and  in  the 
discharge  of  its  duties  he  proved  him- 
self to  be  an  executant  of  the  highest 
qualities — keen  vision,  an  analytical, 
logical  mind,  initiative,  courage  and  force. 
These,  resting  on  rock-ribbed  integrity, 
were  the  structural  qualities  that  thrust 
him  into  the  foreground.  To  his  asso- 
ciates and  subordinates  he  endeared  him- 
self by  those  splendid  personal  attributes 
which  won  for  him  loyal  friends  in  every 
walk  of  life. 

A  variety  of  interests  claimed  the  lime 
and  attention  of  Mr  Hays,  and  such  was 
his  facility  in  the  dispatch  of  business 
that  not  one  of  them  was  neglected.  He 
acted  as  trustee  of  the  estate  of  his  father 
and  served  as  director  in  the  Pittsburgh, 
Virginia  8z  Charleston  railroad,  the 
Marine  National  Bank  and  the  Mer- 
chants' and  Manufacturers'  Bank. 

The  soldierly  instincts  which  he  re- 
tained to  the  close  of  his  life  led  Mr.  Hays 
to  identify  himself  with  the  Pennsylvania 
State  troops,  m  which  he  held  the  rank 
of  lieutenant-colonel  On  August  26, 
1876,  he  was  appointed  inspector-general 
of  the  Department  of  Pennsylvania  on 
the  staff  of  Major-General  A.  L-.  Pearson, 
v/ith  the  rank  of  colonel.  He  belonged  to 
the  Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion,  No.  902. 

As  a  citizen  with  exalted  ideas  of  good 


government  and  civic  virtue  Mr.  Hays 
stood  in  the  front  rank.  Unostentatious 
in  his  activities,  he  still  was  a  man  of 
most  progressive  endeavor,  ever  search- 
ing for  channels  through  which  the  ma- 
terial and  moral  welfare  of  the  city  might 
be  advanced,  and  lending  a  strong, 
though  hidden,  hand  in  the  guidance  of 
such  advancement.  A  vigilant  and  atten- 
tive observer  of  men  and  measures,  hold- 
ing sound  opinions  and  taking  liberal 
views,  his  ideas  carried  weight  among 
.hose  with  whom  he  discussed  public 
problems.  No  good  work  done  in  the 
name  of  charity  or  religion  sought  his 
co-operation  in  vain,  but  the  full  number 
of  his  benefactions  will,  in  all  probability, 
never  be  known  to  the  world,  for  his 
philanthropy  was  of  the  kind  that  shuns 
publicity. 

In  the  personality  of  Mr.  Hays  were 
combined  the  attributes  of  the  gall?nt 
soldier  and  the  astute  man  of  affairs,  and 
his  appearance^  commanding,  alert  aiid 
dignified,  showed  the  same  mingling  of 
characteristics.  He  waS;  indeed,  a  man 
to  lean  upon — a  man  upon  whom  men 
leaned.  On  his  countenance  were  im- 
printed those  sterling  qualities  of  man- 
hood which  were  of  the  very  essence  of 
his  nature  and  the  genial  disposition 
which  attracted  all  who  approached  hirr 
shone  in  his  eyes,  searching  though  they 
were,  and  softened  the  aspect  of  his  reso- 
lute features.  Polished  in  manner,  he 
was  intensely  human  in  his  sympathies 
and  irradiated  the  ever-widening  circle  of 
his  influence  with  the  brightness  of  spirit 
that  expressed  the  pure  gold  of  character. 

Mr.  Hays  married,  November  17,  1869. 
?vlary,  daughter  of  William  Jordan 
Howard,  mayor  of  Pittsburgh  in  1845 
(born  December  31,  1799,  married  May 
14,  1824,  died  October  2,  1862).  and 
Lydia  Updegraff  (born  May  14,  1804, 
died  July  2,  1871),  daughter  of  Abner 
Updegraff.       William     Jordan     Hov/ard 

737 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


was  a  son  of  William  Howard,  who  was 
born  in  England  about  1766,  married  in 
Wilmington,  Delaware,  United  States  of 
America,  to  Elizabeth  Jordan,  daughter 
of  William  Jordan,  died  in  Pittsburgh, 
1828.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hays  were  the  pa- 
rents of  a  son  and  a  daughter:  Louis 
Blake,  and  Virginia  Claire,  wife  of 
Frank  Chew  Osburn,  of  Pittsburgh.  Mr. 
Hays  was  a  man  to  whom  the  ties  of 
family  and  friendship  were  sacred  and 
his  happiest  hours  were  passed  m  the 
home  circle. 

It  was  at  his  lovely  summer  home — 
"Sutherland  Hall,"  at  Hays  Station,  near 
Pittsburgh — that  Henry  B.  Hays  passed 
away,  August  10,  1881.  His  death  was  a 
direct  blow  to  Pittsburgh,  no  more  loyal 
lover  of  his  city  existing  within  her  .con- 
fines. Devoted  in  his  family  relations, 
sincere  and  true  in  his  friendships,  hon- 
orable and  generous  in  business,  he  pos- 
sessed the  unquestioning  confidence  of 
men  of  affairs  and  won  a  place  that  was 
all  his  own  in  the  hearts  of  all  who  knew 
him. 

In  the  prime  of  life,  and  in  the  full 
maturity  of  his  remarkable  powers,  Mr. 
Hays  was  removed  from  the  scene  of  his 
activities.  As  soldier,  business  mar.  and 
citizen,  he  served  ably  and  faithfully,  his 
day  and  generation.  His  was  a  life  singu- 
larly well-rounded  and  complete,  bt-long- 
ing,  in  its  work  and  influence,  not  to 
Pittsburgh  alone,  but  the  grand  old 
Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania. 


KENT,  Edward  Joseph, 

Prominent   Lawyer. 

Among  the  ablest  of  the  lawyers  who 
are  now  at  the  zenith  of  successful  prac- 
tice at  the  Pittsburgh  bar  is  Edward 
Joseph  Kent,  who  has  been  for  the  last 
twenty-five  years  numbered  among  the 
residents  of  the  Iron  City.  During  this 
period   Mr.   Kent  has  been   identified   at 


different  times  with  various  interests  of 
the  metropolis,  and  has  always  been 
active  in  his  club  life  and  in  her  social 
circles. 

Frederick  Kent,  great-grandfather  of 
Edward  Joseph  Kent,  migrated  from 
Holland  to  England,  and  about  the  year 
1800  came  to  the  United  States,  settling 
in  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life 
in  agricultural  pursuits.  He  married,  and 
had  three  children.  In  religion  Mr.  Kent 
was  a  Roman  Catholic. 

Conrad,  son  of  Frederick  Kent,  was 
liorn  in  Westmoreland  county,  and  like 
his  father  led  the  life  of  a  farmer.  He 
married  Anna  Flowers,  of  Westmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  they  became 
the  parents  of  two  children. 

Thomas  Conrad,  son  of  Conrad  and 
Anna  (Flowers)  Kent,  was  born  Janu- 
ary 19,  1848,  in  Westmoreland  county, 
and  received  his  education  in  local  public 
schools.  He  has  maintained  the  family 
tradition  by  making  agriculture  his  life- 
work.  He  is  a  Democrat,  and  a  member 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  church.  Mr.  Kent 
married  Margaret,  daughter  of  Isaac  and 
Mary  (O'Connor)  Ruffner,  of  Westmore- 
land county,  and  their  children  are:  Ed- 
ward Joseph,  mentioned  below ;  Anna,  of 
Latrobe,  Pennsylvania  ;  Jerome  ;  Charles  ; 
Leo;  Morris;  Mary,  died  unmarried,  and 
Rose,  who  married  Frank  Folk,  of  Scott- 
dale,  Pennsylvania,  and  has  children.  All 
the  sons,  with  the  exception  of  Edward 
Joseph,  are  residents  of  Latrobe,  Penn- 
sylvania. 

Edward  Joseph,  son  of  Thomas  Conrad 
and  Margaret  (Ruffner)  Kent,  was  born 
March  2,  1868,  near  Greensburg,  West- 
moreland county,  Pennsylvania,  and  at- 
tended the  public  schools  of  his  native 
county.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  passed 
to  St.  Vincent's  School,  Pittsburgh, 
graduating  from  the  business  course  and 
then   pursuing  the  classical  course.     He 

738 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


next  entered  the  University  of  Michigan, 
graduating  in  1890  with  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Laws.  In  his  last  year  at  the 
university  he  was  admitted  to  the  Wash- 
tenaw county  (Michigan)  bar  and  to  the 
Michigan  Supreme  Court,  a  somewhat 
unusual  honor  for  an  undergraduate. 

In  the  autumn  of  1890  Mr.  Kent  came 
to  Pittsburgh,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  of  Allegheny  county.  He  at  once 
entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion in  which  he  has  ever  since  been 
actively  engaged.  His  course  has  been 
one  of  uninterrupted  success,  the  result 
of  innate  ability,  thorough  equipment  and 
intense  and  unremitting  devotion  to 
duty.  He  has  gained  the  implicit  con- 
fidence of  both  the  profession  and  the 
general  public,  and  is  in  possession  of  a 
large  and  steadily  increasing  clientele. 
The  sphere  of  his  work  has  been  and  still 
is  general  civil  practice,  and  in  it  he 
stands  deservedly  high. 

In  former  years  Mr.  Kent  was  largely 
interested  in  the  coal  trade,  being  presi- 
dent and  director  of  the  Rex  Carbon, 
Pittsburgh  and  Washington  Coal  Com- 
panies, and  also  connected  with  the 
Tradesmen's  Oil  Company  and  the 
Meadow  Lands  Coal  Company  as  direc- 
tor, as  well  as  with  the  Coal  and  Coke 
By-Products  Company.  He  has  now, 
however,  withdrawn  from  all  these  con- 
cerns, and  devotes  all  his  time  to  his  pro- 
fession. 

The  political  affiliations  of  Mr.  Kent 
are  with  the  Republican  party  and  he  be- 
longs to  the  Americus  Republican  Club, 
his  other  clubs  being  the  Duquesne,  Auto- 
mobile, Matinee,  Pittsburgh  Country  and 
Press.  He  is  also  enrolled  in  the  Pitts- 
burgh Athletic  Association  and  in 
Duquesne  Council,  No.  274,  Knights  of 
Columbus,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Acad- 
emy of  Sciente  and  Arts.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Sacred  Heart  Roman  Catholic 
Church. 


The  countenance  of  Mr.  Kent  is  finely 
expressive  of  the  qualities  which  his 
career  has  proved  him  to  possess.  His 
regular  and  rather  massive  features  bear 
the  stamp  of  strength  and  refinement  to- 
gether with  intellectual  force  and  excep- 
tional acuteness  of  perception.  His  hair 
is  dark  and  his  eyes,  also  dark,  are  large, 
reflective  and  at  the  same  time  searching 
in  their  expression.  He  possesses  much 
personal  magnetism  and  this  accounts  in 
no  small  measure  for  his  success  and  for 
his  "troops  of  friends  "  Withal  he  has 
ihe  legal  mind,  calm,  clear  and  judicial, 
never  taken  unawares  and  going  straight 
to  the  root  of  every  contention  and  every 
controversy. 

Mr.  Kent  married,  October  17,  1893, 
Eleanor  A.,  daughter  of  the  late  Dennis 
and  Anna  (Deesey)  Lyons,  of  Pittsburgh. 
Mr.  Lyons  served  throughout  the  Civil 
War  in  the  Union  cause  and  was  con- 
nected with  the  Pittsburgh  and  Lake 
Erie  railroad,  but  retired  some  years  be- 
fore his  death.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kent  are 
the  parents  of  the  following  children:  i. 
Raymond.  Lyons,  born  August  10,  1895, 
educated  at  Sacred  Heart  School  and 
Sacred  Heart  Academy  and  now  at  Uni- 
versity of  Pittsburgh,  class  of  1920, 
mechanical  engineering.  2.  Edward  John, 
born  February  18,  1897,  educated  at 
Sacred  Heart  School  and  Shady  Side 
Academy  and  will  enter  Princeton  Uni- 
versity. 3.  Herbert  Richard,  born  Octo- 
ber 8,  1899,  educated  at  Sacred  Heart 
School  and  Shady  Side  Academy.  4. 
Eleanor  Lyons,  Ursuline  Convent.  Mrs. 
Kent,  who  was  educated  at  Sisters  of 
Mercy  Convent  Academy,  Pittsburgh,  is 
a  woman  of  culture  and  charm,  a  social 
favorite  and  an  accomplished  home- 
maker. 

Edward  Joseph  Kent  is  an  admirable 
representative  of  the  Pittsburgh  bar,  in- 
asmuch as  in  his  character  and  record  he 
gives  evidence  of  the  vitalizing    energy 

739 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  spirit  of  progress  which  have  ever 
distinguished  the  legal  profession  of  the 
metropolis  and  it  is  by  men  of  this  type 
that  its  ancient  prestige  vi-ill,  to  a  great 
degree,  be  maintained  and  increased  in 
the  years  that  are  to  come. 


KERR,  Robert  M., 

Civil  "Wat  Veteran,  Bnsiness  Man. 

Among  the  men  who  have  left  their 
impress  upon  Pittsburgh  was  the  late 
Robert  M.  Kerr,  head  of  the  well-known 
firm  of  Kerr  &  Snodgrass.  Honorable 
in  purpose,  fearless  in  conduct,  he  stood 
for  many  years  as  one  of  the  valued  citi- 
zens of  Pittsburgh,  and  the  memory  of 
his  life  remains  as  an  inspiration  and  a 
benediction  to  those  who  knew  him 

Robert  M.  Kerr  was  born  April  21, 
1844,  in  Bridgeville,  Allegheny  county, 
Pennsylvania,  son  of  Robert  and  Abigail 
(Fawcett)  Kerr,  of  Bridgeville,  Allegheny 
county,  Pennsylvania.  He  received  his 
education  in  the  schools  of  his  section. 
At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  he  en- 
listed in  the  i88th  Regiment  Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteers,  and  served  throughout 
the  war.  Upon  its  conclusion  Mr.  Kerr 
leturned  to  Pittsburgh  and  became  asso- 
ciated with  George  W.  Pusey  in  the  wall 
paper  business,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Pusey  &  Kerr,  and  upon  the  retirement 
of  Mr.  Pusey  in  1894,  Mr.  Kerr  continued 
the  business,  in  association  with  Edward 
Snodgrass  Jr.,  the  firm  name  being  Kerr 
&  Snodgrass. 

In  his  business  career,  capable  man- 
agement, unfaltering  enterprise  and  a 
spirit  of  justice  were  well  balanced  fac- 
tors, while  the  business  was  carefully 
systematized,  so  that  there  was  no  need- 
less expediture  of  time,  material  or  labor. 
Mr.  Kerr  never  regarded  his  employees 
as  parts  of  a  machine,  but  recognized 
their  individuality,  and  made  it  a  rule  that 
efficient   and    faithful    service    should    be 


promptly  rewarded  with  promotion  as 
opportunity  offered.  He  ever  showed 
himself  possessed  of  a  spirit  of  unfalter- 
ing enterprise,  directed  by  keen  vision, 
sound  judgment  and  strict  adherence  to 
the  loftiest  principles  of  integrity. 

While  closely  attending  to  his  busi- 
ness affairs,  Mr.  Kerr  was  not  unmindful 
of  the  duties  of  citizenship,  ever  giving 
loyal  support  to  all  measures  which  he 
deemed  calculated  to  promote  the  wel- 
fare of  his  home  city.  Politically  he  was 
a  Republican,  but  was  never  numbered 
among  office-seekers.  As  a  vigilant  and 
attentive  observer  of  men  and  measures, 
he  was  frequently  consulted  in  regard  to 
matters  of  municipal  importance.  His 
acts  of  charity  were  many,  but  so  quietly 
were  his  benefactions  bestowed  that  their 
full  number  will,  in  all  probability,  never 
be  known  to  the  world.  For  many  years 
Mr.  Kerr  was  a  member  and  trustee  of 
the  North  Avenue  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  of  Allegheny,  and  later  member 
and  treasurer  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  of  Bellevue.  as  well  as  treasurer 
of  the  Suburban  Hospital  of  the  same 
place.  Pie  was  a  member  of  Colonel  J. 
B.  Clark  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public, and  a  member  and  director  of  the 
Bellevue  Country  Club. 

The  briefe.-t  talk  with  Mr.  Kerr  re- 
vealed his  ability  and  the  versatility  of  his 
talents.  He  was  a  fine-looking,  genial 
man,  whose  countenance  radiated  an 
optimistic  spirit,  while  his  keen  eye  and 
alert  bearing  showed  the  successful  man 
of  affairs.  Of  broad  culture  and  much 
liberality  of  sentiment,  he  attracted  all 
Avho  approached  him,  and  endeared  him 
to  hosts  of  friends. 

Mr.  Kerr  married,  October  10,  1872, 
Miss  Sarah  A.,  daughter  of  Eli  and  Sarah 

A.  (Matthews)  Jackson,  of  Pittsburgh, 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  the  fol- 
lowing children  :    Bessie  R.,  wife  of  Hugh 

B.  Morrow,    of    New    York    City;    and 


1740 


Yvv 


(A-, 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Lucille  F.,  wife  of  William  E.  Wren- 
shall,  of  Bellevue,  Pennsylvania.  Mrs. 
Kerr  is  a  woman  of  winning  personality, 
invested  with  the  charm  of  domesticity 
and  both  she  and  her  husband  delighted 
to  entertain  their  friends.  Mr.  Kerr  was 
devoted  to  the  ties  of  family  and  friend- 
ship, regarding  them  as  sacred  obliga- 
tions, and  was  never  so  happy  as  when 
surrounded  by  the  members  of  his  house- 
hold. 

The  death  of  Robert  M.  Kerr,  which 
occurred  June  26,  191 5,  deprived  Pitts- 
burgh of  one  of  her  most  respected  citi- 
zens and  foremost  business  men.  He 
possessed  a  most  kindly  disposition,  and 
appreciation  of  the  good  traits  of  others 
constituted  a  salient  feature  in  his  char- 
acter. Devoted  in  his  family  relations, 
sincere  and  true  in  his  friendships,  hon- 
orable and  generous  in  business,  he 
had  the  affection  and  esteem  of  those 
who  lived  closest  to  him,  and  were  best 
fatted  to  judge  of  his  quality.  He  was 
human  in  his  sympathies,  cherished  no 
false  or  impossible  ideals,  lived  level  with 
the  hearts  of  those  with  whom  he  was 
bound  by  ties  of  consanguinity  and 
friendship,  endearing  himself  to  them  and 
irradiating  the  widening  circle  of  his  in- 
fluence with  the  brightness  of  spirit  that 
expressed  the  pure  gold  of  character.  His 
public  and  private  life  were  one  rounded 
whole — two  perfect  parts  of  a  symmet- 
rical sphere.  So  completely  were  they 
joined  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  say 
where  the  one  ended  and  the  other  be- 
gan. In  public  and  in  private  he  was 
actuated  by  one  high  motive,  the  welfare 
of  all  whom  he  served  and  oi  all  with 
whom  he  served.  With  such  a  principle 
the  mainspring  of  all  his  active  career, 
with  an  optimistic  outlook  upon  life,  with 
faith  in  his  friends  and  humanity,  with  a 
purpose  to  make  the  best  of  everything 
and  see  that  good  which  is  in  all  rather 
than  the  evil,  with  a  helping  hand  and  a 

I 


word  of  cheer  for  all  who  needed  to  have 
their  pathways  made  smoother,  Robert 
M.  Kerr  won  a  place  that  was  all  his 
own  in  the  hearts  of  all  who  knew  him. 


McKEE,  James  Renwick, 

Man  of  Noble  Character. 

Joseph  McKee,  grandfather  of  James 
Renwick  McKee,  was  a  native  of  Ireland 
where  he  appears  to  have  passed  half  his 
life. 

(II)  John  Allen,  son  of  Joseph  McKee, 
was  born  in  1812,  in  County  Monaghan, 
Ireland,  and  educated  in  his  native  land. 
At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  accompanied  his 
parents  to  the  United  States.  They  set- 
tled near  Freeport,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  where  Mr.  McKee 
engaged  in  farming  during  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  John  Allen  McKee  learned 
the  trade  of  barrel-making,  and  came  to 
Pittsburgh  before  the  great  fire  of  1845. 
There  he  followed  his  trade  and  also 
learned  that  of  a  stone  mason.  Subse- 
quently he  became  a  contractor  and 
executed  some  very  important  work  in- 
cluding tlie  building  of  a  large  number 
of  bridges!  Before  abandoning  his  trade 
of  barrel-making  he  entered  the  oil  busi- 
ness as  a  refiner,  and  eventually  disposed 
of  his  holdings  to  the  Standard  Oil  Com- 
pany. He  was  then  for  a  time  engaged  in 
the  iron  business  in  Beaver  Falls,  the 
firm  name  being  McKee,  Anderson  & 
Company,  Limited.  His  political  tend- 
encies were  Republican,  and  he  was 
strongly  opposed  to  the  use  of  intox- 
icants. For  years  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Reformed  Presbyterian  church,  in 
which  he  held  the  office  of  elder.  Mr. 
McKee  married,  in  1837,  Eleanor,  daugh- 
ter of  James  and  Ellen  (Crow)  Ander- 
son. Mr.  Anderson  came  from  Ireland 
and  lived  on  a  farm  one  mile  from  Evan 
City,  Butler  county,  Pennsylvania.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  McKee  were  the  parents  of  the 

741 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


following  children:  i.  Joseph  A.,  edu- 
cated at  Wilmington  College,  became  a 
clergyman  and  died  in  September,  1871. 
2.  Mary,  widow  of  John  T.  Morton,  of 
Pittsburgh.  3.  Hugh  W.,  in  real  estate 
business  in  Pittsburgh ;  married  Mar- 
garet Morrow,  and  has  children:  Nellis, 
wife  of  Percy  L.  Craig,  New  Castle, 
Pennsylvania;  Valeria,  wife  of  William 
Campbell,  of  Philadelphia;  Norvel  M.,  of 
Texas ;  Harry,  deceased ;  Roy  Brocton,  in 
commission  business  in  Pittsburgh.  4. 
Ella  J.,  married  N.  W.  Stevenson,  and 
is  now  deceased,  as  is  her  husband;  chil- 
dren :  John  Allen,  deceased ;  Florence, 
deceased;  and  Morton,  of  Pittsburgh.  5. 
James  Renwick,  mentioned  below.  6. 
Sarah  Martha,  wife  of  Mr.  Boyd,  of 
Pittsburgh.  7.  John  C,  married  Ettie 
Siemon,  sister  of  Theodore  Siemon,  of 
the  Westinghouse  interests,  and  is  now 
deceased,  leaving  the  following  children : 
Margaret  Marie,  wife  of  John  McIIhin- 
ney,  of  Youngstown,  Ohio ;  Wilbert,  of 
Pittsburgh,  and  Eleanor  and  Anna 
(twins),  of  Pittsburgh.  8.  Thomas 
Sproull,  now  deceased.  9.  Samuel  Ster- 
rett,  died  in  infancy.  The  mother  of  these 
children  died  December  22,  1877,  in 
Pittsburgh,  and  Mr.  McKee  married 
(second)  Margaret  McCuUough.  The 
death  of  Mr.  McKee  occurred  June  12, 
1891,  in  Pittsburgh,  some  time  after  he 
had  retired  from  business. 

(Ill)  James  Renwick  McKee,  son  of 
John  Allen  and  Eleanor  (Anderson)  Mc- 
Kee, was  born  December  2,  1848,  in 
Pittsburgh,  and  received  his  education 
in  local  schools.  He  began  his  business 
career  in  association  with  the  oil  business 
of  his  father,  with  whom  he  was  subse- 
quently connected  in  the  iron  business  in 
Beaver  county,  under  the  firm  name  of 
McKee,  Anderson  &  Company.  Well 
fitted  as  he  was  by  natural  endowment 
for  a  business  career,  he  possessed  tastes 
which  inclined  him  to  seek  in  other  fields 


exercise  for  his  energies  and  talents,  and 
the  result  was  that  in  early  middle  life 
he  withdrew  from  active  participation  in 
commercial  affairs.  Thenceforth  Mr. 
McKee  merely  looked  after  his  own  in- 
terests, devoting  the  remainder  of  his 
time  to  work  which  was  peculiarly  con- 
genial to  him.  For  many  years  he  was 
treasurer  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian 
Church,  succeeding  his  father,  and  long 
refusing  to  accept  any  salary.  Some 
years  before  his  death  he  was  prevailed 
upon  to  receive  a  certain  amount  of  com- 
pensation, but  he  always  turned  it  back 
into  the  church  funds.  The  institution 
has  a  large  endowment,  and  its  affairs 
furnished  him  with  abundant  occupation. 
His  interest  in  mission  work  was  very 
great,  leading  him  to  become  the  organ- 
izer of  a  Mission  Sunday  School  and  to 
serve  as  its  superintendent.  It  increased 
rapidly,  attaining  large  proportions  and 
developing  into  the  Eighth  United  Pres- 
byterian Church.  Withal  he  found  time 
to  give  to  the  promotion  of  temperance 
work,  which  he  esteemed  of  the  most  vital 
importance.  He  served  on  the  board  of 
trustees  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian 
Church  of  which  he  was  a  member. 

Mr.  McKee  married,  October  10,  1871, 
Eda  Sarah  Eleanor  Gregg,  whose  family 
record  is  appended  to  this  biography,  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  the  following 
children:  David  Gregg;  J.  Allen;  Purle 
E.,  who  died  in  infancy;  Estelle  May, 
educated  at  the  Women's  College  of 
Pittsburgh,  married  E.  E.  McCoy  and  has 
one  child,  Eda  Gregg  McCoy ;  Edna  Gar- 
fielda,  educated  at  the  Pennsylvania  Col- 
lege for  Women  ;  and  Hazel  Irene,  died 
in  very  early  infancy. 

Mr.  McKee  passed  away  on  January 
2"],  1893,  deeply  and  sincerely  mourned 
by  all  classes  of  the  community.  Tributes 
to  his  ability  as  a  business  man  and  his 
worth  as  a  citizen  poured  in  from  all 
sides.  The  following  is  an  extract  from 
1742 


«^^<^t/v^^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


a  resolution  passed  by  the  board  of  trus- 
tees of  the  Synod  of  the  Reformed  Pres- 
byterian Church  of  North  America  : 

Mr.  McKee  was  elected  a  member  of  this 
board  by  Synod  in  1878.  He  did  not  see  his  way 
clear  to  accept  the  appointment,  but  as  he 
assisted  his  father,  who  was  then  treasurer,  in 
keeping  the  accounts  of  the  funds  over  which  the 
board  had  control,  he  met  with  us  frequently  and 
was  as  actively  engaged  in  the  work  of  the 
church  as  any  of  our  members.  In  1883  Synod 
again  elected  Mr.  McKee  a  trustee  and  also 
elected  him  treasurer  to  succeed  his  father.  He 
accepted  both  positions  and  continued  to  serve 
the  church  in  them  efificiently  and  faithfully  until 
his  death.  His  term  of  service  extended  over  a 
period  of  very  nearly  ten  years.  Mr.  McKee  was 
scrupulously  careful  in  his  management  of  the 
church's  funds  and,  being  possessed  of  rare  busi- 
ness qualifications  and  undoubted  integrity,  the 
church  and  board  had  unbounded  confidence  in 
him.  His  heart  was  in  the  church's  work.  With 
him  labor  for  her  was  labor  of  love.  This  was 
evinced  by  his  liberal  contributions  at  various 
times  to  her  different  schemes.  Being  in  the 
prime  of  life  we  hoped  that  there  were  many 
years  of  usefulness  for  him  here,  but  before  we 
were  aware  his  work  was  completed  and  he  was 
taken  to  enjoy  his  reward.  Such  providences  are 
hard  to  comprehend. 

Words  Hke  these  leave  nothing  to  be 
added.  Truly,  James  Renwick  McKee  is 
of  blessed  memory. 

(The  Gregg  Line). 

David  Gregg,  father  of  Mrs.  Eda  Sarah 
Eleanor  (Gregg)  McKee,  was  born  in 
May,  1812.  The  place  of  his  birth  is  not 
given,  but  it  was  presumably  in  County 
Armagh,  Ireland,  that  being  the  home 
of  his  ancestors.  As  a  young  man  he 
came  to  Pittsburgh  where  he  engaged 
in  the  wholesale  dry  goods  business  and 
was  associated  with  his  son,  John  Rich- 
ard Gregg,  in  the  shoe  business.  Mr. 
Gregg  married  Mary  Margaret  Raflferty, 
born  in  1816,  and  their  children  were: 
Matilda,  born  August  27,   1839,  married 

PEN-19  I 


the  Rev.  A.  J.  MacFarland,  and  is  now 
deceased ;  Emmeline,  born  July  16,  1842, 
became  the  wife  of  Dr.  David  Matheny, 
and  is  now  deceased ;  David,  born  March 
25,  1845,  a  clergyman;  John  Richard, 
born  May  i,  1847;  Mary  Elizabeth,  wife 
of  the  Rev.  David  McKee,  of  Iowa ;  and 
Eda  Sarah  Eleanor,  mentioned  below. 
The  death  of  Mr.  Gregg  occurred  in  1897. 
Eda  Sarah  Eleanor,  daughter  of  David 
and  Mary  Margaret  (Rafferty)  Gregg, 
became  the  wife  of  James  Renwick  Mc- 
Kee, as  stated  above. 


COLLINS,  John  P., 

Prominent  Steel  Industry  Official. 

The  history  of  the  steel  industry  com- 
prises the  record  of  many  lives  of  earnest 
endeavor,  and  among  these  is  that  of  the 
late  John  P.  Collins,  general  superintend- 
ent of  the  Lucy,  Isabella,  Edith  and  Ne- 
ville Furnaces  of  the  Carnegie  Steel  Com- 
pany. Limited  as  was  its  span  the  career 
of  Mr.  Collins  contained  a  measure  of 
achievement  which  would  have  done 
credit  to  a  man  who  had  been  granted 
greater  length  of  days. 

John  P.  Collins  was  born  May  14,  1871, 
in  Pittsburgh,  and  was  a  son  of  David 
and  Ann  Collins,  who  were  also  the  pa- 
rents of  three  other  sons — William,  David 
and  Henry;  and  three  daughters. 

John  P.  Collins  was  educated  in  schools 
of  his  native  city,  graduating  from  the 
high  school.  When  the  time  came  for 
him  to  enter  upon  the  active  duties  of 
life,  Mr.  Collins  offered  his  services  to  the 
Carnegie  Steel  Company,  and  thence- 
forth to  the  close  of  his  career  was  asso- 
ciated with  this  famous  concern.  Never 
had  youth  fairer  prospects.  At  the  very 
outset  his  exceptional  abilities  attracted 
attention  and  marked  him  for  promotion 
— promotion  which,  coming  early,  was 
rapid  and  continuous.     Step  by  step  he 

743 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


rose,  gaining,  it  is  true,  pecuniary  profit, 
but  also  winning  "golden  opinions  from 
all  sorts  of  people,"  displaying  as  he  did 
sagacity  beyond  his  years  and  an  ad- 
herence to  principle  which  justified  the 
confidence  reposed  in  him  by  men  of  large 
experience  in  the  world  of  affairs. 

Mr.  Collins  was  made  general  super- 
intendent of  the  Neville,  Carrie,  Isabella, 
Lucy  and  Edith  furnaces,  the  largest 
owned  and  operated  by  the  Carnegie  Steel 
Company.  The  manner  in  which  he  dis- 
charged the  important  duties  of  this  most 
responsible  position  forms  part  of  the 
history  of  the  great  corporation  with 
which  he  was  associated,  and  therefore 
requires  no  mention  here,  but  perhaps 
the  record  may  not  include  one  most 
significant  fact — he  enlisted  the  love  and 
loyalty  of  his  men.  Was  not  this  one 
potent  factor  in  his  exceptional  success? 

The  political  principles  of  Mr.  Collins 
were  those  advocated  by  the  Republican 
party,  and  never  did  he  fail,  despite  the 
engrossing  nature  of  his  business  respon- 
sibilities, in  fulfilling  the  obligations  of 
good  citizenship.  He  belonged  to  the 
Stanton  Heights  Golf  Club,  the  Pitts- 
burgh Athletic  Association  and  the  Oak- 
mont  Country  Club,  and  was  a  member 
of  St.  Mary's  Roman  Catholic  Church. 

Any  attempt  to  present  a  verbal  por- 
trait of  Mr.  Collins  would  be  foredoomed 
to  failure,  for  what  biographer  could  de- 
scribe him  as  he  appeared  to  those  who 
knew  and  loved  him?  His  countenance, 
his  bearing,  the  glance  of  his  eye,  the 
sound  of  his  voice — all  these  are  fresh  in 
the  memory  of  his  business  associates, 
his  friends  and  neighbors.  Still  can  they 
feel  the  cordial  grasp  of  his  hand  and 
recall  the  atmosphere  of  good  will  and 
encouragement  which  his  presence  al- 
ways brought  with  it.  The  pencil  of  the 
artist  could,  indeed,  give  us  that  life- 
like presentment  of  his  features  which  all 

1744 


his  friends  desire  to  possess,  but  to  the 
inner  nature  of  the  man,  his  gentleness 
and  generosity,  his  strength  and  loyalty, 
no  words  can  ever  do  complete  justice. 

Mr.  Collins  married,  August  i,  1901, 
Katherine,  daughter  of  Conrad  and  Re- 
gina  (Gable)  Kleppner,  thus  forming  a 
union  which  was  the  supreme  blessing  of 
his  life.  Mrs.  Collins  is  best  described 
as  an  ideal  helpmate  for  a  man  of  her 
husband's  temperament  and  disposition. 
Possessing,  as  they  both  did,  social  gifts 
of  a  rare  order,  their  home  was  a  centre 
of  attraction  for  their  many  friends  and 
the  memory  of  their  hospitality  is  among 
the  loved  recollections  of  those  privileged 
to  enjoy  it. 

In  the  prime  of  life,  this  gifted  and 
lovable  man  finished  his  course  of  use- 
fulness and  honor,  passing  away  Janu- 
ary 21,  19T4,  deeply  and  sincerely  mourn- 
ed by  all  who  had  ever  been  in  any  way 
associated  with  him,  or  who  had  wit- 
nessed from  a  distance  the  successive 
stages  oi  his  career.  It  was  felt  by  all 
that  Pittsburgh  and  the  steel  industry 
had  sustained  the  loss  of  one  whose 
place  it  would,  indeed,  be  difficult  to  fill. 

The  death  of  a  man  like  John  P.  Collins 
always  brings,  over  and  above  the  feeling 
of  personal  bereavement,  a  distinct  sense 
of  disappointment.  We  mourn  for  the 
unfulfilled.  We  sorrow  for  what  will 
never  be.  Cherished  hopes  are  blasted. 
Bright  anticipations  have  suffered  ship- 
wreck. The  future  seems  to  hold  no  ray 
of  light.  Bv.t  there  is  another  side  to  the 
picture.  Who  can  measure  the  influence 
of  such  a  life?  Who  can  say  how  many 
it  may  have  inspired  to  great  usefulness, 
to  honorable  achievement?  What  such  a 
man  was  not  permitted  to  do  himself  his 
example  will  cause  others  to  do.  The 
promise  of  a  life  like  that  of  John  P. 
Collins  is  fulfilled  in  the  lives  of  those 
who  come  after  him. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


VINCENT,  Reed  M., 

Business  Man,  Active   Citizen. 

Mr.  Vincent  was  an  almost  lifelong 
resident  of  Pittsburgh  and  might  be  truly 
called  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  East 
End. 

William  Vincent,  grandfather  of  Reed 
M.  Vincent,  was  of  Beaver  county. 
James,  son  of  William  Vincent,  was  a 
farmer  of  Noblestown,  Pennsylvania,  and 
about  1863  removed  to  Pittsburgh,  where 
he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He 
married  Julia,  daughter  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Reed)  Welsh,  and  their  chil- 
dren were  :  James  ;  Reed  M.,  mentioned 
below;  Georgie,  who  became  the  wife 
of  James  E.  Booth ;  Robert,  and  Alary. 
J\Ir.  Vincent  died  November  13,  1912. 

Reed  M.  Vincent,  son  of  James  and 
Julia  (Welsh)  Vincent,  was  born  June 
5,  1851,  in  Noblestown,  Pennsylvania, 
and  received  his  early  education  in  the 
schools  of  his  birthplace.  When  he  was 
about  twelve  years  old  the  family  remov- 
ed to  Pittsburgh,  and  for  a  time  he  at- 
tended the  Newell  Institute.  His  busi- 
ness life  began  in  the  service  of  Oliver 
McClintock  &  Company,  dealers  in  car- 
pets and  furniture.  The  ability  which  he 
manifested  from  the  outset,  combined 
with  the  strictest  attention  to  all  his 
duties,  commended  him  at  once  to  his 
employers  and  caused  his  rapid  and 
steady  advancement.  From  the  tim«. 
when  he  entered  their  service  as  a  boy  to 
the  day  many  years  later  when  he  went 
into  business  for  himself,  Mr.  Vincent 
remained  with  the  firm  of  Oliver  Mc- 
Clintock &  Company,  and  when  he  left 
them  it  was  with  an  assured  reputation 
and  funds  which  enabled  him  to  establish 
himself  independently  in  the  business 
world. 

On  January  i,  1884.  Mr.  Vincent  enter- 
ed the  furniture  business  for  himself,  in 
association  with  Mr.  Scott,  the  firm  name 


being  Vincent  &  Scott.  The  enterprise 
prospered,  as  it  could  hardly  fail  to  do 
under  the  leadership  of  a  man  of  Mr. 
Vincent's  talent  and  energy-,  and  in  1890 
the  firm  removed  from  their  first  place 
of  business  on  Station  street,  near  Penn 
avenue,  to  a  structure  of  their  own  erec- 
tion on  the  latter  thoroughfare.  In  the 
course  of  time  the  growth  of  the  business 
again  necessitated  their  removal  to  more 
commodious  quarters,  and  in  1903  they 
moved  to  the  corner  of  Penn  avenue  and 
Beatty  street.  During  all  these  years  Mr. 
Vincent  was  not  only  the  head  of  the 
firm,  but  the  animating  spirit  of  the  es- 
tablishment. His  sound  judgment,  and 
keen  vision  were  its  foundation  and 
scarcely  less  essential  was  the  influence 
exerted  by  his  friendly  and  genial  nature 
on  both  associates  and  subordinates. 

For  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Vincent 
was  vice-president  of  the  Carnegie  Tube 
Company,  and  was  active  in  every  move- 
ment tending  tov/ard  the  improvement  of 
the  city.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Trade.  His  political  principles  were 
those  advocated  by  the  Republican  party. 
He  affiliated  with  Hailman  Lodge,  No. 
321,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and 
l^ancred  Commandery,  No.  48,  Knights 
Templar,  being  also  a  Shriner,  a  member 
of  Syria  Temple.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Sixth  United  Presbyterian  Church. 

Mr.  Vincent  married,  June  16,  1881, 
in  Allegheny,  Pennsylvania,  Mary  Emma, 
daughter  of  Captain  Bernard  and  Eliza 
J.  (Kearns)  Young,  of  that  place,  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  two  daugh- 
ters :  Lydia,  graduate  of  Thurston 
School,  wife  of  Aimer  Hamilton  Orr,  of 
Pittsburgh,  and  mother  of  two  children: 
Aimer  Hamilton,  born  December  5.  1907, 
and  Elizabeth  Reed,  born  February  15, 
1909;  and  Marie,  who  also  graduated 
from  Thurston  School  and  then  entered 
Smith  College,  graduating  as  one  of  the 
honor  pupils  in  the  class  of  1907.     Miss 


1745 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Vincent  died  September  17,  1909,  deeply 
and  sincerely  mourned. 

Mr.  Vincent  was  fond  of  athletics,  and 
served  as  president  of  the  Pittsburgh 
Athletic  Club. 

The  announcement  of  the  death  of  Mr. 
Vincent,  which  occurred  January  13, 
1912,  carried  sadness  to  many  hearts. 


SVn^ING,  R.  Hamill  D.,  D.  D.  S., 

Dental  Practitioner  and  Instructor. 

The  rapid  growth  of  dentistry  as  a 
profession  led  to  the  creation  of  dental 
schools  as  regular  departments  of  the 
university  educational  system.  Believing 
that  the  close  relationship  existing  be- 
tween dentistry  and  medicine  called  for 
the  future  development  of  dentistry  in 
conformity  with  medicine,  the  trustees  of 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  1878 
took  action  resulting  in  the  creation  of 
the  School  of  Dentistry  of  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania,  where  dentistry  should 
be  taught  concurrently  by  teachers  who 
held  corresponding  chairs  in  both  medical 
and  dental  faculties;  while  the  strictly 
dental  teaching  should  be  provided  for 
by  the  creation  of  chairs  whose  incum- 
bents are  specially  qualified  for  giving 
instruction  in  their  respective  branches. 
From  this  school  R.  Plamill  D.  Swing 
was  graduated  in  the  class  of  '87.  The 
following  fall  he  was  added  to  the  teach- 
ing staff  of  the  school  in  the  capacity  of 
Assistant  Demonstrator  of  Mechanical 
Dentistry.  In  the  course  of  two  or  three 
years  he  was  transferred  to  the  operative 
department  having  in  charge  the  extrac- 
tions. Dr.  Swing  subsequently  lectured 
to  the  third  year  students  on  anesthesia, 
and  was  elected  Assistant  Professor  of 
Oral  Surgery  and  Anesthesia  by  the 
board  of  trustees,  which  position  he  still 
fills,  and  in  addition  teaches  extraction, 
having  in  charge  that  department  under 
the  chair  of  Professor  of  Oral  Surgery. 


On  June  15,  1912,  a  formal  agreement 
was  executed  between  the  trustees  of  the 
university  and  the  Thomas  W.  Evans 
Museum  and  Institute  Society,  by  which 
a  co-operative  affiliation  was  established 
between  the  two  corporations  whereby 
the  resources  of  both  are  utilized  in 
carrying  out  the  intent  and  purposes  ex- 
pressed in  the  will  of  Dr.  Thomas  Evans, 
in  which  he  directed  that  the  residue  of 
his  estate  be  applied  to  the  creation  of  a 
dental  educational  institution  in  Philadel- 
phia to  be  carried  on  as  such  institutions 
of  learning  are  now  conducted  in  Phil- 
adelphia, and  not  inferior  to  those  already 
established.  The  new  Dental  Institute, 
the  materialization  of  Dr.  Evans'  bequest, 
is  located  in  a  beautiful  and  costly  build- 
ing on  the  northwest  corner  of  Fortieth 
and  Spruce  streets,  and  is  known  as  the 
Thomas  W.  Evans  Museum  and  Dental 
Institute  School  of  Dentistry,  University 
of  Pennsylvania.  Dr.  Swing,  so  long 
connected  with  the  original  School  of 
Dentistry,  occupies  the  same  position 
with  the  new   management. 

His  connection  with  the  Dental  De- 
partment of  the  University  as  student, 
demonstrator,  lecturer  and  faculty  mem- 
ber, has  been  continuous,  and  to  his  im- 
portant work  as  an  educator  he  adds  the 
duties  of  a  large  private  practice.  His 
knowledge  of  the  subjects  in  which  he 
specializes — minor  oral  surgery,  anes- 
thesia and  extracting,  is  rendered  doubly 
valuable  to  students  by  his  ability  to  im- 
part these  subjects  in  an  interesting 
manner.  He  is  a  true  son  of  "Old  Penn," 
and  glories  in  the  fact  that  one  of  his 
five  sons,  Dr.  Charles  W.  Swing,  is  con- 
nected with  the  same  school  as  his  father, 
as  instructor  in  Operative  Technic. 

The  original  heads  of  the  families  bear- 
ing the  name  Swing  in  the  United  States 
were  two  brothers,  Samuel  and  Jeremiah. 
In  the  old  family  Bible  printed  in  Lon- 
don, England,  in  the  year  1718,  in  the 
746 


^^yf^^-^-^^    ^.  X^-i^^^i^ 


'«.-.*  Jrii/^.-,^.^/-  /^,.^  ^>. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Dutch  language,  it  is  written:  "Samuel 
Swing,  born  September  15,  1729,  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  in  his  twenty- 
third  year.  He  was  accompanied  by  his 
brother  Jeremiah."  The  families  residing 
in  Salem  county.  New  Jersey,  are  de- 
scendants of  Samuel  Swing;  those  of 
Fairfield  township,  Cumberland  county, 
descend  from  Jeremiah.  Abraham  Swing, 
great-grandfather  of  Dr.  R.  H.  D.  Swing, 
was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1S12,  and  rep- 
resented Salem  county  in  the  New  Jersey 
Legislature.  He  married  Hannah  Lum- 
mis,  who  bore  him  sons:  Nathaniel  G.. 
Jonathan  L.,  Leonard  and  Samuel.  From 
these  sprang  numerous  worthy  descend- 
ants. 

R.  Hamill  D.  Swing  was  born  at  Deer- 
field,  New  Jersey,  September  15,  1865. 
Flis  youth  was  spent  in  Chester  county, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  obtained  a  public 
school  education,  graduating  from  the 
high  school  of  Coatesville  in  1884.  His 
father.  Dr.  E.  V.  Swmg,  son  of  Samuel 
Swing,  was  a  graduate  of  the  Medical 
School  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania 
in  1867,  there  holding  an  important 
scholarship.  His  mother,  Rachel  (Bur- 
roughs) Swing,  was  also  of  an  old  and 
prominent  New  Jersey  family. 

After  deciding  upon  the  dental  profes- 
sion. Dr.  Swing  entered  the  School  of 
Dentistry,  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  after  a  full  course  was  graduated 
Doctor  of  Dental  Surgery,  class  of  1887. 
Since  that  date  he  has  practiced  his  pro- 
fession continuously  in  Philadelphia  with 
great  success,  reaping  abundant  honors 
and  enjoying  universal  respect,  also 
maintaining,  as  stated,  close  association 
with  the  School  of  Dentistry  as  Demon- 
strator and  Assistant  Professor.  Dr. 
Swing  has  won  high  standing  among  his 
professional  brethren  and  fraternizes  with 
them  in  many  dental  societies.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  National  Dental  Associ- 
ation, an  ex-treasurer  of  the  Pennsylvania 


State  Dental  Society,  and  was  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  treasurer  and  president  of 
the  Academy  of  Stomatology.  He  has 
been  supreme  grand  master  of  and  is  now 
supreme  scribe  of  Delta  Sigma  Delta,  a 
dental  fraternity  having  twenty-six  sub- 
ordinate chapters  connected  with  as 
many  dental  schools  in  the  United  States. 
Aside  from  his  purely  professional  duties 
and  societies.  Dr.  Swing's  deepest  inter- 
est is  in  the  Masonic  order.  He  is  past 
master  of  Industry  Lodge,  No.  131,  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons ;  is  a  Royal  Arch 
Mason,  a  Knight  Templar,  and  in  the 
Ancient  Accepted  Scottish  Rite  holds  all 
degrees  up  to  and  including  the  thirty- 
second.  In  fact,  he  belongs  to  all  bodies 
of  both  York  and  Scottish  rites,  but  is 
not  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine. 

E)r.  Swing  married  Annie  E.,  daughter 
of  Washington  and  Hilary  E.  Miller. 
They  have  five  sons — R.  Hamill  D.  Jr., 
Charles  W.,  James  Truman,  Edward 
Cameron  Kirk,  and  Albert  Hagert  Swing. 


DUNN,  Charles  Bullen, 

Expert  Financier, 

The  life  history  of  Charles  Bullen 
Dunn,  the  honored  president  of  the  West 
End  Trust  Company,  Philadelphia,  covers 
a  span  of  seventy-eight  years  spent  under 
two  flags,  the  English  and  the  United 
States,  by  far  the  larger  part  being  passed 
under  the  latter,  his  American  residence 
beginning  in  1853.  Not  only  is  Mr.  Dunn 
a  veteran  in  years  but  a  veteran  in  the 
banking  business,  having  served  prior  to 
the  death  of  John  Grigg,  the  private 
banker  of  No.  226  Walnut  street,  in  1865, 
as  his  cashier.  Since  first  associating 
with  Mr.  Grigg  as  a  banker  his  service  has 
been  continuous  as  private  banker  and 
trust  company  executive.  The  banking 
firm  of  Dunn  Brothers,  composed  of  the 
four  Dunn  brothers,  has  been  disin- 
tegrated by  death  and  retirement,  Charles 

747 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


B.  Dunn,  senior  member,  being  still  the 
executive  head  of  the  West  End  Trust 
Company.  In  the  stead  of  the  original 
Dunn  Brothers  a  second  generation  has 
risen,  efficiently  filling  the  various  posi- 
tions formerly  held  by  their  sires,  and 
Dunn  Brothers  retains  its  well  earned 
place  in  the  banking  w^orld,  owned  and 
ofificered  by  Dunns  only. 

Although  Charles  B.  Dunn  was  born  in 
England,  as  were  his  fathers  back 
through  five  centuries,  one  member  of  his 
family  came  to  America  as  early  as  1797, 
having  been  sent  as  a  missionary  by  the 
great  founder  of  Methodism,  John  Wes- 
ley. This  good  man  penetrated  far  into 
the  then  west  and  finally  located  in  what 
was  at  that  time  considered  far  Indian 
territory  but  now  the  prosperous,  thickly 
populated  state  of  Illinois.  The  English 
home  of  the  Dunns  was  in  Cornwall, 
England,  that  having  been  the  family 
seat  for  centuries.  There  Robert  Dunn 
was  born,  there  he  lived,  married  Mary 
Anna  Rowe,  and  there  they  died  in  the 
parish  of  Saint  Austell. 

Charles  Bullen  Dunn  was  born  in  the 
parish  of  Saint  Austell,  Cornwall,  Eng- 
land, June  14.  1837,  son  of  Robert  and 
Mary  Anna  (Rowe)  Dunn.  He  attended 
the  primar}^  and  grammar  schools  of  his 
native  parish  until  sixteen  years  of  age, 
then  in  May,  1853,  came  to  the  United 
States,  finding  a  strong  friend  with  a 
hearty  welcome  in  the  person  of  his 
cousin,  John  Grigg,  founder  of  the  busi- 
ness now  conducted  by  the  J.  B.  Lippin- 
cott  Company.  After  several  years  Mr. 
Grigg  disposed  of  his  business  interests 
and  established  a  private  bank  at  No.  226 
Walnut  street,  Philadelphia,  which  he 
conducted  until  his  death  in  1865.  Mr. 
Dunn  was  associated  with  him  as  a  clerk 
in  his  banking  house  and  later  was  made 
cashier  of  the  private  bank.  After  the 
death  of  John  Grigg  Mr.  Dunn  managed 
his  estate,  the  estate  of  his  son,  John  W. 

I 


Grigg,  and  bank,  until  satisfactory  settle- 
ment was  made,  then,  in  association  with 
his  brothers,  Joseph,  Henry  and  Robert 
N.  Dunn,  founded  the  private  banking 
house  of  Dunn  Brothers,  New  York  and 
Philadelphia,  of  which  house  Charles  B. 
Dunn  is  yet  the  senior  member.  The 
present  members  of  the  firm  are  Charles 
B.,  George  G.  and  Robert  R  .  Dunn,  their 
present  location  No.  278  Drexel  Building. 
In  1908  Charles  B.  Dunn  was  elected 
president  of  the  Independence  Trust 
Company,  and  in  1913  was  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  West  End  Trust  Company, 
his  long  years  of  experience  in  banking 
and  his  wise  executive  ability  peculiarly 
fitting  him  for  so  important  a  post.  After 
one-half  of  a  century  of  active  work  as 
a  banker,  Mr.  Dunn  has  in  a  measure 
surrendered  business  cares,  almost  en- 
tirely so,  as  a  member  of  Dunn  Brothers, 
but  still  retains  his  position  as  president 
and  efficiently  directs  the  affairs  of  the 
West  End  Trust  Company,  is  a  director 
of  the  National  Bank  of  the  Northern 
Liberties,  a  director  of  the  Edgemore 
Iron  Company,  and  chairman  of  the 
finance  committee  and  director  of  the 
Midvale  Steel  Company. 

In  political  faith  Mr.  Dunn  may  be 
styled  a  Democrat,  but  he  is  thoroughly 
independent  in  political  action.  For  forty 
years  he  has  been  a  warden  of  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  church,  and  is  deeply 
interested  in  parish  work.  He  is  ex- 
tremely fond  of  travel,  and  in  his  journey- 
ings  has  traversed  thoroughly  both  the 
United  States  and  Europe.  In  his  younger 
days  he  was  a  devotee  of  all  manly  out- 
of-door  sports,  and  yet  retains  a  fondness 
for  rod  and  line.  He  is  also  fond  of  his- 
torical and  illustrated  works,  his  library 
and  collections  being  to  him  a  source  of 
great  pleasure.  He  has  not  repressed  the 
finer  side  of  his  nature,  although  a  thor- 
ough man  of  business,  and  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  earning  has  also  cultivated  the 
748 


C^^^^C..^^^^  '7^^    '^t^.^.JyKX- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


even  higher  art  of  judicious  distribution 
of  his  means. 

Mr.  Dunn  married  (first)  Margaret 
Hall  Garrett,  daughter  of  George  L.  Gar- 
rett, in  1865.  He  married  (second)  June 
17,  1914,  Helen  Josephine  Baker,  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  Joseph  W.  Baker,  of 
Philadelphia.  Children  by  first  mar- 
riage :  George  Garrett,  member  of  Dunn 
Brothers,  bankers  and  brokers ;  Robert 
Rowe,  also  a  member  of  Dunn  Brothers ; 
John  Warner  Grigg,  of  St.  Paul,  Minne- 
sota ;  Margaret  Hall,  married  A.  E.  Outer- 
bridge  ;  Charles  Henry,  of  San  Francisco, 
California.  Mr.  Dunn's  residence  is 
"Edgecombe,"  Norwood  avenue,  Chest- 
nut Hill,  Pennsylvania. 


Mcknight,  Charles, 

Prominent   Jonrnalist   and   Author. 

Among  the  prominent  journalists  of  the 
State  of  Pennsylvania  vi^as  the  late 
Charles  McKnight,  of  Pittsburgh.  His 
father,  William  McKnight,  vv^as  of 
Scotch-Irish  extraction,  and  his  name 
occurs  among  those  of  the  earliest  mer- 
chants of  Pittsburgh.  He  married  Kather- 
ine  McClurg,  daughter  of  Alexander  Mc- 
Clurg,  and  they  w^ere  the  parents  of 
eight  sons:  William,  Joseph,  James, 
Henry,  George,  Robert,  Charles,  and  Ed- 
virard.  William  McKnight  died  in  Pitts- 
burgh, leaving  an  honorable  record  as  a 
prominent  merchant  and  an  influential 
citizen. 

Charles  McKnight,  son  of  William  and 
Katherine  (McClurg)  McKnight,  was 
born  in  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  Sep- 
tember 4,  1826,  and  graduated  from 
Princeton  University.  For  a  short  time 
thereafter  he  pursued  the  study  of  law, 
and  then  spent  two  years  in  European 
travel.  On  his  return  he  engaged  in  the 
iron  business  with  one  of  his  brothers, 
but  following  his  natural  bent  soon  be- 
came editor  and  proprietor  of  "The 
Chronicle,"   an    evening   paper,   bringing 


this  publication  to  a  very  flourishing  con- 
dition. At  the  time  of  the  capture  of 
Richmond  he  disposed  of  his  interests  in 
its  management.  For  a  number  of  years 
he  was  the  publisher  of  the  "Illustrated 
People's  Monthly."  He  was  afterward 
connected  with  the  "Press"  and  "Evening 
News"  of  Philadelphia. 

Charles  McKnight  was  an  author  of 
repute.  "Old  Fort  Duquesne,"  written  for 
the  journal  of  .which  he  was  the  pub- 
lisher and  appearing  in  its  columns  in 
1873,  attracted  widespread  attention  both 
in  this  country  and  across  the  ocean.  In 
July,  1874,  it  was  issued  by  Baron  Bern- 
hard  Tauchnitz,  the  famous  publisher  of 
Leipsic,  and  in  the  following  September 
was  brought  out  by  the  well  known  firm 
of  Warne  &  Company,  of  London.  The 
historical  romance,  entitled  "Simon 
Girty,"  and  the  collection  of  local  history 
called  "Our  Western  Border,"  were  also 
from  the  pen  of  Mr.  McKnight,  as  well 
as  other  historical  novels  published 
serially. 

Mr.  McKnight  married,  in  1857,  Jeanie, 
daughter  of  Judge  Thomas  H.  and  Nancy 
(McCullough)  Baird,  of  Washington 
county.  Pennsylvania,  and  their  children 
were  :  Thomas  Harlan  Baird  ;  Charles  ; 
Mary  Baird,  who  married  Edward  O. 
Robinson ;  Eliza  and  Francis  Herron. 
Mrs.  Charles  McKnight  was  born  Janu- 
ary 12,  1834,  and  her  death  occurred  De- 
cember I,  1897. 

The  death  of  Charles  McKnight  oc- 
curred January  22,  1881.  He  was  a  man 
admirable  in  every  relation  of  life,  and  of 
mental  endowments  of  a  high  order,  with 
a  peculiarly  simple  and  genial  nature. 


Mcknight,  Thomas  H.  B., 

Prominent  Railxtray   Official. 

Among  the  prominent  railway  officials 
of   Pittsburgh    is   Thomas   Harlan    Baird 
McKnight.  treasurer  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Lines  West  of  Pittsburgh. 
749 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Thomas  Harlan  Baird,  son  of  the  late 
Charles  and  Jeanie  (Baird)  McKnight, 
was  born  November  15,  1859,  in  Pitts- 
burgh, Pennsylvania,  and  received  his 
preparatory  education  in  various  private 
schools.  In  1873  he  matriculated  at  the 
preparatory  department  of  the  Western 
University  of  Pennsylvania  (now  the 
University  of  Pittsburgh),  and  finished 
his  freshman  year. 

On  May  31,  1877,  Mr.  McKnight  enter- 
ed the  railway  service  as  messenger  in 
the  office  of  the  second  vice-president 
and  treasurer  of  the  Pennsylvania  Lines 
West  of  Pittsburgh,  and  since  then  has 
been  uninterruptedly  connected  with 
that  great  railroad  which,  of  all  those 
entering  Pittsburgh,  is  the  largest  and 
most  firmly  established.  He  steadily 
advanced  and  on  May  i,  1891.  he  suc- 
ceeded to  the  office  of  treasurer.  Mr.  Mc- 
Knight has  been  for  many  years  one  of 
the  trustees  of  the  University  of  Pitts- 
burgh. 

Mr.  McKnight  married,  April  17,  1900, 
Martha  Harding,  daughter  of  Benjamin 
and  Ellen  Frances  Boardman  Bakewell, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  two  children : 
Thomas  Harlan  and  Leila  Laughlin.  The 
home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McKnight  is  at 
Sewickley,  Pennsylvania. 


HAND,  David  B.,  M.  D., 

Physician,  Enterprising  Business  Man. 

There  is  an  inspiration  to  future  gener- 
ations in  the  recital  of  the  life  of  anyone 
who  has  attained  a  position  of  promi- 
nence in  his  chosen  field  of  endeavor. 
This  is  the  case  with  Dr.  David  B.  Hand, 
of  Scranton,  Pennsylvania,  an  eminent 
and  representative  physician  who,  while 
most  interesting  in  his  own  person,  also 
has  an  ancestry  on  both  paternal  and  ma- 
ternal sides  which  is  worthy  of  more  than 
mere  passing  mention. 

I 


The  ancestors  on  the  paternal  side 
came  from  England  in  the  early  part  of 
the  seventeenth  century,  settling  in  Con- 
necticut and  Rhode  Island.  Stephen 
Hand,  great-grandfather  of  Dr.  Hand, 
was  born  in  New  Jersey,  and  became  the 
father  of  twenty  children. 

Nathan  Hand,  son  of  Stephen  Hand, 
was  born  in  Morris  county,  New  Jersey, 
November  13,  1781,  and  died  in  Sussex 
county,  New  Jersey,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
four  years,  as  the  result  of  a  fall  from  a 
load  of  hay.  He  married  Margaret  Cran- 
delmeyer,  who  was  born  in  Germany, 
was  brought  to  New  Jersey  at  the  age  of 
five  years,  and  died  at  Damascus,  Wayne 
county,  Pennsylvania,  aged  eighty-seven, 
at  the  home  of  her  son  Nathan,  who  is 
living  at  the  age  of  ninety-eight  years. 
Her  father  died  at  the  age  of  one  hundred 
and  three  years. 

Robert  Hand,  son  of  Nathan  and  Mar- 
garet (Crandelmeyer)  Hand,  was  born  in 
Wantage,  Sussex  county.  New  Jersey, 
November  26,  1806.  and  died  in  1854.  In 
1831  he  removed  to  Hawley,  Pennsyl- 
vania, then  a  wilderness  with  but  four  or 
five  houses,  and  purchased  one  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  of  valuable  timber  land, 
cleared  fifty  acres,  and  erected  a  large 
dwelling.  He  then  engaged  extensively 
in  lumbering,  owning  vast  tracts  of 
timber  land,  then  of  little  value.  The 
logs  were  rafted  down  the  Lackawaxen 
and  Delaware  rivers  to  mills  below. 
Later  he  erected  saw  mills,  prospering  in 
all  his  undertakings.  His  death  was  the 
result  of  fever  contracted  from  exposure 
during  a  freshet,  he  being  away  from 
home  at  the  time.  He  married,  in  New 
Milford,  New  Jersey,  in  1827,  Susan 
Goble,  who  bore  him  the  following 
named  children:  i.  Nathan  G.,  died  in  a 
Philadelphia  hospital  from  a  disease  con- 
tracted in  the  army.  2.  Charles  F.,  an 
engineer,    died    at    the    Wayne    county, 

750 


^^cu^^c/  ^94^^/^,\, 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Pennsylvania,  homestead,  at  the  age  of 
thirty-three  years.  3.  Elizabeth  L.,  mar- 
ried Dr.  H.  B.  Stephen,  and  after  becom- 
ing a  widow  she  became  noted  as  an 
evangelist  and  worker  in  the  Women's 
Christian  Temperance  Union,  being 
president  of  the  county  unions.  State  su- 
perintendent of  Mothers'  Work,  and 
State  organizer.  4.  Melissa  A.,  whose 
first  husband.  Nelson  Wilber,  died  from 
wounds  received  in  battle  while  serving 
in  the  Union  army.  5.  William  J.,  served 
as  a  member  of  Company  B,  Third  Regi- 
ment Pennsylvania  Reserve  Corps, 
fought  in  thirteen  battles,  was  twice 
wounded,  and  at  Gaines  Mills,  June  27, 
1862,  was  taken  prisoner.  6.  David  B., 
of  further  mention.  7.  Sarah  A.,  aged  four 
years  when  her  father  died ;  commenced 
teaching  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  and 
continued  until  she  was  thirty ;  she 
labored  in  all  the  departments  of  Wo- 
men's Christian  Temperance  Union  work, 
and  contributed  largely  to  the  educational 
work  of  that  association  of  devoted 
women;  she  married.  May  18,  1880,  Jona- 
than Brown,  of  Lake  Ariel,  Pennsylvania. 
The  progenitor  of  the  family  in  Amer- 
ica on  the  maternal  side  was  Stephen 
Roy,  great-grandfather  of  Dr.  Hand,  who 
at  the  time  of  the  great  persecutions  in 
Scotland  migrated  to  America,  settling  at 
Valley  Forge,  Pennsylvania.  He  became 
a  wealthy  landowner  there,  and  during 
the  winter  that  Washington's  army  was 
quartered  at  Valley  Forge  he  almost  im- 
poverished himself  in  his  efforts  to  relieve 
their  suiiferings.  In  later  years,  when 
ofTered  remuneration  by  the  government, 
he  refused  to  accept  it,  saying:  "My 
country's  freedom  is  my  reward."  A 
daughter  of  Stephen  Roy  became  the  wife 
of  Nathan  Goble,  born  in  Sussex  county. 
New  Jersey,  where  he  was  a  farmer  and 
stockman,  and  of  this  union  a  daughter 


Susan   was  born,   who  became   the   wife 
of  Robert  Hand,  mentioned  above. 

Mrs.  Susan  (Goble)  Hand  was  a 
granddaughter  of  Francis  Price,  who 
served  as  judge  of  Sussex  county.  New 
Jersey,  for  a  period  of  thirty-two  years, 
and  she  was  a  niece  of  Governor  Price  of 
New  Jersey.  She  was  a  remarkable 
woman — remarkable  for  her  mental 
strength,  noble  traits  of  character,  loving 
and  lovable  disposition,  and  true  charity. 
Quoting  from  a  lifelong  friend  and 
neighbor  biographer  under  the  caption 
"Life  of  a  Truly  Great  Woman:" 

How  much  may  be  bound  up  in  the  life  of  a 
human  being  cannot  be  measured  or  appreciated. 
Influence  can  be  traced  for  ages,  but  who  shall 
drive  the  golden  nail  and  say  "Here  influence 
stops."  We  are  constrained  to  this  remark  when 
considering  the  life  and  works  of  Mrs.  Susan 
Hand,  of  Hawley,  Wayne  county,  Pennsylvania. 
Mrs.  Susan  Hand's  birthplace  was  in  Sussex 
county.  New  Jersey.  Through  her  veins  flowed 
Scottish  and  French  blood,  and  the  history  of  her 
ancestors  would  sound  like  a  page  of  romance 
from  a  master's  hand.  It  would  give  a  glimpse 
at  a  picture  of  contentment  amid  the  streams  and 
hills  of  "Bonnie  Scotland."  Then  a  scene  of  per- 
secution would  appear,  culminating  in  a  flight  for 
life  from  Scotland  to  the  wilds  of  America. 
Then,  as  time  passed  on,  we  would  catch  a 
glimpse  of  Valley  Forge,  with  its  suffering  and 
starving  patriots.  We  would  see  her  grandfather 
impoverishing  himself,  spending  nearly  his  entire 
fortune  in  furnishing  food  aiid  comfort  to  those 
who  suffered  so  awfully  in  that  memorable  epoch 
of  the  American  Revolution.  We  would  hear 
the  noble  old  patriot  say  proudly  at  the  close  of 
the  war,  when  offered  pay  for  what  he  had  done, 
"My  country's  freedom  is  sufTicient  pay."  Would 
that  there  were  more  such  spirit  in  these  days  of 
selfishness  and  political  dishonesty. 

Mrs.  Susan  Hand  died,  September  17, 
1891,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years. 

Dr.  David  B.  Hand,  youngest  son  of 
Robert  and  Susan  (Goble)  Hand,  was 
born  in  Hawley,  Wayne  county,  Penn- 
sylvania,  March   31,   1848.     He  obtained 

751 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


a  good,  public  school  education,  and  until 
he  was  sixteen  years  of  age  worked  on 
the  home  farm,  where  he  was  for  a  time 
his  mother's  sole  assistant.  He  then  be- 
gan the  study  of  medicine,  impelled  there- 
to as  artists  to  paint  or  musicians  to 
sing,  and  at  once  entered  the  office  of  Dr. 
George  B.  Curtis,  who  was  pleased  to 
say  that  he  had  a  better  knowledge  of 
anatomy  and  physiology  than  half  the 
doctors.  He  matriculated  later  in  the 
Medical  Department  of  the  University 
of  the  City  of  New  York,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1868,  but 
being  only  twenty  years  of  age  the  col- 
lege would  not  grant  him  his  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Medicine  until  he  had  attained 
his  majority.  He,  however,  began  his 
practice,  locating  at  South  Canaan, 
Wayne  county,  Pennsylvania,  remained 
there  three  years  and  a  half,  and  there 
laid  the  foundation  of  his  reputation  as 
one  of  the  most  skillful  of  physicians.  He 
then  located  at  Carbondale,  where  he 
continued  in  successful  practice  for  a 
period  of  seven  years.  Overwork  now 
told  on  his  health,  and  he  was  obliged 
to  abandon  his  professional  labors  for  a 
time.  He  sold  his  practice  and  for  sev- 
eral months  traveled  in  California  and 
other  western  States,  and  upon  his  return 
to  Pennsylvania,  settled  at  Columbia, 
Pennsylvania.  But  he  loved  the  moun- 
tains and  valleys  of  the  coal  regions,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1880  he  came  to  Scranton, 
and  there  purchased  the  practice  of  Dr. 
Horace  Ladd,  one  of  the  oldest  physi- 
cians of  the  city,  who  moved  to  Phila- 
delphia, Dr.  Hand  succeeding  to  his  prac- 
tice. 

Dr.  Hand's  practice  was  always  large 
and  lucrative  and  during  the  long  years 
of  it  he  was  brought  into  contact  with 
all  forms  of  disease.  His  knowledge, 
skill,  experience  and  successful  treatment 
of   baffling   and    intricate    cases   brought 

I 


him,  into  prominence  in  his  profession, 
while  in  his  especial  field  of  diseases  of 
children  he  stood  unrivaled.  He  loved 
children,  and  perhaps  no  physician  ever 
labored  more  earnestly  or  efifectively  in 
their  behalf.  So,  also,  he  loved  nature, 
animals  and  the  soil.  In  gratification  of 
this  craving  for  nature  and  her  works, 
he  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
acres  at  Waverly,  and  there  reveled  in 
fine  stock  and  a  model  dairy.  He  began 
operations  on  the  farm  by  thoroughly 
draining  it,  using  eleven  miles  of  tiling. 
In  stocking  it,  he  moved  cautiously, 
making  careful  study  of  the  diflferent 
strains,  finally  deciding  on  Holstein.  He 
purchased  only  registered  cows,  most  of 
his  herd  being  found  in  the  "Advanced 
Registry."  His  young  Holstein  bull, 
"King  Pontiac,"  the  finest  bred  bull  per- 
haps in  the  world,  he  purchased  when  six 
weeks  old  at  a  cost  of  three  thousand 
dollars,  his  neighbors  considering  him 
mad  to  pay  such  a  price  for  so  young  an 
animal.  Dr.  Hand  and  "King  Pontiac" 
were  familiar  sights  at  the  Lackawanna 
County  Fair,  where  the  latter  was  ex- 
hibited with  great  pride  by  his  owner. 
The  milk  from  his  herd,  about  five  hun- 
dred quarts  daily,  was  sold  to  dairies, 
about  one-third  of  it  bottled,  especially 
prepared  for  babies.  The  farm  was  Dr. 
Hand's  greatest  enjoyment,  and  on  it  he 
adopted  every  modern  adjunct  to  suc- 
cessful dairy  farming.  His  name  is  a 
familiar  one  all  over  the  United  States 
and  Canada  from  his  long  connection 
with  remedies,  which  he  placed  upon  the 
market  for  the  alleviation  of  suflFering 
and  the  cure  of  infants'  troubles.  Early 
in  his  professional  career  he  discovered 
that  he  was  very  successful  in  treating 
the  diseases  of  children.  He  found  cer- 
tain remedies  very  effective,  and  for  years 
he  labored  to  secure  just  the  proper  ingred- 
ients   and    proportions,    then    resigning 

752 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


from  the  medical  societies  to  which  he 
belonged,  he  placed  these  remedies  on 
the  market  under  the  name  of  "Dr. 
Hand's  Remedies  for  Children."  These 
covered  the  various  diseases  of  the  little 
ones  and  have  always  had  a  large  sale. 

In  the  business  world  Dr.  Hand  holds 
a  high  position.  He  has  aided  largely  in 
the  development  of  Scranton  along  in- 
dustrial lines,  and  holds  official  relations 
with  eighteen  corporations  of  importance, 
among  them  being  the  Peck  Lumber 
Manufacturing  Company,  and  the  Miss- 
issippi Central  Railroad  Company,  in 
both  of  which  he  is  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors,  and  he  is  a  director 
and  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Lack- 
awanna Lumber  Company,  which  was 
merged  into  the  Newman,  and  finally  into 
the  United  States  Lumber  Company.  In 
political  faith  he  is  a  Republican,  and  has 
served  Scranton  as  a  member  of  the 
town  council.  He  is  also  prominent  in 
the  fraternal  world,  being  affiliated  with 
the  following  bodies :  Union  Lodge, 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of  which  he 
was  past  master ;  Lackawanna  Chapter, 
Royal  Arch  Masons;  Coeur  de  Lion  Com- 
mandery,  Knights  Templar ;  Irem 
Temple,  Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles 
of  the  Mystic  Shrine ;  to  all  bodies  of 
Keystone  Consistory,  Ancient  Accepted 
Scottish  Rite,  Thirty-second  degree  ;  and 
to  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order 
of  Elks.  He  was  the  first  to  place  his 
name  on  the  subscription  list  for  the  erec- 
tion of  the  Board  of  Trade  building  of 
Scranton,  and  it  was  in  his  office  that  the 
plans  for  this  structure  were  perfected. 

Dr.  Hand  married  (first)  in  1870,  Sarah 
T.  Cromwell,  born  May  2,  1851,  died  in 
1903,  daughter  of  James  Cromwell,  and 
granddaughter  of  Oliver  Cromwell,  who 
settled  in  Canterbury,  near  Newburgh, 
New  York.  She  was  an  earnest  temper- 
ance   worker,    president    of    the     Lacka- 


wanna County  Women's  Christian  Tem- 
perance Union,  and  a  devoted  worker  in 
the  interests  of  the  Alethodist  Episcopal 
Church.  He  married  (second)  Charlotte 
A.  Wilcox,  of  Carbondale,  Pennsylvania, 
daughter  of  Joseph  N.  and  Adaline  (Mar- 
shall) Wilcox,  the  latter  a  native  of  Car- 
bondale. Joseph  N.  Wilcox,  who  was  a 
naturally  gifted  mathematician,  came  to 
this  country  from  England  in  1874  and 
settled  in  Carbondale ;  he  was  a  direct 
descendant  in  his  maternal  line  from  the 
celebrated  Sir  Isaac  Newton.  Children 
of  Dr.  Hand,  all  by  the  first  marriage : 
I.  Mary  Isabella,  died  at  Columbia,  Penn- 
sylvania, at  the  age  of  six  years.  2.  Fred 
Cromwell,  born  June  26,  1876;  was  edu- 
cated at  the  Lawrenceville  Preparatory 
School  and  at  Cayuga  Lake  Military 
Academy,  being  graduated  from,  the  latter 
with  the  rank  of  captain.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Pi  Phi  Society;  Peter  Williamson 
Lodge,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons ;  Lack- 
awanna Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons; 
Melita  Commandery,  Knights  Templar; 
Rotary  Club.  He  is  associated  in  busi- 
ness with  his  father,  and  is  the  owner  of 
a  large  amount  of  real  estate.  His 
religious  membership  is  with  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church,  and  he  is  treas- 
urer of  the  Elm  Park  Bible  class.  He 
married,  March  14,  191 1.  Elizabeth  Whit- 
aker,  and  has  two  daughters:  Doris  and 
Eunice.  3.  Elizabeth,  married  (first) 
Stephen  F.  Dunn,  deceased,  of  Battle 
Creek,  Michigan ;  married  (second)  Rus- 
sell H.  Dean,  of  Scranton.  Children  by 
first  marriage:  David  Hand,  and  Ste- 
phen F.  Jr.  Child  of  the  second  mar- 
riage :  Goble  Davis  Dean.  4.  Howard, 
who  died  May  2,  1910,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-six  years,  was  paying  teller  in  the 
National  Bank  of  Commerce,  at  Hatties- 
burg,  Mississippi.  As  Dr.  Hand  sprang 
from,  honored  sires,  he  in  turn  trans- 
mitted  to  his  posterity   the   record  of  a 

753 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


life  spent  largely  in  the  service  of  human- 
ity, and  one  that  from  the  time  when,  as 
a  boy  of  thirteen  years,  he  stood  by  his 
beloved  mother's  side,  her  strong  sup- 
port to  the  end  of  her  life,  never  knew 
one  dull,  unprofitable  hour. 


WOELFEL,  Herbert  Elmer. 

Physician,   Hospital   Official. 

Among  the  younger  physicians  in 
Pittsburgh  is  Dr.  Herbert  Elmer  Woel- 
fel.  The  original  home  of  the  Woelfels 
was  in  Switzerland  whence  they  migrated 
to  the  Palatinate  of  Rhine-Bavaria,  set- 
tling in  Schweigen,  Germany,  near  the 
French  frontier.  At  the  time  of  the 
French  revolution  a  Woelfel  was  mayor 
of  Schweigen,  and  being  persecuted  on 
account  of  his  religion,  which  was  the 
Roman  Catholic,  once  saved  his  life  by 
seeking  a  hiding-place  in  a  bale  of  hay. 

The  name  Woelfel  means  "Little 
Wolf,"  and  was  originally  spelled  Wolfl, 
having  the  two  dots  over  the  6.  The 
Woelfel  arms  are  :  Arms — Quarterly. 
First  argent,  a  wolf  passant,  proper.  Sec- 
ond and  third,  gules,  a  mailed  arm  and 
hand  holding  a  dagger,  or.  Fourth, 
azure,  a  castle  argent.  In  chief  three 
mullets  or.  Crest — A  demi-wolf  rampant 
sable. 

Frederick  Woelfel,  son  of  Lorenz 
Woelfel  and  father  of  Herbert  Elmer 
Woelfel,  was  a  tanner  of  the  firm  of  Woel- 
fel &  Linke,  and  for  years  occupied 
a  conspicuous  position  in  the  business 
circles  of  old  Allegheny  City,  now  North 
Side,  Pittsburgh.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Republican.  Mr.  Woelfel  married  Eliza- 
beth Kleinman,  daughter  of  Herbert  and 
Eliza  (Holthouse)  Kleinman,  and  died 
November  21,  1898,  leaving  three  chil- 
dren :  Emma  L.,  unmarried ;  Elsie  E., 
unmarried ;  Herbert  Elmer,  mentioned 
below. 

Herbert   Elmer,  son  of   Frederick  and 


Elizabeth  (Kleinman)  Woelfel,  was  born 
July  22,  1882,  in  Allegheny  City,  now 
North  Side,  Pittsburgh,  and  received  his 
preparatory  education  in  schools  of  his 
birthplace,  afterward  studying  at  the 
Susquehanna  University,  then  at  the 
Park  Institute,  and  then  entering  the 
Western  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
now  the  University  of  Pittsburgh.  From 
this  institution  he  graduated  in  1904  with 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science.  Hav- 
ing chosen  his  profession,  he  was  pre- 
pared for  its  practice  in  the  medical  de- 
partment of  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, graduating  in  1908  with  the  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Medicine. 

After  one  year  of  post-graduate  work  at 
the  New  York  Post-Graduate  College, 
Dr.  Woelfel  gave  two  years  to  general 
practice  in  Bellevue.  Pennsylvania,  and 
then  went  abroad  for  further  post-gradu- 
ate work.  He  spent  eighteen  months  in 
Vienna  and  Berlin,  devoting  himself  to 
the  study  of  children's  diseases,  with  the 
intention  of  specializing  in  that  depart- 
ment of  his  profession.  On  his  return  to 
Pittsburgh  he  carried  out  his  purpose  and 
has  since  practiced  as  a  specialist  in  the 
diseases  of  children.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  staff  of  Bellevue  Suburban  Hospital, 
and  belongs  to  the  American  Medical  As- 
sociation, the  Pennsylvania  State  Medical 
Association  and  the  Allegheny  County 
Medical  Society.  As  a  gentleman  and  a 
physician  he  is  well  liked  both  within  and 
without  the  pale  of  his  profession. 

Politically  Dr.  Woelfel  is  an  Independ- 
ent. He  affiliates  with  Allegheny  Lodge, 
No.  223,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and 
is  a  member  of  Trinity  Lutheran  Church. 


COLEMAN,  Columbus, 

Enterprising  Citizen. 

In  every  city  there  are  some  men  who 
never  speak  of  the  work  they  are  doing, 
nor  think  of  the  benefit  they  are  giving 


1754 


,.'-?^--<A^^i-t:.---2--^?-^-^z:.--'fc--<Lv' 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


others  through  their  labors  and  example ; 
they  leave  us  no  record  of  themselves 
save  that  of  work  well  done.  Such  men 
go  quietly  and  thoughtfully  about  their 
business,  giving  the  necessary  time  and 
thought  to  each  individual  task  just  as 
that  task  presents  itself,  looking  not  for 
the  fame  that  the  future  may  bring,  seek- 
ing only  to  perfect  the  work  of  the  pres- 
ent. Columbus  Coleman  was  one  of  these 
quiet  unassuming  workers. 

Thomas  Coleman,  the  father  of  Colum- 
bus Coleman,  was  born  in  England,  and 
married,  in  the  city  of  London,  ]\Iiss 
Margaret  Woolsey.  He  and  his  wife 
emigrated  to  the  New  World,  making 
their  home  in  Washington,  D.  C,  where 
Thomas  Coleman  ran  a  large  bakery,  the 
only  one  in  the  city  at  that  time. 

Columbus  Coleman  was  born  March  i, 
1820,  in  Washington,  D.  C.  The  boy 
■helped  his  father  about  the  bakery  until 
he  was  twelve  years  old,  at  which  time 
the  father  died,  his  mother  having  died 
seven  years  previous,  leaving  their  chil- 
dren upon  their  own  resources.  Accord- 
ingly, in  the  year  1832,  Columbus  Cole- 
man and  an  elder  brother  William,  came 
to  try  their  fortunes  in  Pittsburgh,  the 
two  lads  making  the  journey  from  Wash- 
ington to  Pittsburgh  on  foot.  After  some 
time  spent  in  various  pursuits  Mr.  Cole- 
man went  into  the  contracting  business 
and  built  some  of  the  most  beautiful  and 
prominent  buildings  of  his  day.  Some 
of  the  monuments  to  his  skill  were  the 
Odd  Fellows  Hall,  afterwards  the  Pitts- 
burgh Opera  House,  the  old  City  Hall, 
the  old  Masonic  Hall,  and  the  Excelsior 
Hall  of  Allegheny.  For  some  time  Mr. 
Coleman  was  the  owner  and  operator  of 
the  Duquesne  Wagon  Works  of  Alle- 
gheny, Pennsylvania.  From  1864-65  he 
spent  his  time  in  manufacturing  wagons 
for  the  government,  and  at  the  end  of  the 
year  he  sent  the  finished  wagons  down 


the  Ohio  river  to  New  Orleans.  But  the 
wagons  never  reached  their  destination, 
for  they  were  captured  by  the  Rebels  be- 
fore they  had  made  one-half  their  jour- 
ney ;  this  act  of  the  Confederates  resulted 
in  a  complete  loss  to  Mr.  Coleman.  Mr. 
Coleman  with  his  brother  William  be- 
came interested  in  coal  lands  in  West- 
moreland county,  which  they  operated 
together  for  some  years  very  successfully 
under  Mr.  Coleman's  personal  super- 
vision. 

Some  years  previous  to  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Civil  W^ar  Mr.  Coleman  en- 
gaged extensively  in  the  manufacture  of 
wagons  of  every  grade,  but  principally 
farm  wagons  and  wheelbarrows,  sending 
a  large  cargo  by  flatboat  down  the  Ohio 
and  Alississippi  rivers  once  each  year, 
selling  to  farmers  and  planters  along  the 
way.  and  shipping  to  dealers  in  the  prin- 
cipal cities  of  the  South.  At  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Civil  War  he  lost  quite  heavily 
because  of  the  confiscation  by  the  Con- 
federacy of  a  cargo  then  in  transit  and 
by  the  failure  of  his  customers  in  the 
South  to  meet  their  obligations. 

After  the  death  of  his  brother  William, 
Mr.  Columbus  Coleman  became  manager 
for  the  family  of  his  real  estate  holdings 
and  in  that  capacity  was  president  of  the 
Pittsburgh  Opera  House,  which  was  a 
part  of  that  estate.  The  success  of  Pitts- 
burgh's first  exposition,  1875-76,  of  which 
he  was  at  one  time  president  was  made 
possible  largely  through  Mr.  Coleman's 
energy  and  money.  He  gave  not  only  of 
his  time,  energy  and  skill  in  the  erection 
and  equipment  of  the  buildings  but  the 
money  to  pay  for  the  same  and  for  which 
he  was  never  fully  reimbursed,  sustain- 
ing thereby  a  heavy  financial  loss  from 
which  he  never  fully  recovered.  At  one 
time  Mr.  Coleman  and  his  brother  Wil- 
liam, bought  some  coal  lands  in  West- 
moreland county,  which  turned  out  to  be 


1755 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


most  profitable.  After  some  years  of  very 
successful  work  in  these  coal  lands  Mr. 
Coleman  and  his  brother  separated,  each 
going  into  business  for  himself.  After  he 
and  his  brother  dissolved  partnership, 
Mr.  Coleman  became  president  of  the 
Opera  House  Company,  and  managed  the 
affairs  of  the  William  Coleman  estate  for 
a  number  of  years. 

Columbus  Coleman  married  (first) 
Elizabeth  Ray,  of  Allegheny,  and  they 
w^ere  the  parents  of  the  followring  chil- 
dren :  Elizabeth,  novir  the  w^ife  of  James 
Johnson,  of  Squirrel  Hill  District,  Pitts- 
burgh ;  Jane  McCance,  deceased,  who  was 
the  wife  of  John  D.  Eraser,  of  Pittsburgh  ; 
and  Theodore  F.,  deceased.  Mr.  Coleman 
married  (second)  Miss  Isabella,  daughter 
of  John  and  Ann  (McMourn)  Dyer,  of 
Allegheny,  Pennsylvania.  Isabella  (Dyer) 
Coleman  was  born  at  sea,  April  30,  1832, 
while  her  parents  were  making  the  trip 
from  Belfast,  Ireland,  to  Baltimore, 
Maryland.  The  children  of  this  union 
were:  i.  Charles  Sumner,  now  of  San 
Erancisco,  California ;  he  is  unmarried.  2. 
Minerva,  now  the  wife  of  Sidney  F. 
Murphy,  who  is  connected  with  the 
People's  Savings  Bank,  Pittsburgh  ;  they 
have  five  children,  as  follows :  Isabel 
Coleman,  wife  of  Robert  L.  Sailor,  Pitts- 
burgh;  George  W.,  of  Pittsburgh,  unmar- 
ried ;  Coleman,  married,  and  lives  in 
Crafton,  Pennsylvania;  Sidney  E.  Jr. ;  and 
Margaret  Wilson,  who  married  Kenneth 
D.  McCutcheon,  of  Brookline,  Massachu- 
setts. 3.  George,  died  in  infancy.  4. 
Jessie  Forrester,  deceased.  5.  Isabelle 
Dyer,  unmarried.  6.  John  Pressly,  of 
Pittsburgh,  connected  with  the  Union 
Switch  and  Signal  Company.  7.  Sarah 
Reed,  unmarried.  8.  William  W.,  of  New 
York ;  married  Mary,  daughter  of  John 
W.  Milligan,  of  Swissvale,  Pennsylvania ; 
they  have  no  children. 

Mrs.    Isabella    (Dyer)    Coleman    is    at 


present  living  at  the  family  home  in 
Edgewood,  a  suburb  of  Pittsburgh,  Penn- 
sylvania. 

The  death  of  Columbus  Coleman  oc- 
curred suddenly  August  6,  1892,  at  his 
home  in  Edgewood,  when  he  was  seven- 
ty-two years  of  age.  Mr.  Coleman  was  a 
m,ember  of  the  First  United  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Allegheny,  of  which  the  late 
Dr.  John  T.  Pressly  was  pastor ;  and 
later  a  charter  member  of  the  Third 
United  Presbyterian  Church.  While 
living  in  Sewickley,  where  he  lived  before 
moving  to  Edgewood,  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Sewickley  Presbyterian  Church. 
Mr.  Coleman  was  a  member  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  and  ever  stood  firmly  by 
the  principles  of  that  organization.  Pie 
took  a  deep  and  kindly  interest  in  the 
schools  of  the  city  and  was  for  some  time 
a  school  director  in  the  second  ward,  Alle- 
gheny. 

Mr.  Coleman  was  a  man  who  loved  his 
home  with  the  passion  of  a  lover ;  the 
home  and  all  its  surroundings  of  flowers, 
pictures,  pets  of  all  kinds,  and  above  all, 
children,  were  the  things  rooted  deep  in 
the  innermost  parts  of  his  heart.  Always 
sympathetic  and  ready  to  help  those  in 
trouble.  He  was  a  fine  shot,  and  was  as 
gleeful  as  a  boy  when  out  on  a  hunting 
expedition. 

In  appearance  Mr.  Coleman  was  indeed 
a  handsome  and  imposing  figure.  He 
was  tall  and  well  formed,  having  large, 
intelligent,  and  kindly  black  eyes,  thick 
dark  hair,  that  in  later  life  became  quite 
grey,  giving  him  a  most  distinguished 
appearance.  Columbus  Coleman  will 
always  be  remembered  as  a  man  who  did 
his  best  in  every  situation,  endeavoring 
only  to  be  true  and  just  to  himself  and 
therefore  true  and  just  to  every  man. 
That  was  the  creed  of  his  life,  and  that  is 
the  creed  that  should  be  the  foundation 
of  every  worth-while  life. 


1756 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


GILL,  Samuel  Ekin, 

Railroad  President,  State  Official. 

Among  the  representative  business 
men  of  Pittsburgh  stands  Samuel  Ekin 
Gill,  president  of  the  Parral  &  Durango 
Railroad  Company  of  Mexico. 

John  Gill,  great-grandfather  of  Samuel 
E.  Gill,  removed  from  County  Down, 
Ireland,  w^ith  his  wife,  Jean  (Shaw)  Gill 
and  their  two  children  to  America  in 
1772,  located  in  Juniata  county,  Penn- 
sylvania. In  1790,  however,  he  came  to 
Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania,  with 
his  then  fairly  grown-up  family  of  eight 
and  settled  here.  John  Gill  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Revolutionary  War,  serving  in 
Captain  Isaac  Seeley's  company  of  the 
Fifth  Pennsylvania  Regiment,  Colonel 
Francis  Johnston.  He  died  January  9, 
1822. 

Ebenezer  Gill,  eldest  child  of  John  and 
Jean  (Shaw)  Gill,  served  an  apprentice- 
ship as  a  worker  in  iron  and  was  well- 
known  for  his  skill  at  scythe-making.  In 
1800  he  bought  the  old  homestead  located 
near  Monroeville,  and  was  thus  able  to 
turn  his  attention  to  a  work  that  really 
pleased  him.  He  married  Agnes  Mitchell, 
and  had  issue :  John,  who  married  Jane 
Bell,  and  died  in  1882,  leaving  four  chil- 
dren— John,  Margaret,  Margery  and 
Nancy ;  Mary,  who  married  Archibald 
Euwer,  and  left  four  sons — John,  Ebe- 
nezer, and  Matthew,  who  live  in  the 
Pittsburgh  district,  and  Archibald,  of 
Washington,  Iowa ;  Matthew,  who  was 
unmarried  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1856;  Samuel,  father  of  sub- 
ject; Jane,  who  married  John  Wilson, 
and  died  in  June,  1896,  leaving  one  son, 
the  Rev.  J.  T.  Wilson,  of  DeWitt,  Arkan- 
sas ;  and  William,  a  prominent  plow 
manufacturer,  who  married  Margaretta 
Stevenson,  and  died  in  1883,  leaving  two 
daughters — Carolina  (Mrs.  Thomas  John- 
ston, now  deceased),  and  Ella. 


Samuel  Gill,  son  of  Ebenezer  and 
Agnes  (Mitchell)  Gill,  in  early  manhood 
apprenticed  himself  as  a  tanner  at  Xenia, 
Ohio,  and  continued  in  this  business  for 
several  years.  He  married,  February  11, 
1830,  Miss  Rachel  Ekin.  She  was  born 
August  30,  1809,  near  Osceola,  West- 
moreland county,  Pennsylvania,  and  her 
death  occurred  at  the  home  of  her  son, 
Samuel  E.  Gill,  September  21,  1896. 
With  his  bride,  Samuel  Gill  removed  to 
the  old  homestead,  and  took  up  farming, 
and  from  then  on  was  actively  engaged 
in  this  occupation  imtil  1869,  whence  he 
removed  to  Irwin,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  died  in  Septem- 
ber, 1875.  Samuel  and  Rachel  (Ekin) 
Gill  were  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
only  five  of  whom  grew  to  maturity,  and 
of  the  latter  but  one  is  now  living, 
namely,  Samuel  E.,  subject  of  this 
biography.  William,  who  served  in  the 
Union  army  during  the  Civil  War,  con- 
tracted a  fever  and  died  January  2,  1864, 
One  daughter,  Mrs.  Martha  Cowan 
Irwin,  died  at  Manor  Station,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1878,  and  another  daughter,  Mrs. 
Mary  Jane  Byerly,  died  at  Washburn, 
Illinois,  in  1881. 

Samuel  Ekin  Gill,  son  of  Samuel  and 
Rachel  (Ekin)  Gill,  was  born  in  Alle- 
gheny county,  Pennsylvania,  April  23, 
1846.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  the  county  and  at  the  Turtle 
Creek  and  Murraysville  Academies. 
While  attending  school  at  Murraysville  in 
1863,  he  enlisted  in  Company  K,  Fifty- 
fourth  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volunteer 
Emergency  Troops,  serving  till  the  regi- 
ment was  discharged  in  September.  This 
regiment  was  sworn  into  the  United 
States  service  during  the  Morgan  raid, 
and  participated  in  the  capture  of  Gen- 
eral Morgan  and  the  remnant  of  his  com- 
mand near  Lisbon,  Ohio.  After  the  com- 
pletion of  his  studies  he  taught  school  for 

1757 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  following  four  years.  In  1866  he 
came  to  Pittsburgh  and  was  first  employ- 
ed in  the  carpet  store  of  Oliver  McClin- 
tock  &  Company.  Afterward  he  was  in 
the  auction  rooms  of  T.  A.  McClelland. 
He  then  became  bookkeeper  for  the  firm 
of  Bovard.  Rose  &  Company  for  two 
years.  With  characteristic  keenness,  Mr. 
Gill  soon  grasped  the  vital,  as  well  as  the 
small,  trade  secrets  of  the  handling  of 
interior  furnishings,  and  armed  with  this 
useful  knowledge  he  entered  the  firm  of 
Roberts.  Roenigk  &  Company,  dealers  in 
upholstery  and  bedding.  This  company 
was  afterwards  merged  into  the  firm  of 
Roenigk,  Gill  &  Company,  located  at 
Fourth  avenue  and  Smithfield  street,  with 
the  factory  and  storage  rooms  on  Federal 
street.  Mr.  Gill  was  a  member  of  this 
firm  for  fourteen  years,  and  during  this 
time  he  surprised  his  competitors  and 
delighted  his  well-wishers  by  the  manner 
in  which  he  handled  the  increasing  vol- 
ume of  business.  In  1882  he  sold  out  the 
company's  interests  and  his  own  to  the 
firm  of  A.  J.  Logan  &  Company.  He 
then  invested  in  lumber  and  became 
active  in  the  business  of  quarrying  and 
mining.  In  1884,  with  the  assistance  of 
several  other  Pittsburghers,  he  organized 
the  Hidaglo  Mining  Company  of  Parral, 
Mexico.  Mr.  Gill  was  elected  resident 
secretary  and  treasurer,  which  post  he 
held  for  thirty  years.  About  the  same 
time  he  organized  the  Knox  Rock  Blast- 
ing Company,  in  which  he  occupied  the 
position  of  secretary  and  treasurer.  In 
1898  he  and  his  associates  organized  the 
Parral  &  Durango  Railroad  Company  op- 
erating in  the  States  of  Chihuahua  &  Dur- 
ango, Mexico,  of  which  company  he  has 
been  president  since  its  first  organization. 
Although  exceedingly  busy,  Mr.  Gill 
finds  time  for  many  outside  and  varied 
interests,  and  is  a  good  example  of  the 
old  saying  that  it  is  the  busy  man  who 


always  finds  just  a  little  more  time  to 
perform  the  many  minor  obligations 
thrust  upon  him.  '  He  was  for  years  a 
member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
Masonic  Bank,  which  later  became  the 
Lincoln  National  Bank. 

In  politics  Mr.  Gill  is  a  Republican, 
but  has  never  accepted  office.  He  is  a 
member  and  elder  of  the  East  Liberty 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  no  appeal  that 
seems  just  and  right  is  made  to  him  in 
vain  on  behalf  of  those  less  fortunate 
than  himself.  As  superintendent  of  his 
church's  Sunday-school  work,  he  has 
done  much,  and  is  an  authority  on  the 
subject  of  Sunday-school  work.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Executive  Committee  of 
the  State  Sunday-school  Association  and 
chairman  of  its  Temperance  Committee. 

As  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Commis- 
sioners of  Public  Charities  of  the  Com- 
monwealth of  Pennsylvania,  Mr.  Gill  was 
first  appointed  by  Governor  Pennypacker, 
and  has  since  been  reappointed  by  suc- 
ceeding governors  to  date.  While  not 
an  active  club  man,  Mr.  Gill  is  numbered 
among  the  members  of  the  Duquesne 
Club.  Fraternally  he  is  affiliated  with  the 
Masonic  order,  is  a  member,  and  for  a 
number  of  years  was  vice-president  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Society  of  the  Sons  of 
the  American  Revolution. 

Mr.  Gill  married,  September  9,  i86g, 
Miss  Katherine,  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Sarah  (Hyndman)  Wilson,  of  Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Wilson  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  old  and  well-known  firm  of  A. 
&  S.  Wilson  Company,  builders  and  con- 
tractors. Mrs.  Gill  was  a  woman  of  rare 
personal  charm,  and  her  death,  which  oc- 
curred February  12,  1912,  robbed  a  real 
home  of  its  dearest  and  most  cherished 
possession.  Children  of  this  marriage 
are:  Bertha,  wife  of  Dr.  James  I.  John- 
son, of  Pittsburgh,  who  was  educated  in 
schools  of  Pittsburgh  and  at  the  Penn- 


1758 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


sylvania  College  for  Women  (children  of 
Dr.  James  I.  and  Bertha  Gill  Johnston ; 
Samuel  Paul,  born  August  3,  1899,  and 
John  Aletzgar,  born  November  16,  1901)  ; 
Agnes,  educated  in  Pittsburgh  and  at 
Painesville,  Ohio,  now  the  wife  of  Harry 
F.  Du  Barry,  of  Pittsburgh,  connected 
with  the  Carnegie  Steel  Company;  Dr. 
Ralph  E.,  dentist,  graduate  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania ;  Albert  G.,  edu- 
cated in  the  Pittsburgh  Academy,  at 
Washington  and  Jefferson  College,  gradu- 
ate of  the  Pittsburgh  Law  School,  now  a 
resident  of  San  Antonio,  Texas,  married 
Miss  Florence  Powell,  of  Buffalo,  New 
York,  and  has  one  child,  Samuel  Ekin. 

Samuel  Ekin  Gill  belongs  to  that  group 
of  men  that  Pittsburgh  is  proud  to  claim. 
He  is  a  keen,  clever  business  man  and  a 
Christian  gentleman.  It  is  to  such  men 
as  he  that  progress  owes  much,  for  they 
have  laid  foundations  that  shall  endure. 


SMITH,  Frederick  Crocker, 

Prominent  in   Petrolenm   Industry. 

Nicholas  Smith,  founder  of  the  Ameri- 
can branch  of  the  family,  emigrated  from 
Holland  previous  to  the  war  of  the  Revo- 
lution and  settled  in  Kaaterskill,  New 
York.  His  son,  Nicholas  (2)  Smith,  re- 
moved to  Herkimer,  in  the  Mohawk  val- 
ley, and  later  migrated  to  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Medina,  New  York. 

Hiram,  son  of  Nicholas  (2)  Smith,  was 
born  August  20,  1814,  at  Medina,  New 
York,  and  has  left  an  interesting  account 
of  his  early  home  and  the  experiences  of 
the  family  as  pioneers  in  the  western  part 
of  the  State.  Mr.  Smith  married  Lovisa  O., 
daughter  of  Clark  and  Rhoda  (Adams) 
Smith,  and  their  son,  Eugene  L.,  is  men- 
tioned below.  Clark  Smith  belonged  to 
a  family  which  had  been  long  resident  in 
Connecticut,  and  Rhoda  Adams  was  a  de- 
scendant of  Robert  Adams,  one   of  the 


early  settlers  of  Newburyport,  Massachu- 
setts. 

Eugene  L.,  only  child  of  Hiram  and 
Lovisa  O.  (Smith)  Smith,  was  born  June 
7,  1842,  at  Jamestown,  New  York,  and 
after  leaving  school  entered  upon  a  busi- 
ness career.  During  the  greater  part  of  his 
life  he  was  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits, 
first  in  his  native  place  and  subsequently 
at  Titusville,  Pennsylvania;  Jamestown, 
New  York;  Kendall  Creek  (now  East 
Bradford),  Pennsylvania;  Olean,  New 
York  ;  and  Homestead,  Pennsylvania.  All 
his  life  Mr.  Smith's  allegiance  was  given 
to  the  Republican  party,  but  he  never 
took  any  active  part  in  politics. 

Mr.  Smith  married,  October  10,  1872, 
at  Titusville,  Pennsylvania,  Josephine, 
daughter  of  Frederick  and  Hannah  B. 
(Dodge)  Crocker,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  the  following  children :  Fred- 
erick Crocker,  born  August  11,  1873,  at 
Jamestown,  New  York;  Bessie,  born 
April  20,  1878,  died  November  20,  1880; 
Josephine,  born  July  5,  1880,  died  Sep- 
tember 10,  1880;  Edward  E.,  born  Sep- 
tember 28,  1881 ;  and  Edna  Crocker,  born 
June  7,  1889,  at  Olean,  New  York.  All 
these,  with  the  exception  of  the  oldest  and 
youngest,  were  born  at  Kendall  Creek, 
Pennsylvania,  and  it  was  there  that  Bessie 
and  Josephine  died.  Edna  Crocker  Smith, 
since  graduating  with  honor  from  the 
girls'  department  of  the  Carnegie  Tech- 
nical Institute,  has  held  a  position  as 
private  secretary. 

Frederick  Crocker  Smith  is  general  su- 
perintendent of  the  Port  Arthur  plant  of 
"The  Texas  Company,  refiners  of  petro- 
leum and  its  products,"  having  previously 
filled  a  similar  position  at  the  Port  Neches 
plant  of  the  same  organization.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  American  Society  of  Me- 
chanical Engineers  and  an  inventor  of 
machinery  used  in  the  plant.  He  is  also 
active  in  the  civic  affairs  of  Port  Arthur. 

759 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Mr.  Smith  married,  July  15,  1901,  in  Dal- 
las, Texas,  Margaret  T.,  born  February 
28,  1879,  at  Olean,  New  York,  daughter 
of  James  and  Mary  Frances  (Carey) 
Hogan.  Mr.  Hogan  was  born  April  16, 
1854,  at  Olean,  New  York,  and  died  Feb- 
ruary 18,  1914,  at  Albion,  Pennsylvania. 
His  wife  was  born  January  31,  1858,  at 
Cuba,  New  York,  and  died  January  3, 
1900,  at  Olean,  New  York.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Smith  are  the  parents  of  three  children : 
Frederick  Crocker,  born  November  17, 
1903,  at  Corsicana,  Texas;  Katrina  Van 
Name,  born  August  5,  1907,  at  Port 
Neches,  Texas ;  and  Kirby,  born  August 
30,  191 1,  at  Port  Arthur,  Texas. 

Edward  E.  Smith,  after  spending  two 
years  in  Texas,  with  his  brother,  went  to 
Homestead,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  has 
held  for  the  last  ten  years  a  clerical  posi- 
tion with  the  Steel  Company.  He  is  the 
only  one  of  Frederick  Crocker's  grand- 
sons not  engaged  in  the  petroleum  in- 
dustry. 

On  July  14,  1909,  Eugene  L.  Smith 
passed  away  at  Homestead,  Pennsylvania. 


SCHOBLE,  Frank, 

Prominent   Manufactnrer. 

Mr.  Schoble,  one  of  Philadelphia's  great 
manufacturers  of  men's  fine  fur  felt  hats, 
learned  the  trade  from  the  bottom,  gradu- 
ating into  the  manufacturing  ranks  after 
long  service  as  apprentice  and  journey- 
man. He  occupies  a  unique  position  in 
the  trade,  inasmuch  as  he  does  not  force 
styles  but  closely  observes  the  trend  of 
public  taste  and  prepares  for  the  demand 
he  foresees.  He  does  not  aspire  to  be  the 
largest  manufacturer  of  hats  in  the  world, 
but  does  have  a  pride  in  Schoble  quality 
and  a  leadership  in  styles  in  men's  felt 
hats. 

Having  learned  his  trade  thoroughly  in 
all  its  branches,  Mr.  Schoble  began  in 
a   modest  way   the   business    of   making 

I 


men's  hats,  starting  with  limited  capital, 
but  with  unlimited  determination  to  win. 
His  start  was  made  with  himself  and  one 
trimmer  constituting  the  entire  factory, 
office  and  selling  force.  He  made  a  study 
of  young  men  and  their  tastes  in  hats, 
and  has  ever  specialized  in  that  line  of 
trade.  At  first  he  was  his  own  salesman, 
and  for  two  months  he  vainly  sought  an 
order.  He  finally  secured  a  trial  order 
from  Mr.  Walton,  then  in  charge  of  the 
hat  department  at  John  Wanamaker's, 
Thirteenth  and  Market  streets,  Philadel- 
phia, who  in  addition  to  the  order  gave  him 
this  word  of  encouragement:  "Schoble,  I 
wish  you  success.  Our  policy  is  to  buy 
from  Philadelphia  manufacturers,  as  our 
store  is  supported  by  Philadelphia  trade. 
I  want  to  become  your  regular  customer." 
E.  H.  Parry,  of  Tenth  and  Market  streets, 
gave  him  the  second  trial  order,  and  both 
of  these  orders  Mr.  Schoble  filled  and  de- 
livered himself.  Soon  "Schoble"  styles 
became  known  and  popular,  the  quality 
satisfied,  and  expansion  began.  The  busi- 
ness grew  gradually,  more  help  was  add- 
ed as  the  demand  for  merchandise  in- 
creased, until  now  over  seven  hundred 
hands  are  employed,  over  a  million  dollar 
business  is  transacted  yearly  with  the 
merchants  of  the  United  States  and  Can- 
ada, offices  are  maintained  in  Philadel- 
phia, New  York,  Boston  and  Chicago,  and 
foreign  agencies  have  been  established  in 
Germany,  Australia,  and  South  America. 
Schoble  hats,  retailing  at  from  three  to 
eight  dollars  each  are  sold  from  the  At- 
lantic to  the  Pacific,  comprising  all  styles, 
proportions,  and  colors,  made  of  soft  and 
stifif  materials,  all  manufactured  in  Mr. 
Schoble's  own  plant  on  Hutchinson, 
Ninth,  and  Tenth  streets,  Philadelphia. 
Many  setbacks  have  been  encountered, 
and  it  has  not  always  been  clear  sailing. 
It  took  clever  steering  to  keep  the  ship 
from  the  rocks  and  shoals,  periods  of 
business  depression  were  passed,  and 
760 


LpmiB  A?s.'nr,>il2-P^-. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


strikes  were  not  unknown.  Heavy  losses 
from  failures  of  others  increased  the  dan- 
gers of  navigation,  causing  at  times  a 
change  of  course,  all,  however,  stimulat- 
ing determination  to  reach  the  port  of 
safety.  The  business  has  been  built  along 
the  lines  of  honest  merchandise,  the  giv- 
ing of  full  values  and  the  incorporating 
of  styles  that  assist  the  retailer  in  his 
sales  to  the  trade,  on  the  principle  that 
if  the  best  service  were  given  success 
would  surely  follow.  Reticent  by  nature, 
Mr.  Schoble  never  at  any  time  sought 
publicity,  although  he  has  had  many  op- 
portunities to  step  into  the  limelight  both 
socially  and  politically,  but  has  refrained 
from  so  doing,  preferring  to  give  his  busi- 
ness undivided  attention. 

After  learning  his  trade  and  working 
for  years  with  John  B.  Stetson  and  then 
saying  good-bye  to  him,  Mr.  Schoble  bore 
to  his  new  venture  the  good  will  and  best 
wishes  of  his  only  employer,  and  until 
Mr.  Stetson's  death  they  continued  warm 
friends.  The  "hat  king"  was  never 
prouder  than  when,  in  passing  Mr. 
Schoble's  large  plant,  he  could  stop  and 
say  to  a  friend,  "There  is  one  of  my  boys," 
and  Mr.  Schoble  is  equally  proud  to  say, 
"I  am  one  of  Mr.  Stetson's  boys."  Some 
of  the  men  in  Mr.  Schoble's  employ  have 
been  with  him  for  twenty-five  years  or 
more  and  changes  in  the  force  are  seldom 
made,  a  system  of  promotion  from  the 
ranks  prevailing  throughout  the  plant. 
Apprentices  become  journeymen,  fore- 
men are  chosen  from  the  workmen,  heads 
of  departments  from  the  foremen,  and  in 
office  and  selling  force  the  same  system 
of  promotion  is  employed.  "One  big  fam- 
ily" aptly  describes  the  personnel  of  the 
Schoble  force  of  employees,  and  in  each 
member  of  this  industrial  family  the 
owner  feels  a  personal  interest.  Rising 
himself  from  the  ranks  and  knowing  from 
personal  experience  the  value  of  a  kind 
word    and    helping    hand,    he    freely    ex- 

I 


tends  both  to  all  who  show  an  ambition 
to  rise  and  a  willingness  to  strive  for  bet- 
ter things. 

Frank  Schoble  was  born  in  Hartsville, 
twenty  miles  north  of  Philadelphia,  March 
12,  1862,  son  of  Frederick  and  Mary 
Schoble.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  until  sixteen  years  of  age  re- 
mained at  home,  a  farmer  boy.  In  1878 
he  entered  the  employ  of  John  B.  Stetson, 
in  Philadelphia,  learned  the  trade  of  hat- 
making  throughout,  then,  with  the  full  ap- 
proval of  his  employer  and  with  his  kind- 
ly advice,  launched  out  into  the  stress  and 
trial  of  a  manufacturer's  life.  The  road 
was  rough  and  rugged  for  a  time,  but  by 
persistent  effort  a  foothold  was  gained, 
and  although  his  working  day  was  from 
twelve  to  sixteen  hours  in  length  and  he 
was  his  own  salesman,  his  own  designer, 
his  own  hat-maker,  and  his  own  delivery 
wagon,  he  hung  on  to  each  inch  gained 
until  he  could  breathe  freely  and  could 
feel  that  he  had  passed  the  crucial  period. 
With  his  feet  on  solid  ground  he  began 
to  plan  greater  things,  and  soon  the  ver- 
dict of  the  trade,  "Your  styles  are  good," 
so  encouraged  him.  that  these  plans  were 
carried  out.  The  slogan,  "Where  the  hat 
styles  come  from,"  was  adopted  and  is 
yet  carried  upon  firm  stationery.  There 
has  been  no  retrogression,  but  advance- 
ment until  Mr.  Schoble  stands  in  the 
front  ranks  of  Philadelphia  manufac- 
turers, his  plant  turning  out  yearly  over 
forty  thousand  dozen  hats,  none  retail- 
ing at  a  lower  price  than  three  dollars 
each.  This  result  has  been  attained  in  a 
little  over  twenty-nine  years  and  consti- 
tutes a  record  of  which  its  maker  may 
well  feel  proud.  Intelligent,  well  direct- 
ed, unremitting  effort,  has  accomplished 
the  result  it  will  always  accomplish  when 
accompanied  by  integrity  and  the  observ- 
ance of  the  sterling  business  principles 
which  have  characterized  Frank  Schoble 


761 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  all  his  relations  with  the  hat  trade. 
Individual  in  style  of  product,  fanciful  in 
shape  and  color,  in  meeting  public  taste 
he  has  not  deviated  one  jot  or  tittle  from 
the  old  landmarks  that  constitute  the  bul- 
warks of  commercial  honor,  but  has  held 
fast  to  the  most  old  fashioned  ideas  of 
business  integrity.  He  is  known  to  the 
business  world  as  the  head  of  Frank 
Schoble  &  Company,  and  to  the  financial 
world  as  a  valued  member  of  the  direc- 
torates of  two  of  Philadelphia's  solid  in- 
stitutions, the  National  Security  Bank 
and  the  Central  Trust  Company. 

In  political  faith  he  is  a  Republican, 
and  a  member  of  the  Union  League  of 
Philadelphia.  His  business  organizations 
are  the  Manufacturers'  Association,  the 
Trades  League,  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce of  Philadelphia,  and  the  National 
Manufacturers'  Association.  His  clubs 
are,  in  addition  to  the  Union  League,  the 
Rotary  of  Philadelphia  and  the  Old  York 
Road  Country  Club.  He  is  affiliated  with 
the  Masonic  order,  and  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  In  religious  faith 
he  is  a  Presbyterian,  and  a  trustee  of 
Calvary  Church,  of  Wyncote.  He  is  a 
lover  of  nature,  seeing  in  tree,  shrub  and 
flower  more  than  vivid  color  or  beautiful 
forms.  The  hand  of  the  Creator  is  to  him 
visible  in  his  works  and  at  Mr.  Schoble's 
beautiful  country  home  he  renders  the 
highest  type  of  service  by  preserving,  aid- 
ing, and  fostering  the  work  of  Nature. 


SPENCER,  Charles  Hart, 

Business  Man,   Model  Citizen. 

Among  the  men  who  helped  to  develop 
the  great  industries  of  Pittsburgh  there 
were  a  number  whom  failing  physical 
powers  withheld  from  the  utmost  attain- 
ment of  which  their  mentality  and  force 
of  character  rendered  them  capable.  Con- 
spicuous among  these  men  was  the  late 

I 


Charles  Hart  Spencer,  in  all  respects  a 
sterling  and  public-spirited  citizen  of 
Pittsburgh,  ever  having  at  heart  the  fur- 
therance of  her  best  interests  and  truest 
welfare. 

John  Spencer,  great-grandfather  of 
Charles  Hart  Spencer,  was  a  dry  goods 
merchant  of  Londonderry,  Ireland,  and 
was  descended  from  ancestors  who  were 
residents  of  that  city  during  the  famous 
siege. 

Samuel,  son  of  John  Spencer,  was  born 
in  1796,  near  Londonderry,  and  at  the  age 
of  eighteen  emigrated  to  the  United 
States,  settling  in  Philadelphia.  In  1821 
he  was  sent  (as  a  partner)  to  Pittsburgh, 
with  a  stock  of  goods,  by  George  McClel- 
land, a  merchant  of  Philadelphia,  and  in 
a  short  time  became  one  of  the  well 
known  business  men  of  the  Iron  City. 
For  many  years  he  was-  a  director  of  the 
Bank  of  Pittsburgh  and  a  member  of  the 
session  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church, 
of  which  he  was  also  treasurer.  Mr. 
Spencer  married  (first)  Sarah  Wilbur, 
who  died  in  1825,  aged  twenty  years, 
leaving  two  sons — Joseph  W.,  mentioned 
below,  and  John.  He  married  (second) 
Mary  J.  Condell,  of  Philadelphia,  becom- 
ing by  this  union  the  father  of  two  chil- 
dren— Thomas,  and  Samuel  W.  Mrs. 
Spencer  died  in  1840,  and  the  death  of 
Mr.  Spencer  occurred  March  12,  1856. 

Joseph  W.,  son  of  Samuel  and  Sarah 
(Wilbur)  Spencer,  was  born  October  8, 
1824,  and  was  for  years  a  prominent  dry 
goods  merchant  of  Pittsburgh,  his  place 
of  business  being  situated  on  Market 
street.  His  political  principles  were  those 
of  the  Republican  party,  and  he  was  an 
elder  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church. 
Mr.  Spencer  married  Anna  E.,  born  Jan- 
uary 16,  1832,  daughter  of  Charles  Hart, 
and  Adeline  (Freeman)  Jones,  and  their 
children  were:  Charles  Hart,  mentioned 
below ;   Robert  J.   W.,  Jr. ;   Emma ;  and 


/U^34iviA_,  /y  w/i^f^f-f' 


'< 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Annie,  deceased.  On  March  17,  1887,  Mr. 
Spencer  passed  away.  He  was  well 
known  as  a  worker  in  the  temperance 
cause,  and  both  as  a  business  man  and  a 
citizen  was  highly  respected.  The  death 
of  Mrs.  Spencer  occurred  March  25,  1899. 

Charles  Hart  Spencer,  son  of  Joseph 
and  Anna  E.  (Jones)  Spencer,  was  born 
March  i,  1852,  in  Pittsburgh,  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  schools  of  his 
native  city.  In  youth  he  entered  upon  a 
business  career,  and  speedily  demons- 
trated the  possession  of  uncommon  abil- 
ity. For  twenty-seven  years  he  was  con- 
nected with  the  H.  C.  Frick  Coke  Com- 
pany, and  proved  himself  a  man  born  to 
his  work,  watchful,  alert,  and  self-reliant, 
possessing  good  business  judgment  and 
grasping  all  situations  almost  intuitively. 

As  a  true  citizen  Mr.  Spencer  was 
keenly  interested  in  every  movement 
which  tended  to  advance  the  welfare  and 
prosperity  of  Pittsburgh.  Politically  a 
Republican,  he  was  never  numbered 
among  office  seekers,  his  labors  in  the 
cause  of  good  government  being  entirely 
disinterested.  Every  worthy  charity 
found  in  him  a  liberal  supporter,  many 
of  his  benefactions  never  being  known  to 
the  world.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Shady  Side  Presbyterian  Church. 

Mr.  Spencer  was  a  man  of  cultivated 
tastes,  of  strong  convictions  and  great 
tenacity  of  purpose.  Prudence  and  thor- 
oughness were  his  chief  characteristics. 
His  personality  was  genial  and  his  man- 
ner dignified  and  cordial.  He  looked 
what  he  was — a  cheerful,  kindly  gentle- 
man and  a  courageous  man. 

Mr.  Spencer  married,  November  6, 
1883,  Mary  W.,  daughter  of  the  late 
Judge  Marcus  W.  and  Sophie  D.  (Reiter) 
Acheson.  A  biography  and  portrait  of 
Judge  Acheson  appear  elsewhere  in  this 
work,  together  with  a  history  of  the  Ache- 
son family.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spencer  were 


the  parents  of  the  following  children : 
Adeline,  now  the  wife  of  Charles  H. 
Curry ;  Kate  ;  Ethel ;  Mary  ;  Elizabeth  ; 
Marcus,  and  Charles  H.,  Jr. 

In  the  prime  of  life  Mr.  Spencer  was 
compelled  by  failing  health  to  retire  from 
business  and  on  August  29,  1912,  he 
passed  away  at  Long  Branch,  New  Jer- 
sey. The  announcement  was  received  in 
Pittsburgh  with  expressions  of  sincere 
sorrow  from  members  of  all  classes  of 
the  community,  to  whom  he  had  ever 
shown  himself  generous  in  his  feelings 
and  conduct.  He  had  stood  as  an  upright 
honorable  man  in  every  relation  of  life, 
fulfilling  to  the  letter  every  trust  com- 
mitted to  him. 


STEPHENS,  Marlin  Bingham, 

La'wyer,  Jurist. 

Marlin  Bingham  Stephens,  a  member 
of  the  legal  fraternity,  a  man  of  judg- 
ment, integrity  and  executive  ability, 
fully  meriting  the  high  esteem  in  which 
he  is  held  by  all  who  have  the  honor  of 
his  acquaintance,  is  a  native  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Dilltown,  Indiana  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, his  birth  having  occurred  on  his 
father's  farm,  May  10,  i860.  He  is  a  son 
of  William  S.  Stephens,  an  early  and 
prominent  resident  of  that  county  (see 
"History  of  Indiana  County"). 

Marlin  B.  Stephens  was  reared  in  his 
native  village,  obtained  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  local  schools,  and  later  attend- 
ed normal  and  select  school  in  Indiana 
county.  For  several  years  thereafter  he 
served  in  the  capacity  of  school  teacher, 
then  began  the  preparation  for  the  study 
of  law  at  the  Classical  and  Scientific  In- 
stitute of  Mount  Pleasant,  Pennsylvania, 
and  shortly  after  completing  his  studies 
there  entered  the  law  department  of  the 
University  of  Michigan,  at  Ann  Arbor, 
on  October  i,   1884.     He  was  graduated 

763 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


from  the  law  department  of  that  institu- 
tion in  June,  1886,  with  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Laws.  On  May  5,  1886,  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  licensed  to 
practice  law  in  the  several  courts  of  the 
State  of  Michigan,  upon  application  and 
examination  in  the  Twenty-second  Ju- 
dicial District  of  that  State.  Returning 
to  Pennsylvania,  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  of  Wyoming  county,  April  12,  1887, 
and  on  May  16,  1887,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  of  Luzerne  county,  at  Wilkes-Barre, 
where  he  opened  an  office  and  practiced 
for  a  short  time.  He  then  removed  to 
Johnstown,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  has 
since  been  located  and  where  he  attained 
a  leading  position  in  his  profession.  In 
1896  his  younger  brother,  John  Harris 
Stephens,  having  completed  his  course  of 
study  at  the  same  institution,  became 
associated  with  him  in  the  practice  of 
law.  Marlin  B.  Stephens  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  of  Cambria  county,  March  19, 
1888,  and  was  subsequently  admitted  to 
practice  in  Indiana  county.  On  October 
13,  1890,  he  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
the  Supreme  Court  of  Pennsylvania  in 
the  western  district  of  Pittsburgh,  and 
on  September  25,  1900,  was  admitted  to 
practice  in  the  District  Court  of  the 
United  States. 

In  April,  1896,  Mr.  Stephens  was  se- 
lected by  the  city  council  as  solicitor  of 
the  city  of  Johnstown,  for  a  term  of  two 
years,  and  he  was  again  elected  to  that 
position  in  April,  1898,  and  was  still  serv- 
ing when,  in  November,  1898,  he  was 
elected  to  the  office  of  district  attorney 
for  Cambria  county,  and  his  prompt  and 
efficient  performance  of  the  onerous 
duties  of  that  responsible  position  were 
rewarded  by  re-election,  upon  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term  of  three  years,  he  serving 
continuously  until  January,  1905.  He 
was  elected  to  the  office  of  President 
Judge  of  Cambria  county,  the  Forty-sev- 


enth Judicial  District  of  Pennsylvania,  in 
November,  191 1,  for  a  term  of  ten  years, 
and  entered  upon  the  duties  of  that  oflice 
January  i,  1912,  and  since  that  time  he 
has  been  actively  engaged  with  the  large 
and  important  judicial  work  of  that  in- 
dustrial district  which  is  the  center  of 
large  iron  and  coal  industries.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  judicial  duties.  Judge  Stephens 
takes  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of 
his  county  and  State,  as  well  as  in  several 
successful  business  institutions  with 
which  he  has  for  years  been  interested. 


DONALDSON,  John  B., 

Physician,  Legislator. 

The  late  Dr.  John  B.  Donaldson,  for 
thirty-four  years  a  practicing  physician 
of  Cannonsburg,  and  for  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century  a  leader  of  his  pro- 
fession in  Washington  county,  was  a  type 
of  man  whose  life  marks  an  epoch  in  the 
history  of  his  community.  Dr.  Donald- 
son was,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  Can- 
nonsburg's  oldest  resident  physician,  and 
was  identified  not  only  with  the  medical 
but  also  with  the  political  interests  of  his 
home  city,  having  for  a  long  period  stood 
before  the  public  as  the  model  of  a  high- 
minded  practitioner  of  medicine  and  an 
able,  earnest  and  progressive  citizen. 

David  Donaldson,  great-great-grand- 
father of  Dr.  John  B.  Donaldson,  on  emi- 
grating from  Ireland  settled  in  Mary- 
land in  1771,  later  removing  to  Washing- 
ton county,  Pennsylvania,  and  taking  up 
his  abode  near  Gastonville,  but  ending 
his  days  in  Allegheny  county. 

William,  son  of  David  Donaldson,  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Morrison,  and  both  were 
life-long  residents  of  Allegheny  county. 

David  (2),  son  of  William  and  Eliza- 
beth (Morrison)  Donaldson,  was  born  in 
1820,  in  Allegheny  county,  and  was  a 
well     known     physician,     practicing    for 


1764 


f^.Vfy^Ui^ 


n^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


many  years  at  Bridgeville.  He  married 
Ellen,  born  in  Allegheny  county,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Elizabeth  (McCabe) 
Boyce,  natives  of  the  North  of  Ireland, 
who  died  in  Allegheny  county.  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Donaldson  were  the  parents  of  five 
children,  among  them,  John  B.,  men- 
tioned below.  Dr.  Donaldson,  after  a  life 
spent  in  usefulness  to  his  fellowmen,  died 
suddenly  in  his  buggy,  November  20, 
1883,  while  on  his  way  to  visit  a  patient. 
His  wife  passed  away  in  1872. 

Dr.  John  B.  Donaldson,  son  of  David 
(2)  and  Ellen  (Boyce)  Donaldson,  was 
born  August  i,  1848,  in  Marshall  county, 
West  Virginia,  and  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  and  at  Bethel 
Academy,  Allegheny  county.  He  early 
became  ambitious  to  enter  his  father's 
profession,  and  on  leaving  school  began 
his  studies  at  home  under  the  guidance 
of  Dr.  Donaldson.  Later  he  matriculated 
at  Western  Reserve  University,  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  graduating  in  1872.  He  be- 
gan practice  at  Mount  Lebanon,  but  at 
the  end  of  a  year  removed  to  Bridgeville, 
where  he  remained  five  years. 

In  1878  Dr.  Donaldson  came  to  Can- 
nonsburg,  where  he  passed  the  remainder 
of  his  long,  useful  and  honorable  life, 
being  continuously  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession.  He  was  a  close 
student  and  a  skillful  practitioner,  hav- 
ing a  large  and  ever-increasing  connec- 
tion and  holding,  to  the  close  of  his  life, 
their  highest  respect,  n]OSt  implicit  con- 
fidence and  most  sincere  afifection.  As 
time  went  on  he  came  to  be  regarded  as 
the  dean  of  the  medical  profession  in 
Cannonsburg,  having  practiced  there  for 
a  longer  period  than  any  of  the  physi- 
cians who  were  his  contemporaries.  He 
did  much  to  raise  the  standing  of  the 
profession,  believing  that  one  of  the  best 
means  of  securing  this  was  by  organiza- 
tion.    He  was  a  member  of  the  American 


Medical  Association,  and  for  many  years 
served  as  secretary  of  the  Washington 
County  Medical  Society,  holding  this 
position  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was 
at  one  time  president  of  the  Washington 
County  Medical  Society,  and  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  a  trustee  and  councillor  of 
the  Pennsylvania  State  Medical  Society. 
In  1910  he  was  honored  by  being  elected 
president  of  the  Pennsylvania  State  Med- 
ical Society.  He  edited  and  published  for 
the  county  society  "The  Medical  Pro- 
gram," a  small  monthly  publication  which 
had  a  large  circulation  among  the  physi- 
sians  of  the  county. 

As  a  true  citizen.  Dr.  Donaldson  was 
deeply  interested  in  all  enterprises  which 
meditated  the  moral  improvement  and 
social  culture  of  the  community,  and  was 
active  in  politics,  serving  at  various 
times  as  chief  burgess,  borough  council- 
man and  school  director.  He  was  identi- 
fied with  the  Republicans,  more  than  once 
acting  as  delegate  to  the  State  convention 
of  that  party,  and  on  one  occasion  repre- 
senting it  in  the  national  convention.  The 
office  of  burgess  he  held  for  a  long  period, 
being  first  elected  in  February,  1882,  and 
re-elected  in  1883.  In  1902-03  he  again 
filled  the  position,  having  been  appointed 
to  fill  a  vacancy  and  was  thus  the  incum- 
bent of  the  office  at  the  time  Cannons- 
burg celebrated  its  centennial  anniver- 
sary. In  1888  he  was  nominated  by  the 
Republicans  for  the  State  Legislature  and 
in  November  of  that  year  was  elected.  He 
served  during  the  session  of  1889.  im- 
pressing his  personality  upon  the  house 
as  an  able  and  influential  legislator,  and 
earning  distinction  as  a  member  of  im- 
portant committees. 

In  1904  Dr.  Donald'-on  visited  Eng- 
land, Scotland  and  Ireland  as  well  as  a 
portion  of  continental  Europe.  A  scholar, 
a  man  of  widest  reading,  a  brilliant  writer 
and  impressive  speaker,  he  kept  himself 

76s 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


absolutely  abreast  of  the  times,  not  only 
in  matters  pertaining  to  the  medical  pro- 
fession, but  in  regard  to  the  progress  of 
events  in  the  world  at  large.  He  affiliated 
in  1879  with  Chartiers  Lodge,  No.  299, 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  taking  an 
active  part  in  its  affairs,  and  he  and  his 
family  were  members  of  the  First  Pres- 
byterian Church,  with  the  work  of  which 
he  was  prominently  identified.  It  might 
be  truly  said  of  him  that  he  was  tre- 
mendously alert,  tremendously  intense 
and  tremendously  earnest,  possessing 
withal  an  intuitive  mind  and  an  extra- 
ordinary genius  for  administration. 

Dr.  Donaldson  married,  October  31, 
1872,  Elizabeth  S.,  daughter  of  Walter 
and  Maria  (Sill)  Foster,  and  they  became 
the  parents  of  the  following  children : 
Walter  Foster,  a  graduate  of  Northwest- 
ern University  (Chicago),  now  a  practic- 
ing physician  of  Pittsburgh,  married  Nan 
Swearingen,  of  Luzerne,  Pennsylvania, 
and  has  one  son,  Walter  Foster,  Jr.,  and 
one  daughter,  Sarah  ;  Nellie  Boyce,  mar- 
ried Paul  C.  Little,  of  Carnegie,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  has  three  children,  Eliza- 
beth, Helen  and  Virginia ;  Maria  Sill,  died 
in  1906,  wife  of  J.  R.  Dunn,  an  attorney 
of  Pittsburgh ;  John  Paul,  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  Central  Trust  Company 
of  Pittsburgh,  married  Elsa  Kelso,  of 
Bellevue,  Pennsylvania,  and  has  a  son, 
John  Paul  (2)  ;  Samuel  Foster,  an  official 
in  Houston  Brothers  Company  of  Pitts- 
burgh, married  Maude  Crouch ;  and 
David  Halsey,  a  graduate  of  Cannons- 
burg  high  school.  By  his  marriage  Dr. 
Donaldson  gained  the  life  companionship 
of  a  charming  and  congenial  woman,  one 
fitted  by  native  refinement,  a  bright  mind 
and  thorough  education  for  her  position 
as  a  leader  of  Cannonsburg  society.  Mrs. 
Donaldson  is  withal  an  accomplished 
home-maker,  and  one  of  the  salient  fea- 
tures of  Dr.   Donaldson's  character  was 


his  love  of  home  and  family.  The  Don- 
aldson residence  has  always  been  a  cen- 
tre of  gracious  and  genial  hospitality 
and  within  its  walls  have  been  enter- 
tained at  one  time  and  another  a  number 
of  distinguished  men.  The  most  promi- 
nent of  these  was  William  Jennings 
Bryan,  who  passed  the  night  of  IMarch 
3,  1905,  at  the  Donaldson  home. 

Assiduous  in  his  discharge  of  profes- 
sional obligations — and,  eminent  as  he 
was,  he  did  not  escape  the  arduous  duties 
that  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  average  physi- 
cian— prominently  identified  with  many 
of  the  town's  activities,  and  never  neg- 
lectful of  the  social  amenities,  Dr.  Don- 
aldson's life  was  a  busy  one.  In  the 
spring  of  1912  he  re-entered  politics, 
again  becoming  a  candidate  for  the  leg- 
islative nomination,  and  received  a  large 
vote  throughout  the  county,  failing  to 
win  the  nomination  only  because  he  had, 
in  former  years,  opposed  the  present 
dominant  faction  in  the  organization. 

Well  as  he  had  stood  the  constant 
strain  of  his  strenuous  and  complex  life, 
Dr.  Donaldson's  health  finally  became 
impaired,  and  on  June  29,  1912,  he  ex- 
pired at  his  home  in  Cannonsburg,  deeply 
lamented  by  all  classes  of  the  community. 
His  death  removed  from  his  home  city 
the  Nestor  of  the  profession  of  which  he 
had,  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury, been  one  of  the  brightest  orna- 
ments. 

The  learned,  faithful  and  beloved  phy- 
sician, the  wise  and  patriotic  legislator, 
the  able,  public-spirited  citizen  and  the 
noble,  steadfast  friend — all  this  was  Dr. 
John  B.  Donaldson. 


HERSH,  William  M., 

Financier,    Transportation    Official. 

Prominent  among  those  mighty  men 
of  action  who  first  came  into  public  view 
more  than  seventy  years  ago  and  thence- 


1766 


yi^'l^y^L^^^^*^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


forth  to  the  close  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury dominated  the  industrial,  commer- 
cial and  financial  interests  of  Pittsburgh 
was  the  late  William  M.  Hersh,  for  many- 
years  president  of  the  Diamond  National 
Bank,  and  for  a  long  period  associated 
with  the  firm  of  Clarke  &  Thaw,  famous 
in  the  history  of  transportation.  Mr. 
Hersh  was  for  more  than  sixty  years  a 
resident  of  the  Iron  City  and  the  story 
of  his  life  is  inextricably  interwoven  with 
her  annals  of  that  period. 

William  M.  Hersh  was  born  February 
21,  1820,  in  Gettysburg,  Pennsylvania, 
son  of  George  and  Nancy  (McClellan) 
Hersh,  both  of  Gettysburg,  and  received 
his  education  in  the  schools  of  that  neigh- 
borhood. In  1841  he  cam.e  to  Pittsburgh 
and  for  a  number  of  years  conducted  a 
store  at  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  Market 
streets.  He  met  with  a  fair  measure  of 
success,  but  in  the  great  fire  of  1845  his 
place  of  business  was  destroyed.  He 
had  ere  this  become  the  associate  in  vari- 
ous enterprises  of  the  late  William  Thaw, 
and  was  now  admitted  to  partnership  in 
the  firm  of  Clarke  &  Thaw,  which  for 
years  conducted  the  transfer  business  at 
the  Duquesne  station.  Until  about  one 
year  previous  to  his  death,  Mr.  Hersh 
held  the  position  of  transfer  agent  for 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company,  and 
during  that  time  showed  himself  to  be 
possessed  of  rare  capacity  for  the  solu- 
tion of  business  problems.  Responsibil- 
ities and  difiiculties  served  but  to  develop 
his  amazing  gift  for  details,  tireless  in- 
dustry and  dauntless  courage.  These 
qualities,  combined  with  strict  adherence 
to  the  loftiest  principles  of  rectitude, 
were  the  means  of  raismg  him  to  the 
commanding  position  which  for  so  many 
years  was  his  in  the  business  world. 

As  a  financier,  Mr.  Hersh 's  talents  were 
of  a  high  order.  The  years  during  which 
he  held  the  presidency  of  the   Diamond 


National  Bank  fully  demonstrated  this 
fact.  The  institution  was  one  of  Pitts- 
burgh's most  prominent  banks  and  under 
his  able  leadership  maintained  and  con- 
stantly strengthened  its  well-nigh  im- 
pregnable position.  He  was  at  one  time 
president  of  the  Pittsburgh  and  Birming- 
ham Street  Railway  Company.  In  the 
various  offices  which  he  filled  Mr.  Hersh 
showed  himself  to  be  endowed,  in  addi- 
tion to  rare  business  talents,  with  per- 
sonal qualities  which  endeared  him  to 
his  associates  and  subordinates.  Toward 
the  latter,  indeed,  his  conduct  was  mark- 
ed by  a  uniform  justice  and  kindliness 
which  won  for  him  their  zealous  loyalty 
and  a  warmth  of  attachment  seldom  ac- 
corded to  a  man  in  his  position. 

The  presidency  of  the  Diamond  Na- 
tional Bank  was  resigned  by  Mr.  Hersh 
about  the  time  when  he  relinquished  his 
position  as  transfer  agent  for  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad  Company.  He  accept- 
ed this  office  after  the  absorption  by  the 
company  of  the  firm  of  Clarke  &  Thaw, 
which  had  been  identified  with  the  canal 
transportation  business,  being  known  as 
the  Union  Line. 

The  thorough  business  qualifications  of 
Mr.  Hersh  and  his  well  known  executive 
ability  were  always  in  good  demand  on 
boards  of  directors  of  different  organiza- 
tions and  his  public  spirit  led  him  to  ac- 
cept many  such  trusts.  In  all  concerns 
relative  to  the  city's  welfare  his  interest 
was  deep  and  sincere  and  wherever  sub- 
stantial aid  would  further  public  progress 
it  was  freely  given.  A  Republican  in  poli- 
tics, he  was  active  in  the  affairs  of  the 
organization,  and  was  a  delegate  to  the 
memorable  convention  held  in  Chicago  in 
i860 — memorable  for  the  reason  that  it 
was  by  that  body  that  Abraham  Lincoln 
was  first  nominated  for  the  office  of  Pres- 
ident of  the  United  States.  Widely  but 
unostentatiously  charitable,  Mr.  Hersh 
767 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


was  ever  ready  to  respond  to  any  deserv- 
ing call  made  upon  him,  and  no  good 
work  done  in  the  name  of  philanthropy 
or  religion  sought  his  co-operation  in 
vain.  In  literary  matters  he  took  a  spe- 
cial interest,  and  was  one  of  the  incor- 
porators of  the  Young  Men's  Mercantile 
Library,  the  first  public  library  ever  or- 
ganized in  Pittsburgh. 

Gentle-mannered  and  of  unruffled  se- 
renity and  poise,  Mr.  Hersh  was  also  a 
man  of  great  courage  and  loyalty  and 
valiant  fidelity.  It  was  said  of  him:  "He 
was  a  man  who  kept  his  word  absolutely." 
His  decisions  were  prompt  and  final,  and, 
having  made  them,  he  had  the  courage  to 
carry  them  into  efifect.  Confidence  in  his 
good  faith  even  more  than  reliance  upon 
his  intuition  and  courage,  made  him  a 
leader  among  men.  When  he  said  he 
would  do  a  thing  he  did  it.  If,  as  has 
been  said,  every  man  is  in  a  sense  an  in- 
carnation of  the  spirit  of  the  age  in  which 
he  lives,  Mr.  Hersh  was  conspicuously  a 
splendid  product  of  his  century.  His  per- 
sonal appearance  was  an  index  to  his 
character.  He  looked  the  man  he  was. 
One  of  his  salient  qualities  was  devotion 
to  his  friends,  and  these,  needless  to  say, 
were  legion. 

Mr.  Hersh  married,  April  24,  1849,  Cor- 
nelia M.,  daughter  of  John  and  Eliza 
(Thomas)  Thaw  and  sister  of  the  late 
William  Thaw,  eminent  as  a  man  of 
afifairs,  a  philanthropist  and  a  patron  of 
science  and  a  representative  of  a  family 
prominent  in  the  history  of  the  State. 
In  his  domestic  relations  Mr.  Hersh  was 
singularly  happy.  His  home  was  to  him, 
emphatically,  the  dearest  spot  on  earth, 
and  he  delighted  in  the  exercise  of  hos- 
pitality. The  death  of  Mrs.  Hersh  on 
October  20,  1884,  dissolved  a  felicitous 
union,  and  it  was  in  the  home  of  their 
only  surviving  child,  Eliza  T.,  wife  of 
Wharton  McKnight,  of  Pittsburgh,  that 
Mr.    Hersh    passed    his    declining   years. 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  McKnight  are  the  parents 
of  the  following  children:  Cornelia,  mar- 
ried Bayard  Stewart,  Pittsburgh ;  Sarah 
Ormsby,  married  Dr.  Louis  Willard, 
Pittsburgh  ;  Eliza  Thaw ;  Louise ;  Wil- 
liam ;  Nancy  McClellan,  died  in  child- 
hood ;  and  George,  born  in  Pittsburgh, 
June  7,  185 1,  was  an  attorney,  and  adju- 
tant of  the  Eighteenth  Regiment  Na- 
tional Guard  of  Pennsylvania  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  and  died  August  20,  1887. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Hersh,  which  oc- 
curred December  3,  1903,  was  a  direct 
blow  to  Pittsburgh.  Unostentatious  in 
his  activities,  he  still  was  a  man  of  most 
progressive  endeavor,  helping  to  organize 
and  finance  many  of  the  concerns  which 
afterward  became  the  most  important  in 
the  city's  business  life.  No  more  loyal 
lover  of  Pittsburgh  was  to  be  found 
within  her  confines  and  his  penetrating 
thought  frequently  added  wisdom  to  pub- 
lic movements,  his  rapidity  of  judgment 
enabling  him,  in  the  midst  of  incessant 
business  activity,  to  give  to  the  afifairs 
of  the  community  effort  and  counsel  of 
genuine  value.  He  was  a  man  of  high 
aims  and  over  the  record  of  his  public 
and  private  life  there  falls  no  shadow  of 
wrong  nor  suspicion  of  evil. 

William  M.  Hersh  touched  life  at  many 
points  and  the  words  inscribed  on  the 
tomb  of  a  poet  and  man  of  letters — "He 
touched  nothing  that  he  did  not  adorn" 
— might,  with  equal  truth,  be  applied  to 
this  man  of  action.  All  the  interests 
essential  to  the  true  life  of  a  municipality 
were  vitalized,  fostered  and  rendered 
fruitful  by  William  M.  Hersh,  astute 
financier,  public-spirited  citizen  and  man 
of  stainless  honor. 


COULTER,  Richard, 

I<atryer,  Financier. 

Richard  Coulter,  president  of  the  First 
National    Bank    of     Greensburg,    West- 
moreland   county,    Pennsylvania,    repre- 
68 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


sents  a  family  which  has  always  taken 
a  prominent  part  in  all  matters  identified 
with  the  welfare  of  the  country,  whether 
professional,  financial  or  matters  of 
state.     His  great-uncle, 

Justice  Richard  Coulter,  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  Pennsylvania,  a  son  of  Eli 
and  Priscilla  (Small)  Coulter,  inherited 
all  the  admirable  traits  of  his  Scotch- 
Irish  ancestry,  and  to  them  added  a  re- 
markable store  of  knowledge.  He  was 
born  in  Westmoreland  county,  in  what  is 
now  Versailles  township,  Allegheny 
county,  Pennsylvania,  in  March,  1788, 
and  died  in  Greensburg,  Westmoreland 
county,  April  20,  1852.  He  removed 
with  his  family  to  Greensburg  in  1793, 
and  was  educated  at  Jefferson  College, 
but  left  before  graduation.  He  took  up 
the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  his 
brother-in-law,  John  Lyon,  of  Union- 
town,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  of  Fayette  county  in  November, 
1810. 

The  following  February  he  made  his 
first  appearance  in  the  political  arena, 
his  powers  as  an  orator  and  his  success 
at  the  bar  proving  his  fitness  and  value  in 
this  field.  He  was  first  elected  to  the 
Pennsylvania  Legislature  in  1816,  and  re- 
elected in  1817,  1818,  1819,  1820.  He  was 
elected  to  Congress  as  an  independent 
candidate  in  1826,  was  re-elected  with- 
out opposition  in  1828,  and  was  re-elected 
in  1830  and  1832.  He  went  to  Congress 
as  the  leader  of  his  party  in  his  county, 
and  because  of  his  ability  soon  gained 
an  enviable  position.  The  great  ques- 
tion before  Congress  at  that  time  was 
the  rechartering  of  the  United  States 
Bank.  Andrew  Jackson  was  President, 
and  brought  all  the  power  of  his  adminis- 
tration to  bear  to  defeat  its  recharter. 
Coulter  had  the  courage  to  oppose  the 
President  and  to  support  the  United 
States   Bank.     The  position  he   took  on 


this  question  lost  him  many  friends  and 
supporters,  and  in  1834  an  illiterate  Ger- 
man, named  John  Klingensmith,  was 
named  as  his  opponent,  received  all  of 
the  German  votes  of  the  district,  in  addi- 
tion to  those  which  would  have  been  cast 
for  him  in  the  natural  course  of  events, 
and  so  defeated  Mr.  Coulter.  A  leading 
newspaper  said  of  this  result:  "Poor 
Pennsylvania !  She  is  the  Boeotia  of  the 
Union;  where  else  could  such  a  man  as 
Richard  Coulter  have  been  defeated  by 
such  an  unknown  and  illiterate  person 
as  his  antagonist?"  At  the  close  of  his 
congressional  term  in  1835  Mr.  Coulter 
resumed  his  law  practice  in  Greensburg 
and  followed  it  exclusively  eleven  years. 
He  ranked  with  the  most  brilliant  mem- 
bers of  the  bar,  and  in  some  respects  ex- 
celled all  of  them.  His  practice  was  an 
enormous  one,  so  large,  in  fact,  that  he 
was  obliged  to  refuse  all  cases  except 
those  of  great  moment.  In  1846  a  va- 
cancy was  created  on  the  Supreme  Bench 
by  the  death  of  Justice  John  Kennedy, 
and  the  members  of  the  Westmoreland 
bar,  without  regard  to  party,  signed  a 
petition  to  the  governor  of  the  State, 
urging  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Coulter. 
He  took  his  seat  September  16,  1846,  and 
held  it  until  the  office  was  abolished  in 

1850,  as  an  office  to  be  filled  by  appoint- 
ment, and  was  made  an  elective  one.  The 
first  election  under  the  new  law  was  in 

1851,  and  Justice  Coulter  was  the  only 
one  of  the  five  candidates  nominated  by 
the  Whigs,  who  was  elected.  The  terms 
varied  in  length,  and  under  a  constitu- 
tional provision  lots  were  drawn  for 
length  of  term,  Mr.  Coulter  obtaining  the 
longest,  that  of  fifteen  years.  He  soon  dis- 
tinguished himself  on  the  bench  by  an 
elaborate  opinion  in  the  case  of  Hummell 
vs.  Brown,  in  which  with  great  erudition 
he  outlined  the  legislative  power  of  the 
State  in  the  coercion  and  control  of  cor- 


1769 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


porations.  This  was  regarded  by  law- 
yers as  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  elo- 
quent opinions  ever  delivered  from  the 
Supreme  bench. 

General  Richard  Coulter,  nephew  of 
Justice  Richard  Coulter,  was  born  in 
Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania, 
October  ii,  1827.  He  was  also  educated 
at  Jefiferson  College,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  of  Westmoreland  county  in  1849. 
His  legal  studies  had  however  been  inter- 
rupted by  the  Mexican  War,  during  the 
progress  of  which  he  had  served  as  a 
private  in  a  Greensburg  regiment.  Not 
long  after  his  admission  to  the  bar,  his 
uncle  was  appointed  a  justice  of  the  Su- 
preme Court,  and  Mr.  Coulter  succeeded 
to  his  office  and  a  large  part  of  his  prac- 
tice, and  continued  this  until  the  outbreak 
of  the  Civil  War.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
to  respond  to  the  call  for  troops,  and  be- 
came lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Eleventh 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  and 
was  promoted  to  colonel  at  the  expiration 
of  his  three  months'  term  of  enlistment. 
He  served  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
receiving  severe  wounds  at  Gettysburg 
and  Spottsylvania.  In  August,  1864, 
President  Lincoln  brevetted  him  briga- 
dier-general for  gallant  conduct  at  the 
battles  of  the  Wilderness  and  Spotsyl- 
vania, and  later  President  Johnson  raised 
him  to  the  brevet  rank  of  major-general 
for  gallant  conduct  at  Five  Forks.  At 
the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to 
Greensburg.  but  turned  his  attention  to 
general  business  instead  of  resuming  his 
law  practice.  He  became  largely  inter- 
ested in  coal  mines  and  the  banking  busi- 
ness, was  for  a  long  time  president  of  the 
National  Bank  of  Greensburg,  and  one  of 
the  leading  stockholders  of  the  Keystone 
Coal  and  Coke  Company,  one  of  the 
largest  bituminous  mining  concerns  in 
the  country.  General  Coulter  married 
Emma  Walbridge,  and  their  son, 


Richard  Coulter,  was  born  in  Greens- 
burg, Westmoreland  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, October  3,  1870.  After  an  excel- 
lent preparatory  education,  he  matricu- 
lated at  Princeton  University,  from 
which  institution  he  was  graduated  m 
the  class  of  1892,  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Arts  being  conferred  upon  him.  He 
then  took  up  the  study  of  law  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  Westmoreland 
county  in  1894.  He  at  once  established 
himself  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at 
Greensburg,  and  was  successfully  engag- 
ed in  it  until  1909,  in  which  year  he  was 
appointed  president  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Greensburg,  an  office  he  is  fill- 
ing with  a  remarkable  degree  of  execu- 
tive ability.  He  is  also  president  of  the 
Keystone  Coal  and  Coke  Company,  and 
of  the  Board  of  Trade  of  Greensburg,  and 
is  connected  in  an  official  capacity  with 
a  number  of  other  important  corpora- 
tions. He  takes  a  deep  interest  in  what- 
ever affects  the  growth  and  development 
of  the  city  and  has  done  a  great  deal  to 
further  its  interests  in  many  directions. 


MARON,  Conrad, 

Snccessfnl  Bnainess  Man. 

In  the  year  1847  there  arrived  in  Phila- 
delphia a  young  man  who,  for  the  follow- 
ing sixty-seven  years,  was  to  play  a  part 
in  the  business  life  of  the  city.  This 
young  man  was  Conrad  Maron,  the 
"veteran  candy  maker,"  lately  deceased. 
His  stores  are  known  in  other  cities  of 
the  east,  but  in  Philadelphia  the  store  at 
No.  1614  Chestnut  street  has  long  been 
the  "Mecca"  of  candy  lovers.  He  lived 
to  the  great  age  of  eighty-five  years,  but 
it  was  only  a  few  months  prior  to  his 
death  that  he  retired  and  turned  the  busi- 
ness over  to  the  capable  management  of 
his  son,  A.  C.  Maron.  He  was  a  leader 
in  his  line,  built  up  a  large  business, 
770 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


both  wholesale  and  retail,  winning  an 
honored  name  and  plentiful  fortune.  His 
early  years  were  marked  by  industry  and 
perseverance  in  the  pursuit  of  business, 
qualities  which  won  the  ends  for  which 
he  strove  and  his  progress  to  success  was 
rapid.  He  was  a  good  citizen  as  well  as 
a  good  business  man  and  left  to  his  chil- 
dren an  honored  name.  Conrad  Maron, 
tradition  says,  was  a  descendant  of  the 
great  Patriarch,  John  Maron,  or  John  of 
Maron,  said  to  have  been  the  founder  of 
the  Maronites,  an  ecclesiastical  com- 
munity flourishing  in  Syria  and  else- 
where. The  Maronites,  the  name  no 
doubt  connected  with  the  convent  of  St. 
Maron,  were  a  simple,  warlike  race,  who 
long  maintained  a  great  measure  of  in- 
ternal freedom  under  their  native  nobil- 
ity, only  paying  tribute  to  the  Pasha  of 
Tripoli.  Since  the  fall  in  1840  of  the 
Maronite  Emir  Beshir,  who  was  only  by 
outward  profession  a  Moslem,  their 
power  has  sunk.  John  of  Maron  studied 
at  the  convent  of  St.  Maron,  converted 
the  Lebanon  to  orthodoxy,  and  died  in 
707  A.  D. 

Conrad  Maron  was  born  in  Switzerland 
in  1829,  died  at  Atlantic  City,  New  Jer- 
sey, June  14,  1914,  and  is  buried  in 
Laurel  Hill  Cemetery,  Philadelphia.  He 
remained  in  his  native  land  until  he  was 
eighteen  years  of  age,  receiving  there  a 
good  education  and  drawing  from  health- 
ful surroundings  the  strength  and  con- 
stitution upon  which  depended  his  future 
in  a  new,  strange  land.  He  came  to 
Philadelphia  in  1847  and  in  a  few  years 
began  the  manufacture  of  candy  at  No. 
830  Chestnut  street.  He  was  successful 
in  his  venture  and  as  his  fame  grew  he 
extended  his  business,  conducting  both 
wholesale  and  retail  departments.  Branch 
stores  in  Baltimore,  New  York,  and  other 
eastern  cities  were  next  added,  and  he 
then  moved  his  Philadelphia  store  to  its 


present  location.  No.  1614  Chestnut 
street.  He  was  the  veteran  candy-maker 
of  the  city,  celebrating  his  fiftieth  and 
sixtieth  anniversaries  in  the  city,  and  had 
he  lived  three  years  longer  would  have 
been  seventy  years  a  resident,  most  of 
that  time  engaged  in  the  candy  trade.  As 
the  years  accumulated  and  their  burden 
grew  heavy,  his  sons  came  to  his  relief, 
and  in  January,  1914,  he  shifted  the  re- 
sponsibility to  the  shoulders  of  his  son, 
A.  C.  Maron,  and  retired.  Death  came 
while  he  was  summering  at  Atlantic 
City. 

Mr.  Maron  married  Anna  Miller,  also 
born  in  Switzerland,  who  survives  him, 
residing  at  No.  1624  Green  street.  Chil- 
dren :  A.  C.  Maron,  who  continues  the 
business,  Conrad,  Emily,  and  Laura. 


EVERSON,  Barclay  M., 

Prominent  in  Steel  and  Iron  Industry. 

Am,ong  the  stirring  business  men  of 
Pittsburgh  of  the  last  forty-five  years 
none  was  entitled,  by  reason  of  sound 
ability  and  sterling  worth  of  character, 
to  stand  higher  in  his  own  special  line 
than  the  late  Barclay  M.  Everson,  for 
many  years  officially  identified  with  the 
iron  and  steel  industry  and  the  machinery 
business.  Mr.  Everson  was  prominent 
in  musical  circles  and  took  a  particular 
interest  in  all  that  made  for  culture  in  the 
realm  of  art. 

Barclay  M.  Everson  was  born  April  13, 
1850,  and  was  a  son  of  the  late  William 
H.  and  Mary  (Harker)  Everson.  A 
biography  of  Mr.  Everson  appears  else- 
where in  this  work.  Barclay  M.  Everson 
was  educated  in  Pittsburgh  schools,  at 
the  Newell  Institute,  and  the  Iron  City 
Commercial  School.  His  first  employ- 
ment was  with  the  Commercial  Banking 
Company,  which  he  left  after  a  time  in 
order  to  become  cashier  of  the  Citv  De- 


1771 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


posit  Bank,  remaining  until  1877,  when 
he  went  to  the  Exchange  National  Bank. 
After  three  years'  service  in  this  institu- 
tion, Mr.  Everson  felt  a  desire  for  a  life 
of  greater  activity,  and  became  assistant 
to  his  father  in  the  very  extensive  busi- 
ness of  Everson,  Macrum  &  Company, 
iron  manufacturers.  Here  his  fine  busi- 
ness qualifications  found  full  scope  and 
he  remained  with  the  concern  until  it 
went  out  of  existence.  He  then  turned 
his  attention  to  machinery,  becoming 
agent  for  various  firms,  among  them 
Baldwin's  Locomotive  Works,  with 
which  he  was  associated  for  thirteen 
years.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 
agent  for  various  concerns  of  a  similar 
nature. 

In  politics  Mr.  Everson  was  a  Repub- 
lican, and.  while  taking  no  active  part  in 
the  affairs  of  the  organization,  ever  gave 
faithful  and  vigilant  attention  to  matters 
of  local  and  national  importance.  He  be- 
longed to  the  Duquesne  Club  and  the 
Society  of  Engineers  of  Western  Penn- 
sylvania. For  years  he  was  a  member  of 
the  First  Baptist  Church,  but  during  the 
latter  portion  of  his  life  attended  the 
Shady  Side  Presbyterian  Church,  with 
which  his  wife  was  identified. 

Much  of  the  musical  talent  hereditary 
in  the  family  had  descended  to  Mr.  Ever- 
son, and  in  its  cultivation  and  exercise 
he  found  one  of  his  chief  pleasures.  At 
dififerent  times  he  served  as  leader  of  a 
number  of  church  choirs,  among  them 
those  of  the  Point  Breeze  Presbyterian 
Church  and  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church.  He  also  sang  for  a  season  or 
two  in  St.  Andrew's  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church.  He  was  one  of  the  charter  mem- 
bers of  the  Art  Society. 

A  calm,  strong,  thoughtful  face  was 
that  of  Barclay  M.  Everson,  its  finely  cut 
features  accentuated  by  closely  clipped 
beard,    moustache    and    whiskers.      The 


eyes,  keenly  penetrating  as  they  were, 
yet  spoke  the  language  of  good-will  and 
the  expression  of  the  whole  countenance 
was  grave  and  kindly.  It  was  a  face  that 
many  loved  to  see  and  now  love  to  recall. 

A  happy  marriage  was  the  crowning 
blessing  of  Mr.  Everson's  life.  On  Sep- 
tember 9,  1880,  he  was  united  to  Sarah, 
daughter  of  Dr.  John  I.  and  Rebecca  C. 
(Conner)  Marchand.  Dr.  Marchand  was 
a  prominent  physician  of  Pittsburgh,  and 
for  years  president  of  the  City  Deposit 
Bank.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Everson  were  the 
parents  of  three  children — Gertrude 
Marchand,  deceased ;  Adelaide,  educated 
at  Thurston  School,  and  a  student  of 
art  at  Columbia  University,  class  of 
1915;  and  Frank  Marchand,  born  April 
26,  1892,  educated  at  Shady  Side  Acad- 
emy and  Lafayette  College,  and  now  en- 
gaged in  business  in  Pittsburgh. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Everson,  which  oc- 
curred March  4,  1915,  removed  from 
Pittsburgh  one  of  the  most  respected  of 
her  business  men  and  useful  of  her  citi- 
zens, a  man  of  high  principles,  generous 
impulses  and  absolute  fidelity  to  every 
trust.  In  the  passing  of  a  man  like  Bar- 
clay M.  Everson  his  community  sustains 
a  loss  which  cannot  well  be  estimated, 
for  the  influence  of  such  a  life  extends  far 
beyond  the  circle  of  those  in  immediate 
contact  with  it.  Its  example  is  observed 
by  many  and  when  it  passes  from  sight 
it  survives  in  memory.  Such  a  man  en- 
riches his  city  not  merely  in  a  financial 
way  but  in  the  more  influential  one  of 
helping  to  raise  the  standard  of  honor. 


SHANK,  Theodore  B., 

Prominent  Educator. 


Theodore  B.  Shank,  superintendent  of 
the   public   schools   of  Jeannette,    West- 
moreland county,  Pennsylvania,  is  a  rep- 
resentative of  a  family  which  has  been 
1772 


Iaj.JX..^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


resident  in  the  State  of  Virginia  for  some 
generations.  His  father,  S.  T.  Shank, 
was  born  in  Virginia,  where  his  entire 
life  up  to  the  present  time  has  been  spent, 
and  where  he  married  Elizabeth  Miller, 
also  born  in  Virginia.  They  became  the 
parents  of  six  children,  of  whom  four  are 
now  living. 

Theodore  B.  Shank,  the  third  of  these 
children,  was  born  in  Virginia,  September 
II,  1877,  and  received  his  preparatory 
education  in  the  public  schools  near  his 
home.  He  then  matriculated  at  Roanoke 
College,  Salem,  Virginia,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1895  with 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  the  degree 
of  Master  of  Arts  being  subsequently 
conferred  by  the  same  institution.  For 
a  time  he  pursued  special  courses  of 
study  in  Germany  and  France,  and  upon 
his  return  to  his  native  country,  began 
teaching  at  Kee  Mar  College,  Hagers- 
town,  Maryland,  became  vice-president 
of  that  institution,  and  later  its  president. 
In  1903  he  came  to  Jeannette  and  there 
accepted  an  appointment  as  superintend- 
ent of  public  schools,  and  has  been  the 
incumbent  of  that  office  up  to  the  present 
time.  His  more  remote  ancestry  is  Eng- 
lish and  German,  and  he  is  the  fortunate 
possessor  of  some  of  the  best  traits  of 
both  of  these  nations. 


NICHOLSON,  William  Ramsey, 

Successful  Business  Man. 

Of  Philadelphia  birth  and  of  the  fourth 
generation  of  his  family  in  Pennsylvania, 
Mr.  Nicholson  has  spent  his  useful  life 
entirely  devoted  to  the  business  and  pro- 
fessional interests  of  his  city.  After 
twelve  years  of  association  with  William 
Nelson  West  in  law  and  conveyancing, 
first  as  student  then  as  partner,  he  later 
found  his  true  sphere  in  the  business 
world.      In    the    financial    world    he    has 


won  honorable  distinction,  and  as  presi- 
dent of  the  Land  Title  and  Trust  Com- 
pany, of  Philadelphia,  wields  strong  in- 
fluence among  the  men  of  finance.  In 
civic  affairs  a  worker  for  better  condi- 
tions, in  the  church,  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  and  in  club  life  his 
personality  has  been  wide  reaching,  his 
efforts  productive  of  good  and  his  per- 
sonal service  untiring.  In  all  that  stands 
for  good  citizenship  his  aims  are  lofty  and 
his  example  beneficial.  When  the  two 
weeks  campaign  to  raise  one  million  dol- 
lars for  the  work  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Associat'on  was  inaugurated, 
Mr.  Nicholson,  .  s  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee, threw  himself  heart  and  soul  into 
the  movement,  and  it  is  estimated  that 
one-third  of  the  needed  sum  was  given 
as  a  result  of  his  personal  effort.  Later 
he  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  financial 
campaign  of  the  Young  Women's  Chris- 
tian Association  vhich  succeeded  in  rais- 
ing half  a  million  dollars.  When  the 
great  evangelist,  "Billy"  Sunday,  was  in- 
vited to  condact  a  religious  campaign  in 
Philadelphia,  Mr.  Nicholson  was  one  of 
the  men  who  arrai.ged  for  and  made  the 
movement  one  of  the  greatest  outpour- 
ings of  religious  fervor  the  world  ever 
saw,  acting  as  chairman  of  the  finance 
committee.  When  the  City  Club,  in  its 
new-born  zeal  for  progress,  considered 
the  advisability  of  falling  in  line  with  the 
best  modern  thought  and  abolishing 
liquor  from  their  club-house,  Mr.  Nichol- 
son vigorously  supported  "No  license," 
and  with  his  associates  carried  the  day 
for  a  new  order  in  club  management  that 
it  is  to  be  hoped  will  have  many  imitators. 
The  campaign  of  four  days  in  May,  19x5, 
of  which  he  was  chairman,  resulted  in 
an  increase  of  membership  from  447 
to  2,000,  the  limit  placed  by  the  club. 
As  a  long-time  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian  church   and   as    president   of    the 

773 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Presbyterian  Social  Union,  he  has  fur- 
thered all  departments  of  church  work, 
neglecting  no  opportunity  to  advance 
every  good  cause. 

William  Ramsey  Nicholson  w^as  born 
in  Philadelphia,  June  25,  1851,  son  of 
Thomas  and  Ann  (McConnell)  Nichol- 
son. He  was  educated  in  Philadelphia 
schools,  finishing  his  studies  at  Central 
High  School.  When  called  upon  to 
choose  a  profession  he  decided  upon  the 
law,  entering  the  office  of  William  Nel- 
son West  in  1868  (city  solicitor,  1878- 
1884).  In  1880  he  formed  an  association 
with  John  M.  Erickson  and  Frederick  L. 
Michaelsen  for  the  purpose  of  building 
and  operating  in  real  estate.  He  con- 
tinued for  ten  years  in  that  line  of  ac- 
tivity, his  operations  being  largely  direc- 
ted toward  the  upbuilding  of  West  Phila- 
delphia where  his  firm  caused  over  one 
thousand  houses  to  be  erected.  On  Janu- 
ary I,  1890,  he  was  elected  president  of 
the  West  Philadelphia  Title  and  Trust 
Company,  holding  that  ofifice  until  No- 
vember, 1891,  then  resigning  to  become 
president  of  the  Land  Title  Trust  Com- 
pany, of  which  he  had  been  a  director 
since  its  incorporation  in  1885.  He  only 
severed  his  connection  as  president  with 
the  West  Philadelphia  Title  and  Trust 
Company,  retaining  his  present  member- 
ship on  the  board  of  directors.  The 
growth  of  the  Land  Title  and  Trust  Com.- 
pany  under  the  guidance  of  Mr.  Nichol- 
son and  his  able  board  of  directors  has 
been  most  remarkable,  and  illustrates 
anew  the  fact  that  gaining  public  confi- 
dence is  the  one  road  to  legitimate  finan- 
cial success.  As  the  strength  of  Mr. 
Nicholson  as  executive  financier  and  man 
of  affairs  has  become  so  apparent  to  the 
business  world,  the  demand  for  his  ser- 
vices has  extended  to  many  fields  of 
activity.  His  present  official  positions 
are:      President   of   the    Land   Title   and 


Trust  Company,  president  of  the  Phila- 
delphia Company  for  Guaranteeing  Mort- 
gages, director  of  West  Philadelphia 
Title  and  Trust  Company,  director  of 
Fourth  Street  National  Bank,  director  of 
Girard  Fire  Insurance  Company,  trustee 
of  the  American  Surety  Company,  of 
New  York,  director  of  Philadelphia 
Agency  American  Surety  Company,  of 
New  York,  director  of  Wheeling  &  Lake 
Erie  Railroad  Company,  director  of 
Omaha  Water  Company,  president  of 
Philadelphia  Stock  Exchange  Building 
Company,  director  of  Haverford  De- 
velopment Company,  member  of  Arbitra- 
tion Committee,  Philadelphia  Clearing 
House  Association,  director  and  treasurer 
of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion, of  Philadelphia.  His  interest  in 
civic  afifairs  is  strong  and  all  inclusive, 
although  he  has  never  sought  or  accepted 
public  of^ce.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Northminster  Presbyterian  Church,  the 
Presbyterian  Social  Union,  the  Union 
League,  and  the  City  Club.  He  enjoys 
his  hours  off  duty  in  travel  and  motoring, 
and  is  a  devotee  of  rod  and  reel. 

Mr.  Nicholson  married,  in  1873,  Anna, 
daughter  of  William  Hopson.  Children: 
Howard  G.,  died  in  infancy ;  Edgar  W. ; 
William  Ramsey  (2)  ;  and  Edith  Govett, 
married  William  P.  Herbert. 


CARTWRIGHT,  Rev.  Charles  L.  E., 

Clergyman,  Popular  Lecturer. 

There  are  some  rugged  and  wholesome 
men  in  this  world  whose  aim  and  am- 
bition in  life  is  not  to  see  how  much 
benefit  they  can  reap  from  their 
fellowmen,  but,  rather,  to  see  how  much 
good  they  can  do  in  their  own  com- 
munity, and  how  much  brighter  and 
easier  they  can  make  the  lives  of  those 
about  them.  The  Rev.  Charles  Lewis 
Edward  Cartwright  is  one  of  these  sterl- 
ing, right-hearted  men. 

774 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


The  Cartwright  family  comes  original- 
ly from  England,  Rev.  C.  L.  E.  Cart- 
wright's  father  being  the  first  of  the 
family  to  make  his  home  in  America. 
Richard  Cartwright,  the  great-grand- 
father of  Rev.  Charles  Lewis  Edward 
Cartwright,  was  a  farmer  and  civil  en- 
gineer. He  laid  out  the  first  roads  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Church  Stretton,  Shrop- 
shire, England.  His  wife  was  a  Miss 
Susan  Beddis. 

Edward  Cartwright,  the  son  of  Rich- 
ard and  Susan  (Beddis)  Cartwright,  was 
born  February  28,  1793,  in  the  beautiful 
and  picturesque  town  of  Stoneacton, 
Cardington  parish,  Shropshire,  England. 
In  the  year  1819  he  married  Mary 
Hamer.  She  was  born  August  11,  1790, 
and  died  January  28,  1871.  Their  chil- 
dren, eight  in  number,  were :  Henry ; 
Richard ;  Susan ;  Edward  Jr. ;  James ; 
Thomas ;  Charles  ;  and  William.  Edward 
Cartwright  followed  the  occupation  of 
farming.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Church 
of  England,  and  a  staunch  Methodist 
Episcopalian. 

Rev.  Richard  Cartwright,  son  of  Ed- 
ward and  Mary  (Hamer)  Cartwright, 
was  born  at  Ruckley,  England,  April  15, 
1822.  He  began  to  study  for  the  minis- 
try before  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age, 
and,  completing  his  studies,  preached  in 
England  until  he  was  twenty-six.  At 
this  time,  in  the  year  1848,  he  came  to 
America,  preaching  in  West  Virginia  and 
the  Pittsburgh  Conference  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  for  forty-seven 
years.  Rev.  Richard  Cartwright  mar- 
ried, August  20,  1855,  Louise,  daughter 
of  David  and  Mary  Sinsabaugh.  She 
was  born  at  Norwich,  Ohio,  May  20,  1834, 
and  died  at  West  Bridgewater,  Pennsyl- 
vania, May  2,  1902.  The  children  of 
Rev.  Richard  and  Louise  (Sinsabaugh) 
Cartwright  were:  Charles  Lewis  Ed- 
ward Cartwright,  see  below;  Mary  Vir- 
PEN-21  I 


ginia  Josephine,  born  November  12, 
1858;  David  Trott,  born  February  4, 
1861  ;  Harry  Barlow,  born  February  6, 
1864;  Emma  Louise,  born  February  20, 
1878.  In  the  year  1895,  Rev.  Richard 
Cartwright  was  superannuated,  and  in 
1901,  on  the  anniversary  of  his  birth,  he 
died,  having  continued  his  preaching 
until  the  last  few  years  of  his  life.  In 
politics  he  was  ever  a  strong  upholder  of 
the  Republican  party. 

Rev.  Charles  Lewis  Edward  Cart- 
wright was  born  at  Brady's  Bend,  Penn- 
sylvania, June  25,  1856.  He  received  the 
foundation  of  his  education  in  the  public 
and  high  schools  of  Carrollton,  Ohio. 
Later  he  studied  in  the  Beaver  College 
and  Musical  Institute  of  Beaver,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  then  in  the  Western  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania  (now  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pittsburgh).  In  1899  he  re- 
ceived his  Ph.  D.  from  the  college  at 
Waynesburg,  Pennsylvania.  He  began 
teaching  school  before  he  was  sixteen 
years  of  age,  and  continued  teaching 
along  with  his  studies  for  eight  years. 
Before  he  had  attained  his  seventeenth 
year  the  future  Rev.  Cartwright  had 
preached  his  first  sermon,  and  even  at 
that  early  age  a  kind  and  feeling  sym- 
pathy for  others  had  rooted  itself  deep  in 
the  soul  of  the  lad. 

In  the  year  1880,  Rev.  Cartwright  en- 
tered the  Pittsburgh  Conference  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  served 
as  pastor  of  the  Brownsville  Second 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  Meyers- 
dale,  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of 
Coopersdale,  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  of  Irwin,  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  of  New  Brighton,  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  of  Scottdale,  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  of  Braddock,  the 
North  Avenue  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  of  the  North  Side,  Pittsburgh, 
and  the  Turtle  Creek  Methodist  Episco- 

775 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


pal  Church.  Since  1914  Rev.  Cartwright 
has  been  pastor  of  the  Mary  S.  Brown 
Memorial  Methodist  Jh-piscopal  Church 
of  Pittsburgh. 

Rev.  Charles  L.  E.  Cartwright  is  a 
worker.  He  not  only  plans  the  work  of 
his  church,  but  he  also  takes  a  most  active 
part  in  the  doing  of  that  work.  He  has 
built  up  every  charge  that  he  has  ever 
held.  As  a  speaker  he  is  in  great  demand, 
for  he  is  a  master  of  the  emotions,  having 
his  audiences  bowing  with  tears  one 
minute  and  shaking  with  laughter  the 
next.  He  lectures  for  the  Chautauqua, 
north  and  south,  and  is  in  constant  de- 
mand for  courses,  commencements,  con- 
ventions, etc.  His  more  popular  lectures 
are  :  "The  Marble  Waiteth,"  "How  Good 
It  Is  to  Live,"  "The  Greatness  of  Amer- 
ica," "Patriotism  Up-to-date,"  "^Mistakes 
Moses  Didn't  Make."  He  addresses 
thousands  of  young  people  and  other 
thousands  of  men  every  year.  His  sub- 
jects for  these  are :  "Whole  Men  or  Frag- 
ments, Which  ?"  "The  Man  Question,  the 
Main  Question."'  "God's  Big  Place  for 
Men,"  "You  and  Your,"  "Your  Unused 
Self,"  etc.  He  is  numbered  among  Pitts- 
burgh's most  enthusiastic  revivalists,  and 
is  sent  for  from  far  and  near  to  preside 
at  the  revival  services  of  many  churches. 
Everywhere  his  sympathetic  disposition 
and  ready  wit  gain  countless  friends  and 
adm,irers  for  him. 

Rev.  Cartwright  married,  October  13, 
1880,  Mildred  Celeste,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam and  Harriet  (Huggins)  McKee. 
She  was  born  at  Cochran's  Mills,  Penn- 
sylvania, May  28,  i860.  Children  of  Rev. 
C.  L.  E.  and  Mildred  Celeste  (McKee) 
Cartwright:  I.  Frances  Irene,  born  Feb- 
ruary I.  1882;  attended  Allegheny  Col- 
lege, graduate  of  Mt.  Pleasant  Musical 
and  Classical  Institute ;  now  wife  of  Rev. 
R.  B.  Cuthbert,  of  Latrobe,  Pennsyl- 
vania.    2.  Richard  Eugene,  born  Septem- 


ber 7,  1883;  educated  in  public  and  busi- 
ness schools ;  now  a  civil  engineer ;  mar- 
ried Emma  Wiley,  of  Piqua,  Ohio.  3. 
Mildred  Louise,  born  August  i,  1885; 
graduated  from  Scottdale  high  school  and 
Beaver  College,  now  the  wife  of  A.  B. 
Jobson,  an  attorney  of  Franklin,  Penn- 
sylvania. 4.  Harriet  Emily,  born  Novem- 
ber 29,  1888,  educated  in  Braddock  high 
school  and  in  Pittsburgh  College  for 
Women ;  she  is  now  wife  of  S.  B.  Miller, 
a  banker,  of  Beaver,  Pennsylvania.  5. 
IMarguerite  Hutton,  born  February  8, 
1892  ;  educated  in  Allegheny  High  School, 
and  at  Beaver  College ;  married  Paul 
Remington  Engle,  a  newspaper  man  of 
Beaver  Valley.  6.  Claude  Worth  McKee, 
born  July  28,  1897. 

Rev.  Cartwright,  like  his  father,  is  a 
firm  adherent  of  the  Republican  party. 
IVaternally  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Ma- 
sons. He  is  a  man  of  most  refined  appear- 
ance ;  his  head  is  noble,  his  features  are 
fine  and  clear-cut.  His  face  expresses  an 
earnestness  of  purpose,  a  kindliness  of 
disposition,  and  a  great  breadth  of  mind. 

The  life  of  the  Rev.  Charles  Lewis 
Edward  Cartwright  is  a  life  of  unselfish- 
ness, a  life  thought-free  of  personal  gain. 
While  others  are  striving  only  to  gain 
something  temporal  from  man,  he,  and 
the  members  of  the  sacred  calling  to 
wliich  he  belongs,  are  earnestly  and  per- 
sistently endeavoring  to  give  something 
lasting  to  man. 


HILL,  Charles  Augustus,  M.  D., 

Specialist,    Hospital   Official,    Author. 

Dr.  Charles  Augustus  Hill,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, specialist  in  abdominal  surgery 
and  gynaecology,  is  now  in  his  twentieth 
year  of  practice  in  the  metropolis.  Dr. 
Hill  is  widely  and  favorably  known  as  a 
contributor  to  the  literature  of  his  profes- 
sion. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Aaron  Hill,  father  of  Charles  Augustus 
Hill,  was  born  in  1830,  in  Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  received  his 
education  in  local  schools.  He  was  after- 
ward engaged  during  the  remainder  of 
his  life  in  the  business  of  a  contractor 
and  builder.  He  married  Mary  Keppel, 
and  their  children  were :  John,  deceased  ; 
Oscar,  deceased ;  Belle,  died  at  the  age 
of  twenty-one  years ;  Elmer  S.,  of  Mis- 
souri, trainmaster  of  Kansas  City  South- 
ern railway ;  and  Charles  Augustus,  men- 
tioned below.  The  death  of  Mr.  Hill 
occurred  in  1897. 

Charles  Augustus,  son  of  Aaron  and 
Mary  (Keppel)  Hill,  was  born  December 
21.  1874,  at  Apollo,  Pennsylvania,  and 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Armstrong  county.  His  professional 
training  was  received  at  the  Western 
Pennsylvania  Medical  College  (now  the 
Medical  Department  of  the  University  of 
Pittsburgh),  and  from  this  institution  he 
graduated  in  1896  with  the  degree  of  Doc- 
tor of  Medicine.  After  serving  for  a  time 
in  different  hospitals.  Dr.  Hill  began 
general  practice  in  Pittsburgh,  always, 
however,  giving  special  attention  to  sur- 
gery. At  the  end  of  nine  years  he  de- 
cided to  devote  himself  exclusively  to 
abdominal  surgery  and  gynaecology,  and 
has  since  specialized  very  successfully  in 
that  department  of  his  profession.  For 
some  years  he  was  on  the  staff  of  St. 
John's  Hospital  and  for  the  last  seven 
years  has  served  on  that  of  the  Presby- 
terian Hospital.  He  belonged  formerly 
to  many  medical  associations,  but  has 
now  withdrawn  from  all  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  Pennsylvania  State  Medical 
Association  and  the  Allegheny  County 
Medical  Society. 

With  his  pen  Dr.  Hill  has  rendered 
notable  service  to  medical  science.  His 
article  entitled  "Report  on  the  Use  of 
Pituitary   Extract    Pitutrin    in    Surgical 

I 


Shock"  has  received  much  favorable  com- 
ment, especially  from  Dr.  John  B. 
Murphy  in  his  work  on  "General  Sur- 
gery," and  Dr.  H.  R.  Harrower,  of  New 
York,  in  his  "Hormone  Therapy."  His 
article  on  "The  Use  of  Corpora  Lutea 
in  Gynaecology"  (in  which  he  is  the  pio- 
neer), was  accorded  distinguished  recog- 
nition, being  quoted  by  Dr.  Carey  Cul- 
bertson,  of  Chicago,  in  "Surgery,  Gynae- 
cology and  Obstetrics,"  an  international 
medical  journal. 

The  political  principles  of  Dr.  Hill  are 
those  of  the  Republican  party,  and  in 
1904  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board  of  the  Sixth  Ward  of  Allegheny. 
He  affiliates  with  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
and  his  only  club  is  the  Press  Club.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Protestant 
church. 

That  Dr.  Hill  is  a  man  of  advanced 
ideas  and  that  in  carrying  them  out  he 
fears  not  to  take  the  initiative  is  abund- 
antly proved  by  his  record.  Learned  in 
his  profession,  he  is  energetic  and  skillful 
in  the  application  of  his  knowledge.  Re- 
spected by  both  the  medical  fraternity 
and  the  community  at  large,  he  numbers, 
in  all  classes,  many  warm  friends.  He 
has  one  daughter,  Julia  Truby. 

Dr.  Hill  has  done  good  work  as  a 
specialist  and  will  be  long  remembered 
for  his  contributions  to  medical  literature. 


MELLON,  Louis  Aloysius  Keegan, 

Lawyer  and  Jurist. 

Judge  Mellon's  life  of  but  thirty-two 
years  was  one  that  reflected  great  credit 
upon  himself,  the  city  of  his  birth,  and 
the  institutions  of  that  city  that  fitted 
him  for  a  brilliant  career.  He  was  em- 
phatically a  son  of  Philadelphia,  educated 
in  her  public  schools,  college,  and  uni- 
versity, a  practitioner  at  her  bar,  and, 
when  stricken  by  the  hand  of  death,  had 

177 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


for  six  months  worn  her  judicial  ermine 
as  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Municipal 
Court.  Judge  Mellon's  life  from  boyhood 
was  one  of  constant  progress  and  of  am- 
bitions realized,  one  by  one.  Passing 
creditably  through  public  school,  he 
realized  his  dream  of  a  college  course, 
from  college  he  passed  through  the  law 
department  of  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  when  admitted  to  the  bar 
another  ambition  of  his  young  life  was 
an  accomplished  fact.  Eight  years  of 
private  practice  brought  him  honorable 
position  at  the  bar  and  the  endorsement 
of  his  fellow  men,  manifested  by  his 
election  as  Municipal  Judge.  Thirty- 
two  years  was  his  span  of  life,  and  few 
such  short  lives  have  contained  greater 
achievement.  He  was  no  pampered  child 
of  fortune,  but  the  successes  he  attained 
and  the  rewards  he  received  were  worked 
for,  earned,  and  richly  deserved. 

Louis  Aloysius  Keegan  Mellon  was 
born  in  Philadelphia  in  what  is  now  the 
Thirty-fourth  ward,  September  9,  1882, 
died  there  July  28,  1914,  son  of  James 
I.  and  Elizabeth  J.  (Keegan)  Mellon. 

Judge  Mellon  prepared  for  college  in 
the  public  schools  and  then  entered  St. 
Joseph's  College,  whence  he  was  gradu- 
ated A.  B.,  class  of  1902,  receiving  from 
the  same  college  the  degree  of  A.  M.  in 
1905.  He  prepared  for  professional  life 
at  the  Law  School  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  obtaining  his  degree  of 
LL.  B.  with  the  class  of  1905.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  Philadelphia  bar,  Octo- 
ber 2,  1905,  at  once  associated  himself 
with  J.  Washington  Logue,  and  practiced 
until  May  i,  1910,  in  all  State  and  Federal 
courts  of  the  Philadelphia  district.  In 
May,  1910,  Mr.  Mellon  became  senior 
partner  of  the  law  firm  of  Mellon,  Roney 
&;  Kelly.  He  remained  head  of  this  very 
successful  firm  until  December  31,  1913, 
when   he    retired,    having   been    elected 


Judge  of  the  Municipal  Court  of  Phila- 
delphia the  preceding  November.  He 
took  his  seat  upon  the  bench  January  i, 
1914,  serving  until  the  illness  that  re- 
sulted in  his  death  July  28th  following. 

During  his  eight  years  of  private  prac- 
tice. Judge  Mellon  displayed  unusual 
aptitude  for  his  profession,  quickly 
grasping  the  principle  at  stake  in  every 
case  and  stripping  it  of  all  minor  and 
confusing  features.  His  presentations 
were  clear,  logical,  and  forceful,  and  were 
made  before  the  court  without  flourish  or 
attempt  to  becloud  the  issue.  He  was 
successful  in  practice  and  in  his  few 
short  years  at  the  bar  gained  the  respect 
of  those  with  whom  his  professional  duty 
brought  him  into  contact,  whether  judge, 
referee,  or  fellow  lawyers.  His  clientele 
trusted  him  and  no  young  lawyer  ever 
possessed  more  devoted  friends.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  bar  associations  of  the 
city  and  State  and  enjoyed  to  the  utmost 
his  fellowship  with  his  brethren  of  the 
profession,  his  eloquence,  humor,  and 
generous  disposition  rendering  him  very 
popular. 

He  was  the  youngest  judge  of  the 
Municipal  Court,  and  his  career  upon  the 
bench  was  too  short  to  demonstrate  his 
full  ability,  but  his  was  a  rich  judicial 
mind  that  would  have  ripened  and  ex- 
panded to  a  full  fruition.  He  was  learned 
and  impartial,  loved  justice,  and  gave  to 
all  questions  submitted  to  him,  careful 
study  and  closest  scrutiny.  His  death 
was  a  distinct  loss  to  his  city  and  the 
profession  he  adorned. 

Judge  Mellon  as  college  and  university 
student  entered  heartily  into  the  spirit  of 
the  institutions  he  attended.  As  a  mem- 
ber of  the  "Mask  and  Wig"  (University 
of  Pennsylvania)  he  took  a  leading  part 
in  the  plays  presented,  and  after  gradu- 
ation assisted  in  coaching  players  for  the 
parts.  He  was  conspicuous  in  politics 
778 


?f'.M^ 


^   .  k:>/r^^--t^-^L,.o— 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


by  virtue  of  his  youth  and  abilities.  In 
the  first  Rotan  campaign  for  the  district 
attorneyship  he  was  an  effective  speaker 
for  the  Republican  organization,  and  par- 
ticipated in  every  subsequent  campaign. 
He  w^as  a  member  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
church,  held  high  office  in  the  Knights  of 
Columbus,  and  was  an  important  factor 
in  the  growth  of  that  order  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  belonged  to  Delta  Chi  frater- 
nity, the  University  Club,  the  Ancient 
Order  of  Hibernians,  and  the  Friendly 
Sons  of  St.  Patrick. 

When  Judge  Mellon's  death  was  an- 
nounced to  the  Municipal  Court,  that 
body  adjourned  in  respect  to  his  memory. 
On  July  30th  the  board  of  judges  met 
and  adopted  resolutions  of  eulogy  and 
voted  to  attend  the  funeral  services  as  a 
body.  On  August  5th  a  special  meeting 
of  the  bar  was  held.  Judge  J.  Willis  Mar- 
tin presiding,  at  which  meeting  City  Solic- 
itor Ryan  and  Congressman  Logue  de- 
livered tributes  to  their  dead  friend  and 
associate.  Judge  Mellon  was  unmarried, 
but  his  engagement  had  been  announced. 


SHAW,  William  Conner,  M.  D., 

Practitioner,    Hospital    Official. 

Dr.  William  Conner  Shaw,  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  older  generation  of  Pitts- 
burgh physicians,  is  able  to  look  back 
upon  more  than  forty  years  of  successful 
practice  in  the  metropolis.  Dr.  Shaw  is 
a  member  of  one  of  those  old  Scotch- 
Irish  families  that  may  truly  be  styled 
"Makers  of  Western  Pennsylvania." 

Samuel  Shaw,  great-grandfather  of 
William  Conner  Shaw,  was  descended 
from  ancestors  who  by  reason  of  perse- 
cution left  their  native  Scotland  for  Ire- 
land, settling  in  County  Down  about 
1640.  Samuel  Shaw  emigrated  to  the 
American  colonies  about  1768,  settling 
first  in  the  neighborhood  of  Hagerstown, 


Maryland,  and  later  removing  to  the 
Juniata  valley,  Pennsylvania.  In  1788  he 
purchased  a  farm  near  Wilmerding,  Alle- 
gheny county.  Samuel  Shaw  married, 
before  coming  to  America,  Elizabeth 
Lowry,  and  their  children  were :  Samuel, 
Thomas,  William,  John,  David,  men- 
tioned below ;  and  Jane,  who  became  the 
wife  of  John  Gill,  and  was  the  first  of 
the  family  to  migrate  from  Juniata 
county  to  Western  Pennsylvania.  It  was 
there  that  William  and  David  settled, 
Samuel,  Thomas  and  John  going  to  Ken- 
tucky. Some  years  later  Samuel  went 
to  Illinois  and  Thomas  and  John  settled 
near  Sidney,  Ohio. 

(II)  David,  son  of  Samuel  and  Eliza- 
beth (Lowry)  Shaw,  was  born  May  21, 
1761,  in  County  Down,  Ireland,  and  was 
a  child  when  brought  by  his  parents  to 
America.  He  inherited  the  farm  in  Alle- 
gheny county,  and  when  apprehensive  of 
trouble  with  the  Indians,  he  and  his  fam- 
ily sought  refuge  in  the  old  fort  situated 
in  the  forks  of  the  river  above  McKees- 
port.  David  Shaw  was  a  member  of  the 
Associate  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death  held  the  office 
of  elder.  He  married,  December  16,  1788, 
Jane,  born  August  2,  1764,  in  York 
county,  Pennsylvania,  daughter  of  Rob- 
ert and  Margaret  (Jamison)  Ekin,  who 
came  about  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth 
century  from  County  Derry,  Ireland,  and 
settled  in  York  county,  but  afterward  re- 
moved to  Versailles  township,  Allegheny 
county.  David  Shaw  and  his  wife  were 
the  parents  of  the  following  children: 
Samuel,  born  October  23,  1789,  married 
Martha  Henderson ;  Elizabeth,  born  May 
16,  1791,  became  the  second  wife  of  her 
cousin,  Samuel  Shaw ;  Robert,  born  No- 
vember 30,  1793;  Sarah,  born  March  7, 
1796,  married  Robert  Carruthers,  who 
was  at  one  time  a  legislator ;  Margaret, 
born    August     18,     1798,    married    John 

779 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Stewart,  from  whom  Stewart's  Station 
derived  its  name  (this  is  now  Trafford 
City)  ;  Thomas,  born  January  lo,  1800, 
married  Mary  Ekin;  David,  born  July  9, 
1803,  married  Margaret  Long;  John,  born 
February  6,  1806,  married  Martha  Cavitt; 
and  William  A.,  mentioned  below.  David 
Shaw,  the  father,  died  May  28,  1834,  and 
his  widow  survived  until  August  14, 
1866,  having  attained  the  venerable  age 
of  one  hundred  and  two  years. 

(Ill)  William  A.,  son  of  David  and 
Jane  (Ekin)  Shaw,  was  born  July  6,  1810, 
and  married  Sarah  Theresa  Conner, 
whose  ancestral  record  is  appended  to 
this  biography,  and  their  children  were : 
William.  Conner,  mentioned  below;  Jane 
Ekin,  married  the  Rev.  John  A.  Wilson, 
of  Pittsburgh,  and  is  now  deceased; 
David  Edwin ;  Samuel  Julius ;  Margaret 
M.,  widow  of  James  C.  Doty,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, and  mother  of  one  son.  William 
Shaw  Doty,  a  graduate  of  Princeton 
University  and  now  studying  law ;  John 
I.,  of  Pittsburgh,  member  of  Shaw 
Brothers,  printers,  served  several  terms 
in  Pennsylvania  Legislature,  and  married 
Anna  Mevey,  of  Pittsburgh ;  Abijah  C, 
of  Pittsburgh,  member  of  Shaw  Brothers, 
printers,  married  Ida  Bryce,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, and  their  children  are :  Mary 
Bryce,  John  Bryce,  at  University  of 
Pittsburgh,  and  James  P.,  a  graduate  of 
Princeton  University;  and  James  P.,  a 
graduate  of  Princeton  University  and  of 
the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons, 
New  York,  and  now  in  insurance  busi- 
ness in  Pittsburgh.  William  A.  Shaw 
died  January  8,  1892,  and  the  mother  of 
the  family  passed  away  April  14,  1896. 

David  Edwin  Shaw  graduated  in  1870 
at  Princeton  University,  and  in  1873  at 
the  Allegheny  United  Presbyterian  Theo- 
logical Seminary.  He  also  took  a  course 
in  the  Free  Church  Seminary  of  Edin- 
burgh, Scotland.     He  was  for  ten  years 


pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in 
Keokuk,  Iowa,  being  then  called  to  Lin- 
coln University  as  Professor  of  Hebrew 
and  Church  History.  He  then  filled  a 
charge  at  West  Nottingham,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  is  now  living  in  retirement  at 
Oxford,  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Shaw  mar- 
ried Mary,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  William 
Arnot,  of  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  and  their 
children  are:  William  A.;  Henry  N. ; 
Margaret;  and  Helen. 

Samuel  Julius  Shaw  graduated  in  1873 
at  Princeton  University  and  in  1876  at 
the  United  Presbyterian  Seminary,  tak- 
ing a  supplementary  course  in  Edin- 
burgh. He  was  pastor  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Braddock,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  is  now  associated  with  the 
Sixth  United  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Pittsburgh,  and  is  in  charge  of  one  of  its 
missions.  Mr.  Shaw  married  Margaret 
Robinson,  of  Braddock  and  they  have 
three  daughters:  Mary;  Annie;  and 
Sarah,  a  graduate  of  Wellesley  College. 

(IV)  Dr.  William  Conner  Shaw,  son 
of  William  A.  and  Sarah  Theresa  (Con- 
ner) Shaw,  was  born  February  7,  1846, 
on  the  farm  which  had  been  the  birth- 
place of  his  father,  and  his  early  educa- 
tion was  received  in  the  common  schools 
of  the  township.  Much  of  his  spare  time 
was  devoted  to  assisting  his  father  in  the 
latter's  agricultural  labors.  In  February, 
1864,  the  youth  entered  Newell  Institute, 
Pittsburgh,  and  after  graduating  matricu- 
lated in  Washington  and  Jefferson  Col- 
lege, receiving  in  1869  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Arts,  and  in  1872  that  of 
Master  of  Arts.  In  the  former  year  he 
entered  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  Col- 
lege, studying  with  Dr.  Howe  and  gradu- 
ated with  honors  on  February  29,  1872. 
Before  entering  the  medical  college  he 
had  read  medicine  in  the  office  of  Dr.  W. 
R.  Hamilton,  of  Pittsburgh,  and  after 
graduation  he  studied  for  six  months  with 


1780 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Professor  Joseph  W.  Howe,  of  New 
York.  He  then  took  the  competitive  ex- 
amination for  admission  to  Bellevue  Hos- 
pital as  resident  surgeon  for  a  term  of 
two  3^ears,  and  was  one  of  the  successful 
candidates.  During  the  last  eighteen 
months  of  his  term  he  was  on  the  second 
surgical  division,  serving  under  such 
eminent  surgeons  as  Frank  H.  Hamilton, 
Louis  A.  Sayre,  H.  B.  Sands.  Stephen 
Smith  and  Alexander  B.  IMott,  and  was 
appointed  assistant  to  Dr.  Stephen  Smith 
at  the  University  of  New  York. 

At  the  expiration  of  his  hospital  ser- 
vice Dr.  Shaw  came  to  Pittsburgh  and 
began  the  general  practice  of  medicine 
and  surgery.  From  1876  to  1878  he  was 
on  the  medical  stafif  of  the  Mercy  Hos- 
pital, and  from  1878  to  1887  served  on 
the  surgical  staff  of  the  same  institution. 
Since  1889  he  has  been  physician  and  ob- 
stetrician to  the  Bethesda  Home,  and 
until  recently  was  alternate  surgeon  for 
the  Pennsylvania  &  Pan  Handle  railroad 
campanies.  From  1881  to  1905  he  was 
medical  examiner  for  the  Equitable  Life 
Assurance  Society  of  New  York,  and 
since  1882  has  held  the  same  position 
with  the  National  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany of  Vermont.  He  is  also  examiner 
for  the  Home,  Manhattan  and  Mutual  life 
insurance  companies  of  New  York,  the 
Michigan  Mutual,  the  New  England,  the 
John  Hancock  Mutual  Life  Insurance 
Company  of  Boston,  and  the  Fidelity  and 
Casualty  Company  of  New  York.  Among 
the  professional  organizations  of  which 
Dr.  Shaw  is  a  member  aie  the  American 
Academy  of  Medicine,  the  American 
Medical  Association,  the  Pennsylvania 
State  Medical  Association  and  the  Alle- 
gheny County  Medical  Society.  He  also 
belongs  to  the  Society  of  Alumni  of  Belle- 
vue Hospital  and  the  Pittsburgh  Chapter 
of  the  Sigma  Chi  fraternity. 

In    the    sphere    of    politics    Dr.     Shaw 

I 


always  acts  with  the  Republicans,  but 
seldom  participates  to  any  great  extent 
in  campaign  movements.  He  is  a  life 
member  of  the  Pittsburgh  Free  Dispen- 
sary, of  which  he  was  at  one  time  phy- 
sician, and  he  also  holds  life  memberships 
in  the  Western  Pennsylvania  Exposition 
Society  and  the  Scotch-Irish  Societies  of 
America  and  Pennsylvania,  holding  in 
the  former  the  office  of  secretary  for 
Western  Pennsylvania.  He  belongs  to 
the  sons  of  the  American  Revolution  and 
the  Western  Pennsylvania  Historical  So- 
ciety. He  formerly  served  as  elder  in 
the  First  United  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Pittsburgh  then  the  United  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Bellevue,  and  at  present  is 
serving  as  an  elder  of  the  First  United 
Presbyterian  Church,  Allegheny. 

The  countenance  of  Dr.  Shaw  bears 
the  imprint  of  the  leading  characteristics 
of  the  race  from  which  he  sprang — vigor 
of  intellect,  originality  of  thought,  aggres- 
sive force  and  indomitable  perseverance. 
It  also  shows  him  for  what  all  know  him 
to  be — a  man  of  strong  attachments,  a 
kindly  disposition  and  an  earnest,  loyal 
nature.  He  is  in  possession  of  a  large 
practice  and  always  keeps  fully  abreast 
of  the  times. 

Dr.  Shaw  married.  November  i,  1877, 
Martha  M.,  daughter  of  J.  C.  and  Sarah 
(Sargent)  Lewis,  and  granddaughter  of 
George  Lewis,  a  Welshman,  who  built 
the  first  rolling-mill  in  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania. J.  C.  Lewis  was  senior  member 
of  the  firm  of  Lewis.  Bailey.  Dalzell  and 
Company,  iron  manufacturers  of  Sharps- 
burg,  Allegheny  county.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Shaw  were  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren :  Sarah  Louise,  who  graduated  in 
1902  at  Wilson  College ;  James  Lewis, 
deceased ;  and  Jane  Ekin,  also  educated 
at  Wilson  College.  The  death  of  Mrs. 
ShaAV,  a  lovely  and  estimable  woman,  oc- 
curred on  October  24.  1887. 


781 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Dr.  Shaw's  record  speaks  for  itself. 
His  name  is  inscribed  with  honor  in  the 
medical  annals  of  Allegheny  county. 

(The  Conner  Line). 

Different  members  of  the  Conner  fam- 
ily held  public  offices  in  Virginia  in  colo- 
nial days,  and  the  race  also  produced 
many  noted  fighters  of  Indians. 

Cornelius  Conner,  great-grandfather  of 
Mrs.  Sarah  Theresa  (Conner)  Shaw, 
served  during  the  Revolutionary  War  in 
Captain  Benjamin  Harrison's  Company, 
Thirteenth  Virginia  Regiment,  com- 
manded by  Colonel  William  Russell. 
After  the  war  the  family  settled  in  Alle- 
gheny county  at  the  same  time  and  in  the 
same  neighborhood  with  the  Dents, 
Craigs  and  Nevilles. 

(II)  Cornelius  (2),  son  of  Cornelius 
(i)  Conner,  served  with  his  father  and 
his  two  brothers,  John  and  William,  in 
the  war  for  independence. 

(III)  William,  son  of  Cornelius  (2) 
Conner,  was  a  minister  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church,  his  last  charge  be- 
ing at  Blairsville,  Indiana  county,  Penn- 
sylvania. He  married  Margaret  Murdoch, 
who  was  born  near  Belfast,  County  An- 
trim, Ireland. 

(IV)  Sarah  Theresa,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam and  Margaret  (Murdoch)  Conner, 
became  the  wife  of  William  A.  Shaw,  as 
stated  above. 


BROWN,  Thomas  Stephen, 

Lawyer,   Active   in   Community   Affairs. 

Prominent  among  those  members  of 
the  Pittsburgh  bar  who  have,  for  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  maintained 
its  ancient  prestige,  is  Thomas  Stephen 
Brown,  of  the  well  known  firm  of  Brown, 
Stewart  &  Bostwick.  Mr.  Brown  is  a  rep- 
resentative of  one  of  the  oldest  families 
of  New  England,  notable  in  the  revolu- 


tionary period  of  our  history,  and  later 
of  honorable  record  in  the  annals  of  Vir- 
ginia. 

John  Brown,  founder  of  the  American 
branch  of  the  family,  was  born  in  1600,  in 
England,  and  baptized  October  11,  1601, 
at  the  parish  church  of  Hawkedon.  In 
1632  he  emigrated  to  Massachusetts, 
landing  in  Boston  from  the  ship  "Lion" 
on  September  16,  of  that  year.  John 
Brown  died  at  Boston,  in  June,  1636, 
leaving  three  children :  John,  mentioned 
below ;  Hannah,  and  Mary, 

(II)  John  (2),  son  of  John  (i)  Brown, 
was  born  in  1631,  in  England,  and  was 
brought  as  an  infant  to  Massachusetts. 
He  married,  April  24,  1655,  Hester  Make- 
peace, and  of  their  twelve  children  the 
youngest  was  Joseph,  mentioned  below. 
John  Brown  resided  at  Boston,  Falmouth 
and  Watertown. 

(III)  Joseph,  son  of  John  (2)  and  Hes- 
ter (Makepeace)  Brown,  was  born  in 
1677,  presumably  at  Watertown,  and 
owned  farms  at  that  place,  Weston 
Farms,  which  he  sold  in  1709,  moving  to 
Lexington,  where  he  and  his  family  re- 
sided during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
He  followed  the  trade  of  a  cordwainer, 
and  held  the  offices  of  deacon,  selectman, 
town  clerk  and  constable.  Joseph  Brown 
married,  November  15,  1699,  at  Water- 
town,  Ruhama,  daughter  of  Benjamin 
Wellington,  and  of  the  nine  children  born 
to  them  the  eighth  was  Benjamin,  men- 
tioned below.  Joseph  Brown  died  Janu- 
ary II,  1766.  and  his  widow  passed  away 
July  I,  1772. 

(IV)  Benjamin,  son  of  Joseph  and 
Ruhama  (Wellington)  Brown,  was  born 
July  3,  1720,  at  Lexington,  and  was 
deacon  of  the  church  at  that  place.  He 
married,  December  23,  17 — ,  at  Lexing- 
ton, Sarah,  daughter  of  William  Reed 
Jr.,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  ten 
children  of  whom  the  fifth  was  Oliver, 

782 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


mentioned  below.     The  death  of  Benja- 
min Brown  occurred  March  4,  1802. 

(V)  Oliver,  son  of  Benjamin  and  Sarah 
(Reed)  Brown,  was  born  June  25,  1753, 
at  Lexington,  Massachusetts,  and  served 
in  the  patriot  army  of  the  Revolution. 
He  was  present  at  the  "Boston  Tea- 
Party,"  and  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Lexington  and  Bunker  Hill.  On  Janu- 
ary 16,  1776,  he  was  commissioned  cap- 
tain-lieutenant of  artillery.  He  took  part 
in  the  battles  of  White  Plains,  Harlem 
Heights,  Trenton,  Princeton,  Brandy- 
wine,  Germantown  and  Monmouth,  and 
also  in  other  engagements.  In  1790  he 
migrated  to  the  Ohio  Valley,  settling  at 
Holliday's  Cove,  Brooke  county,  Virginia, 
and  later  removing  to  Wellsburg.  He 
was  for  many  years  inspector  of  flour. 
Captain  Brown  married,  in  1776,  Abigail, 
born  May  i,  1756,  at  Watertown,  Massa- 
chusetts, daughter  of  Edward  and  Abigail 
(Chinery)  Richardson.  Edward  Rich- 
ardson was  an  innkeeper.  Captain 
Brown  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of 
the  following  children  :  Abigail ;  John  ; 
Sarah;  Danforth ;  Catharine;  William; 
Oliver,  mentioned  below  ;  George  ;  James  ; 
Richard ;  and  Elizabeth.  Of  these  seven 
were  born  in  Massachusetts  and  four  in 
Virginia.  The  mother  of  these  children 
passed  away  at  Wellsburg.  Virginia,  now 
West  Virginia,  and  her  husband  survived 
her  nearly  half  a  century,  dying  at  the 
same  place,  February  17,  1846. 

(VI)  Oliver  (2),  son  of  Oliver  (i)  and 
Abigail  (Richardson)  Brown,  was  born 
July  4,  1789,  at  Cambridge,  Massachu- 
setts, and  was  one  year  old  when  the  fam- 
ily moved  from  the  Old  Bay  State  to  Vir- 
ginia, his  mother  making  the  journey  on 
horseback  and  carrying  him  with  her. 
Oliver  Brown  was  educated  in  private 
schools  of  Holliday's  Cove  and  Wells- 
burg, and  became  one  of  the  earl  (est 
woolen  manufacturers  in  the  Ohio  Valley, 


owning  and  operating  a  factory  at  Hol- 
liday's Cove  in  1830  and  for  twenty-five 
years  thereafter.  He  was  also  the  owner 
of  a  grist-mill  and  saw-mill  in  the  same 
vicinity,  and  conducted  a  general  store. 
In  1816  he  purchased  a  farm  from  the 
estate  of  his  brother-in-law,  Robert  Col- 
well,  and  this  property  is  now  in  the  pos- 
session of  his  grandchildren,  Thomas 
Stephen  Brown  and  Anne  Colwell  Lee. 
In  politics  Mr.  Brown  was  first  a  Whig 
and  later  a  Republican.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Mr. 
Brown  married,  in  1812,  Anne  Colwell, 
sister  of  Robert  and  Stephen  Colwell, 
both  of  whom  married  sisters  of  Mr. 
Brown,  and  resided  in  the  same  vicinity. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown  had  the  following 
children:  Elizabeth,  born  December  8, 
1813,  married  John  Williams,  and  died  in 
1902;  William,  mentioned  below;  Robert 
C,  born  December  25,  1818,  married  Ann 
Niel,  and  died  November  4,  1914;  Julia 
A.,  born  June  27,  1821,  died  December  22, 
1851;  Sarah,  born  May  25,  1824,  died 
April  13,  1867 ;  and  Martha,  born  March 
28,  1827,  married  R.  H.  Brown  and  died 
in  October,  1863.  On  September  22,  1834, 
the  mother  of  the  family  passed  away  at 
Holliday's  Cove,  and  the  death  of  the 
father  occurred  at  the  same  place,  March 
27.  1880. 

(VII)  William,  son  of  Oliver  (2)  and 
Anne  (Colwell)  Brown,  was  born  March 
22,  1816,  at  Holliday's  Cove,  Virginia 
(now  West  Virginia),  and  in  early  life 
travelled  extensively,  going  to  California 
in  1849  ^s  one  of  the  "argonauts."  In 
1852  he  returned  to  Virginia,  and  passed 
the  remainder  of  his  life  as  a  merchant 
and  farmer.  He  was  an  elder  of  the  Cove 
Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  Brown  mar- 
ried, March  13,  1853,  Margaret,  daughter 
of  Thomas  Orr,  of  Holliday's  Cove,  and 
their  children  were :  Oliver,  born  June 
6,  1854,  died  September  23,  1855  ;  Thomas 


1783 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Stephen,  mentioned  below  ;  Anne  Colwell, 
born  April  15,  1857,  married,  March  7, 
1882,  Albert  G.  Lee,  who  died  March  15, 
1904;  Norman,  born  November  12,  1858, 
died  March  4,  1864;  and  Mary  Stephens, 
born  May  12,  1862,  died  September  23, 
191 1.  Mr.  Brown  was  a  stockholder  in 
various  institutions  of  the  neighborhood 
and  held  a  number  of  local  offices.  At 
the  time  of  the  Civil  War,  though  too 
much  advanced  in  years  for  active  ser- 
vice, he  enlisted  in  the  Home  Guards  of 
West  Virginia,  a  body  which  was  called 
out  two  or  three  times  for  brief  periods. 
Mrs.  Brown,  who  was  born  February  21, 
1821,  passed  away  March  4,  1891.  She 
was  a  granddaughter  of  John  Orr  who 
came,  before  the  close  of  the  Revolution- 
ary War,  from  the  Cumberland  Valley, 
Pennsylvania,  to  the  Ohio  Valley,  where 
his  descendants  have  resided  ever  since. 
Mrs.  Brown's  mother  was  Mary  Ste- 
phens. Mr.  Brown  survived  until  Octo- 
ber 14,  1906,  living,  like  most  of  his  fam- 
ily, to  an  advanced  age. 

(VHI)  Thomas  Stephen  Brown,  son 
of  William  and  Margaret  (Orr)  Brown, 
was  born  November  23,  1855,  ^t  HoUi- 
day's  Cove,  Virginia  (now  West  Vir- 
ginia), and  received  his  earliest  educa- 
tion in  private  schools  of  the  neighbor- 
hood, afterward  attending  an  academy  at 
New  Hagerstown,  Ohio,  and  then  enter- 
ing Washington  and  Jefferson  College. 
From  this  institution  he  graduated  in 
1877  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts, 
and  then,  having  made  choice  of  a  pro- 
fession, devoted  the  ensuing  two  years 
to  the  study  of  law  under  the  guidance  of 
Judge  John  H.  Miller,  of  Steubenville, 
Ohio.  He  then  studied  for  a  time  with 
George  W.  Caldwell,  of  Wellsburg,  West 
Virginia,  and  in  1879  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  of  that  State.  About  the  same  time 
he  received  from  his  alma  mater  the  de- 
gree of  Master  of  Arts. 

After  practicing  two  years  in  West  Vir- 


ginia, Mr.  Brown  came  in  1881  to  Pitts- 
burgh, and  formed  a  partnership  with 
William  G.  Stewart,  which  has  been 
maintained  without  interruption  to  the 
present  day.  The  firm,  which  is  of  high 
standing,  has  a  general  civil  practice  in 
all  courts.  Mr.  Brown  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Pennsylvania  State  Board  of 
Law  Examiners  since  its  formation  in 
1903. 

The  political  principles  of  Mr.  Brown 
are  those  advocated  by  the  Republican 
party  and  he  possesses  a  full  share  of  the 
public  spirit  for  which  his  family  has 
always  been  noted.  He  belongs  to  the 
Pittsburgh  Free  Dispensary  and  the  Oak- 
land Board  of  Trade,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Academy  of  Science  and  Art  of  Pitts- 
burgh, the  Western  Pennsylvania  His- 
torical Society  and  the  Western  Penn- 
sylvania Botanical  Society.  He  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Pennsylvania  Society  of  the 
Sons  of  the  American  Revolution ;  his 
clubs  are  the  Union,  Americus,  Press  and 
Bellefield,  and  he  also  belongs  to  the 
Beta  Theta  Pi  fraternity.  For  over  twelve 
years  he  has  been  an  elder  in  the  Belle- 
field   Presbyterian  Church. 

A  description  of  the  personal  appear- 
ance of  Mr.  Brown  would  be  almost  re- 
sented by  his  fellow-citizens  of  Pitts- 
burgh, for  many  of  them  have  long  been 
familiar  with  it  and  they  know  that  it 
reveals  him  for  what  he  is — a  leader  in 
his  profession,  a  man  of  cultured  tastes 
and  liberal  sentiments  and  a  true  friend, 
loyal  himself  and  endowed  with  the  fac- 
ulty of  inspiring  loyalty  in  others.  His 
manner  and  personality  bespeak  alike  the 
jurist  and  the  gentleman. 

Mr.  Brown  married,  October  21,  1891, 
Sydney  Ott  Heiskell,  whose  ancestral 
record  is  appended  to  this  biography,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  a  son  and  a  daugh- 
ter: Oliver  Wellington,  born  October  3, 
1893,  attended  Pittsburgh  schools  and 
Shady  Side  Academy  and  now  at  Wash- 


1784 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ington  and  Jefferson  College,  class  of 
1916;  and  Matilda  Heiskell,  born  Novem- 
ber 23,  1895,  attended  Pittsburgh  schools, 
graduates  this  year  from  Winchester 
School  and  expects  to  enter  Vassar  Col- 
lege. Domestic  affection  is  a  dominant 
trait  in  Mr.  Brown's  character  and  his 
home  is  an  exceptionally  happy  one.  Mrs. 
Brown  is  a  woman  of  winning  personal- 
ity, gracious  and  tactful  as  a  hostess  and 
devoted  to  household  ties  and  duties. 

The  annals  of  Massachusetts  and  Vir- 
ginia contain  the  records  of  Mr.  Brown's 
ancestors — patriots  all  and  good  citizens. 
His  own  record,  worthy  to  supplement 
theirs,  belongs  to  the  Keystone  State  as 
that  of  an  honorable  and  successful  law- 
yer of  the  great  city  of  Pittsburgh. 

(The  HelskeU  Line). 

Christopher  Heiskell,  the  first  ancestor 
of  record,  was  born  in  Amsterdam,  Hol- 
land, and  as  a  young  man  emigrated  to 
the  American  colonies,  settling  in  Hagers- 
town,  Maryland,  and  serving  in  the  Con- 
tinental army. 

(II)  Frederick,  son  of  Christopher 
Heiskell,  was  born  at  Hagerstown,  Mary- 
land, and  there  passed  his  entire  life.  He 
married  a  daughter  of  Colonel  Frederick 
Steidinger,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution. 

(III)  John,  son  of  Frederick  Heis- 
kell, was  born  June  9,  1775,  at  Hagers- 
town, Maryland,  and  in  1800  was  made  a 
lieutenant  in  the  United  States  army.  He 
served  through  the  war  of  1812  with  the 
rank  of  captain.  Captain  Heiskell  was  of 
Winchester,  Virginia,  and  edited  the 
"Winchester  Gazette."  He  married,  June 
17,  1802,  Anne  Sowers,  and  his  death  oc- 
curred May  27,  1823. 

(IV)  Otho  Williams,  son  of  John  and 
Anne  (Sowers)  Heiskell,  was  born  March 
I,  1808,  at  Winchester,  Virginia,  and  in 
1824  went  to  Wheeling,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  business,  later  becoming  a  dry 
goods  merchant  and  following  this  call- 

I 


ing  until  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War. 
In  1861  he  enlisted  in  the  United  States 
volunteer  army,  serving  in  the  commis- 
sary department,  with  the  rank  of  cap- 
tain, from  1862  to  1866,  and  participating 
in  the  campaigns  in  Virginia  and  West 
Virginia.  He  never  thereafter  engaged 
in  business.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  Captain  Heiskell 
married  (first)  in  1837,  Susan,  daughter 
of  Major  James  Gibson,  of  Romney,  Vir- 
ginia. Mrs.  Heiskell  died  in  1841,  and 
Captain  Heiskell  married  (second)  March 
27,  1845,  at  Wheeling,  Matilda  Paxton 
(see  Paxton  line),  and  their  children 
were:  Otho  Williams,  born  May  26, 
1846;  Annie,  born  August  28,  1847;  Wil- 
liam Paxton,  born  May  27,  1849;  Ma- 
tilda Paxton,  born  July  23,  1851 ;  Eliza 
Paxton,  born  May  13,  1854;  John,  born 
June  8,  1855  ;  James  Paxton,  born  Sep- 
tember 5,  1856;  Sydney  Ott,  mentioned 
below;  aiid  Daniel  List,  born  July  30, 
i860.  Captain  Heiskell  died  September 
30,  1885,  at  Wheeling,  West  Virginia, 
and  his  widow  passed  away  March  7, 
1891. 

(V)  Sydney  Ott,  daughter  of  Otho 
Williams  and  Matilda  (Paxton)  Heiskell, 
was  born  August  16,  1858,  and  became 
the  wife  of  Thomas  Stephen  Brown,  as 
stated  above. 

Many  collateral  branches  of  the  Heis- 
kell family  are  found  in  the  Southern 
States. 

(The  Paxton  Line). 

William  Paxton  was  born  in  1794,  in 
County  Down.  Ireland,  and  in  1801  came 
to  the  United  States.  After  engaging  in 
business  successively  at  Washington, 
Pennsylvania,  and  in  Pittsburgh,  he  set- 
tled in  1814  in  Wheeling,  Virginia,  where 
he  became  a  merchant  and  capitalist.  Mr. 
Paxton  married  (first)  in  1817,  Hannah, 
eldest  daughter  of  Elisha  Whitehead,  of 
New  Jersey,  and  among  their  seven  chil- 
dren was  Matilda,  mentioned  below.  Mrs. 

785 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Paxton  died  in  1828,  and  Mr.  Paxton 
married  (second)  in  1831,  Eliza  Ivers,  of 
New  York,  who  survived  him.  The  death 
of  Mr.  Paxton  occurred  in  1882. 

Matilda,  daughter  of  William  and  Han- 
nah (Whitehead)  Paxton,  was  born  Au- 
gust 15,  1824,  at  Wheeling,  Virginia,  and 
became  the  wife  of  Otho  Williams  Heis- 
kell  (see  Heiskell  line). 


STEVENSON,  Philip  H., 

Enterprising  Busineas  Man. 

A  leader  among  those  stalwart  and  ag- 
gressive farmers  and  business  men  who 
helped  to  make  the  prosperity  of  Alle- 
gheny county,  was  the  late  Philip  H. 
Stevenson,  of  Moon  township.  For  many 
years  Mr.  Stevenson  was  identified  not 
only  with  the  business  interests  but  also 
with  the  political  life  of  his  community. 

John  Stevenson,  grandfather  of  Philip 
H.  Stevenson,  was  born  in  Ireland  and 
was  of  Scottish  ancestry.  He  emigrated 
to  the  United  States  presumably  toward 
the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century.  His 
wife  was  Sarah  Nye,  whom  he  is  said  to 
have  married  in  Scotland.  They  made 
their  new  home  on  Mingo  creek,  Wash- 
ington county,  Pennsylvania. 

John  (2),  son  of  John  (i)  and  Sarah 
(Nye)  Stevenson,  migrated  about  1800 
from  Pigeon  creek,  Washington  county, 
to  Allegheny  county.  It  is  uncertain 
whether  he  was  born  before  or  after  the 
arrival  of  his  parents  in  the  United  States. 
In  1836  he  built  the  first  grist  mill  in 
Moon  township,  being  by  trade  a  miller, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  and  his 
sons  owned  and  operated  four  steam  grist 
and  saw  mills.  The  original  Stevenson 
mills  were  burned  in  1856,  but  were  soon 
rebuilt  and  are  still  in  operation.  John 
Stevenson  was  also  a  large  landowner, 
served  as  postmaster  for  a  long  time,  and 
for  forty  years  held  the  office  of  justice 


of  the  peace.  Mr.  Stevenson  married 
Jane,  daughter  of  Philip  and  Mary  (Hill) 
Hooper,  who  came  from  Scotland  and 
settled  at  Cross  Roads,  Washington  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Hooper  was  a 
tanner  and  farmer,  and  one  of  the  first 
settlers  in  Washington  county.  He  was 
also  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Moon  town- 
ship, Allegheny  county,  and  it  was  he 
who  induced  John  Stevenson,  his  future 
son-in-law,  to  remove  thither.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hooper  were  members  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church.  The  following  children 
were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stevenson : 
Jane,  married  Samuel  Scott;  Sarah,  mar- 
ried James  Montgomery;  Samuel,  mar- 
ried Maria  Linton ;  John,  married  Jane 
Ewing;  Elizabeth;  Philip  H.,  mentioned 
below;  Levi,  married  Jane  Scott;  An- 
drew, married  Maria  Roberts;  and  Alex- 
ander, married  Angeline  Finley.  Mrs. 
Stevenson  was  a  cousin  of  General  An- 
thony Wayne.  The  death  of  Mr.  Steven- 
son occurred  in  1854.  He  and  his  wife 
were  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  and  Mr.  Stevenson  was  widely 
known  and  respected  as  a  man  of  great 
firmness  and  probity  of  character.  He 
was  seventy-two  years  old  at  the  time  of 
his  death. 

Philip  H.,  son  of  John  (2)  and  Jane 
(Hooper)  Stevenson,  was  born  April  4, 
1820,  on  the  homestead  in  Moon  town- 
ship, Allegheny  county,  and  with  his 
brothers  learned  the  milling  business  of 
his  father,  becoming  proficient  in  it  and 
following  it  successfully  during  the  years 
of  his  early  manhood.  An  inclination  for 
commercial  life  was,  however,  inherent 
in  Mr.  Stevenson's  nature,  and  in  185 1  he 
opened  the  first  general  store  in  Moon 
township.  Five  years  later  he  sold  out, 
and  thenceforth  for  the  remainder  of  his 
life  devoted  himself  to  buying  wool  and 
looking  after  his  landed  property.  He 
was  very  successful,  shipping  his  wool  to 


1786 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


different  points  and  building  up  a  high 
reputation  both  as  a  business  man  and 
an  agriculturist. 

In  the  sphere  of  politics  Mr.  Stevenson 
took  an  active  part,  being  twice  nomi- 
nated by  the  Democrats  for  the  State 
Legislature.  He  was  one  of  the  Greeley 
presidential  electors,  and  in  1888  was  a 
delegate  to  the  national  convention  held 
in  St.  Louis.  For  eighteen  years  he 
served  as  school  director,  and  for  a  period 
almost  equally  long  held  the  office  of  jus- 
tice of  the  peace.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church. 

Though  more  than  twenty  years  have 
elapsed  since  Mr.  Stevenson  passed  away, 
there  are  many  who  can  vividly  recall  his 
open,  manly  countenance,  his  independ- 
ent, earnest  manner  and  his  strong,  cheer- 
ful voice  which  ever  had  in  it  the  ring  of 
truth  and  the  assurance  of  good  will.  So 
swiftly,  however,  do  the  years  roll  away 
that  it  will  not  be  long  before  the  linea- 
ments of  this  true  friend  and  kind  neigh- 
bor will  cease  to  live  in  memory  and  will 
be  preserved  only  by  the  genius  of  the 
artist. 

Mr.  Stevenson  married  (first)  Eliza- 
beth, daughter  of  James  and  Hannah 
(Strouse)  Morgan,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  one  child,  now  deceased.  Mrs. 
Stevenson  died  in  June,  1853,  and  in 
March,  1855,  Mr.  Stevenson  married  (sec- 
ond) Elizabeth,  born  February  17,  1833, 
daughter  of  John  D.  and  Nancy  (Meeks) 
McCormick,  of  Moon  township,  Alle- 
gheny county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stevenson 
had  two  sons  and  a  daughter  who  sur- 
vive, their  other  children  having  passed 
away.  They  are :  Emma  L.,  wife  of  John 
H.  Hamilton,  of  Canonsburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  mother  of  two  daughters, 
Mabel  and  Mary ;  Charles  L. ;  and  Wil- 
liam James,  whose  biography  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  work.  Charles  L. 
Stevenson  is  a  lawyer  of  Pittsburgh,  and 
married   Mary   B.,   daughter  of  William 


Wilson,  of  Moon  township,  Allegheny 
county.  Their  children  are  Philip  Hooper, 
Mary  Elizabeth,  Sarah  Susan  and  Wil- 
liam Wilson.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stevenson 
possessed  the  strong  feeling  for  home  and 
family  which  is  a  characteristic  of  their 
race  and  their  union  was  a  very  happy 
one.  Mrs.  Stevenson,  who  is  still  living 
and,  despite  her  advanced  age,  in  full  pos- 
session of  all  her  faculties,  resides  on  the 
old  homestead  where  her  husband  was 
born  and  which  is  now  owned  by  their 
children. 

The  death  ot  Mr.  Stevenson,  which  oc- 
curred in  November,  1893,  was  widely 
and  deeply  mourned  as  that  of  a  man  or 
sterling  worth,  able  and  upright  in  busi- 
ness and  as  a  citizen  sincerely  public- 
spirited.  His  work  for  the  upbuilding 
of  his  community  was  in  all  respects  of 
very  real  and  permanent  value. 

Throughout  life  Philip  H.  Stevenson 
manifested  the  sturdy,  compelling  traits 
of  the  race  from  which  he  sprang — the 
indomitable  Scotch-Irish — thus  furnish- 
ing evidence  of  the  oft-repeated  truth 
that  the  descendants  of  the  pioneers  of 
Allegheny  county  were,  in  every  particu- 
lar, fully  the  equals  of  their  noble  prede- 
cessors. 


STEVENSON,  William  James, 

Iiawyer,  Corporation  Official. 

A  typical  Pittsburgh  lawyer  of  the 
present  day  is  William  James  Stevenson, 
who  has  now  for  nearly  a  score  of  years 
been  numbered  among  the  best  known 
legal  practitioners  of  the  metropolis. 
During  this  period  Mr.  Stevenson  has 
established  a  reputation  not  only  as  an 
able  member  of  his  profession,  but  also 
as  a  public-spirited  citizen  actively  identi- 
fied with  varied  and  important  interests. 

William  James  Stevenson  was  born 
November  14,  1871,  on  the  homestead  in 
Moon  township,  Allegheny  county,  and 
787 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


is  a  son  of  the  late  Philip  H.  and  Eliza- 
beth (McCormick)  Stevenson.  A  biog- 
raphy of  Mr.  Stevenson,  vv^ith  ancestral 
record,  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
William  James  Stevenson  was  educated 
in  public  schools  and  at  Mount  Union 
College,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1894 
with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts. 
Without  delay  he  turned  his  attention  to 
the  profession  of  his  choice,  studying 
under  the  guidance  of  Judge  C.  S.  Fetter- 
man,  of  Pittsburgh.  In  1896,  on  motion 
of  William  R.  Blair,  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  of  his  native  State. 

Immediately  thereafter  Mr.  Stevenson 
opened  an  office  in  Diamond  street,  on 
the  site  now  occupied  by  the  Frick  Build- 
ing Annex,  practicing  in  association  with 
his  brother,  Charles  L.  Stevenson,  who 
had  been  admitted  to  the  bar  about  1892. 
In  1899  William  James  Stevenson  re- 
moved to  the  Park  Building,  where  he 
has  since  practiced  alone,  acquiring  an 
extensive  clientele  and  advancing  to  a 
position  among  the  foremost  civil  law- 
yers at  the  Pittsburgh  bar. 

In  accordance  with  family  tradition, 
Mr.  Stevenson  adheres  to  the  Democratic 
party,  and  is  ever  ready  to  place  the  sup- 
port of  his  vote  and  influence  at  the  serv- 
ice of  any  movement  wnlch  commends 
itself  to  him  as  calculated  to  promote  the 
welfare  and  progress  of  his  home  city. 
He  is  secretary  of  the  Farmers'  and  Me- 
chanics' Savings  Fund  and  Loan  Asso- 
ciation of  Pittsburgh.  As  a  Mason  his 
affiliations  are  with  Milnor  Lodge,  No. 
287,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  Consis- 
tory. His  college  associations  are  main- 
tained by  his  connection  with  the  Sigma 
Alpha  Epsilon  fraternity.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Avalon  Presbyterian  Church, 
in  which  he  holds  the  office  of  deacon. 

The  personality  of  Mr.  Stevenson  is 
that  of  the  true  lawryer,  profoundly  re- 
flective, keenly  observant,  btrongly  intel- 


lectual  and  remarkably  magnetic.  His 
legal  erudition  is  combined  with  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  men  and  things,  and 
for  this  reason  he  is  exceptionally  well 
fitted  to  cope  with  any  situation  and  any 
emergency.  His  countenance  bears  wit- 
ness to  his  possession  of  these  character- 
istics, and  withal,  despite  the  keenness  of 
his  glance,  is  expressive  of  the  kindly 
nature  and  genial  disposition  which  have 
surrounded  him  with  friends  both  within 
and  without  the  pale  of  his  profession. 

Mr.  Stevenson  married,  April  8,  1896, 
Clara  E.,  daughter  of  John  and  Margaret 
(Clark)  McClester  and  granddaughter  of 
McClester,  who  came  from  Ire- 
land and  settled  in  Moon  township,  Alle- 
gheny county,  Pennsylvania,  where  his 
descendants  have  ever  since  resided,  being 
people  of  prominence  there  as  were  their 
ancestors  on  the  other  side  of  the  sea. 
Mrs.  Stevenson,  a  woman  of  winning  per- 
sonality, is  gifted  both  as  home-maker 
and  hostess  and  she  and  her  husband  en- 
joy a  high  degree  of  social  popularity. 

The  assured  standing  of  Mr.  Stevenson 
at  the  Pittsburgh  bar  is  entirely  of  his 
own  making,  the  result  of  native  ability 
and  force  of  character,  but  he  has  not  yet 
completed  his  forty-fourth  year,  and  dur- 
ing the  quarter  of  a  century  of  activity 
which  lies  before  him  a  man  of  his  cali- 
ber will  steadily  advance  to  higher  place 
?nd  greater  achievement. 


HOWRY,  Abraham  K., 

Financier,  Enterprising  Citizen. 

For  thirty-five  years,  until  his  death 
in  1901,  Abraham  K.  Howry  was  asso- 
ciated with  the  Lancaster  County  Bank, 
of  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  an  institu- 
tion his  father,  Abraham  Howry,  also 
served  in  the  capacity  of  director.  Many 
of  the  business  men  of  the  city  whose  in- 
terests in  Lancaster  extend  over  a  period 
of  two  decades  recall  with  mingled  pleas- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ure  and  regret  intimate  personal  and 
financial  relations  held  with  him,  and  he 
lives  in  the  memory  of  many  who  were 
his  fellow  citizens  as  a  courteous,  kindly 
gentleman,  whom  to  know  was  to  respect 
and  love.  His  colleagues  in  the  admin- 
istration of  the  affairs  of  the  institution 
with  which  he  was  so  long  identified  well 
knew  his  absolute  trustworthiness,  his 
strict  probity,  and  his  passion  for  accu- 
racy and  clearness  in  his  work,  and  he 
constantly  enjoyed  their  confidence  and 
esteem. 

Abraham  K.  Howry  was  a  grandson  of 
John  Howry,  a  farmer  and  extensive  land 
owner  of  Lancaster  county,  and  was  a 
member  of  a  family  that  has  been  seated 
in  that  county,  first  in  Strasburg  town- 
ship, since  early  in  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury. John  Howry  married  Elizabeth 
Funk,  and  was  the  father  of :  John,  Sam- 
uel, Henry,  Daniel,  Abraham,  of  whom 
further ;  Anne,  Elizabeth,  Susan,  Mary, 
and  Sophia. 

Abraham  Howry,  youngest  of  the  five 
sons  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Funk) 
Howry,  was  born  at  Strasburg,  Lancas- 
ter county,  Pennsylvania,  July  8,  1806, 
his  birthplace  being  his  father's  farm ; 
and  died  February  19,  1871,  in  Souders- 
burg,  Pennsylvania.  His  early  life  was 
passed  on  the  home  farm,  during  which 
time  he  improved  his  meagre  educational 
opportunities,  and  when  a  young  man  he 
became  the  owner  of  a  tract  of  eighty 
acres  of  land  in  East  Lampeter  township, 
Lancaster  county.  In  the  improvement 
and  cultivation  of  this  farm  he  passed  his 
entire  remaining  years,  prospering  in  ma- 
terial things  and  rising  to  prominent 
place  among  his  fellow  citizens.  In  pub- 
lic and  thurch  aflfairs  he  took  important 
place,  and  held  a  position  on  the  board  of 
directors  of  the  Lancaster  County  Bank. 
Among  the  local  offices  to  which  he  was 
elected  by  the  votes  of  his  neighbors  was 
that  of  school  director  of  Lampeter  town- 

I 


ship,  and  he  was  a  trustee  of  the  Stras- 
burg Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  His 
first  political  allegiance  was  yielded  the 
Whig  party,  but  when  the  Republican 
party  was  organized  he  became  one  of 
its  most  loyal  supporters,  continuing  in 
that  political  faith  until  his  death.  In 
1865,  six  years  prior  to  his  death,  he  re- 
tired from  active  participation  in  affairs, 
passing  this  time  in  quiet  enjoyment  of 
his  home  life  until  stricken  with  his  fatal 
illness.  He  was  a  citizen  of  true  public 
spirit  and  generously  contributed  to  the 
work  of  the  religious  denomination  of 
which  he  was  a  member. 

He  married,  November  29,  1836,  Anna 
Keagy,  born  September  22,  1809,  died 
July  17,  1892,  and  had  issue:  Abraham 
K.,  of  whom  further;  Esther  A.,  mar- 
ried Benjamin  Esbenshade ;  John  F.,  re- 
sides in  Los  Angeles,  California ;  Martha, 
married  John  W.  Lytle  ;  Mary  ;  Sophia  ; 
and  Anna.  Of  these  seven  children  the 
only  survivors  are  Mary,  who  resides  in 
Lancaster,  and  John  F.,  of  Los  Angeles, 
California. 

Abraham  K.  Howry,  son  of  Abraham 
and  Anna  (Keagy)  Howry,  was  born  in 
Strasburg,  Lancaster  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, September  13,  1837,  died  in  Lan- 
caster, February  18,  1901,  and  is  buried 
at  Strasburg.  His  education,  begun  in 
the  district  schools  of  his  birthplace,  was 
completed  in  the  Millersville  State  Nor- 
mal School,  after  which  for  a  short  time 
he  taught  school  in  Baerville,  Lancaster 
county.  From  pedagogical  pursuits  he 
came  to  Lancaster,  in  this  city  accepting 
a  clerkship  in  the  Lancaster  County  Bank, 
of  which  his  father  was  at  that  time  a 
director.  His  service  extended  over  a 
period  of  thirty-five  years,  years  of  the 
most  faithful  devotion  to  the  bank's  inter- 
est. His  acquaintance  in  the  city  and  sur- 
rounding country  was  wide,  and  during 
the  long  term  of  his  connection  with  this 
institution  he  made  many  of  its  patrons 
789 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


his  friends.  His  special  province  during 
the  later  years  of  his  service  vi^as  the  care 
of  the  notes  that  came  to  the  bank.  He 
was  director,  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
the  Bridgeport  &  Horse  Shoe  Turnpike 
Company.  Not  only  was  he  an  efficient, 
able  business  man,  but  his  interest  in 
afifairs  was  wide  and  he  supported  all  for- 
ward movements  in  his  city.  He  passed 
his  years,  sixty-three,  in  the  honor  and 
respect  of  his  associates. 


HARVEY,  James  G., 

Business  Man,  Pnblic  Official. 

The  history  of  a  State  as  well  as  that 
of  a  Nation  is  chiefly  a  chronicle  of  the 
lives  and  deeds  of  those  who  have  con- 
ferred honor  and  dignity  upon  society, 
whether  in  the  broad  sphere  of  public 
labors  or  the  more  circumscribed,  but  not 
less  worthy  and  valuable,  of  individual 
activity  through  which  the  general  good 
is  ever  promoted.  James  G.  Harvey,  the 
present  mayor  of  Hazelton,  whose  promi- 
nent position  in  business  afifairs  demand 
for  him  recognition,  has  for  many  years 
been  a  prominent  factor  in  the  develop- 
ment of  his  adopted  city.  He  is  a  native 
of  Cornwall,  England,  born  December  23, 
1862,  son  of  Peter  and  Mary  A.  (Gart- 
well)  Harvey,  also  natives  of  England, 
who  came  to  the  United  States  in  1869, 
settling  at  Stockton,  Pennsylvania,  where 
the  remainder  of  their  days  were  spent. 

James  G.  Harvey  obtained  a  limited 
education  in  the  schools  adjacent  to  his 
home,  and  in  early  life  began  working 
about  the  mines,  following  this  occupa- 
tion for  thirteen  years,  performing  every 
kind  of  work  connected  with  coal  min- 
ing, in  which  he  became  highly  proficient. 
At  the  expiration  of  this  period  of  time, 
realizing  the  need  of  a  better  education 
than  he  had  received  in  his  youth,  he  en- 
tered Dickinson  Seminary,  where  he  pur- 
sued a  two  years'  course  of  study,  which 


enabled  him  to  cope  more  successfully 
with  the  problems  of  life.  Upon  his  re- 
turn to  Stockton,  he  entered  the  employ 
of  Linderman,  Skeer  &  Company,  pro- 
prietors of  a  meat  market  there,  and  re- 
mained with  them  for  four  years,  during 
which  time  he  became  thoroughly  familiar 
with  the  work  in  all  its  details,  thus  being 
enabled  to  engage  in  business  on  his  own 
account,  which  he  accordingly  did,  in 
1888,  taking  as  a  partner,  William  Cur- 
tis, under  the  firm  name  of  Harvey  & 
Curtis,  and  they  opened  a  meat  market 
at  Hazleton,  which  they  conducted  suc- 
cessfully for  six  years,  the  connection 
being  then  severed.  In  February,  1892, 
Mr.  Harvey  opened  his  present  establish- 
ment at  No.  579  Vine  street,  Hazleton, 
conducting  the  same  line  of  business,  and 
since  then  his  patronage  has  increased 
constantly,  owing  to  the  fact  that  he  per- 
sonally superintends  every  part  of  his 
work,  selecting  the  best  materials  for  his 
patrons  that  the  wholesale  markets  af- 
ford, and  that  every  consideration  and 
courtesy  is  shown  by  his  employees,  who 
are  considerate  in  their  treatment  of  all, 
whether  rich  or  poor.  In  addition  to  this 
enterprise,  from  which  he  derives  a  lucra- 
tive livelihood,  he  is  the  owner  and  pro- 
prietor of  an  oil  wagon  that  makes  regu- 
lar trips  through  Hazleton  and  vicinity. 
Among  the  political  honors  which  have 
been  conferred  upon  him  by  his  fellow 
citizens  :  He  was  sheriflf  of  Luzerne  coun- 
ty, taking  his  oath  of  office  on  the  first 
Monday  in  January,  1899.  serving  until 
last  of  December,  1902.  He  was  elected 
member  of  State  Legislature  and  served 
three  years.  He  is  the  present  mayor  of 
Hazelton  and  took  the  oath  of  office  in 
December,  1913,  having  been  elected  for 
four  years,  being  the  first  to  serve  as 
mayor  in  the  new  city  hall,  the  pres- 
ent building  being  the  finest  edifice  of  its 
kind  in  the  United  States  in  any  city  of 
its  size.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
790 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


casting-  his  vote  for  the  man  best  quali- 
fied for  office,  irrespective  of  party  affilia- 
tion. He  and  his  w^ife  attend  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church.  He  displays 
marked  intelligence  on  general  and  civic 
issues,  and  every  movement  w^hich  has 
for  its  object  the  betterment  of  his  sec- 
tion of  the  States  receives  from  him  a 
most  earnest  support. 

Mr.  Harvey  married,  June  4,  1891, 
Leona  Thomas,  of  Johnstov/n,  Pennsyl- 
vania, who  was  made  an  orphan  by  the 
terrible  flood  that  devastated  that  city. 


WILLS,  J.  Hunter, 

Civil  War  Veteran,  Enterprising  Citizen. 

J.  Hunter  Wills,  fourth  child  and  sec- 
ond son  of  Allen  Wood  and  Elizabeth  H. 
(Evans)  Wills,  was  born  in  Brandywine 
township,  Pennsylvania,  July  2,  1845. 

He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools, 
Downingtown  Academy,  and  the  Phila- 
delphia Business  College,  beginning  his 
active  business  career  in  1863,  as  an  em- 
ployee of  Baugh  Sons  &  Company,  the 
great  chemical  fertilizer  manufacturing 
company  of  Philadelphia.  For  thirteen 
years  he  occupied  a  position  of  trust  with 
that  company,  then  in  1876  he  established 
a  mercantile  house  in  East  Downingtown, 
beginning  business  on  February  14.  He 
has  since  that  date  been  continuously  in 
business  in  Downingtown,  as  merchant, 
and  also  serving  as  justice  of  the  peace, 
rating  as  one  of  the  efficient,  progressive, 
valuable  men  of  his  borough.  He  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  a  building  and  loan 
association  in  Downingtown,  took  upon 
himself  the  burden  of  the  preliminary 
work,  and  after  organizing  the  Downing- 
town Building  and  Loan  Association  was 
elected  its  first  president,  ably  guiding 
the  association  as  chief  executive  during 
the  first  twelve  years  of  its  existence.  He 
serves  on  the  Board  of  Trade,  and,  as 
president  of  Northwood  Cemetery,  great- 


ly improved  and  beautified  that  "silent 
city  of  the  dead."  His  influence  has  been 
felt  in  every  phase  of  business  life  in  his 
borough,  and  to  him  is  due  much  of 
Downingtown's  prosperity. 

While  emphatically  a  busy  man  of  af- 
fairs, Mr.  Wills  has  been  of  the  greatest 
value  in  civic  regulation  of  his  borough. 
As  chief  burgess,  1900-1903  and  1906- 
1909,  he  secured  wise  legislation,  ably  ad- 
ministered the  civil  government,  and  dur- 
ing his  term  many  important  manufactur- 
ing plants  located  in  Downingtown.  For 
twelve  years  he  served  upon  the  school 
board,  nine  of  these  years  as  its  president, 
and  was  not  only  a  warm  friend  of  the 
public  school  system  but  an  untiring 
worker  for  its  betterment,  witnessing 
during  his  term  a  great  increase  in  their 
efficiency  and  value  to  the  youth  of  the 
borough.  Politically  he  is  in  sympathy 
with  the  Republican  party,  has  served  as 
a  member  of  the  county  committee  and 
has  been  a  factor  in  party  success. 

Mr.  Wills,  although  but  sixteen  years 
of  age  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War, 
in  1861,  enlisted  as  a  drummer  boy,  serv- 
ing in  the  Fifty-third  Pennsylvania  Vol- 
unteer Regiment  in  1861-62,  and  in  the 
Twenty-ninth  Pennsylvania  Volunteer 
Infantry  Regiment  in  1863,  and  saw  serv- 
ice in  two  of  the  hardest  fought  battles 
of  the  war — Antietam  and  Gettysburg-. 
He  has  ever  been  prominent  in  the  Penn- 
sylvania Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  as 
a  member  of  General  W.  S.  Hancock 
Post,  No.  255,  as  chaplain,  trustee  and 
delegate  to  the  State  department,  as  staff 
officer  to  the  State  commander  in  1903, 
and  as  national  staff  officer  in  1904. 

Also  a  soldier  of  the  Prince  of  Peace, 
Mr.  Wills  is  a  vestryman  of  the  Down- 
ingtown Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
serving  in  that  capacity  for  forty  years, 
and  with  personal  efforts  and  purse  aid- 
ing generously  the  work  of  his  parish. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order, 


1 791 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


affiliating  with  Potter  Lodge,  Pliiladel- 
phia.  Mr.  Wills  married,  in  1881,  Kath- 
erine  Ellicott  Lindley.  who  died  Febru- 
ary 18,  1898,  leaving  a  son,  William  Mint- 
zer  Wills,  a  graduate  of  Haverford  Col- 
lege, class  of  1904,  now  engaged  in  busi- 
ness in  Philadelphia.  He  is  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Diamond  Specialty  and  Sup- 
ply Company. 

J.  Hunter  Wills  presented  to  the  school 
a  play  ground  called  the  J.  Hunter  Wills 
Athletic  Field,  and  the  gift  was  also  sup- 
plemented by  equal  amount,  $500,  for 
a  fountain,  presented  by  Downingtown 
bv  his  brother. 


WILLS,  Abner  E.. 

Enterprising    Business    Man,    Public    Bene- 
factor. 

The  name  Wills  has  been  an  honored 
one  in  Chester  and  Philadelphia  counties 
since  1728,  when  Michael  Wills  came 
from  County  Wicklow,  Ireland,  until  the 
present  day,  Abner  E.  Wills  having  been 
the  Philadelphia  representative  of  his 
family  for  many  years  prior  to  his  death. 
The  leading  Chester  county  representa- 
tive of  the  family  is  J.  Hunter  Wills,  mer- 
chant and  justice  of  peace  of  Downing- 
town. Both  are  sons  of  Allen  Wood  and 
Elizabeth  H.  (Evans)  Wills,  of  Down- 
ingtown. 

Michael  Wills,  according  to  tradition, 
was  of  English  descent,  the  family  mov- 
ing to  Wicklow  during  the  rebellion  of 
1688,  either  with  the  British  army  or 
shortly  afterward.  He  was  rated  among 
the  taxables  of  Whiteland  township, 
Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1729, 
presumably  moving  to  Philadelphia  coun- 
ty soon  after  that  year.  At  the  time  of 
making  his  will,  November  28,  1748,  he 
was  living  in  Lower  Merion  township, 
Philadelphia  county,  now  Montgomery 
county. 

Michael  (2)  Wills,  son  of  the  founder. 


is  buried  in  St.  David's  churchyard  at 
Radnor,  the  inscription  on  his  gravestone 
reciting  in  part:  "Here  lies  interred  in 
full  assurance  of  a  joyful  Resurrection 
the  Body  of  Michael  Wills,  who  after  he 
had  liv'd  through  a  long  Course  of  years 
a  pattern  of  Virtue  Patience  and  Piety 
Eschanged  this  Earthly  for  a  Heavenly 
habitation  on  the  8th  Day  of  Oct  1794  In 
the  86th  year  of  his  Age."  His  widow, 
Jane  Mather  Wills,  survived  him  ten 
years,  and  is  buried  in  St.  David's  church- 
yard. Their  sons  were  Jeremiah,  Michael, 
and  John  (3). 

Michael  Wills  was  a  resident  of  Ches- 
ter county,  where  he  died  January  15, 
1S29.  He  married  Ann,  daughter  of  An- 
drew and  Elizabeth  (Keyser)  Wood, 
both  of  German  descent.    They  were  the  | 

parents    of    fourteen    children,    nine    of  * 

whom  lived  to  mature  years. 

Allen  Wood  Wills,  eleventh  child  of 
Michael  (3)  Wills,  was  born  February 
23,  1810,  and  died  October  28,  1873.  He 
married  Elizabeth  H.  Evans,  and  spent 
his  business  life  in  Downingtown.  Chil- 
dren :  Rebecca,  married  Dr.  Samuel 
Ringwalt ;  Anna,  married  Daniel  Baugh  ; 
George  E.,  died  December  31,  18S4,  mar- 
ried Tamazine  Zook ;  J.  Hunter  (see  pre- 
ceding sketch)  ;  Abner  E..  of  further  men- 
tion ;  and  Allen  Wood,  died  unmarried. 

Abner  E.  Wills  was  born  in  East 
Brandywine  township,  Chester  county, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1848,  and  died  at  Den- 
ver, Colorado,  April  16,  19 13.  After  com- 
pleting his  studies  he  entered  business 
life,  becoming  heavily  interested  in  the 
chemical  manufacturing  firm  of  Baugh 
Sons  &  Company,  retaining  his  interest 
and  superintendency  of  the  works  in 
Philadelphia  until  three  years  prior  to  his 
death,  when  he  retired.  Mr.  Wills  was 
unmarried,  his  residence  in  Philadelphia 
being  at  the  Continental  Flotel.  While 
traveling  in  the  west  he  was  stricken  with 
a  fatal  illness,  dying  in  Denver.  J.  Hunter 
792 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Wills  immediately  went  to  Denver,  re- 
turning with  all  that  was  mortal  of  his 
brother.  He  rests  in  Northwood  Ceme- 
tery. Among  other  benefactions  he  be- 
queathed in  his  will :  $10,000  to  St.  James' 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church ;  $5,000  to 
the  Downingtown  Free  Library ;  $5,000 
to  the  Methodist  Hospital,  Philadelphia; 
$500  for  a  public  fountain,  and  various 
other  similar  bequests. 


MARTIN,  Charles  Lowe, 

Financier,   Popular   Citizen. 

Although  belonging  to  the  younger 
group  of  Philadelphia  bankers,  Mr.  Mar- 
tin may  be  classed  as  a  veteran,  inasmuch 
as  his  entire  business  life  has  been  spent 
in  association  with  Philadelphia  financial 
institutions.  Beginning  at  the  bottom  of 
the  ladder  as  clerk,  his  natural  aptitude, 
ability,  and  ambitious  zeal  won  him  pro- 
motion from  post  to  post,  until  his  ex- 
perience and  sound  judgment  justified 
his  selection  for  the  position  he  now  fills, 
treasurer  of  the  Kensington  Trust  Com- 
pany, which  company  he  aided  in  organ- 
izing in  1906.  No  young  financial  institu- 
tion was  ever  so  sorely  tried  in  its  infancy 
as  was  the  Kensington  Trust  Company, 
nor  was  a  more  complete  victory  ever 
won  by  a  young  financial  institution  over 
adverse  circumstances  than  was  won  by 
its  managers  during  the  "money  panic" 
of  1907.  Mr.  Martin,  from  his  post  as 
guardian  of  the  bank's  treasury  early  saw 
the  falling  of  the  financial  barometer  that 
indicated  the  coming  storm,  and  with  the 
afifairs  of  the  company  took  those  wise 
precautions  that  brought  them  through 
that  calamitous  period  during  which 
banks  and  bankers  went  down  in  ruin 
and  disgrace.  After  the  storm  subsided 
and  the  financial  skies  cleared,  the  com- 
pany whose  finances  Mr.  Martin  con- 
trolled had  a  record  of  having  cashed 
every  check  presented,  and  of  having  its 


stock  of  reserve  gold  even  larger  than 
before  the  storm.  This  excellent  show- 
ing firmly  established  confidence  in  the 
young  institution,  gave  its  officers  strong 
feeling  of  security  in  their  financial  power 
and  wisdom,  paved  the  way  for  a  won- 
derful expansion,  and  established  Mr. 
Martin  in  high  position  among  Philadel- 
phia financiers. 

Bankers  are  popularly  supposed  to  be 
men  of  austere  countenance,  reserved  and 
dignified  manner,  raised  a  little  above 
their  fellows,  therefore  immune  from  the 
things  that  appeal  to  the  more  humbly 
employed.  Not  so  Mr.  Martin.  Lu  Lu 
Temple,  that  great  center  of  Philadel- 
phia's Masonic  social  and  fun-loving  men, 
has  no  more  popular  and  jovial  devotee 
than  he,  and  he  enjoys  the  distinction  of 
being  president  of  the  only  Shrine  coun- 
try club  owning  its  own  golf  grounds, 
Lu  Lu  Temple  Country  Club,  whose 
beautiful  grounds,  club  house,  and  links 
in  Montgomery  county  were  recently 
dedicated.  Both  "grave  and  gay"  is  his 
nature,  the  one  trait  emphasizing  the 
other  and  producing  the  stable  man  of 
afifairs,  the  fraternity  brother,  the  com- 
panionable gentleman,  the  true  sports- 
man. 

Charles  L.  Martin  was  born  in  Phila- 
delphia, June  25,  1874,  son  of  John  T.  and 
Sarah  (Lowe)  Martin,  tracing  his  descent 
irom  Revolutionary  forbears.  John  T. 
Martin  was  a  brick  manufacturer,  and  in 
the  course  of  his  career  invented  brick- 
making  machines  of  value  to  the  trade 
which  he  patented.  He  traveled  exten- 
sively, establishing  these  machines  in 
many  parts  of  the  United  States,  their 
introduction  completely  revolutionizing 
the  brickmaking  industry.  He  died  in 
1870. 

Thus  left  a  paternal  orphan  at  the  age 
of  seven  years,  Charles  L.  Martin,  with- 
out a  father's  guiding  hand,  chose  his 
own  career,  and  after  completing  his  edu- 

793 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


cation  in  the  Philadelphia  public  schools 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Germantown 
Trust  Company,  remaining  seven  years, 
advancing  in  rank,  and  laying  a  secure 
foundation  upon  which  his  financial 
career  was  to  rest.  He  then  spent  five 
years  in  a  responsible  position  with  the 
Real  Estate  and  Title  Company,  of  Phil- 
adelphia, which  period  brought  him  to 
the  year  1906,  an  experienced  banker  with 
an  honorable  record.  In  that  year  he 
aided  in  organizing  the  Kensington  Trust 
Company,  was  chosen  its  secretary  and 
treasurer,  and  in  that  position  has  been 
an  important  factor  in  bringing  that  in- 
stitution to  its  present  solid  and  prosper- 
ous condition.  The  panic  of  1907  gave 
the  young  institution  the  opportunity  to 
demonstrate  the  strength  of  its  manage- 
ment, and  the  record  made  during  that 
period  by  Mr.  Martin  and  his  associates 
has  been  followed  during  the  subsequent 
years  by  equally  wise,  progressive,  yet 
conservative  management.  The  company 
has  prospered  abundantly,  its  deposits  are 
very  large  and  strongly  safeguarded,  its 
title  insurance  business  the  fourth  largest 
in  the  city,  and  as  an  institution  of  serv- 
ice to  the  section  it  touches  stands  un- 
rivalled. Mr.  Martin  has  grown  with  the 
institution  he  serves,  and  not  more  firm 
is  the  company's  building  at  Kensington 
and  Allegheny  avenues  fixed  upon  its 
foundations  than  is  he  established  in  the 
regard  of  his  official  associates  and  in  the 
confidence  of  the  patrons  of  the  bank.  He 
is  also  president  of  the  Building  and  Loan 
Association. 

Mr.  Martin  is  prominently  connected 
with  the  Masonic  order,  and  although  his 
official  connection  is  with  the  social  side 
of  Masonry,  he  is  filled  with  the  spirit  of 
true  fraternity,  demonstrating  in  his  life 
the  valuable  tenets  of  the  order.  He  is  a 
member  of  Lodge  No.  9,  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons ;  Chapter  No.  253,  Royal 
Arch  Masons ;  the  Council,  Royal  and  Se- 

I 


lect  Masters  ;  Mary  Commandery,  Knights 
Templar;  and  Lu  Lu  Temple,  Ancient 
Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine.  He  is  also  the  president  of  the  Lu 
Lu  Country  Club,  a  club  composed  of 
Shrine  members  only;  and  a  member  of 
the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks  and  of  the  Manufacturers'  Club.  In 
religious  association  he  is  connected  with 
the  Third  Baptist  Church  of  German- 
town. 

Mr.  Martin  married,  in  1894,  Lillian, 
daughter  of  Andrew  and  Ida  Easton,  of 
Pittsburgh,  and  has  a  daughter,  Marie 
Easton  Martin,  a  graduate  of  the  Arm- 
stade  School,  and  Washington  Seminary, 
Washington,  Pennsylvania,  class  of  191 5. 


BISLER,  Gustav  Adolph, 

Manufacturer,  Enterprising  Business  Man. 

Gustav  Adolph  Bisler,  to  whom  suc- 
cess has  come  by  reason  of  close  applica- 
tion and  honorable  business  methods,  is 
a  well  known  business  man  of  Philadel- 
phia, Pennsylvania.  He  was  born  in 
Elbing,  West  Prussia,  Germany,  May  11, 
1852,  and  is  the  son  of  Godfried  F.  and 
Caroline  Louise  (Herbert)  Bisler,  who 
emigrated  with  their  family  to  the  United 
States  of  America  in  1854  on  the  sailing 
vessel  "Marie  Louise,"  Captain  Wanke 
in  command,  and  docking  in  Philadelphia, 
after  a  six  weeks'  stormy  passage.  Mr. 
Bisler's  ancestors  for  generations  back 
were  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits,  and 
were  religious,  frugal,  hard-working  peo- 
pie. 

Godfried  Ferdinand  Bisler,  who  was 
engaged  in  the  shoe  business,  established 
himself  in  the  same  line  in  his  adopted 
country.  He  applied  for  his  citizenship 
papers  in  1856,  and  became  a  full-fledged 
citizen  in  i860.  The  two  sons,  Emil  H. 
and  Gustav  A.,  who  emigrated  with  their 
parents,  attended  the  public  schools,  and 
were    given    a    primary    and    "secondary 

794 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


education,"  as  the  term  was  employed  in 
those  days.  Later  on  both  boys  obtained 
employment  and  started  out  to  earn  their 
own  livelihood  at  the  age  of  twelve  and 
thirteen  years  respectively,  at  wages  of 
$2.00  and  $2.50  per  week,  and  both  boys 
being  ambitious,  energetic  and  enterpris- 
ing, decided  to  attend  night  school  for 
two  winters  at  Sixteenth  and  Race  streets, 
Philadelphia,  and  by  application  to  their 
work  and  studies  their  early  years  were 
full. 

Gustav  A.  Bisler  in  his  teens  worked  in 
a  baker  shop,  carriage  factory  and  razor 
strop  factory,  also  had  charge  of  a  billiard 
room,  and  finally  became  apprenticed  to 
Hilliar  &  Faser,  picture  frame  manufac- 
turers, in  1867,  ^"d  in  the  line  of  work  Mr. 
Bisler  became  proficient,  and  was  ad- 
vanced rapidly  by  the  firm,  and  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years  we  find  young 
Gustav  A.  Bisler  foreman  in  the  same 
factory  in  which  he  served  his  appren- 
ticeship. 

At  this  time  Gustav  A.  and  the  elder 
brother,  Emil  Herman,  who  had  become 
a  practical  paper  box  maker,  started  in 
the  manufacturing  of  paper  boxes  at  522 
North  street,  in  a  third  story  room  about 
sixteen  by  ninety  feet,  with  an  invested 
capital  of  $900,  borrowed  from  the  father, 
and  $250  of  their  own  money.  Both 
brothers  drew  six  dollars  wages  weekly, 
and  the  small  business  prospered  from 
the  start,  and  within  the  next  few  years 
we  find  the  firm  occupying  the  entire  four 
floors  of  the  building,  sixteen  by  ninety 
feet. 

In  1877  the  firm  were  obliged  to  seek 
more  roomy  quarters,  and  so  leased  a  five- 
story  building  with  basement  eighteen  by 
one  hundred  feet,  located  at  222  North 
Fifth  street,  and  the  business  outgrew 
the  capacity  of  this  building  in  the  sur- 
prisingly short  period  of  five  years.  Au- 
gust 14,  1883,  was  a  dark  day  in  the  firm's 


history,  Emil  H.,  the  elder  brother,  died, 
and  the  accrued  responsibilities  fell  upon 
the  shoulders  of  Gustav  A.,  who  settled 
up  his  brother's  estate  and  carried  on  the 
business  into  further  success,  and  later 
purchasing  an  old  church  and  synagogue 
property,  located  at  334-346  Julianna 
now  Randolph)  street,  where  the  business 
continued  for  seventeen  years.  In  1899 
Mr.  Bisler  had  foreseen  developments 
and  had  acquired  properties  Nos  249-255, 
cast  side  of  North  Sixth  street,  and  erect- 
ed a  large  factory,  having  the  architect 
and  builder  conform  to  his  own  well  de- 
fined plans.  This  building  was  five 
stories,  with  basement,  erected  on  a  plot 
seventy-two  by  one  hundred  and  twenty 
feet.  Continuous  growth  of  business  de- 
manded still  more  room,  so  in  1909  an  ad- 
ditional fireproof  concrete  building  was 
erected  on  adjoining  property,  thirty-six 
by  ninety  feet,  six  floors  and  basement, 
besides  this,  the  firm  has  leased  about 
thirty  thousand  square  feet  of  floor  area 
and  the  business  employs  about  three 
hundred  persons,  and  was  incorporated 
in  1908  under  the  firm  name  of  G.  A.  Bis- 
ler, Inc.  The  officers  are:  G.  A.  Bisler, 
president;  E.  V.  Bisler,  vice-president; 
A.  K.  Bisler,  secretary  and  manager;  G. 
A.  Bisler,  Jr.,  treasurer.  The  company 
manufactures  a  line  of  high-grade  con- 
fectionery boxes,  and  caters  to  the  high- 
est class  trade,  having  possibly  the  best 
equipped  factory  for  the  manufacture  of 
high-grade  work  in  the  United  States. 
Their  trade  extends  as  far  as  the  Missis- 
sippi, and  their  annual  output  is  about  a 
quarter  of  a  million  dollars. 

Mr.  Gustav  A.  Bisler  married,  in  1876, 
Miss  Emma  Virginia  Coryell,  a  daughter 
of  Emanuel  and  Christina  Coryell,  a  na- 
tive of  New  Hope  on  the  Delaware.  Mr. 
Bisler  and  Mrs.  Bisler  are  the  parents  of 
five  children:  i.  Gustav  A.,  born  May  11, 
1879;   educated    in    Friends'    School   and 


1795 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Ogontz,  and  is  now  associated  with  his 
father.  2.  Raymond  Coryell,  born  Alay 
15,  1881 ;  educated  at  Friends'  School,  and 
at  Swarthmore  College ;  died  December 
25,  1910.  3.  Emma  Virginia,  graduated 
from  Friends'  School ;  now  Mrs.  George 
Pownell  Orr.  4.  Marian  Vernon,  born 
February  22,  1892  ;  educated  at  St.  Mary's 
Academy,  Burlington,  New  Jersey.  5. 
Ester,  born  September  7,  1893  !  graduated 
from  Miss  Hill's  school,  Germantown, 
Pennsylvania. 

Mr.  Bisler  belongs  to  many  organiza- 
tions and  clubs.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Union  League  Club,  Philadelphia ;  and  is 
a  life  member  of  the  Manufacturers'  Club, 
Philadelphia;  the  Fairmount  Park  Art 
Association;  the  Academy  of  Fine  Arts; 
the  Pen  and  Pencil  Club ;  the  Navy 
League,  and  the  National  Geographical 
Society.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  Philadelphia,  and  a  thirty- 
second  degree  Mason.  He  is  president  of 
G.  A.  Bisler,  Incorporated,  and  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Philadelphia  Paper  Manufac- 
turing Company.  Mr.  Bisler  has  always 
used  his  franchise  in  an  independent  man- 
ner, and  might  be  classed  as  an  independ- 
ent Republican.  During  his  active  busi- 
ness life  he  has  found  time  to  respond  to 
the  noblest  service,  and  for  twenty-five 
years  has  held  the  office  of  trustee  in  the 
West  Hope  Presbyterian  Church. 

Mr.  Bisler  has  travelled  extensively  in 
America  and  also  made  several  Euro- 
pean trips,  taking  his  family  with  him, 
being  a  firm  believer  in  the  broadening 
influence  and  education  of  travel.  He  is 
a  notable  example  of  the  man  who  has 
forged  his  way  through  life,  and  stands 
as  a  splendid  type  of  the  reliable,  public- 
spirited  citizen,  and  the  trustworthy 
friend.  Mr.  Bisler  built  and  resides  in  a 
beautiful  home  in  the  residence  section 
of  Overbrook,  Philadelphia. 


JOHNSTON,  John  R., 

Manufacturer,    Financier. 

Mr.  Johnston  is  president  of  the  John- 
ston Glass  Company  of  Hartford  City, 
Indiana,  and  the  Johnston  Brokerage 
Company  of  Pittsburgh,  being  also  offi- 
cially connected  with  leading  commercial 
organizations  in  other  cities  and  States 
of  the  Union. 

William  Johnston,  great-grandfather 
of  John  Rodgers  Johnston,  was  a  native 
of  Ireland,  and  married  Elizabeth  Mc- 
Ilheny.  The  Johnston  family  were  en- 
gaged in  the  occupation  of  flax-growing. 

John,  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth 
(Mcllheny)  Johnston,  was  born  Febru- 
ary 6,  1813,  in  County  Donegal,  Ireland, 
and  was  by  trade  a  saddle-maker.  He 
emigrated  to  the  United  States,  settling 
in  New  Paris,  Ohio,  where  for  fifty  years 
he  was  engaged  in  mercantile  business. 
He  married  Sarah  Ann,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Mauzy,  a  private  in  Colonel  James 
Gerrard's  regiment,  Virginia  Regulars, 
Revolutionary  army.  The  death  of  Mr. 
Johnston  occurred  about  1S92. 

Francis  Edwin,  son  of  John  and  Sarah 
Ann  (Mauzy)  Johnston,  was  born  May 
12,  1840,  at  New  Paris,  Ohio,  and  was 
educated  in  Richmond,  Indiana.  During 
the  Civil  War  he  enlisted  in  the  ninety- 
day  service,  afterward  reenlisting,  and 
serving  for  some  time.  After  the  war  he 
engaged  in  a  mercantile  business  at  Ar- 
canum, Ohio,  later  becoming  connected 
with  a  jewelry  concern  with  which  he 
was  actively  identified  during  the  remain- 
der of  his  life,  along  the  border  of  Ohio 
and  Indiana.  Mr.  Johnston  married,  No- 
vember 20,  1865,  at  Greenville,  Ohio. 
Emily  Jane,  born  January  6,  1848,  in 
Spartanburg,  daughter  of  Raiford  and 
Adeline  (Woodmansee)  Wiggs,  of  Ohio. 
Mrs.  Wiggs  was  a  daughter  of  Judge 
Woodmansee,    of   the   Western    District. 


1796 


C-i 


i.^9n^ 


Gilbert  Rodman  Fox 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Mr.  and  Airs.  Johnston  were  the  parents 
of  two  children :  John  Rodgers,  men- 
tioned below;  and  Sarah  Elizabeth,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  twelve  years.  Mr. 
Johnston  died  April  6,  187S,  and  his 
widow  resides  at  Topeka,  Kansas. 

John  Rodgers  Johnston,  son  of  Fran- 
cis Edwin  and  Emily  Jane  (Vv'iggs) 
Johnston,  was  born  April  8,  1867,  at  Ar- 
canum, Darke  county,  Ohio,  and  received 
his  education  in  the  schools  of  the  vicin- 
ity and  in  the  high  schools  of  Kokomo, 
Indiana,  and  Topeka,  Kansas.  In  1SS9, 
after  completing  his  course  of  study,  he 
went  to  Mexico,  where  for  a  year  he  was 
associated  with  a  land  colonizing  com- 
pany. 

In  1890  Mr.  Johnston  entered  upon  the 
real  work  of  his  life,  going  to  Kartford 
City,  Indiana,  and  connecting  himself 
with  the  glass  industry.  For  ten  years 
he  prospered  steadily  ancT  in  1900  sold 
out  to  the  American  Window  Glass  Com- 
pany. He  then  organized  the  Johnston 
Glass  Company,  becoming  its  president, 
and  erected  a  glass  manufacturing  plant 
at  Hartford  City,  where  window  and  also 
ornamental  bending  glass  is  made,  giving 
employment  to  three  hundred  men  and 
having  a  wide  and  extremely  profitable 
sale.  Despite  the  fact  that  the  president 
has  for  some  years  resided  in  Pittsburgh 
he  is  still  the  moving  spirit  of  the  entire 
enterprise. 

In  1912  Mr.  Johnston  organized  the 
Johnston  Brokerage  Company,  with  head- 
quarters in  Pittsburgh.  Of  this  concern 
also  he  is  president,  as  well  as  of  the 
Newsome  Feed  and  Grain  Company  and 
the  Washington  Orchard  Company.  For 
eleven  years  or  more  he  has  been  vice- 
president  of  the  Citizens'  State  Bank  of 
Hartford  City,  Indiana,  and  the  Potomac 
Valley  Orchard  Company  of  Maryland, 
and  he  is  also  a  director  of  the  Berghoff 
Brewing  Company  of  Fort  Wayne,  Indi- 


The  political  allegiance  of  Air.  John- 
ston is  given  to  the  Republican  party,  and 
for  twelve  years  or  more  he  served  on 
the  school  board  of  Hartford  City,  Indi- 
ana. He  belongs  to  the  Pittsburgh  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce.  His  clubs  are  the 
Union  Club  of  Pittsburgh  and  the  Colum- 
bia Club  of  Indianapolis,  also  the  Pitts- 
burgh Press  Club.  He  is  enrolled  in  the 
Athletic  Associations  of  Chicago  and 
Pittsburgh,  and  is  a  member  of  the  In- 
dianapolis Chapter  of  the  Sons  of  the 
American  Revolution.  He  affiliates  with 
all  branches  of  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
and  belongs  to  the  Benevolent  and  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks,  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  and  numerous  similar  organiza- 
tions. He  is  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church. 

Mr.  Johnston  married,  in  May,  1891,  in 
Duluth,  Minnesota,  Nelly  Alarie,  daugh- 
ter of  William  A.  Thompson,  Sr.,  and 
Caroline  Thompson,  of  that  place,  but 
originally  of  Norway.  Mr.  Thompson 
was  an  owner  of  vessels  and  a  man  of 
some  prominence  in  his  day.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Johnston  are  the  parents  of  one 
son :  John  Rodgers,  born  February  4, 
1894,  educated  in  schools  and  high 
schools  of  Indianapolis,  at  Pittsburgh 
Academy  and  Shady  Side  Academy,  and 
now  at  Princeton  University,  class  of 
1916.  Airs.  Johnston,  a  woman  of  char- 
acter and  culture,  is  a  member  of  the 
New  Era  and  other  clubs  and  one  of  the 
governors  of  the  "Made  in  America" 
movement. 


FOX,  Gilbert  Rodman, 
Lia'wyer. 

Gilbert  Rodman  Fox.  member  of  the 
bar  of  Montgomery  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, for  fifty-four  years,  was  a  man  of 
remarkable  self-possession,  scholarly  and 
courteous  in  his  address  and  deservedly 
enjoyed   the  reputation   of  being  one   of 

797 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  best  equity  lawyers  in  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania.  Suffering  with  lameness 
from  childhood,  his  life  was  a  model  of 
industry.  While  seldom  seen  in  the 
criminal  courts,  he  enjoyed  an  extensive 
and  lucrative  practice  of  a  character  that 
rarely  called  him  from  his  office.  He  was 
regarded  as  a  safe  counsellor,  and  was 
brought  into  many  cases  as  consulting 
attorney. 

Edward  Fox,  born  in  1752,  grandfather 
of  Gilbert  Rodman  Fox,  is  said  to  have 
been  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Eliza- 
beth (Fuller)  Fox,  of  Dublin,  Ireland, 
Thomas  Fox  was  an  Englishman,  an  ofifi- 
cer  in  the  British  army.  The  tradition 
that  Edward  Fox  was  connected  with  the 
Fox  family  of  Holland  House,  London, 
England,  has  not  yet  been  traced,  but  the 
portrait  in  oil  and  the  fine  engraving  of 
the  distinguished  statesman,  Charles 
James  Fox,  still  in  the  possession  of  the 
oldest  branch  of  the  descendants  of  Ed- 
ward Fox,  may  be  the  foundation  for  the 
belief  that  some  connection  did  exist. 

Coming  to  this  country  at  the  age  of 
twenty,  but  at  a  time  not  exactly  known, 
Edward  Fox  entered  the  office  of  Hon. 
Samuel  Chase,  of  Maryland,  as  a  student 
at  law  ;  but  removed  to  Philadelphia  some 
years  previous  to  1785,  his  name  then  ap- 
pearing in  the  first  directory.  In  1780  he 
was  auditor-general  for  Pennsylvania. 
July  5,  1780,  he  married  Elizabeth  Ser- 
geant, sister  of  Jonathan  Dickenson  Ser- 
geant, daughter  of  Jonathan  Sergeant, 
who  during  the  Revolutionary  War  was 
a  member  of  the  Council  of  Safety.  Nine 
children  were  born  to  them. 

Edward  Fox  held  the  position  of  Re- 
corder of  Deeds  for  the  city  and  county 
of  Philadelphia  from  June  6,  1799,  to 
May,  1809;  he  was  also  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania from  1791  to  the  day  of  his  death, 
April  II,  1822.  Pie  was  buried  in  the 
burial  grounds  of  the  First  Presbyterian 


Church,  Philadelphia,  adjoining  on  the 
west  the  Third  (or  old  Pine  Street)  Pres- 
byterian Church,  Pine  street,  above 
Fourth.  Elizabeth  Sergeant,  his  wife,  is 
buried  near  him. 

John  Fox,  sixth  child  of  Edward  Fox, 
was  born  at  Philadelphia,  April  26,  1787; 
graduated  from  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  studied  law  with  Alexander 
James  Dallas.  On  his  admission  to  the 
bar,  he  opened  an  office  at  Bristol,  Bucks 
county,  Pennsylvania.  He  also  had  an 
office  in  Newtown,  and  on  the  removal 
of  the  courts  to  Doylestown  in  181 3  he 
took  up  his  residence  in  this  new  county 
seat.  In  the  same  year  he  purchased 
"The  House  with  a  History,"  Broad  and 
Court  streets  (now  torn  down),  known 
as  the  "Fox  Homestead"  for  half  a  cen- 
tury since  that  time. 

In  1816  he  married  Margery,  daughter 
of  Gilbert  Rodman,  Esq.,  of  "Edington," 
Bensalem  township,  Bucks  county,  near 
Bristol.  Gilbert  Rodman  was  a  Quaker, 
disowned  because  he  took  up  arms  in  the 
Revolutionary  War,  serving  as  major  in 
the  Second  Bucks  County  Battalion,  1776. 

John  Fox  served  on  General  Worrell's 
itaff,  with  the  rank  of  major,  in  the  War 
of  1812,  and  afterwards  was  appointed 
major-general  of  the  Seventh  Division  of 
the  Pennsylvania  militia.  A  few  days 
after  the  burning  of  the  Capitol  at  Wash- 
ington by  the  British,  in  1814,  when  court 
opened,  Mr.  Fox  arose  and  said  he  had 
no  business  in  a  court  room  when  the 
British  were  devastating  the  land;  he  left 
the  building  and  joined  the  volunteers. 
In  1 814  he  was  Deputy  Attorney-General 
of  Bucks  county,  and  the  leader  of  the 
Democratic  party  there,  and  for  many 
years  wielded  a  wide  influence  in  the 
State,  but  declined  to  accept  any  political 
office.  In  1830  he  was  appointed  Presi- 
dent Judge  of  the  Seventh  Judicial  Dis- 
trict, then  composed  of  the  counties  of 
Bucks  and  Montgomery,  which  position 


1798 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


he  held  until  1838,  when  the  judicial  office 
was  made  elective. 

Judge  Fox  died  at  Doylestown,  Penn- 
sylvania, April  15,  1849,  leaving  a  widow 
and  the  following  children :  Gilbert  Rod- 
man, of  Norristown,  Pennsylvania;  Eliz- 
abeth Sergeant,  wife  of  John  Pugh,  of 
Doylestown,  Pennsylvania ;  Edward  John, 
lawyer,  of  Easton,  Pennsylvania ;  Mary 
Rodman,  of  Doylestown,  Pennsylvania ; 
Rev.  Louis  Rodman  Fox,  Presbyterian 
clergyman.  Xone  of  these  children  are 
now  living.  John  Fox  and  his  wife  Alar- 
gery,  who  died  December  21,  1872,  are 
buried  in  the  family  burial  lot  in  the 
cemetery  at  Doylestown,  Pennsylvania. 

Gilbert  Rodman  Fox,  grandson  of  Ed- 
ward Fox,  was  born  at  Doylestown, 
March  27,  1817.  He  attended  school  at 
Neshaminy,  Bucks  county,  but  was 
brought  home  from  there  with  a  serious 
illness  which  left  him  very  lame  and 
from  which  he  suffered  all  his  life.  At 
Doylestown  he  studied  under  a  tutor,  and 
was  prepared  for  college  by  the  Rev.  Rob- 
ert DuBois,  and  entered  Princeton  Col- 
lege, graduating  in  June,  1835,  and  re- 
ceiving his  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  in 
1837.  The  years  1836  and  1837  were 
spent  in  studying  law  in  his  father's  offtce 
in  Doylestown,  and  spending  some  time 
in  Bethlehem,  Pennsylvania,  living  in  the 
home  of  a  German  family,  and  perfecting 
himself  in  the  use  of  the  German  lan- 
uage,  which  he  found  of  great  service  in 
his  long  professional  life.  In  1838  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Bucks  county, 
and  in  the  same  year,  November  19,  to 
that  of  Montgomery  county,  removing 
to  Norristown  and  opening  an  ofifice 
for  the  practice  of  law.  In  1839  he 
was  appointed  Deputy  Attorney-General 
for  the  county,  and  continued  in  that 
ofifice  for  six  years. 

On  October  28.  1852,  Gilbert  Rodman 
Fox  was  married  to  Catharine  Cruger, 
second    daughter    of    Nicholas     Cruger, 


Esq.,  and  Eliza  Kortright,  of  Oscawana, 
New  York,  in  St.  John's  Church,  New 
York  City.  Catharine  Cruger  was  born 
December  13,  1829,  and  died  January  8, 
1894,  and  is  buried  in  Montgomery  ceme- 
tery, Norristown,  Pennsylvania.  To  their 
union  were  born  five  children :  Kate  Mar- 
gery, Frances  Macomb,  Martha  Rodman, 
Gilbert  Rodman,  Governeur  Cruger ;  of 
these,  Governeur  Cruger  died  December 
21,  1864,  and  Kate  Margery.  P"ebruary  5, 

1875- 

On  December  28,  1840,  Mr.  Fox  was 
admitted  to  practice  in  the  Supreme  Court 
of  Pennsylvania.  He  was  appointed 
clerk  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United 
States  for  the  Eastern  District  of  Penn- 
sylvania, December  31,  1859,  receiving 
the  appointment  from  John  Cadwalader, 
then  judge  of  the  court,  remaining  m  this 
position  until  April  19,  1875,  when  he  re- 
signed, being  unable  longer  to  endure  the 
daily  journey  from  Norristown  to  Phila- 
delphia. 

Like  his  father,  John  Fox,  he  was  an 
ardent  Democrat,  and  supported  the  prin- 
ciples and  aims  of  that  party  as  far  as 
possible  at  all  times.  He  was  also  a  de- 
voted Christian,  and  a  member  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Norristown 
for  over  forty  years,  and  a  luUng  elder  for 
thirty-seven  years.  He  also  held  the  posi- 
tion of  Sunday  school  superintendent  for 
a  number  of  years  and  taught  a  Bible 
class. 

Perhaps  Mr.  Fox's  greatest  line  of  serv- 
ice in  his  chosen  profession  was  the  large 
number  of  students  who  studied  under 
him  and  to  whom  he  was  most  faithful. 
From  his  office  went  forth  more  than 
from  any  other  in  the  county;  and  the 
kind  friend  that  directed  their  efforts  as 
students  was  equally  ready  to  assist  them 
as  practitioners.  He  was  a  careful  pre 
ceptor,  and  the  names  may  be  recorded : 
Louis  R.  Fox,  Governeur  Cruger,  C.  H. 
Mathews.    W.    W.    Craig,    Benjamin    E. 


1799 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Chain,  Edward  F.  Pugh,  Albert  Bradley, 
J.  Davis  Duffield,  H.  B.  Dickinson,  Judge 
Aaron  S.  Swartz,  Judge  William  B.  Solly 
(who  remained  with  him  for  ten  years), 
Henry  B.  Garber,  Louis  M.  Childs,  Jo- 
seph Fornance,  W.  F.  Dannehower,  and 
Gilbert  R.  Fox,  his  son,  the  last  student, 
remaining  with  his  father  until  his  death, 
and  continuing  the  practice  of  law. 

As  a  citizen,  Mr.  Fox  was  deeply  in- 
terested in  every  matter  pertaining  to  the 
welfare  of  the  whole  community,  and 
never  afraid  to  express  his  well  con- 
sidered opinions.  His  hand  was  ever 
open  to  the  needs  of  the  poor  and  suffer- 
ing and  his  legal  ability  was  freely  theirs. 
For  a  number  of  years  he  was  counsel  in 
Norristown  for  the  Philadelphia  Trust 
Company  and  the  Fidelity  Trust  Com- 
pany of  the  City  of  Philadelphia. 

A  complimentary  dinner  was  given  to 
Mr.  Fox  by  the  bar  of  Montgomery  coun- 
ty, November  19,  1888,  celebrating  the 
fiftieth  anniversary  of  his  admittance  to 
practice  in  the  courts  of  the  county. 
Thirty-five  members  of  the  bar  were  pres- 
ent, and  many  words  of  friendship  and 
commendation  were  spoken.  He  was 
spoken  of  as  being  personally  acquainted 
with  every  member  of  the  bar  of  Phila- 
delphia and  Montgomery  counties ;  as  a 
diplomatic  lawyer,  calm  and  cool,  never 
trying  a  case  until  passion  and  prejudice 
had  passed  away ;  a  man  of  solid  attain- 
ments, being  well  posted  in  all  the  intri- 
cate points  of  his  profession,  particularly 
in  connection  with  the  settlement  of 
estates,  the  fulfilment  of  trusts  and  gen- 
eral real  estate  practice. 

Mr.  Fox  commented  on  the  great 
change  in  the  membership  of  the  bar: 
"In  1838  Philadelphia  lawyers  came  up 
to  Norristown  and  stayed  throughout  the 
week  of  court ;  now  the  appearance  of  an 
outside  lawyer  was  an  exception ;  Mont- 
gomery county  people  long  ago  reached 
the  conclusion  that  if  they  wanted  their 


business  'transacted  with  despatch,  they 
must  employ  Montgomery  county  law- 
yers." 

Gilbert  Rodman  Fox  died  December  i, 
1892,  and  is  buried  in  Montgomery  ceme- 
tery at  Norristown,  Pennsylvania.  His 
widow,  Catharine  Cruger,  is  buried  be- 
side him.  They  are  survived  by  the  fol- 
lowing children  and  grandchildren  :  Fran- 
ces Macomb  Fox,  living  in  Norristown, 
and  holding  the  position  of  curator  of  the 
Historical  Society  of  Montgomery  coun- 
ty, in  whose  library  she  has  secured  much 
of  the  information  used  in  preparing  this 
article.  Martha  Rodman  Fox  Genet, 
widow  of  Albert  Rivers  Genet,  lawyer, 
late  of  New  York  City,  who  died  at  Os- 
sining.  New  York,  October  25,  1912,  and 
is  buried  at  Sparta,  New  York;  her  chil- 
dren are:  Albert  Rivers  Genet,  Gilbert 
Rodman  Fox  Genet,  Edmond  Charles 
Clinton  Genet.  Gilbert  Rodman  Fox, 
lawyer,  of  Norristown,  Pennsylvania ; 
married  Rebekah  Coleman,  May  11,  1886, 
who  died  October  31,  1913,  and  is  buried 
in  Riverside  cemetery,  Norristown,  Penn- 
sylvania; his  children  are:  Gilbert  Rod- 
man (died  in  infancy)  ;  George  Coleman 
Fox,  Josephine  Fox,  Mildred  Fox,  John 
Wister  Fox,  and  Kathryn  Rodman  Fox. 

(This  article  prepared  by  Frances  Ma- 
comb Fox,  March,  1915). 


EDMONDS,  Franklin  Spencer, 

Lia^vyer,   Liegislator,   Edncator,   Reformer. 

There  are  many  sons  of  Philadelphia 
whose  achievement  reflects  credit  upon 
the  city  of  their  birth,  and  among  those 
of  the  present  generation  Franklin  S.  Ed- 
monds occupies  important  position.  His 
life  has  been  spent  in  Philadelphia,  his 
education  acquired  in  her  public  schools 
and  university,  his  reputation  as  an  edu- 
cator gained  in  her  schools,  his  fame  as 
a  lawyer  acquired  at  her  bar,  and  his 
valuable  work  as  a  reform  politician  done 
800 


(^y^/^^^^v^^^   ^^- 


^^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  opposition  to  the  forces  that  have  de- 
graded his  native  city. 

The  first  political  success  attained  by 
Mr.  Edmonds  was  when,  as  president  of 
the  Philadelphia  Teachers'  Association, 
he  organized  and  led  the  fight  for  an  in- 
crease in  the  salaries  of  all  teachers  in 
the  elementary  schools  and  carried  it  to 
a  victorious  issue.  So  highly  were  his 
services  appreciated  by  the  teachers  of 
the  city  that  when  he  left  their  ranks  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  they  presented 
him  with  a  magnificent  law  library. 
Political  conditions  in  the  Twenty-ninth 
Ward,  his  residence,  were  such  that  no 
young  man  of  independent  spirit  could 
sit  idly  by,  much  less  one  so  highly  en- 
dowed as  Mr.  Edmonds.  He  plunged 
into  the  fight  against  "bossism"  and  in 
1905,  one  year  after  his  admission  to  the 
bar,  he  was  chosen  to  make  the  fight 
against  Louis  Hutt  for  Select  Council- 
man. He  was  beaten,  but  he  put  up  such 
a  good  fight  that  he  became  one  of  the 
City  Party  leaders,  and  in  the  following 
November  the  Twenty-ninth  Ward  was 
carried  by  the  reformers.  At  the  age  of 
thirty-two  years  he  was  chairman  of  the 
city  committee  of  the  City  party,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Education,  and  one 
of  the  most  sought  after  public  speakers 
in  Philadelphia.  But  his  useful  activity 
in  Philadelphia  politics  is  but  one  of 
many  claims  he  has  upon  the  regard  of 
his  fellow  men.  As  an  educator  and  lec- 
turer he  is  held  in  high  repute,  and  as 
lawyer  and  political  economist  he  is 
everywhere  recognized  as  an  authority. 
Scarcely  of  sufficient  years  to  be  in  the 
prime  of  life,  he  has  accomplished  much, 
but  his  learning,  oratorical  ability,  and 
capacity  for  work,  argue  that  the  future 
has  greater  honors  to  bestow.  He  is  a 
many  sided  man,  versatility  being  one  of 
his  strong  characteristics,  as  this  review 
of  his  life  will  show. 

Franklin   Spencer  Edmonds  was  born 


in  Philadelphia,  March  28,  1874,  son  of 
Henry  R.  and  Catharine  (Huntzinger) 
Edmonds.  In  1891  he  was  graduated 
Bachelor  of  Arts  from  Central  High 
School,  and  was  first  honor  and  valedic- 
torian of  his  class ;  and  in  1893  ^'^^  ^^' 
ceived  the  degree  Bachelor  of  Philosophy 
from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
Master  of  Arts  being  bestowed  by  the 
Central  High  School  in  1896.  From  1893 
to  1894  he  was  assistant  secretary  of  the 
University  Extension  Society  and  en- 
gaged in  the  organization  of  classes  for 
civic  instruction.  He  was  Andrew  D. 
White  Fellow  in  political  science,  Cor- 
nell University,  1894-95.  In  1S95  he  was 
appointed  instructor  in  history  in  the 
Central  High  School,  and  in  1897  his  posi- 
tion upon  the  Central  High  School  faculty 
became  that  of  Assistant  Professor  of 
Political  Science,  which  he  filled  until 
1902,  and  from  that  date  until  1904  he 
was  professor  of  the  same  subject.  Since 
his  resignation  in  1904  he  has  been  honor- 
ary lecturer  on  political  science.  During 
his  connection  with  the  High  School  he 
developed  an  unusual  gift  of  oratory,  his 
lectures  being  most  interesting  and  well 
attended  by  the  students.  He  never  used 
book  or  notes,  and  had  the  reputation  of 
being  the  most  rapid  talker  on  the  faculty 
board.  He  was  very  popular  with  the 
students,  and  was  on  friendly  terms  with 
young  men  all  over  the  city,  young  men 
who,  admiring  and  respecting  him,  fol- 
lowed his  lead  in  politics  and  as  voters 
swelled  the  ranks  of  the  City  party.  He 
was  also  responsible  for  many  of  the  or- 
ganizations within  Central  High  School, 
was  speaker  of  the  mock  "House  of  Rep- 
resentatives," and  there  gained  his  inti- 
mate knowledge  of  parliamentary  law. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Athletic  Council 
of  the  school,  and  gave  athletics  its  first 
great  impetus,  producing  teams  that  won, 
broadening  the  athletic  scope  of  the 
school  and  placing  the  finances  of  sport 
801 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


upon  a  sound  basis.  He  has  never. lost 
interest  in  his  original  alma  mater,  but 
as  a  member  of  the  High  School  Alumni 
Association  and  its  Master  of  Archives 
has,  with  other  Philadelphians,  worked 
to  increase  its  usefulness.  After  deciding 
to  abandon  the  teacher's  profession,  in 
which  he  had  attained  reputation  and 
success,  Mr.  Edmonds  entered  the  Law 
Department  of  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, whence  he  was  graduated  Bachelor 
of  Laws,  class  of  1903.  He  began  prac- 
tice in  Philadelphia  in  1904,  and  as  a 
member  of  the  law  firm  of  Mason  &  Ed- 
monds, No.  614  Franklin  building,  and 
practices  in  all  State  and  Federal  courts 
of  the  district.  His  legal  standing  is  high 
and  he  commands  the  unvarying  respect 
of  his  professional  associates. 

Mr.  Edmonds  began  political  work  as 
a  reformer  in  the  Twenty-Ninth  Ward, 
and  at  once  won  public  recognition.  He 
was  candidate  for  select  council  on  the 
City  party  ticket ;  receiver  of  taxes  candi- 
date on  the  same  ticket  in  1907;  chair- 
man of  the  city  committee  in  1905  ;  mem- 
ber of  the  State  committee  of  the  Lin- 
coln party  in  1905  and  1906;  and  has  acted 
as  chairman  of  party  conventions.  Emi- 
nently fitted  by  his  long  connection  with 
the  public  schools  for  work  in  the  con- 
trolling body,  he  was  appointed  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  City 
of  Philadelphia  in  1906,  and  until  191 1 
was  earnestly  active  as  a  member  of  the 
board  in  promoting  the  best  interests  of 
Philadelphia's  system  of  free  schools.  In 
1912  he  was  active  in  his  support  of  the 
candidacy  of  Theodore  Roosevelt,  and  as 
chairman  of  the  Citizens'  Campaign  Com- 
mittee of  the  Washington  party  served 
well  the  cause  he  espoused.  His  influ- 
ence in  political  life  has  ever  been  exerted 
against  the  "machine,"  and  for  higher, 
purer  standards  of  civic  virtue.  His  in- 
terest in  the  cause  of  education  has  not 


been  solely  as  an  instructor  and  board 
member.  During  1893  and  1894  he  was 
assistant  secretary  of  the  American  Soci- 
ety for  the  Extension  of  University 
Teaching;  from  1898  to  1901,  editor  of 
"The  Teacher;"  from  1900  to  1903,  presi- 
dent of  the  Teachers'  Association  of  Phil- 
adelphia ;  from  1904  until  1910,  Professor 
of  Law  at  Swarthmore  College.  He  has 
addressed  many  learned  bodies  on  educa- 
tional subjects  and  scientific  questions, 
his  familiarity  with  his  topics  and  his 
oratorical  ability  gaining  him  great  popu- 
larity and  reputation  as  scholar  and 
speaker.  He  is  equally  well  known  in 
the  literary  world,  has  written  a  great 
deal  for  professional  journals,  and  is  the 
author  of  "A  History  of  Central  High 
School  From  1838  to  1902 ;"  edited  the 
"Proceedings  of  the  Dedication  of  the 
Central  High  School  in  1902 ;"  and  author 
of  a  biography  of  General  U.  S.  Grant, 
published  in  the  "American  Crisis"  series, 
and  of  "The  Century's  Progress  in  Edu- 
cation." 

He  is  a  member  of  the  American  and 
Pennsylvania  State  Bar  Associations, 
American  Historical  Association,  Ameri- 
can Economical  Association,  American 
Academy  of  Social  and  Political  Science, 
American  Political  Science  Association, 
American  Statistical  Association,  Teach- 
ers' Association,  trustee  of  the  Pocono 
Pine  Assembly,  Historical  Society  of 
Pennsylvania,  Beta  Theta  Pi,  Phi  Beta 
Kappa,  and  Phi  Delta  Phi  Legal  Fra- 
ternity, and  is  a  communicant  of  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church.  His  clubs  are 
the  University,  City,  Franklin  Inn, 
Schoolmen's,  Lawyers',  and  Church. 

Mr.  Edmonds  married,  December  6, 
1909,  Elise  Julia  Beitler,  daughter  of 
Abraham  M.  and  Julia  B.  Beitler,  and  re- 
sides at  No.  7818  Lincoln  Drive,  St.  Mar- 
tin's, Philadelphia. 


1802 


/^yu-n/f^-d/L  ^-eJ^v>^-..^-^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHV 


EASTMAN,  Frank  M., 

Iiaxryer,   Author. 

Frank  M.  Eastman,  the  son  of  Dr.  Eze- 
kiel  Porter  Eastman  and  Mary  Haines 
Eastman,  his  wife,  was  born  at  Lynn, 
Massachusetts,  on  June  20,  1859. 

On  the  death  of  his  father  in  i860  he 
removed  with  his  mother  to  Maine,  of 
which  State  both  his  parents  were  na- 
tives, and  was  there  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools.  In  June,  1876,  he  was  ap- 
pointed clerk  to  the  joint  committee  on 
the  Library  of  Congress,  of  which  his 
uncle,  Timothy  O.  Howe,  a  Senator  from 
Wisconsin,  was  chairman.  He  attended 
the  Columbian  Law  School  at  Washing- 
ton, and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the 
District  of  Columbia  in  1881. 

In  1879  he  was  appointed  private  sec- 
retary to  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Teas- 
ury  H.  F.  French,  and  while  occupying 
that  position  he  prepared  an  Indexed 
Tariff  and  a  Digest  of  Decisions  of  the 
Treasury  Department  relative  to  the 
Tariff,  both  of  which  were  purchased  and 
published  by  the  government.  In  1881 
he  was  appointed  United  States  Attorney 
for  the  District  of  Montana,  which  office 
he  resigned  in  1883  to  accept  the  clerk- 
ship of  the  United  States  Senate  Commit- 
tee on  Claims.  He  removed  to  Pennsyl- 
vania in  1887  ^"d  was  connected  with  the 
auditor-general's  department  at  Harris- 
burg  until  1898  when  he  resigned,  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  Dauphin  county, 
and  entered  upon  the  practice  of  law  in 
that  city. 

In  the  same  year  he  published  "Taxa- 
tion for  State  Purposes  in  Pennsylvania." 
In  1901  as  counsel  for  the  New  York 
State  Bankers'  Association  he  drafted  the 
act  for  the  taxation  of  bank  stock  in  that 
state,  which,  as  subsequently  amended,  is 
still  in  force.  In  that  year  he  also  acted 
as  adviser  of  a  sub-committee  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Taxation  of  the  Constitutional 


Convention  at  Richmond,  Virginia.  In 
1903  he  published  "Private  Corporations 
in  Pennsylvania,"  a  second  edition  of 
which,  in  two  volumes,  was  published  in 

1908.  Supplements    were    published    in 

1909,  191 1  and  1913.  In  1909  appeared 
his  work  on  "Taxation  in  Pennsylvania," 
in  two  volumes,  a  supplement  of  which 
was  printed  in  1914.  He  has  also  written 
"Taxation  of  Public  Service  Corporations 
in  Pennsylvania,"  an  address  delivered 
before  the  Wharton  School  of  Finance. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  State  Bar  Asso- 
ciation, and  of  the  Harrisburg  Club,  and 
an  associate  member  of  the  Harrisburg 
branch  of  the  Engineers  Society  of  Penn- 
sylvania. 


CHALFANT,  Rev.  George  Wilson, 

Clergyman,  Chaplain  in  Civil  W^ar. 

No  name  in  the  ministerial  annals  of 
Pittsburgh  is  held  in  greater  or  more 
richly  merited  honor  than  that  of  the  late 
Rev.  George  Wilson  Chalfant,  D.  D., 
organizer  of  the  Park  Avenue  Presbyte- 
rian Church  and  for  twenty  years  its  be- 
loved pastor.  During  this  period  Dr. 
Chalfant  was  a  leader  in  the  mission  work 
of  the  city  and  took  a  special  and  far- 
reaching  interest  in  educational  enter- 
prises. 

The  founder  of  the  American  branch 
of  the  Chalfant  family  came  to  Pennsyl- 
vania with  William  Penn  and  settled  on 
the  Brandywine,  near  Philadelphia.  It  is 
probable  that  he  belonged  to  the  Society 
of  Friends. 

George  Chalfant,  grandfather  of  Rev. 
George  Wilson  Chalfant,  was  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Fayette  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  a  ruling  elder  in  Dunlap's 
Creek  church,  one  of  the  first  Presbyte- 
rian churches  established  west  of  the 
Alleghenies. 

Samuel  Parker  Chalfant,  son  of  George 
Chalfant,  was  a  merchant,  and  married. 


1803 


ExNCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  1833,  Margaret  Matilda,  born  in  1808, 
near  Winchester,  Virginia,  daughter  of 
Smith  and  Latta  Jane  (Corbett)  Wilson. 
Mr.  Wilson  was  from  the  north  of  Ireland 
and  his  wife  was  of  the  Valley  of  Vir- 
ginia. The  only  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Chalfant  was  George  Wilson,  mentioned 
below.    Mr.  Chalfant  died  in  1852. 

Rev.  George  Wilson  Chalfant,  son  of 
Samuel  Parker  and  Margaret  Matilda 
(Wilson)  Chalfant,  was  oorn  March  29, 
1836,  in  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania. 
He  was  prepared  for  college  at  Dunlap's 
Creek  Presbyterian  Academy  of  which  he 
was  one  of  the  first  students,  and  after  his 
father's  death  removed  with  his  mother  to 
Cannonsburg,  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
entered  Jefferson  College,  graduating  Au- 
gust 3,  1856.  The  early  inclination  of  Mr. 
Chalfant  was  for  the  law  and  after  re- 
ceiving his  degree  he  studied  for  a  short 
time  in  the  office  of  the  Hon.  R.  P.  Flen- 
niken,  of  Pittsburgh.  In  February,  1857, 
he  united  with  the  Presbyterian  church 
and  relinquished  his  legal  studies  in 
order  to  devote  himself  to  theology.  In 
the  autumn  of  that  year  he  was  chosen 
principal  of  Saltsburg  Academy  and  Fe- 
male Seminary  and  served  in  that  capa- 
city two  years,  afterward  holding  for  one 
year  a  similar  position  in  Callensburg, 
Clarion  county.  Meanwhile,  he  steadily 
pursued  his  theological  studies,  chiefly 
under  the  preceptorship  of  the  Rev.  W. 
W.  Woodend,  D.  D.,  and  completed  his- 
course  at  the  Western  Theological  Semi- 
nary. This  was  in  the  winter  of  1860-61, 
but  in  1859  '"'s  had  been  licensed  to  preach 
by  the  Presbytery  of  Saltsburg. 

In  April,  1861,  Mr.  Chalfant  accepted  a 
call  to  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Me- 
chanicsburg,  Cumberland  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, becoming  its  first  pastor.  It  was 
at  a  crisis  in  the  nation's  history  that  the 
young  minister  entered  upon  his  active 
career — the  very  year  and  month  which 


ushered  in  a  tremendous  four  years'  con- 
flict. At  the  booming  of  the  guns  bom- 
barding Fort  Sumter,  Mr.  Chalfant  stood 
forth  among  the  champions  of  the  Union, 
and  in  September,  1862,  his  loyalty  re- 
ceived the  tribute  of  an  appointment  as 
first  lieutenant  of  the  local  company  of 
the  First  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Militia, 
Colonel  McCormick  commanding,  and 
during  the  Antietam  campaign  he  also 
served  as  acting  chaplain  of  the  17th 
Regiment.  He  was  then  elected  chaplain 
of  the  130th  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Vol- 
unteers, and  in  October  joined  the  regi- 
ment at  Bolivar  Heights,  having  received 
leave  of  absence  from  his  congregation. 
He  was  present  at  the  battle  of  Freder- 
icksburg, and  in  January,  1863,  was  hon- 
orably discharged.  Immediately  there- 
after he  was  commissioned  by  Governor 
Curtin  chaplain  of  the  84th  Regiment 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  a  regiment 
which  at  Chancellorsville  suffered  such 
heavy  losses  as  to  be  reduced  below  the 
minimum  required  to  allow  the  muster  of 
staff  officers. 

After  his  return  from  the  front,  Mr. 
Chalfant  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of 
the  Presbyterian  churches  at  Martin's 
Ferry  and  Bridgeport,  Ohio.  In  the 
autumn  of  1864  he  served  some  months 
as  a  member  of  the  United  States  Chris- 
tian Commission  in  General  Grant's 
army.  For  about  seventeen  years  Mr. 
Chalfant  retained  his  pastoral  charges  in 
Ohio,  and,  in  the  spring  of  1881  was  called 
to  Pittsburgh  to  organize  and  serve  the 
Park  Avenue  Presbyterian  Church  of  that 
city.  His  labors,  with  their  result,  have 
now  passed  into  history — how  he  built 
up  a  large  and  flourishing  church  which 
became  a  power  for  good  throughout 
the  length  and  breadth  of  the  metrop- 
olis. His  influence,  indeed,  extended  far 
beyond  her  boundaries,  for  he  was  large- 
ly     instrumental      in      organizing      ten 


1804 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


churches  in  the  Pittsburgh  Presbytery 
and  one  in  the  City  of  Mexico  and  for  two 
winters  took  charge  of  special  work  in 
St.  Louis.  In  the  mission  work  of  his 
own  city  Mr.  Chalfant  took  a  leading 
part  as  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Committee  of  Missions,  and  it  was  largely 
through  his  efforts  that  six  missions  were 
established  in  Pittsburgh,  principally  in 
the  East  End. 

In  1898  Mr.  Chalfant,  accompanied  by 
his  wife,  visited  China  and  Japan,  and  in 
the  former  country  they  spent  several 
months  with  their  sons  who  were  settled 
there  as  foreign  missionaries.  The  fol- 
lowing year  Mr.  Chalfant  was  elected 
moderator  of  the  Synod  of  Pennsylva- 
nia, and  it  was  about  this  time  that 
Lafayette  College  conferred  upon  him 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity.  He 
took  special  interest  in  helping  young 
men  and  women  in  whom  he  discerned 
unusual  abilities  combined  with  fine 
moral  development  to  secure  educational 
advantages.  In  this  way  he  aided  some 
twenty  young  men,  most  of  whom  en- 
tered the  ministry. 

The  appearance  of  some  men  can  be 
best  described  by  recalling  their  person- 
alities. Dr.  Chalfant  was  one  of  these. 
The  noble  traits  of  character  which  made 
him.  what  he  was  were  imprinted  on  his 
countenance,  spoke  in  the  glance  of  his 
eye  and  were  felt  in  the  cordial  grasp  of 
his  friendly  hand.  He  possessed  the  mag- 
netism without  which  great  personal  in- 
fluence is  well-nigh  impossible.  To  this 
was  due  much  of  the  force  and  persuasive- 
ness of  his  preaching  and  this  it  was,  in 
great  part,  which  made  him  so  beloved  as 
a  pastor  and  attracted  to  him  men  in  all 
walks  of  life  and  all  classes  of  society.  He 
made  real  the  doctrine  of  the  brotherhood 
of  humanity. 

Dr.  Chalfant  married,  in  December, 
1859,  Sarah  E.,  daughter  of  the  late  Wil- 
liam  and  Jane     (Robinson)    Moore,    the 


former  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  Saltsburg,  Pennsylvania.  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Chalfant  were  the  parents  of 
the  following  children :  William  Parker, 
a  minister  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and 
president  of  Union  College,  Wei  Hsein, 
province  of  Shantung,  North  China ; 
Frank  Herring,  deceased ;  George  New- 
ton, whose  biography  follows  in  this 
work ;  Charles  Latta,  pastor  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church,  Boise,  Idaho ;  Mary 
B.,  wife  of  the  Rev.  U.  S.  Greves,  of  New 
Alexandria,  Pennsylvania ;  and  Edward 
Chambers,  whose  biography  appears  else- 
where in  this  work.  Frank  Herring  Chal- 
fant graduated  in  1881  at  Lafayette  Col- 
lege, engaged  for  a  few  years  in  legal 
work  and  then  became  a  missionary  of 
the  Presbyterian  church  in  Wei  Hsein, 
North  China.  He  was  the  author  of  a 
volume  entitled  "The  Flistory  of  the 
Chinese  Language,"  published  by  the 
Carnegie  Institute,  and  was  a  recognized 
authority  on  the  ancient  Chinese  char- 
acters. He  received  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Divinity.  His  death  occurred  Janu- 
ary 14,  1914. 

Above  all  places  on  earth.  Dr.  Chalfant 
loved  his  home,  and  in  his  wife,  a  noble 
Christian  woman,  he  ever  found  his 
strongest  helper  and  purest  inspirer.  The 
charm,  of  their  hospitality  lingers  as  a 
beautiful  memory  in  the  hearts  of  many. 
In  1901  Dr.  Chalfant  resigned  the  pas- 
torate, but  for  many  years  thereafter  he 
was  spared  to  the  church  and  the  city  he 
had  served,  a  gracious  and  uplifting  pres- 
ence. When  on  February  2,  1914,  he 
passed  away,  the  whole  community  and 
many  in  distant  places  and  in  foreign 
lands  mourned  for  him  as  for  one  who 
had  inspired  hope  in  the  hearts  of  the 
despairing  and  courage  in  the  souls  of  the 
conquered  and  revived  beauty,  joy  and 
love  in  the  lives  of  those  whom  sin  and 
misery  had  crushed.  Soldier,  citizen, 
minister  of  the  gospel — in  the  character 
805 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  George  Wilson  Chalfant  these  three 
personalities  were  blended,  and  the  words 
which  most  justly  describe  their  union 
are  the  immortal  lines  of  the  greatest  of 

poets: 

His  life  was  gentle,  and  the  elements 

So  mixed  in  him  that  Nature  might  stand  up 

And  say  to  all  the  world,  'this  was  a  man'." 


CHALFANT,  George  Newton, 

Prominent  Lawyer. 

Among  the  attorneys  of  Pittsburgh  is 
George  Newton  Chalfant,  a  member  of 
the  well-known  law  firm  of  Carpenter  & 
Chalfant. 

George  Newton  Chalfant,  the  son  of  the 
Rev.  George  Wilson  Chalfant  and  Sarah 
(Moore)  Chalfant,  was  born  at  Martin's 
Ferry,  Belmont  county,  Ohio,  August  6, 
1864.  His  primary  and  high  school  edu- 
cation was  acquired  in  the  district  of 
Martin's  Ferry,  where  he  spent  most  of 
his  boyhood  days.  In  1880  he  traveled 
further  East  and  entered  the  Lafayette 
College  in  Easton,  Pennsylvania,  gradu- 
ating with  the  class  of  1884.  It  was 
shortly  after  this  that  Mr.  Chalfant  be- 
came connected  with  the  P.  C.  &  St.  L. 
Railways,  in  the  capacity  of  civil  engi- 
neer. Abandoning  this  trend  of  work  he 
registered  as  a  student  of  law,  March  13,, 
1886,  with  James  McFadden  Carpenter, 
now  presiding  judge  of  the  Allegheny 
county  court,  and  there  began  to  read  and 
study  law.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
of  Allegheny  county,  December  22,  1888, 
on  motion  of  Solomon  Schoyer  Jr.,  when 
he  at  once  began  the  practice  of  law  in 
Pittsburgh. 

Mr.  Chalfant  is  a  director  of  the  Union 
Electric  Company  of  Pittsburgh  and  a 
member  of  the  executive  boards  of  sev- 
eral commercial  enterprises.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  a  Republican.  Giving  the 
tariff   question    much    thought   and    con- 


sideration, he  affiliated  himself  with  the 
Young  Men's  Republican  Tariff  Club  and 
is  rightly  judged  as  one  of  their  most 
active  and  helpful  members.  He  is  con- 
nected with  several  clubs  in  the  city  and 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Duquesne  Lodge, 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  Pittsburgh, 
and  Duquesne  Commandery  and  the 
Ancient  Arabic  Scottish  Rite,  of  Pitts- 
burgh. 


CHALFANT,  Edward  Chambers, 

Prominent    La^vyer. 

Prominent  among  those  able  and  ener- 
getic lawyers  who  are  now  making  the 
history  of  the  Pittsburgh  bar  is  Edward 
Chambers  Chalfant,  of  the  well  known 
firm  of  Chalfant  &  Over.  During  his 
years  of  practice  Mr.  Chalfant  has  not 
only  acquired  an  enviable  professional 
reputation,  but  has  identified  himself  as 
a  citizen  with  a  number  of  the  leading 
interests  of  the  metropolis. 

Edward  Chambers  Chalfant  was  born 
April  29,  1872,  in  Bridgeport,  Ohio,  and 
is  a  son  of  the  late  Rev.  George  Wilson 
and  Sarah  E.  (Moore)  Chalfant.  A  biog- 
raphy and  portrait  of  Mr.  Chalfant  ap- 
pears elsewhere  in  this  work.  Edward 
Chambers  Chalfant  received  his  prepara- 
tory education  in  schools  of  Pittsburgh 
and  at  the  Pittsburgh  Academy,  gradu- 
ating in  1891.  He  then  matriculated  in 
Lafayette  College  and  in  1895  graduated 
as  Bachelor  of  Arts,  his  alma  mater  con- 
ferring upon  him  three  years  later  the 
degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  On  September 
18,  1895,  he  registered  as  a  law  student, 
entering  the  Pittsburgh  Law  School  and 
graduating  in  1897  with  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Laws.  His  preceptor  was 
James  McFadden  Carpenter,  now  judge 
of  the  Allegheny  County  Court.  On 
March  19,  1898,  Mr.  Chalfant  was  ad- 
mitted, on  motion  of  J.  A.  Evans,  to  the 
Allegheny  county  bar.     At  the  outset  of 


1806 


•A 


'OiM^^C^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


his  career,  Mr.  Chalfant  practiced  alone, 
but  in  1901  formed  a  partnership  with  T. 
P.  Trimble,  the  firm  name  being  Trimble 
&  Chalfant.  The  association  remained  un- 
broken until  May,  1913.  when  Mr. 
Trimble  was  elevated  to  the  bench,  and 
in  October  of  the  same  year  Mr.  Chal- 
fant connected  himself  with  Arthur  E. 
Over,  the  name  of  the  firm  being  Chal- 
fant &  Over. 

The  vote  and  influence  of  Air.  Chalfant 
are  given  to  the  support  of  the  principles 
of  the  Republican  party,  and  he  has 
shown  himself  actively  public-spirited, 
serving  for  six  years  as  school  director 
of  the  Lincoln  sub-district  and  for  the 
last  six  months  on  the  old  Central  Board 
of  Education.  For  eleven  years  he  has 
been  secretary  of  the  Board  of  Law  Ex- 
aminers of  Allegheny  County.  He  is  a 
director  of  the  Park  Bank  and  the  Union 
Electric  Company.  He  is  a  thirty-second 
degree  Mason  and  a  Shriner.  His  clubs 
are  the  Duquesne,  University  and  Pitts- 
burgh Law  Clubs.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Park  Avenue  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  president  of  its  board  of  trustees. 

Mr.  Chalfant  married,  October  23,  1902, 
Fannie  O'Hara,  daughter  of  Dr.  A.  M. 
and  Sarah  (Dellenbaugh)  Barr,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, and  they  are  the  parents  of  two 
children:  Marie  Dellenbaugh,  and  Ed- 
ward Trimble,  the  latter  born  June  28, 
1908.  Mrs.  Chalfant  is  a  member  of  the 
Wimondausis  Club. 


McCANDLESS,  J.  Guy, 

Physician,   Veteran   of   Civil   War. 

Prominent  among  those  who  earned 
reputations  for  themselves  and  whose 
worth  the  people  of  Pittsburgh  saw  fit 
to  acknowledge  by  conferring  upon  them 
positions  of  honor  and  trust,  was  the  late 
Dr.  J.  Guy  McCandless,  one  of  the  oldest 
and  most  prominent  physicians  of  Pitts- 


burgh, and  a  dominant  factor  in  its  public 
affairs. 

Dr.  J.  Guy  McCandless  was  born  at 
Perrysville,  Allegheny  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, January  i,  1839,  son  of  Dr.  Alex- 
ander G.  and  Margaret  A.  (Guy)  Mc- 
Candless. His  great-grandfather,  Wit- 
ham  McCandless,  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
who  emigrated  from  Scotland  to  the 
North  of  Ireland,  and  thence  to  America, 
died  in  Washington  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Witham's  son,  Archibald,  who 
was  born  in  Allegheny  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1756,  removed  to  Illinois,  and 
died  in  Macomb,  McDonough  county,  of 
that  State.  Of  a  retiring  disposition  and 
an  earnest  Christian,  Archibald  IMcCand- 
less  was  for  nearly  fifty  years  an  elder 
in  the  Presbyterian  church.  He  married 
Elizabeth  McCandless,  who  died  Febru- 
ary 25,  1838.  She  joined  the  Presbyterian 
church  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  and  all 
her  life  was  a  devout  church  worker. 

Alexander  G.  McCandless,  one  of 
Archibald's  thirteen  children,  was  born 
January  15,  1816,  in  Allegheny  county, 
Pennsylvania.  He  had  practiced  medi- 
cine for  many  years  before  removing  to 
Pittsburgh,  in  1849.  There  he  owned 
real  estate  and  built  several  houses  upon 
Center  avenue.  He  died  February  24, 
1875.  On  February  15,  1838,  he  married 
Margaret  A.  Guy.  The  Guys  were  set- 
tlers of  Allegheny  county  while  the  hos- 
tile Indians  infested  the  district,  and 
often  compelled  them  and  their  neighbors 
to  seek  refuge  in  the  old  fort.  The  father 
of  Mrs.  Margaret  McCandless  was  a 
farmer  and  a  staunch  Presbyterian,  being 
for  many  years  an  elder  in  the  church. 
Of  his  nine  children  one  died  in  infancy. 
The  children  of  Dr.  Alexander  and  Mar- 
garet A.  (Guy)  McCandless  were :  Josiah 
Guy,  see  forward ;  Elizabeth  Jane ;  Alex- 
ander W.  A. ;  Elizabeth,  widow  of  P.  R. 
Gray. 


1807 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


J.  Guy  McCandless,  after  receiving  a 
common  school  education  in  Pittsburgh, 
attended  the  Cleveland  Medical  College 
for  a  year,  and  graduated  from  the  Jeff- 
erson Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  in 
1863,  with  the  degree  of  Medical  Doctor. 
He  at  once  entered  the  army  as  surgeon 
of  the  52nd  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Vol- 
unteers, and  served  for  two  years  in  the 
war.  At  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  a  cotton 
factory  was  turned  into  a  hospital  for  the 
wounded,  and  he  remained  in  charge  of  it 
for  a  year.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he 
settled  in  Pittsburgh,  where  he  built  up 
a  very  large  medical  practice. 

Dr.  McCandless  was  a  highly  intellec- 
tual man,  of  quick  perceptions  and  sharp 
discrimination ;  of  great  eloquence  and 
always  spoke  to  the  point.  Plis  being 
possessed  of  a  thorough  classical  and 
medical  education,  in  combination  with 
his  innate  talents,  explains  also  why  he 
attained  the  prominent  place  in  medical 
circles  which  was  his.  He  loved  science 
for  science's  sake,  was  a  hard  student,  and 
was  ever  enthusiastic  in  his  efforts  to  cul- 
tivate and  elevate  the  standard  of  the 
medical  profession.  A  man  of  action 
rather  than  words,  of  remarkable  talents. 
Dr.  McCandless  demonstrated  his  public 
spirit  by  actual  achievements,  and  had  a 
long  and  most  creditable  career  in  the 
public  service.  In  politics  he  was  a  Re- 
publican. He  served  on  the  school  board 
as  member,  and  also  as  president  of  the 
Franklin  board,  and  represented  his  ward 
in  both  the  common  and  select  councils  of 
Pittsburgh,  acting  as  president  of  each. 
In  1901  he  was  appointed  director  of  the 
Department  of  Public  Works  of  Pitts- 
burgh, and  to  all  trusts  committed  to  his 
care  he  gave  able  and  close  attention.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 
and  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and 
was  for  fourteen  years  surgeon  of  the 
14th  Regiment  Pennsylvania  National 
Guard.     He  was  a  prominent  member  of 

I 


the  Sixth  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which 
he  was  an  elder  from  1875  until  his  death. 

Dr.  McCandless  belonged  to  that  class 
of  men  who  wield  a  power  which  is  all  the 
more  potent  from  the  fact  that  it  is  moral 
rather  than  political,  and  is  exercised  for 
the  public  weal  rather  than  for  personal 
ends.  To  all  those  interests  which  pro- 
moted culture  in  lines  of  art  and  which 
work  for  the  Christianizing  of  the  race,  he 
ever  gave  his  influence,  and  to  all  chari- 
ties he  was  a  liberal  giver.  A  man  of  dis- 
tinguished bearing,  his  high-bred  face 
and  stately  form  made  a  striking  impres- 
sion on  strangers,  while  all  those  who 
encountered  him  in  social  or  professsional 
circles  felt  the  charm  of  his  personality. 

Dr.  McCandless  married,  September  14, 
1S76,  Miss  Margaret  E.,  daughter  of  John 
F.  and  Eliza  (Evans)  Cluley.  of  Pitts- 
Inirgh,  and  had  by  this  union  three  chil- 
dren: I.  Walter  C,  born  June  16,  1877, 
died  July  10,  1905.  2.  Ida  May,  wife  of 
Stephen  Stone,  of  Pittsburgh,  and  mother 
of  five  children,  Margaret,  Natalie,  Ellen, 
Marian  and  Stephen  Jr.  3.  Alexander 
Wilson.  Alexander  Wilson  McCandless 
.  was  born  October  9,  18S3;  educated  in 
public  schools  of  Pittsburgh,  its  High 
School ;  Lafayette  College,  graduating 
1906;  University  of  Pittsburgh  Law  De- 
partment, graduating  1909;  admitted  to 
bar  of  Allegheny  county  1909,  now  a 
partner  in  law  firm  of  Stone  &  Stone ; 
Republican ;  member  Sixth  Presbyterian 
Church ;  member  University  Club ;  Ma- 
son, member  Crescent  Lodge  No.  576; 
married,  September  3,  1912,  Miss  Pauline, 
daughter  of  ex-Congressman  Joseph  B. 
and  Ellen  M.  (McKee)  Showalter,  of 
Pittsburgh. 

On  May  2t,.  1915,  Dr.  McCandless 
closed  a  life  of  enlightened  endeavor  and 
self-denying  usefulness,  a  life  which,  as 
physician  and  citizen,  had  been  governed 
by  the  noblest  purposes  and  inspired  by 
the  truest  spirit  of  devotion,  a  life  conse- 
808 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


crated  to  the  service  of  humanity.  Words 
of  laudation  coupled  with  the  name  of  Dr. 
J.  Guy  McCandless  are  idle  and  super- 
fluous. His  character  and  work  are  their 
own  eulogy. 


DEARTH,  Walter  Alfred,  M.  D., 

Practitioner,    Hospital    Official. 

Among  the  Pittsburgh  physicians  of 
the  younger  generation  is  Dr.  Walter 
Alfred  Dearth,  who  has  now  been  prac- 
ticing for  some  years  in  the  Iron  City. 
Dr.  Dearth  makes  a  specialty  of  general 
surgery  and  has  already  achieved  a  grati- 
fying measure  of  success. 

Maxwell  Dearth,  whose  father  came 
from  England  to  the  United  States,  lived 
on  a  farm  near  New  Salem,,  Pennsylvania, 
and  married  Tamar  Hibbs,  of  that  vicin- 
ity. 

(III)  Alfred  Frost,  son  of  Maxwell 
and  Tamar  (Hibbs)  Dearth,  was  born 
February  3,  1828,  near  New  Salem,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  lived  on  the  homestead, 
conducting  a  general  contracting  business 
in  Uniontown,  Pennsylvania.  He  mar- 
ried, in  1851,  Elizabeth  Brashear,  whose 
ancestral  record  is  appended  to  this  biog- 
raphy, and  their  children  were :  East- 
man ;  Orlando  P.,  mentioned  below  ;  Regi- 
nald ;  James;  Laura;  Houston,  and  two 
children  who  died  in  early  infancy.  Mr. 
Dearth  died  May  5,  1895,  and  his  widow 
passed  away  January  11,  1899. 

(IV)  Orlando  P.,  son  of  Alfred  Frost 
and  Elizabeth  (Brashear)  Dearth,  was 
born  May  19,  1856.  in  Fayette  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  received  his  rudimen- 
tary education  in  local  schools,  afterward 
attending  the  California  (Pennsylvania) 
State  Normal  School  and  graduating  in 
1879,  having  previously  studied  from 
1875  to  1877  at  Waynesburg  College.  In 
1880  he  entered  the  Medical  Department 
of  the  University  of  Michigan,  remaining 
through  that  and  the  succeeding  year,  and 

I 


in  1882  passing  to  Jefferson  Medical  Col- 
lege, Philadelphia,  and  receiving  from 
that  institution  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Medicine.  In  the  autumn  of  that  year 
Dr.  Dearth  began  practice  in  Brownsville, 
Pennsylvania,  remaining  fifteen  years  and 
building  up  an  enviable  reputation.  In 
the  autumn  of  1897  he  removed  to  Wash- 
ington, Pennsylvania,  where  he  is  still 
actively  engaged  in  the  discharge  of  pro- 
fessional duty.  A  Republican,  he  served 
for  years  as  school  director  in  Browns- 
ville. He  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
church.  Dr.  Dearth  married,  April  14, 
1880,  Luella  Higginbotham,  whose  an- 
cestral record  is  appended  to  this  biog- 
raphy, and  they  became  the  parents  of  a 
son  and  a  daughter:  Walter  Alfred, 
mentioned  below;  and  Luella  Blanche, 
wife  of  Dr.  Charles  Earle  Updegraff,  of 
Akron,  Ohio,  and  mother  of  one  son, 
Charles,  and  a  daughter,  Ruth. 

(V)  Walter  Alfred,  son  of  Orlando  P. 
and  Luella  (Higginbotham)  Dearth,  was 
born  April  2,  1881,  at  Brownsville,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  received  his  primary  edu- 
cation in  public  schools,  passing  thence 
to  the  Washington  and  Jefferson  Acad- 
emy, then  entering  Washington  and  Jeff- 
erson College,  and  in  1903  graduating 
from  that  institution  with  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Science.  In  1908  he  gradu- 
ated from  the  Medical  Department  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania  with  the  de- 
gree of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  After  serv- 
ing for  a  time  as  interne  at  the  Allegheny 
General  Hospital,  Pittsburgh,  Dr.  Dearth 
l>ecame  for  a  time  assistant  surgeon  to 
Dr.  Herron  at  that  institution  and  in  1909 
being  associated  with  Dr.  O.  C.  Gaub,  of 
the  same  institution  until  July,  1Q15, 
when  he  became  a  member  of  the  sur- 
gical staff  of  the  Allegheny  General  Hos- 
pital. In  1909  he  entered  upon  the  prac- 
tice of  general  surgery,  and  within  these 
few  years  has  built  up  a  large  clientele, 
and  is  assistant  surgeon  at  St.  Joseph's 
809 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Hospital  and  the  Columbia  Hospital. 
The  professional  organizations  of  which 
he  is  a  member  include  the  Pittsburgh 
Academy  of  Medicine,  of  which  he  is  sec- 
retary, the  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion, the  Pennsylvania  State  Medical  As- 
sociation and  the  Allegheny  County  Med- 
ical Society.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Phi 
Kappa  Sigma  and  Phi  Alpha  Sigma  fra- 
ternities. Voting  with  the  Republicans 
and  advocating  their  principles,  Dr. 
Dearth  is  interested  in  everything  per- 
taining to  the  welfare  and  progress  of  his 
home  city  and  does  all  in  his  power  to 
turther  that  end.  His  only  club  is  the 
University.  He  is  a  member  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church. 

(The  Brashear  Line). 

Ortho  Brashear,  the  first  ancestor  of 
record,  married,  and  settled  on  a  farm 
near  Brownsville,  Pennsylvania. 

(II)  Reginald,  son  of  Ortho  and  Eliz- 
abeth Brashear,  lived  on  and  cultivated 
a  farm  inherited  from  his  father.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Brown. 

(III)  Washington,  son  of  Reginald 
and  Elizabeth  (Brown)  Brashear,  lived 
on  the  homestead,  and  married  Rachel 
Ann  Peart. 

(IV)  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Washing- 
ton and  Rachel  Ann  (Peart)  Brashear, 
became  the  wife  of  Alfred  Frost  Dearth, 
as  stated  above. 

(The  Higginbotham  Line). 

Samuel  Higginbotham,  grandfather  of 
Mrs.  Luella  (Higginbotham)  Dearth,  was 
was  born  at  Mapletown,  Greene  county, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
mercantile  business.  He  married  Hester 
Cowden,  of  the  same  place. 

(II)  James  C,  son  of  Samuel  and  Hes- 
ter (Cowden)  Higginbotham,  was  born 
March  i,  1814,  at  Mapletown,  Greene 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  for  a  time  con- 
ducted a  dry  goods  store  at  Geneva, 
Pennsylvania,    later   moving    to    a    farm 


near  Masontown,  Pennsylvania.  In  1859 
he  settled  on  a  farm  near  Brownsville, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  He  was  the  owner  of 
much  valuable  farm  land  in  the  neigh- 
borhood and  was  a  man  of  considerable 
prominence.  Mr.  Higginbotham  married 
Rachel,  born  February  21,  1819,  one  of 
the  fourteen  children  of  Abraham  and 
Mary  (Brownfield)  Brown.  Mr.  Brown 
was  born  near  Uniontown,  Pennsylvania, 
and  his  wife  was  a  native  of  that  place. 
Pie  was  a  wealthy  farmer  of  Fayette 
county,  Pennsylvania.  His  wife  passed 
away  October  28,  1865.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Higginbotham  were  the  parents  of  the 
following  children :  Mary,  wife  of  James 
Parshal,  of  McClellandtown,  Pennsyl- 
vania; Hester,  wife  of  Robert  Goe,  of  the 
neighborhood  of  Brownsville,  Pennsyl- 
vania ;  William,  married  Louisa  Colvin ; 
George,  married  Emma  Colvin;  Isaac, 
died  August  22,  1851 ;  Lauretta  B.,  died 
November  20,  1862 ;  Elizabeth,  married, 
September  i,  1876,  William  C.  Crumrine, 
of  Iowa;  and  Luella,  mentioned  below. 
The  death  of  Mr.  Higginbotham  occurred 
December  17,  1880,  and  his  widow  died 
April  30,  1909,  in  Washington,  Pennsyl- 
vania, having  survived  him  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century. 

(Ill)  Luella,  daughter  of  James  C. 
and  Rachel  (Brown)  Higginbotham,  was 
born  December  29,  1861  ;  was  educated 
at  the  California  (Pennsylvania)  State 
Normal  School  and  at  the  Pittsburgh 
Female  Seminary  and  became  the  wife  of 
Orlando  P.  Dearth,  as  stated  above. 


18 


SAXTON,  Clarence  Leland, 

Head  of  Leading  Real   Estate  Agency. 

The  phenomenal  growth  and  progress 
of  Pittsburgh  during  the  last  forty  years 
have  developed  her  real  estate  interests 
to  an  extent  unprecedented  in  municipal 
pnnals,  and  conspicuous  among  the  cus- 
10 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Moiipital  and  the  Columbia  Hospital. 
The  professional  organizations  of  which 
he  is  a  member  include  the  Pittsburgh 
Academy  of  Medicine,  of  which  he  is  sec- 
retary, the  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion, the  Pennsylvania  State  Medical  As- 
sociation and  the  Allegheny  County  Med- 
ical Society.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Phi 
Kappa  Sigma  and  Phi  Alpha  Sigma  fra- 
ternities. Voting  with  the  Republicans 
and  advocating  their  principles,  Dr. 
Dearth  is  interested  in  everything  per- 
taining to  the  welfare  and  progress  of  his 
home  city  and  does  all  in  his  power  to 
turtlier  that  end.  His  only  club  is  the 
University.  He  is  a  member  of  the  P'irst 
Presbyterian  Church. 

(The  Brashear  Llr.e). 

"^Ortho  Brashear,  the  first  ancestor  of 
record,  married,  and  settled  on  a  farm 
near  Brownsville,  Pennsylvania. 

(IT)  Reginald,  son  of  Ortho  and  riHiz- 
abeth  Brashear,  lived  on  and  cuh.'.- .ued 
a  farm  inherited  from  his  father,  lie 
marrjcci  Elizabeth  Brown. 

(III)  VVasl'.ington,  son  of  Regvn.ild 
and  Elizabeth  (Brown)  Brashear,  ir-ed 
on  the  homestead,  and  married  Rach«l 
.Ann  Peart. 

(IV)  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Washing' 
ton  and  Rachel  Ann  (Peart)  Brasheji:. 
became  the  wife  of  Alfred  Frost  Dearlu, 
as  stated  above. 

(The  Higginbotham  Lin?). 

Samuel  Higginbotham,  grandfather  of 
}>Uh  Luella  (Higginbotham.)  Dearth,  was 
..v;i>  born  at  Mapletown,  Greene  county, 
PeTi'-iBy'lvania,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
n-.prcaiiti'e  business.  He  married  Hester 
Co^vo^L-,  of  the  same  place. 

(11)  jasDPS  C,  son  of  Samuel  and  Hes- 
ter (Cc\vd.rn)  Higginbotham,  wa^  born 
March  s.  *'-i4>  at  Mapletown,  Greene 
county,  Peijrsyiv.nnia,  and  for  a  time  con- 
'  t>ted  a  dry  ;;jvx>ds  store  at  Geneva, 
;\.-v;nsyivani,'i,    ixifr    moving   to   a    farm 


near  Masontown,  Pennsylvania.  In  185'.,- 
he  settled  on  a  farm  near  Brownsville, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  He  was  the  owner  of 
much  valuable  farm  land  in  the  neigh- 
borhood and  was  a  man  of  considerable 
prominence.  Mr.  Higginbotham  married 
Rachel,  huvn  February  21,  1819,  one  of 
the  fourteen  children  of  Abraham  and 
Mary  (Brownfield)  Brown.  Mr.  Brown 
was  born  near  Uniontown,  Pennsylvania, 
and  his  wife  was  a  native  of  that  place. 
Fie  was  a  wealthy  farmer  of  Fayette 
county,  Pennsylvania.  His  wife  passed 
away  October  28,  1865.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Higginbotham  were  the  parents  of  the 
following  children:  Mary,  wife  of  James 
Parshal.  of  McClellandtown,  Pennsyl- 
vania •  Hester,  wife  of  Robert  Goe,  of  the 
neighborhood  of  Brown.sville,  V  r  ' 
vania;  William,  married  Louisa 
George,  married  Emma  Colvin,  .  ...> 
died  August  22,  1851 ;  Lauretta  B.,  died 
November  20,  1862;  Elizabeth,  married, 
September  i,  1876,  William  C.  Crumrine, 
of  Iowa;  and  Luella,  mentioned  below. 
The  death  of  Mr.  Higginbotham  occurred 
December  17,  1880,  and  his  widow  died 
April  30,  1909,  in  Washington,  Pennsyl- 
vania, having  survived  him  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century. 

(Ill)  Luella,  daughter  of  James  C. 
and'  Rachel  (Brown)  Higginbotham,  was 
i..<jrn  December  29,  1861 ;  was  educated 
..  the  California  (Pennsylvania)  State 
:.v;,rTr.al  School  and  at  the  Pittsburgh 
leiviale  Seminary-  and  became  the  wife  of 
Orlando  P.  Dearth,  as  stated  above. 

SAXTON,  Clarence  Leland. 

Head  of  LeMdins  Real  Estate  Ageucy. 

The  phenomenal  growth  and  progress 
of  Pittsburgh  during  the  last  forty  years 
have  developed  her  real  estate  interests 
to  an  extent  unprecedented  in  municipal 
annals,  and  conspicuous  among  the  cus- 


1810 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


todians  and  promoters  of  those  interests 
is  Clarence  Leland  Saxton,  president  of 
the  widely  known  C.  L.  Saxton  Com- 
pany. Mr.  Saxton  has  been  thus  far  an 
almost  lifelong  resident  of  the  Iron  City, 
and  is  prominently  identified  not  only 
with  her  realty  interests,  but  with  her 
social  life  and  her  fraternal  organiza- 
tions. 

Clarence  Leland  Saxton  was  born  No- 
vember lo,  1877,  at  Franklin  Springs, 
Beaver  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  is  a 
son  of  Samuel  J.  and  Isabella  A.  (Thomp- 
son) Saxton.  The  Saxtons  are  numbered 
among  the  old  families  of  the  Keystone 
State.  When  Clarence  Leland  Saxton 
was  three  years  old  his  parents  removed 
to  Pittsburgh,  taking  up  their  abode  in 
the  beautiful  suburb  of  Sewickley,  and 
from  that  time  until  the  present  he  has 
continuously  resided  within  the  limits  of 
the  metropolis  or  in  its  immediate  vicin- 
ity. 

Early  in  his  business  life  Mr.  Saxton 
turned  his  attention  to  real  estate,  and 
for  twelve  years  conducted  a  flourishing 
business  on  the  North  Side,  afterward  re- 
moving his  offices  to  the  Union  Bank 
Building.  His  exceptional  qualifications 
for  the  special  sphere  of  endeavor  which 
he  had  made  his  own  soon  became  dis- 
tinctly apparent,  and  he  rapidly  came  to 
the  front  as  one  of  the  most  aggressive, 
clear-sighted  business  men  of  the  me- 
tropolis. The  C.  L.  Saxton  Company,  of 
which  he  was  the  organizer  and  of  which 
he  is  now  president,  is  a  realty  organiza- 
tion noted  for  having  completed  some  of 
the  largest  deals  ever  made  in  Pitts- 
burgh. Mr.  Saxton  is  also  a  director  of 
the  Pittsburgh  Real  Estate  Board,  and  a 
member  of  the  Pittsburgh  Chamber  of 
Commerce  ;  president  of  the  C.  L.  Saxton- 
McClure  Agency  Fire  Insurance  Com- 
pany, and  president  of  the  C.  L.  Saxton 
Building  and  Loan  Association. 

In  politics  Mr.  Saxton  is  a  Republican 

18] 


and  no  one  takes  a  more  earnest  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  his  community,  but 
from  active  participation  in  the  affairs 
of  the  organization  he  holds  himself  reso- 
lutely aloof,  preferring  to  devote  his  un- 
divided attention  and  best  energies  to  the 
faithful  discharge  of  his  important  busi- 
ness responsibilities.  He  affiliates  with 
Allegheny  Lodge,  No.  223,  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons;  Allegheny  Council  and 
Bellevue  Chapter  of  that  order,  a  Knights 
Templar  of  Commandery  No.  i,  and  a 
Shriner;  and  is  a  member  of  the  Pitts- 
burgh Athletic  Association. 

There  are  perhaps  few  faces  which  so 
fully  reveal  the  man  as  does  that  of  Mr. 
Saxton.  The  strong,  clearly-cut  features, 
bearing  the  stamp  of  perseverance,  bold- 
ness and  self-reliance  and  accentuated  by 
the  very  dark  hair  brushed  away  from 
the  forehead,  are  instantly  seen  to  be 
those  of  such  a  man  as  we  have  feebly 
endeavored  to  portray.  The  dark  eyes 
look  through  their  spectacles  with  a  keen- 
ness which  seems  to  penetrate  every  dis- 
guise, but  scarcely  less  noticeable  than 
this  is  the  glint  of  kindly  humor  which 
attracts  and  wins  all  who  are  brought 
into  contact  with  this  man  of  genial  per- 
sonality and  unwavering  principle.  The 
lines  of  the  mouth,  determined  as  they 
are,  seem  ever  ready  to  break  into  a  smile 
and  the  cordiality  of  his  greeting  makes 
friends  of  chance  acquaintances. 

Mr.  Saxton  married  Eleanor  Schmertz, 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Eleanor 
(Schmertz)  Severance,  and  in  so  doing 
accomplished  the  greatest  success  of  his 
successful  career.  Mrs.  Saxton  is  a 
woman  of  charming  personality  and  her 
social  popularity  equals,  if  it  does  not  ex- 
ceed, her  husband's.  Both  are  genuine 
home-lovers  and  "given  to  hospitality." 
Mr.  Saxton's  favorite  recreations  are  ath- 
letics and  motoring,  but  no  attractions 
can  rival,  for  him,  those  of  his  own  fire- 
side. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Men  of  the  type  of  Clarence  Leland 
Saxton  seem  like  incarnations  of  the 
spirit  of  the  twentieth  century,  and  espe- 
cially of  the  city  of  Pittsburgh — high- 
minded  and  honorable  and  ever  in  the 
van  of  progress.  It  is  these  men  who  are 
laying  the  foundations  of  the  city  of  the 
future. 


GILFILLAN,  Alexander, 

Proxaineut    Lawyer,    Legislator. 

Everywhere  in  Pittsburgh  we  see  the 
stamp  of  the  Scotchman.  Not  only  has 
he  fostered  her  giant  industries,  but  his 
labors  in  the  field  of  science  have  made 
for  her  progress  and  her  learned  profes- 
sions have  been  enriched  by  the  efforts  of 
his  genius.  Among  the  descendants  of 
Caledonian  ancestors  now  practicing  at 
the  Pittsburgh  bar  is  Alexander  GilfiUan, 
who  can  look  back  upon  more  than  thirty 
years  of  successful  and  honorable  activ- 
ity. The  entire  career  of  Mr.  Gilfillan 
has  been  associated  with  the  metropolis 
and  his  fidelity  to  her  best  interests  has 
caused  him  to  be  numbered  among  her 
valued  citizens. 

Alexander  Gilfillan,  great-grandfather 
of  Alexander  Gilfillan,  of  Pittsburgh,  was 
born  in  Scotland  and  about  1782  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States,  settling  in 
Peter's  township  (now  St.  Clair  town- 
ship), Allegheny  county,  which  then 
formed  part  of  Washington  county. 
There  he  took  up  his  abode  on  a  tract  of 
four  hundred  and  fifty  acres  which  was 
given  him  by  the  Supreme  Executive 
Council.  All  this  land  is  still  in  the  pos- 
session of  his  descendants.  Alexander 
Gilfillan  was  a  farmer,  and  married  Mar- 
tha Boyd,  of  the  neighborhood  of  Eliza- 
beth, Pennsylvania,  and  their  children 
were :  Jane,  married  James  Cubbage ; 
Mary  Ann,  wife  of  Mr.  McBride,  of  Wis- 
consin ;  John,  mentioned  below ;  Andrew 
Boyd ;    Margaret,   wife   of  James    Grier ; 

181 


Martha,  married  Hugh  Fergus,  of  Eliza- 
beth, Pennsylvania;  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
William  Wallace,  of  South  Fayette  town- 
ship, Allegheny  county ;  and  Rachel,  wife 
of  Archibald  Bryant,  of  Pittsburgh. 
"Squire"  Gilfillan,  as  he  was  called,  was 
the  first  justice  of  the  peace  in  his  town- 
ship and  filled  the  office  for  forty  years. 
He  was  an  elder  in  the  United  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Mount  Lebanon. 

(II)  John,  son  of  Alexander  and  Mar- 
tha (Boyd)  Gilfillan,  was  born  in  1785, 
on  his  father's  farm,  and  married  Mar- 
garet Fife,  whose  ancestral  record  is  ap- 
pended to  this  biography.  Their  children 
were:  John,  mentioned  below;  and  three 
others  who  died  young. 

(HI)  John  (2),  son  of  John  (i)  and 
Margaret  (Fife)  Gilfillan,  was  born  May 
19,  1826,  in  Upper  St.  Clair  township, 
Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
grew  to  manhood  on  the  homestead,  re- 
ceiving his  education  in  local  public 
schools  and  at  Bethel  Academy.  All 
his  life  he  was  a  farmer,  as  his  father  and 
grandfather  had  been  before  him,  and  the 
intellectual  vigor  which  was  a  family 
characteristic  attained  in  him  a  high  de- 
gree of  development.  In  the  affairs  of 
his  community  he  took  a  prominent  part, 
serving  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  filling 
other  local  offices.  He  was  also  called 
by  his  fellow-citizens  to  serve  them  in 
places  of  larger  importance.  From  1863 
to  1872  he  represented  them  in  the  Penn- 
sylvania Legislature,  and  from  1877  to 
1880  occupied  a  seat  in  the  State  Senate. 
To  all  these  offices  he  was  elected  by  the 
Republicans,  and  of  the  principles  of  the 
party  he  was  ever  a  staunch  supporter. 
Disinterested  public  spirit  was  a  marked 
trait  in  his  character,  as  was  also  a  benev- 
olent disposition  which  caused  him  to  be 
loved  as  well  as  respected.  For  years  he 
held  the  office  of  elder  in  the  United 
Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  Gilfillan  mar- 
ried, January  31,  1848,  Eleanor  Ewing, 
2 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


whose  ancestral  record  is  appended  to 
this  biography,  and  the  following  chil- 
dren were  born  to  them:  Margaret  F., 
died  December  24,  1912,  in  Upper  St. 
Clair  township ;  Lauretta  G.,  wife  of 
Judge  Robert  S.  Frazer;  Alexander,  men- 
tioned below ;  and  Eleanor,  of  Upper  St. 
Clair  township.  On  January  16,  1885, 
John  GilfiUan  passed  away,  having  served 
well  his  day  and  generation,  a  brave, 
true-hearted  and  noble-minded  man.  His 
widow  survived  him  many  years,  her 
death  occurring  June  6,  1903. 

(IV)  Alexander  (2),  son  of  John  (2) 
and  Eleanor  (Ewing)  Gilfillan,  was  born 
August  26,  1857,  in  Upper  St.  Clair  town- 
ship, Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  received  his  preparatory  edu- 
cation in  public  schools,  afterward  enter- 
ing the  Western  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, now  the  University  of  Pittsburgh. 
From  that  institution  he  graduated  in 
1879  with  the  degree  of  Civil  Engineer, 
and  shortly  after  began  a  course  of  prep- 
aration for  the  profession  to  which  he 
had  chosen  to  devote  himself.  After  first 
reading  law  for  a  time  under  the  guidance 
of  John  G.  F>ryant,  of  Pittsburgh,  he  was 
admitted  in  1883  to  the  bar  of  Allegheny 
county.  From  that  time  to  the  present 
Mr.  Gilfillan  has  been  continuously  en- 
gaged in  the  general  practice  of  law.  He 
belongs  to  the  National  Bar  Association, 
the  Pennsylvania  State  Bar  Association 
and  the  Allegheny  County  Bar  Associa- 
tion, having  held  office  in  the  last-named 
organization. 

The  political  allegiance  of  Mr.  Gilfillan 
is  given  to  the  Republican  party,  but  de- 
votion to  his  professional  responsibilities 
has  prevented  him  from  taking  any  active 
part  in  public  afifairs.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  United  Presbyterian  church. 

Mr.  Gilfillan  married.  October  19,  1896, 
Anna  M.,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Mar- 
garet (Wallace)  Boyd,  of  Scott  township, 
Allegheny   county,    Pennsylvania,   where 

181 


Mr.  Boyd  was  a  farmer.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gilfillan  were  the  parents  of  the  follow- 
ing children :  John,  born  August  28, 
189S;  Margaret  Boyd;  and  Alexander 
Boyd,  born  June  2,  1902.  Mrs.  Gilfillan, 
a  woman  of  most  lovely  character,  passed 
away  July  28,  1903. 

Alexander  Gilfillan  is  the  son  of  a  man 
of  honored  memory  whose  record  he  has 
worthily  supplemented  by  his  own  career 
as  an  able  and  trusted  member  of  the 
Pittsburgh  bar. 

(Tlu-  Fife   Line). 

John  Fife  was  born  in  1721,  in  Fife- 
shire,  Scotland,  and  with  his  brother  Wil- 
liam and  another  brother  whose  name  is 
supposed  to  have  been  Matthew,  emi- 
grated to  County  Tyrone,  Ireland.  In 
1756  John  Fife  came  to  the  American 
colonies,  settling  in  Winchester,  Virginia, 
and  in  1766  removing  to  Upper  St.  Clair 
township,  Allegheny  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  married  Margaret  Wright, 
and  they  were  the  parents  of  six  children. 
The  death  of  John  Fife  occurred  Novem- 
ber 19,  1800. 

(II)  Margaret,  daughter  of  John  and 
Margaret  (Wright)  Fife,  became  the 
wife  of  John  (i)  Gilfillan  as  stated  above. 

(The    Ewing   Line). 

Thomas  Ewing,  the  first  ancestor  of 
record,  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  but 
whether  born  in  Ireland  or  not  does  not 
appear.  As  a  young  man  he  was  a  resi- 
dent of  Adams  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
enlisted  in  a  company  which  was  recruit- 
ed to  aid  in  quelling  the  Whiskey  Insur- 
rection. At  the  close  of  the  troubles, 
when  the  troops  were  disbanded  at  Pitts- 
burgh. Thomas  Ewing  remained  and  set- 
tled in  Washington  county.  There  he 
married  Esther  McNary  and  passed  the 
remainder  of  his  life  as  a  farmer  and 
teacher. 

(II)  Samuel,  son  of  Thomas  and 
Esther   (McNary)    Ewing,  was  a  farmer 

3 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  in  1830  removed  to  South  Fayette 
township,  Allegheny  county,  there  mak- 
ing his  home  to  the  close  of  his  life.  He 
married  Jane  Lyle  (see  Lyle  line),  and 
their  children  were :  Robert  Lyle  ;  Esther  ; 
Eleanor,  mentioned  below ;  Thomas ; 
Aaron  Lyle ;  James,  died  in  service  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War ;  Caroline ;  Lyle  Ewing ; 
and  Mary.  Thomas  Ewing,  the  son,  was 
an  eminent  lawyer  and  represented  the 
Republicans  of  the  Thirty-third  Sena- 
torial District,  composed  of  Allegheny 
county,  in  the  Constitutional  Convention 
of  1872-73.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he 
was  President  Judge  of  the  Court  of 
Common  Pleas  of  Allegheny  County. 
Samuel  Ewing,  the  father,  died  Decem- 
ber 12,  1862,  his  wife  having  passed 
away  December  10,  1845. 

(Ill)  Eleanor,  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Jane  (Lyle)  Ewing,  became  the  wife  of 
John    (2)    Gilfillan,  as  stated  above. 

(The   Lyle   Line). 

John  Lyle,  the  first  ancestor  of  record, 
was  born  in  Scotland,  and  about  1681,  in 
the  reign  of  Charles  the  Second,  was 
forced  by  persecution  of  the  Presby- 
terians to  leave  his  native  land.  He  went 
to  County  Antrim,  Ireland,  where  he  set- 
tled on  a  farm,  married  and  reared  a  fam- 
ily of  children. 

(II)  Robert,  son  of  John  Lyle,  was 
born  in  1698,  in  Ireland,  and  in  the  lat- 
ter part  of  1741,  accompanied  by  his 
younger  brother  John,  set  sail  from  Bel- 
fast, intending  to  seek  his  fortune  in  the 
American  colonies.  After  a  tedious  voy- 
age they  landed  the  following  spring  in 
New  York,  and  jointly  purchased  a  small 
tract  of  land  near  New  Brunswick,  New 
Jersey.  In  1747  he  removed  to  Forks 
township,  Northampton  county.  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  purchased  a  farm.  He 
was  a  man  of  good  standing  and  pros- 
perous, holding  the  office  of  justice  of  the 
peace,  and  his  name  appears  as  a  member 


of  the  first  grand  jury  summoned  for 
Northampton  county,  at  the  court  held 
October  3,  1752.  Robert  Lyle  married, 
in  1747,  Mary  Gilleland,  who  was  not 
quite  one-half  his  age,  and  their  children 
were :  John ;  Robert ;  Moses  ;  Aaron, 
mentioned  below;  David;  Jane;  Eliza- 
beth; Rosannah ;  Eleanor;  and  Mary. 
Robert  Lyle  died  December  9,  1765. 

(HI)  Aaron,  son  of  Robert  and  Mary 
(Gilleland)  Lyle,  was  born  November 
^7>  1759.  in  Forks  township,  Northamp- 
ton county,  and  when  but  little  over  six- 
teen years  old  enlisted  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary army,  participating  in  numerous 
battles  and  skirmishes.  Later  he  settled 
in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania, 
and  in  1797-98-99-1800  and  1801  was  a 
member  of  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature. 
In  1802  he  was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy 
caused  by  the  resignation  of  John  Hamil- 
ton as  Senator  from  the  district  com- 
posed of  Washington  and  Allegheny 
counties.  After  serving  the  two  years  re- 
quired,   Mr.    Lyle    was   again    elected   in 

1805  to  the  House  of  Representatives.   In 

1806  he  was  chosen  county  commissioner, 
and  served  until  the  meeting  of  Congress 
in  1809,  having  been  elected  to  represent 
his  district  at  the  national  capital.  He 
was  re-elected  by  large  majorities  for 
four  successive  terms,  serving  through 
the  eight  years  of  Madison's  administra- 
tion, his  votes  being  uniformly  cast  in 
favor  of  protection  of  American  indus- 
tries. In  April,  1782,  Mr.  Lyle  married 
Eleanor,  daughter  of  John  Moore,  of 
Northampton  county,  and  their  children 
were  :  Moses  ;  James  ;  Robert ;  Aaron  ; 
Mary,  married  John  Campbell,  of  Wash- 
ington county,  Pennsylvania;  Agnes; 
and  Jane,  mentioned  below.  Aaron 
Lyle's  farm  adjoined  that  of  Thomas 
Ewing  and  the  two  men  became  warm 
friends,  a  correspondence  being  kept  up 
between  them  during  Mr.  Lyle's  ab- 
sences as  a  member  of  Congress.     The 


1814 


rji-  'ATT^^rnrr.  Jvy 


U(AACl^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


death  of  Mr.  Lyle  occurred  September 
24,  1825,  and  his  widow  passed  away  De- 
cember 13,  1849,  in  the  ninety-first  year 
of  her  age. 

(IV)  Jane,  daughter  of  Aaron  and 
Eleanor  (Moore)  Lyle,  was  born  Octo- 
ber 3,  1793,  and  became  the  wife  of  Sam- 
uel Ewing  (see  Ewing  line). 


RICHARDS,  Joseph  Ernest, 

Financier,    Man   of   Affairs. 

For  a  number  of  years  past  Joseph 
Ernest  Richards  has  been  identified  with 
important  phases  of  the  financial  and  in- 
dustrial life  of  Philadelphia.  As  the  vice- 
president  of  one  of  the  foremost  banking 
institutions  of  that  city  and  officially  con- 
nected with  a  variety  of  large  industrial 
and  other  corporations,  in  the  direction  of 
the  affairs  of  which  he  plays  a  conspic- 
uous part,  he  has,  at  a  remarkably  early 
age,  demonstrated  unusual  qualities  of 
business  acumen  and  constructive  ability 
that  have  won  for  him  a  place  among 
the  successful  men  of  affairs  of  the  day. 

Joseph  Ernest  Richards  was  born 
March  8,  1881,  at  Elizabeth^  New  Jersey, 
the  son  of  Joseph  Thomas  and  Martha 
Elizabeth  (Ernest)  Richards.  The  elder 
Richards  has  long  been  prominent  in  the 
transportation  world,  and  is  the  present 
consulting  engineer  of  maintenance  of 
way  of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad. 

After  concluding  his  preparatory  edu- 
cation, Mr.  Richards  entered  the  Whar- 
ton School  of  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1902.  Following  his  graduation  he 
launched  upon  his  business  career,  and, 
becoming  interested  in  a  number  of  finan- 
cial and  industrial  enterprises,  the  scope 
and  importance  of  his  subsequent  busi- 
ness activities  have  been  on  a  steadily 
increasing  scale,  and  have  been  marked 
by  notable  success  He  is  now  vice- 
president  and  director  of  the  West  End 


Trust  Company  of  Philadelphia;  presi- 
dent and  a  director  of  the  Consolidated 
water  Company  of  Suburban  New  York; 
a  director  of  the  Consumers  Brewing 
Company  of  Philadelphia,  the  George  B. 
Newton  Coal  Company,  the  New  York 
Interurban  Water  Company,  the  Ameri- 
can Pipe  and  Construction  Company,  and 
the  Rochester  and  Lake  Ontario  Water 
Company ;  and  is  treasurer  and  director 
of  the  Central  West  Virginia  and  South- 
ern Railroad  Company. 

Although  he  has  never  aspired  to  polit- 
ical office,  Mr.  Richards  takes  a  deep  in- 
terest in  public  afifairs,  and  is  earnest  in 
his  support  of  all  movements  seeking  to 
promote  greater  efficiency  in  municipal 
and   State  administrative  matters. 

I\Ir.  Richards  has  always  been  fond  of 
athletic  and  out-door  sports,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Philadelphia  Barge  Club, 
the  Merion  Cricket  and  the  Philadelphia 
Racquet  clubs.  His  other  clubs  include 
the  Markham  Club  and  the  Union 
League,  of  Philadelphia.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution 
and  belongs  to  the  Zeta  Psi  fraternity. 

Mr.  Richards  married  Miss  Catherine 
Louise  Fletcher,  and  has  one  daughter, 
Christine  Louise  Richards.  His  place  of 
residence  is  Radnor.  Pennsylvania. 


WATRES,  Louis  Arthur, 

Lawyer,    Financier,    State    Official. 

Louis  Arthur  Watres  was  born  in 
Mount  Vernon  (now  Winton),  Lacka- 
wanna county,  Pennsylvania.  April  21, 
1851.  His  father.  Lewis  S.  Watres,  was 
one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  Lackawanna 
Valley,  and  during  his  long  and  useful 
life  was  a  prominent  factor  in  its  material, 
intellectual  and  moral  progress.  He  mar- 
ried Harriet  G.  Hollister,  a  poet  of  un- 
usual talent,  whose  poems  made  a  pe- 
culiar appeal  to  the  popular  taste  and 
were  widely  read.     All  her  poems  were 


1815 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


printed  over  the  pseudonym  "Stella  of 
Lackawanna,"  and  some  since  her  death 
have  been  published  in  a  volume  entitled 
"Cobwebs." 

Thus,  although  the  boyhood  of  Louis 
Arthur  Watres  was  passed  in  compar- 
ative poverty,  it  was  rich  in  patriotic 
inspiration  and  the  environment  of  a 
home  made  happy  by  a  kind  father  and 
a  gentle,  talented  mother.  When  he  was 
sixteen,  Mr.  Watres'  school  days  were 
over,  and  he  began  to  earn  his  own  living, 
finding  employment  in  various  occupa- 
tions. All  his  leisure  moments  were  de- 
voted to  study,  and  so  well  did  he  im- 
prove them  that  in  1878  he  was  enabled 
to  reach  the  goal  of  his  striving  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  Lackawanna 
county.  In  his  chosen  profession  he  ad- 
vanced steadily  and  successfully;  but  for 
some  time,  by  reason  of  his  other  inter- 
ests, he  has  been  obliged  to  withdraw 
from  the  active  practice  of  law.  The  ex- 
perience he  gained  from  it,  however,  and 
his  keen  judgment  and  discernment  make 
him  an  invaluable  adviser  to  the  various 
enterprises  with  which  he  is  connected. 

Mr.  Watres  was  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  South  Scranton  Railway,  and  a 
director  of  the  original  Nay  Aug  Cross 
Town  Line  in  Scranton,  the  first  trolley 
line  east  of  the  Mississippi.  He  was 
president  of  the  Scranton  &  Pittston 
Traction  Company,  which  built  the  first 
line  from  Scranton  to  Pittston,  and  also 
president  of  the  Throop  Street  Car  Line. 
At  the  present  time  Mr.  Watres  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Spring  Brook  Water  Supply 
Company,  which  he  organized  in  1896; 
of  the  County  Savings  Bank,  and  of  the 
Scranton  Trust  Company.  His  executive 
ability  and  integrity  are  reflected  in  the 
soundness  and  reliability  of  all  the  insti- 
tutions with  which  he  is  connected. 

As  a  public-spirited  man,  Mr.  Watres 
early  recognized  the  duties  of  his  citizen- 
ship, and  in   1881,  as  county  solicitor  of 

18 


Lackawanna  county,  his  political  career 
began.  He  held  that  position  continu- 
ously to  1890.  In  1882  Mr.  Watres  was 
elected  as  a  Republican  to  the  State 
Senate,  and  he  continued  to  represent  his 
district  until  1890,  when  he  became  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor of  the  Commonwealth. 
Proof  of  his  place  in  the  estimation  of 
the  people  of  the  State  is  given  in  the 
figures  of  the  election,  his  plurality  hav- 
ing been  22,365,  while  that  of  Mr.  Pat- 
tison,  the  candidate  for  Governor  on  the 
Democratic  ticket,  was  17,000.  As  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor, Mr.  Watres  was  presi- 
dent of  the  Senate  as  well  as  of  the 
Pardon  Board.  In  1891  Mr.  Watres  was 
elected  chairman  of  the  Republican 
State  Committee.  After  twelve  years  of 
service  at  Plarrisburg,  Mr.  Watres  was 
the  recipient  of  a  testimonial  of  regard 
in  which  every  member  of  the  Senate, 
Republican  and  Democratic,  participated, 
a  costly  silver  service  with  this  inscrip- 
tion : 

Presented  to  Louis  Arthur  Watres,  Lieuten- 
ant Governor  of  Pennsylvania  1891-95,  by  the 
Senate  of  Pennsylvania  and  his  associates,  as  a 
testimonial  of  their  high  regard  for  his  unques- 
tioned integrity,  eminent  ability,  and  fairness  in 
the  discharge  of  his  official  duties.  February 
27th,  1895. 

Mr.  Watres  enlisted  in  the  National 
Guard  of  Pennsylvania  as  a  private  in 
Company  C,  13th  Regiment,  on  August 
14,  1877,  and  was  for  twenty-one  years 
an  active  member  of  the  National  Guard, 
."^even  years  of  this  time  he  was  captain 
of  Company  A,  Thirteenth  Regiment. 
r>om  1887  to  1891  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Governor's  stafif,  as  inspector  of  rifle 
practice,  with  the  rank  of  colonel,  and 
during  the  period  of  the  Spanish  War  he 
became  colonel  of  the  Eleventh  Regi- 
ment Provisional  Guard.  On  the  return 
of  the  Thirteenth  Regiment  from  the  field 
and  after  its  muster-out  of  service,  he  be- 
16 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


came  colonel  of  the  Thirteenth  Regiment, 
National  Guard  of  Pennsylvania.  At  the 
organization  of  the  National  Guard  As- 
sociation of  Pennsylvania,  he  was  elected 
its  president,  holding  that  office  for  two 
years.  He  is  at  present  a  member  of  the 
State  Armory  Board.  Mr.  Watres  is  the 
right  worshipful  grand  master  of  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  Masons  in  Pennsylvania. 
The  influence  of  Mr.  Watres'  character 
and  of  his  upright  example  is  gratefully 
acknowledge  by  all  who  have  had  the 
privilege  of  knowing  him. 


WORK,  Judge  James  Clark, 

Prominent    Lawyer    and   Jurist. 

The  Work  family,  of  which  Judge 
James  Clark  Work,  of  Uniontown,  Fay- 
ette county,  Pennsylvania,  is  a  represen- 
tative, have  been  resident  in  the  State 
since  the  first  half  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury. Joseph  Work,  of  English  descent, 
lived  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania, 
as  early  as  1755,  and  with  his  brothers 
Samuel  and  Robert,  came  to  Fayette 
county  in  1766,  the  journey  across  the 
mountains  being  made  on  horseback. 
Joseph  settled  in  Dunbar  township,  near 
what  is  now  Vanderbilt,  and  he  was  on 
the  assessment  list  of  the  township  in 
1799  as  a  man  of  considerable  wealth. 
He  married,  and  had  five  sons  and  two 
daughters. 

James,  son  of  Joseph  Work,  was  born 
in  Dunbar  township,  and  removed  to 
Harrison  county,  Ohio,  after  his  mar- 
riage. At  the  end  of  a  few  years  he  re- 
turned to  Dunbar  township  and  became 
the  owner  of  a  farm  now  in  the  posses- 
sion of  Judge  Work.  He  married  Mary 
Ellen  Dugan,  also  born  in  Fayette 
county,  and  had  six  children. 

John,  son  of  James  and  Mary  Ellen 
(Dugan)  Work,  was  born  at  Cadiz,  Har- 
rison county,  Ohio,  December  30,  1818, 
and   died  January   3,    IQOO.      In    1827   he 


removed  to  Pennsylvania  with  his  pa- 
rents, and  for  a  short  time  attended  the 
subscription  schools  there.  At  an  early 
age  he  had  to  assume  much  of  the  re- 
sponsibility of  managing  the  farm,  ov/ing 
to  the  continued  ill  health  of  his  father, 
and  he  also  worked  for  other  farmers 
in  the  vicinity,  earning  thirty-five  and 
fifty  cents  per  day.  Thoroughly  ambitious 
and  energetic,  he  utilized  the  evening 
hours,  spending  them  in  study,  and  such 
excellent  results  did  he  achieve  in  this 
direction  that  he  taught  two  terms  in  the 
district  school.  He  was  still  very  young 
when  he  purchased  a  farm  near  Dunbar, 
on  which  he  was  able  to  make  a  first  pay- 
ment. He  had  made  a  study  of  the 
various  kinds  of  stock,  and  his  ability  as 
a  judge  in  this  direction  was  already 
apparent  while  he  was  still  a  young  lad. 
In  1S43  Greenberry  Crossland  gave  him 
charge  of  his  large  droves  of  cattle  as 
they  were  driven  over  the  National  Pike 
to  the  eastern  markets,  and  so  capable 
and  reliable  did  he  prove  himself  that  Mr. 
Crossland  admitted  him  to  partnership, 
a  connection  which  lasted  fifteen  years,  at 
which  time  Mr.  Work  resigned  from  this 
firm  and  formed  an  alliance  with  Charles 
McLaughlin,  his  father-in-law,  in  the 
same  business.  Mr.  Work  had  sole 
charge  of  the  driving  and  sale  of  this 
stock,  and  as  there  were  no  money  drafts 
in  those  days,  it  was  necessary  for  him 
to  carry  large  sums  of  money  about  his 
person  or  in  his  saddle  bags,  but  he  was 
never  molested.  Even  after  the  railroads 
came  these  drives  to  market  were  con- 
tinued, as  they  were  a  very  profitable 
undertaking.  Mr.  Work  retired  in  1882. 
He  was  a  Whig,  then  a  Republican,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  Lie  married  Sarah,  a  daughter  of 
Charles  and  Mary  (Swearingen)  Mc 
Laughlin,  and  had  children:  Mary 
Elizabeth,  deceased;  Ellen,  married 
George  W.  Barricklow,  a  retired  farmer 


1817 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  Kansas  City,  Missouri;  William,  de- 
ceased, was  a  farmer  of  Fayette  county, 
and  married  Harriet  Hankins ;  Anna  M., 
married  John  M.  Henshaw,  a  farmer  at 
Scenery  Hill,  Washington  county,  Penn- 
sylvania; James  Clark,  whose  name  heads 
this  sketch ;  Charles,  died  in  infancy ; 
Sarah  Belle,  married  James  A.  Chalfant, 
a  merchant  of  South  Brownsville,  Penn- 
sylvania ;  John,  farmer  and  coal  operator, 
married  Annie  E.  Phillips ;  Clara,  married 
Adam  Nicholson,  a  farmer  of  Franklin 
township,  Fayette  county;  Samuel,  de- 
ceased. 

Judge  James  Clark  Work  was  born  on 
the  farm,  February  8,  1859.  His  elemen- 
tary education  was  acquired  in  the  Sandy 
Hollow  district  school,  after  which  he 
was  prepared  for  entrance  to  college.  He 
then  received  his  classical  education  at 
Waynesburg  College,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1884,  and 
while  there  was  a  member  of  the  Union 
Literary  Society,  and  prominent  in  the 
work  of  that  body.  In  the  fall  of  1884 
he  matriculated  at  the  Law  Department 
of  the  University  of  Michigan,  at  Ann 
Arbor,  remained  there  one  year,  then 
became  a  student  in  the  Law  Department 
of  Yale  University,  entering  in  the  senior 
class,  and  was  graduated  from  this  in- 
stitution in  the  class  of  1886,  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Laws  being  conferred 
upon  him.  Before  leaving  New  Haven 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  Connecticut.  Upon  his 
return  to  Uniontown  he  entered  the  office 
of  Alfred  Howell,  one  of  the  leaders  at 
the  Fayette  county  bar,  and  was  admitted 
to  practice  there  Decmber  6,  1886.  The 
following  January  he  established  himself 
in  independent  practice  of  his  profession 
in  Uniontown,  and  was  thus  engaged  two 
years,  when  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  William  A.  Hogg,  and  for  a  period 
of  three  years  the  firm  of  Work  &  Hogg 
was  one  of  the  well  known  ones  of  the 


town.  This  partnership  was  dissolved  in 
1892,  and  Mr.  Work  never  again  entered 
into  a  law  partnership. 

Early  in  the  year  1907  an  act  was 
passed  by  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature 
creating  a  separate  Orphans'  Court  for 
Fayette  county,  and  in  May  of  that  year 
James  Clark  Work  was  appointed  by  the 
governor  of  the  State  to  serve  until  a 
successor  should  have  been  duly  elected 
and  qualified,  and  was  sworn  in  June  5. 
The  Republican  party  nominated  Judge 
Work  to  succeed  himself,  and  this  nomi- 
nation was  heartily  endorsed  by  all  other 
political  parties,  a  splendid  testimonial 
to  the  esteem  and  affection  in  which  he 
was  held.  He  was  accordingly  sworn  in, 
having  received  more  than  fifteen  thous- 
and votes  from  the  total  number  of  six- 
teen thousand  five  hundred  votes  cast  by 
all  the  political  parties.  Prior  to  the  ap- 
pointment of  a  temporary  judge  by  the 
governor,  the  Bar  Association  of  Fayette 
County  held  a  meeting  and  recommended 
the  appointment  of  Mr.  Work  for  the 
office.  January  2,  1914,  Judge  Work  was 
appointed  a  member  of  the  board  of  com- 
missioners of  the  State  Institution  for 
Inebriates  of  Pennsylvania.  From  the 
time  he  attained  his  majority,  Judge 
Work  has  given  his  consistent  allegiance 
to  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party, 
and  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for 
James  A.  Garfield.  He  was  chosen  chair- 
man of  the  Fayette  County  Republican 
Committee  in  1893,  and  retained  this 
office  until  early  in  1895.  In  1893,  under 
his  leadership,  the  first  Republican  county 
ticket  passed  the  ordeal  of  the  ballot  box 
successfully,  in  1894  the  victory  was 
duplicated,  making  Fayette  a  debatable 
<ounty,  instead  of  a  sure  Democratic  one. 
When  one  considers  this  fact,  it  becomes 
a  matter  for  wonder,  that  the  endorse- 
ment of  Mr.  Work  for  the  judgeship, 
should  have  been  an  almost  unanimous 
one.  Judge  Work  is  a  member  of  many 
18 


^^'''Zx — c-'i.--'4^c/' 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


organizations,  among  them  being  the  fol- 
lowing: American,  State  and  Fayette 
County  Bar  associations ;  Uniontown 
Country  and  Laurel  clubs ;  Fayette 
Lodge,  No.  22S,  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons ;  Uniontown  Chapter,  Royal  Arch 
Masons ;  and  Uniontown  Commandery, 
Knights  Templar;  Uniontown  Lodge  of 
Perfection  and  Pittsburgh  Consistory, 
Ancient  Accepted  Scottish  Rite,  in  which 
he  holds  the  thirty-second  degree.  He 
is  ever  ready  to  give  his  services  in  mat- 
ters regarding  the  development  and  ad- 
vancement of  Uniontown,  and  is  a  trustee 
of  Uniontown  Hospital  and  a  director  in 
the  Second  National  Bank.  He  married, 
April  16,  1903,  Mrs.  Edwina  (Null) 
Fuller,  born  in  Westmoreland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  a  daughter  of  Harrison 
Null,  of  Greensburg,  Pennsylvania. 
Judge  Work  resides  in  Uniontown. 


KNECHT,  John, 

Man  of  Great  Enterprise. 

The  Knecht  family  of  Northampton 
county  descends  from  John  Jacob  Knecht, 
who  sailed  from  Rotterdam  in  September, 
1734,  and  later  settled  in  Williams  town- 
ship, Northampton  county.  The  line  of 
descent  to  Howard  R.  Knecht,  of  Shi- 
mersville,  is  through  Jonathan  George 
Knecht,  son  of  the  founder,  his  son  John, 
his  son  John  (2),  father  of  Howard  R. 
Knecht. 

In  1841,  John  Knecht  settled  in  Shi- 
mersville,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  became 
prominent  in  business  and  was  one  of  the 
substantial  men  of  his  day,  succeeded  in 
1890  by  his  son,  Howard  R.  Knecht,  who 
IS  now  (1914)  the  leading  business  man 
of  the  town.  The  records  of  father  and 
son  cover  a  period  of  seventy-three  years 
During  this  entire  period  the  chief  in- 
dustry of  the  town  has  been  the  mills 
now  operated  by  Howard  R.  Knecht, 
under  the  name  of  John  Knecht's  Son. 


John  (2)  Knecht  was  born  in  Williams 
township,  Northampton  county,  August 
5,  1814,  died  February  2{2,  1891.  He  was 
left  fatherless  when  ten  years  of  age,  his 
uncle  Aaron  Knecht  supplying  a  father's 
care  and  training  him  in  habits  of  thrift 
and  industry — traits  that  ever  charac- 
terized his  later  life.  He  was  educated 
in  a  public  school  held  in  the  spring 
house  near  Black  Horse  Tavern,  on  the 
Delaware,  two  and  a  half  miles  below 
Easton.  He  grew  up  on  his  uncle's  farm, 
later  learning  the  carpenter's  trade,  which 
he  followed  until  twenty-one  years  of 
age.  He  then  went  south,  engaging  in 
railroad  construction  on  the  line  between 
Raleigh  and  Gaston,  North  Carolina,  re- 
turning to  Williams  township  in  183Q 
and  was  there  married  in  1841.  Soon 
after  that  event  he  took  possession  of  the 
old  grist  mill  at  Shimersville,  built  in 
1735  by  Nathan  Irish.  Then  as  now,  this 
mill  was  the  milling  center  for  a  large 
district,  the  old  records  showing  that  in 
T743  the  Moravians  at  Bethlehem  pe- 
t'toned  the  court  to  open  a  road  from  that 
Town  to  the  Saucon  mill,  which  was 
done.  The  old  mill  had  passed  through 
several  hands  before  coming  to  John 
Knecht  in  1842.  Mr.  Irish  sold  it  to  John 
Cruikshank,  of  Philadelphia  ;  John  Currie, 
his  son-in-law,  was  the  next  owner,  he 
selling  mill,  stone  house  and  all  land 
connected  therewith,  to  John  Shimer, 
who  in  1816  erected  a  new  mill  close  by 
the  old  one.  Samuel  Leidigh  became  the 
next  owner,  and  Benjamin  Reigel  the 
next,  he  purchasing  the  property  in  1836, 
selling  it  in  1842  to  his  son-in-law,  John 
Knecht,  who  operated  it  until  1890,  when 
the  mill  management  was  turned  over 
entirely  to  his  son,  Howard  R.  Knecht. 
its  present  owner.  In  addition  to  his 
large  milling  business,  and  the  manage- 
ment of  the  large  estate  he  had  acquired. 
Tohn  Knecht  was  interested  with  his 
longtime     personal     friend.     Judge     Asa 


1819 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Packer,  the  projector  and  builder  of  the 
Lehigh  Valley  railroad.  He  was  in  hearty 
sympathy  with  Mr.  Packer  in  his  plans, 
rendering  him  important  assistance  in 
many  ways,  and  after  the  completion  of 
the  road  was  a  director  for  many  years. 
He  not  only  favored,  encouraged  and  as- 
sisted in  the  construction,  but  as  a  direc- 
tor added  strength  to  the  management  of 
those  early  years  of  railroads.  He  pos- 
sessed not  only  the  friendship  but  the 
esteem  and  confidence  of  Mr.  Packer,  and 
which  he  always  retained.  With  keen 
business  foresight,  Mr.  Knecht  saw  the 
great  benefit  the  Valley  might  realize 
from  the  building  of  the  railroad,  and 
after  its  completion  he  inaugurated  the 
movement  that  resulted  in  the  formation 
of  the  Bethelehem  Iron  Company.  The 
latter  was  formed  in  association  with 
Augustus  Wolle,  Charles  W.  Ranch, 
Charles  B.  Daniel  and  other  capitalists, 
John  Knecht  being  a  director  of  the  com- 
pany from  its  inception  in  1859  until  his 
death  in  1891.  He  was  also  connected 
with  other  prominent  companies,  includ- 
ing the  Northampton  Iron  Company, 
which  he  organized  in  1872,  and  of  which 
he  was  president.  This  company  built 
a  large  furnace  near  Freemansburg,  later 
operated  by  the  Bethlehem  Iron  Company. 
He  was  also  a  director  of  the  Easton  Na- 
tional Bank,  and  held  many  offices  of 
trust,  serving  as  executor,  administrator 
or  trustee  of  many  large  estates.  He  was 
very  generous,  and  by  advice  and  material 
assistance  started  many  a  man  on  the 
road  to  prosperity.  He  was  a  Democrat 
but  would  never  consent  to  accept  public 
office,  declining  even  a  congressional 
nomination.  He  was  a  faithful  member 
of  the  Reformed  church  and  in  every  re- 
lation in  life  was  true,  honorable  and  up 
right. 

John  Knecht  married,  February  2, 
1841,  Eliza  E.,  daughter  of  Benjamin  and 
Elizabeth  Riegel.     She  survived  her  hus- 


band less  than  six  months,  dying  July  4, 
1891.  On  February  2d  of  that  year  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Knecht  celebrated  their  fiftieth 
anniversary  of  their  wedding.  A  pleasant 
and  unusual  feature  of  the  occasion  was 
the  presence  of  the  groomsman  and 
bridesmaid  of  fifty  years  earlier.  The 
guests  were  numerous,  many  of  the  offi- 
cials of  the  Lehigh  Valley  railroad  and  of 
the  Bethlehem  Iron  Company  honoring 
their  old  business  associate  by  their  pres- 
ence, as  did  many  of  his  oldtime  Easton, 
Bethlehem  and  country  friends.  Twenty 
days  later  the  death  of  John  Knecht  oc- 
curred, followed  in  six  months  by  that  of 
the  widow.  Children :  Arabella,  married 
Dr.  J.  J.  Detweiler,  of  Easton;  Emily, 
married  Dr.  E.  J.  Freeman,  of  Freemans- 
burg; Annie;  Howard  R.,  of  whom  fur- 
ther; Sarah,  married  Dr.  R.  H.  Sheppard, 
of  Phillipsburg,  New  Jersey;  John  and 
Benjamin,  the  latter  dying  in  infancy. 

Howard  R.  Knecht  was  born  at  Shi- 
mersville,  September  4,  1856.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  and  at 
Nazareth  Hall,  graduating  from  the  latter 
with  the  class  of  1876.  He  at  once  be- 
came his  father's  assistant  and  on  attain- 
ing his  majority  was  admitted  a  partner 
in  the  milling  business.  The  old  stone 
mill  built  in  1816  has  been  rebuilt,  en- 
larged and  otherwise  improved,  and  is 
about  on  the  site  of  the  original  Nathan 
Irish  mill  built  in  1735.  In  1885  it  was 
completely  modernized  and  converted 
into  a  roller  mill,  and  is  one  of  the  noted 
flouring  mills  of  Pennsylvania,  its  pro- 
ducts on  sale  in  all  principal  Eastern 
Pennsylvania  cities  and  in  other  large 
cities  in  the  east.  In  1890  John  Knecht 
turned  over  to  his  son  the  entire  manage- 
ment of  the  plant,  and  in  his  will  be- 
queathed the  grist  mill,  saw  mill,  stone 
house  (the  family  residence),  tenant 
houses,  large  tracts  of  land  and  other 
property,  Howard  R.  Knecht  has  ever 
since  retained  management  of  the  flouring 
820 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


mill,  which  is  a  very  important  and  pros- 
perous industry,  and  has  been  active  in 
many  of  the  business  enterprises  that 
distinguish  Northampton  county.  He  is 
a  director  of  the  Easton  National  Bank 
and  in  business  affairs  has  displayed  the 
same  energy  and  ability  that  distinguish- 
ed the  career  of  his  honored  father.  He 
is  most  genial  and  courteous  in  manner, 
has  a  host  of  warm  friends,  and  holds  a 
high  position  in  his  community.  He  is 
a  Democrat  in  politics  and  influential  in 
local  party  affairs.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Reformed  church  of  Freemansburg, 
and  a  trustee  of  Allentown  College  for 
Women.  He  was  a  juror  in  the  famous 
Lincoln  National  Bank  case,  tried  before 
Judge  Butler  in  Philadelphia  in  1890, 
wherein  the  cashier  and  another  were 
accused  of  defrauding  the  bank  of  some 
$80,000. 

A  trait  of  Mr.  Knecht's  character  is  his 
interest  in  men  of  his  time,  and  his 
methodical  methods  of  preserving  all  cur- 
rent notices  of  men  of  his  day.  When  a 
lad  of  fourteen  years  he  began  making 
newspaper  clippings  of  men  and  events, 
and  this  practice  has  followed  all  through 
life,  the  clippings  being  preserved  by  a 
systematic  manner  of  arrangement.  He 
h  a  veritable  encyclopedia  of  information 
of  this  character,  and  one  appealed  to  for 
information  when  all  other  sources  fail. 

Mr.  Knecht  married,  September  21, 
'882,  Laurenti,  daughter  of  Dr.  B.  C. 
Walter,  of  Farmersville.  Children : 
Florence  Anna  and  John  Walter,  two 
others  dying  in  infancy.  The  family 
residence  is  at  Shimersville,  the  family 
seat  since  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Knecht's 
parents  in  1841. 


RINEHART,  Edward  E., 

Leader  in  Community  Affairs. 

In  attempting,  however  imperfectly,  to 
record  the  career  of  the  late  Edward 
Everett  Rinehart,  at  one  time  head  of  the 


well  known  Pittsburgh  firm  of  Rinehart 
i^  Stevens,  the  historian  is  confronted 
by  two  distinct  personalities.  First,  there 
stands  forth  the  man  of  affairs,  active  and 
influential  during  the  troublous  times  of 
the  Civil  War  and  for  many  years  suc- 
ceeding that  period.  Then,  in  later  life, 
we  see  the  lover  of  the  "divine  art,"  the 
man  who  introduced  into  the  public 
schools  of  the  metropolis  the  refining 
and  elevating  influence  of  music,  per- 
sonally imparting  instruction  of  ines- 
timable value.  To  portray  these  two  per- 
sonalities, albeit  most  inadequately,  must 
be  the  endeavor  of  every  biographer  of 
this  remarkable  man. 

Edward  Everett  Rinehart  was  born 
May  19,  1836,  in  Pittsburgh,  and  was  a 
son  of  William  and  Mary  Ann  (Ing) 
Rinehart.  A  biography  of  William  Rine- 
hart, with  full  ancestral  record,  appear'; 
elsewhere  in  this  work.  Edward  Everett 
Rinehart  was  educated  in  public  and 
private  schools  of  Pittsburgh,  and  after 
completing  his  course  of  study  was  em- 
ployed for  a  time  by  the  firm  of  Jones  & 
Sandel,  Limited.  Inclination  for  a  life 
of  outdoor,  changeful  activity,  perhaps 
mingled  with  youthful  desire  for  adven- 
ture, led  Mr.  Rinehart  to  become  captain 
of  a  steamboat  plying  on  the  waters  of 
the  Ohio,  Mississippi,  Arkansas,  Red, 
Tennessee  and  Cumberland  rivers,  and 
during  the  Civil  War  he  was  employed 
by  the  Federal  government  in  the  trans- 
portation of  troops,  thus  rendering  im- 
portant service  to  his  country  in  her  hour 
of  need. 

After  the  close  of  the  war,  Mr.  Rine- 
hart associated  himself  with  the  whole- 
sale tobacco  business  conducted  by  his 
father  and  uncle,  later  engaging  in  it  on 
his  own  account.  As  head  of  the  firm  of 
Rinehart  &  Stevens  he  was  next  identified 
with  the  coffee-roasting  business,  their 
establishment  being  situated  at  Diamond 
and  Union  streets,  and  then,  for  a  time, 
821 


lncyclopedia  of  biography 


he  turned  his  attention  to  the  wholesale 
grocery  business,  with  quarters  on  Fourth 
avenue.  On  all  these  enterprises  he 
brought  to  bear  the  keen  vision,  the  sound 
judgment  and  the  vitalizing  energy  which 
distinguished  him  in  every  phase  of  his 
career. 

Of  all  these  phases  the  one  by  which 
he  is  most  widely  known  and,  perhaps, 
will  be  longest  remembered,  is  that  which 
shows  him  as  an  instructor  in  music. 
Endowed  with  genius  for  his  art  and 
animated  by  a  devoted  love  for  it,  he 
made  it  a  means  of  blessing  to  his  city 
as  well  as  of  profit  and  emolument  to 
himself.  Forty  years  ago  music  was  un- 
known in  the  schools  of  Pittsburgh,  and 
then  it  was  that  Mr.  Rinehart  became 
their  first  instructor  in  the  art.  In  1875 
he  entered  upon  the  discharge  of  his 
duties,  and  the  ensuing  two  years  were 
an  era  ever-memorable  in  the  annals  of 
Pittsburgh.  In  1877  he  resigned  in  order 
to  become  an  official  of  the  Clarion  Coal 
Company,  of  Clarion,  Pennsylvania, 
whither  he  removed  for  one  year,  when 
he  returned  to  Pittsburgh  and  connected 
himself  with  the  firm  of  Allen  Kirkpatrick 
&  Company.  In  18S1  he  again  became 
instructor  in  music  in  the  Pittsburgh 
schools  whence,  during  his  absence,  the 
spirit  of  song  had  been  banished.  From 
that  time  on,  for  thirty  years,  Mr.  Rine- 
hart continued  his  beautiful  and  inspiring 
work,  retiring,  in  191 1,  on  a  pension 
granted  him  by  a  grateful  and  admiring 
city. 

The  political  principles  of  Mr.  Rine- 
hart were  those  upheld  by  the  Republican 
party,  but  he  was  never  actively  identi- 
fied with  the  afifairs  of  the  organization. 
He  affiliated  with  the  Masonic  fraternity 
and  belonged  to  the  Teachers'  Pension 
Association  which  was  afterward  taken 
under  the  city  government.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  First  Methodist  Protestant 
Church,  serving  as  its  choir  leader  and 


musical  director.  A  description  of  the 
aspect  and  manner  of  Mr.  Rinehart,  or  a 
word-portrait  of  his  countenance  would 
seem  to  be  superfluous  after  a  recital  of 
his  deeds.  In  them  the  man  is  revealed 
more  vividly  than  he  could  be  by  the 
pencil  of  the  artist,  revealed  as  he  is  re- 
membered by  so  many — as  the  able  ex- 
ecutant, the  gifted  instructor,  the  brave 
and  honorable  man  and  the  warm-heart- 
ed, loyal  friend. 

In  early  manhood  Mr.  Rinehart  met 
the  woman  who  was  destined  to  be,  to 
the  close  of  both  their  lives,  his  true  and 
faithful  helpmate.  This  was  Annie  G., 
born  June  6,  1843,  daughter  of  William 
and  Lillian  McPheely,  of  Hannibal,  Mis- 
souri, where  Mr.  McPheely  was  in  busi- 
ness as  a  contractor.  The  young  people 
were  married  on  April  24,  1861,  and  as 
the  years  went  on  a  family  of  sons  and 
daughters  grew  up  around  them:  i. 
William,  born  July  2,  1862;  associated 
with  the  Philadelphia  Company,  Pitts- 
burgh ;  married  Nannie  Wilson,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, and  has  six  children :  E.  E.  Rine- 
hart (2nd),  Gerzie,  wife  of  Roy  R.  Cappe  ; 
Dorothy  Louise;  Elizabeth;  William, 
and  Harry.  2.  Alfred  Walter,  born  July 
2,  1864,  see  biography  elsewhere.  3. 
Clarence  C,  born  in  Pittsburgh,  Decem- 
ber 17,  1866;  educated  in  public  schools 
of  Pittsburgh ;  variously  employed  by 
John  Robson  &  Sons,  chain  and  coke 
manufacturers ;  with  Jones  &  Laughlin 
Steel  Company ;  now  with  Reineke- 
Wagner  Pump  and  Supply  Company ; 
Republican ;  member  Point  Breeze  Pres- 
byterian Church ;  married.  May  ig,  1896, 
Miss  Maude  Mabel,  daughter  of  J.  W.  J. 
and  Emma  (Maple)  McLain,  of  Pitts- 
burgh (biography  of  J.  W.  J.  McLain 
elsewhere  in  work)  ;  children :  Ruth 
Maple,  John  McLain,  born  October  17, 
1901.  4.  Edward  Everett  Jr.,  born  May 
15,  1869;  New  York  representative  of 
Pittsburgh  White  Metal  Company;  mar- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ried,  January  i,  1896,  Miss  Lida,  daughter 
of  Marion  C.  and  Emma  (Street)  Rine- 
hart,  of  Pittsburgh,  and  they  are  parents 
of:  Virginia;  Marion  C,  born  Decem- 
ber 7,  1899;  Herbert  McF.,  born  August 
7,  1901,  and  Kenneth,  born  February  2, 
1909.  5.  Charles  Augustus,  born  February 
I,  1873;  educated  at  Pittsburgh  schools; 
employed  by  Jones  &  Laughlin  Steel 
Company,  and  now  with  Credit  Clearing 
House  of  Pittsburgh ;  Republican ;  mem- 
ber Ingram  U.  P.  Church ;  married,  April 
14,  1904,  Miss  Mary  Alter,  daughter  of 
the  late  George  Harrison  and  Margaret 
(Semple)  Brown,  of  Pittsburgh  (ances- 
try of  Mrs.  Mary  Alter  (Brown)  Rine- 
hart  follows)  ;  children :  George  Brown, 
born  May  10,  1905  ;  David  Semple,  born 
October  19,  1910.  6.  Harry,  of  New 
Brighton,  Pennsylvania ;  married  Clara 
Bell,  of  Pittsburgh,  and  has  one  daughter, 
Marjorie.  7.  Anne,  wife  of  James  R. 
Dallas,  of  Pittsburgh ;  and  has  one  child, 
Ada.  8.  Edith,  married  to  Neal  Young, 
of  Pittsburgh  ;  has  three  children :  Rush 
Floyd,  Robert  and  Eileen  Virginia.  The 
wife  and  mother  who  for  more  than  fifty 
years  was  the  presiding  genius  of  a  happy 
and  hospitable  home,  passed  away  Febru- 
ary, 1913. 

The  following  year  witnessed  the  de- 
parture of  Mr.  Rinehart,  who  closed  his 
earthly  course  on  March  21,  1914.  Few 
men  have  been  more  sincerely  loved  and 
honored,  or  more  deeply  mourned.  A 
sense  of  personal  bereavement  pervaded 
the  entire  city. 

As  a  man  of  complex,  many-sided 
nature,  touching  life  at  many  points,  Mr. 
Rinehart  was  singularly  valuable  as  a 
citizen.     The  services  which  he  rendered 


to  Pittsburgh  were  largely  instrumental 
in  the  development  of  various  phases  of 
her  life  as  a  municipality.  As  a  business 
man  he  is  remembered  with  respect  and 
admiration  and  as  an  instructor  in  music 
nis  memory  is  cherished  with  peculiarly 
affectionate  pride.  The  name  of  Edward 
Everett  Rinehart  is  indelibly  inscribed  in 
the  annals  of  Pittsburgh. 

(Brown   Lineage). 

William  Brown  and  Christiana  Thomp- 
son Brown,  of  Scotland,  with  their  chil- 
dren, came  to  America,  landing  in 
Philadelphia,  in  1772.  Following  the 
route  of  Braddock's  army,  they  reached 
their  destination  in  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania. William  Brown  was  born  about 
1725- 

(II)  William  (2),  son  of  William  (i) 
and  Christiana  (Thompson)  Brown,  was 
born  1750;  he  married  Mary  McCamish. 

(III)  Robert,  son  of  William  (2)  and 
Mary  (McCamish)  Brown,  was  born 
1792;  married  Elizabeth  Williamson. 

(IV)  William  McCamish,  son  of  Rob- 
ert and  Elizabeth  (Williamson)  Brown, 
was  born  December  29,  1818,  died  Janu- 
ary 4,  1874;  he  married  Mary  Alter,  born 
July  17,   1827,  died  January  30,   1904. 

(V)  George  Harrison,  son  of  above 
William  McCamish  and  Mary  (Alter) 
Brown,  was  born  May  2,  1857,  died  Octo- 
ber 30,  1898;  he  married  Margaret 
.Semple,  born  January  21,  1857. 

(VI)  Mary  Alter,  daughter  of  George 
Harrison  and  Margaret  (Semple)  Brown, 
married  Charles  A.  Rinehart,  of  Pitts- 
burgh (see  biography  under  that  of  his 
fatlier,  Edward  Everett  Rinehart,  de- 
ceased, as  above). 


0 


1823 


INDEX 


INDEX 


Ayers,  Henry  C,  1733 
Joseph  S.,  1733 
Mary  L.,  1734 

Baker,  Edward  E.,  15 13 

Henry  C,  1513 

Samuel,  1513 
Bakewell,  Allan  C,  Col.,  1484 

William,  1482 

William  J.,  1482 
Baum,  Christian,  1640 

William  P.,  1640,  1641 
Beatty,  Hamilton  K.,  M.  D..  1710 

William  W,.  1710 
Beavers  Family,  1719 
Bialas.  Joseph  H.,  1521,  1522 

Roman  F.,  1522 
Bishop,  Richard,  1459 
Bisler,  Godfried  F.,  1794 

Gustav  A.,  1794 
Black.  George,  1694 

Philip,  1694 
Blair,  Hugh,  Rev.,  1585 

John,  1586 

John  A.,  1587 

Parr  D.,  1585,  1588 

Robert,  Rev.,  1585 
Blankenburg,  Rudolph,  1498,  1499 
Boyd,  David,  1617 

David  H.,  M.  D.,  1617,  1618 

Thomas  H.,  1617 
Brackett,  Jacob,  161 1 

Joshua,  161 1 

Samuel,  161 1 
Brashear,  Ortho,  1810 

Reginald,  1810 

Washington,  1810 
Brick,  Joseph  K.,  1639 
Brown,  Benjamin,  1782 

George  H.,  1480 

John,  1782 

Jonathan,  1751 


Joseph, 1782 

Oliver,  1783 

Thomas  S.,  1782,  1784 

William.  1783 
Buchanan,  George,  Rev.,  1540 

James  G.,  M.  D.,  1540 

John  J.,  M.  D.,  1543 
Burke,  Michael,  1675 
Burpee,  Washington  A.,  i486.  1487 

Washington  L..  i486 
Bushfield,  George  T.,  1567 

James  S.,  1567 

Samuel.  1567  '' 

Carson,  Georgia,  1595 

Robert,  1593 
Cartwright.  Charles  L.  E.,  Rev..  1774.  1775 

Edward.  1775 

Richard,  1775 

Richard,  Rev..  1775 
Chalfant.  Edward  C.  1806 

George,  1803 

George  N.,  1806 

George  W.,  Rev.,  1803,  1804 

Samuel  P..  1803 
Chandler.  Charles  F..  M.  D.,  1688 

William  A..  1688 
Clark.  James,  1621 

James  B.,  1621 

James  L.,  1621 
Clayton.  William,  1507 
Coale,  Skipwith,  1510 

Thomas  E..  1510 

William,  1510 

William  E.,  1510 
Coleman.  Columbus.  1754,  1755 

Isabella,  1756 

Thomas,  1755 
Collins,  David.  1743 

John  P.,  1743 

Katherine,  1744 
1827 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Conner,  Cornelius,  1782 

William,  1782 
Cooper,  David,  1525 

Henry,  1525,  1527 

John  F.,  1526 

Philip,  1525,  1526 
Coulter,  Richard,  1768,  1770 

Richard,  Gen.,  1770 

Richard,  Justice,  1769 
Cowley,  John,  1541 

Mary  J.,  1541 
Culbertson,  Alexander,  1490 

Samuel,  1490 
Cummings.  James  H.,  1508 

John, 1508 
Cummins,  Cyrus,  1615 

Robert,  1615 

Robert  W.,  1615,  1616 
Curry,  Moses,  1617 

Samuel,  1617 

Darlington,  Francis  M.,  1643 

Harry,  1643 

Mary  E.,  1645 
Dearth,  Alfred  F.,  1809 

Maxwell,  1809 

Orlando  P..  1809 

Walter  A.,  Dr.,  1809 
Dickinson,  Breese  M.,  M.  D.,  1627,  162 

John,  1627 

Martin  B.,  1627 
Dinkey,  Alva  C,  1476,  1477 
Donaldson.  David,  1764 

John  B.,  M.  D..  1764,  1765 

William,  1764 
Dunham,  Benajah,  1549 

David,  1549 

Edmund,  1549 

John, 1549 

Jonathan,  1549 
Dunn,  Charles  B.,  1747,  1748 

Robert,  1748 
Durham,  James,  1657,  1658 

Joseph  E.,  1657,  1658 

Joseph  G.,  1658 
Dyer,  Charles  D..  1502 

John,  1502 

Samuel,  1502 


Eastman,  Ezekiel  P.,  Dr.,  1803 

Frank  M.,  1803 

Henry,  M.  D.,  1555 
Edmonds,  Franklin  S.,  1800,  1801 

Henry  R.,  1801 
Eicher,  Jacob,  1467 

Peter,  1467 
Elliott,  Byron  K.,  1613 

James,  1613 

Samuel,  1613 

William,  1613 
Emery,  John  S.,  161 1 
Esser,  Charles  W.,  1697 

Jacob,  1697 

Jacob  B.,  1697 
Everson,  Barclay  M.,  1771 

Malcolm  W.,  M.  D..  1670,  1671 

Sarah,  1772 

William,  1669 

William  H.,  1669,  1671,  1771 
Ewing,  Samuel,  1813 

Thomas,  1813 

Fife,  John,  1813 
Flagg,  Josiah,  1717 

Thomas,  1717 
Fox,  Edward,  1798 

Frances  M.,  1800 

Gilbert  R.,  1797,  1799 

John,  Maj.,  1798 
Fuller  ancestry.  1550 

Gable,  Isaac,  1647 

Peter,  1647 

William  F.,  1647 
Gaston,  John  I.,  1481 

Joseph,  1481 
Gilfillan,  Alexander.  1812.  1813 

John,  1812 
Gill,  Ebenezer,  1757 

John, 1757 

Samuel  E.,  1757 
Gilpin,  Bernard,  1579 

Joseph,  1579,  1580 

Thomas,  1579 
Goehring,  Charles  L.,  1655 

George  M.,  1655 

John,  1655 
1828 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


John  M.,  1655,  1656 

John  J.,  1655 

Mary  E.,  1657 

Wolfgang  W.,  1655 
Gregg,  David,  1743 
Griggs,  Ichabod,  1720 

John, 1721 

Joseph  F.,  Prof.,  1720,  1721 

Thomas,  1720 

Thomas  C,  1723 
Grubb,  Alma,  1578 

Charles  G.,  1576,  1577 

George,  1577 

John, 1576 

Josiah,  1577 

William,  1576 

Hagan,  George  C,  15 16 

George  J.,  1516,  1517 

Jonathan,  1516 
Hand,  David  B.,  M.  D.,  1750,  1751 

Nathan,  1750 

Robert,  1750 

Stephen,  1750 
Harrison,  John,  1492 

Michael  L.,  1492 

Thomas,  1492 

Thomas  S.,   1492 
Hart,  Joshua,  1701 

William  K.,  1701,  1703 
Harvey,  James  G.,  1790 

Peter,  1790 
Haworth,  Jehu,  1686 
Hays,  Abraham,  1735 

Charles,  1653 

Henry  B.,  1734,  1736 

Jacob,  1735 

James  H.,  1734,  1735 

John,  1651 

William,  165 1,  1652. 
Heiskell,  Christopher,  1785 

Frederick,  1785 

John,  1785 

Otho  W.,  1785 
Herdman,  Robert,  1615 

William,  1615 
Hersh,  William  M.,  1766,  1767 


Heyer,  Charles  H.,  1730 

Franklin  P.,  1730 
Higginbotham,  James  C,  1810 

Samuel,  1810 
Hill,  Aaron,  1777 

Charles  A.,  M.  D.,  1776 

James,  1580 

Joseph,  1580 
Holdship,  Charles  F.,  1531 

George  W.,  1530 

Henry,  1530 
HoUopeter,  William  C,  M.  D.,  1700 
Howry,  Abraham,,  1789 

Abraham  K.,  1788,  1789 

Mary,  1789 

Irish,  Charlotte  D.,  1726 

Dallas  C,  Capt.,  1723,  1725 
Nathaniel,  1723,  1724 
William  B.,  1725 

Johnson,  John  W.,  1533 
Johnston,  Francis  E.,  1796 

James,  1568,  1569 

John,  1569,  1796 

John  R.,  1796,  1797 

John  T.,  1569 

Norwood,  1568,  1570 

Robert,  1569 

Thomas,  1569 

William,  1796 
Junkin,  David  X.,  15 18 

Joseph,  1518,  1542,  1543 

Kahle,  Frederick,  1582 

Frederick  L.,  1582,  1583 

Frederick  P.,  1582,  1583 

John,  1582 
Kearns,  Edward,  1674 

Edward  L.,  1674 

Edward  P.,  1674 
Keim,  George  de  B.,  151 1 

George  M.,  15 11 
Kelly,  Edward,  1681 

John,  1681 

WilHam  A.,  1681 
Kennedy  Family,  1666 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Kent,  Conrad,  1738 

Edward  J.,  1738 

Frederick,  1738 

Thomas,  1738 
Kerr,  Robert,  1740 

Robert  M.,  1740 

Sarah  A.,  1740 
Kier,  Harry  E.,  1467 

Samuel  M.,  1467 

Thomas,  1467 
King,  James,  M.  D.,  1691,  1692 

John,  1692 
Knecht,  Howard  R.,  1820 

John, 1819 

John  J.,  1819 

Langworthy,  John,  1505 

Nathan  H.,  1505 
Laughlin,  James,  1615 

William  B.,  1615 
Lee,  Caleb,  1688,  1689 

John,  1688 
Lyle,  Aaron,  1814 

John, 1814 

Robert,  1814 
Lyon,  James  B.,  1504 

John  C,  1504 

McCandless,  Alexander  G.,  Dr.,  1807 

J.  Guy,  Dr.,  1807,  1808 

Margaret  E.,  1808 

William,  1807 
McCleery,  John,  1518 
McCook,  George,  1704 
McCormick,  David  C,  1484.  1485 

John  S.,  i486 

Pollard,  1485 
McCready,  James  C.  1623 

James  H.,  M.  D.,  1623 

Joseph,  1623 

Robert,  1623 
McCullough.  Jacob  N..  1659,  1660 

J.  N.,  1659 

William,  1659 
McCurdy,  Peter,  1693 

Stewart  L.,  1693 
McGirr,  Francis  C,  1559 


John  E.,  M.  D.,  1556,  1557 

Patrick,  1556 
McKee,  Eda  S.  E.,  1742 

James  R.,  1741,  1742 

John  A.,  1741 
McKnight,  Charles,  1749 

Eliza  T.,  1768 

Thomas  H.  B.,  1749,  1750 

Wharton,  1768 

William,  1749 
McLain,  Benjamin,  1532,  1620 

Benjamin  N.,  1620 

John  W.  J.,  1532,  1533 

Laughlin,  1532 
Maron,  Conrad,  1770,  1771 
Marshall,  Emma  L.,  1691 

George,  1731 

George  V.,  1691 

James  L.,  1731,  1732 
Martin,  Charles  L.,  1793 

John  T.,  1793 
Mason,  Henry  L.,  161 1 

Henry  L.,  Jr.,  161 1 
Matlack,  Timothy,  1465 
Mehard,  Churchill  B.,  1481 

James,  1479 

Samuel  S.,  1478,  1479 
Mellon,  Louis  A.  K.,  1777,  1778 
Miller,  George,  1528 

William,  1605 

William  G.,  1528 

W.  Wallace,  1528,  1529 

Zachariah  T.,  M.  D.,  1605 
Moon,  Adam  B.,  1572 

George,  1572 

Seymour  B.,  M.  D.,  1572 
Moore,  Emma  L.,  1598 

Delano  R.,  1597 

John,  1597 

Johnston,  1597 
Alorgan,  Algernon  S.  M.,  Col.,  1595 

James  B.,  1595 

George,  1595 

George  N.,  1596 
Moyer,  George,  1545 

Irwin  J.,  M.  D.,  1544,  1547 

Jacob,  1545 
1830 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


James  S.,  1546 
Philip,  1545 
Sanford  J.,  1546 
William,  1546 
Murray,  James,  1600 
John,  1600 
William,  1600 

Neeb,  Casper,  1592 

Harry  A,,  1593 

John  L.,  1592 

William,  1589,  1590 
Negley,  Alexander,  1631 

Alexander  J.,  1639 

George  G.,  1635 

Georgina  G.,  1639 

Henry  H.,  1638 

Jacob,  1631,  1633 

Jacob  B.,  1637 

James  S.,  Maj.-Gen.,  1639 

M.  Alice,  1639 

Sarah  J.,  1638 

Theodore  S.,  Rev.,  1638 

William  M.,  1637 
Nevin,  George,  1528 
Nicholson,  Edgar  W.,  1654 

William  R.,  1654,  1773,  1774 
Nimick,  Frank  B.,  1666 

William,  1663 

William  K,,  1662,  1663 

Patchin,  Henry,  1727 

Jabez,  1727 

Jacob,  1727 

Lyman,  1727 

Samuel,  1727 
Patton,  Benjamin  F.,  1598,  1599 

John.  1598,  1599 

William,  1599 
Paxton,  William,  1785 
Pinney,  Lester  C,  1571 
Pond,  Abel,  1574 

Edward  H.,  M.  D.,  1574,  1575 

Joel  A.,  1574 

John  N.,  1574 
Pressly,  David,  1534 


John  T.,  Rev.,  1534 
Margaret  M.,  1536 
Price,  Francis,  1751 

Henry  T..  M.  D.,  1560 
William  P.,  1560 

Rea,  John,  1488 

Samuel,  14S8 

William,  1488,  1489,  1491 

William  H.,  1491 
Read,  Charles,  1625 

James  L.,  Rev.,  1624,  1626 

William  L.,  1625 
Richards,  Joseph  E.,  1815 

Joseph  T.,  1815 
Rigg,  Hijah,  1629 

John  E.,  M.  D.,  1629 

Newton,  1629 
Rinehart.  Alfred  W.,  1822 

Clarence  C,  1822 

Clarence  C,  M.  D.,  1552 

David,  1550 

Edward  E.,  1552,  1821 

Frank  A.,  1554 

Frederick,  1550 

William,  1550,  1551,  1821 
Roberts,  Robert  M.,  1699 
Robinson,  Joseph  P.,  1618 

William,  1618 

William  D.,  M.  D.,  1497,  1498 

William  H.,  16 18 
Roup,  John,  1642 

Jonas,  1642 
Rowand,  Alexander,  1459 

Archibald  H.,  1460 

Archibald  H.,  Jr.,  1459,  ^46<-' 

Harry  H.,  1465 

John,  1459,  1460 

Thomas,  1460 
Roy,  Stephen,  1751 

Saxton,  Clarence  L.,  iSio.  181 1 

Samuel  J.,  181 1 
Schaeffer,  Charles  D.,  M.  D.,  1705 

David,  1705' 
Schildecker.  Charles  B.,  M.  D.,  1565,  1566 


1831 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Peter,  1555 

William,  1565 
Schoble,  Frank,  1760-1761 
Scott,  Annie  L.,  1693 

Samuel,  1564 

William,  1693 
Scully,  Cornelius,  171 1 

Cornelius  D.,  1713 

John  S.,  1711 
Semple,  James,  1603 

John,  M.  D.,  1603 

John  S.,  1604 

Mary  I.  R.,  1604 

Robert  A.,  1603 
Shank,  S.  T.,  1773 

Theodore  B.,  1772,  1773 
Shaw,  David,  1779 

David  E.,  1780 

George  E.,  1564,  1565 

Henry  C,  1726 

John,  1562 

Samuel,  1779 

Samuel  J.,  1780 

Thomas  W.,  1562 

Thomas  W.,  M.  D.,  1561,  1562 

W'illiam  A.,  1780 

William  C,  M.  D.,  1779,  1780 
Shoenberger,  John  H.,  1485 
Simpson,  John,  1600 
Singer,  George,  1668 

George,  Jr.,  1667,  1668 

Simon,  1668 

W.  Henry,  1668 
Smith,  Edgar  F.,  LL.  D.,  1537 

Edward  E.,   1760 

Eugene  L.,  1759 

Frederick  C,  1759 

Gibson, 1537 

Hiram,  1759 

Nicholas,  1759 
Spencer,  Charles  H.,  1762,  1763 

John,  1762 

Joseph  W.,  1762 

Mary  W.,  1763 

Samuel,  1762 
Stephens,  Marlin  B.,  1763 

William  S.,  1763 


Stephenson,  James,  1072 

James,  Capt.,  1671,  1672 

John, 1672 

Margaret  R.,  1673 

Richard,  1671 
Stetson,  John  B.,  1467 
Stevens,  Hubbard,  161 1 
Stevenson,  John,  1786 

Philip  H.,  1786 

William  J.,  1787 
Stewart,  Henry  S.  A.,  1601 

James,  1715 

Reuel,  M.  D.,  1714,  1716 

Thomas  P.,  1715 

William,  1601,  1715 

William  A.,  M.  D.,  1573 

William  L.  R.,  1573 
Stillwagen,  Adam,  1728 

Charles  A.,  M.  D.,  1728,  1729 

Jacob,  1728 

Michael,   1728 
Stoddard,  Louis  E.,  1645 
Stoner  (Steiner),  Jacob,  1564 

John,  1564 

Solomon,  1564 
Strong,  Francis  D.,  1521 

Jacob,  1520 

John,  1519.  1520 

Martin,  1520 

Richard,  1519 

Timothy,  1520 
Sutton,  Alfred,  1457 

George,  1457 

Richard  B.,  1457,  1458 
Swing,  R.  Hamill  D.,  D.  D.  S.,  1746,  1747 

Thompson,  William  A  ,  1797 
Tompkins,  Daniel  D.,  1728 

Enoch,  1728 

John,  1727 

Jonathan,  1727 

Nathaniel,  1727 

Stephen,  1727 
Trautman,  Leander,  1494 

Louis,  1494 
1832 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Vincent,  James,  1745 

Mary  E.,  1745 

Reed  M.,  1745 

William,  1745 
Von  Senden,  Arthur,  15 18 

Karl  S.,  1518,  1519 

Walton,  Joseph,  1676 
Watres,  Louis  A.,  1815,  1816 

Lewis  S.,  1815 
Weaver,  Benjamin,  1706 

Henry,  1706 

Henry  A.,  1705,  1707 
Wendt,  Charles  I.,  M.  D.,  1679,  1680 

Christian  I.,  1679 

Frederick,   1679 
Wesley,  Augustus  G.,  1610 

Frank  A.,   1610 

Michael  G.,  1610 

Peter  G.,  1610 
White,  Anna  L.  B.,  1497 

Stephen  W.,  1496 
Whitehill,  David,  1507 

James,  1507 

James  C,  1507 
Williams,  John,  1723 

Robert,  1722 

Stephen,  1722 
Wills,  Abner  E.,  1792 


Allen  W.,  1792 

J.  Hunter,  1791 

Michael,  1792 
Wilson,  Adam,  1698 

Mary  D.,  1699 

Samuel,  1698 

Thomas,  1563 
Winebiddle,  John  C,  1642 
Winthrop,  John,  1719 
Wister,  Mary  C,  1474 

Owen,  1472 

Owen  J.,  1472 

William  R.,  1475 
Woelfel,  Frederick,  1754 

Herbert  E.,  M.  D.,  1754 
Wood,  Thomas,  1718 

William  B.,  1717,  1718 
Work,  James,  1817 

James  C,  1817,  1818 

John, 1817 

Joseph,  1817 
Worthington,  Edward,  1523 

John,  1523 
Wright,  Elwood  G.,  1505,  1506 

James,  1682,  1683 

John.  1682 

John  L.,  1685 

Samuel,  1506,  1682,  1684,  1685 

Thomas,  1506 


1833 


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