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Digitized by tine Internet Archive
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http://www.archive.org/details/genealogicalpers03jord
GENEALOGICAL
AND
PERSONAL HISTORY
OF
Western Pennsylvania
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
JOHN W. JORDAN, LL. D.
Librarian of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; Editor of "Penn-
sylvania Magazine of History and Biography" ; author of various historical works.
ILLUSTRATED
VOLUME III
NEW YORK
LEWIS HISTORICAL PUBLISHING COMPANY
I915
v),3
A
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1089
boat commanded by Captain Robert Cochran, son of the farmer for whom
Frank H. Kummer had worked for eight years. Mr. Kummer passed nine-
teen years on the river, and in 1867 purchased the farm in McCandless town-
ship, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, that is his present home, having rented
the tract, fifty-five acres in extent, for five years previous to that time. A
poorly built house and a log barn were the buildings that then stood thereon,
which Mr. Kummer replaced with substantial and attractive structures,
which were but a part of the many improvements he made in the property.
He set out orchards of various kinds of fruit trees, and specialized in their
culture, the products of his orchards never failing to bring the highest market
price and being noted throughout the region for their unvarying excellence.
At this time Mr. Kummer, after a life of ceaseless activity well rewarded,
lives almost retired, giving his personal attention to the cultivation of but
two acres of his land and having disposed of fifteen acres of his original tract.
For twelve years while engaged in farming he was a fertilizer salesman, and
for more than the past thirty years has been a director of the McCandless
Mutual Fire Insurance Association. He served the township for five years
in the capacity of school director, and is a communicant of the Lutheran
church. Mr. Kummer has a wide circle of friends throughout the locality in
which he has passed so many of his seventy-eight years, and is a familiar
figure in McCandless township, where he holds the cordial liking and regard
of all.
He married, in 1862, Sarah, born in Deer Creek township, Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, daughter of William and Anna Elizabeth (Rocken-
seis) Miller, natives of Germany, who settled in Deer Creek township, Alle-
gheny county, Pennsylvania. Children of Frank H. and Sarah (Miller)
Kummer: i. William, a farmer of Butler county, Pennsylvania. 2. John,
a gardener, lives in Los Angeles, California. 3. Frank H. Jr., a grocer of
Perrysville avenue, Wildwood, Pennsylvania, partner of his brother, Harry.
4. Ida, lives at home. 5. Emma, deceased. 6. Charles, of Los Angeles,
California, associated in business with his brother, John. 7. Anna, lives at
home. 8. George, a salesman, lives at home. 9. Harry, a partner of his
brother, Frank H., as previously mentioned.
August Keil, deceased, for many years a contractor, builder and
KEIL farmer of McCandless township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
was a son of John Adam Keil, and grandson of Peter Keil, the
latter a miller and farmer of Germany, who never left his native land, but
on his farm and in the mill spent his entire life. He married and left issue :
Peter (2), John Adam, of further mention; Christina. August Keil was a
life-long resident of McCandless township, there erected a house and reared
a family, his widow and sons now cultivating the farm his industry and
thrift secured. Mr. Keil was well known in the township, was president of
the local Mutual Fire Insurance Company and prominent in local politics.
(II) John Adam Keil was born in Germany, January 8, 1807, obtained
a good education, and remained in his native land until June, 1836. He then
logo
WESTERN PENxNSYLVANIA
came to the United States, settled in Butler county, Pennsylvania, where
he conducted a hotel and operated a farm. Later he sold his Butler county
•possessions and tnoved to McCandless township, Allegheny county, there
purchasing a farm of seventy acres, upon which he lived until his death.
He married Margaret Hoffman and had issue: i. Henry, now a farmer
of McCandless township; married Louisa Netzkey ; children: Philip L.,
married Margaret Woods ; Harry G., married Bell Mclntyre ; Ada, married
Samuel Anderson. 2. John Adam (2), born July 9, 184.2, now a farmer of
McCandless township; married Anna Ehrhart ; children: Carrie, Albert,
Elmer, Leonard. 3. August, of further mention. 4. Margaret Louisa. 5.
Philip, moved to Ohio, engaged in business as a merchant, but died when
about twenty-one years of age.
(HI) August Keil, son of John Adam and Margaret (Hoffman) Keil,
was born in McCandless township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, July 3,
1845, died June 26, 1913. He was educated in public schools, learned the
carpenter's trade, and from the age of seventeen to thirty-four years, fol-
lowed that occupation, becoming a fine workman and a well known and re-
liable contractor, erecting some of the largest and best buildings in the sur-
rounding community. In 1879 he purchased a farm of ninety-four acres in
the township and thereafter devoted himself to its cultivation. He wonder-
fully improved his purchase by the erection of good substantial farm house
and buildings, doing this work in the intervals between crops. He was as
good a farmer as he was a builder, prospered, bore his full share of public
responsibility and won for himself honorable standing in the community.
He was a Republican in politics, served as assessor, school director, road
supervisor and township auditor, and was an active member of St. John's
Lutheran Church.
Mr. Keil married Elizabeth Sarver, born October 31, 1858, daughter of
Philip and Elizabeth (McCullough) Sarver, deceased, her father a farmer of
McCandless township. Philip and Elizabeth Sarver had a large family: i.
Lettie, married Christopher Kolbaugh. deceased. 2. Elizabeth, now widow
of August Keil. 3. John, married Mary Callahan. 4. Samuel, married Anna
Prosser. 5. William, married Martha McKinney. 6. Thomas, deceased ;
married Mary Yingling. 7. George, married Cora Parker. 8. Matilda, mar-
ried George Hoffman. 9. Martha, married George Sickles, both deceased.
ID. Amanda, died unmarried. Children of August and Elizabeth ( Sarver)
Keil: t. Philip, born 1880, died 1881. 2. Elizabeth. 3. William. 4. Bessie,
born and died in 1885. 5. John, born 1887, died 1891. 6. Bertha. 7. Frank,
attended Pittsburgh Academy, graduated in 1912. 8. Edna, attended Pitts-
burgh Academy, graduated in 1913. 9. Winifred. Since the death of her
husband, Mrs. Elizabeth Keil has managed the home farm with the aid of
her sons and daughters, none of whom are married.
From Fulda, a city of Prussia, in Hesse-Nassau, on the river
KEITZ Fulda, came Joseph M. Keitz, son of Andrew Keitz, who died
there, and father of Ernest R. Keitz, now a farmer of Stowe
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA ick)i
township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. Fulcla is of historic interest
from its Abbey, founded in the early part of the middle ageS, which became
known as a seat of learning. Out of this abbey aro§e the old Episcopal
principality of Fulda. The city from 1734 to 1803 was the seat of a uni-
versity. Among the interesting edifices of the city are the beautiful Cathed-
ral, erected in 1704-12, the Ancient Chapel of St. Boniface, restored in 1892,
the extensive buildings of the old Benedictine Convent, now a clerical semi-
nary, the Church of St. Michael, consecrated in tlie year 822, and other
famous buildings of the Catholic church. Here educated in the exceptional-
ly fine institutions controlled by the church, lived Andrew Keitz, secretary of
the prince bishop of the diocese or province, a Roman Catholic.
He was well connected by family ties and was a person of consequence,
living on his farm adjoining the city. He died aged sixty years, his wife
preceding him to the grave. The men of the family were as a rule short in
stature but well built and intellectual. Children: i. John, a prosperous,
influential lawyer, died in Germany. 2. Joseph M., of further mention. 3.
Julia, died in Germany, unmarried. 4. Johanna, died in Germany, unmar-
ried. 5. Wilhelmina, died in Germany, unmarried. 6. Ottilia, married a
Herr Embach, a government attorney-at-law in Germany.
(H) Joseph M. Keitz, second son of Andrew Keitz, was born at the
ancestral estate at Fulda, Hesse-Nassau, Prussia, in 1812, died at Chartiers
Creek, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in 1891, having suffered a stroke of
paralysis in 1871 and being an invalid for the twenty years preceding his
death. He was finely educated in the excellent schools of his native city,
and after his marriage lived on the paternal estate, managing its large farm-
ing operations. In 1858 he came to the United States, going to St. Marys
in Elk county, Pennsylvania. He had been brought up in the Roman
Catholic church and on arriving at St. Marys secured a position as teacher
in one of the church schools. He taught there for two years, then sent to
Germany for his family and on their arrival in i860 located at Phillipsburg,
in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, now known as !Monaca. He there taught a
German school connected with the church, remaining two years before re-
moving to Chartiers Creek, Allegheny county. There he rented a farm and
for ten years or more taught school and managed the farm. Suddenly
stricken with paralysis, his activities ceased and for nearly twenty years he
was an invalid. He was a man of gentle, quiet nature, scholarly and refined,
and highly esteemed as an educator. He married, in Fulda, Prussia, Fred-
erika Dernbach, born in the village of Hofachenbach. Hesse-Cassel, Prussia,
August 2, 1823, died January 11, 1905, daughter of Anthony and Sabina
Dernbach, her father a farmer and inn keeper of her native village. The
Dernbachs were also members of the Roman Catliolic church. Children:
I. Casimer. a farmer of Germany, died aged thirty-five years, leaving three
sons. 2. Charles, was a farmer of Germany, deceased. 3. Ignatz. was a
farmer of Germany, deceased. 4. Francisca, married Michael Joseph Hauck,
a merchant of Fulda, both deceased. 5. Frederika. married Joseph M.
Keitz, of previous mention. Children of Mr. and Mrs. Keitz: i. Mary,
1092 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
married Theodore Frank, and died in Germany. 2. Eugene, died young. 3.
Wilhelmina, married Laurence Hanaur, a farmer of Robinson township,
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, both deceased. 4. Ernest R., of further
mention. 5. Charles, married Mary Coy, of Meigs county, Ohio, and resides
in Columbus, Ohio. 6. Antonia, married Louis Burkhart, and resides at Mc-
Kees Rocks, Pennsylvania. 7. Theodore, married Gertrude Weaver, and
resides on the farm in Kennedy township with his brother, Ernest R. ; he
has two children, Edward and Theodore (2).
(Ill) Ernest R. Keitz, son of Joseph M. and Frederika (Dernbach)
Keitz, was born near the city of Fulda, Hesse-Nassau, fifty-four miles from
Cassel, Prussia, March 30, 1848. He attended the church schools of Fulda
until twelve years of age, then in i860, with his mother, brothers and sisters,
joined his father in St. Marys, Elk county, Pennsylvania, continuing his
education in the schools taught by his honored father in Allegheny county.
After they moved to the farm at Chartiers Creek, he helped in its cultivation
until beginning an apprenticeship at the tinner's trade, going to Pittsburgh
for that purpose. He worked at his trade several years, then began teaching
in tbe parochial schools connected with St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church,
at McKees Rocks. He continued teaching seven years, then purchased a
small farm in Kennedy township, where since about 1884 he has been en-
gaged in market gardening. He was elected justice of the peace in 1896
and still holds that office, having his office in McKees Rocks, where he also
conducts an insurance and real estate business. He is highly regarded in
his community and no man there is better known than "Squire" Keitz, nor
one more worthy of the public respect he commands. He is a Democrat
in politics, a member of St. Mary's Roman Catholrc Church, and of the
Knights of St. George. Squire Keitz is unmarried.
The Redmans are of Irish descent, and while they have only
REDMAN come to this country in recent years, they have already
proven their worth as desirable citizens.
John Redman was born in county Down, Ireland, in 1824, died in
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in 1899. He emigrated to America in 1849,
and at once proceeded to Pittsburgh, where he lived at the corner of Liberty
and Canal streets. He removed to Braddock Fields in 1856. He was a
Democrat, and a member of tlie United Presbyterian church. He married
Lucinda Kelly, also born in county Down, Ireland, in 1828, died in Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, in 1895. They had children : i. William J., of further
mention. 2. Robert, born in what is now the Ninth Ward of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, in 1852. 3. Anna, born in Braddock, Pennsylvania, in 1861 ;
married James L. Black. 4. Malinda, born December 7, 1863 ; married John
L. Lightner, of Braddock. 5. Emma, born March 10, 1869 ' ^'^es at Swiss-
vale, Pennsylvania. 6. Agnes, born January 5, 1872 ; lives at Swissvale.
William J. Redman was born at Dramore, county Down, Ireland, Oc-
tober 19, 1848, and was brought to Pittsburgh by his parents, April 10, 1850.
In 1856 he was brought to Braddock, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, which
'^ '/' /l^LeU^c
iS^ft-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1093
town has been his liome since that time. lie was educated in the pubhc
schools of Braddock, North Braddock and Swissvale, one of his teachers
being Sarah Holland, who later became the widow of John McKim, and the
mother-in-law of Professor Samuel Hamilton, superintendent of the county
schools. It was while he was at this school that the first shot was fired
at Fort Sumter, and he enlisted in Company K, One Hundred and Twelfth
Pennsylvania Artillery, and served until 1864. He was in service during the
battles of the Wilderness and Antietam, and was taken prisoner at Cold
Harbor, June 2, 1864, and taken to Richmond, \ irginia. He was then sent
to Libby Prison, and was honorably discharged, January 29, 1866. For
some years he was engaged in river work and as a coal miner, and was one
of the engineers engaged in the construction work for the Edgar Thompson
Steel Plant, and was engineer at Homestead at the time of the strike of
1892. He assisted in starting the steel works at New Castle, Pennsylvania,
and was engineer there in 1896. He returned to the works at Homestead
and remained there until 1900, was then janitor of the Third Ward School
for four years, and in 1906 was appointed sergeant of police, an import-
ant office he is filling at the present time. He is a Republican, and he and
his wife are members of the United Presbyterian church. He is past com-
mander of the A. N. Harper Post, of Braddock, Grand Army of the Re-
public, Department of Pennsylvania, and national delegate to the National
Convention held in 1913, and was on the national staflf at two of the
National Conventions held at Rochester, New York.
Mr. Redman married (first) Josephine Mitchell, of Bentleysville,
Washington county, Pennsylvania, who died June 28, 1878; he married
(second) April 9. 1880, Elizabeth Murphy, of Pittsburgh. Qiildren, all by
first marriage: i. John P., of Allegheny, Pennsylvania. 2. George, of Brad-
dock, married Ella Sullivan, and has child, Dorothy. 3. Anna L., married
John F. Ford, and has children: Gertrude. James W., Lucinda, Naomi.
William T-
The Hosack family, of which John F. Hosack, of Bridge-
HOSACK ville, Pennsylvania, was representative, settled in Mercer
county, Pennsylvania, in 1803. Henry Hosack, grandfather
of John F., was the original settler, there working at his trade, shoemaker,
until his death in i86t. He was a soldier of the War of 1812, a good soldier
and citizen. His wife, Elizabeth Paxton, survived him; both members of
the United Presbyterian Church and both are buried in Mercer.
(II) Dr. John P. Hosack, son of Henry and Elizabeth (Paxton)
Hosack, was born in Mercer, Pennsylvania, in 1822, died November 16,
1894. He obtained his classical education in Mercer Academy and JefTerson
College. Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, then entered Jefferson Medical College,
Philadelphia, whence he was graduated M. D. He began practice in Mercer,
and with the exception of the years spent in the army practiced his profes-
sion in that city and county. He enlisted as surgeon in the 51st Regiment
Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, serving two years. He; took to the war
1094 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
with him his favorite horse, "Fannie," both passing through the war un-
scathed, "Fannie" living in pampered luxury after the return home, sur-
viving to an unusual age for a horse. Dr. Hosack was a member of the
county and state medical societies, the Grand Army of the Republic, and
was one of the eminent members of his profession in Mercer county.
He married Margaret Forker, born in Mercer, in 1826, died April 16,
1896, daughter of John and Isabella (Graham) Forker, both born in Penn-
sylvania, John Forker, in 1800, in Adams county ; Isabella Graham in Mer-
cer county in 1801. John Forker was a gunsmith, a large landowner, a gen-
eral of Pennsylvania militia, died in 1865. Children of Dr. John P. and
Margaret Hosack: i. Henry, died in infancy. 2. John Forker, of whom
further. 3. Jane, married Dr. W. E. Slemmons and resides in Washington,
Pennsylvania. 4. Mary, resides in Mercer, her home on the old Hosack
homestead, but the house a new one. 5. George Z., a Carnegie (Pennsyl-
vania) coal dealer and ex-county treasurer. 6. Isabel, a missionary nurse in
Egypt.
(Ill) John Forker Hosack, son of Dr. John P. and Margaret (Forker)
Hosack, was born in Mercer, Pennsylvania, September 7, 1847, died No-
vember 30, 1907. He was educated at the New Wilmington (Pennsylvania)
Academy and began business life at an early age. He was a weigher of coal
and connected with coal operations in Mercer county until 1876, when he
located at Scott Haven, having charge of mining operations for Mr. Scott.
In 1896 he located in Allegheny, purchasing a mine at Bridgeville, making
that town his home. This mine, previously owned by Mr. Schulte, he worked
for several years. Later he was in the employ of the Pittsburgh Coal Com-
pany, then became interested in West Virginia coal mines and lands. He
was one of the organizers of the Bridgeville Trust Company and the first
president of that prosperous institution, resigning on account of poor health
and living retired until his death in 1907. He was a Republican, a member
of the Masonic Order and a member of the Presbyterian church.
He married, in 1868, Caroline (Carrie) B. Smith, born in Mercer,
Pennsylvania, daughter of James W. and Emmeline (Painter) Smith, both
life-long residents of Mercer county. James Smith was a harness manu-
facturer until 1849, then went to California, where he died soon afterward.
Emmeline Painter, his widow, never again married, dying when past sixty
years of age. Children of John F. and Caroline Hosack: i. Harry, de-
ceased. 2. James. 3. Joseph, deceased. 4. Margaret, married William
Koch: child: Hosack Koch.
Peter Ignatius Immekus, who was born in Westphalia,
• IMMEKUS Germany, never left his native country. He married Anna
Maria Hunold, and they had children, as follows: Mat-
thias Joseph, of further mention ; Peter, who died in Germany.
(II) Matthias Joseph Immekus, son of Peter Ignatius and Anna Maria
(Hunold) Immekus, was born in Westphalia, Germany, May 9, 1812, and
died in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, April 27, 1866. He learned the lock-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1095
smith's trade in his native land, and after his marriage came to the United
States with his wife, in 1846. He followed his trade in Pittsburgh and its
vicinity until his death while still a young man. He and his wife were
devout Catholics, and liberal contributors to the support of St. Michael's
Church. Mr. Immekus married Anna Catherine Kemper, born in West-
phalia, September 13, 1820, died in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, April 8, 1890,
a daughter of Frank and Maria Anna (Bonger) Kemper, both natives of
Westphalia, who came to America in 1846 and spent their declining years
with their children in Pittsburgh, whose names were: Anna Catherine,
mentioned above ; Regina, died in Pittsburgh ; Joseph, died in Butler county,
Pennsylvania ; Bernard, died in Butler county, Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs.
Immekus had children: Frank, who lives on South Side, Pittsburgh ; Joseph
and Ignatius, twins, died in infancy ; Theresa, married William Meis, and
resides at Mount Oliver, a suburb of Pittsburgh; Mary, born in 1849, died
unmarried in 1893; Elizabeth, who was Sister Veronica, of the Order of St.
Francis, died in Buffalo, New York, in 1885 ; Henry, now Father Ferdinand,
rector of St. Michael's parish, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ; Frederick W., of
further mention ; Anna and Peter Joseph, died in infancy.
(Ill) Frederick W. Immekus, son of Matthias Joseph and Anna
Catherine (Kemper) Immekus, was born in Lower St. Clair township, now
part of the city of Pittsburgh, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, May 28, i860.
He was the recipient of an excellent education, the earlier part being
acquired in St. Michael's Parochial School, and this was supplemented by
attendance at DuiT's Business College, after which he entered upon his
business career. Up to the age of twenty-five years he was employed at
the iron mills, and then decided to establish himself in business independ-
ently. He accordingly opened a store for the retail sale of books and
stationery at No. 8 Pius street. South Side, and conducted this for a period
of three years. In 1888 he removed to No. 84 Twelfth street, also on
South Side, continuing in the same line of business for a period of ten
years. Some further years were spent in this line in the vicinity of this
place, and during these years he had added the sale of wall papers to his
original stock, this in the course of time becoming the most important
feature of his business. He finally removed to his present location at Nos.
1317-19 Carson street, where his entire stock now consists of wall paper,
carpets and floor coverings of all kinds. He has, without doubt, the largest
stock of this class of furnishings on the South Side, and employs from
eight to ten employees constantly, and at times a larger number. He is
interested in a number of other business enterprises, among them being:
Stockholder in the Fibre Barrel Machine and Manufacturing Company ;
the Marquette Fire Insurance Company, at Chicago. Illinois; and the New
World Life Insurance Company, at Spokane, Washington. Politically Mr.
Immekus is a Democrat, took an active part in the organization of St.
Clair borough, and was elected its first burgess. Prior to this time, while
still living at Mount Oliver, he had been a member of the common council
and of the school board. He has now lived in St. Clair borough for the
I096 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
past ten years. In religious affairs Mr. Immekus has always displayed a
commendable and beneficial activity. He and his wife have for many years
been members of St. Joseph's Catholic Church. He is a director of St.
Francis' Hospital ; an active member of the Knights of St. George and the
Catholic Mutual Benefit Association. He is commonly referred to as the
father of the Allegheny County Branch of the American Federation of
Catholic Societies, for he was one of the organizers of this branch and its
president for the first seven years of its existence; for the last ten years
he has been a member of the executive board of the National Federation
of Catholic Societies and he is now the treasurer of the German Roman
Catholic Central Verein of the United States.
Mr. Immekus married, July 13, 1886, Ida Weil, born in Pittsburgh,
died March 20, 1893. On November 22, 1893, he married Elizabeth Drost,
also born in Pittsburgh. Children by first marriage : Charles and Ferdi-
nand, deceased; Raymond, in the employ of his father, married Rose
Hueber, and has a son, Eugene Frederick ; Cecelia, lives with her parents.
Only child by second marriage : Henry, now is a student at St. Vincent's
College, Beatty, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania.
John Henry Hohmann, of Bellevue, Pennsylvania, is a
HOHMANN grandson of John Hohmann, who came with his family
from Germany, his son, Henry, having preceded him.
John Hohmann was a shoemaker, following that trade in Germany and
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. Later he owned a farm in Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, on which he resided until death. He married
Gertrude Fritz. Children : Henry, Adam, Katherine and John. The
family were members of the German Lutheran church.
(II) Henry Hohmann, son of John and Gertrude (Fritz) Hohmann,
was born in 1827 in Germany and there was educated in the public schools.
He came to the United States when a young man of twenty-five years, set-
tling in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where for several years he was a
riverman, running the Ohio and tributary rivers. Later he purchased a farm
in Ross township, thence moving to Ohio township, Allegheny county, where
he cleared land and manufactured charcoal. During the Civil War he
enlisted and served with a Pennsylvania regiment in the Union army. He
married Elizabeth Rhuel. Children: i. John Henry, of further mention.
2. John, see sketch in this work. 3. Elizabeth, married Augustus Blank, of
Beaver county. 4. Ernest, of further mention. 3. Emma Matilda, married
Fred Trust. 6. Kate. 7. William, died aged fourteen years. 8. Frederick,
married Anna Yost. 9. Charles T. The family were members of the
German Lutheran church. Henry Hohmann, the father, was a Republican
in politics, serving for many years as constable and collector of taxes.
(III) John Henry Hohmann, son of Henry and Elizabeth (Rhuel)
Hohmann, was born in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, December 18, 1853.
He attended public schools of Ohio township, Allegheny county, learned the
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1097
trade of carpenter and followed that occupation for many of his younger
years. He abandoned his trade in 1894 and since that date has been engaged
in farming. In 1905 he bought his present farm of sixty-five acres, near
Bellevue, Ohio township, where he conducts general farming operations. He
is a member of the United Presbyterian church, and in politics is a Repub-
lican. Mr. Hohmann married Rosa, daughter of Frederick Upperman.
Children: i. Emma Margaret, married John Stuart. 2. Wilhelmina, mar-
ried Harry Anderson. 3. Anna Elizabeth, married Alvin Montgomery.
4. Edward Charles, married Sarah Crawford. 5. Theodore Elmer.
(Ill) Ernest Hohmann, third son and fourth child of Henry and
Elizabeth (Rhuel) Hohmann, was born in Ohio township, Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, October 3, i860. He attended public schools and remained
at home, his father's assistant, until of legal age. He then began farming
for himself in Ohio township, then entered the employ of the La Belle Steel
Company as a spring fitter. He then began a period of temporary sojourn-
ing in various places — McCandless. Johnstown. Mt. Union Church, Pine
township, finally in December, 1883, settling at Perrysville, Pennsylvania,
his present home. There he bought a farm of seventy-four acres on which
he started a small dairy, his first herd consisting of but three cows. He
put forth every effort to increase his business, drove his own wagon over
the route daily and so energetically did he work and to such good purpose
that he increased his herd to fifty cows and marketed their entire product.
He purchased additional land in 1909. to the amount of one hundred and
twenty-five acres, but since 1894 has not engaged in dairying, devoting his
time since that date to fruit and market gardening and teaming. He is one
of the successful men of his section and it is doubtful if any farmer of the
township has caused a similar number of acres to produce larger cash
results than has Mr. Hohmann. Certainly no man has more faithfully
prosecuted his business, his energy and endurance being tremendous, nor
can better results be shown than is displayed on his one hundred and
ninety-five acres of valuable land in McCandless township. Perhaps no
better illustration of his energy and grit can be given than to relate how
when a young man with but one dollar in his pocket he walked from
Emsworth to Pittsburgh, carrying his trunk on his back. He markets an
enormous amount of fruit and produce in the nearbv towns and cities,
receiving the best prices, as his products are carefully handled and are of
the highest grade. He is a member of the German Lutheran church, and a
Republican in politics.
Mr. Hohmann married Fanny, born Februarv 26, 1865, daughter of
Frederick and Amelia (Miller) Miller, whose children were: Molly,
Fanny, May, Daniel and Frederick (2). Children of Ernest and Fanny
Hohmann: i. Emma, born February 18, 1885; married John Miller and
has a son, Henry Raymond, born August 26, 1913. 2. George, deceased.
3. Henry, born January 17, 1889; married Minnie Wayne and has a
daughter, Ruth May. 4. Clara, born July 8. 1892; married W'illiam Whitt-
1098 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
mer, Jr. 5. Frederick Daniel, born May 10, 1895; resides at home, his
father's assistant. 6. Myrtle, born August 12, 1897. 7. Fanny Gertrude,
born March i, 1904.
The American ancestor of the McMillens was of Scotch
McMILLEN descent, his descendants known as Scotch-Irish because of
the residence of the family in Ireland, whence came he
who settled the line in Hopewell township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania.
He married Martha J. Jeffrey, daughter of an old pioneer of Jeffreystown,
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, who survived him. One of their children
was Charles, the father of John McMillen, of whom further.
(Ill) John McMillen, son of Charles McMillen, was born in Moon
township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, March 17, 1836. Leaving the
school in which he had obtained his youthful education, he learned the
carpenter's trade, and after working for three years as a journeyman he
entered the contracting field. To these operations he added lumber dealing,
later admitting his son, Frederick J., to partnership. The original name of
the concern was "John McMillen," and after the forming of the partnership
it was known as John McMillen & Son, and still later, after the death of
the founder, business was transacted as John McMillen's Sons. He
established a business prosperous in its day, whose welfare has become more
secure with the passing of the years. John McMillen met an accidental
death in 1904, his flourishing business a monument to the thoroughness with
which he laid his plans and the excellent judgment that directed his actions.
Throughout nearly all of his mature life he was a member of the Presby-
terian church.
He married, in December, 1862, Cecelia Ann, born near Franklin,
Pennsylvania, daughter of Benjamin and Frances (Martin) Davidson, her
father born in Ireland, her mother near Franklin, Pennsylvania. Frances
Martin was a daughter of Rev. John and Frances (Foster) Martin. Her
father, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, taught the first Sunday
school in Franklin, Pennsylvania, and held religious meetings in a private
house, which is still standing, before the congregation were of sufficient
numbers to erect a place of worship. The ancestors of Frances Martin
were early settlers near Franklin, Pennsylvania, and experienced many of
the adventures that so often fell to the lot of the pioneers, the most exciting
being those with the original inhabitants of the locality, the Indians. Chil-
dren of John and Cecelia Ann (Davidson) McMillen: i. Alberta Louise,
married a Mr. Cunningham. 2. Martha Frances, married a Mr. Murdock
and resides in Sewickley, Pennsylvania. 3. Edward D., of whom further.
4. Frederick J., of whom further. 5. Lucy Alice, died aged sixteen years.
(IV) Edward D. McMillen, son of John and Cecelia Ann (Davidson)
McMillen, was born in Sewickley, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, June 20,
1869. After obtaining a public school education, he was employed in the
commercial bank, later entering the service of the Westinghouse Electrical
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1099
and Manufacturing Company, and upon leaving this concern went west.
In that section of the country he engaged in retail deaUngs in carriages and
wagons, being located in El Paso, Texas, for six years, then returning to
Sewickley, where, in partnership with his brother, Frank J., he has con-
ducted the business inherited from John McMillen, their father. Lumber,
coal, limestone and various makes of roofing are the lines handled by the
firm, which holds a prominent place among organizations of its kind in that
part of the county. The two partners guard zealously the reputation gained
while the business was under the direction of their father, and it is to their
credit that the same high standard, both in goods handled and in business
dealings, is maintained. During the Spanish-American War Mr. McMillen
enlisted in the Fourteenth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry,
serving as a private until just prior to his discharge, when he was promoted
to the rank of sergeant.
(IV) Frederick J. McMillen, son of John and Cecelia Ann (Davidson)
McMillen, was born in Sewickley, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in 1874,
and obtained a general education in the public schools. When he was twenty
years of age he was admitted to his father's business, and since, as junior
partner, has conducted the same, continuing his father's policy of honorable,
upright dealing to his financial benefit. His firm holds the confidence of its
many customers, its wide patronage a tribute to those at its head. Mr.
McMillen has ever supported the Republican party, in religion is a Presby-
terian, and holds membership in the Young Men's Christian Association.
He married, January 26, 1904, Annie Cook Stewart, daughter of David
Boyde and Lillie Rodgers (Cook) Stewart, her father born in New Con-
cord, Ohio, May 31, 1843, died November 18, 1913; her mother a native
of Carnegie, Pennsylvania. David Boyde Stewart was a soldier in the
Union army during the Civil War, and in business was connected with the
Tide Water Oil Company. He had one brother and possibly two sisters.
one of the latter living at the present time. His wife was a daughter of
Jacob W. and Elvira (McKowan) Cook, her father having come from
Pliiladelphia to Pittsburgh in 1832 to accept a position with his brother.
George A. Cook, in the First National Bank of Allegheny. He became
cashier of this institution, later its president, an office he held until his death,
many years later, at which time his son, George A., was cashier. Children
of David Boyde and Lillie Rodgers (Cook) Stewart: i. Elmer Cook,
deceased. 2. Lillie Hamilton, married Harry Thompson, of Sewickley,
Pennsylvania. 3. Byron David, deceased. 4. Annie Cook, of previous
mention, married Frederick J. McMillen. 5. Marie, deceased. Children of
Frederick J. and Annie Cook (Stewart) McMillen: Elizabeth Cook and
Frederick J., Jr.
Ireland is the land whence came the ancestors of Andrew S.
HOGAN Hogan, of this chronicle, county Kilkenny the district of that
country in which the family lived. The first of the line to
iioo WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
immigrate was not he who founded the Pennsylvania branch, but the
father of Andrew W. Hogan, and grandfather of Andrew S. Hogan, who, a
native of county Kilkenny, married an English woman, and lived on his
farm in his homeland until their eight children were grown to maturity,
after which he and his wife immigrated to Canada, buying a fertile farm at
Chatham, Ontario, there residing until their deaths, their youngest son still
living on the farm. They were the parents of: i. Dennis, lived in Cleve-
land, Ohio. 2. Sylvester, deceased; was a jeweler of Cleveland, Ohio. 3.
Andrew W., of whom further. 4. James, a grocer of St. Louis, Missouri.
5. John, deceased ; was a tinner of St. Louis, Missouri. 6. Patrick, resides
on the home farm near Chatham, Ontario, Canada. 7. A daughter, married
a Mr. Ball, and lived in Montreal, Canada. 8. A daughter, resides in Dublin,
Ireland.
(II) Andrew W. Hogan was born on a farm near the river Barrow,
county Kilkenny, Ireland, in 1843, died in Steubenville, Ohio, in 1901. He
was reared on the home farm and educated in the schools nearby, and when
fourteen years of age, filled with the adventurous spirit of youth, he ran
away from the paternal home and went to sea on a merchant vessel. For
several years he was a sailor, his voyage taking him to nearly every port
in the world to which commerce penetrated, and during the war with Mexico
he was in the navy of the United States, our ships then, in comparison with
the fleet recently in Mexican waters, forming a navy hardly worthy of the
name. Abandoning the pursuit of the sea, he made his home in Beaver,
Beaver county, Pennsylvania, at the time that the Fort Wayne Railroad was
in the course of construction, becoming a contractor in work on that road.
When the line was completed he moved to Allegheny City (Pittsburgh
North Side) and was baggage master on the first train that traveled the
newly-laid tracks of the road, remaining in that service and attaining the
rank of conductor, a position he held until 1870, when he went to Steuben-
ville, Ohio. In this city he established in grocery dealing, being for twenty
years a merchant of that place, his death there occurring. Like his parents
he was a member of the Roman Catholic church, politically adhering to the
Democratic party.
He married Elizabeth Stanley, born in Steubenville, Ohio, in 1844,
died in 1894, daughter of Casper (2) and Sophia (Mueller) Stanley.
Casper Stanley was a son of Casper Stanley, a native of Germany, where
he married, in middle life immigrating with their son Casper (2) to Ohio,
he and his wife both dying when more than ninety years of age, being
buried at East Liverpool, Ohio. Casper (2) Stanley was born in Stuttgart,
Wurtemberg, Germany, and was educated in the homeland for the Lutheran
ministry. Coming to the United States with his parents, he met the young
lady whom he made his wife, Sophia Mueller, of Catholic faith. This
wide difiference in their religious beliefs and his ecclesiastical intentions he
remedied by giving up his intention to enter the ministry of the Lutheran
church and learning the baker's trade. He prospered in this line and
WESTERN PENXSYLVAKIA iioi
became the proprietor of a shop, which he later enlarged to include a
grocery department, a venture that met with the most favorable success.
In the evening of life Mr. and Mrs. Stanley moved to Denver, Colorado,
the home of their youngest son, Joseph E., there purchasing property and
living there until their deaths. Sophia Mueller was born in Alsace, then
French territory, her parents locating in Steubenville, Ohio, after emigrating
from their native land, her mother living to the wonderful and unusual age
of one hundred and four years, being buried at Waynesburg, Ohio. Chil-
dren of Casper (2) and Sophia (Mueller) Stanley: i. Casper, deceased,
a grocer of Steubenville, Ohio. 2. Elizabeth, of previous mention, married
Andrew W. Hogan. 3. Caroline, deceased, married James McGinnis,
deceased, and lived in Steubenville, Ohio. 4. Mary, married a Mr. Stager,
a wholesale cigar dealer of Leavenworth, Kansas. 5. Joseph, a curio and
antique merchant of Seattle, Washington. Children of Andrew W. and
Elizabeth (Stanley) Hogan: i. Casper, a hotel proprietor of Denver,
Colorado. 2. Andrew S., twin of Casper, of whom further. 3. Caroline,
unmarried, lives in Florence, Italy. 4. James, an invalid, died aged thirty-
five years, unmarried.
(Ill) Andrew S. Hogan, son of Andrew W. and Elizabeth (Stanley)
Hogan, was born in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, September 8, 1862, and
as a youth was a student in the public schools of Steubenville, Ohio, gradu-
ating from the high school in that place in 1881. He became a bookkeeper
and for several years was employed by firms in Steubenville, Ohio, in 1888
entering the service of the Pennsylvania Railroad, in which he has remained
to the present time, a period of twenty-six years. He was transferred to
the general freight office in Pittsburgh in 1895, and has been there stationed
since, his present capacity being that of chief clerk. Mr. Hogan's record
of over a quarter of a century continuance in the employ of the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad contains no items in which he may not take pride, for his
advancement has come through the merit of the work that he has performed
in minor capacities and lower positions, and his present office is one for which
he has shown eminent qualifications. Since July, 1901, Greentree borough
has been his home, and in the fall of 1910 he built an attractive residence,
designed along modern, simple, lines, where he has since lived. He is a
Republican in politics, and for seven years has served as a member of the
local school board. Mr. Hogan is a citizen who does not let his responsi-
bility as such end with the casting of his ballot, but is ever on the alert for
an opportunity to divert some practical benefit to his community. He has
found an admirable manner of so doing in the organization and superintend-
ing of boys' clubs in the locality, maintained at the expense of the citizens,
which have proven finely effective in their entertainment and amusement
as a substitute for street lounging. To work of this nature Mr. Hogan
devotes a great deal of his time, and being a man to whom youths are at-
tracted he has been the instrument for much good to the boys and the
communities that later shall claim them as citizens, as well as to that in
II02 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
which he lives. Extensive fraternal associations are not a part of his
activities, his home life and the companionship of his family holding far
more charms for him than such social gatherings.
He married, October i6, 1897, Elizabeth McCabe, born in Scott town-
ship, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, daughter of Thomas Fife and Mary
Jane (Richardson) McCabe. Children of Mr. and Mrs. Hogan: i.
Norma Stanley, born December 20, 1898. 2. Dorothy Lee, twin of Norma
Stanley. 3. James Edward, born August 29, 1904.
This is one of the numerous prominent names of Welsh
RICHARDS origin which are found largely represented in the United
States, and has been identified with progress along all
lines of human endeavor from a very early period in the settlement of the
American colonies. It is one of those names which originated in the Welsh
custom of making the possessive form of the father's name a surname, and
is equivalent to Richard's son. The name as a Christian name is very
ancient and is found among the early annals of the present English nation,
and so developed into a surname along with others in common usage. Books
of heraldry give no less than seventeen distinct coats-of-arms connected
with the name of Richards, enough of which point back to Wales to justify
the general belief that there was the original hive from which issued the
founders of illustrious families of that name in different counties of
England.
William Richards was born in Wales in 1824, died at Dravosburg,
Pennsylvania, June 30, 1889. He eloped with Mary A. Williams, and
immediately after their marriage they emigrated to America, where they
settled at Bradys Bend, Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, remaining for a
time. They then removed to South Side, Pittsburgh, where he found
employment as a coal miner, and later other employment on the river.
Removing to Dravosburg about i860, he continued in his river work until
his death. He was a member of the Knights of Pythias. His wife was born
in Wales in 1821, died at Dravosburg, October 26, 1910. They had chil-
dren : James S. ; Charlotte ; William B. ; Lizzie. ; Thomas A., who was a
grocer in Clairton, Pennsylvania, died in January, 1912; John G. ; Harry E.,
of further mention ; George W. ; Charles Edward.
Harry E. Richards, son of William and Mary A. (Williams) Rich-
ards, was born at Dravosburg, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, ]\Iay zj,
1865. He attended the public schools, and upon the completion of his
studies found employment in the coal mines. Later he established himself
in the grocery business, with which he has been identified for upward of
• twenty years. In 1905 he erected a three-story brick building, with a front-
age of seventy-seven feet, on McClure street, having a part of it arranged
for hotel purposes, and three stores on the street floor, and in 1907 opened
this as a hotel, and has conducted this personally since that time with a very
satisfactory amount of success. At the present time he is one of the oldest
WESTERN PENNSYLXAXIA 1103
business men in the borougli. He is connected witli otlier business enter-
prises, one of them being the State Bank, of which he is one of the directors.
He is a Republican in his pohtical opinion, and a member of the Knights
of Pythias and the Junior Order of United American Mechanics.
Mr. Richards married, April 7, 1887, Jennie L. Lewis, born in Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, across the river from Homestead, a daughter of John
H. and Margaret A. Lewis. They have had children : Howard, a clerk
in the employ of the Duquesne Steel Works : Frank, a student at the Mc-
Keesport High School ; James Harrison, attends the public schools of
Dravosburg.
John Hervey, proprietor of a grist-mill in Tarentum, Alle-
HERVEY gheny county, Pennsylvania, was the American ancestor of
his line, his birthplace probably having been the north of
Ireland, from which district he came to the state of Pennsylvania. His
death occurred when he was in middle age, his religious faith being the
United Presbyterian. He married Margaret McQuiston, and had children :
I. John, deceased, a minister of the United Presbyterian faith. 2.
Joseph, an oil operator, resides in Cleveland. Ohio. 3. William,
deceased, an oil operator, lived at Middlebourne, West Virginia. 4. Robert,
of whom further. 5. Mollie, married a Mr. Shoup, and lived in Tarentum,
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania.
(H) Robert Hervey, son of John and Margaret (McQuiston) Hervey,
was born in Tarentum, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, May 2, 1855, died
March i, 1902. He grew to mature years in his birth-place, there attending
the public schools, and in young manhood began to follow the oil fields as
an operator, an occupation in which he continued all his life. It was while
he was engaged in this business near Bradford, Pennsylvania, that he was
married, and for the twelve following years was employed in that vicinity.
He then opened the Moon Oil Field near Coraopolis, beginning work on
that property in 1888, and subsequently conducted operations near Oakdale,
Pennsylvania, and at Sistersville and New Martinsville. West Virginia,
where he was working at the time of his death. The greater part of his
operations were in partnership with his brother, Joseph, under the name
Hervey Brothers, and he was the founder of the Jacob's Farm Oil Com-
pany, of West Virginia. He was a staunch Republican and was frequently
urged to allow his name to be advanced as a candidate for political prefer-
ence, but always refused, preferring to wield private influence rather than
the sceptre of office. His church was the United Presbyterian. He married
Estella E. Corwin, born in New York state, November 25, 1854, died
January i. 1907, daughter of Seymour S. and Hannah (Hobart) Corwin.
Her father was a carpenter and cabinet-maker by trade, also doing consider-
able contracting, and died in 1890. aged sixty-two years. He had come to
Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, for the purpose of building the house in which
Robert S. Hervey now lives, his death occurring soon a^ter its completion.
II04 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
His home was near the Pennsylvania state line in Bradford county, and
Corwin Center, Pennsylvania, was named in honor of a member of the
family. His religious belief was the Methodist Episcopal. His wife was
the only one of her parents' diildren who attained mature years. Children
of Robert and Estella E. (Corwin) Hervey: i. Winifred, married R. J.
Watson, and lives on Fourth avenue, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. 2. 3. 4.
Robert Seymour, of whom further ; Stella M., and Edgar J. D., Hve together
in Corapolis, Pennsylvania.
(HI) Robert Seymour Hervey, son of Robert and Estella E. (Corwin)
Hervey, was born in Bradford, Pennsylvania, October 21, 1883. In his
youth he attended the public schools of Bradford and Coraopolis, Pennsyl-
vania, later enrolling in Lindsey Institute. He completed his studies by a
course in Duff's Business College, of Pittsburgh, and began his business
career as an ofifice boy in the employ of the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Rail-
road. Various positions have opened before him as he has worked with
industrious application at the task at hand, and he has progressed through
various grades to the important and responsible position of assistant travel-
ing auditor of the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad. This has been his title
since November i, 1913, his previous position having been the chief clerk-
ship of his division. His entire business experience has been in railroad
work, and there is scarcely a detail of the system with which he has not a
working familiarity, while of those departments in which he has been em-
ployed his knowledge is minute and finely accurate, it having been his
capacity for completely mastering his work that has won him his successive
advancements. Politically he is allied with the Republican party, and he is
a member and trustee of the United Presbyterian church, also belonging to
the Improved Order of Heptasophs. Mr. Hervey married, June 28, 191 1,
Sarah Pauline, born in Charlotte, North Carolina, daughter of Rev. W. W.
and Louise (Hunter) Orr, her father a minister of the Evangelical church.
Among the residents of Shaler township, Allegheny county,
HASER Pennsylvania, who take pride in German birth and ancestry is
Sebastian Haser. He is a grandson of Frank Haser, a native
of Prussia. Frank Haser was for the greater part of his life a charcoal
burner, in young manhood felling the trees that fed this industry. He
married in Prussia, and there passed his entire life. His wife was Gertrude
Sterbrinecht, and they had children, one of their sons, Henry, of whom
further.
(II) Henry Haser, son of Frank and Gertrude (Sterbrinecht) Haser,
was born in Prussia, Germany, died in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. He
learned the puddler's trade in the iron and steel mills of his native land,
and coming to the United States in 1854 he settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsyl-
vania, where he immediately obtained employment in the Etna Mills. He
was engaged in this calling until his death. He was a member of the Roman
Catholic church. Mr. Haser married Magdalena Gref, a native of Prussia,
WESTERN PEXXSYLVANIA 1105
Germany, and was the father of: Sebastian, of whom further; Lena, John,
Henry, Amelia, Mary, Catherine, Nicholas, the only child born in the
United States.
(Ill) Sebastian Haser, eldest of the eight children of Henry and Mag-
dalena (Gref) Haser, was born in Prussia, Germany, August 13, 1838, and
after attending the schools of his birth-place, accompanied, when sixteen
years of age, his father to the United States. He had begun labor in the
mills of his native land, and in 1855, when seventeen years of age, began
puddling in the mills of Pittsburgh, being placed in full charge of a furnace
at an extremely youthful age. For thirty-two years he was employed in the
mills of Pittsburgh, twenty-six years of this time in the service of the
Spang Chalfonte Company. In 1875 Mr. Haser bought the ten-acre place
that he now occupies at Millvale, Pennsylvania, and has there since resided,
building on this place a comfortable and excellent appearing house. Since
coming to Shaler township as an agriculturist, that locality having been his
home all during his residence in this country. Mr. Haser has been a suc-
cessful gardener. He has found the tilling of the soil an occupation at
once enjoyable and profitable, and has found therein a calling more pleas-
urable and healthful than the guardianship of vats of molten metal, his
former business.
He married, in 1862, Lena Werner, born in Alsace, Germany, daughter
of Lawrence and Catherine (Veichoshof) Werner, whom she accompanied
to the United States, her parents locating first at Troy Hill, Pennsylvania,
later moving to Shaler township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. Children
of Sebastian and Lena (Werner) Haser: John. Lena, Joseph, Henry.
Mary, Edward, Stella, William, Charles.
Prior to the immigration to the United States in 1845 of
HARBUSCH William Harbusch, the history of the family of Harbusch
was confined to German limits. William Harbusch was
a native of that country, and was educated in German schools, and after
coming to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was there engaged at various occu-
pations, finally moving to McCandless township, Allegheny county, there
beginning farming. For five years he rented the land that he cultivated,
and in 1867 purchased fifty-six acres of land in that township, in 1889
adding thirty-five acres to this tract, and here he died in 1897. ^^ the time
of his original purchase the property was in an unimproved and uncultivated
condition, but so regular has been its cultivation and so thorough the care
bestowed upon it that it now ranks with the best farms in the region.
William Harbusch was a man of steady industry, who devoted himself
entirely to his work, deriving therefrom an excellent living for himself and
his family. The family faith was the Lutheran. He married Fredericka,
born in Germany, died in 1904, daughter of John Fuss, a native of Germany,
who came to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, about 1843, being employed in the
foundries of that city until his death. John Fuss was the father of : John,
iio6 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Christian, Louisa, Fredericka, of previous mention, married William Har-
busch. Children of William and Fredericka (Fuss) Harbusch: Louisa,
Anna, Christian, of whom further ; Minnie.
Christian Harbusch, son of William and Fredericka (Fuss) Harbusch,
was born on the farm where he now lives in McCandless township, Alle-
gheny county, Pennsylvania, March lo, 1868, and was educated in the
schools of the locality. He was reared to a farmer's life, and after the
death of his father continued the cultivation of the home place, making his
operations general in character. Outside of his agricultural operations his
only business relation has been as director of the McCandless Mutual Fire
Insurance Company, a position he has held for the past ten years. He has
been road supervisor of McCandless township, and at the present time is a
member of the board of supervisors of that township. He is a citizen
highly regarded, and holds place among his neighbors as an agriculturist of
proven ability, his success in that line comparing favorably with that of
others of the township engaged in the same line.
He married, in 1894, Catherine Kuhlber, born in McCandless township,
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, daughter of Peter Kuhlber. Children of
Christian and Catherine (Kuhlber) Harbusch: Wilbert Christian, Arthur
William, Carolina Fredericka, Charles Herbert.
Hugh Owens, born in Ireland and there educated and mar-
OWENS ried, founded his line in Pennsylvania, coming to that state
while a young man and locating in Pittsburgh. His trade
was that of bricklayer and stone mason, and this he followed throughout his
active years, his death occurring in Pittsburgh. He married a Miss Ray, a
native of Ireland, and was the father of four sons and two daughters,
among the former being John, of whom further, William and Robert.
The two last named were respectively the fathers of John D. and William,
who were soldiers in the Union army in the Civil War.
(II) John Owens, son of Hugh Owens, was born in Pittsburgh, Alle-
gheny county, Pennsylvania, and died in Pine township, Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania. He was educated in the schools of his native city, learning
afterward the trade of bricklayer, which he followed for several years. In
later life he moved to Pine township, purchasing a farm and making agri-
culture his calling until his death. He was a member of the Cross-roads
Presbyterian Church and a regular attendant at its services. He married
Nancy McNary, born in Pine township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
daughter of James and Jennie McNary, her parents natives of Ireland.
James and Jennie McNary were early settlers of Pine township, Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, there owning two hundred acres of land, which James
McNary cleared and improved. They were the parents of four daughters
and one son, one of the former marrying a McCombs and becoming the
mother of three sons, James, Alexander and Thomas, all of whom were
soldiers in the Union army in the war between the states, all surviving that
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1107
conflict. Children of John and Nancy (McNary) Owens: James, deceased ;
William, deceased; Nancy, married a Mr. Crozier; Elizabeth Rush; Mattie,
married a Mr. Grubbs; Sarah, married a Mr. Dunlap; Anna, married a Mr.
Gibson; Brice Ray, of whom further; , married H. F. Hannah.
(Ill) Brice Ray Owens, son of John and Nancy (McNary) Owens,
was born in Pine township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, December 31,
1855, and was educated in the public schools of that locality. As a youth
he learned the bricklayer's trade under the instruction of an uncle, William
Owens, of Pittsburgh, and was thus employed in that city for several
years. He then became a farmer near Valencia, Pine township, Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, conducting operations general in nature on a tract
of one hundred and ten acres, a part of which he has since sold. He was
successful in this line, and for the past five years has made his home in
the village of Valencia, his son, Ray, managing the farm. Mr. Owens is a
member of the Cross-roads Presbyterian Church, a citizen of high standing,
and a man of lofty principles to which he has steadfastly clung. He married,
April 8, 1880, Margaret Douthitt, of Mars, Pennsylvania, and is the father
of: Eva M., married Freeman, and resides in Pittsburgh North
Side ; Ray, lives, as previously stated, on the farm in Pine township.
In the long ago John and Dorcas Neel came from the North
NEEL of Ireland to the Province of Pennsylvania, settling in Lan-
caster county. They were both members of the Presbyterian
church and in their new home connected with a church of that faith. John
Neel was a farmer, owning the acres he cultivated, with the aid of his sons,
most of whom later crossed the mountains into Western Pennsylvania,
although both John and Dorcas Neel died in Lancaster county. Children :
I. Adam, married ]\Iolly Snodgrass, had six children and always remained
in Lancaster county. 2. \\^illiam, married Jane Snodgrass, later moved to
Western Pennsylvania, where he was killed by the Indians ; children :
Dorcas, Mary, Jane, John, Margaret and William (2). 3. John, married
Mary Cooper, a sister of James Fenimore Cooper, the noted American
novelist ; they also moved to Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where it is
believed that John was slain by the Indians; children: Colonel John,
Archibald, Tabitha, William, Thomas, James and Samuel. 4. James, of
further mention, grandfather of James Flavel Neel. of Dravosburg, Penn-
sylvania.
(II) James Neel, son of John and Dorcas Neel. was born in Lancaster
county, Pennsylvania, who crossed the mountains with their belongings in
wagons drawn by horses. They settled in Versailles township at what is
known as "Long Run Place," but later James Neel moved to Mifflin town-
ship, where he took up a large tract of land on Thompson's Run and there
ended his days, a farmer and a strict Presbyterian. He married Rachel
McClure and had children: i. Dorcas, born December 20. 1775, married a
"Mr. Cockran. 2. John F., born May 29, 1778, died in infancy. 3. Jane,
born October 17. 1780, married a Harrah. 4. Thomas, born February 17,
iio8 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
^7^3- 5- James Harvey, of further mention. 6. Grizella, born November 8,
1788, married a Mr. Cockran. 7. Reuben, born June 22, 1791, lost his life in
a shipwreck, his career having been an adventurous one; unmarried. 8.
Rachel, born October 19, 1795, married a Mr. Finley. 9. Hiram, born
November 5, 1799, a mechanic and pioneer coal operator, died aged sixty
years, unmarried.
(HI) James Harvey Neel, third son and fifth child of James and
Rachel (McClure) Neel, was born in Mifiiin township, Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, September 30, 1785. He grew up amid the rude surround-
ings of that pioneer period, helped to clear and cultivate the "Thompson's
Run" farm, owned by his father, and at the latter's death inherited one-
half of the estate. He was a very progressive, energetic character, and in
addition to his farming and lumbering operations conducted a tannery on
his farm and had an interest in a wholesale grocery business in Pittsburgh.
For many years his house was the government postoffice for the neighbor-
hood and he the regularly appointed postmaster. He prospered in all his
undertakings and left behind a goodly estate and honored name. He was a
devout Presbyterian, the family all being members of the Lebanon congre-
gation. He married Elizabeth Brierly, born in Mifflin township, Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, and there died, daughter of Robert and Belle Brierly,
and granddaughter of John and Ann (Jackson) Brierly, both born in the
North of Ireland. John Brierly and Jane Jackson were married in Ireland,
December 13, 1743, and in 1750 came to Pennsylvania, settling in Lancaster
county, where John engaged in farming. Children: i. Margaret, born
March 23, 1745. 2. Elizabeth, born March 12, 1747. 3. Robert, see for-
ward. 4. Henry, born January 21, 1750. 5. Jean, born May 16, 1753. 6.
George, born February 22, 1755. 7. Isabella, born December 2, 1759. 8.
John, born January 16, 1762. 9. Richard, born April 22, 1764. 10. Thomas,
bom January 22, 1770. Robert Brierly, son of John and Ann Brierly,
was the first settler of the name to come to Mifflin township and there
passed into after life, engaged in farming. Children of Robert and Belle
Brierly: Elizabeth, married James Harvey Neel, of previous mention;
Jane, Thomas, Presley, died young : Mary and Eleanor. Children of James
Harvey and Elizabeth Neel: i. Jane, bom March 23, 1823, married Dr.
O'Brien, deceased. 2. John Flavel, of further mention. 3. Robert, born
April 16, 1828, died in Mifflin township; was a wheelwright and black-
smith. 4. James Harvey (2), born April 28, 1830, died young. 5. Hiram,
born April 21, 1832, now a retired farmer living in Mifflin township. 6.
Rachel, born June 21, 1833, died in infancy.
(IV) John Flavel Neel, eldest son and second child of James H. and
Elizabeth (Brierly) Neel, was bom at the home farm on "Thompson's
Run," Mifflin township. Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, May 9, 1825, and
died August 31, 1914, in his nintieth year. He was living in good health
in Dravosburg, Pennsylvania, prosperous, contented and influential. He
grew to manhood on the home farm and obtained his education in the
WESTERN PENNSYL\ANIA 1109
district schools near b}'. He was his father's assistant for years, then
he and his brother Hiram worked the farm together. Later they
divided the farm, but John F. did not long retain his share. He had a well
developed capacity for business affairs, and selling his inheritance for cash,
he invested his money in different enterprises, with such good results that
for many years he had lived a retired life. He was one of the organizers
of the First National Bank of McKeesport and was a member of its board
of directors at the time of his death. At various times and at various
places he had been interested financially in enterprises of magnitude and in
his active years was regarded as one of the most capable and reliable of
business men. In 1872 he purchased a small farm on the Monongahela
river at Dravosburg, fifteen miles south of Pittsburgh, which was his home
at the time of his death. He was an ardent Democrat and had held many
local offices. He had always been careful in all his habits and while nearly
a nonegenarian, might easily have passed for a much younger man. He
prospered abundantly but his success was earned and was not the result of
lucky circumstances. He was one of the best known men in his locality,
was highly respected and had many warm friends.
Mr. Neel married (first) February 10, 1857, Susanna Forsythe, who
died December 21, 1857, leaving her son, James Benjamin, born ten days
previous to the mother's death. He now resides in Riverside, California,
a banker, his wife formerly Sarah Risher. Mr. Neel married (second)
September 18, 1873, Mary Ann Ramsey, born in Columbiana county, Ohio,
May 16, 1848. Children: i. John Flavel (2), born July 16, 1878, met his
death by drowning, June 27, 1891. 2. Harry Campbell, born March 9,
1882; he is a graduate of Pennsylvania State College agricultural course,
Yale School of Forestry, two years course, spent three and a half years in
the United States Forestry Service and now cultivates the home farm. 3.
Jessie Ramsey, born July 6, 1884; married George F. Lloyd, and resides in
Homestead, Pennsylvania. 4. Frances Folsom, born January 13, 1887;
now residing at home. 5. Hiram Alexander, born January 7, 1889; now
metallurgist for a steel company, and resides at Middletown, Ohio ; he mar-
ried Elizabeth Van Gundy. Mary Ann (Ramsey) Neel, mother of the
above five children, is a daughter of Andrew and Elizabeth (Work) Ram-
sey, her father a farmer of Columbiana county, Ohio, his native county,
where in his younger days he taught school. Elizabeth (Work) Ramsey,
his wife, was born in Jefferson township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
both members of the Presbyterian church. Children: i. Susanna, mar-
ried Alexander Rhodes. 2. Mary A., married John Flavel Neel. 3. Wilson
S., living in Hanoverton, Ohio. 4. Margaret, married Frederick Baker,
and lives in Jefferson township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. 5. Jessie,
died aged twenty-five years. 6. Nettie, married Joseph Osborne.
The Stuckslager family has been in America for
STUCKSLAGER some generations, and they came originally from
Germany, where they were a highly respected family.
mo WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Charles Stucklager was born in the state of Pennsylvania, and was
among the early settlers of Fayette county, locating near Brownsville, where
he founded the homestead, and followed farming during all the active years
of his life. He was a Republican in political matters, and a member of
the Methodist Episcopal church. He married Susan Robinson, also a
native of Pennsylvania, and they became the parents of children : Harrison,
Johnson, Henry, William, John, Daniel, Cyrus Robinson, of further mention ;
Catherine, and several other daughters.
Dr. Cyrus Robinson Stuckslager, son of Charles and Susan (Robin-
son) Stuckslager, was born on the homestead in Fayette county, Pennsyl-
vania, February 27, 1829, died April 7, 1904. His early years were spent
on the homestead, and he attended the public schools in the vicinity of his
home, and received his preparatory university education at Allegheny Col-
lege, Meadville, Pennsylvania, from which he was graduated. He then
matriculated at the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, and was
graduated from this institution in the class of 1852 with the degree of
Doctor of Medicine. For a time he was engaged in the practice of his
profession at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, but upon the outbreak of the Civil
War enlisted in the Twelfth Regiment Kansas Volunteer Infantry, and
served three years. At the close of the war he located in Monongahela
City, Pennsylvania, remained there for some years, then removed to Mc-
Keesport, Pennsylvania, in 1873. He organized the People's Bank of Mc-
Keesport, was in office as the cashier for a long time, and at the time of
his death was president of this institution. He was a man of many sided
ability, did excellent and effective work in the cause of religion, and was a
member of the Order of Free and Accepted Masons.
Dr. Stuckslager married (first) Martha Carson Strawn, of Fayette
county, Pennsylvania, who died in November, 1885. He married (second)
November 15, 1888, Eleanor Foster Huffman, of Jefferson township, Alle-
gheny county, Pennsylvania, who was a teacher for some years prior to her
marriage in McKeesport. Children by first marriage: i. Lulu B., who died
in 1889; married E. S. Thomas, of McKeesport, left one daughter. Lulu,
who married Robert Leyda, of Washington county, Pennsylvania, now liv-
ing in Spokane, Washington. 2. Harrison Robinson, of McKeesport. 3.
Florence M., married W. L. Crubaugh, of Cleveland, Ohio. Children by
second marriage : Sarah Huffman, Helen Beam, Eleanor Foster and Eliza-
beth Robinson, all talented young women.
Lewis Huffman, grandfather of Eleanor Foster (Huffman) Stuck-
slager, was born in Germany, and with his wife was among the pioneer
settlers of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where their deaths occurred.
Henry Huffman, son of Lewis and Eleanor (Foster) Huffman, was
born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, was at first a shoemaker, later a
farmer, and at the time of his death was the owner of a large farm in
Baldwin township. He was a Republican politically, and he and his family
were members of the Methodist church. He married Sarah Beam, born in
"^ i^. jluc^.Ua,a&i'
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA nil
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Elijah and Nancy (Snee)
Beam, the former born in Jefferson township, Allegheny county, Pennsyl-
vania, the latter born in Ireland, a daughter of John and Nancy (Kay)
Snee, who on their voyage to this country with their children buried their
daughter Polly at sea. Children of Henry and Sarah (Beam) Huffman:
Nancy, married Dr. W. V. M. Taylor, of McKeesport ; Benjamin Franklin,
deceased ; William W., of Butler county, Pennsylvania ; Eleanor Foster, who
became the wife of Dr. Stuckslager, of this sketch ; Sarah B., deceased ;
Esther, died in infancy.
Frederick Pershing, the founder of this branch of the
PERSHING Pershings in the United States, was born near Berlin,
Germany. When a young man he settled in Indiana
county, Pennsylvania, and there owned a good farm on which he resided
until his death at the age of eighty-five years. He married and reared a
family. Three of his sons served in the Union army, Joseph N., a captain;
Hugh H., a lieutenant, and John H., a private, the latter dying soon after
the war closed.
(II) Daniel Pershing, son of Frederick Pershing, was born, lived and
died in Indiana county, Pennsylvania, a farmer. He married (first) a INIiss
Hice, (second) Martha Ann Fisher, of German descent, daughter of Abel
and Mary (Stewart) Fisher, of early Westmoreland county families, the
Fishers locating there in 1775. Daniel and Martha Ann Pershing were the
parents of seventeen children, all but two living to maturity ; thirteen by
the first wife and four by the second wife.
(III) Dr. Frank Stewart Pershing, son of Daniel and Martha Ann
(Fisher) Pershing, was born in Indiana county, Pennsylvania. He pre-
pared in public schools, then entered Mount Union College, Ohio, later
pursuing a course of medical study at Jefferson Medical College at Phila-
delphia, whence he was graduated M. D., class of 1879. He at once located
at Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, and has practiced his profession continu-
ously in that city until the present date. He has built up a very large
practice and is one of the leading physicians of his section of the country.
He is a member of various professional societies, including the Allegheny
County Medical Society and the Wilkinsburg Medical Club. Dr. Persing
has acquired important business interests, although all are subordinate to
his professional interests. He is vice-president of the First National Bank
of Wilkinsburg, director of the Wilkinsburg Realty and Trust Company
and director of the Wilkinsburg Furniture Company. He married, Sep-
tember 3, 1885, Katherine L. Endley, of Mansfield, Ohio.
All the Gallaghers in America, whether they came to
GALLAGHER this country in Colonial days or in mire recent years,
have had a common origin. The ancient Irish clans and
chieftains of Triconnell descended from a warrior named O'Gallchobdair,
and were located in the baronies of Raphoe and Ter Hugh, where they had
1 1 12 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
a castle at Ballyshannon. They also possessed the castle of Liftord. They
were commanders of O'Donnell Cavalry. Sir John O'Gallagher is mentioned
in the wars of Elizabeth. Triconnel was formed into a county about 1585
by the Lord Deputy Perrot and called Donegal. In the Irisli language it
was Dunna-ngall, signifying "Fortress of the foreigners," so named, it is
said, from a fortress erected there by the Danes. The ancient Irish name
Gallchobdair became in more modern times O'Gallagher and finally Galla-
gher. They are of very ancient lineage. Anmire, who was the one hun-
dred and thirty-eighth monarch of Ireland, and the brother of Fergus, w^s
the ancestor of Gallchobdair of previous mention. The Gallaghers have
been noted in the armies of other than their own land and of England.
The Irish Legion, formed by the First Consul of France, Napoleon, was
composed of exiled Irishmen and sons of Irishmen born in France. There
were two officers of the Legion by name Gallagher, Captain Patrick, who
was a lieutenant in 1803, and a captain in 1804, and T-ieutcnant Thomas
Gallagher. The Irish Legion followed the fortunes of Napoleon in his wars
in Holland, Portugal, Spain and Germany. In our own Civil War there
served two of the name as officers in General Thomas Francis Meagher's
Irish Brigade: Captain ]\Iichael Gallagher, of the Eighty-eighth New York
Regiment, and Lieutenant James Gallagher, of the Sixty-third New York
Regiment.
Timothy Gallagher was born in Ireland in 1825, and died in Braddock,
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in 1904. He emigrated to the United
States in 1857, with his wife and family, and made his home at Port Perry,
where he followed his calling as a stone mason. In political matters he was
a staunch Democrat, and in religious, a devout member of the Catholic
church. He married, in Scotland, Sarah Fitzsimmons, born in Ireland in
1825, died at Braddock, and they had children : John, deceased : Mary ;
Sarah ; Margaret, James and Patrick, deceased ; James W., of further men-
tion ; William and Agnes, deceased ; Alice ; Timothy, deceased.
James W. Gallagher,- son of Timothy and Sarah (Fitzsimmons") Gal-
lagher, was born in Port Perry, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. October
24, 1858. When he was three years of age he came to Braddock, Pennsyl-
vania, with his parents, and there he acquired his education in the public
schools. He learned the trade of painting, but for twenty-eight years has
been an engineer, and altogether has been with the Carnegie Steel Company
for thirty-five years, and is now with the United States Steel Corporation.
He owns a beautiful home at No. 732 Fourth street, North Braddock.
From being a poor lad, who hunted rabbits on the present site of North
Braddock, he has worked his way upward to a position of influence and
affluence. He takes an active interest in the political aflfairs of the com-
munity, giving his strong support to the Democratic party, and has served
as a member of the common council of North Braddock for six years.
His religious affiliation is with the Catholic church. Mr. Gallagher married,
March 4, 1886, Catherine, born in Pittsburgh, March 8, 1865, a daughter of
Thomas and Julia (Kane) Dolan, both natives of Ireland. Both were un-
WESTERN PENNSYL\AX!A 1113
married when tliey came to this comitry. Mr. Dolan found employment in
the Lippincott Axe Factory, then went to Bellefonte, Center county, Penn-
sylvania, then returned to Pittsburgh, and finally purchased a farm in
Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, where he died in 1877, and his wife,
to whom he had been married in the old cathedral by Bishop O'Connor,
died in 1909. They were the parents of children as follows: Mary; Ida;
Michael ; Jennie, deceased ; Catherine, who married Mr. Gallagher, as above
stated; Ella; Alice. Mr. and Mrs. Gallagher have had children: Blanche.
deceased ; Julia Grace, was educated in the public schools of North Brad-
dock, was graduated from the high school there, and is now teaching in
the public schools of that town ; Helen, received her education in North
Braddock and in Curry's Business College, and is now a bookkeeper in the
employ of the Braddock Furniture Company ; Mary, a student at the high
school; James Leo, attending public school ; Thomas Paul, also in the public
schools.
The Phillips family of North Braddock, Pennsylvania, is
PHILLIPS typical of the best character of the English race, that race
which in the early days of American history was most
prominently concerned with the formation of the institutions of the new
republic in the west, and which became the social foundation for that vast
and composite fabric of American citizenship which has subsequently been
reared in safety. The Phillips have been stone cutters for generations in
their native land of Devonshire. Certainly the present Mr. Phillips' father,
grandfather and great-grandfather all followed this trade, to say nothing
of the present generation. Satisfied with conditions in their English home,
the family had lived there from time immemorial, until in the days of
Samuel Phillips, the father of the Mr. Phillips of this sketch, there was
born that spirit of enterprise that has made the English the greatest race
of navigators in the history of the world.
To Samuel Phillips the opportunities ofifered by the new world held out
a temptation not to be resisted, and in 1883, when forty-four years of age,
he left his family in Devonshire and migrated to the new world to estab-
lish for them there a new home. His travels first led him to Canada,
where he arrived the same year with his oldest son. John C. Phillips, and
after remaining there a year he finally made his way to the United States
and to North Braddock, Pennsylvania. In this Pennsylvania town he and
his son John C. established themselves in business, and here they were
gradually joined by the members of their family. Gilbert B. Phillips
arrived in 1890, and finally the remainder of the household, with Mrs.
Phillips in 1893. They lived in their new American home for ten years,
and the family had already begun to take a prominent position in the affairs
of the town when Mrs. Phillips died in 1903. She was survived by her
husband until 1905, when his death occurred also. To them were born ten
children, all but two of whom came to America, namely: i. John C. who
came with his father to America, settling in North Braddock in 1884. and
III4 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
he has since had a most successful career in this country ; his birth occurred
in Devonshire, England, April 14, i860, so that though he spent his child-
hood and early youth in his native land, and there received his education,
he was nevertheless a very young man when he began his active life in the
United States; he at once took up his father's occupation and became a
stone cutter and mason, and soon developed a large business as contractor
in that line ; he was extremely successful in his business, which he pursued
uninterruptedly for a space of twenty years, finally retiring to a life of
leisure in his beautiful home at No. 306 Hawkins avenue. North Braddock,
and there continues to live at the present time ; he has been extremely
active in the life of his community, particularly in church work and politics ;
his religious affiliations are with the United Brethren church, while politic-
ally he is a Republican; he has served three times as a member of the com-
mon council of North Braddock, and is still one of that body; in 1888 he
married Martha Jane Meredith, a native of Braddock, Pennsylvania ; they
have no children. 2. Minnie. 3. Rhoda, who is now a resident of Plymouth,
England. 4. Harry. 5. Maud Mary. 6. Jessie, still resides in England. 7.
Gilbert B., of whom further. 8. Elizabeth Ann, now a resident of Jiamil-
ton, Ontario. 9. William E., also a successful brick contractor of Brad-
dock, Pennsylvania; he was one of the children who came to this country
in 1893 with Mrs. Phillips, and now owns a handsome residence at No. 199
Lobinger avenue. North Braddock ; he is a member of the United Presby-
terian church ; he married, in 1899, Margaret Fife, of Braddock. 10.
Robert E., deceased. Mrs. Phillips, the wife of Samuel Phillips and the
mother of his ten children, just enumerated, was before her marriage Ann
Alford, and like her husband, a native of Devonshire, and like him born
in the year 1839. She was the daughter of Robert Alford, of that region,
where he followed the trade of shoemaker.
Gilbert B. Phillips, the seventh child of Samuel and Ann (Alford)
Phillips, was born in the ancestral home of his family, Devonshire, England,
July 31, 1874. He obtained his education in the public schools of his native
region, remaining with his mother and the rest of the family when his
father and eldest brother set out for the New World in 1883. Eight years
later, when he was but sixteen years of age, he joined his father in North
Braddock, Pennsylvania, and there apprenticed himself to learn the trade of
stone mason, with John C. Phillips, his brother. He had already done some
work as brick mason, before lea-ving England, and this, together with his
natural aptitude, gave him a quick mastery of his trade. This he worked
at as a journeyman until the year 1900, when he was able to realize his
wish to set up in the contracting business for himself. The firm of Phillips
& George, general contractors, was established in North Braddock, and at
once met with great success in that rapidly growing community. Among
the most important buildings erected by Phillips & George have been the
United Brethren church, the large apartments known as the Smith Flats,
and ten of the handsome brick residences on Braddock avenue. Eight
years ago Mr. Phillips built a beautiful house for himself at No. 1005
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1115
Spring street, North Braddock, and still resides there with his family.
While the duties in connection with his business as contractor are none of the
lightest and absorb much of his time and attention, Mr. Phillips by no
means confines his efiforts to these personal interests. On the contrary, he
is keenly interested in all aspects of the life of the busy community of
which he forms a part, and takes a prominent part therein. He is a keen
observer of the course of political events, and has identified himself with
no party, preferring to remain independent of such association, and free to
cast his ballot and exert his influence in any direction and for any cause
which his reason dictates. Mr. Phillips is a staunch member of the Calvary
Presbyterian Church, and a generous supporter of the many benevolences
connected with its work.
Gilbert B. Phillips married, December i, 1901, Nellie Louise Wilks, a
native of New York City, born December 21, 1881, daughter of Joseph and
Sarah (Bowdler) W'ilks, of that city. Mr. Wilks was a native of England
and his wife of Ireland. They came to this country in early youth and
were later married here. He was a machinist in the employ of the West-
inghouse Company, East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and died in the year
1912 at the age of sixty-seven years. His wife survives him. To them
were born seven children, as follows : Emily, deceased ; Sarah ; William ;
Nellie L., now Mrs. Gilbert B. Phillips, of this sketch; Joseph; Frances;
Isabel. Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert B. Phillips are the parents of three children,
all sons, as follows: Fernley Barrington, born January 31, 1903; John
Charles, born October 12, 1913: Gilbert Francis, twin of John Charles.
This name has been known for many generations in Germany,
KUEHN and the qualities it expresses — bold, keen, aggressive, pro-
gressive— have characterized its bearers both in Germany and
in this country.
(I) Ludwig Kuehn was born in Prussia, Germany, July 24, 1822, and
died in 1866. He was the owner of a brick yard. He married Augusta,
born June 22., 1830, a daughter of William Schmidt. Children: Carl, of
further mention; Matilda, now deceased, married William Greenburg, and
lived at West End, Pittsburgh; Friedrich ; Ludwig; Augusta; Bertha,
married August Schmidt ; Henrietta, married John Speelman, lives at South
Side, Pittsburgh; Julius. Mrs. Kuehn married (second) John Steinberg,
and had one child, Edward.
(II) Carl Kuehn, eldest child of Ludwig and Augusta (Schmidt)
Kuehn, was born in Prussia, Germany, June 18, 1852. He received a sub-
.'-tantial and practical education in his native country, and emigrated to the
United States at the age of twenty years, arriving in this country January
30, 1872. He settled at Swissvale, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where
he was engaged in gardening for a period of fourteen years. July 3, 1889,
he purchased his present place, and removed to it November 18, 1891.
The original purchase was one hundred and three acres, but Mr. Kuehn has
added to it so that the entire farm now consists of two hundred and four-
ni6 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
teen acres, a part of which is cultivated as follows : Eight acres for grape
culture, two for raspberries, two for currants, four for peaches, one for
gooseberries, two for cherries, three for plums, and two for apples. In
addition to this he cultivates a large tract for general garden truck, and
finds a ready sale for all his output at the nearby markets, by reason of the
excellent quality of all of his products. He has made many improvements
on his land, conducting everything in the most modern and up-to-date
manner. He has erected a fine large barn, and remodeled the dwelling
house entirely, fitting it up with all modern improvements and conveniences.
His farm is considered by those competent to judge of such matters as one
of the finest and most prosperous in Allegheny county. Politically Mr.
Kuehn is a Republican, and his religious affiliation is with the German
Lutheran church, to which he is a liberal contributor.
Mr. Kuehn married. May 3, 1877, Christiana, born February 18, 1859,
a daughter of George and Margaret (Taylor) Shaller, and they have had
children : Margaret, married Herman Rush and lives in Patton township ;
Frank L., unmarried, lives in Patton township; Matilda, married Edward
Koch, lives in Pitcairn, Allegheny county ; Charles, married Verna Moose,
lives in Patton township; Bertha, married Eniil Kaus; Emma, Frederick
and Marie, living with parents.
The Foltz family has for many years been identified with the
FOLTZ varied interests of the sections of the state of Pennsylvania in
which are located the counties of Bucks and Westmoreland,
the earlier members of the family being among the pioneers, enduring the
hardships and danger of that troubulous period, and also participating in
the early wars, in which they displayed great bravery and prowess.
(I) Henry Foltz, great-grandfather of Heister Clymer Foltz, of Turtle
Creek, was born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, where he was reared and
educated, and where he resided until 1776, when he removed to Westmore-
land county, Pennsylvania, in company with Daniel Boone, and took up
land on Indiana creek, some of his descendants still residing on the same.
He improved and cultivated his land, under his careful management it
changing from an almost wilderness to fertile fields which yielded an
abundant harvest. Among his children was Henry Walters, of whom
further, and John, who was a well known naturalist, and died in Central
America.
(II) Henry Walters Foltz, son of Henry Foltz, was born in West-
moreland county, Pennsylvania, and there spent his entire lifetime, engaged
in the occupation of farming. He married Mary Elizabeth Smitley, a
native of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and among their children
was William Gcflden, of whom further.
(III) William Golden Foltz, son of Henry Walters Foltz. was born
in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and died in 1898, aged sixty-two
years. Fie was a farmer, but retired after spending many years as a mer-
chant in the village of Kecksburg. He was successful in his business, and
WESTERN' PENNSYLVANIA 1117
took an active part in public affairs, holding several local offices, the duties
of which he performed in a highly creditable manner. He married Eliza-
beth Griffith, a native of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, daughter of
John and Sina (Newell) Griffith.
(IV) Heister Clymer Foltz, son of William Golden Foltz, was born
at Mammoth, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, June 25, 1866. He at-
tended the public schools of his native place, Curry Institute and the Sixth
Avenue Business College at Pittsburgh. He began his active career as a
hod carrier, and later served an apprenticeship at the trade of carpenter,
and after serving some time as a journeyman was appointed to the position
of foreman for the firm of William Miller & Sons, building contractors.
In 1908 he took up his residence in Turtle Creek, and in partnership with
C. W. Palmer engaged in the building contracting business under the style
of Palmer & Foltz, which later was changed to H. C. Foltz, the present
style. In addition to this, which has proven a successful enterprise, he has
dealt extensively in real estate, from which he derives a good income. He
is one of the organizers, a director and a member of the executive committee
of the First National Bank of Turtle Creek. He has served as treasurer
of the borough of Turtle Creek, and for two years was a member of the
Union High School Board, his influence bringing about the erection of the
Union High School, which has proven a valuable addition to the school
system in that place. He is well read, especially along the lines of phil-
osophy, travel, politics and economics, to which he has devoted considerable
time and study. Mr. Foltz is unmarried.
From the German Empire there has come to this country many
LEAX men whom we now claim as our citizens, men who are willing
if necessary to lay down their lives to preserve the Union, men
who are conscientious in the performance of each and every duty, and
among these are the members of the Leax family.
(I) John Leax was born in Saxony, Germany, and there spent his
entire life. He was a farmer and gardener by occupation, and from these
lines of work he provided a comfortable home for his family. He married
Wilhimina George, a native of Saxony, Germany, who bore him nine
children: William, of whom further; Paulina, became the wife of Frank
Trommer, a native of Germany, a painter by trade, and they emigrated to
the United States in 1880, locating in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and they
were the parents of four children : Thomas, Anna, Lena, Francis ; John,
of whom further ; Hattie, who married James Avery, of Pittsburgh, Penn-
^^yl\•ania : Earnistina. Wilhimina. .\nna, Linda, Ida, all remained in Germany.
(II) William Leax, son of John and Wilhimina (G«orge) Leax, was
born in Saxony, Germany. After completing his studies in the common
schools of his home town, he served an apprenticeship at the trade of
butcher, becoming expert in that line and was engaged in the same in his
native land until 1879, in which year he emigrated to the United States
and settled in Wilkins township, .Allegheny county. Pennsylvania, on what
iii8 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
is called No. 3 Hill. He secured employment in the digging of coal, at
which he worked until 1898, when he rented some land and conducted
gardening operations thereon for two years. He then purchased eighteen
or twenty acres in Turtle Creek, where his son, William Leax, now lives,
and he continued his gardening operations there until his death, on Easter
Sunday, 191 1. During his residence there he re-built the house, making
it more commodious and comfortable, and since his death his son has
erected a new barn, thus adding greatly to the appearance of the place.
Mr. Leax married Anna Meuschke, born in Saxony, Germany, died in
Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, July 29, 1913. They were the parents of eight
children : Lena, married John Roehn ; Anna, deceased ; Mary, married
Henry Myers ; Emma, married Charles Mains ; William, of whom further ;
Flora; Henry; Paul. The family are members of the German Lutheran
church of Braddock.
(H) John (2) Leax, son of John (i) and Wilhimina (George) Leax,
was born in Saxony, Germany, March 20, 1853. In 1882 he left his
native land for the New World, locating in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
where he has since resided. His first occupation was digging coal in the
section of the state in which he located, and he continued at the same until
1900, in which year he purchased ten acres of land in the vicinity of Turtle
Creek and there successfully conducts gardening operations. He is the
owner of an attractive residence, which he has fitted up in excellent shape
for the use of his family. He is well known and respected in the community
as a man of upright character, leads a quiet and unassuming life, spending
his leisure time in his home. Mr. Leax married, in 1876, Anstina Scheerer,
in Germany, where she was born, daughter of August and Fredericka
Scheerer. Children of Mr. and Mrs. Leax: William, John, Ada, Minnie,
Anna.
(Ill) William (2) Leax, son of William (i) Leax, was born in
Wilkins township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, January 4, 1885. He
was a student in the public schools of that locality, and since entering upon
his active business career has conducted the homestead farm, performing
all kinds of gardening work. He is thorough and painstaking, active, pro-
gressive and enterprising, and therefore deserves the success which is sure
to crown his eiTorts. He is popular in the community, and has a wide
circle of friends. He is unmarried.
The Duffs were among the earliest settlers of Allegheny county,
DUFF Pennsylvania, and have always borne their share bravely as good
citizens and patriotic supporters of the rights of their country.
(I) John Duff, a farmer of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, married
Mary Shakeley, and had children: James, born August 4, 1782; married
Kitty Fisher; William, born October 11, 1784, married Mary Johnston;
Mary, born October 22, 1786, married Frank Wilson ; John, of further
mention; David, born January 8, 1791. married Nancy Henderson; Mar-
garet, born September 15, 1792, married John Park; George, born Febru-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1119
ary 6, 1894, married Jane Morrow, Alexander, born January 26, 1796,
married Mary Bright; Esther, born July 14, 1801, married John Richard-
son; Elizabeth, born November 3, 1803, married James Park; Samuel,
born February 15, 1807, married Jane Wilson; Matilda, born June 12, 1813.
(II) John Duff, son of John and Mary (Shakeley) Duff, was born in
what was then Wilkins township, and is now Penn township, April 25,
1789. He was a farmer and stone mason, and in 1840 purchased fifty acres
of land in Penn township. Politically he was a Democrat, and he was a
member of the United Presbyterian church. Mr. Duff married, May 2,
1824, Isabelle Fisher, and they had children : Mary Ann, deceased, born
April 4, 1827; Matilda, deceased, was born April 18, 1829, married Matthew
Long; George, deceased, born October i, 1831, died young; Eliza Jane,
deceased, born August 20, 1834, married James Morrow ; Margaret, born
November i, 1834; John A., of further mention; Morrow, of further men-
tion; Sarah J., born November 21, 1843, married John H. Morrow; a
son, who died in infancy.
(III) John A. Duff, son of John and Isabelle (Fisher) Duff, was born
in Penn township, November i, 1837. He was educated in his native town-
ship, and in 1856 commenced farming operations independently. October
3, 1861, he enlisted in Company A, One Hundred and First Regiment
Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and served until May 17, 1865, when he
was honorably discharged. He was actively engaged at Yorktown, Williams-
burg and Fair Oaks. He was captured at Plymouth, North Carolina, April
20, 1864, and released at Jacksonville, April 28, 1865. He is a prominent
member of the local post at Wilkinsburg of the Grand Army of the Republic.
After the war he went west for a time, then returned to Penn township,
where he cultivates a fine farm of eighty-five acres.
(Ill) Morrow Duff, son of John and Isabelle (Fisher) Duff, was born
January 21, 1841, and has spent all his life in Penn township. He married
Anna F., born November 16, 1853, a daughter of William Mays, a veteran
of the Civil War, during which he attained the rank of captain. Children:
Fanny Gertrude, born October 17, 1881, now deceased; Mary Isabel, born
September 25, 1883, married Bennett Beswarick, has children: Frances and
James; Hester Irene, born July 17, 1886; John \\'alter, born July 27, 1890,
died at the age of thirteen years.
Frank L. Ober is a member of an old and highly respected
OBER French family, and a type of the best character of that strong
race, which, though it has not contributed as largely as many
other European peoples to the population of this country, has nevertheless
grafted upon American citizenship its own splendid qualities of steadfast
purpose and intelligent thrift.
His grandfather, Peter Ober, was born and lived his entire life in
France, where he held the responsible position of game warden in the
forests of his native region.
George Ober, son of Peter Ober, the father of our subject, was the
II20 ' WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
emigrant ancestor of the family in this country. Of an enterprising nature,
he came as a mere boy to the United States, seeking for greater oppor-
tunity than was to be found at home. He settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsyl-
vania, and there took up stone masonry and carpentry, both of which
trades he learned, working at them the while. His natural aptitude soon
established him firmly in his new home, and he was able to engage in busi-
ness on his own account. He tried many different lines, and was successful
in a greater or less degree in all. He engaged in the grocery and oil trades
at different times, but his chief venture was the founding of the large
brewery which for many years was known as the Koenig & Ober Brewery
His success in brewing was great and he became a man of large substance
and a prominent figure in the community. His business interests were con-
stantly widening and he became the president of the Venango, Central and
Dutch Creek Oil Company. He was also active in politics, a strong Demo-
crat, and represented the old Seventh Ward of Pittsburgh, situated on the
north side of the city, in the Pittsburgh city council. George Ober was
born in 1823, was but seventeen years of age when he came to this country,
and in 1878 retired entirely from active business, his valuable brewery
interests passing on to his sons. He was married to Mary Vogel, a daughter
of Bernard Vogel. To them were born fifteen children, as follows : George
L., deceased, who married a Miss Minzer and was engaged in the drygoods
business in Pittsburgh ; John P., deceased, who married Sarah Eberhart,
and was engaged in the brewing business; Frank L., the subject of this
sketch ; William A., who married Philomena Kuhnele, and now lives in
Portland, Oregon; Elizabeth, who is now Mrs. Phillip Biedenbach, of Pitts-
burgh; Mary, now Mrs. Christopher Brecht, of Franklin, Pennsylvania;
Charles F., who married Mary Amelia Sauer; Henry F., who married
Miss Heid ; Joseph A., deceased ; Matilda, deceased ; Edward R., who
married Minnie Noll; Rosa, widow of John Kraft; Albert E.. deceased,
and Alexander B., a resident of Pittsburgh ; a child died not named.
Frank L. Ober, the third child of George and Mary (Vogel) Ober,
was born January 2, 185 1, in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, and there
passed the early years of his life. He was educated in the local schools,
in all the elementary branches, and then matriculated in the Iron City
College, from which, after distinguishing himself in his studies, he was
graduated with the class of 1869. Having thus completed his education, he
took up the machinist's trade, remaining in this line for a time, until he
entered his father's brewery. When in the year 1878 his father retired
from the business, the concern passed into the hands of Mr. Ober and his
younger brother, Charles F. Ober, and the two continued it under the
name of F. L. Ober & Brother Brewery. The business continued to flourish
and grow under their intelligent management for a period of twenty years,
when, in 1898, they sold out their interests to the Pittsburgh Brewing
Company. Mr. Ober at the j,ame time retired from active business and
removed to Penn township, Allegheny county, where he purchased a fine
farm. The tract itself is small, but it is a valuable property, even apart
from the handsome residence which Mr. Ober has had erected there. In
WESTERN PExNNSYLVANIA 1121
this attractive spot, amid charming rural surroundings, Mr. Ober finds it
possible to gratify his taste for a country life and farming. He has a
model chicken ranch on his, place and makes a specialty of breeding the
Rhode Island Red stock of fowl. He exhibits in all the fairs of the region,
as well as in all the important poultry shows in the country. He has won
many first prizes, including forty-seven silver cups, the various scenes of
his triumphs being laid in New York City, Chicago, Cleveland and Pitts-
burgh, as well as many other places of less importance. His Rhode Island
Reds are noted all over the country. It adds to the credit of his achieve-
ment to learn that all the forty-seven silver cups have been won within a
period of the last four years.
Mr. Ober does not confine his activities to his farm, however. On the
contrary, though retired from business, he still leads an active life and
keeps his sympathies broad. He is a keen and intelligent observer of the
political issues which agitate the country, and a staunch member of the
Republican party. He served his fellow citizens with great efficiency as a
member of the council of Allegheny City, to which office he was elected in
a Democratic ward. He is also a member of the local lodge of the Order
of Elks. Like his ancestors, Mr. Ober is a member of the Catholic church,
and is rearing his children in that faith.
Mr. Ober married (first) Mary E. Stadelman, June 13, 1876. To them
were born six children, three of whom, two boys and one girl, are deceased.
Those living are Elizabeth, now Mrs. J. J. O'Leary, of Oakmont, Pennsyl-
vania ; Matilda, who resides at home ; Robert, who married Edith Fair, and
now resides in Verona, Pennsylvania. Mr. Ober married (second) Isabel
Sauer.
Charles F. Ober, the younger brother of Frank L. Ober, who was
associated with him in the brewery business, is also a prominent figure in
that region. At the time of the sale of the Ober Brewery to the Pittsburgh
company, Charles F. Ober did not, as his elder brother did, withdraw
entirely from the business. On the contrary he accepted the oflfer of super-
intendency of the concern from the new owners, in which capacity he is
still employed by them. He began his business career in 1873, with a
position in the German Savings and National Bank of Allegheny, continuing
with that institution until he entered the brewing business in partnership
with his brother in 1878. Besides his superintendency in the Pittsburgh
Brewing Company, he now holds a membership in the directorate of the
Provident Trust Company, of the North Side, Pittsburgh.
Charles F. Ober married Mary Amelia Sauer, a native of Allegheny.
Pennsylvania. To them have been born five children, as follows : Amelia,
now Mrs. Joseph Rooney, of Pittsburgh, North Side ; Lucy ; Emma, now
Mrs. Leo Spuhler, of Pittsburgh, North Side; Elmer C, a resident of
Allegheny City, and employed in the German National Bank ; Arthur A.
1122 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
The McMurrays are of Scotch-Irish ancestry, some of
McMURRAY the bearers of this name coming to America toward the
latter part of the eighteenth century, others coming at a
later date.
Edward McMurray, born in the North of Ireland. February 26, 1799,
emigrated to America in 1857 and settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He
was a man of superior attainments, and found no difficulty in obtaining em-
ployment in the city departments, with which he was identified the remainder
of his life. He was a Republican in political opinion, and an active worker
in the interests of the United Presbyterian church. Mr. McMurray married
in Ireland Anna McCullough, born in that country in 1808, and they had
children : Margaret, died in Ireland ; John, married Jane Bole, is an oil
refiner in Pittsburgh; James, in the plaster business in Pittsburgh, married
Eliza Gutherie; Mary, married Hugh Bole, a brother of the wife of her
brother John, and also lives in Pittsburgh ; Eliza, married John Rainey,
lived in Pittsburgh ; Sarah, married John McKee, a mechanic of Pittsburgh ;
Rebecca, married Alexander Gorman, a contractor of Pittsburgh ; Thomas,
of further mention. Edward McMurray was a member of the Masonic
Order.
Thomas McMurray, son of Edward and Anna (McCullough) Mc-
Murray, was born in the North of Ireland, May 19, 1849. He was a
young lad when he came to this country with his parents, and acquired his
education in the elementary and high schools of Pittsburgh. In early man-
hood he started in the hardware business with Whitmore, Wolf, Dufif &
Company, remaining with this firm for a period of four years. He then
went to Lindsay, Sterritt & Euwer, remaining with them until the firm was
changed to Lindsay, Sterritt & Company. Subsequently he became a partner
of James C. Lindsay & Company, which still later became the Lindsay
Hardware Company, of which Mr. McMurray has now been president
continuously since his election to this office in 1896. For the past twenty-
five years he has lived with his family in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. He
has been an active worker in the interests of the Republican party, and is
now serving his second term as a member of the borough council. For
many years he has been a member of the United Presbyterian church and
has held official position in it for the past ten years. Fraternally he is a
member of the Blue Lodge, Chapter. Consistory, and Veterans, of the
Order of Free and Accepted Masons ; also a Knight Templar and member
of the Order of the Mystic Shrine.
Mr. McMurray married, December 12, 1877, Charlotte, daughter of
Thomas and Jane Barkley, and they have had children: Alfred B., born in
August, 1879, lives in Charleston, West Virginia, married Mary E. Grear;
Thomas E., born in 1883, is a physician in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, mar-
ried Mary Emmett, of Hagerstown, Maryland ; Wesley Gordon, born in
1887, is a traveling salesman and unmarried; Lewis S., born in 1891, is a
student in the University of Pennsylvania: Walter Roy. born in 1895;,
attends the Wilkinsburg high school; Earl Kenneth, born in 1899, a pupil
in the public schools.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1123
The Beattys came to the North of Ireland from Scotland,
BEATTY and from thence emigrated to America, where they have been
resident for a number of generations, and have been highly
respected citizens.
(I) Robert Beatty, who was one of the pioneer settlers of Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, was a civil engineer, and did almost all the surveying
of the section in his time. He owned a farm of about three hundred acres,
of which he cleared the greater part. In political sentiment he was a Whig,
and his religious affiliation was with the Presbyterian church. He married
Rebecca, a daughter of Judge Colter, of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and had
children : William ; Samuel, of further mention ; Priscilla ; Robert ; John ;
James ; Jonathan ; Henry ; Elizabeth ; Mary ; Rebecca ; Margaret ; Richard ;
Eli.
(II) Samuel Beatty, son of Robert and Rebecca (Colter) Beatty, was
born on the Beatty homestead in Allegheny county, in 1812. He was
educated in the district school of Patton township, and was a very young
man when he commenced farming on the homestead, on which he spent his
entire life. He was active in the cause of religion, and assisted in building
the Cross Roads Presbyterian Church in 1836. In political matters he was
Republican. Mr. Beatty married Anna Jane Glen, a daughter of Squire
David Boggs, of Patton township, and they had children : Lavinia, who died
at the age of four years ; Henry, a veteran of the Civil War, married Emma
Colcleser, and lives in Monroeville ; David, now deceased, married Rachel
Tilford, and lives on the Beatty homestead ; William, married Lenora
Greerson, and lives in Patton township; Cyrus B., of further mention;
Samuel, married Clara McCallister, and lives in Patton township.
(III) Cyrus B. Beatty, son of Samuel and Anna Jane Glen (Boggs)
Beatty, was born on the Beatty homestead. October i, 1854. He was
educated in the public schools of Patton township, and lived on the home-
stead until he was about thirty years of age. He now owns a farm of
sixty-six acres in Patton township, and is actively engaged in agricultural
pursuits. He is also interested in a number of other enterprises, chiefly
connected with coal and gas, and operates a coal bank of his own. He is a
staunch supporter of the Republican party, and has served as a member of
the school board and as auditor. His religious affiliation is with the Presby-
terian church, of which for the past twenty years he has served as elder
and is now serving as secretary of the sessions. He is a member of the
Masonic fraternity, belonging to Valley Lodge, No. 613, of Turtle Creek;
Pittsburgh Consistory, Thirty-second Degree Scottish Rite; Syria Temple,
No. I, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Mr. Beatty mar-
ried, November 28, 1889, Emma J., a daughter of James Atkinson, of Pitts-
burgh, Pennsylvania. They have no children. Mrs. Beatty is a member of
the Eastern Star and other bodies connected with the Masonic Order. She is
a United States Daughter of 1812.
II24 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
The name of Duff has been a familiar one in this country for
DUFF many generations, and it has always been found in connection
with matters which were for the benefit of the communities in
which the various bearers of it have resided.
(I) Alexander Duff was born on the Duff homestead in Penn township,
and owned about one hundred and fifty acres of land. He was engaged in
general farming and stock raising. He married Mary Bright, and they
had children : John, a farmer of Penn township, Allegheny county, Penn-
sylvania, married Sarah B. Morrow; Bright, went to California in 1849
and died there of typhoid fever; Margaret, married Henry Sniveley, and
lived near Milltown ; Barbara, died unmarried in May, 191 1, having spent
her entire life on the homestead; George, died at the age of twenty-two
years ; Elizabeth, died at the age of twenty years ; Rebecca, married Harrow
Johnston, a farmer of Wilkins township, and died a year after her marriage ;
Parry, of further mention ; Wilson, married Elizabeth Wilson, and lives in
Penn township.
(H) Parry Duff, son of Alexander and Mary (Bright) Duff, was born
on the Duff homestead, August 14, 1846, and died December 19, 1879. He
was a farmer on the homestead all his life, was a supporter of Democratic
principles in political matters, and was a Presbyterian in religious views. He
married, March 14, 1872, Elizabeth, born July 10, 1848, a daughter of
Thomas F. and Mary M. (Burchfield) Butler, whose other children were:
John B., born March 19, 1850, married Jane Garriet; Mary Amanda, born
October 20, 1852, married Isaac N. Carpenter; Lydia Jane, born December
17, 1854, died October 19, 1876; Adah P., born March 22, 1857, married
Dr. William H. Wills; Daniel, born December 3, 1859, died at the age of
twelve years; Margaret A., born May 26, 1862; Isabel, born March 30,
1865, married Wilson Mill, a farmer. Mr. and Mrs. Duff had one child.
(Ill) Alexander Duff, son of Parry and Elizabeth (Butler) Duff,
was born on the Duff homestead, Penn township, July 7, 1874. He was
educated in the public schools of his native township, in those of Wilkins-
burg, and in the Wilkinsburg Academy. In early manhood he commenced
following farming, and has made this his life work. He has a fine farm of
seventy acres, on which he raises fruits and vegetables, and also has a
fine herd of dairy cows. He is one of the prosperous farmers of his section,
owing to the progressive methods he applies to all his undertakings. Po-
litically he is Independent, and in religious belief, a member of the Presby-
terian church. Mr. Duff married, in 1893, Nellie B., born April 27, 1874,
a daughter of Oliver and Harriet (Shaffer) Duff, the former a Civil War
veteran, and they have had children: Ruth, born August 3, 1894; Lester,
born July 13, 1896; Eleanor, born February 24, 1898; Hazel, born August
25, 1900; Alexander, Jr., born July 7, 1911.
This was a name of frequent occurrence among the Scotch-
GILMORE Irish immigrants who settled in this country throughout
the eighteenth century. It was carried from Scotland to
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1125
the Nortli of Ireland about a century prior to its arrival here, and has con-
tributed many excellent citizens to the United States.
(I) John Gilmore was born in Ireland, and emigrated to the United
States in 1833, accompanied by his wife and only child. His wife died at
sea, and Mr. Gilmore with his son settled in Penn township, Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, where he died in 1840. The name of his wife before
marriage was Ann McCune.
(II) Francis Gilmore, son of John and Ann (McCune) Gilmore, was
born in county Down, Ireland, March 29, 1801, and in 1843 purchased
forty-seven acres of land in Penn township, near Wilkinsburg. This was
covered with timber, and he cleared the land and erected a number of
buildings on it. The fine brick house in which his children are now living
was erected by him. He was a staunch supporter of Republican principles,
and was for many years an elder in the United Presbyterian church. Mr.
Gilmore married Jane, who died September 6, 1890, a daughter of John
Johnston, Esq. Children : John Hastings, of further mention ; Martha
Ann, who lives with her brother ; James and Margaret, who died in infancy.
John Johnston, father of Mrs. Jane (Johnston) Gilmore, was born in
Ireland in 1745, and died in Pennsylvania, in July, 1810. He was the
recipient of an excellent education in his native land, and came to this
country at the age of seventeen years. He readily found employment in
the Land Office, at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and, upon the outbreak of
the Revolutionary War, became the private secretary of General Washing-
ton. For the services he rendered in this capacity, he received, as part
payment, six hundred and twenty acres of land in Wilkins township, Alle-
gheny county. Three hundred acres are in what in now Penn township.
On this he settled, and suffered greatly from the depredations of the
Indians. While living there he farmed the Two Mile Bottom where Pitts-
burgh now stands. He was a strong Whig in political affairs, and served
as justice of the peace for many years being in office at the time of his
death. He was a ruling elder of the Beulah Presbyterian Church, and
called her first pastor. He married Martha, a daughter of William and
Jane Mishkimans, both born in Ireland, and they had children: James M.
and Nancy, twins ; Jane, who married Francis Gilmore, as above stated.
(III) John Hastings Gilmore, son of Francis and Jane (Johnston)
Gilmore, was born on the Gilmore homestead, Penn township, Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, May 29, 1846. He was educated in the public schools
of Penn township and Wilkinsburg, and then became identified with agri-
cultural pursuits. He farmed in association with his father, until the death
of the latter in 1893. from which time he cultivated the farm alone until
1899, when he retired from its active cultivation. He and his sister live in
the home built by his father. Politically Mr. Gilmore is a Republican, and
has served as school director for a period of eleven years. His religious
affiliation is with the United Presbyterian church.
II26 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
This name undoubtedly originated with a person tall of stature.
LONG An account of its origin in England, which may be regarded as
more or less authentic, asserts that one of the family of Preux,
who was an attendant on the lord treasurer of Hungerford, acquired the
soubriquet of Long Henry, on account of his great height. Having mar-
ried a lady of quality, he adopted the prefix as a surname, changing the
appellation to Henry Long, and thus becoming the founder of the Longs of
Wiltshire. The name is also to be found in Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire,
Norfolk and Suffolk, and is known to have existed in the reign of Edward
L Several Americans of this name have won national distinction, including
the Hon. John Davis Long, secretary of the navy.
(I) Matthew Long was born in England, and came to America prior
to the Revolutionary War. He was a young man at that time, and fought
bravely in the ranks of the Continental army. He was a member of Beulah
Church, and is buried in the old churchyard.
(H) John Long, son of Matthew Long, the immigrant, was born on
the homestead founded by his father in Penn township, Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, and married Rebecca Brown. Children : Matthew ; Sarah ;
Rebecca ; Samuel, was a member of the One Hundred and First Regiment
Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War; Elizabeth M. Mr.
Long was a member of the L^nited Presbyterian church.
(III) Matthew Long, son of John and Rebecca (Brown) Long, was
born on the Long homestead, November lo, 1827, and died November 6,
1904. He was educated in the public schools of Penn township, and all his
life was engaged in farming operations. He married, in 1858, Matilda
Dufif, and had children : John, Frank and Harry, died in infan-^y : Ella
M.. married Benjamin Harrison; Araminta, married John W. Harrison;
Samuel Morrow, of further mention : Matilda B., married James Morrow ;
Margaret J., married Harry Swisshelm. Mr. Long was a Democrat and a
member of the United Presbyterian church.
(IV) Samuel Morrow Long, son of Matthew and Matilda (Dufif) Long,
was born on the Long homestead, Penn township, Allegheny county, Penn-
sylvania, April 8, 1865. He was educated in the public schools of his native
township, and, like his father, has been identified with farming all his life.
He has made many improvements on the homestead, among them being the
erection of a fine brick dwelling house in 1910. He and his wife are mem-
bers of the United Presbyterian church, and he has served as treasurer of
the church and Sunday school. Mr. Long married, January 12, 1895, Sadie,
a daughter of James and Mary (Donald) Donaldson, and they have had
children: Mary, born October 8, 1899; Harry, born May 6, 1901 ; Frances,
born April 20, 1903; Warren, })orn July 2, 1906; Alice Isabel, born June 8,
1912. In political matters Mr. Long is a Prohibitionist.
Frank D. Gibson is a member of an old and highly regarded
GIBSON Pennsylvania family, a family which furnished the pioneers
of the western part of that state, the men upon whose courage
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1127
and energy the great development of that section of the country is founded.
When they went into that region they found a wilderness, peopled by
savages, hostile to themselves, and looking with suspicion upon their every
advance. Yet in spite of these difficulties they cleared the country, cultivated
the land, and built houses which, though rude and primitive, were yet the
forerunners of all the mighty industrial growth which has come after.
f I) Anthony Gibson, grandfather of Frank D. Gibson, came to Fayette
county, Pennsylvania, a pioneer, bringing with him his wife, and settling
there permanently, clearing his land and farming until his death. After
that his wife removed to Braddock, Pennsylvania, where she continued to
live until the year 1902, when she died at the venerable age of eighty-nine
years. They were the parents of three children, as follows: George, of
whom further; Caroline and Lester, all of whom are now deceased.
(II) George Gibson, eldest child of Anthony Gibson, was born in
Fayette county, Pennsylvania, in the year 1842, and there passed his child-
hood, attending the local public schools, and learning the trade of brick
making. About 1865. when he was twenty-three years of age, he removed
from his native place to Braddock, Pennsylvania, and there engaged in
brick manufacture for a considerable period of years. At the time of the
breaking out of the Civil War, Mr. Gibson joined the Union army, enlisting
at Pittsburgh, in 1861, in Company A, Sixty-third Regiment Pennsylvania
Volunteer Infantry. He was later transferred to Company D, One Hundred
and Fifth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and served until the
close of that historic struggle, seeing much active campaigning during the
time, and undergoing many hardships and perils. His lyother Lester also
enlisted in the Union army, and gave up his life for his country, dying
while in camp from an injury. George Gibson, however, survived the
ordeal, and returned to his home in Pennsylvania, to enjoy many years of
honored and honoraMe citizenship. His death finally occurred on February
23, 1907, at the age of sixty-five years. He was a member of the Grand
Army of the Republic and of the Union Veteran Legion. He was a staunch
member of the Republican party, and a man who gave much thought and
attention to the great political questions agitating the country in his day. He
married, April 16. 1865, Rebecca Dick, a native of Pittsburgh, born in 1847.
Mrs. Gibson was a daughter of John and Rebecca (Bart) Dick, he a native
of Ireland, whence he came to Braddock, Pennsylvania, and there followed
the trade of carpenter for a number of years, and then moved to Pittsburgh.
where he finally died in the year 1848. His wife, who had been Rebecca
Bart, was born in England, but came with her parents in the early days to
the United States and to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she met and mar-
ried Mr. Dick, and eventually died two years after his death. To Mr. and
Mrs. Dick were born three children, as follows : Fannie Louisa ; Frank,
deceased ; Rebecca, the wife of George Gibson. To Mr. and Mrs. George
Gibson were born seven children, as follows: Annie, died in 1913 : Frank D.,
of whom further ; George P., of Mill street, Braddock, Pennsylvania ;
Harry H., who lives in Ohio; Katie, who lives at home with her mother;
II28 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
twins, who died in infancy. Mrs. George Gibson survives her husband, and
is at present a resident of Braddock, Pennsylvania. She is, and her husband
was, a member of the Christian church, and in this belief reared their
children.
(Ill) Frank D. Gibson, the second child of George and Rebecca (Dick)
Gibson, was born January 21, 1868, in Southside, Allegheny county, Penn-
sylvania. Very early in life his parents removed to Braddock, and there the
boy was reared, attending the local public schools, where he obtained an
excellent general education. Upon completing his studies, he applied him-
self with his usual aptitude and industry to learn the trade of bricklayer,
and quickly secured employment in that line. He continued in this work for
upwards of twenty years, and then embarked upon an enterprise of his own.
He had by dint of hard work and frugality saved a sufficient capital to
engage in a contracting business on his own account, and naturally chose
brick construction to specialize in, as the line in which he had had a practical
training and experience. Since that time he has done a large and successful
business in brick contracting, and in 1907 he erected a fine brick residence
for himself at No. 833 Kirkpatrick avenue, Braddock, Pennsylvania. Like
his father before him, he is a devoted member of the Republican party, and
a close and intelligent student of politics.
Mr. Gibson married (first) Jessie Frances Hurrell, a native of Brad-
dock, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Gibson was the daughter of Richard and Anna
(Phillips) Hurrell, both natives of Devonshire, England, and both bom in
the year 1832. Mr. and Mrs. Hurrell were married in their native land,
and later emigrated from there, coming to the United States in the year
1873, and settling in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, and later in Braddock, where
they spent the remainder of their lives. Mr. Hurrell was a stone
contractor and did a successful business. He was a Republican in
politics, and a member of the United Presbyterian church. As Mr. and
Mrs. Hurrell were born in the same year, so they died, both in 1902, she in
March and he in December. Mr. Hurrell and his wife were the parents
of eight children, as follows: Elizabeth, now Mrs. Thomas Thomas, of
DuBois, Pennsylvania ; Susannah, now Mrs. Charles Powell, of Braddock,
Pennsylvania ; Jessie, deceased ; Richard Edward ; Esther, deceased, was Mrs.
Charles Powell, of Braddock, Pennsylvania : Uriah, who married Dolly Wise.
of Braddock, Pennsylvania; Jessie Frances, deceased, tlie wife of Mr.
Frank D. Gibson, of this sketch ; and Flora, now the wife of Harry Phil-
lips, of Braddock, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Gibson's brother, Richard E. Hur-
rell, is a prominent man in Braddock, where he has charge of the mason
department of the American Steel and Wire Company of that town. To
Mr. Gibson and his wife was born one child, a son, Lee Hurrell Gibson, born
February 26, 1893. He was educated in the public schools of Braddock,
and is now a mechanic and plumber by trade. Mrs. Gibson died in February,
1895. Mr. Gibson married (second) Rosetta McGeary, a native of Butler
county, Pennsylvania, daughter of John McGeary, a distinguished citizen
of Butler county. The second Mrs. Gibson died November 11, 1907, after
J(>€::^-m^ /^ /j£yCeyt.y/fCc:t^^
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1129
bearing to Mr. Gibson four children, as follows : Rebecca, Frank, Ralph
and Edwin, all of whom are living.
He of this line of Peterman with whom this record opens,
PETERMAN Jacob Peterman, great-grandfather of John H. Peterman,
of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, was a soldier in the
American army in the second war with Great Britain. He married and
was the father of a family, one of his sons, Jacob (2), of whom further.
(II) Jacob (2) Peterman, son of Jacob (i) Peterman, was born in
Somerset county, Pennsylvania, died in Armstrong county, Pennsylvania,
at his farm on Cherry Run, aged more than ninety years. He became a
blacksmith and farmer in his native county, in later life moving to Arm-
strong county, where he pursued these callings until his death. He was a
first lieutenant in an army sent out against a band of allied Indian tribes,
and remained in the service until the savages had been forced from the
warpath and compelled to make peace from fear of annihilation. Jacob
Peterman married Sarah Weldt, three of whose family met their deaths at
the hands of marauding savages in the raid upon Blanket Hill, Armstrong
county, Pennsylvania. Children of Jacob and Sarah (Weldt) Peterman:
Jacob (3), George, Michael, of whom further; Mary Jane, Savilla.
(III) Michael Peterman, son of Jacob (2) and Sarah (Weldt) Peter-
man, was born in Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, and was educated in the
schools of Armstrong county. In young manhood he became a riverman,
having first operated a distillery, and for many years was a member of the
crew of the "Advance II," leaving the river to support the Union cause in
the Civil War. Surviving the two remaining years of this conflict, his
enlistment having been made in 1862, he became connected with the manu-
facture of guns in the Fort Pitt Works, afterward finding employment at
his former calling, that of riverman. Subsequently he worked in the lumber
woods of western Pennsylvania, and then became a carpenter, continuing
at that trade until his death. He was a man of industrious habits, kindly
natured, and made friends in all places. Michael Peterman married Bridget
Dufify, born in Ireland, her parents passing their entire lives in that country,
although their children immigrated to the United States. Children of
Michael and Bridget (Dufify) Peterman: Margaret, Anna, John H., of
whom further; Catherine, George, Michael.
(IV) John H. Peterman, son of Michael and Bridget (Dufify) Peter-
man, was born in Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, August 16, 1862. As a
youth he attended the public schools of Penn township. Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, his parents moving to that place when he was young, and
here he grew to maturity. Adopting farming as his calling, he added to
his operations in this field coal dealing and contracting in stone masonry,
continuing in these lines. His farm is about sixty-five hundred acres in
extent, land formerly owned by his father, and he is one of the prosperous
agriculturists of the locality, success uniformly attending his operations. He
is a communicant of the Roman Catholic church.
II30 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Mr. Peterman married, in September, 1893, Ella B., daughter of David
F. and Catherine (Burns) Evans, her father a native of Path Valley, Penn-
sylvania, her mother of Belfast, Ireland. David F. Evans was a son of
David Evans, who married a Miss McKenzie, and died in Path Valley,
Pennsylvania, and the wife of David F. Evans, Catherine (Burns) Evans,
was a daughter of Edward Burns, who passed his life in the homeland.
Ireland, attaining the wonderful age of one hundred and eight years. David
F. Evans moved to Allegheny City (Pittsburgh North Side) about 1835,
and married four years later, subsequently purchasing a farm at Wexford,
Allegheny county, and there building a comfortable house. He owned
ninety-five acres of land, and besides cultivating this was for many years
proprietor of a grocery store, at different times throughout his life following
the trade of carpenter, which he mastered in early manhood. He was a
prominent and influential citizen of the locality, holding the offices of
justice of the peace, school director, postmaster, and entering the public
service in numerous other capacities, always giving willingly of the best of
his time and labor when he felt that his duty lay in that direction. Children
of David F. and Catherine (Burns) Evans: Sarah, William, Arthur,
Mary, Frank, Theresa, Margaret, Harry, Kate, Ella B., of previous mention,
married John H. Peterman. The family of David F. Evans were among
the first members of the Wexford Roman Catholic Church, which Mr.
Evans built, and they afterward attended St. Peter's at Allegheny. Children
of John H. and Ella B. (Evans) Peterman: Catherine Evans, Robert
James, William Burns, John Clement, Ella Savilla. The family are members
of St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church of Verona, Pennsylvania.
The family bearing this name has been represented in this
DRAIN country for a number of generations, and they have borne their
share nobly and bravely in the various walks of life to which
they have been called.
(I) James Drain was born in the United States, and was a pioneer
settler of Center county, Pennsylvania, later removing to Clarion county,
in the same state, where he died at Leatherwood. The name of his wife is
not known, but he had a family of six children that grew to maturity,
namely : Rachel, married a Mr. Hosey ; Samuel ; Mary Ann, married a
Mr. Harriger, lived in Clarion county, Pennsylvania, where both died ;
Robert, of whom further ; Eliza, was killed in an accident by being thrown
oS a riding horse when a young girl ; Hugh, was a large land owner in
Macon county, Missouri, where he died.
(II) Robert Drain, son of James Drain, was born in Center county,
Pennsylvania, in 1814, and was killed in a railroad accident in 1877. He was
a charcoal burner by occupation and also a farmer, owning his own farm.
In political matters a Democrat, and in religious, a member of the Baptist
church. He married Elizabeth Payne, born in Center county in 1817, died
in 1875. She was a daughter of William and Rachel Payne, and a grand-
daughter of pioneer settlers of Center county. William Payne was born in
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA. 1131
Center county, lived in Armstrong county, and died in Clarion county,
Pemisylvania. His wife died while living in New Bethlehem with her son,
Alexander Payne ; husband and wife died in the same year, but a few
months apart. Children of Mr. and Mrs. Drain : Mary Ellen, died in New
Bethlehem in 1912; John Alfred: Samantha, died in infancy; Martha,
lives in Peoria, Illinois ; Maria, lives in Pittsburgh ; Olive, died young ;
Phiana, lives in Pittsburgh ; Robert, died in infancy.
(Ill) William H. Drain, son of Robert and Elizabeth (Payne) Drain,
was born in Madison township, Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, September
17, 1844. His early years were spent in Armstrong county, where he
acquired his education in the public schools, and worked as a coal miner.
He removed to Braddock, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in 1874, and
engaged in the general contracting business, with which he has been suc-
cessfully identified since that time. He has built a fine house at No. 102
Camp avenue, in which he now resides. During the Civil War he served
three months as a member of Company K, Fifty-seventh Regiment Penn-
sylvania Volunteer Infantry. He is a strong supporter of the Republican
party, and a generous contributor to the Lutheran church, of which he is
a member. Mr. Drain married, at South Side, Pittsburgh, Caroline, born at
South Side, August 17, 1855, a daughter of Andrew and Rosa Eppert, the
former a native of Germany, and an early resident of Pittsburgh. Children :
Charles L. ; John, superintendent at Ford's, Erie county, Pennsylvania ;
Mary ; Robert, with the American Steel Wire Company, lives in North
Braddock ; Jesse Cyrus, was graduated at West Point, is a first lieutenant
in the United States army, and has been in China two years ; Esther ;
Henry ; Caroline ; George.
The family of Katz was founded in the United States by three
K.-\ TZ brothers, who came thither from Germany, the homeland, one,
Peter, settling in Pennsylvania, and from him is descended the
line herein recorded. The two others went south, Isaac marrying, both
prospering and becoming wealthy, some of the descendants of Isaac serving
in the Confederate army in the war of the rebellion. Peter Katz settled on
the South Side of Pittsburgh, the locality known as Cole Hill, and was there
the owner of a farm, later disposing of his property and moving to Spring
Mills, ^Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, now Unity. He "located in this latter
place in 1813, and the tract of one hundred and forty acres of land that he
purchased cost him twelve hundred and fifty dollars; while at the present
day that land is the site of Unity and the lots made from that tract have a
value of fifteen hundred dollars per acre, a wonderful increase. Peter Katz
married Mary Braddy, daughter of early settlers of Sharpsburg. Pennsyl-
vania, who died aged eighty-two years, his death occurring when he was a
young man, in 1833. One of the sons of Peter and Mary (P.raddy) Katz
was Presley, of whom further.
(II) Presley Katz, son of Peter and Mary (Braddy) Katz, was born
on Pittsburgh South Side, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in 1808, died in
1132 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
1892. He was reared to the life of a farmer and that was his Hfe-long
occupation, his land being at Unity, Allegheny county, where he died. He
and his wife were members of the United Presbyterian church, of Unity,
and he was a Democrat in politics. He married Margaret, daughter of John
McDowell, her father an early settler of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania.
She died in 1861, both being buried in the family burial lot at Unity, Penn-
sylvania. Children of Presley and Margaret (McDowell) Katz: i. Alex-
ander, a soldier of the Union army in the Civil War, died in the course of
that conflict, in 1861. 2. Alvin B., a Union soldier in the Civil War, a
resident of Butler county, Pennsylvania. 3. Mary Jane, married John Huey,
of Monroeville, Pennsylvania. 4. Oliver P., of Allegheny City (Pittsburgh
North Side), Pennsylvania. 5. Presley George, of whom further. 6.
Margaret Lavina, deceased.
(HI) Presley George Katz, son of Presley and Margaret (McDowell)
Katz, was born in Butler county, Pennsylvania, September 21, 1852, and
was educated in the public schools of Unity, Pennsylvania. In young man-
hood he engaged in farming, in 1880 moving to Verona and there estab-
lishing as an undertaker, a line in which he continues to the present time,
bearing an excellent reputation in his business. Mr. Katz owns property in
Verona, in which he has invested since taking up his residence in that
place, and also holds title to a portion of the old family homestead at
Unity. His political party is the Democratic, and as the successful candi-
date of that party he has served as a member of the Verona council. His
church is the United Presbyterian.
He married, in 1874, Margaret, born in Mifflin township, Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, in July, 1854, daughter of Joseph and Maria (Irwin)
Woods, both deceased, early residents of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania.
Children of Presley George and Margaret (Woods) Katz: i. Joseph Irwin,
born in 1876, educated in the public schools and a Pittsburgh commercial
college, also a graduate of a school of embalming, was admitted to partner-
ship by his father, the firm now P. G. Katz & Son ; Joseph Irwin Katz
married, in 1907, Minnie Banser, and has one child, Presley George (2).
2. Bessie, born in 1878, married A. R. Kidd, of Connellsville, Pennsylvania,
and has one daughter, Margaret Kate. 3. George Lawrence, born in 1881,
engaged in insurance dealing in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, married
Christina Price. 4. Dale H., born in 1891, lives at home.
The name of Drennen, sometimes spelled Drennan, lias
DRENNEN been an honored one in Scotland and Ireland for many
generations, and since its advent m this country it has been
no less honored, the various members of the family having discharged
faithfully the duties falling to them.
(I) Thomas Drennen, who was born in the North of Ireland about
1756, emigrated to America at the age of fourteen years, and settled in
the eastern part of Pennsylvania. Imbued with the true spirit of patriotism,
he became a soldier in the Continental army, and served bravely during the
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1133
Revolution. He met his wife in the Susquehanna Valley, and married there,
later removing to Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where he settled on a
farm in Elizabeth township. He married Isabella Moore, and they had
children: Martha, married David Drennen, both deceased, and buried at
Pittsburgh ; Isabella, died unmarried on the old homestead, at the age of
forty years ; Priscilla, married William Cooper, removed to Ohio with her
sister, Jane, and died there ; Jane, married Llewellyn Howell, died, and is
buried in Ohio; Nancy, married Robert Hewey, died near Turtle Creek,
Pennsylvania; John, was a planter in Van Buren, Arkansas, and died some
years ago; William Moore, of further mention.
(II) William Moore Drennen, son of Thomas and Isabella (Moore)
Drennen, was born on the Drennen homestead in Elizabeth township, Alle-
gheny county, Pennsylvania, October 10, 1803, and died in the fifty-fourth
year of his age after a lingering illness. He was a farmer all of his life,
and won prominence for the excellent breed of horses he raised. At the time
of his death he was affiliated with the Republican party, and he and his
wife were members of the United Presbyterian church, in which he was
also an elder. Mr. Drennen married. May 17, 1827, Margaret Pollock,
born on the Pollock homestead in Elizabeth township, in February, 1802.
They became the parents of children: Martha, married (first) Finley
Powers, (second) a Mr. Dean, also now deceased, and is living in Kansas
at the age of eighty-six years ; Thomas Henry, of further mention ; Isabella
J., married Thomas Fergus, deceased, a merchant in Elizabeth, where she
is still living at the age of eighty-one years : Margaret, died at the age of
four years ; Esther Mary, married David Pearse, of Ohio, both buried in
Ohio; David, died in infancy; Emily, unmarried, is still living on the old
Drennen homestead, in Elizabeth township ; Violet, died in infancy.
(Ill) Thomas Henry Drennen, son of William Moore and Margaret
(Pollock) Drennen, was born about four miles east of Elizabeth, Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, December 17, 1830. His education was acquired in
the old Wild Cat Hollow District School, and his earlier years were the
usual ones of a farmer's son. He was engaged in farming until 1886,
when he commenced operating a grist mill in Elizabeth, and was identified
with this industry for many years, but is now living retired in Elizabeth.
He is a Republican in politics, taking an active interest in whatever con-
cerns the welfare of the community, and he and his wife are members of
the United Presbyterian church.
Mr. Drennen married, October 16, 1876, Elizabeth J., a daughter of
John and Isabella (Lyle) White, who were of a, prominent family in West
Virginia for many years, were engaged in agriculture, and continued this
occupation when they removed to Elizabeth, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Drennen's
maternal great-grandfather, a Mr. Rea, was a soldier in the Revolutionary
War. Mr. and Mrs. Drennen have no children.
1 134 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
The name of McKinley is one which is known throughout
McKINLEY the length and breadth of the land, and it has had many
strong-minded and intellectual sons and daughters, who
have added distinction to its luster.
(I) Andrew McKinley was a native of Ireland, and died in Elizabeth
township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in 1844. He emigrated to the
United States in 1792, and for a time made his home in Chester county,
Maryland. He then removed to Forward township, Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, and from that place to near McKeesport, in the same county.
In 1817 he purchased a farm in Elizabeth township, on which he spent the
remainder of his days. Mr. McKinley married Barbara Reed, who died in
1842, and they became the parents of nine children.
(II) Andrew (2) McKinley, son and youngest child of Andrew (i)
and Barbara (Reed) McKinley, was born on what is now Calhoun farm,
in 181 1. He was for a long time engaged as the general agent for the D.
M. Osborne Company, of Albany, New York, and was auditor of Elizabeth
township for many years. He was active in the interests of the Democratic
party, and served as supervisor of Elizabeth township. He was a member
of the Presbyterian church of West Elizabeth, Pennsylvania. Mr. McKinley
married (first) in 1837, Maria Wilson. He married (second) Martha J.
Fife, who died May 10, 1863, a daughter of Andrew Fife, of Elizabeth
township. He married (third) Mary E., a daughter of Michael Ventress,
of Elizabeth, Pennsylvania. There were three children by the first marriage,
of whom Andrew is living in Forward township, Allegheny county. Chil-
dren by the second marriage: John G., a merchant in Monongahela City,
Pennsylvania ; George, of further mention ; Clara M., married Frank Haney,
of McKeesport, Pennsylvania ; Noah F. ; Belle, married Charles Wylie, lives
in McKeesport.
' (III) George McKinley, son of Andrew (2) and Martha J. (Fife)
McKinley, was born on the farm on which he is now living, in Elizabeth
township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, March 7, 1856. He was edu-
cated in the public schools near the family homestead, and his life was the
usual one of a farmer's son in those days. He very naturally took up
farming as his life work, and has always been identified with it. The
house which was erected by his father is still in excellent condition, owing
to the care bestowed upon it by Mr. McKinley, and the farm is a very
productive one, owing to the same cause. For many years has made a
specialty of dairy farming, and was very successful in this enterprise. He
is a Democrat in politics, and he and his wife attend services at the Round
Hill Presbyterian Church. His fraternal association is with Elizabeth Con-
clave, No. 198, Improved Order of Heptasophs. Of a social disposition,
and always ready to make friends, he is noted for his open-handed hospi-
tality.
Mr. McKinley married, in 1893, Gertrude, a daughter of Jonathan
and Eliza (Ryan) Wycoff. They have no children, but a niece of Mrs.
McKinley, Yeurith VVestbay, makes her home with them. She is at present
cSf^ t / ^^P^2^l^
WESTERN PENXSYL\ AXIA 1135
a student at Bucknell College, a member of the class of 1917, a member of
the Delta Delta Delta Sorority, and takes a prominent part in college
activities.
Daniel J. Tarr, whose death on February 15, 1913, when but
TARR forty-eight years of age, deprived Pitcairn, Pennsylvania, of one
of its most distinguished citizens, was a member of an old
Westmoreland county family. His paternal grandfather, Collins Tarr, was
an early settler in that region, he and his wife, Catherine, having taken up
their abode there in their youth. They were the parents of nine children,
five sons and four daughters, as follows: Daniel. Alexander, Collins Jr.,
Jacob, of whom further ; John, Maria, Catherine, Bettie and Sallie. He was
a man well known and highly respected in his neighborhood, and his sun,
Jacob Tarr, followed in his footsteps, and held an enviable reputation
throughout the region.
(H) Jacob Tarr accompanied his parents when still very young on
their migration from the east to Westmoreland county, where he passed the
remainder of his long life, dying there on June 18, 1906, at the age of
seventy-five years. He married Martha Hobaugh, of Westmoreland county,
Pennsylvania, daughter of George and Elizabeth (Cline) Hobaugh. Mrs.
Jacob Tarr survived her husband precisely one year, dying June 18, 1907, at
the age of seventy-two. To them were born seven children, as follows:
William C, a resident of Vandergrift, Pennsylvania ; George H., now of
Newlonsburg, Pennsylvania; Daniel J., of whom further; Robert A., of
Orchard Island, Ohio; Margaret, who became the wife of Jacob W. Wilson,
and the mother of two daughters, Martha Tarr and Isabella Hall ; Anna
and Jennie, now deceased.
(Ill) Daniel J. Tarr was born in W^estmoreland county, Pennsylvania,
June 18, 1865. He was the third child of the family of seven children born
to his parents, and was reared in his native place, and passed his young
manhood there up to the age of twenty-eight years. He obtained his educa-
tion at the local public schools and graduated from the Murrysville High
School. Upon completing this course of studies, he engaged in the busi-
ness of butcher and established a substantial trade at Pitcairn, Pennsylvania,
in the year 1893. His establishment prospered greatly in the new locality,
and he was successful in working up a large and remunerative business
there. Mr. Tarr bought himself a large, handsome residence on the corner
of Second street and Highland avenue, Pitcairn, and there spent the re-
mainder of his life. Mr. Tarr married, in the month of January. 1893.
Nettie Shields, a native of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, born in the
year 1868, daughter of William R. and Rebecca (Nipple) Shields, of that
region. To Mr. and ^Mrs. Tarr were born five children, as follows : Will-
iam J., Irene J., Walter D., Russel J., Meredith O. Mrs. Tarr and her
five children survive Mr. Tarr.
Mr. Tarr was not a man to confine his activities entirely within the
limits of his personal business. On the contrary, he was most public-
1 136 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
spirited, and he was a keen and intelligent observer of the course of public
events. Though he never took an active part in politics, he was a consistent
member of the Republican party, voting its ticket for many years. Always
ready to assist with effort of financial aid any measures for the advance-
ment and development of the community of which he was a member, he
stood a model of public-spirited citizenship, and his death was felt as a
keen loss, not only by his family and the host of personal friends his affable,
frank nature had won, but by the community at large which had benefitted
so greatly by his life and activities.
Space is here given for the chronicle of the American life
MARTIN of the branch of the Irish family of Martin to which John
Martin, of Turtle Creek, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
belongs. It is a brief record, covering a period of but little more than half
a century, yet it contains the story of two lives that have been usefully and
honorably lived, and did it include the narrative of past generations in the
homeland the pride of race and family would be well understood. John
Martin was born in Ireland, and after coming to Allegheny county, Penn-
sylvania, engaged in trade as a clothing merchant, building up a business
large and profitable. He was a member of the Baptist church, and an
active worker in all organizations connected therewith, contributing freely
of his labors and means to its undertakings. His political party was the
Democratic. He married Jane Potts, born in Ireland, and was the father of:
Jane, Hugh, William, Thomas, John, of whom further; James, Samuel,
Maria, Margaret, all deceased with the exception of John.
John (2) Martin, son of John (i) and Jane (Potts) Martin, was
born in Penn township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in January, 1858.
He was educated in the public schools, and for the first twenty-five years
of his life as a bread-winner he was a mine worker. In 1888 he purchased
his present farm of fifty-six acres at Turtle Creek, Allegheny county, and
has there since resided, his agricultural operations successfully profitable.
With his wife he is a member of the Presbyterian church, and is a Repub-
lican in political belief. He has served two terms in the office of township
commissioner, giving to his duties in that capacity time and careful atten-
tion. Mr. Martin married, in 1878, Margaret, daughter of William and
Susan (Hershey) Soles. William and Susan (Hershey) Soles were the
parents of : Nancy, Margaret, of previous mention, married John Martin,
and Jane. Children of John and R-Iargaret (Soles) Martin: Mary, Taylor,
John, Charles, Susan, Norman, Francis, Olive, Jessie May, Roy, deceased ;
Margaret. The family are members of the Presbyterian church.
The Ireland family has been resident in this country for a
IRELAND number of generations, and they have thoroughly proven
their worth as citizens of merit and ability in the various
walks of life.
(I) Wallace Ireland, who was a carpenter by trade, was also the owner
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA ii37
of a small farm, which he cultivated successfully. He was a Whig iu
political opinion, and an earnest member of the Methodist church.
(II) James Ireland, son of Wallace Ireland, was born in 1808, and died
August 16, 1864. He owned the tract of land back of his house, and later
the railroad company bought a strip of this next to the river. He was a
carpenter by trade, a Republican in political matters, and a member of the
Methodist church. He married Mary, a daughter of William Boyd, who
was a horse jockey in his earlier years, came to Penn township in 1832. and
there bought a farm. Mr. and Mrs. Ireland became the parents of children
as follows : William W., deceased ; John T. ; James B., of further mention ;
Samuel, deceased; Robert Simon; Alfred C. ; Mary Martha; Frank; Joseph
D., deceased.
(III) James B. Ireland, son of James and Mary (Boyd) Ireland, was
born in Penn township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, October 16, 1847.
His educational advantages were acquired in the common schools of his
native township. He was engaged in hauling coal for fourteen years and
then became a checkman at the coal tipple for the Dixon-Stewart Company,
later the John Foster Company, and still later for the Kier-Foster & Kier
Company. He is a member of the Methodist church. He married, April
21, 1880, Rebecca, daughter of Henry Beers, of Greensburg, Pennsylvania,
and they have five children: Clyde, Richard B., Mary L., Carrie, Jennie.
George C. Reiter was born in Goettingen, Germany, where
REITER he received his education and lived until he had attained
manhood. He then emigrated to America. He was married,
at the Cape of Good Hope, to Dorothy Cook, born near Goettingen, Ger-
many, and they came to America together. Children : Andrew, George,
Sophia, William, Henry.
(II) Henry Reiter, son of George C. and Dorothy (Cook) Reiter.
was born at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and died in 1901. For a time he
was a merchant with a store in Allegheny, then moved to Turtle Creek, and
in 1844 removed to a farm at what was then known as Anthony Postoffice,
and conducted a store there. Still later he purchased a farm, and was the
owner of one hundred and twelve acres at the time of his death. He was
a Republican in politics, and a member of the Presbyterian church. Mr.
Reiter married Isabelle, who died in 1899, a daughter of John Patterson, and
they had children : i. Mary, unmarried. 2. Elizabeth, deceased. 3. Isabelle.
married F. M. Johnston, lives in Pittsburgh, and has children : Sadie and
Emma. 4. John, deceased. 5. Sophia. 6. Emma, deceased. 7. George,
lives at Butler, and married (first) Ida Kistler, (second) Sarah Hughy ;
children by first marriage : Sophia, Murray, Harry, Maggie ; children by
second marriage: Edna, Ralph, Francis, Nellie, Clarence, I^urence, Helen.
8. Harry, lives in East Liberty, Pittsburgh ; married Emma Armstrong.
9. Robert, of further mention.
(HI) Robert Reiter, son of Henry and Isabelle (Patterson) Reiter,
was born in Plum township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, December 25,
1 138 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
1859. He has always lived on the home farm, which he cultivates very
successfully. He married (first) Mary Toner, of Plum township, (second)
Naomi Brinton. Children by first marriage: John, Isabelle, Robert, Glen,
Rose. Only child by second marriage: James.
The Pickford family is an old one of England, where they
PICKFORD have, for the greater part, been engaged in manufacturing
interests. They were of the Quaker denomination.
Joseph Pickford, whose father was a woolen manufacturer, was born
in Sheffield, England, September 15, 1798, and died August 24, 1886. He
also became a manufacturer of note, and while he commenced on a small
scale, his business grew from an initial force of ten workmen to one of
large proportions. He was one of the founders of the Stockbridge Band of
Hope Industrial Co-operative Society in England. He married Hannah
Birkenshire, born January 14, 1798, died December 27, 1882, a daughter
of William Birkenshire, a stone mason and a contractor. Children : Ben-
jamin P., born April 6, 1822, sailed to America with his wife and children,
April 18, 1844; Henry P., born January 24, 1824, died February 16, 1844;
Thomas, born June 6, 1826, died June 8, 1851 ; Mary, born February 24,
1827, died in November, 1830; Ann, born February 7, 1830, died in Febru-
ary, 191 1 ; John, born March 19, 1832, died in 1912; Elizabeth, born June
8, 1837; James, born January 17, 1839, died in 1910; Joseph, born December
21, 1841, died November 17, 1872; William, of further mention; Walter,
twin of William, is inspector of the Chicago Wire Works.
William Pickford, son of Joseph and Hannah (Birkenshire) Pickford,
was born in Sheffield, England, December 18, 1846. He was educated in
the common schools of his native county, then became an engineer on a
steamship. In 1871 he had charge of steel blowing blast furnaces; in 1882
was superintendent of the blast furnaces at Carnegie, Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania ; manager for eleven years. He was rail inspector for the
railroad company for a period of nine years. He purchased one hundred
and forty-two acres of land, and in 1900 removed to this farm, which he
cultivates for general products. He is a staunch supporter of Republican
principles, and a devout member of the Methodist church. Mr. Pickford
married Rebecca, daughter of Michael McGann. She came to America
alone at the age of eighteen years, in 1866, and was married at Chicago,
July 22, 1870. They have had children : Joseph H., lives in Irwin, Penn-
sylvania, married Matilda McCune, of Turtle Creek; John W., superintend-
ent of steel works at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and lives in Wilkinsburg;
married Emma Chester ; Annie Elizabeth, married J. A. Phillips, of Somer-
ville, Florida ; Celia, deceased ; Delia, married David Beatty, and lives near
the home farm; Edith, married Thomas G. Beatty, a farmer; Ethel, mar-
ried David Long, who owns the adjoining farm.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1139
The name of Barnett, or Barnet, as it is also spelled, has
BARNETT been found in the state of Pennsylvania many years, and
the families bearing it have been founded here at various
periods of time. They have invariably proved themselves possessed of those
qualities which are most to be desired in the citizens of any community.
(I) William Barnett was born in 18 18, and emigrated to America in
1866. While still living in England, he was a member of Forester Lodge.
Upon his arrival here, he lived for a time at Sandy Creek, Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, removed to Plum Creek in 1872, and spent the last
years of his life at Verona, Pennsylvania. He was a coal miner by occupa-
tion, and when he came to America he joined his brother Thomas, now
deceased. In political matters he joined the Republican party, and was a
member of the United Presbyterian church. He married Katherine Whiel,
and they had children : Daniel, born in 1853, lives at Pittsburgh, and mar-
ried Bridget Rogers; William M., of further mention; Elizabeth, born in
1859, married (first) Joseph Woods, of Plum Creek, (second) Augustus
Wooster, of Plum Creek; Thomas, born in i860, unmarried; Mary, born
in 1862, married William Clark, and lives at New Kensington, Pennsylvania.
(II) William M. Barnett, son of William and Katherine (Whiel) Bar-
nett, was born in South Wales, England, September 16, 1856. The common
schools of his native place furnished his education, and at an early age he
commenced working in the coal mines. Upon attaining manhood he emi-
grated to the United States, and for seventeen years followed coal mining
at Plum Creek coal mines, and for a period of thirteen years was engaged
in the meat business at Unity Station. In igo8 he removed to his farm of
one hundred and thirty acres at Unity Station, Pennsylvania, where he
also owns two houses. Mr. Barnett married Mary B. Ferdon, and they
have had children: Sarah Jane, born September 14, 1879; Robert, born
March 10, 1881, deceased; Ida M., born December 2, 1882; Minnie, born
May II, 1884. deceased; j\Iary Katherine, born December 9, 1889; Clara
Agnes, born December 30, 1892; William Lawrence, born April 11, 1895;
Anna Augusta, born February 22, 1896; Harry Clemens, born January 2,
1901 ; Grace Lenore, born September 8, 1905.
This name, first a forename and later a surname, is derived
GEORGE from two Greek words and signifies "earth worker," or
"farmer." The families of this name are of widely different
origin and are scattered throughout the United States. The branch under
discussion here had its origin in Wales, a country which has furnished
many energetic and highly valued citizens.
(I) David George, who was born in Wales in 1789. died in his nati\e
country in 1866. He emigrated to America and made his home in Brooklyn.
New York, but later returned to Wales. He married Mary , and
they had children : David and Evan.
(II) Evan George, son of David and Mary George, was born in
Brooklyn, New York, March 20, 1837, and died in Braddock, Allegheny
II40 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
county, Pennsylvania, February lo, 1904. When he was about six years
of age he was taken to Wales by his parents, and there learned the mill-
wright's trade, which he followed all his life. He returned to the United
States about 1890, and settled in Braddock, where he lived at No. 11 15
Kirkpatrick avenue. He married, in Wales, Mary Stockham, born in
Wales, April 28, 1844, now living in Braddock. She is the daughter of
Thomas and Mary Stockham, both natives of Wales, where the former
died at the age of seventy-two years. They had children : Mary, mentioned
above; David, deceased; William, of Wales; Elizabeth, lives in England;
Sarah Anna; Esther, married William Griffiths, and lives in Braddock. Mr.
and Mrs. George have had children: David, Thomas, of further mention;
Mary, Jane, William, deceased.
(HI) Thomas George, son of Evan and Mary (Stockham) George, was
born in Wales, January 6, 1869. There he received a thorough and prac-
tical education in the public schools, and lived until he had attained the age
of twenty years. He then decided to come to the United States, and upon
his arrival here in 1889, found employment with the Edgar Thompson
Steel Company, with vi^hom he remained for a number of years. During
the earlier years of this period he supplemented his education by attend-
ance at the night schools. In 1899 he organized the firm of Phillips &
George, general contractors, which has become one of the important firms
of the city. They have executed extensive contracts, and are noted for
their thorough reliability. Among the well known buildings which they
have erected are the United Brethren church, a fine specimen of the archi-
tecture of its class ; the Smith Flats, which have been constructed with a
masterly attention to detail ; and in 1914 erected a row of ten brick houses,
which are models of their kind. Mr. George is a self made man, as he came
to this country a poor boy, and has risen to a position of wealth and influ-
ence. He is the owner of a fine residence at No. 11 33 Bell avenue. A
man of strong opinions and a deep thinker, he will affiliate with no political
party, but prefers to form his opinions independently. He and his wife are
members of the United Presbyterian church. He married, January 7, 1914,
Minnie Rowlands, born in England, where her parents are still living; she
is a daughter of Harry and Elizabeth (Simkins) Rowlands, of Birming-
ham, England, but a resident of Braddock for five years prior to her
marriage.
This record opens with Harry McComb, great-grandfather
McCOMB of William McComb, of Unity Station, Pennsylvania, who
passed his entire life in Ireland, the seat of the family. He
was a soldier in the wars into which Ireland was plunged through religious
diflferences, as a Protestant, and during his active years was a farmer. He
married and had children: i. Dallie, remained in Ireland. 2. Robert, came
to the United States and fought in the Mexican War. 3. William, settled
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 4. Alexander, remained in Ireland. 5.
Thomas, of whom further.
r^^mf^h^a^^^-'^^^^
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1141
(II) Thomas McCoinb, son of Harry McComb, was born in Ireland,
and after coming to the United States passed his remaining years in
Robinson township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. He was the owner
of property on the South Side of Pittsburgh. He married Elizabeth,
daughter of Thomas Todd, and had children: i. Henry, of whom further.
2. Marjorie. 3. John T., a soldier in the Union army during the Civil
War. 4. Robert, a Union soldier in the Civil War. 5. Thomas. Of the
five children previously named, dhly one, Marjorie, is living at the present
time. She is now living at Sheridan, Pennsylvania, aged ninety years.
(III) Henry McComb, son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Todd) McComb,
was born in Ireland, August 2, 1822, died December 14, 1909. He became
the owner of a two hundred acre farm, the cultivation of which he entrusted
to his sons, while he continued at his employment in a rolling mill. He
was for fifty-five years active in the work of the Unity United Presbyterian
Church, holding in its organization the office of trustee, and as a Repub-
lican filled the position of supervisor of roads. He married Christine,
daughter of William Smith, and had children: i. Thomas, resides in Dela-
ware. 2. William, of whom further. 3. Mary Ann, lives in Pittsburgh. 4.
John T., deceased. 5. Robert A., deceased. 6. Harry S., deceased. 7. Wil-
son C, deceased. 8. James, lives in Denver, Colorado.
(IV) William McComb, son of Henry and Christine (Smith) McComb,
was born in Plum township, Allegheny county. Pennsylvania, April 10,
1849. After the completion of his education he became a farmer, a calling
he has followed all of his life, his home having been on the farm where he
now lives since he was eight years of age. His operations have been uni-
formly successful, their results gratifying, and Mr. McComb is known as one
of the most able agriculturists of the region. He has been in the past
greatly interested in National Guard work, and for four years was president
of the local organization of the state body at New Texas. He is a Repub-
lican in political affiliation. Mr. McComb married. May 22, 1873. Sarah
J., daughter of Joseph and Nancy (Patterson) Porter, granddaughter of
Andrew and Sarah (Quinter) Porter. Children of William and Sarah J.
(Porter) McComb: i. Annie Margaret, married George M. Hamilton,
and has one daughter, Florence. 2. John T., lives at home.
Coming to the United States from Germany, his native
HOCHBERG land, Jacob Hochberg founded his family in Pennsylvania,
making his home in Pittsburgh, where he resided until
his death, February 20, 1913. His calling was that of gardener and he
pursued it successfully and profitably during his active years. He married
Caroline Unger, born in Germany, who survives him to this time (1914).
Both belonged to the Presbyterian church. Children of Jacob and Caroline
(Unger) Hochberg: William H., of whom further; Louis G., John J.,
Charles F., Walter, Albert G., Matilda Caroline.
William H. Hochberg, son of Jacob and Caroline (Unger) Hochberg,
was born in the twenty-second ward of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, June 18,
1 142 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
1874, and as a boy attended Colfax School No. i. In youthful years he
began gardening, in March, 191 1, purchasing six acres of land in Penn
township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where he erected an attractive
house the following year, and where he continues in business with success-
ful results. In 1893 he was township assessor, but other than as the
incumbent of this office has never entered the public service, always, how-
ever, recognizing his every obligation as a private citizen. His church is
the Lutheran, and he is identified with the Masonic order, he and his wife
belonging to the Order of the Eastern Star, his other fraternal connection
being with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
Mr. Hochberg married, September 28, 1898, Anna C, daughter of
August and Theresa (Helmerich) Miller, her parents natives of Germany.
August Miller was educated in his native land, and as a youth of nineteen
years came to the United States, locating in Penn township, Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, where he followed the blacksmith's trade. He after-
ward moved to Plum township, in the same county, there continuing at his
trade until his accidental death, July 10, 191 1. With his wife, whose parents
passed their lives in the homeland, he was a member of the Lutheran
church. Children of August and Theresa (Helmerich) Miller: Emma,
August A., Mary R., Emelia, Elizabeth, Tracy, John, Anna C, of previous
mention, married William H. Hochberg. Children of William H. and Anna
C. (Miller) Hochberg: Clara Belle, Homer William, Ruth Caroline, Hazel
Freda, Grace Miller.
John Duf?, the American progenitor of this branch of the Dufif
DUFF family, was born in Ireland, and came to this country prior to
the War of the Revolution. He joined the American forces,
fighting bravely in the Continental army, and at the battle of Brandywine
his whiskers were cut off by a bullet. After the war he purchased land in
Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and at the time of his death was the
owner of two hundred acres, in Penn township, whither he had removed
prior to 1800, and died there in 1822. He was engaged in general farming
and stock raising, and took an active part in the wars with the Indians.
He was a member of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Duff married Mary
Shakley, and had children: James married Catherine Fisher; David; Will-
iam; George; Samuel, of further mention; Mary; Hetty; Betsey; John;
Margaret.
(II) Samuel Duff, son of John and Mary (Shakley) Duff, was born
on the Duff homestead in Penn township, in 1807, and was educated in
the public schools of Beulah. In early manhood he became a tanner, later
a mason; he made a trip to Philadelphia and New York with a drove of
horses, returning by way of canal. He also went down the Mississippi
river on coal boats. Politically he was a Democrat, and a member of the
United Presbyterian church. He married Jane B. Wilson, born December
2^, 1820, died March 23, 1901, and they had children: Priscilla ; Alvira,
died young; Mary Martha, married John Turner; Lucinda, married James
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1143
Wilson ; Jane B., married Albert Smith ; Samantha ; Alma, married Austin
Jack; Harry, of further mention; Francis, married Jennie Morrow, of
Wilkinsburg ; Liberty, died at the age of eight years.
Thomas Wilson, grandfather of Jane B. (Wilson) Dufif, was born in
Ireland, and emigrated to this country in 1767. He settled in what is now
Penn township, in 1770, and there erected the first cabin in that section.
The depredations of the Indians compelled him to leave this section for a
time, and he went to Pittsburgh ; it was seven years before it was safe
enough for him to return to his clearing. He was in active service in the
Continental army during the Revolution. He married Agnes Murray, born
in Ireland, died in Pennsylvania in 1832, at the age of ninety-eight
years. They had children : Mary, Betsey and James, born in Ireland ;
Francis, Jane, Thomas and George, born in America. George, son
of Thomas and Agnes (Murray) Wilson, and father of Mrs. DufT,
was born in Pennsylvania, January 22, 1779, and married Mary Morrow,
born August 9, 1783. Children: Eliza, born June 20, 1809; Thomas, born
March 17, 181 1, died young; Francis, born October 15, 1812; Henry M.,
born April 18, 1815; Nancy, bom February 12, 1818; Jane B., mentioned
above as the wife of Mr. Dufif ; Sarah Anna, born July 17, 1823 ; Mary,
born September 19, 1826; Thomas, born October i, 1832.
(Ill) Harry Dufif, son of Samuel and Jane B. (Wilson) Dufif, was
born on the old Dufif homestead, in Penn township, Allegheny county, Penn-
sylvania, May 26, 1858. The public schools of his native township furnished
him with an excellent and practical education, and he has always been
engaged in agricultural pursuits. He has a fine farm of sixty-two acres,
richly underlaid with gas and coal. He gives his political support to the
Democratic party, and has served as commissioner of Penn township. His
religious afifiliation is with the LTnited Presbyterian church. Mr. Dufif mar-
ried, April 9, 1891, Margaret J., born April 8, 1865, daughter of James and
Jane (Mitchell) Finley, and sister of: Sarah Elizabeth, married George
Sampson ; Rachel A. ; Mary H., married Frank Wilson ; John S., married
Grace Elder; Belle; J. Reed, married Bessie Kingan. Mr. and Mrs. Dufif
have had children : Ethel R., born January 15, 1892 ; Chalmer H., born June
15. 1893; Russell R., born December 12, 1894; Marlin J., born October 27,
1906.
The Potter family, represented in the present generation by
POTTER Frederick Sheridan Potter, tax collector of the borough of
Turtle Creek, is well known in the section, they taking an
active interest in the enterprises that have for their object the improve-
ment and advancement of the community.
Levi George Potter, father of Frederick Sheridan Potter, was born in
Paris, Oneida county. New York, January 31, 1822. He there grew to
manhood, attended the early schools of that region, and later gave his at-
tention to the tilling of the soil in Jeflferson county. New York, from whence
he removed to Charlotte county, Virginia, where both he and his wife
1 144 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA ■
passed away, after having resided there for many years. He married
Harriet Almeda Prescott, born in Oneida county, New York, daughter of
Anson and Hannah (Paddock) Prescott, he having been one of the pioneers
of Oneida county. Hannah Paddock was of East Haddam, Connecticut,
and she and Anson Prescott were married October 21, 1820. The Prescott
family was of Scotch origin, and the ancestors were among the early
families of New England. Anson Prescott was a relative of William
Prescott, who served as a colonel in the Colonial army, under General
John Winslow, in the expedition against Cape Breton, 1754, against Acadia,
I755> aid was promoted captain. In recognition of his gallantry he was
offered a commission in the regular army, but declined. He was also
related to William Hickling Prescott, the historian, born in Salem, Massa-
chusetts, May 4, 1796, died in Boston, Massachusetts, January 28, 1859;
he was graduated at Harvard, A. B., 1814, A. M., 1817, and entered his
father's office to study law, but owing to the accidental loss of one eye,
which seriously impaired the sight of the other, he devoted himself to
historical writing, and to accomplish this employed an assistant who served
as a secretary, amanuensis and reader, and in writing used an ingenious
instrument for the blind, called the poctograph. Mr. and Mrs. Potter were
the parents of nine children : William, deceased ; Burton ; Mary, deceased ;
Homer; Adeleine ; Elmira; George J.; Frederick Sheridan; Ernest Lincoln.
Frederick Sheridan Potter was born in Jefferson county. New York,
October 27, 1862. He was a student in the public schools of his native
place, afterward serving an apprenticeship at the trade of blacksmith with
Mr. Leonard, of Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, whither he removed in 1884.
He worked as a journeyman for many years, and also with the New York
& Cleveland Railroad. In 1898 he was elected to the office of tax collector
of Turtle Creek borough, and has served in that capacity ever since, a
period of sixteen years, his present term to end at the expiration of four
years, and this long tenure of office amply testifies to his ability and effi-
ciency. For three years prior to his election as tax collector he served as
secretary of the school board, during the erection of the new school. He was
a member of the Turtle Creek Board of Trade as long as it was in exist-
ence, and is vice-president of the East Pittsburgh Building and Loan Asso-
ciation, of which he was one of the organizers. He is a member of Mc-
Master's Methodist Episcopal Church, the Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows, Lodge No. TJJ, and the Modern Woodmen of America.
Mr. Potter married, October 22, 1893, Maggie Burgess, of Wilkins-
burg, Pennsylvania, daughter of William and Mary (Scott) Burgess.
Children: Edith Prescott, William Dewey, Herbert Chamberlain, Mary
Margaret.
The name of Colonel Philip Howell is a well remembered
HOWELL one in Western Pennsylvania, where he was numbered
among the brave pioneers who fought back the Indians and
blazed a trail for civilization to enter. He was the grandfather of Elisha
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1145
Peairs Howell, of Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, and resided for a time in
Eastern Pennsylvania. Colonel Philip Howell was born in Pennsylvania,
and prior to the year 1800 crossed the mountains, settling in now Elizabeth
township, Allegheny county. There he bought two hundred and eighteen
acres of wild land, adding later forty adjoining acres, which he cleared and
brought under cultivation. In 1812 he built a brick residence on his farm
that, though still standing, is rapidly falling into ruins. He was a noted
Indian fighter, and derived his title of colonel in the militia service of the
state and worthily bore the title. Both he and his wife died on the Eliza-
beth township farm, and are buried in Round Hill Cemetery. He died
November 17, 1837, aged seventy-nine years; she died November i, 1852,
aged eighty-three years. Children: i. Llewellyn, a farmer of Ohio, where
he died. 2. John P., died at the old homestead, a farmer. 3. Andrew, a
farmer, died in Westmoreland county. 4. Robert Cooper, of further men-
tion. 5. Philip, a school teacher and justice of the peace, last heard from as
living in Calhoun county, Iowa. 6. James, was last heard from as living in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, engaged in the lumber business. 7. Hester, married
Hugh Drennan, a farmer, and died in Illinois. 8. Mary, married John
Power, and died on a farm in Elizabeth township. 9. Jennie, lived with
her sister Fannie until very old, unmarried. 10. Fannie, died in Boston,
Pennsylvania, aged eighty-seven, unmarried.
(II) Robert Cooper Howell, son of Colonel Philip and Margaret
(Cooper) Howell, was born on the Howell homestead farm in Elizabeth
township, Allegheny county, his birth place being the original log house,
occupied by the family prior to the erection of the more substantial one of
brick. This log house stood near the present home of John C. Howell, a
bachelor, who resides on the old homestead with his maiden sisters, Mar-
garet S. and Sarah F. Howell. Robert Cooper Howell was born in 1804
and died at the homestead in 1877. He was a farmer all his life, inheriting
one hundred and twenty-two acres of the homestead farm, on which he
lived and died. He was a Republican in politics, served as road supervisor,
and both he and his wife were members of the Presbyterian church. He
married Ehza Jane Peairs, born in 1814, died in 1883. daughter of Elisha
and granddaughter of Joseph Peairs, of Dutch parentage, who, with his wife,
Susan Allen, lived near Dunbar in Fayette count)', Pennsylvania.
Joseph Peairs bought in 1778 from the state of Pennsylvania, a farm
in now Elizabeth township, Allegheny county, and there both he and his wife
died in 1808. Their farm adjoined the old Round Hill church grounds and
the Round Hill Cemetery property, both of which were originally part of
the old Peairs farm. Joseph Peairs left seven sons: Elisha, grandfather
of Elisha P. Douglass, a lawyer of McKeesport (mentioned in this work ) ;
David, John, Joseph, William and Isaac, all later farmers of the state of
Ohio, except Elisha, who inherited the homestead and always lived there.
He also left three daughters, Nancy, Susan and IMary. Nancy married
William Fulton, whom she survived many years and died in Warsaw,
Illinois, aged over ninety years. Susan married John Wychoff. Mary mar-
1 146 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
ried John Plummer, of a very old Western Pennsylvania family, a Plum-
mer said to have been the first white child born west of the Allegheny
mountains.
Elisha Peairs, son of Joseph and Susan (Allen) Peairs, died in 1844,
at the old homestead, which he inherited. He married Sarah Wychoff, who
died about 1831, leaving a family of nine children, eight of whom lived to
mature years. Eliza Jane Peairs, daughter of Elisha and Sarah (Wychoflf)
Peairs, married Robert Cooper Howell, of previous mention: Children: i.
Philip Llewellyn, married and died in McKeesport without issue. 2. Elisha
Peairs, of whom further. 3. Sarah Frances, unmarried, resides with her
brother, John C, at the homestead. 4. Margaret Susanna, unmarried,
resides with her brother and sister at the homestead. 5. John Cooper, a
bachelor, resides at the old homestead. 6. Oliver WychofT, a physician, died
at Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, where he practiced for several years. 7.
Flora Caroline, married Dr. John McCune, who practiced medicine for many
years at Sutersville, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. She survives
him, a resident of McKeesport, and has daughters, Mrs. J. A. Caughey,
Mrs. George Hopkins and Mrs. Thomas Russell, all of McKeesport.
(HI) Elisha Peairs Howell, second son of Robert Cooper and Eliza
Jane (Peairs) Plowell, was bom on the Howell homestead in Elizabeth town-
ship, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, November 8, 1839. He was edu-
cated in the public schools and old Elizabeth Academy, the latter school
held in the basement of the Presbyterian church. He spent his earlier
years on the farm, but after leaving school taught a few terms, then entered
mercantile life as clerk for John Walker, Jr. After two years in that posi-
tion, he was with Van Kirk & Walker for one year, then went West. He
was clerk in a Minneapolis shoe store for several years, then moved to Red
Wing, Minnesota, where for six years he was a retail shoe merchant, as
partner of the firm, Heffelfinger, Howell & Kingman. After this partner- .
ship dissolved, Mr. Howell returned to Minneapolis, where for about five
years he was manager of a retail shoe store, owned by C. A. Heffelfinger.
He finally yielded to the persuasions of his brother, Philip L. Howell, and
returned to Elizabeth township and has there since resided on one hundred
and thirty-seven acres of the old Colonel Philip Howell farm, which he
owns. He devotes his farm to stock raising and general farming purposes
and is rated one of the prosperous men of the township. He is a member
of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, belongs to the Presbyterian
church and in politics is a Republican. •
Mr. Howell married, May 3, 1882, Jessie Virginia, daughter of David
and Pamelia Sibley (Drake) Roberts, of Livingston county, New York.
Mrs. Howell died October 14, 1909. Children: i. Lulu Virginia, deceased.
2. Corinne Frances, married Fred Wolfe; children: Anthony Beach, died
in infancy, and Virginia Margaret. 3. David Cooper, residing at home, his
father's assistant.
S).(?.>l<rui^
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA ii47
The Treser family is of German origin, and its descendants
TRESER have inherited in marked degree the excellent characteristics
of that thrifty race, contributing in large measure to the
upbuilding and advancement of the various communities in which they
located.
George Treser, grandfather of George Treser, was a native of Ger-
many, where he was reared, educated and married, and in the fifties, after
the death of his wife in Germany, he emigrated to the United States and
located near the Block House, known as Fort Pitt, Pittsburgh, from whence
he removed to Allegheny City, residing on Madison avenue, where his death
occurred. He was a butcher by trade, and worked at the same during his
entire active career, being one of the pioneer meat men in that section of
the state of Pennsylvania.
Anton Treser, father of George Treser, was born in Germany, accom-
panied his father to this country, was educated in the schools of Allegheny
City, after which he learned the trade of butcher, at which he is engaged
at the present time (1914) in Butler, Pennsylvania, but shortly expects to
return to Allegheny City. He married Katherine Degenhardt, born in
Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, daughter of Fred and Barbara Degenhardt,
natives of Germany ; he a butcher and among the early settlers of Allegheny
City. Eleven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Treser, two of whom
died in infancy, the others being as follows : Minnie, George, William,
Edward, Walter, Lizzie, Lewis, Elsie, Elmer.
George Treser was born in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, September
19, 1876. After completing his studies in the schools of his native city,
while still a boy, he began work in a brick yard, and later was employed
in various concerns, namely: In the Glass House; later with E. M.
Winter, on Hare's Island, meat packer; with W. H. Walker & Company,
in their candle factory ; in a hinge factory, and with William Zeller &
Company, pork packer, Allegheny City ; with Henry Lohery, on East street,
Allegheny City, pork packer, and while in his employ he assisted in killing
sheep and calves, at night, for George Eckert, and for S. W. Hill, receiving
no remuneration for his services, his object being to perfect himself in his
trade. After leaving the employ of Henry Lohery he secured employment
with the Pittsburgh Provision Company ; then entered the employ of
Armour & Company, assisting in killing the first sheep and calves for that
concern in Pittsburgh, and then worked with his father, thus becoming
proficient in all branches of the business. In 1895 he engaged in the meat
business on his own account on Center avenue, Pittsburgh, operating there
until 1902, then removed to Carnegie and engaged in the same business,
continuing to operate the store for some time after his removal to Turtle
Creek, in September, 1905, but finally sold the business in Carnegie, and
is now conducting a meat business in Turtle Creek. He has been successful
in his various enterprises, and ranks among the prosperous and influential
citizens of his adopted city. He is a member of the Lutheran church, and
of the Fraternal Order of Eagles.
1 148 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Mr. Treser married (first), in 1897, Minnie Cox, daughter of Robert
M. Cox. One child, Esma. Mr. Treser married (second) February 5,
1908, Jane Lupton, born in Yorkshire, England, daughter of John and
Jane (Hill) Lupton, and granddaughter of Henry and Elizabeth Lupton,
and of John and Elizabeth Hill. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Lupton were natives
of England, lived and died there, he a hotel keeper; Mr. and Mrs. John
Hill were also natives of England, he the owner of a brick yard in York-
shire. John Lupton, father of Mrs. Treser, was born in England, in
September, 1850, and is an inspector of goods on the railroad in England ;
he and his wife had eight children, as follows : John ; Herbert, came to the
United States in January, 1906, and located at East McKeesport, Pennsyl-
vania, he now holding a clerical position with the Westinghouse Air Brake
Company, at Wilmerding, Pennsylvania; Oliver; Jane, aforementioned as
the wife of Mr. Treser, accompanied her brother Herbert to this country;
Fannie ; Henry, deceased ; William ; Philip, came to the United States in
The name of Burkhard, Burkhardt or Burghart, is a
BURKH.YRD very ancient one in Germany, and is probably derived
from Burg, meaning castle or fort, and Hart, meaning
hard or difficult ; in other words, a castle difficult to be taken. Many of
the name are now established in this country, and have proved their worth
as patriotic and law-abiding citizens.
Joseph Burkhard was born in Germany, and came to this country in
early manhood, after receiving a good education in his native land, and
there learning the trade of shoemaker. He followed this calling very suc-
cessfully after his arrival in America, first settling in Rochester, New
York. After his marriage he located in Buflfalo, New York, where he
remained a number of years, and upon leaving Buffalo he spent several
years in the oil fields of Pennsylvania. He died in Butler county. Pennsyl-
vania, about 1908. His religious faith was that of the Catholic church.
Mr. Burkhard married, his wife being still living. Seven children were the
fruit of this union : Jacob J., John C, Louisa, Joseph W., William, Barbara,
Charles.
John C. Burkhard, son of Joseph Burkhard. was born in Buffalo,
New York, August 24, 1864. He was educated in the local public
schools, and for considerable number of years was a traveling salesman
for a furniture house. He then established himself in business in-
dependently, being now the owner ■ of the Alexandria Bowling &
Billiard Parlors, located at 6011-6013 Penn avenue. East Liberty,
Pittsburgh East End, Pennsylvania. He has always taken an active
part in political affairs in the interests of the Republican party, and
at the present time is serving as township commissioner of Penn town-
ship. His religious affiliation is with the Catholic church, to which he is a
generous contributor. Mr. Burkhard married (first) Emma, a daughter of
John Hamilton, of Pittsburgh. He married (second) Walburga J. Wolf.
S^'n-Zky,
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1149
Children by first marriage: Walter and Irene, deceased; Clarence, Marie
and Charles. Children by second marriage: Louis Wolf and Walburga
Josephine. Mrs. Burkhard is the owner of considerable real estate in the
city of Pittsburgh, and a farm of sixteen acres in Penn township.
Anton Wolf, father of Walburga J. (Wolf) Burkhard, was born in
Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1841, and died in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in
1892. He was educated in his native land, emigrated to the United States
in 1857. He was a brewer and worked at this trade for a time, then
became owner of a brewery at West Elizabeth, Pennsylvania. In 1870
he came to Pittsburgli and engaged in the hotel business on Penn avenue.
East Liberty. He was a Republican in politics. He was twenty years of
age at the time of the outbreak of the Civil War, and filled with enthusiasm
for the cause of his adopted country, he enlisted in the First Pennsylvania
Cavalry Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, serving as flag sergeant of
Company M., re-enlisted as a veteran volunteer, and received his honorable
discharge from the government, June 20, 1865. He fought bravely, being
actively engaged in sixty-six general battles, and was injured in one of his
knees, from the effects of which he suffered throughout the remainder of
his life. He was a member of McPherson Post, No. 117, Grand Army of
the Republic, and was a member of the Union Veteran Legion. Mr. Wolf
married Josephine, daughter of Adam Schneider. She died in 1900. She
was the mother of thirteen children, six of whom died in infancy, the
others as follows: i. Joseph M.. married Martha Lenz, two children:
Josephine, a Sister of Divine Providence, and Elizabeth. 2. Walburga J.,
aforementioned as the wife of John C. Burkhard. 3. Louis A., deceased.
4. Josephine, married Walter E. Friday, three children: Jacob, Walter E..
Anthony. 5. Margaret, married H. G. Dresler, seven children : Harry,
Anthony, Dorothy, Charles, Joseph, Josephine, Walburga. 6. Mary, married
L. B. Saupp, four children : Josephine, Frank, Louis B., Mary L. 7.
Fred A., married Walburga Lenz, three children: Anton, Mary, Walburga.
Of German birth, Henry Garlow established his line in the
GARLOW United States, making his home in Allegheny county, Penn-
sylvania. He was born March 17, 1829, and after coming
to this country was first employed as a miner, in 1869 purchasing a farm
near Unity Station, Pennsylvania, where he resided until his death, August
16, 1886. He was a member of the German Lutheran church, and sup-
ported the Republican party. Henry Garlow married Rosena Spintler,
bom January 9, 1830, died July 21, 1896, and had children: i. Henry,
born March 17, 1854, lives with his brother. Christian. 2. John, bom
December 17, 1855, died March 24, 1910. 3. Christopher H., of whom
further. 4. Louis, born April 14, 1861, lives in McKeesport. Pennsylvania.
5. Rosie, born February 21, 1863, married Frank Andrews. 6. Carrie, born
April 29, 1866, married, July 28, 1890. William Yourd. 7. Catherine, born
June 19, 1867, married Adam Flicker. 8. Frederick, born November 25,
II50 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Christopher H. Garlow, son of Henry and Rosena (Spintler) Garlow,
was bom September 20, 1858, and as a boy attended the public schools.
For several years, in young manhood, he was employed at coal mining,
after which he became a farmer. He is now the owner of a one-third
interest in a tract of eighty acres near Unity Station, Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, and has there lived for a period of thirty years. He is a
strong Republican in political conviction. Mr. Garlow married (first)
Martha McLoughlin, who died June 30, 1881. He married (second)
Catherine, daughter of Samuel Arnold, a miner, who married Philomena,
daughter of Casper Pelkey. Children of Samuel and Philomena (Pelkey)
Arnold: I. Napoleon, deceased; married Sarah Ann Forrest. 2. Lewis,
unmarried. 3. Alexander, married (first) Mary Swaney, and after her
death married a second time. 4. John, married (first) Minnie Douglas,
(second) Agnes Mellott. 5. Julia, married (first) Francis Jeffers, (second)
Finley Crosby. 6. Josephine, married Martin Bennington, and lives in
Ohio. 7. Matilda, married (first) Thomas Rector, (second) James Burge,
(third) Thomas Ishewood. 8. Bella, accidentally burned to death when
twenty years of age. 9. Mary, died when seventeen months old. 10.
Catherine, of previous mention, the second wife of Christopher H. Garlow.
Children of Christopher H. and Martha (McLoughlin) Garlow: i. Flor-
ence, married Lewis Arnold, and lives in Center, Pennsylvania. 2. Effie,
married Amos Matthew, and lives in Penn township, Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania. 3. Bessie, married William Winkler, and resides in Unity
Station, Pennsylvania. Children of Christopher H. and Catherine (Arnold)
Garlow: i. Jennie, born June 27, 1891, married Charles Kiser. 2. Tracy,
born June 30, 1893, married Charles Kuhn, and lives in Unity Station,
Pennsylvania. 3. Irene, born February 10, 1896. 4. William, born March
13, 1898. 5. Andrew, born July 8, 1902. 6. Ethel, born July 10, 1905.
7. Clarence, born April 20, 1909. 8. James Walter, born February 19,
1912, died January 8, 1913.
Immigration to the United States by a member of this line of
FREY the German family of Frey did not occur until 1868, when
Michael Martin Frey, son of Leonhardt Frey, settled in Pitts-
burgh, Pennsylvania. He had, however, been preceded to this country by
another bearing the family name, Morris Frey, a cousin of Leonhardt Frey,
who had emigrated in 1835, locating in Pittsburgh, returning to the homeland
in 1848. One of his sons served imder appointment from President Lincoln
in the commissary department of the Union army, his jurisdiction extending
from New Orleans to San Francisco. He later settled in Idaho, and there
resides to the present time, interested in the management of the Morris
Canal in that state.
(I) Leonhardt Frey, grandfather of Michael Martin Frey, was a life-
long resident of his native land, Germany, where he followed the saddler's
trade. He and his wife Margaret were the parents of a large family, one
of their sons Leonhardt (2), of whom further.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1151
(II) Leonhardt (2) Frey, son of Leonhardt (i) and Margaret Frey,
was born in Baden, Germany, and during his active years was occupied at the
trade of his father, saddler. He married Margaret Fast, born in Baden,
Germany, daughter of John Michael and Margaret Fast, and had issue:
Barbara, Jacob, Mary, Leonhardt (3), a resident of Oakmont, Pennsyl-
vania ; Martin, Margaret, Michael Martin, of whom further.
(III) Michael Martin Frey, son of Leonhardt (2) and Margaret
(Fast) Frey, was born in Baden, Germany, December 23, 1849, and there
attended school, after the completion of his general education becoming
proficient in the callings of saddler, upholsterer and paper-hanger. As a
youth of eighteen years he came to the United States, the vessel "America"
on which he had engaged passage docking at New York on January 16,
1868, and he proceeded to Pittsburgh on the first of the following month
For a short time he was engaged in the sale of notions under the instruc-
tions of Mr. Max Kauffman, and he then obtained a position as a painter.
For this work he had unusual talent and within a year he was made fore-
man by his employer, although prior to his coming to the United States he
had never performed work of that kind and possessed the additional handi-
cap of an imperfect and faltering knowledge of English. Mr. Frey was
for two years afterward employed at the St. Charles Hotel, and for one
year at a similar house of entertainment, subsequently returning to the St.
Charles to accept a position as steward. In 1912. after having been pro-
prietor of a hotel on Harron Hill for seven years. Mr. Frey retired to a
farm of one hundred and forty-two acres in Penn township, where he
has erected a handsome country house, finely furnished and equipped with
all modern conveniences. Mr. Frey has traveled extensively over the
United States, and in the course of his travels has acquired many articles
of beauty and of value as curiosities, with which he has ornamented certain
of the rooms of his home. Those which have personal association he has
augmented with others brought from all corners of the globe, some simple,
some costly, all forming an unusual and interesting collection. Mr. Frey
has dealt widely in real estate in the city of Pittsburgh, and has prospered
in this line, directing his investments with wise foresight and shrewd
caution. He has for twenty years been a member of Solomon Lodge, No.
231, Free and Accepted Masons, and is quartermaster of Regiment Lodge,
Knights of Pythias. He is also an honorary member of the Turn Verein.
Mr. Frey is the oldest quartermaster in the organization of the Knights of
Pythias in the United States, his Uniform Rank that of captain, and he has
attended many encampments throughout the Lfnited States.
Mr. Frey married, in September, 1880, Mary Neuhauser, born in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is the father of: Leonhardt, died aged
thirty-one years; Charlotta, lives at home.
Adam Ackerman came of a family representative of the
ACKERMAN best type of French character, which, while it has not
formed so large an element in the composite citizenship
1 152 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
of the United States, has added a leaven of its own pecuHar virtues, of an
unusual degree of industry and thrift, and the power of adapting prac-
tical ideas to life. His parents were Nicholas and Annie Ackerman, both
bom in the old French province of Alsace, where, too, they passed their
childhood and youth, and were eventually married. In the year 1850 they
emigrated to the United States, and coming directly to the western part of
Pennsylvania, settled on the hill now occupied by Whittaker borough, near
Homestead, Allegheny county, in that state. There Mr. Ackerman pros-
pered, and soon became the owner of a tract of land consisting of eighty
acres, which he operated as a farm. He was also an operator in the coal
mines. Like most of the early settlers in that region, he first built upon his
land a simple log cabin, and here he and his family lived. This old struc-
ture is still standing. Mr. Ackerman Sr. died about 1889, at the age of
seventy-two years. He and his wife were the parents of five children, as
follows: George, who is still living at the age of eighty-five years, in
Whittaker, Pennsylvania; Adam, the subject of this sketch; Frank, also a
resident of Whittaker; Christina, deceased, became Mrs. George Forest, of
Whittaker ; Magdalena, deceased, who became Mrs. Frank Shoup, of Whit-
taker, Pennsylvania.
Adam Ackerman, the second child of Nicholas and Annie Ackerman,
was born in September, 1834, in the old French province of Alsace. He was
educated in the local schools, and there passed his childhood. At the time of
his parents' emigration to yVmerica, our subject was a youth of sixteen years,
and he joined them on their venture into the new land. He found employ-
ment soon after his arrival in the United States, in the coal mines, and in-
deed, remained in the coal business until his death, which occurred Sep-
tember 12, 1909. Mr. Ackerman was successful in his business and did con-
siderable building in the neighborhood. He erected the excellent house which
still serves Mrs. Ackerman as a home, and a number of other dwellings,
which have, however, mostly been given away by his wife. Mr. Ackerman
was a prominent figure in his community, and one who did not confine his
energies to the conduct of his business and personal affairs. He was a mem-
ber of the Democratic party, and took a keen interest in all political questions,
and an active part in the local politics of his neighborhood. He served his
fellow citizens effectively and well on the Whittaker Council.
Mr. Ackerman was married in May, 1858, to Annie Kramer, herself a
native of Alsace, where she was born November 10, 1833. Mrs. Ackerman's
parents were John and Regina (Koehler) Kramer, who came from Alsace to
the United States in the early days and settled in Braddock, Pennsylvania,
where Mr. Kramer followed his trade as carpenter until the time of his
death. To them were born seven children, all of whom came to this country
with their parents. They were as follows : Annie, now Mrs. Ackerman, the
widow of our subject ; Andrew, who lived in Homestead, Pennsylvania, until
the year 1912, when he met with a railroad accident which caused his death ;
Nicholas, who lives retired from business at Braddock. Pennsylvania ;
George, retired, a resident of Homestead; John, retired, a resident of Brad-
O^t^^i^t' C-f.-e'Se4y^i4fyn'
WESTERN PENXSYLVANIA 1153
dock ; Mary, deceased, became Mrs. Frank Shearer, of Braddock ; and Philo-
mena, deceased, became Mrs. John Bost, of Braddock.
Mr. and Mrs. Ackerman were the parents of twelve children, five of
whom died in early youth. Those who reached the age of manhood and
womanhood are as follows : John, a mill worker, is unmarried and resides
with his mother ; Frank, a mill worker, and resides at Whittaker, Pennsyl-
vania ; George, also a mill worker, with residence at Whittaker ; Theresa, now
Mrs. Nicholas Wiesen, of Whittaker; Mary, now Mrs. John Rushe, of Cleve-
land, Ohio; Anna, deceased, became Mrs. George Steiner, of Whittaker;
Jacob, deceased, was a resident of Whittaker and by trade a carpenter. Mr.
and Mrs. Ackerman were both members of St. Francis Catholic Church of
Whittaker, and in that faith their children were all reared.
Originally a family of France, the Bedell ancestor, Abner
BEDELL Bedell, came to the United States colony with the French
soldiers, who accompanied General Lafayette. He remained
in this country and eventually settled in Western Pennsylvania. Through
intermarriage, the Bedell family is connected with the French Huguenot
family of Ferree. founded in Lancaster county by Jacob Ferree, who after-
wards settled in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, at the mouth of Peters
creek, where he bought land about the year 1800. From the union of these
two ancient French families sprang William Bedell, now deceased, of Large,
Jefferson township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania.
(I) Abner Bedell, grandfather of William Bedell, of Large, served with
General Lafayette in the American Revolution, and a tradition concerning
his military career is that he assisted Lafayette from the field of battle when
the general was wounded. For a time he lived in New Jersey. About the
year 1790 he moved to Western Pennsylvania, locating at Horseshoe Bottom,
above Monongahela City. In 1809 he became owner of the farm in Jeiiferson
township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, originally patented by Zadoc
Wright. He lived on that farm until 1824, when he moved to Elizabeth
township with his wife and there both died, leaving sons : Andrew, of whom
further; William, died unmarried; Daniel, a farmer of Jefferson township.
who was twice married and left descendants.
(H) Andrew Bedell, son of Abner Bedell, the Revolutionary soldier,
was born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, about the year 1800, and died
in 1874. He grew to manhood on the Jefferson township farm owned by the
father, married, and in the spring bought a farm in the same township,
originally patented by Zadoc Wright. There he lived, and died in 1874. He
married Rebecca Ferree, who died in 1879. daughter of Joel and Qiristina
(Kuykenthal) Ferree, of Jefferson townhip, Allegheny county. Pennsyl-
vania, and granddaughter of Jacob Ferree, a French Huguenot, who settled
in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and had by his first wife sons: Joel, a
colonel in the War of 1812; Benjamin and Jacob. By a second wife, Alice
(Powell) Ferree. he had also sons and daughters. After the Revolution he
ninved to \\'estern Pennsvlvania. settling in Alleghenv countv. and in the
II54
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
year 1800 settled on a farm of three hundred and thirty acres, on which the
town of CoraopoHs now stands. In the fall of that year he and his sons
built a house upon the farm and in the following spring moved there. He
had a brother, Joel, who visited him there about that time and during his
visit was murdered by Indians. Jacob Ferree was a gunsmith and it is said
made powder in Lancaster county. Andrew and Rebecca (Ferree) Bedell
had sons and daughters: i. Abner Washington, married Rebecca Aber. 2.
Mary, married Lewis Hoffman. 3. Joel, lived in Charleston, West Virginia.
4. Calvin, lived in Jefferson township. 5. Amanda, married James McKeown.
6. William, of whom further. 7. Sarah, married Frederick Rhodes, and is
yet Hving in Pittsburgh. 8. Andrew. 9. Rebecca. 10. Melinda.
(Ill) William Bedell, son of Andrew and Rebecca (Ferree) Bedell,
was born on the homestead in Jefferson township, Allegheny county, Penn-
sylvania, December 3, 1831, his birthplace a log house built by his father. He
died August 26, 1912, at the same farm which he had greatly improved and
modernized. He attended "Calamity Hollow" school in the old stone building
and grew up a well informed and healthy boy. He worked the home farm
as boy and man for his parents, but after his father's death bought out the
other heirs and became the sole owner of one hundred and sixty-five acres of
good land on which his father had built a brick house that is still standing in
good condition. There William Bedell brought his bride and there he lived
until his death. He was a good farmer, prospered and stocked his farm with
high grade cattle that for fifteen years supplied Elizabeth City with milk. He
always kept the best stock of every kind, but only ran his farm for dairy-
ing purposes during the fifteen years named. He brought the farm to high
state of fertility, general farming being his permanent business. He became
well known in the township, was assessor and school director, and with his
wife was active in church work, both Presbyterians.
He married, July i, 1858, Lydia Ann Large, who survives him. She
was born at the Large homestead in JeiTerson township, daughter of Thomas
and Anna (Stevens) Large, the latter dying when her daughter was a
small child. Thomas Large was born in Mifflin township, son of John and
Nancy (Low) Large, the latter born east of the mountains, of German
parents. John Large was a Revolutionary soldier, born in New Jersey, of
German parentage. He came to Allegheny county prior to 1790, settling in
Mififlin township. Later he left his farm there to the management of his
son Henry and moved to Jefferson township and bought a tract of one hun-
dred and sixty acres, now the site of the town of Large, named in his honor.
He operated distilleries in both townships, being the first to operate a still
in either Mifflin or Jefferson. He was a very tall man, straight, strong and
powerful. Thomas Large, his son, purchased the interest of the other heirs
in the Jefferson township farm and there lived until his death. He had by his
first wife, Anna (Stevens) Large, eight children: i. Nancy, married Tweed
Morrison, and lived at the Jefferson township farm. 2. Rebecca, married
Thomas Stewart, a farmer of Jefferson township. 3. Margaret, married
Frank Mayo. 4. John, a farmer. 5. Henry, enlisted in the Union army and
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA Ii55
never returned. 6. Lydia Ann, widow of William Bedell and the last sur-
vivor of the children of Thomas Large. 7. Isaac. 8. Gilbert. By his second
wife, Hannah (Moore) Large, Thomas Large had three children. 9. Sarah
married Robert Cannon. 10. William. 11. Samuel, a farmer. Children of
William and Lydia Ann (Large) Bedell: i. Andrew, died aged twenty-two
years. 2. Isaac, now residing at Duquesne, Pennsylvania. 3. Milton, also a
resident of Duquesne. 4. Margaret, a storekeeper of Clairton, unmarried.
5. Mary, married John W. Wray, a Jefferson township farmer. 6.
Elizabeth, died aged eighteen years. 7. W. Seymour, a teamster, residing at
Clairton. 8. Anna Rebecca, died aged two years. 9. John Harvey, deceased.
10. Leroy, a farmer of Jefferson township. 11. Arminta, residing at home
with her aged mother and sister Fannie L. 12. Charles Henry, a transfer
agent at Duquesne. 13. Fannie L., residing at the old homestead with mother
and sisters.
John Duff, a native of Ireland, came to America prior to the
DUFF Revolution, and tradition has it that he took part in the battle of
the Brandy wine. He was a farmer, and in 1794 obtained a tract
of land in Penn township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, which is still in
the possession of the Duff family. His death occurred December 2, 1823,
at the age of sixty-nine years. He married Mary Shakel, of Lancaster,
Pennsylvania, and had children : James, William, Mary, John, Margaret,
George, Alexander D., of further mention ; David, Esther, Elizabeth, Samuel,
Matilda.
(II) Alexander D. Duff, son of John and Mary (Shakel) Duff, was
born on "Orchard Farm," Penn township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
June 26, 1796, and died March 9, 1866. He also was a farmer on the Duff
homestead. He married Marie, born May 19, 1803, died September 5, 1868,
a daughter of Michael Bright, born in Nargebasen, France, a son of John
Bright, born in Germany, May 28, 1706, died May 21, 1778. Children: John,
of further mention ; Bright, Alexander, Mary Margaretta, Barbara A., Eliza-
beth, George, Rebecca, Parry, Wilson, the only one of the family now living,
was a soldier in the Civil War, and resides at Sandy Creek, Allegheny county, '
Pennsylvania.
(III) John Duff, son of Alexander D. and Marie (Bright) Duff, was
born on the "Orchard Farm," September 6, 1825, and died February 3, 1909.
He was educated in the public schools. He was a farmer, and the owner of
sixty-five acres of land. Politically he was a Democrat, and served as
treasurer of the school board for a period of sixteen years. His religious
affiliation was with the Hebron United Presbyterian Church, in which he
served as elder many years. He married Sarah Boyd, a daughter of John
and Jane (Johnston) Morrow, of Southeastern Pennsylvania, who came there
from Ireland. Children: Mary Jane, Bright, Elizabeth Mary. John Alex-
ander, of further mention ; Charles Henry, of further mention ; Anna, George
W.. Robert Parry, whose sketch follows ; Sarah.
(IV) Rev. John Alexander Duff, son of John and Sarah Boyd (Mor-
1156 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
row) Duff, has been a Presbyterian minister for the past twelve years, and is
now located at Aspinwall, near Pittsburgh, lie married Fanny, a daughter
of Morrison Lewis, a soldier of the Civil War, and has had children ; John
Morrison, Helen Clara, Paul McGill, all of whom are at home.
(IV) Charles Henry Duff, son of John and Sarah Boyd (Morrow)
Duff, was born on the Duff homestead in Penn township, Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, December 10, 1859. He was educated in the common schools.
He has worked on the home farm all his life, and is now the owner of about
sixty-nine acres of the original homestead. He is a member of the United
Presbyterian church, serving as elder and superintendent of the Sunday
school. He is an Independent in politics. He married Tillie Snyder. Children :
David W., born August 14, 1896; Mildred C, March 3, 1900; George A.,
June 22, 1907; Jean I., July 15, 1909; John W., March 6, 1912.
(IV)Robert Parry Duff, son of John (q. v.) and Sarah Boyd
DUFF (Morrow) Duff, was born in Penn township, Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, February 23, 1867. The public schools of his na-
tive township furnished him with a sound, practical education, and he as-
sisted his father in the cultivation of the home farm until he was twenty-five
years of age, thus acquiring a practical knowledge of what was to be his life
work. He then established himself independently, and has a fine farm of
sixty-five acres, on which he has made many improvements. He is engaged
in general farming, and conducts this along the most modern and scientific
lines, with the success which is certain to come to earnest and unremitting
effort. Politically he is independent in his opinions, and he is a member of
the United Presbyterian church. Mr. Duff married, in July, 1892, Bessie P.,
a daughter of James and Mary Beswarick, and they have had children : Parry
L., born July 20, 1894; Mary Edna, born June 6, 1896; Charles Bennett, born
September 10, 1904; Alan Dale, born October 8, 1906.
The Corbetts of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, are
CORBETT-FRY of English descent, the line founded in this region by
Thomas Corbett, a native of England, who came to
Pennsylvania about 1855, locating in Temperanceville. For a number of
years he was foreman of a section gang on the railroad. His wife, Mary
Ann (Chambers) Corbett, a native of England, in which country they were
married, died in Temperanceville, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. Thomas
Corbett's death occurred in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania.
Joseph Corbett, son of Thomas and Mary Ann (Chambers) Corbett,
was born in England, and in his American home has been engaged in mining
all of his life. For thirty years he was in the service of the New York and
Cleveland Mining Company in the capacity of mine boss, and is now engaged
in independent operations. He is the owner of a mine, the working of which
he directs in winter, and during the summer season cultivates the farm owned
by his daughter, Mary E. (Corbett) Fry. He is an experienced agriculturist,
but in mining has found his most profitable field of endeavor and has a wide
WESTERN PEN N SYLVAN I A 1157
knowledge of that industry. He married, in 1871, Rebecca, daughter of
Thomas and Rebecca (Johnston) Wilson. Thomas Wilson was a son of
Frank Wilson, of Irish descent, who at an early date became a "squatter"
on land in Penn township known as the Morgan tract, which his son farmed.
Frank Wilson experienced numerous thrilling adventures with the savage in-
habitants of the locality, two of the brothers of his wife, Mary (Duf?) Wil-
son, meeting their deaths at the hands of Indians. Children of Thomas and
Rebecca (Johnston) Wilson: Margaret, Anna Elizabeth, Virginia, Rebecca,
of previous mention, married Joseph Corbett. Children of Joseph and
Rebecca, ( Wilson ) Corbett : Thomas, William Francis, Anna Elizabeth,
Marietta, Margaret Jane, Virginia, James, Howard, George Andrew, Ralph
Morrow, Mary E., of whom further.
Mary E. Corbett, daughter of Joseph and Rebecca (Wilson) Corbett,
was bom at Sandy Creek, Pennsylvania. She married, in 1898, Joseph H.
Fry, son of Samuel Fry, born at W'ilkinsburg, Allegheny county, Pennsyl-
vania, in 1870. He was educated in the public schools of the vicinity,
and in youthful years became a farmer, owning sixty-four acres at
Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. During the last year of his life he was em-
ployed as carpenter at the cement factory, his death the result of injuries
sustained in an accident at that place, July 12, 1907. He was held in high
favor by his neighbors, and was universally known as a man of honorable
principles, from which he never deviated. In religious belief he was a
Presbyterian, as is his family. He was a Republican in politics. Mr. and
Mrs. Fry were the parents of two children : Grace Alma, Howard Raymond.
The Frichtel family of Haffey, Pennsylvania, was founded
FRICHTEL by Nicholas Frichtel. born in Germany, who came to this
country in 1861 and located in East Liberty. He was edu-
cated and was taught the shoemaker's trade in his native land, but his first
work in his new home was working for the United States government on the
fortifications erected for the defence of Pittsburgh. He then worked at his
trade in East Liberty for four years before renting a small farm in Plum
township, Allegheny county. This farm he cultivated for twenty-nine years,
then bought a small tract near Clarksville, known as the "Freshwater" prop-
erty. He married Elizabeth Spindler, also born in Germany. Children:
Lizzie, Hattie, Anna. Henry, of further mention : Frederick.
Henry Frichtel, son of Nicholas and Elizabeth (Spindler) Frichtel, was
born in East Liberty, Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh East End), October 9, 1864.
Soon after his birth his parents moved to Plum township, Allegheny county,
and there he attended public school until fifteen years of age. At that early
age he began running a threshing machine and for thirty-five consecutive sea-
sons he has been similarly engaged in the harvest fields of the county. His
aptitude for machinery has stood him in good stead and between seasons he
is employed in running the township steam roller and in aiding in the con-
struction of the macademized roads of Penn township. He also farms fifty-
eight acres and engages in teaming. He also operates a grocery store and
1 158 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
meat market. His energy never allows him to be idle and in these various
ways he has successfully spent his years. He is a member of the United
Presbyterian church, and is a Republican in politics. He married (first) in
June, 1889, Mary Brisco. Children: Albert and Marshall, the latter de-
ceased. He married (second) March 28, 1901, a widow, Mrs. Mary J.
Colgan.
Merle D. Salyards is an excellent example of that capable
SALYARDS type of man, whose descent comes down from the first stal-
wart pioneers of Western P^ennsylvania, who are continu-
ing the great work their fathers so successfully began, and have lost none
of the hardy virtues and abilities of those same fathers, however they may
have been softened and refined by the influence of civilization and culture.
His great-grandfather was a. native of England, and with his wife came
to this country, settling first in Maryland. While on the voyage between
England and the United States there was born to them a son, Reuben Sal-
yards, who became the founder of the Salyards family in Western Pennsyl-
vania, where they have since become so closely identified with the life and
traditions of the region and so prominent in the regard of their neighbors.
Reuben Salyards, the native of the high seas, was taken by his parents to
Maryland, when they went thither to find a home in the new land of their
adoption, but while still young, possessed of the same enterprising and
adventurous spirit as his father, he pushed on into what was then the scarcely
tried west, the wilderness of Western Pennsylvania. He settled in Clarion
county and there met and married Mary Fox, a native of Clarion, and a
daughter of George Fox. born in 1772, died aged eighty-two years, an earlier
pioneer of the region. Reuben Salyards made his home in Porter township.
Clarion county, Pennsylvania, and there passed the remainder of his life, both
his wife and himself dying in the little home they had made for themselves
in that wild country. She died in 1853 ^n<i li^ about 1864. One of their
children was Dtennis E. Salyards, the father of Merle D. Salyards, of this
sketch, who was born in Clarion county, Pennsylvania, in the home of his
parents, in the year 1848. He received his education in the primitive schools
of his native region, and upon completing his studies took up stone cutting as
a trade. Always of an enterprising cast of mind, he secured the agency of
the Singer Sewing Machine people in that part of the country and succeeded
so admirably in his effort to introduce that type of machine that he retained
the position for twenty years. He was so successful that, at the end of
twenty years, he was able to retire from active business of the sort, and
betake himself to farming, an occupation he had always been fond of. This
he continued for a number of years in Clarion county, where he owned a fine
farm, but in 1908 he gave up even this occupation, and removed to Pitcairn,
Pennsylvania, where he is now making his home. Mr. Dennis E. Salyards
married Martha Bell Miller, also a native of Clarion county, daughter of
Charles and Drucilla (Thompson) Miller, of that place. To Mr. and Mrs.
Salyards were born eight children, as follows: Alerle D,, of \\liom further;
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA ii59
Charles L., Dostie F., Frances Augusta, Jesse W., Daisy Bell, deceased,
Dennis Thoburn, deceased, and Drucilla. Dennis E. Salyards is a man of
considerable importance in the community, and one who takes a keen interest
in all public affairs. He is a member of the Democratic party, and an intelli-
gent observer of the political issues. Both he and his wife are members of
the Methodist Episcopal church, and in that persuasion reared their children.
Merle D. Salyards, the eldest child of Dennis E. and Martha Bell
(Miller) Salyards, was born June 30, 1875, in Clarion county, Pennsylvania.
He was reared on his father's farm and received that training which fewer
and fewer young men of the day are being subjected to, unfortunately for
the maintaining of American character. This is the training of the young
farmer, which bringing him at the most impressionable age into that close con-
tact with the simple realities and relations of nature, and the circumstances of
creative labor, fit him, as but few other lives may, with that quality of calm,
self-possessed patience, one of the highest marks of courage and virtue. It
was Mr. Salyards' good fortune that he experienced this training in youth,
in addition to which he, of course, attended the local public schools, the
schools of the same region as those to which his father had gone before him.
In 1898 he left the old homestead and came to Pitcairn, Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, and there took up his abode and engaged in business for him-
self. He has from that day continued to live in Pitcairn, which has been the
scene of his very successful business career also. Ten years after his arrival
in the town his father also came to Pitcairn, and he is now living there as
well. The business which Mr. Salyards engaged in in Pitcairn was hardware,
and from the start it was a success. The trade grew steadily, until in 1910 he
built his present quarters, a large building, fifty by ninety feet, in which he
has continued his success, and he is now regarded as one of the most promi-
nent figures in the business world in that quarter. But Mr. Salyards has not
narrowed himself by a too complete absorption of his powers and interests in
his business, as so many of our successful business men are tempted to do.
On the contrary, he has always retained a naturally wide outlook upon life,
and takes a prominent part in the activities of his town. Like his father
before him, he has a keen interest in all matters political, and, like the elder
man also, is a staunch member of the Democratic party. To his mind also
the questions of the day are ever present, but it is not merely the matters of
national importance, the issues that affect the country at large, which interest
him, it is also the local affairs and the conduct of these in such a way as will
redound most to the advantage of his neighbors and fellow townsmen. He is
of a mental calibre to make his words felt in the local councils of his party,
and was sent from his district as a delegate to the National Democratic Con-
vention, which met in Baltimore in 1912. He wields great influence through-
out the whole of eastern Allegheny county, and has sat for seven years on
the council. Besides this he is active in fraternal circles in his town, and is a
prominent member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the
Junior Order of American Mechanics. Mr. Salyards was appointed post-
office master of Pitcairn, Pennsylvania, by President Wilson, July i, 1914,
ii6o WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
and is ably assisted by Miss Drucilla Salyards, whom he appointed as
assistant.
Mr. Salyards married, in 1902, May Matson, a native of Pitcairn, Penn-
sylvania. Mrs. Salyards is the daughter of Joseph and Emma (Wolf) Mat-
son, who came from Darlington, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, where Mr.
Matson was a farmer. To Mr. and Mrs. Salyards have been bom two
children: Charles Alton, October 9, 1904; Emma Belle, December 9, 1910.
Mr. and Mrs. Salyards are both devoted members of the Methodist Episcopal
church, attending the First Methodist Episcopal Church in Pitcairn. They
are both active in the work of the congregation and in the many benevolences
and charities which exist in connection therewith.
Rev. John Gamble, the American progenitor of the Gamble
GAMBLE family, was born in Belfast, Ireland, in 1777, and died in his
home in Pennsylvania in 1844. He was educated for the
ministry, and emigrated to the United States about the year 1807. Here he
engaged in the profession of teaching, and was an instructor for many years
at the academies in Jamestown and Greenville, making a specialty of the
classics and mathematics. His religious faith was that of the United Presby-
terian church. He married, in Ireland, Eliza Parr, born in county Down,
Ireland, 1785, died in America in 1866, a descendant of the famous Parr
family of England. They had nine children.
(II) Dr. William Jenks Gamble, son of the Rev. John and Eliza
(Parr) Gamble, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, December 23, 1824,
and died in Mosiertown, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, February i, 1888.
His preparatory education, which was an excellent one, was acquired in
the Jamestown Seminary and the Franklin Academy, and at the early age
of nineteen years he was engaged in teaching the English branches, math-
ematics, and the Latin and Greek languages. Four years later he com-
menced the study of medicine under the preceptorship of Dr. Gibson, of
Jamestown, and he was graduated from the Eclectic Medical College, of
Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1854. Prior to taking his degree as Doctor of Medicine
he had already established himself in Mosiertown, in which place he was
engaged in a successful practice for many years. He became a member of
the National Eclectic Medical Association, July 14, 1877, and was a phy-
sician of note in the western part of Pennsylvania. Politically he was a
strong supporter of the Republican party, and filled a number of public
offices among these being: Treasurer of the township for two terms and
school director for many years. He was a man of magnificant physique,
being six feet three and one-half inches in height, and broad in proportion.
Dr. Gamble married (first) December 12, 1865, Helen M. Beebe, of Pleas-
antville, Venango county, Pennsylvania, who died May 25, 1873. They
had children : William M. ; Robert Bruce, see forward ; , deceased. He
married (second) December 18, 1876, Esther J., born in Mercer county,
Penn.sylvania, 1846, daughter of Rev. Bingham. Children: Eleanor, John
K., Elizabeth.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1161
(111) Dr. Robert Bruce (jamble, son of Dr. William Jenks and Helen
M. (Beebe) Gamble, was born in Mosiertown, Crawford county. Pennsyl-
vania, June 28, 1871. After attending the elementary schools, he was
graduated from the Meadville High School in the class of 1890, and from
the Allegheny College in the class of 1893, receiving his degree of Bachelor
of Arts from the latter institution. He then commenced his studies in the
medical department of the University of Bufifalo, and was graduated from
that institution in the class of 1896 with the degree of Doctor of Medicine.
He was the resident surgeon of the Rochester City Hospital, 1896-97, and
located in Meadville, Pennsylvania, in September, 1897, opening an office
in the Phoenix Block, where he was located until January, 1903. He ac-
quired an extensive and lucrative practice, and has won the affection as
well as the confidence of fiis numerous patients. In 1903 he purchased
the property at Chestnut and Park avenues, and opened an office there
which he continued until his removal to Diamond Park, where he has
resided since that time. His political allegiance has always been with the
Republican party, in whose interests he has been active. He served five
years as health officer for Meadville, nine years as county physician, and
one term as school controller. In 1889 he enlisted as a private in Company
B, Fifteenth Infantry National Guard of Pennsylvania, and rose through
the various grades until he was appointed captain in 1897. He served as
captain of the Fifteenth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry during the Span-
ish-American war, and was mustered out with his regiment at Athens,
Georgia, January 31, 1899. In 1913 he was major of the Sixteenth Infantry
National Guard of Pennsylvania. He is a member of Crawford Lodge,
No. 234, Free and Accepted Masons. He holds the rank of past exalted
ruler in Meadville Lodge, No. 219, Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks. He is a member of Crawford Lodge, No. 734, Independent Order
of Odd Fellows ; Iroquois Boating and Fishing Club ; Meadville Country
Club.
Dr. Gamble married, in Dunkirk, New York, July 5, 1900, Nella M.,
born in Fredonia, New York, July 4, 1879, ^ daughter of Charles F. and
Jane Elizabeth (Millen) White, the former a publisher. They have no
children.
The name of Hughes has been known for many generations
HUGHES in England, Scotland and Ireland, and from them was
brought to the shores of America. Many bearing the name
have also come to us from Wales.
(I) Edward Hughes, born in Wales, came to the United States with
his family in 1845. At first he located at Pine Run, Allegheny county.
Pennsylvania, where he worked as a miner, and accumulated a sufficient
amount of money to enable him to purchase a farm of about fifty acres
in Penn township. He improved this in many directions, putting up new
buildings, etc., and died there in 1861. He and his wife were members of
the Welsh Baptist Church of Pittsburgh. He married, in Wales, Jane
ii62 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Pierce, and they had children: Thomas, of further mention; Humphrey, a
miner, died in the West; Jane, married Captain William Williams, and died
in Kentucky ; Mary, married Hopkin Thomas, and lives in Oakmont ; Annie,
married Alfred Thomas, and lives in the state of Washington; John, a
miner, died in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania ; Edward, an engineer on the
Pennsylvania Railroad, lives in Oakmont; a son, died in infancy; Kate,
married E. Murphy, lives in Pittsburgh.
(II) Thomas Hughes, son of Edward and Jane (Pierce) Hughes, was
born in 1835, in Wales, died in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, May 14,
1 89 1, and is buried in Penn township cemetery. At first he was a farmer,
and bought out the other heirs to the homestead at Sandy Creek, and lived
there until 1876. Removing to Clarion county, he worked in the oil fields for
about three years, having sold the farm. In 1879 he came to Washington
county, and later removed to Logue's Run, in Allegheny county, where he
worked at the coal boat landing until his death. He and his wife were mem-
bers of the United Presbyterian church, and he was a staunch Republican.
Mr. Hughes married, March 8, 1866, Mary Jane Adams, born December 15,
1842, and now lives at Duquesne, Pennsylvania. They had children : Eliza-
beth, died in infancy; Harry N., a mill worker at Coal Valley, died in 1907;
Amelia, died young; Samuel, died at the age of five years; an infant, died
unnamed ; Joseph A., of further mention ; an infant, who also died unnamed.
John Adams, grandfather of Mary Jane (Adams) Hughes, was born in
Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, his family having lived there many years.
He was a farmer by occupation, and moved to Allegheny county with his
family more than one hundred years ago, settling at Logan's Ferry, where
he and his wife died. He married Eve .
Joseph Adams, son of John and Eve Adams, was born at Logan's Ferry,
Pennsylvania, in 1816, and died about 1887. After his marriage he settled
at Tarentum. For some years he was a miner, then captain of a canal boat
plying between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Later he became a farmer,
owning a small farm near Hannastown, behind the Monongahela Cemetery.
He was for a time captain of a fire company in Pittsburgh, and a man of
considerable prominence. He was a Republican in politics, and he and his
wife were members of the United Presbyterian church. He married Hettie
Ross, born in Butler county, Pennsylvania, about 1820, died in 1900. They
had children: John, a miner, married and died in Allegheny county; Mary
Jane, who married Mr. Hughes, as above stated ; Margaret Ann, married
William Jones, and lives in Wheeling, West Virginia ; Samuel Louis, a boat
builder, died at Brown's Station : Joseph, Jr., who died at Sandy Creek,
Pennsylvania ; Mrs. Matilda Campbell, resides in Braddock, Pennsylvania ;
Mrs. Eva Brown, resides in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania ; Mrs. Harriet Bar-
ratt, died at Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania : George Washington, died at the
age of fourteen years ; Frances, died at the age of three years ; Elizabeth,
died at the age of four years; three died in infancy.
(HI) Joseph A. Hughes, son of Thomas and Mary Jane (Adams)
Hughes, was born in Penn township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, June
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1163
17, 1S72. He ^vas educated in the public schools of his native county, and
upon the completion of his studies became watchman of a coal fleet on
the river. His occupations were varied. He drove a mule in the coal mines;
spent four months in the machine shops of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
Company; was in the employ of the Homestead Steel Works, 1890-1892; in
November, 1892, he entered the employ of the Duquesne Works, of the
Carnegie Steel Company, in their railroad yards, and alternated between this
and the mine work for a period of three years. After two years of continu-
ous work he was appointed to the position of conductor, which he held about
three years, and was then made night yardmaster and general labor foreman,
serving five years. In 1900-1901 he was put on the day turn, having charge
of the men engaged in the construction work of the first forty-inch mill and
the first open hearth, also the fourteen-inch Number i. One year later he
was appointed day yardmaster and general labor foreman. Five years later,
April I, 1906, he was advanced to the position of superintendent of trans-
portation and general labor, the duties of which office he is still discharging,
having about three hundred and fifty men under his control. He has been
a director of the Carnegie Free Library since 1907. His political opinions
are those of the Republican party, and he has served four years as a mem-
ber of the borough council. He and his wife are communicants of the Pres-
byterian church, and he is a member of the following fraternal organiza-
tions: Aliquippa Lodge, No. 375, Free and Accepted Masons; McKeesport
Chapter, No. 282, Royal Arch Masons ; a charter member of McKeesport
Commandery, No. 86, Knights Templar ; Pittsburgh Consistory, Ancient and
Accepted Scottish Rite ; Mount Moriah Council, Royal and Select Masons ;
Syria Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine ; a charter
member of the local lodge of the Royal Arcanum, and a charter member of
Duquesne Chapter, No. 128, Eastern Star Order.
Mr. Hughes married, June 5. 1901, Edna Pearl Anderson, born in
Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, March 9, 1876, a daughter of Robert and Mary
(Bracken) Anderson, both born in Wilkins township. The latter died in
W'ilkinsburgh, where the former is still living. For a period of forty-seven
years Mr. Anderson was in the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Com-
pany, and just retired to private life. He was more than ordinarily careful,
never had a wreck, and brought the first eighteen hour train from Altoona to
Pittsburgh. This train ran in eighteen hours from New York to Chicago,
and Mr. Anderson took the train from Altoona to Pittsburgh, being an
engineer. He always had through trains. He is a member of the Brother-
hood of Locomotive Engineers and of the Veterans' Relief Association.
Mr. and Mrs. Hughes have had children : Mary Josephine, born October
15. 1902; Robert Anderson, born January 7, 1907.
Johnston is an old Scotch name, a modification of the
JOHNSTON English name of Johnson, and wherever this spelling is
found it marks its bearers as of Scotch lineage. It is very
widely represented in this country, especially in TVnnsylvania, by descend-
ii64 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
ants who came from the North of Ireland and are known as Scotch-Irish.
(I) Robert Johnston, one of the pioneer settlers of Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, died about 1828. He served bravely under General Greene
in the War of the Revolution, and for his services in this direction received
a large grant of land from the government. He cleared about five hundred
acres of this land. He married and raised a family.
(II) John Johnston, son of Robert Johnston, was born on the Johnston
homestead in Patton township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. He mar-
ried Jane McMillin and had children : Robert ; William R., of further men-
tion ; Margaret, married William Lenhart.
(III) William R. Johnston, son of John and Jane (McMillin) John-
ston, was born on the Johnston homestead in Patton township, in 1840, and
died in 1901. He was educated in the public schools in the vicinity of his
home, and in early manhood took up farming on the land of his father, and
followed this occupation all his life. He was Republican in his political
opinions, and a consistent member of the Presbyterian church. He married
Viola, a daughter of James Perhamous, of Ohio, and they had children:
Belle, married Andrew Lott, and lives in Center, Pennsylvania ; Jane, mar-
ried Richard McDowell, a pit boss in a mine, and lives at Ligonier, Penn-
sylvania; Mary A., died at the age of nineteen years; Lenore, married Ira
Lang, and lives in Patton township; Margaret, married John West, lives in
Patton township ; John H.. of further mention ; Harry T., married Lula
Bumgard, lives in Patton township; William R., married Lena Shafer, lives
in Patton township; Elmer, unmarried, lives in Pitcairn ; Olive, unmarried.
(IV) John H. Johnston, son of William R. and Viola (Perhamous)
Johnston, was born on the Johnston homestead, in Patton township, Alle-
gheny county, Pennsylvania, March 15, 1878. There he received his educa-
tional training in the public schools, and upon the completion of his educa-
tion commenced to work on his father's farm. In association with his
brother he is now the owner of a fine farm of fifty-four acres, which is
cultivated for general products, and they are making alterations at the
present time in order to convert a part of this to dairy farming purposes.
He takes an active interest in all that concerns the welfare of the community,
and casts his vote in the interests of the Republican party. His religious
membership is with the Presbyterian church, at Pitcairn, and he is a member
of the Knights of Malta, and the Farmers' Association of Patton tovi'nship.
Mr. Johnston married Mary A., a daughter of William Miller, of Penn
township, and they have children : Gladys Clara, Zella Irene, Floyd Russell,
Esther Eleanor.
The American record of this line of the German family of
MILLER Miller begins with Joseph Miller, a native of Germany, who
emigrated to the United States. His calling was that of
farmer, and he was thus engaged all of his life. He affiliated with the
Roman Catholic church, and was a Democrat in politics. He was twice mar-
ried, having issue from each union, one of his sons being Joseph H., of
whom further.
WESTERN PENNSYL\ANIA 1165
loseph H. Miller, son of Joseph Miller, was born in Dutch Creek, Alle-
gheny county, Pennsylvania, November 22, 185 1. He was educated in the
public schools. Early in life he began his training for the calling of his
father, and now rents and cultivates ninety-five acres of land near New
Texas, Pennsylvania. The land is well-improved and Mr. Miller has
acquired many of the modern farming appliances, likewise owning consider-
able live stock. Joseph H. Miller married Annie, daughter of Vitus and
Margaret (Bamej Schwab, and has children: i. William H., born June 21,
1878, married Blanche Wolford. 2. John V., born May 6, 1880, lives at
home. 3. Charles A., born October 2, 1882, married Jennie Wilson, and lives
in Markle, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. 4. James A., born Decem-
ber 2, 1883, married Florence Ashbaugh. 5. Margaret, born July 11, 1886,
married Joseph A. George, and lives at Murraysville, Pennsylvania. 6.
Elizabeth J., born May 24, 1887, lives at home. 7. Joseph D., born July 31,
1892, lives at home. 8. Robert L., born May 7, 1894. 9. Ida Catherine,
born August 20, 1896. 10. Mary Elizabeth, died aged eighteen months.
Mrs. Miller is a member of the Baptist church and Mr. Miller is an attend-
ant of the same denomination. In political belief he is a Republican.
Among the number who claim Ireland as the birthplace of
O'NEILL their ancestors, that land that has contributed to this country
so many of her most patriotic and public-spirited citizens,
must be mentioned John G. O'Neill, of Pitcairn, one of its representative
business men.
John O'Neill, father of John G. O'Neill, was born in county Queens,
Ireland, as were also his parents, who lived and died there. John O'Neill
spent the early years of his life in his native land, emigrating to this country
prior to attaining his majority, settling at New Alexandria, Westmoreland
county, Pennsylvania, and there resided until his death. His first work was
on the construction of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and later he operated a
paper mill and also farmed to some extent, achieving a certain degree of
success. His love of patriotism prompted him to enlist his services in behalf
of his country during the Civil W^ar, and he received a wound from which
he suffered considerably during the remainder of his life. He married Sarah
C. Taylor, born in Westmoreland county. Pennsylvania, whose parents were
among the early settlers of New Alexandria, where the father cleared land
and conducted farming operations which proved successful. Mr. and Mrs.
O'Neill were the parents of nine children : James A., who conducted a
general store in Southern Indiana ; Martha B., deceased ; John G., of whom
further; Mary E., deceased; Rosella, wife of William G. Miller, of Pitcairn ;
Katherine E., deceased ; Harry A. ; Maggie B.. wife of Elmer E. Tilbrook ;
Emma M., wife of George A. Mather. All of these children were educated
in Union School, Independent District.
John G. O'Neill was born in New Alexandria. W^estmoreland county,
Pennsylvania, December 26, 1862. Upon the completion of his studies he
served an apprenticeship at the trade of carpenter, which line of work he
ii66 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
followed for a number of years. In 1890 he removed to Pitcairn, Pennsyl-
vania, the place containing at that time only six houses, and he therefore had
considerable difficulty in finding a lodging, and from that time to the present
(1914) he has witnessed its constant growth. In the same year he secured
employment in the Pitcairn shop of the Pennsylvania Railroad as a car
repairer, after which he was made gang foreman and later car inspector,
his services proving valuable in all these capacities. In 1907 he established
a meat business in Pitcairn, which he later disposed of to good advantage,
and then engaged in the manufacture of ice cream, opening a confectionery
store, which he is successfully operating at the present time. His ability and
integrity have been recognized by his fellow townsmen, who appointed him
a member of the council of Pitcairn, which he filled satisfactorily for three
years. He is a member of the United Brethren church, Independent Order
of Odd Fellows and the Workmen of tlie World.
Mr. O'Neill married, October 18, 1891, Laura Reichard, of Pitcairn,
Pennsylvania, born at Sandy Creek, Pennsylvania, daughter of Louis A.
and Martha (Taylor) Reichard, natives of Sardis, Pennsylvania, and grand-
daughter on the paternal side of Michael John and Martha Reichard, of
Sandy Creek, Pennsylvania, the former named having been one of the
early peddlers in farm produce; on the maternal side of John and Martha
(Masters) Taylor, the former named a farmer of Sardis, Pennsylvania.
Mr. and Mrs. O'Neill are the parents of one child, Mary Martha, who mar-
ried Roy H. De Witt, and they have two children : John Harrison and
Amberson De Witt Virgil.
Stephen Pangburn, the first of this name in America of
FANGBURN whom we have definite information, was a resident, in
1774, of "The south end of Perth Amboy, County of
Middlesex, Province of New Jersey." His death occurred in the spring of
1778, and his will was probated at Trenton. It is reprinted in full in a little
volume entitled, "Randolph-Pangburn — William Pangburn and his wife
Hannah FitzRandolph — Their Ancestry and Descendants." Little is known
of Stephen Pangburn except that he was a mill owner in Dover township
from 1750 to 1760. The first name of his wife was Anna, and they had
children: Lines, a soldier during the Revolution, was killed by the Tories,
or, as tradition says, while doing guard duty over a party of refugees;
William, of further mention; Rebecca.
(II) William Pangburn, son of Stephen and Anna Pangburn, was born
about 1744- He, also, was a soldier of the Revolution, and his name appears
in the "Official Roster of Officers and Men of New Jersey in the Revolu-
tionary War." In 1778 he and his wife removed to Western Pennsylvania,
lived for a short time in the "Jersey Settlement," now known as Forward
township, then removed to Mercer county. It is thought that he was a
millwright. He married, December 30, 1770, Hannah Fitz Randolph, born
January 5, 1746, died at the home of her son Samuel, in Brown county,
Ohio, June 11, 1835, and is buried at Red Oak Cemetery. She was a
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1167
daughter of Nathaniel and Rebecca Fitz Randolph, who had a long and
noble lineage from Norman, English and early American ancestors. Mr.
and Mrs. Pangburn had children: Nathaniel, twin of Stephen; Stephen, of
further mention; John, William, Elizabeth, Abigail, Anna, Lines, James,
Samuel, Randolph. A few years after the death of Mr. Pangburn, his
widow and children removed to the state of Ohio. His burial place is not
known.
(III) Stephen (2) Pangburn, son of William and Hannah (Fitz
Randolph ) Pangburn, was born in Middlesex county, New Jersey, November
9, 1 77 1, and died in what is now Forward township, Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, in 1797, and is buried in Taylor's Graveyard. He married
Elizabeth, daughter of Walter and Alice (Applegate) Wall, and they had
children: Isaac, of further mention; John. Mrs. Pangburn married (sec-
ond) in 1799, Job Egbert, had nine children, and died May 10, 1850.
(IV) Isaac Pangburn, son of Stephen (2) and Elizabeth (Wall) Pang-
burn, was born January 4, 1794, died November 23, i86g. The family
removed to Mercer county, Pennsylvania, and then to Brown county, Ohio,
but Isaac and his brother returned to Mercer county, and sought to estab-
lish themselves independently. Isaac learned the millwright's trade with
Amos Robbins, bought out his employer, and commenced operating mills on
his own account, at the same time carrying on the building business. He
built the Walker Mill at Elizabeth, and many others in Allegheny and Wash-
ington counties. About 1822 he purchased and completed the famous
Pangburn Mill, near Lock No. 3, and carried on an extensive milling and
cooperage business. He also erected a fine residence near the mill, and
there spent his last days. He and his wife were members of the Baptist
denomination, organized the Baptist church at Elizabeth, and he was a mem-
ber of the first board of deacons, holding this office until his death. Mr.
Pangburn married, November 2, 1820, Susan, born March 5, 1802, died
May 13, 1865, a daughter of John and Nancy Hill, and both are buried at
Curry's Graveyard. Children : Elizabeth, Stephen, John, James, of further
mention ; Nancy, Samuel, Margaret, Rebecca, Isaac, Noah H., Cicero.
(V) James Pangburn, son of Isaac and Susan (Hill) Pangburn, was
bom April 2, 1826, and died August i, 1865, from the effects of a fever he
had contracted while serving in the Civil War. He learned the milling busi-
ness thoroughly, being both milhvright and mill operator, and was for many
years the head operator of the Pangburn Mills. In January, 1865, he and
his brother Samuel enlisted in Company G, One Hundred and First Regi-
ment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and served until the close of the
war. He is buried at Curry's Graveyard. He was a Republican in politics,
and he and his wife were members of the Baptist church. Mr. Pangburn
married, December i, 1853, Martha Findlay, born in Pittsburgh, October 8,
1835, a daughter of Joseph and Eleanor (Canon) Findlay. He was a native
of county Cork, Ireland, and was an infant when brought to this country by
his parents. He was a shoemaker by trade, being located on W^ater street,
near Wood and Smithfield, and there his death occurred. They had children :
ii68 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Martha, mentioned above ; Eliza, married Joseph Flowers, and died in
Latrobe, Pennsylvania ; Ellen, married Robert T. Lee, and lives in Westmore-
land county; Joseph, a foreman in a brush factory, died in Pittsburgh. Mr.
and Mrs. Pangburn had children: A daughter, born August 27, 1854, lived
one day; Luella M., born March 30, 1856, died in 1914, married John Sitman
Schumaker, and had ten children; Laura, born May 17, 1859, married Edgar
Messenger, and had two children ; Elmer Ellsworth, of further mention ;
Nancy, born October 18, 1862, died November 2},, 1865.
(VI) Elmer Ellsworth Pangburn, son of James and Martha (Findlay)
Pangburn, was born on the Pangburn homestead in Forward township,
June 3, 1861. He was educated at Mount Pleasant Academy, and com-
menced learning the planing mill business at Elizabeth. About 1887 he
engaged in this business with his cousins, E. H. Pangburn and C. L. Elliott,
the business being conducted under the name of the Elizabeth Planing Mill
Company, and is now owned by the two Pangburns, Mr. Elliott having sold
his interest to them. Their products consist mostly of contracting and
building material, etc. In 1909 Mr. Pangburn was elected cashier of the
State Bank of Elizabeth, a position he is still holding. The bank was re-
organized in 1902, and since that time he has been a member of its board
of directors. He is a strong Republican in political matters, and is now
serving his third term as a member of the council. He is a trustee and
deacon, as well as treasurer of the Baptist church, of which his wife is also
a member. He is a member of the organization known as the Sons of
Veterans. Mr. Pangburn married, September 7, 1887, Annie M., born in
Washington county, Pennsylvania, daughter of Jacob and Julia Swagler,
and they have one child, James Alfred, born September 30, 1896, a student
at Bucknell University.
The name of Mills is one of frequent occurrence in this country,
MILLS and was brought here from different lands, and in varied form
of spelling. The form of Mills is the most common one.
Stephen Mills, son of Isaac Mills, was born in Braddock, Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, May 23, 1855. He acquired an excellent education in
the public schools and the Middlesex Academy, and his education was com-
pleted at Bethany College. He and his brother, James Mills, engaged in the
manufacture of brick, and were also the owners of a quarry. Later Stephen
Mills went to Ohio, where he owned a farm, and where he died. May z6,
1907, six months after his removal to that State. Politically he was a
Republican, and a member of the Knights of Malta. His religious affiliation
was with the Christian church, while his wife was a member of the Metho-
dist Episcopal church. Mr. Mills married, in 1878, Barbara Etta Margaret
McCleary, a native of Braddock, Pennsylvania, whose ancestral line fol-
lows. Children: James Clay, died at the age of two years; William W., a
physician of Duquesne, Pennsylvania, married Louise Rhodes ; Elizabeth,
married Clarence Ray Baldridge, and has children : John, Clarence Ray,
William, and an infant; Mabel, married Lewis Roscoe James, of Parnas.sus,
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1169
Pennsylvania, and has children : Lewis Roscoe and Elizabeth Gertrude ; Dr.
Stephen Roy, of Braddock ; Eliza Laird, a student in Braddock, Pennsyl-
vania.
(The McCleary Line.)
Thomas McCleary and his wife lived in East Liberty, Pennsylvania.
He was a prominent politician in his earlier days, and owned extensive
property at Hull, Pennsylvania.
James McCleary, son of Thomas McCleary. was born in East Liberty,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, about 1825, and died in 1869. He was a wheel-
wright and carpenter by occupation, and prominent in the community. His
influence in the councils of the Republican party in his district was a marked
one. He moved to Braddock about 1850, and held the office of justice of
the peace for many years. He married Elizabeth, born in 1830, died in
1902, daughter of George and Barbara (Mitchell) Sutch. Her brothers and
sisters were : James, William, Mary, Maria, Margaret and Andrew. Mr.
and Mrs. McCleary had children : Hannah ; George, deceased ; Barbara
Etta Margaret, who married Mr. Mills, as above stated ; Mary Elizabeth ;
William, of Braddock ; Joanna, deceased ; Sophia.
William McRoberts, of Fairhaven, Pennsylvania, is a
McROBERTS grandson of James McRoberts, of Scotland, who came to
America with an English army during the Revolution.
He never returned to his native land, having at the first opportunity joined
the forces under General Washington. After the war he obtained a large
holding of land in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, there married and died.
He married Nancy Nishart and had children : James, a justice of the peace
for MifHin township, Allegheny county, for forty-two years ; Jennie ; John,
of further mention ; Mary ; Annie ; Elizabeth.
(H) John McRoberts, son of James and Nancy (Nishart) McRoberts,
was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in 1806, died in Mifflin town-
ship, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, July 16, 1891. He early journeyed
westward, settling in Mifflin township, near what is now Hayes borough, and
there worked at his trade, blacksmith. There also came his widowed mother,
with her family. She bought one hundred acres of land near her son,
paying therefor one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre, and there lived
until her death. The other sons also became land owners in Mifflin town-
ship and there founded families. John McRoberts conducted a profitable
blacksmithing business, and as he prospered bought land until he possessed,
in addition to his homestead, several other farms. He became wealthy, his
riches all coming from smithy and land. He was a Democrat in politics, and
a strict member of the Presbyterian church. He married Eleanor Mc-
Cutcheon, born in Salem township, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, in
1817, died April, 1856. Children: Samuel, deceased; James H., a civil
engineer; William, of further mention; Mary; Susan, deceased; Emma;
Margaret; Nancy A., born in Mifflin township, February 13. 1840, married,
October 6, 1864, George C. Smith, born in Allegheny county, September 9,
II70 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
1842, now deceased, son of William and Sarah Hayes (Cunningham) Smith,
both of pioneer Allegheny county families, Mrs. Smith resides on her farm
at Castle Shannon, in Baldwin township, but has sold one hundred acres to
a golf club, her children: Richard L., Eleanor, Frank, deceased; Sarah E.,
Ida, William.
(Ill) William McRoberts, son of John and Eleanor (McCutcheon)
McRoberts, was born in Mifflin township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
January 20, 1846. He was educated in the public schools, and all his life has
been engaged in farming. Since 1859 he has resided on his farm of seventy-
three acres, bought by his father in that year and later inherited by his son,
William, the present owner. There for many years he has conducted gen-
eral farming operations, but is now living retired from active business.
The nearness of the farm to Fairhaven makes it very desirable, and quite
recently Mr. McRoberts laid out his farm in building lots, which have found
a ready sale and on which several houses have been erected. He is a
Democrat in politics, and is a member of the Presbyterian church.
He married (first) in 1869, Amanda Castor, of Elizabeth township,
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, who died in 1878, leaving children: Walter,
Sarah, Harry and William. He married (second) in 1880, Martha May,
born in county Antrim, Ireland, August 30, i860, daughter of John and
Elizabeth (Montgomery) May, both of Irish birth and parentage. Her
maternal grandfather, William Montgomery, came from Ireland to the site
of the present city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at a very early day, settling
in that part known as the "Hog Pond." He was buried on his own land, the
present Monongahela House covering his burial place. One of his daughters,
Martha, married Andrew Mulholland, a soldier of the Revolution, and died
in Versailles township, Allegheny county, on his way back from the war.
Martha Mulholland had two children, Catherine and Andrew, the latter kept
a boot and shoe store on Fifth avenue, Pittsburgh, was very prominent in
Masonry and went especially to Europe to have conferred upon him the
thirty-third degree. Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, not then conferred
in this country. Children of William and Martha (May) McRoberts, his
second wife: James May, a civil engineer; Samuel, deceased; Elizabeth
Montgomery, married Edward Hammel ; Samuel, married Elsie Mortimer;
Estella, deceased; Martha May; Ruth Cleveland, married Robert Lee;
Linda ; David ; Eleanor ; Richard Smith.
John May, father of Martha (May) McRoberts, born in Ireland,
located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1862, and for a time lived on Bedford
avenue. Later he bought a farm in Baldwin township and there resided
until his death, May 30, 1902. His widow yet survives him. They had
children: Elizabeth, died in 1914; Mary; Martha, married William Mc-
Roberts ; Samuel, died in infancy : Jane ; Samuel ; John, deceased ; Linda ;
Anna Grace ; James ; Carrie ; William, deceased.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1171
This name in the transition from foreign to American
HOUSHOLDER shores has undergone, as have so many other names,
a transformation that, while it simpHfies the spelhng
and pronunciation, leaves it far from its original form.
(I) The founder of this branch in the United States was Henry
Housholder, born in Germany, who came to the United States single, mar-
ried Catherine Alius, also born in Germany, and with her settled on a farm
in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, where both died, members of the
Lutheran church, he a Democrat, hard working, thrifty, and of quiet and
retiring nature. Children: John, of further mention; Joseph, Mary,
Catherine.
(II) John Housholder, son of Henry and Catherine (Alins) Hous-
holder, was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, in 1824, died in
1883. He worked on the farm and in the coal mines until the outbreak of
the Civil War, in 1861 enlisting in Company G, One Hundred and First
Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, serving nearly three years, seeing hard
service and receiving honorable discharge. After the war he returned to
Pennsylvania, settling in Allegheny county and resumed work as a coal
miner. He was a Republican in politics, a man of quiet life and correct
habits. He married Hannah Elizabeth Mansfield, born in Westmoreland
county, Pennsylvania, in 1830, daughter of William and Catherine (Mc-
Donald) Mansfield. William Mansfield by a first wife had a son, William.
His second wife, Catherine (McDonald) Mansfield, was born in Ireland and
was brought when young to the United States by her parents. Children by
his second wife : Jane, Mary, Hannah Elizabeth, who married John Hous-
holder. Children of Mr. and Mrs. Housholder : Joseph Michael, of further
mention; William, deceased; Henry; Mary Jane, deceased; John A., of
further mention; Herbert G., deceased; George B., deceased; Troversa,
deceased ; Rebecca ; Catherine, deceased ; Edward ; Frank.
(III) Joseph Michael Housholder, eldest son of John and Hannah
Elizabeth (Mansfield) Housholder, was born October 15, 1848. He was
educated in the public schools, and until 1879 worked at coal mining, and
then established a furniture store in the thriving town of West Elizabeth.
Later he sold this and for nine years was engaged in the confectionery
business, and subsequently opened a general store. On August 27, 1894. he
was elected postmaster and has since held that office. He is a Republican
in politics, and both he and his wife are members of the Baptist church.
He married, September 10, 1868, Anna Miller, born in Elizabeth in 1848.
(Ill) John A. Housholder, fourth son of John and Hannah Elizabeth
(Mansfield) Housholder, was born in Elizabeth township, Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, in that part of Elizabeth now Lincoln township. June 17,
1857. He was educated in public schools, and until he was twenty-three
years of age worked in the coal mines. He then bought teams and until
1906 was engaged in teaming and contracting, conducting a very successful
business and accumulating a capital that later he invested in a farm of one
hundred and seven acres in Forward township. Allegheny county. He is a
1 172 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Republican in politics, and a member of the Baptist church. Mr. Hous-
holder married, October 9, 1879, Mary Elizabeth Actor, born in Elizabeth,
now Lincoln township, in 1861, daughter of Samuel and Mary (McCracken)
Actor, who came to Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, from Canada. Samuel
Actor and wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and for
many years he was township supervisor. Children : Robert, deceased ; Will-
iam Samuel, deceased; Mary Elizabeth, married John A. Housholder; Anna
Belle. Children of John A. and Mary Elizabeth Housholder : William, died
aged two years; Anna May, Margaret B., Elizabeth, Dora, Charles B.,
Joseph J., Nellie, Walter, Ward, died October 14, 1912, aged fifteen years;
Edward, John.
First resident in eastern Pennsylvania and settled in the
\\'ILSON western part of the state prior to 1782, this branch of the
Wilson family has long been connected with Pennsylvania
history, altliough the line to which John McConnell Wilson, of Elizabeth,
Pennsylvania, belongs, for a time was identified with Indiana and Ohio,
through the residence in those states of the family of John P. Wilson.
Settlement in Western Pennsylvania was first made by this branch of the
family of Wilson by two brothers, Aaron and James, before 1782. They
first resided in Elizabeth, now Forward, township, Allegheny county, where
they became the owners of a large tract of land, their first home being a
cabin of logs, hastily constructed and devoid of floor and windows. Aaron
was the ancestor of the following line, and had several children, one of his
sons Alexander, of whom further.
(II) Alexander Wilson, son of Aaron Wilson, was born in Elizabeth,
now Forward, township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in 1782, died in
1868. Upon attaining manhood he inherited a portion of the homestead, a
large part of which was still in its original wild state, and which he cleared
and improved. He continued in its cultivation during his entire life and there
died. Both were members of the Convenanter church, and are buried in
the Round Hill Cemetery. He married Margaret Paxton, born in eastern
Pennsylvania, died in 1868. Children of Alexander and Margaret (Paxton)
Wilson: i. John P., of whom further. 2. James A., a farmer, died in
Fayette county, Pennsylvania. 3. Alexander, a farmer, died in Columbiana
county, Ohio. 4. Mary, died unmarried in Forward township, Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania. 5. Jane, married Samuel Roseberg, and died in
Beaver county, Pennsylvania.
(III) John P. Wilson, son of Alexander and Margaret (Paxton) Wil-
son, was born in Elizabeth, now Forward, township, Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, in 1807. He was reared on the home farm and after his
marriage resided on a part thereof until about 1836, when he moved to Jeffer-
son county, Indiana, purchasing two hundred acres of partially improved
land. This he raised to a profitable state of cultivation, there making his
home for thirteen years, then returning to the homestead in Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, where he resided until 1853. In that year Mr. Wilson moved
'W^^/z^M/^-'^i&<y7^
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1173
to Washington county, Ohio, becoming the owner of a two hundred acre
farm, where he remained until his death which occurred about 1895. He was
a prosperous agriculturist, his industrious and upright life gaining the favor
and respect of his fellows. He and his wife were members of the Covenanter
church, and in early life he supported the Democratic party, later affiliating
with the Republican organization. John P. Wilson married Elizabeth, born
in Elizabeth township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in 1807, died in
Washington county, Ohio, in October, 1885, daughter of Andrew and Sarah
(Wilson) Boyd. Andrew was a son of Nathaniel Boyd, of Scotch-Irish
descent, who came to America in young manhood and became the owner of
land now occupied by the city of Philadelphia. He and two sisters later
moved westward to Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, purchasing a large
farm in Elizabeth township, where he lived until his death. He married, in
Elizabeth township, Allegheny county, in 1776, Dinah, daughter of Isaiah
Brown, and had three sons : Andrew, of whom further, Samuel and John.
Andrew Boyd, son of Nathaniel and Dinah (Brown) Boyd, was born
in Elizabeth township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, and grew to man-
hood on the homestead. He fell heir to a portion of the home farm, and
after his marriage cultivated this until his death. By his marriage with
Sarah Wilson he had children: i. Dinah, married Robert McConnell and
died in Forward township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. 2. Wilson, a
farmer, died in Jefferson county, Indiana. 3. Morrow, a soldier in the
Second Regiment, West Virginia Cavalry, in the Union army during the
Civil War, was killed in the fighting near Winchester, Virginia. 4. John,
died in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, in young manhood. 5. Andrew,
died on the homestead in 1876, a farmer. 6. Elizabeth, of previous mention,
married John P. Wilson. 7. Isabel, married James Withrow, and died in
Lincoln township. Allegheny county, Pennsylvania.
Children of John P. and Elizabeth (Boyd) \\'ilson : i. Alexander, a
carpenter and owner of a grist mill, died in Noble county, Ohio. 2. Sarah,
died unmarried, aged twenty years. 3. Samuel died in Jefferson county,
Indiana, aged five years. 4. Andrew, formerly a school teacher, now pro-
prietor of a grocery store at Sistersville, West Virginia. 5. Margaret, died
unmarried on the old homestead. 6. John McConnell, of whom further. 7.
Elizabeth, married Dr. J. A. Minney, and lives in Topeka, Kansas. 8.
James Patterson, lives retired on the old homestead.
(IV) John McConnell Wilson, son of John P. and Elizabeth (Boyd)
Wilson, was born near Madison, Jefferson county, Indiana, September 19,
1843. He was educated in the public schools, and passed his youthful years
on the home farm. After leaving home he was for twenty-five years em-
ployed as a ship carpenter in Pittsburgh and Elizabeth. Pennsylvania, retir-
ing from active life in 1904. Since that time he has lived retired in Eliza-
beth, in which locality he owns considerable property. Mr. Wilson is a
veteran of the Civil War, having enlisted in Company F, One Hundred and
Eightieth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, on September 6, 1864. He
was engaged in the battle of Kingston, North Carolina, and received his
1 174 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
honorable discharge from the Union service June lo, 1865. His poHtical
sympathies are strongly Republican.
Mr. Wilson married, in November, 1866, Helen F., born in Wheeling,
West Virginia, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Rickards) Hill, and has
children: i. Elizabeth Morrow, married H. H. Snee, and resides in Jeffer-
son township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. 2. Mary Ellen, married J.
B. Large, and lives in Jefferson township, Allegheny county. 3. Sarah, died
aged twenty years. 4. Uriah Burton, died in infancy.
William McClelland, the earliest known ancestor of
McClelland William Henry McClelland Sr., of this review, was
born in county Antrim, Ireland, in 1733, and died in
Pennsylvania, July 12, 1815. He was a son of John McClelland. In his
early manhood William McClelland emigrated to America and settled in
Maryland or Virginia, from whence he removed to South West Pennsyl-
vania. McClellandtown, Fayette county, Pennsylvania, was founded by
John McClelland, great-great-uncle of William Henry McClelland Sr., of
this sketch. Soon after its settlement the Indians became very troublesome,
and the United States government sent out an expedition to suppress the
uprising; Colonel William Crawford was at the head of this command and
John McClelland was an officer of the regiment; all the members of the
expedition were massacred by the Indians ; the incident has gone down into
history as the Upper Sandusky (Ohio) Massacre.
(II) Arthur H. McClelland, son of William McClelland, was born in
McClellandtown, Fayette county, Pennsylvania, in 1809. In his early man-
hood he removed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where the greater part of his
life was spent. He was a bricklayer by trade, later became a contractor,
and twice did the brick work of the Monongahela House, before and after
the "big fire" of 1845. It was a noted house in its day. He held a number
of township offices as a representative of the Republican party, and was a
member of the Baptist church. He married Margaret Torrence, born in
1812, at Mount Joy, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and they had children:
Elizabeth and Mary, died in infancy ; William Henry, of this sketch ; Sarah
McGregor, married Joseph W. Anderson, and lives in Los Angeles, Cali-
fornia ; and Charles Albert, died unmarried.
(III) Wilham Henry McClelland, of this sketch, son of Arthur H. and
Margaret (Torrence) McClelland, was born on Clark street, Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, March 9, 1839, and in that city was educated in the old Sixth
Ward, now Franklin, School. In 1858 he began his business career, .his first
position being as night clerk with the Pittsburgh Dispatch, and while with
this paper he posted the first war bulletin in Pittsburgh, the firing of Fort
Sumter, in 1861. He afterwards became bookkeeper for White, Orr &
Company, a leading dry goods house, and finally formed a connection with
the Pittsburgh Gas Company, being treasurer of the company for about five
years, then a director and secretary for twenty-eight years, continuing in this
latter office until his retirement in 1898. He then took up with the Penn
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 117S
Gas Coal Company of Philadelphia as a director and its secretary, which
positions he held until 1905, when he retired. He enlisted in 1864 in Com-
pany K, Fifth Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, and was mustered out with
the rank of a first lieutenant at the close of the war. During his war service
he became a close friend of Sergeant Boston Corbett, who shot Booth, the
assassinator of President Lincoln, and being in the same brigade he was a
close friend of the commanding officer, Captain E. P. Doherty, Company L,
Sixteenth New York Cavalry, who was in command of the detail sent out
to capture Booth. He is a Republican in politics, and has served as school
director. His religious afifiliation is with the Episcopal church. He is a
member of General Alexander Hays Post, No. 3, Department of Pennsyl-
vania, Grand Army of the Republic, being a past commander of the same.
Mr. McQelland has been twice married; (first) to Mary E., daughter
of Benjamin Teller, a cousin of United States Senator Teller, of Colorado,
and (second) to Sarah Louise, daughter of Thomas and Louise (Scheldt)
Cross, of Baltimore, Maryland. Children by first marriage : i. Arthur Teller,
a paper hanger and contractor, resides in Pittsburgh, married Mamie Finley,
deceased, and has had children : Laura, deceased ; Arthur, Charles, War-
ren, deceased. 2. Edwin Bridge, .deceased, lived in Wilkinsburg, Pennsyl-
vania ; married Anna Pentland Stewart, and had children : Pentland and
Mary. Children by second marriage. 3. Blanche Cross, married Finley
Litrel Walton; resides in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. 4. William Henry,
of whom further. 5. Margaret Louise.
(IV) William Henry McClelland, son of William Henry and Sarah
Louise (Cross) McClelland, was born at No. 59 Marion street, Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, October 29. 1880. He was educated in the public elementary
and high schools of Pittsburgh, and began his business career in the year
1900 as draftsman, and now (1915) holds the position of assistant chief
draftsman for the Union Switch and Signal Company, of Swissvale. Penn-
sylvania. He is a Republican in his political opinions. He resides at No.
651 Trenton avenue, Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania.
William Wightman, born in county Down, Ireland, came
WIGHTMAN to the province of Pennsylvania, prior to the Revolution-
ary War, and making his way to the westward of the
mountains finally settled in what is now Baldwin township, Allegheny
county. There he cleared a farm in part and erected a stone house, in which
he died. This old house stood for over one hundred years and was then
taken down. William Wightman was a soldier of the Revolution, and both
he and his wife were devout members of Lebanon Presbyterian Church.
(II) William H. Wightman, son of Wilham Wightman, the pioneer
settler of the family in Pennsylvania, was born on the Baldwin township
farm owned by his parents. There he grew to manhood, married and lived
in the old stone house built by his father. Later he became sole owner of
the farm, inheriting in part and acquiring the balance of its three hundred
acres by purchasing the rights of the other heirs. Later he sold the greater
1 176 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
part of the homestead farm and bought the Grierson farm near Pittsburgh.
But he yearned for the old home and in a few years sold his farm near
Pittsburgh and returned to the unsold portion of their homestead farm, but
not to the old stone house, that being in the possession of others. He con-
tinued his residence in Baldwin township until death ended his labors. He
was a Democrat in politics, held the office of township supervisor, and with
his wife was a member of Lebanon Presbyterian Church, both being buried
in the burial ground of that church. He was a man of quiet, industrious
habits and bore an excellent reputation. He married Olivia Carroll, whose
parents came from New Jersey after the birth of their daughter and settled
in Butler county, Pennsylvania. Children of William H. Wightman: i.
Martha Jane, married Alexander Chambers, and died in Pittsburgh. 2.
William, died in one of the western states. 3. Daniel, a lumberman, died in
Newark, New Jersey. 4. Joseph, a lumber dealer, now living in Newark,
New Jersey. 5. Elizabeth, married Andrew McKee, and died at McKees
Rocks, Pennsylvania. 6. John, died in the West. 7. James, now living in
Washington, D. C, a retired minister of the Presbyterian church. 8. Henry
Baldwin, of further mention. 9. Mary, married Robert G. Jones ; she is
still living, a resident of Pittsburgh. 10. Caroline, married George W. Blair,
who died in Pittsburgh, where she still resides. 11. Frank, died at the home-
stead. 12. Albert, also died at the homestead,
(HI) Henry Baldwin Wightman, son of William H. and Olivia (Car-
roll) Wightman, was born on the Wightman homestead farm in Baldwin
township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, June 11, 1839, and yet resides
there, sixteen acres of his farm being part of the original farm. He was
educated in the public schools and Hazlett Academy, and remained at home
until August 14, 1862, when he enlisted in Company F, Fifteenth Regiment
Pennsylvania Cavalry. On fhe reorganization of the regiment, after heavy
losses, he was placed in Company I and served until disabled by a wound in
the wrist, received at the battle of Holstone River, East Tennessee. He
fought at the battles of Antietam, Stone River, Chickamauga, Mission
Ridge, Holstone River and others, besides doing much scouting and raiding
duty. He returned to Baldwin township after leaving the army and for a
few years engaged in farming. The postoffice at Option was established on
the old Wightman farm and for twenty-nine years he was the postmaster.
He then resigned and has since lived a quiet retired life, devoting himself to
his orchards of peaches, pears, apples and the culture of small fruits. His
home and sixteen acres surrounding it are a part of the old homestead farm,
where both his father, himself, brothers and sisters were born. He is a
Republican in politics, has held the office of township supervisor, and both
he and his wife are members of Lebanon Presbyterian Church, which he
has served as elder. He is a well-preserved man, quiet and neighborly,
well-known and highly esteemed. He carries his seventy-five years well and
is interested in all the topics of the day.
Mr. Wightman married Cornelia Castor, born in Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, and there died in 1906, daughter of Gabriel Castor. Children:
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1177
1. Olivia May, now postmistress at Option, residing with her father. 2. A
son died at birth. When the postoffice was established on the old farm
there was much discussion over a name. Many were suggested to the post-
office department, but all were rejected on account of there being other offices
of the same name in the state. Finally Mr. Wightman submitted the name
"Option," which was accepted by the department.
This is an English family of ancient lineage, whose mem-
FAWCETT bers have frequently earned honorable mention in public
and private records.
(I) Thomas Fawcett was a stone mason by trade, and spent his entire
life at Ravensdale, Westmorelandshire, England. He married Elizabeth
, and had children : Thomas, James, Anthony, George, of further
mention; Miles, Clement, Robert, Elizabeth, William, Ann, John, Ellen, an
infant. Of these, James, George, William and John came to America at
the time. Miles and ^Anthony following.
(II) George Fawcett, son of Thomas and Elizabeth Fawcett, was born
in Ravensdale, Westmorelandshire, England, about 18 10, died at the ad-
vanced age of eighty-four. In July, 1832, in company with his brothers
James, William and John, he sailed from Liverpool, England, in the ship
"Ajax," which was considered a large one for that day, and carried seven
hundred passengers. They were one day less than eight weeks on the
water, the passage being an exceedingly rough and stormy one, but were
finally landed safely at New York City, from whence they went to Buffalo.
They remained there but a short time, then went on to Pittsburgh, Pennsyl-
vania, and located in a section which they called Birmingham, now South
Side of Pittsburgh. William returned to Buffalo and there married, Febru-
ary I, 1834, Margaret Robinson. The four brothers followed the same
calling as their father for a time, but soon invested money in some coal
lands at Braddock on the Monongahela river. They also purchased the
fir.st stern paddle-wheel steamer on the Monongahela river, and called it
"The Traveler." During the day they utilized this steamer for hauling
freight for other people up and down the river, and at night they hauled the
coal which they had had mined from their own lands. William Fawcett
was the pilot and engineer, and as boats were not equipped with pilot
houses in those days, he suffered greatly from exposure. In 1853 William
Fawcett removed to a farm near McKeesport, Pennsylvania, where he
spent the remainder of his days. He and all his brothers and sisters who
came to America joined the Primitive Methodist church in England, and in
Pittsburgh they united with the Methodist Episcopal church, the place of
meeting at that time being an old school house on the "Diamond," South
Side, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but shortly afterward the "Little Brick
Church" was built, and in this the brothers filled the offices of class leader,
steward, trustee and Sunday school superintendent. .^11 were very active in
church work. They named the village Soho. after a place in England, and
the planing mill they erected there was known as the Soho Planing Mill.
II78 WESTERN PENiNSYLVANIA
This planing mill, which was called into existence by George Fawcett, was
situated where the Twenty-second street bridge is now located, and they did
an extensive lumber business. In association with bis son, Williain J., he
organized the Second Avenue Street Car Line, horses being the motive
power at that time, and also became interested in other car lines in the city.
He was prominent in all projects concerning the public welfare, and served
as school director in the Fourteenth Ward of Pittsburgh for many years.
His brother James became the first president of the First National Bank of
Birmingham, Pittsburgh. George Fawcett married Esther Anderson, and
they had children: George, a chicken farmer, lives in Hamilton, New
Jersey; Margaret and Mary, live at Hamilton, New Jersey; Esther Jane,
married William Collingwood, lives at Hamilton, New Jersey ; James, super-
intendent in a tin plate mill, lives in Oakland, Pennsylvania ; William Jona-
than, of further mention ; Sarah, now deceased, married George Thompson.
(HI) William Jonathan Fawcett, son of George and Esther (Anderson)
Fawcett, was born on Congress street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October
23, 1844, and was educated in the public schools of his native city and at
Dufif's Business College. He also studied law, but never was engaged in
the practice of his profession, as business demands of another nature were
made upon him. He became interested with his father in the street car lines,
the wholesale and retail coal enterprise, and assisted in organizing the
Armstrong, Fawcett & McKelvey Company, a white lead and paint concern,
whose plant was located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Later he sold his
interest in this company. Subsequently he became a public accountant and
auditor, and was appointed receiver for the Knoxville & St. Clair Street
Car Line, and was connected as accountant and auditor with a number of
important enterprises. He now lives retired at No. 1133 Walnut street,
Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, where he and his wife are members of the
Methodist Protestant church. He is a member of the Select Knights of
America and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr. Fawcett mar-
ried Magdalene Heuber, born in the Fourteenth Ward, Pittsburgh, December
3, 1851. She is a daughter of Michael and Elizabeth (Shide) Heuber, both
born in Hessen, Germany, where they were married, and then came to
America and settled in Pittsburgh. There he followed his trade as a molder
until he died of sunstroke in i860. He was a Catholic and his wife was a
Lutheran. They had children : Anna, still lives in Germany ; Matilda, mar-
ried John Webster, lives at North Side, Pennsylvania ; Magdalene, mentioned
above as the wife of Mr. Fawcett ; Michael, a grocer living in Pittsburgh ;
Theodore, retired, lives in Pittsburgh; Charles, deceased. Mr. and Mrs.
Fawcett had children: William E., a physician in Bedford, Pennsylvania;
Albert Edgar, a pharmacist of Pittsburgh, married Mary E. Frank, of
■ Newport, Pennsylvania; James K., in the lumber business in Pittsburgh;
George T., twin of James K., in the lumber business in Pittsburgh, married
Helen Wyse, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Charles Emerson, of further
mention; Walter H., a musician; Elizabeth H. ; Esther M., the three latter
named residing at home.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA ii79
(IV) Dr. Charles Emerson Fawcett, son of William Jonathan and
Magdalene (Heuber) Fawcett, was born in the old Fourteenth Ward, Pitts-
burgh, Pennsylvania, September 17, 1885. He attended the common schools
and then the high school of Pittsburgh, after which he matriculated at the
Pharmaceutical Department of the University of Pittsburgh, from which
he was graduated in the class of 1905. Pursuing his studies at the Medical
Department of the same university, he was graduated from this in the class
of 1909 with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. While in the School of
Pharmacy, he was a member of the Kappa Psi fraternity, and while in the
Medical Department, he joined the Phi Rho Sigma fraternity. He was
still a student at college when he spent one year at the Reineman Maternity
Hospital, now the Elizabeth Mayer Memorial Hospital, Pittsburgh, Penn-
svlvania, and after his graduation he served an internship of one and half
years at the Passavant Hospital of Pittsburgh. In the summer of 1910 he
went to McKeesport in order to commence the practice of his profession,
but in the same year located at Dormont borough, in the suburbs of Pitts-
burgh, and now has a fine medical and surgical practice. He lives at No.
1539 Hillsdale avenue, Dormont. He is Republican in political matters.
His fraternal affiliation is as follows : The Allegheny County Medical
Society; Pennsylvania State Medical Society; American Medical Associa-
tion ; American Pharmaceutical Association ; Lodge No. 650, Free and
Accepted Masons ; Scottish Rite Masons, thirty-second degree ; Royal Arch
Masons ; Knights Templar ; Syria Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of
the Mystic Shrine ; and several others.
Dr. Fawcett married, June 28, 1907, Bessie Olive Bosmeyer, born in
the Fourteenth W^ard, Pittsburgh, a daughter of William and Mary (Miller)
Bosmeyer, both living in Pittsburgh, where he is a master plumber. Child
of Dr. and Mrs. Fawcett: Robert Miles, born November 20, 1912.
The Freeds of Western Pennsylvania are descendants of Hans
FREED Friedt, whose name appears as a trustee of the Mennonite con-
gregation of Bedminster township, Bucks county, to whom
William Allen deeded ground for a church building and fifty acres adjoining
under date of March 24, 1746. This is one of the oldest Mennonite congre-
gations in Bucks county, the meeting house standing on a knoll in the south-
east corner of the township, on the north side of Deep Run. From Friedt
the name was Anglicised into Freed, but the German emigrant and some of
his descendants used the form Friedt. A branch settled in Richland town-
ship, Bucks county, that included Peter Freed, the direct ancestor of Judson
B. Freed, of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, who was quite young when he left
Bucks county and went to \'irginia, whence after a short residence he re-
turned to Pennsylvania. He settled in 1785 on Mounts Creek. Bullskin
township, Fayette county, Pennsylvania, secured land, and there lived until
his death at the age of eighty-four years, leaving four sons and three daugh-
ters : Jacob, see forward ; Peter, lived and died in Tyrone township, Fayette
county ; John, moved to McLean county, Illinois ; Henry, lived on the home-
ii8o WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
stead until his accidental death about 1870. The three daughters married
respectively Joseph Beidler, a farmer of Bullskin township, whose land
adjoined the Freed homestead, Jacob Overholt, and Joseph Johnston.
(II) Jacob Freed, eldest son of Peter Freed, was bom in Bullskin town-
ship, Fayette county, Pennsylvania, was a farmer all of his life and died at
the homestead. His farm was part of the original tract owned by Peter
Freed, and after the death of Jacob Freed it passed to the ownership of his
son, Joseph. Jacob Freed married Susan, daughter of Martin Garver, a
pioneer of Bullskin township. Children: Joseph, Henry G., of whom
further; Samuel and Jonathan. In a list of property owners in Bullskin
in 1823, Henry, Jacob, Abraham and John Freed are named as farmers,
Peter as a saw mill owner. The Moyer Coke Works in later years operated
their furnaces on Henry Freed's land, the entire farm being underlain with
coking coal of great value. The Freeds were members of the Mennonite
church, the homestead for several years being the scene of the annual June
gatherings of those holding that faith in the Bullskin township section of
Fayette county.
(III) Henry G. Freed, son of Jacob and Susan (Garver) Freed, was
born in Bullskin township, Fayette county, Pennsylvania, April 30, 1833,
died April 20, 1898, and there attained mature years, in boyhood attending
the public schools. He worked on his father's farm until his marriage and
then rented a farm at Connellsville, whither he took his bride. In 1867 he
bought one hundred acres of land in Bullskin township, Fayette county,
about three miles from Mount Pleasant, and here passed his remaining years,
making improvements upon his property and cultivating with the most par-
ticular care until it was one of the finest farms in the neighborhood. His
operations were general in nature and he realized from his successful efforts
a generous income. He was strong in his faith in the Republican party, and
with his wife belonged to the Baptist church, having for twenty-five years
been active in the official body of the Green Lick Sunday School. He mar-
ried (first) Anna Bechtel, her father, Martin Bechtel, of Dutch descent,
having been one of the earliest settlers of that locality. His wife, a member
of the Miller family, was a Baptist, Martin Bechtel's ancestors having been
known as "Campbellites." Martin Bechtel owned, besides his farm in the
valley, about twelve hundred acres of mountain land, and it was in this
timber land that he conducted the greater part of his business dealings, only
exercising a general management over the farm. He died in 1890, aged
eighty-two years, having married again after the death of his first wife, his
second wife being Christina Grimm. Children of Henry G. and Anna
(Bechtel) Freed: i. Smith, died aged twenty-eight years, unmarried. 2.
Jacob, a machinist in the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad, lives in
Pitcairn, Pennsylvania, married Laura Barnhart. 3. Tillman, a farmer of
Ewing, Missouri. 4. Martin, a machinist, resides at Marion, Indiana. 5.
Judson B., of whom further. 6. Rice B., an electrician in the employ of the
H. C. Frick Company, lives at Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania. 7. Susan,
married James N. Burkeholder, a stationary engineer of Latrobe, Pennsyl-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1181
vania. 8. Iva, married Logan Frye, a steel mill worker, and lives in Latrobe,
Pennsylvania. After the tieath of his first wife, Henry G. Freed married
(second) Catherine Stauffer, who died in 1905.
(IV) Judson B. Freed, son of Henry G. and Anna (Bechtel) Freed,
was born in Connellsville, Fayette county, Pennsylvania, September 17, 1865.
He obtained his early education in what was known as the "Mud" district
school in Bullskin township, his duties on the farm leaving but about four
months a year in which he was free to pursue his studies. After the death
of his mother he took up a man's work in farming, although he was then
but fifteen years of age, and was employed at home and by the neighboring
farmers until he was twenty-one years of age, when he became associated
with tlie H. C. Frick Company at the Standard Mines as checkman and
weighmaster at the tipple, remaining there for five years. In 1893 he entered
the employ of the PanhantUe Railroad in the freight department at Carnegie,
and in 1903 was transferred from the freight to the passenger service as
ticket agent, a position he lias held continuously. He is held in high regard
as a courteous, obliging official by the regular patrons of the road, and bears
an e.xcellent record as an employee of loyalty and faithfulness. A staunch
Republican, the lure of office has never attracted him, and he has sup-
ported his party as a private citizen, and he and his family hold mem-
bership in the Methodist Episcopal churcli, which he has served as
steward for the past twelve years, having also been treasurer of the church
for several years. His fraternities are the Masonic Order, in which he
belongs to Centennial Lodge, No. 544, Free and Accepted Masons, the
Knights of the Golden Eagle, and the Knights of the Maccabees. His home
is at No. 455 Broadway, Carnegie, Pennsylvania, where he built a comfort-
able residence in 1896.
Mr. Freed married, September 25, 1888, Hannah VVasherbaugh, born in
Bullskin township, Fayette county, Pennsylvania, daughter of William and
Sarah (Andrews) Washerbaugh, both deceased, her father a farmer, his
family one of the first to settle in Fayette county, her mother of Irish
descent. Mrs. Freed and her husband were schoolmates, both having at-
tended the "Mud" district school. Children of Judson B. and Hannah
(Washerbaugh) Freed: i. Olive, born in June, 1889, married Homer
Martin and lives on Washington avenue, Carnegie, Pennsylvania ; her hus-
band is foreman of the Keystone Lumber Company, of Pittsburgh, and they
are the parents of three children. 2. Violet, born in 1899. 3. Virginia, born
in 1908. 4. Paul, born in 191 2.
The Pattersons of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
PATTERSON herein considered, descend from the Virginia family that
early settled in Campbell county, Virginia.
(I) The pioneer of the name in Allegheny county was Nathaniel Pat-
terson, of Scotch-Irish descent, wlio with his wife, Elizabeth (Bell) Patter-
son, came from Campbell county to Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in 1758,
settling in Mifflin township. He was accompanied by his sons and with their
ii82 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
aid erected a log house and began clearing a farm. Soon afterward the
Indians became hostile and for safety's sake the family returned to Virginia,
where they remained two and a half years. They then returned to the
Mifflin, Allegheny county, home, which they found standing intact, the
Indians having passed it by. There Nathaniel Patterson and his wife lived
until death, both members of the Lebanon Presbyterian Church. He died in
1790, leaving three sons and a daughter: Andrew, lived in Pittsburgh;
Thomas B., a farmer of Mifflin township ; James, of further mention ; Ellen,
married Samuel Cunningham.
(II) Hon. James Patterson, youngest son of Nathaniel and Elizabeth
(Bell) Patterson, was born in Campbell county, Virginia, and came with his
parents to Mifflin township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in 1758, and
shared all the dangers and privations incident to pioneer life in Western
Pennsylvania. He lived on the farm many years, but is best known for the
active part he took in public affairs. He was colonel of militia, justice of
peace and filled many township offices; from 1814 until 1825 was collector of
internal revenue for the seventeenth Pennsylvania district, and in 1828 was
elected a member of the Pennsylvania house of assembly. He was one of the
most influential Democrats of the district, and a leading member of Lebanon
Presbyterian Church, giving the latter substantial aid in erecting their church
edifice. He married Catherine, daughter of Joseph and Mary A. (Connolly)
Livingston, both born in Ireland. Children: James T., lived on part of the
old homestead, a bachelor ; Livingston Bell, of further mention ; Cornelius D.,
died aged twenty-two years ; Mary, never married, but was home keeper for
her bachelor brother, James T. ; Eliza T., died in infancy; Eleanor, married
Dr. J. F. Wilson, and lived in Philadelphia.
(Ill) Hon. Livingston Bell Patterson, son of Hon. James Patterson
and his wife, Catherine (Livingston) Patterson, was born in Mifflin town-
ship, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, at the old Patterson homestead, in
1815, died May i, 1887. He obtained his early education in the district
school and then took a course in civil engineering and surveying in Pitts-
burgh under the instruction of Mr. Twining, an eminent engineer of that
city. He inherited one hundred and fifty acres of the old homestead from his
father and this he improved and cultivated, erecting the farm house yet in
use. He also followed his profession and was engaged in surveying at times
during his entire life. He took an active part in public affairs, serving js
justice of peace for thirty-two years, was a member of the Pennsylvania
house assembly in 1855-56, and like his father was one of the stalwart and
influential Democrats of the township. He was a frequent delegate to county
and state conventions, his advice and counsel being listened to and followed
by party leaders when matters affecting his district were under discussion.
He retained possession of his farm all his life, although he disposed of the
coal underlying it when a fair price was offered. Like his forbears he was
a pillar of Lebanon Presbyterian Church and was ever ready to aid in all
good works.
He married Mary Jane Butler, her father born in Clearfield county.
/^^.^,lF^UZy^.zs^.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1183
Pennsylvania, her mother in Jefferson township, Allegheny county. Ben-
jamin Butler was a boat builder, having a yard on the Monongahela river.
While returning from a trip to Philadelphia, the stage coach overturned and
rolled down a steep hill, Mr. Butler having his neck broken in the descent.
His widow married (second) John Parker. Children of Benjamin and
Mary (Cochran) Butler: William, residing in Petersburg, Virginia, and
during the Civil War served in the Confederate army; Eliza, married James
Moore, and lived in the Valley of the Rappahannock in Virginia; Mary Jane,
married Hon. Livingston Bell Patterson, of previous mention ; James Parker
Boyd, mentioned below.
(IV) James Parker Boyd Patterson, only child of Hon. Livingston
Bell and Mary Jane (Butler) Patterson, was born on the Mifiilin county
farm, inherited from his father, December 25, 1856, and there yet resides.
This old farm is part of the original Nathaniel Patterson tract and has
never been owned outside the family. James P. B. Patterson attended the
Lebanon public school for several years, completing his studies at Millers-
ville State Normal School. After finishing his school years he returned to
the home farm and has ever since cultivated the fertile acres, inheriting the
property as the sole heir. Like his honored forbears he is a Democrat, but
unlike them, takes little part in public affairs. He is also a member of
Lebanon Presbyterian Church, being the fourth generation of Pattersons to
worship within its sacred walls. He is also a member of the Junior Order of
United American Mechanics. Mr. Patterson married, in October, 1883,
Emma Jane Butler, born in Monongahela City, Pennsylvania, daughter of
William and Asenath (Davis) Butler, the latter born in West Newton,
Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, died aged thirty years, the former
still surviving. Children of James P. B. and Emma Jane Patterson: Robert,
born August 3, 1884, now residing at home; Mary Jane, born October 18.
1888, a graduate of Allegheny College of Meadville, Pennsylvania, now
residing with her parents.
Emma Jane (Butler) Patterson is a great-great-granddaughter of Noble
Butler, who, born in Bristol, England, came to the United States in 1716.
Under the provisions imposed by the Penns he took up one thousand acres
of land in Chester county, about thirty-four miles from Philadelphia. He
settled on this tract, a single man, but soon afterward married Rachel Jones,
of Welsh parentage. They were the parents of twelve children, the youngest
of these Benjamin. Noble Butler died on his farm in 1804.
Benjamin Butler, born in Chester county, married and had eleven
children, nine of them sons. He was a man of wealth and lived in a
mansion in the midst of his many fertile acres. He was not content, how-
ever, but sent two of his sons west to spy out the land and report. After an
extended journey they returned and advised the purchase of land on the
Great Bend of the Ohio river, below Cincinnati. Benjamin thought their
advice good and sent them back to purchase the tract selected. He disposed
of his large farm and beautiful stone mansion and started west in a two-
horse carriage, with his household goods packed in two wagons, one drawn
ii84
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
by six horses, the other by five, with two extra horses. They passed through
Lancaster and Harrisburg and over the mountains by the regular route,
crossing the Monongahela river at Parkinson's Ferry on Sabbath evening,
October 6, 1805, putting up for the night at the tavern kept by George Trout
at Monongahela City. In the morning Benjamin Butler was stricken with
palsy. There was no doctor nearer than Greensburg, so a horse and cow
doctoT, who appeared on the scene, was allowed to prescribe for the dying
men. He pronounced the case one of yellow fever and gave a powder that
was afterward found to be of brick dust only. He caused quite a scare in
the settlement and disposed of many of his fake powders at fifty cents each.
The death of Benjamin Butler overturned the plan for going to Ohio and
Monongahela City became the family home instead.
Captain Ira R. Butler, one of the nine sons of Benjamin Butler, was
born at the Chester county family mansion, November 15, 1792. He married,
June 14, 1822, Mary Boyd, born at New London Cross Roads, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, October 23, 1801. After the death of his father he
lived in Monongahela City, a merchant, in parternership with his brother
Benjamin (2). After a few years he sold out and for one year was super-
cargo of the Lake Erie sailing vessel "Union," of Grand river, then for two
years was her master, thus acquiring the title "Captain." In 1815 he re-
turned and was engaged in boat building at Williamsport, Pennsylvania,
and from 1837 until his death, July 18, 1884, lived in Monongahela City.
Children: Sarah, Benjamin P., William, Mrs. Keochline, of Webster, Penn-
sylvania; Mrs. Richard Pratt, Mrs. Blythe, of Monongahela City; Mrs. Dr.
Keyes, of Monongahela City; Ira R., Jr.
William Butler, son of Captain Ira R. Butler, learned the trade of
caulker and boat builder after leaving his father's farm at the age of twenty-
one years. He resided in Monongahela City until his first wife's death, but
after his return from the Civil War located in Webster, Pennsylvania, where
he now lives retired. He served three years in a regiment of Pennsylvania
infantry, with the hard fought Army of the Potomac and in battle received
a bayonet thrust through his knee. He worked at his trade until advancing
years warned him to desist and for several years has lived a quiet, retired
life. He married (first) Asenath Davis, born in West Newton, Pennsyl-
vania, daughter of Jesse and Elizabeth (Budd) Davis, the former a wealthy
land owner and boat builder, who constructed the first large boat that went
down the Monongahela river. Children of William Butler by his first wife:
Mary, married W. P. McMasters, and resides at Munhall, Pennsylvania;
Jo.sephine, married John Binley, and resides in Webster, Pennsylvania;
Emma Jane, wife of James Parker Boyd Patterson. William Butler mar-
ried (second) Sarah Golt, now deceased.
The Gilmore family, for more than three-quarters of a
GILMORE century actively and prominently identified with the inter-
ests of the section of Pennsylvania in which Wilkinsburg is
located, traces its origin to Ireland, where the members in the various gen-
erations performed well the duties and obligations of every day life.
WESTERN PENNSYLVAXIA 1185
( I ) James Gilmore, grandfalher of James Gilmore, of this review, was
born in Ireland, was reared and educated there, spent his entire life there,
and there died. His widow, Mary (McKee) Gilmore, and her children,
James, William, Charles, Mary, Nancy, emigrated to the United States in
the year 1827 and located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, arriving there by
wagon from Philadelphia. In 1832 they settled on the farm in Wilkins
township, Pennsylvania, where the grandson, James Gilmore, now resides.
Here the Widow Gilmore spent the remainder of her days.
(II) James (2) Gilmore, son of James (i) Gilmore, was born in Bel-
fast, Ireland, attended the schools of that famous city, and at a suitable age
began farming operations. He accompanied his mother to this country, and
in due course of time acquired a farm consisting of one hundred and five
acres, which he cultivated and improved and on which he resided until his
death. He was a member of the United Presbyterian church at Turtle
Creek, and for a number of years served as a member of the school board.
He married Ann Jane Waugh, born in Belfast, Ireland, daughter of John
and Flora (McKee) Waugh, natives of Ireland, living and dying there.
Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore : David, deceased ;
James, deceased ; David, deceased ; James, of whom further ; William John,
deceased ; Flora Jane, deceased ; Joseph, deceased.
(III) James (3) Gilmore, son of James (2) Gilmore, was born on the
farm where he now resides in Wilkins township, Allegheny county, Penn-
sylvania, March 14, 1839. He attended the common schools adjacent to his
home, Turtle Creek Academy and Iron City College, deriving an education
from this course. Later he assisted with the work on the home farm, and
this work was interrupted in the year 1861 by the hostilities between the
North and South, he entering the army in October of that year, becoming
a member of Company A, One Hundred and First Regiment Pennsylvania
Volunteer Infantry, and he served until the close of the war, and although
his clothes were struck by bullets, he escaped unhurt. He was confined in
Andersonville Prison, from which pest house he escaped, October 4, 1864,
with six other prisoners, and after being recaptured several times, John
Shaffer and James Gilmore were the only ones to finally reach the Union
lines at New Berne, North Carolina, November 17, 1864. After being mus-
tered out of the service of the government, Mr. Gilmore returned to his farm,
where he has since lived, made many improvements thereon, and cultivated
it to a high state of perfection. For the long term of thirty-five years he
served in the capacity of school director, being president of the board for
many years. He is a member of the United Presbyterian church. His work
in the neighborhood is such as will be felt for many years to come, and
his example is well worthy of imitation.
Mr. Gilmore married. April 25, 1867, Mary E. Plumer. daughter of
Tames and Elizabeth (Criswell) Plumer. Children: i. Elizabeth P., died
aged twelve years. 2. Anna, wife of Samuel A. Taylor, of Wilkinsburg.
Pennsylvania, and mother of one child, Mary Elizabeth. 3. Charles, a
resident of Cadiz, Ohio, a preacher in the United Presbyterian church.
ii86 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
married Josephine Rippey, and they are the parents of two children : Joseph-
ine R. and Marion L. 4. Elizabeth P., resides at home. 5. James L., an
M. D., graduate of Westminster College and University of Pennsylvania.
After the death of the mother of Charles Koch, father of Edward
KOCH Koch, in his German home, the father of Charles Koch married
a second time, the family then emigrating to the United States,
where they settled first in New York City, six years later migrating to Pitts-
burgh, Pennsylvania, where they made their home in the East End. At
that time Charles Koch, who was born in 1851, was but a lad, and in his
new home he continued the studies begun in the schools of his native land.
His first occupation, in young manhood, was as a baker and confectioner in
New York City. Upon coming to Pittsburgh he engaged in the flour busi-
ness, supplying bakeries, and so continued for thirty-two years, located on
Liberty street, Pittsburgh. Charles Koch married Rebecca Goodhart, born
in Germany, daughter of Jacob Goodhart, also born in Germany. They had
children: i. Philip, deceased; married Emma Trusch ; one child, Emma.
2. Edward, mentioned below. 3. Molly, married William Barnhart ; one
child, Nevin. 4. Herman, carrying on the business founded by his father;
married Etella Brennamen ; no children. 5. Marie, married Ward Black;
no children. 6. Anna G.. a nurse in the Allegheny General Hospital. 7.
Charles, at home, unmarried.
Edward Koch, son of Charles and Rebecca (Goodhart) Koch, was born
in the city of New York, and when six years of age came with his parents to
Pittsburgh, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where he attended the public
schools. In choosing an occupation he decided upon the baker's trade, and
was so employed in Pittsburgh until 1897, when his father, Charles Koch,
opened a bakery and confectionery business in Pitcairn, a successful enter-
prise that he conducted until 1902, when Edward Koch succeeded to the
business and continued until his retirement from ill health in 1908. Mr.
Edward Koch is the owner of the most modern brick block in Pitcairn,
which was erected at his direction, and is a prominent citizen of Pitcairn,
having for thirteen years filled the office of assistant postmaster. He is a
communicant of the Lutheran church. Mr. Koch married, December 4,
1901, Matilda Kuehn, her father a gardener of Patton township, Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, where he has resided since 1883. Children of
Edward and Matilda (Kuehn) Koch: Edna, Charles.
The McElroys, herein recorded, descend from an old
McELROY family of Patton township, Allegheny county, Pennsyl-
vania, the original founders coming from Ireland. They
acquired a large tract of land then covered with timber. This they cleared
and where they wrought with axe and plow in the early days are now
the Cunningham, Gill and Brinton farms. There Robert McElroy was
born, the house in which he first saw the light standing on that part of the
original tract now comprised within the bounds of the Cunningham farm.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1187
There he grew to manhood and built his house on the home farm, his
share being now known as the Brinton farm. He married (first) Miss
McCahb, who bore him Susan and James. He married (second) Mar-
garet Gibson McGahey and had issue: Sarah, John, Maria and Robert
Graham.
(H) Robert Graham McElroy, son of Robert and Margaret G. (Mc-
Gahey) McElroy, was born in Patton township, Allegheny county, Penn-
sylvania, at the old McElroy homestead, now known as the Brinton farm.
His mother died when he was eight months old and his baby wants became
the greatest concern of the maiden ladies, Maria and Susan Cole, who
lived at what is now the Cunningham farm, part of the original McElroy
tract. He was tenderly and lovingly cared for by the sisters until he was
no longer in need of their assistance. He grew to manhood at the farm and
there resided until many years after his marriage. He then moved suc-
cessively to Ligonier, Turtle Creek and Pitcairn, ending his days, January
18, 1902. He married, March 29, 1854, Elizabeth Donald, daughter of
James and Phoebe (Collins) Donald, the latter a daughter of Joseph and
Abby (By ram) Collins.
Abby (Byram) Collins was a daughter of Edward Byram, who with
his daughter, Abby, was taken prisoner by the Indians, April 7, 1779, at his
newly established home in Western Pennsylvania. Edward Byram after-
ward escaped but Abby, then a child, was sold to the French and did not
return to her home until she was a young woman. This Byram family, of
Western Pennsylvania, descended from Nicholas Byram, an Englishman of
Bridgewater, Massachusetts, whose career was a strange one. He was born
about 1610, son of an English gentleman of Kent, England, who left his
estate and family in charge of a trustee who proved faithless. Instead of
educating the lad he sent him to the West Indies in charge of a sea captain,
the boy's only fortune consisting of a few gold coins sewed by his mother
within his coat lining. Arriving at Barbadoes, he was sold to a planter
for his passage and seven years were required to work out this indebted-
ness, the gold given by his mother remaining untouched. After gaining
his freedom he took passage for Boston, there arriving in 1633 or 1634.
In 1635 he married Susan Shaw and settled at Weymouth, later becoming
one of the proprietors of the town of Duxbury. He died in Bridgewater,
Massachusetts, in 1688, leaving issue. The line of descent to Abby (Byram)
Collins was through Nicholas (2) and Mary (Edson) Byram, of Bridge-
water, Massachusetts, he a soldier of King Philip's war; Ebenezer and
Hannah (Hayward) Byram, of Bridgewater. he born 1692; Ebenezer (2),
born 1716, and Abigail (Alden) Byram, the latter a great-granddaughter of
John and Priscilla Alden, of the original Plymouth colony; Ebenezer (2)
moved from Bridgewater to New Jersey. His son, Edward Byram, was
the father of nine children, among them Abby, the Indian captive, wife of
Joseph Collins and grandmother of Elizabeth Donald, wife of Robert
Graham McElroy.
(Ill) Robert Dunlap McElroy, son of Robert Graham and Elizabeth
ii88 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
(Donald) McElroy, was born in Patton township, Allegheny county, Penn-
sylvania, near Monroeville, April 29, 1864. He was educated in Monroc-
ville public schools and spent his early life at the home farm. He tlien
left home and worked a farm for an uncle. In October, 1890, he moved to
Pitcairn, where he was teaming for a time, then began taking contracts for
excavation and concrete work, a business that grew to large proportions
with satisfactory returns. He also bought and sold considerable real estate.
Later he purchased a farm of one hundred and fifty acres in Patton town-
ship where he now resides (1915) and ranks among the prosperous farmers
and stock raisers of that section of the county. He is a member of the
Presbyterian church, the Knights of Maccabees and the Modern Woodmen
of the World. In political faith he is a Republican, having served Patton
township as supervisor and Pitcairn as school director.
Mr. McElroy married, April 29. 1891, Mary Frances (Bebout) Mc-
Gahiey, daughter of Samuel Bebout and descendant of a prominent pioneer
family of Washington county, Pennsylvania. Her paternal grandfather,
John Bebout, was born in Somerset county. New Jersey, June 20, 1752,
died in 1835. He served as a "Minute man" of the Revolution, 1775 and
1776, in Somerset county militia, under Captain Piatt Boyle, Colonel
Stephen Hunt's battalion, of Brigadier-General Nathaniel Green's brigade,
of New Jersey troops. He also served in the Continental army and was
engaged at the battle of Monmouth, with Somerset county troops of Cap-
tain Garvin M. E. Coy's battalion and served later under Captain John
Parker in the first battalion, commanded by Colonel Benjamin Coy. John
Bebout married, in 1777, Mary Agnew, born October 23, 1757, died Janu-
ary 6, 1830. Children: Peter, John, Ira C, Israel and several daughters.
Ira C. Bebout, son of John and Mary (Agnew) Bebout, was bom in
Washington county, Pennsylvania. February 3. 1800, died March 28, 1891,
in Washington county, Ohio, a farmer. He married, February 23, 182 1,
Maria Howley, who came from New Jersey in early days to Washington
county. Children of John and Mary Howley: Samuel, Ebenezer, Maria,
Jane, Ann, Sarah. Children of Ira C. and Maria (Howley) Bebout: John,
Israel, Samuel M. H., see forward; Jonathan L, Sarah, Mary Ann, Cath-
erine, Elizabeth.
Samuel M. H. Bebout. son of Ira C. and Maria (Howley) Bebout,
was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, March 16, 1832, and for
twenty-two years conducted a drug store in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.
He served in the Civil War in Company A. Eighty-fifth Regiment Pennsyl-
vania Volunteer Infantry, his brother, Jonathan L., serving in the same
company, his brother Israel in an Illinois regiment. Samuel M. H. Bebout
married, August 14, 1856, Sarah Jane Van Enan, born February 17, 1834,
died October 4, 1909, daughter of Joseph and Isabella (Logan) Van Enan,
of Van Enan Station, near Canonsburg; Joseph Van Enan, the original
settler there, born December 12, 1790, died September 22, 1873, Isabella
(Logan) Van Enan, born September 15. 1791. died May 21, 1870. She was
a daughter of Samuel Logan, born in county Antrim, Ireland, in 1759, died
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1189
in Pennsylvania in 1845, a soldier of the American Revolution, serving in
the Pennsylvania Line nnder General Lafa\ette. He married Rebecca
Walker. Children of Samuel M. H. and Sarah Jane ( \'an Enan) Bebout:
Mary Frances, of further mention ; George Van Enan, born August 14,
1862, now an engineer, residing in Sheridan. Pennsylvania ; a son born
January 17, 1866, died unnamed.
Mary Frances Bebout, born July 27, i860, married (first) February
3, 1880, Thomas McGahey. Children: i. Estelle, born November 17,
1881, married F. P. Kunkle, a veteran of the Spanish-American war;
children: Sarah Estelle, born February 8, 1905, and Mary Elizabeth, May
13, 1908. 2. Elsie Lenhardt. born February 18, 1884, married William P.
Kunkle. Mary Frances (Bebout) McGahey married (second), April 29,
1891, Robert Dunlap McElroy, of previous mention.
The name of Burgunder probably originated in the
BURGL'NDER province of Burgundy, France, and from thence was
brought to Alsace, Germany.
(I) Diebold Burgunder, a native of Alsace, Germany, was a laborer
there. He came to America at an early date, took part in the ^^'ar of
1812, and then returned to his native land.
(II) Sylvester Burgunder, son of Diebold Burgunder. was born in
Alsace, Germany, and there received his education. He took part in the
revolution of 1848, and after that came to this country, where he worked in
steel mills, having followed this calling in his native land. He died in
Alsace. He married Regina Schmidt, born in Alsace, who emigrated to
America with her parents in 1853. Children: Regina, lives in Alsace:
Remy, of further mention; Dominick, and Richard, live in McKees Rocks,
Pennsylvania; Cecelia and Joseph, deceased.
(III) Remy Burgimder, son of Sylvester and Regina (Schmidt) Bur-
gunder, was born in Alsace, Germany, October 29, 1857. He was educated
in the schools of his native province, and at a suitable age commenced to
work in the steel mills with his father. About 1882 he emigrated to
America, after having served three years in the German army. At first
he made his home at McKees Rocks, and for a period of four years was in
the employ of an ice company. He then rented a small place near McKees
Rocks, where he engaged in gardening, with a very satisfactory amount of
success. In 1903 he purchased a piece of land of fifteen acres in Schaler
township, and has been located there since that time. He cultivates the
place for general market gardening, has made many improvements on it.
and is doing an excellent business. He is a member of the St. Anthony's
Catholic Church, at Millvale. Mr. Burgunder married, February 21, 1887,
Catherine HofTer, who emigrated to America, remained here two years,
then returned to her native province of Alsace, and later came back to
America. She is a daughter of Joseph and Kate (Munch) Hofifer, who
came to America later, and located at McKees Rocks. Children of Mr.
and Mrs. Burgunder: Joseph, Paul and Richard.
II90 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
The Briggs family, of Western Pennsylvania, represented by
BRIGGS James Briggs, of the village of New England, Mifflin town-
ship, Allegheny county, have been for many generations resi-
dents of the village of Kenninghall, county of Norfolk, England. James
is a favored name in the family and no generation lacks one or more of
the name.
(I) James Briggs, great-grandfather of James Briggs, of Mifflin town-
ship, was a gardener and on his tombstone there is carved two implements
of his craft, a hoe and a rake. He was a member of the Church of England.
He is buried in Kenninghall church yard.
(H) James (2) Briggs, son of James (i) Briggs, also lived and died
in county Norfolk, England, as did his wife, Jane (Young) Briggs. Chil-
dren: I. James, a fanner, enlisted in the British army and lost his life in
India. 2. William, of further mention. 3. Robert, a merchant dealing in
mason's materials. 4. Charles, a farmer. 5. David, a manufacturer of
brick and tile and one of the first manufacturers of tile for drainage pur-
poses in England. 6. Mary, married in Suffolk. 7. Sophia, married Job
Fuller, and lived at Kenninghall.
(III) William Briggs, son of James (2) and Jane (Young) Briggs,
was born in Kenninghall, Norfolk, England, in 181 1, died in 1884. He
was employed as a farmer on the Kenninghall estates all his life, his death
resulting from a kick from his horse. He married Maria Youngs, born
in King Lynn, Norfolk, England, in 1813, died in 1861, daughter of Thomas
and Jane (Oliveur) Youngs. Her father, Thomas Youngs, and all his
family were solid, well built, powerful men, over six feet in height, and all
farm workers on the Kenninghall estates. Jane (Oliveur) Youngs was a
daughter of Thomas Oliveur, an English Gypsy, who with his outfit traveled
all over England. Thomas and Jane (Oliveur) Youngs had children:
Thomas and Harry, farmers ; John and William, seamen in the English
naval service; Robert, a soldier of the English army for twenty-one years
and was never called into battle ; Maria, married William Briggs ; Sarah,
married Thomas Whip, and lived in Banham, England. Children of Will-
iam and Maria Briggs: i. Mary, married Charles Gregory, and resides at
Tottenham, London, England. 2. Elizabeth, married William Land, and
lives at Lapham, England. 3. James, of further mention. 4. William, died
aged forty years in Bolton, England, leaving a family. 5. Robert, a farmer
in England, holding the position on the Kenninghall estate that his father
held ; married Mary Potter. 6. George, died in New England, Pennsylvania,
in 1912, a coal miner. 7. Charles, died in England. 8. Sophia, twin witli
Charles, now residing in England, unmarried. 9. Sarah, died in infancy.
10. Maria, married and residing at Tottenham, England. 11. Emma, mar-
ried John Alderson, a brick layer, has resided in the United States, but is
now living in Australia.
(IV) James (3) Briggs, son of William and Maria (Youngs) Briggs,
was born in Kenninghall, county of Norfolk, England, December 25, 1835.
He never attended school a day in his life, but secured early education from
'u/yyit^ /^^^^^ -€K^
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1191
his mother, who taught him to read in the evenings when his day's tasks
were ended. He learned rapidly, the Bible being his text book and ere long
he was able to read any part of that holy book intelligently. At six years
of age he was employed in the fields of the estate of the Earl of Albermarle
to drive crows oiif the newly planted crop. The Earl maintained a library
for tlie use of his tenants and men and the lad availed himself to the extreme
limit of the opportunity to obtain good books and further education. He
read a great deal of history, modern and ancient, obtaining a perfect founda-
tion for a subsequent, continuous course of reading that has made him an
authority among his neighbors on all historical questions. He has added to
this an extensive knowledge of the geography of the world and by a course
of scientific reading has mastered the works of such writers as Darwin. To
continue the story of how this uneducated boy has developed into a cul-
tivated and cultured man, strong in history, geography and science, solely
through self study and reading would be to spend an interesting hour.
After he had grown too large for his crow driving job he became driver of
a delivery wagon for a local merchant, then learned the art of thatching
roofs for houses and stacks, then for three years worked on a farm for
John Coleson. All this before he was seventeen years of age. At that age
he left Norfolk and went to the coal mines in Shipley, Derbyshire, and
there mined five years for Squire Munday and five years for Richard
Barrow.
On March 4, 1862, he took passage for the United States on a sailing
vessel, arriving in New York, May 7, following. He made his way west,
finally settling in New England village, Mifflin township, Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, where he worked in the Aliquippa coal mines for forty-five
years. In 1873 he bought a house in the village, and in 1894 bought twenty
acres of land in addition to what he had. In 1885 he was county tax
collector, but altliough many offices have been offered him he has never
accepted but that one. He has a wonderful memory and thus treasures the
contents of the many books he has read. In a spelling contest at which
college graduates and well informed men and women participated, he
spelled down the entire class. Although Mr. Briggs is in his eightieth year,
he is a clear-headed, quick thinker and so well informed in general history,
geography and science that he is a local authority on these subjects. He is
a Republican in politics and served as a Republican county committeeman.
He was early trained in the Church of England and was dean of that com-
mittee of Allegheny county and attended the convention held in Harrisburg.
He married, December 25, 1854, Maria Fretvvell, born in Derbyshire.
England, November 28, 1838, died January 10, 1909, thirteenth of the four-
teen children of James and Maria (Henshaw) Fretwell. Children of James
and Maria Briggs: i. Charles, born in Derbyshire, England, September 25,
1855, now a resident of Jefiferson township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania.
2. James, born December 23, 1858, died young. 3. William, born in April.
i860, died in September, 1863. 4. Henry, the first of the children born in
the United States, was born at Rock Run, Pennsylvania, March 12, 1863,
1 192 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
now a resident of Washington county, Pennsylvania. 5. James, Jr., born
September 30, 1864, now storekeeper of New England, Pennsylvania. 6.
George, born March 15, 1866, was injured in the coal mines, and died in
1894. 7. William, died young. 8. Hengist, born January 4, 1869, now resides
at Meadow Lands, Pennsylvania. 9. Mary Belle, born August 13, 1871,
married William Minford, superintendent of mines. Rich Hill, Pennsylvania.
10. Pauline, born February 2, 1873, married John A. McGowan, and resides
in the village of New England. 11. Millicent, died young. 12. Elmina,
born March 20, 1875, married B. H. Forsythe, a hero of the Spanish-
American War, injured in the Philippines and now deceased; she now
resides with her father. 13. Louisa, born June 27, 1877, married Thomas
Winklevoss, and resides at Large, Pennsylvania. 14. Darwin V., bom
December 9, 1879, killed by the kick of a horse, October 28, 1905; was
unmarried.
Many communities in the state of Pennsylvania are com-
McGINNIS posed of Scotch-Irish people and their descendants, and
among this number is included the McGinnis family, the
present representative of which is John C. McGinnis, a prominent citizen
of Pitcairn.
(I) Roderick AIcGinnis, grandfather of John C. McGinnis, was a
native of Ireland, of Scotch-Irish origin, and after his marriage he emigrated
to the United States and settled in Baltimore, Maryland, where he followed
the shipping business, subsequently removing to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
His wife, also a native of Ireland, bore him a number of children, among
whom were John, of whom further; Edward, who served in the War of
1812, participated in the battle of Lundy's Lane, he being among the sur-
vivors, and Charles, entered the war between Mexico and Texas and never
came back.
(II) John McGinnis, son of Roderick McGinnis, was born in Balti-
more, Maryland, 1798, died in Pitcairn, Pennsylvania, June 15, 1874. He
was the first manufacturer of tobacco and cigars in the city of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, this proving a successful enterprise, and he continued the
same for a number of years, then purchased a farm consisting of seven
hundred acres, which is now the town of Pitcairn, but which was then
mostly timber land, the houses of today taking the place of the cabins of
that day. He cleared a portion of his land, and the remainder of his days
were spent in farming and stock raising. He also purchased extensive
tracts of land in Illinois. He married Ellen Ramsey, born in Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, her parents, who were natives of Ireland, being
among the early settlers on the Monongahela river, settling near Pittsburgh,
where her father followed the occupation of farming. Ten children were
born to Mr. and Mrs. McGinnis, among whom were William R., and John
C., of whom further.
(III) John C. McGinnis, son of John McGinnis. was born in Pitts-
burgh, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, September 4, 1831. The knowledge
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1193
acquired in the common schools of his neighborhood was supplemented by
attendance at an academy in Wilkinsburg and an academy in Turtle Creek.
For some time thereafter he followed agricultural pursuits, after which he
studied civil engineering and followed that profession for many years.
He has also been actively interested in the real estate business, in which he
has been successful. Mr. McGinnis served for nine years as a councilman of
Pitcairn and ten years as a justice of the peace of the same place, and was
also school director in Patton township for twelve years. Although ad-
vanced in years, he takes a keen interest in community affairs, and keeps
well informed on current events.
Mr. McGinnis married, May 21, 1896, Susan Brinton, born February
21, 1857, daughter of George M. and Susana (Funk) Brinton. Children:
John C, Jr., born May i, 1897: George Brinton, born February 16, 1900.
They reside with their parents, John C. having graduated with first honors
from the local high school.
The derivation of this surname of frequent occurrence is
DAVIDSON evident on sight. Many surnames were at first patrony-
mics, and the original Davidsons were simply sons of
David. Several other names, equally often met with, have the same mean-
ing, as Davison, Davis, Davies, also, probably, Dawson. These names are
found in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, and have been borne by
a great number of emigrants to America.
(I) EHas Davidson, son of Colonel Hugh and Catharine (McDowell)
Davidson, the former of Revolutionary fame, the first of this branch of
the Davidson family of whom we have definite record, was born February
10, 1788, in Pennsylvania, and died May i, 1840. He was of Scotch-Irish
descent. He married Martha Meanor.
(II) Samuel Davidson, son of Elias and Martha (Meanor) Davidson,
was born in Plum township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, April 6, 1831,
and died October 25, 1889. He was engaged in general farming in Plum
township, where he owned a farm of one hundred and ten acres. At the
outbreak of the Civil War he enlisted in Company G, One Hundred and
Thirty-sixth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and served until
1864. He was wounded in the foot by a bullet at the battle of Fredericks-
burg, and at that time lay in the hospital for several weeks. He gave his
political support to the Republican party, and was a devout member of the
Methodist church. Mr. Davidson married, on September 24, 1874, Susanna
Wright, born May 29, 1855, daughter of William and Eva (Sarver) Wright,
the former named having been a farmer in Plum township. Children:
Anna Eva, bom November 26, 1876; William Franciss, born December 4,
1878, died in infancy; Samuel, of whom further; James Abram Garfield,
born November 25, 1881, lives in East Pittsburgh, married Katherine Wiant,
and has two children, James Wiant and Katherine Roberta ; Elias Bedford,
born March 31, 1886; Harrison, born January 30, 1889, now a senior of
the University of Pittsburgh.
1194 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
(III) Samuel (2) Davidson, son of Samuel (i) and Susanna (Wright)
Davidson, was born in Plum township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
January 17, 1880. He and his brothers cultivate the homestead farm, in
which enterprise they attain the success which their energetic methods well
merit. He takes a deep interest in all matters that concern the welfare of
the community in which he lives, is Republican in political opinion, and the
family are members of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Davidson is unmarried.
The Cornelius family is a very ancient one of Holland,
CORNELIUS where the father of the American progenitor of the
family had charge of the standard time in Amsterdam,
a very responsible position, as the time throughout the country was regu-
lated by this clock.
(I) Cornelius, born in Amsterdam, Holland, where, as stated
above, he had charge of the official Government Clock of Holland.
(II) Christian Cornelius, son of Cornelius, was born in Holland,
but in early life emigrated to the United States, settling first near Lancaster,
but soon moved to Philadelphia, and started there the manufacture of
lamps.
(III) Robert Cornelius, son of Christian Cornelius, was born in Phila-
delphia, where he became one of the most prominent business men. He
associated himself with his father in the manufacture of lamps and gas
fixtures, and his eight-story factory became well known throughout the
country, being the first complete fire-proof building built in that city. He
married Harriet Comley, and both died in Philadelphia.
(IV) Robert C. Cornelius, son of Robert and Harriet (Comley)
Cornelius, was bom in Philadelphia, and there acquired his education,
graduating at the University of Pennsylvania. He became associated with
his father in the manufacture of lamps and gas fixtures, and carried on the
manufacturing and retail end of the business. The family was formerly of
the Presbyterian denomination, but are now members of the Episcopal
church. In political matters he gave his consistent support to the Repub-
lican party until his death. Mr. Cornelius married Elizabeth Cox, born in
Philadelphia, now living in McKeesport, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania.
She is a daughter of Justice and Mary (Malony) Cox, the former born in
Philadelphia, and a descendant of an old family of Sweden, who settled in
■ Philadelphia in the early Colonial days. Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius had chil-
dren: Harriet Comley, deceased; Henry Robert; Justice Cox; William
Albert, of further mention ; Edith Maud.
(V) William Albert Cornelius, son of Robert C. and Elizabeth (Cox)
Cornelius, was born in Philadelphia, December 22, 1867. His early years
were spent in the city of his birth and in Stamford, Connecticut, and he
acquired his education at the Germantown Academy, and H. U. King's
private school, in Stamford. Having been thus thoroughly prepared, he
matriculated at the Lehigh University, and was graduated from this insti-
WESTERN' PENNSYLVANIA ii95
tution in the class of \88g with the degree of Mechanical Engineer. His
first appointment was with the Homestead Steel Works, where he remained
twelve years, starting in the drawing office and advancing till he became
superintendent of the Structural Mills. He left Homestead in 1900, and
came to McKeesport, Pennsylvania, and became superintendent of the steel
works and furnaces. He then became superintendent of the steel works,
furnaces and rolling mills, and assistant manager of the National Works
of the National Tube Company, and later manager of the National Tube
Company, National Works, and general manager of the McKeesport Con-
necting Railroad. He is a director of the First National Bank of McKees-
port and interested in other enterprises. Politically he is a Republican, and
in religion a member of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church of McKeesport.
His home is owned by the National Tube Company and known as the man-
ager's residence, and situated at No. 1121 South Park street, McKeesport,
Pennsylvania. The fraternal affiliations of Mr. Cornelius are as follows:
Franklin Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons ; McKeesport Commandery,
Knights Templar ; is a Thirty-second Degree Mason ; and a member of the
Psi Upsilon College fraternity.
Mr. Cornelius married, in 1900, Eleanor Roberts W^agner, of Phila-
•delphia, and they have had children : George E. W., William Albert, Jr.,
Robert Comley III, Eleanor Roberts, John De Benneville.
Family tradition says that David Patton (sometimes spelled
PATTON Patten), the emigrant ancestor of the line herein recorded,
was born in Ireland, from whence he emigrated to this coun-
try, settling in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he married Nancy Anne
or Anne Stokley (sometimes spelled Stockley and Stokely), bom in 1770,
in Philadelphia, died July 30, 1841. They removed from Philadelphia to the
state of Ohio, lived for a time at a place called Scotch Ridge, in Belmont
county, Ohio, but after he inherited the estate of his brother, Matthew
Patton, he moved to the old Patton farm on Patton's Run, Belmont county,
Ohio, in 1822. He was a farmer by occupation, and a Baptist in religion.
He died October 20, 1848. Children of Mr. and Mrs. Patton: i. John,
bom 1799, died March 3, 1864; married Sarah V. Dutton. 2. Jane, mar-
ried William Goodhue. 3. David. 4. Anne, married John Stewart. 5.
Maria. 6. Robert, of whom further. 7. Elizabeth, born August 10, 1806,
■died, unmarried, May 16, 1841. 8. Mary, married Michael Ziegler. 9.
Hannah, married Stanley Givens. These dates were taken from the old
Patton Graveyard in Patton's Run, Ohio.
(II) Robert Patton, son of David and Nancy Anne or Anne (Stokley)
Patton, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 10, 1804, died
January 31, 1864. His education was acquired in a school in Philadelphia.
Later he became a distiller, operating a distillery on his own account, and in
connection with this he cultivated a farm, giving special attention to the
raising of hogs, and also operated a coal mine, floating coal in flats or boats
to Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Kentucky. He amassed a fortune and
II96 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
became the possessor of an estate that, when administered upon his deatli,
was the largest ever settled in Belmont county, up until that date. He
combined unusual talents with a personality so pleasing and a cordiality of
manner so unusual that none thought of grudging him his success, and his
friends were innumerable. He was a Democrat in politics, a Baptist in
religion, and a member of the Order of Free and Accepted Masons, affili-
ating with the lodge at St. Clairsville, Belmont county, Ohio. He married,
October 12, 1828, ceremony performed by Edward Smith, recorded in the
Court House at Wellsburgh, West Virginia (then Virginia), Mary Vast-
binder, born in the year 1795, daughter of and Sarah Vastbinder,
who were the parents of three other children, namely : John, Ephraim, Asa.
Mrs. Vastbinder by her first marriage had a daughter, Mrs. Margaret Bell,
of Bells Mills, Brooke county, Virginia, in the vicinity of Wellsburgh, and
Mary Vastbinder was residing with her at the time of her marriage to Mr.
Patton. Her mother and brothers resided at Belvidere, Warren county,
New Jersey, but it is not certain whether her birth occurred there or not.
The Vastbinders also resided in Eastern Pennsylvania, and were connected
by marriage with the families of Dewitt, McClain and Everitt, of Pennsyl-
vania and New Jersey. Sarah Vastbinder was said to have been over one
hundred years old at the time of her death. Children of Mr. and Mrs.
Patton: i. Eliza Jane, born June 14, 1829, married Benjamin Franklin
West; all their children died in early life with the exception of Mary, who
married David Garden. 2. Matthew, of whom further. 3. Sarah Vast-
binder, born August 22, 1832, died May 16, 1908: was educated at West
Alexander Academy, West Alexander, Pennsylvania. 4. Nancy Anne, born
April I, 1833, married, March 7, 1854, John Alexander Armstrong; chil-
dren: Robert Patton, William Donaldson, Ida May, Eugene Hildreth, John
Alexander, Jr., Sarah Alice, Amos Wright; Mrs. Armstrong was educated
at West Alexander Academy. 5. Clarinda, born January 29, 1836, died May
20, 1848.
(Ill) Matthew Patton, son of Robert and Mary (Vastbinder) Patton,
was born in Belmont county, Ohio, January 6, 1831, died May tr, 1888.
He was educated at West Alexander Academy, West Alexander, Pennsyl-
vania, and at Duflf's Business College, Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania. His busi-
ness interest, after attaining man's estate, was association with his father
in operating the distilley, in mining and shipping coal, and as time pro-
gressed he took charge of all his father's business; owned and operated a
tow-boat, towing coal down the Ohio river, also operated a coal vard at
Covington, Kentucky. Shortly after his father's death he bought and
moved to a farm on Wheeling creek, near St. Clairsville, in the same
county ; on this farm he raised a family and in later years operated a coal
mine, shipping coal to Cleveland, Detroit and other destinations. He was
a large, spare man, weighing 220 pounds, of very few words, but well
liked and known for his honesty. His interest in politics was as a friend of
the Democratic party, which received the benefit of his influence and of
his vote. In religion he was a Presbyterian. Mr. Patton married Catherine
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA ii97
Ferguson, born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, daughter of Samuel
Ferguson ; children : Robert, Samuel, George, William, deceased ; Albert,
of whom further.
(IV) Albert Patton, son of Matthew and Catherine (Ferguson j Pat-
ton, was born near St. Clairsville, Belmont county, Ohio, March 13, 1868.
He passed his youthful years in his native county, attending public and
night schools until he was eighteen years of age. His business career began
as an employee of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, with which concern he
remained for nine months. At tlie end of that time, at the very beginning
of his career, Mr. Patton began a connection with the iron and steel manu-
facturing industry that has continued to the present time. His service in
relation to this industry has been varied and in association with many com-
panies, until the present time (1915) as superintendent of the steel plant of
the National Tube Company, he has arrived in a worthy place, competently
and faithfully discharging his important duties as head of the plant. Prior
to accepting this position with the National Tube Company, Mr. Patton
was with the Riverside Iron and Steel Company, of Benwood, West Vir-
ginia, for one and one-half years ; the Wheeling Steel Company ; the Carnegie
Steel Company, of Duquesne, Pennsylvania, from December, 1889, until
January, 1892; the West Superior Iron and Steel Company, West Superior,
Wisconsin ; the Carnegie Steel Company from August, 1893, to January,
1895 ; the Ohio Steel Company, of Youngstown, Ohio, until 1904 ; the
Lackawanna Steel Company, of Buflfalo, New York, for a short time ; the
Republic Iron and Steel Company, of Youngstown, Ohio, from March,
1905. to August 10, 1906. It was on the latter date that he became affiliated
with the National Tube Company. Mr. Patton is a member of the American
Iron and Steel Institute, and is learned in all of the scientific aspects of
the business he has followed during his active life and practical in his
application of this knowledge to the operation under his daily supervision.
He holds membership in Vesta Lodge. No. 352, Knights of Pythias, of
Duquesne. Pennsylvania, of which he is a charter member, and fraternizes
with the Masonic Order, belonging to McKeesport. Pennsylvania, Lodge,
No. 641, Free and Accepted Masons, and McKeesport Chapter, Royal
Arch Masons. He is a communicant of the Central Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Patton married, July 12. 1893, Sadie B. Brown, born in Fond Du
Lac. \\'^isconsin. October 25. 1874, daughter of William A. and Sarah E.
(Hunter) Brown, her father born in Hunter's Mills. Maine, February 10.
1840. her mother born there July i. 1842. William A. Brown was a son
of Jacob and Elizabeth (Brooks') Brown, and Sarah E. Brown was a
daughter of Actor and Harriet (Cole) Hunter, the latter named a daughter
of Noah and Hannah Cole. Actor Hunter was a son of David Hunter,
born in 1786, died in Benton, Maine, in 1870, whose name is perpetuated
in Hunter's Mills, Maine. David Hunter was a son of James Hunter, born
in Topsham, Maine, in 1735, died in 1809. He was the first white child
born in Topsham, was colonel in Washington's army and commanded a
regiment most of the time of the Revolutionarv War. He was a son of
II98 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Adam Hunter, who came to New England from Ireland in 1718. Margaret,
a daughter of Adam Hunter, married Robert Patton, of Saco, Maine, born
in 1743, who passed the greater part of his life in Topsham, Maine. He
was the eldest son of John Patton, born in Ireland in 17 17, he in turn the
eldest son of Actor Patton, born 1693, a son of an ancient English branch
of the family, who came from Ireland to America in 1727. He was a
descendent of Richard Patton, of Waynefleet, who was Bishop of Win-
chester, and sometimes Loi-d High Chancellor, temp. Henry VI., and
founder of Magdalen College, Oxford; this Richard Patton was a de-
scendent of Richard Patton, who lived at Ratline near Chelinsford in
Essex county, England, year 11 19, whose son Richard married the daughter
and co-heiress of Dagenham, of Dagenham in same county, and became
proprietor of Dagenham Court. Children of Albert and Sadie B. (Brown)
Patton: i. Paul B., bom April 14, 1894; a graduate of the McKeesport,
Pennsylvania, High School, now in the junior year in Wooster University,
Wooster, Ohio; in August, 1914, he was superintendent of the municipal
playgrounds of McKeesport. 2. Actor Hunter, born June 25, 1902. 3.
Dorcas Cole, born November 9, 1907.
The exact date of the arrival of the Michael family in this
MICHAEL country is not a matter of record, but it is a fact that they
have been here for a number of generations, and have
proved their worth as citizens.
(I) George Michael was a carpenter and lumberman at an early date
in Northeastern Pennsylvania, being especially well known at Delaware
Water Gap, Monroe county.
(II) Nathan Michael, son of George Michael, was born near Honey
Hole, Pennsylvania, and was also a lumberman. He was actively identified
with the construction of the National Pike between Pittsburgh and Phila-
delphia. He was always active in local affairs, and was a pioneer in the
Prohibition party. He was the proprietor of the Mountain Grove Temper-
ance House, at Mountain Grove, Luzerne county, where he died at the
age of about seventy-four years, having retired from business affairs about
one year prior to his death. He and his wife were members of the Metho-
dist Episcopal church. He married, July 28, 1855, Dorcas Cavanee, who
also died at Mountain Grove. They had a son, Franklin F.
(III) Franklin F. Michael, son of Nathan and Dorcas (Cavanee)
Alichael, was born at Honey Hole, Pennsylvania, September i, 1856, and
died November 29, 1912. After his marriage he settled at Mahanoy Plane,
and later removed to Drums, formerly Honey Hole. He engaged in the
lumber business and became one of the largest lumber dealers in Eastern
Pennsylvania. He had three or four saw mills in operation all the time,
and employed upward of one hundred men. Subsequently he became a
general merchant at Mountain Grove, where he was a justice of the peace,
the postmaster and express agent. In 1893 he removed to Homestead,
where he entered the employ of the Carnegie Steel Company, an employ-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1199
ment with which he was connected until shortly before his death. He was
an ardent Republican, and served as school director while living at Moun-
tain Grove. He and his wife were members of the Lutheran church at
Mountain Grove in which he was a trustee. He married Elizabeth A. Pugh,
born in Carbon county, Pennsylvania, January 28. 1856, and is now living
with her son, Harry N. They had children: Thomas, died in infancy;
Harry N., of further mention; Guy W., employed in the office of the
treasurer of the Standard Oil Company, and lives in Denver, Colorado ;
Gertrude L., married (first) Edward Harry, (second) George Jackson, and
lives in \Vilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania ; Joseph Clark, in the employ of the
state of Pennsylvania, lives at Mont Alto ; Walter F.. a lawyer, lives at
Homestead.
(IV) Harry N. Michael, son of Franklin F. and Elizabeth A. (Pugh)
Michael, was born in Mahanoy Plane, Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania,
June I, 1879. He received a sound, practical education in the public schools
of Mountain Grove and those of Homestead, which he attended until he
had reached the age of fifteen year^. He then entered the employ of the
Carnegie Steel Company as messenger boy, and his connection with this
corporation has never been interrupted. He was advanced from one posi-
tion to another until he reached his present one, that of manager of the
shipping department at Howard Axle Works, a branch of the Carnegie
Steel Works, and he has now held this for a period of ten years. He is
connected officially and otherwise with several other important enterprises,
among them being: The Cambria Lumber Company and the Pennsylvania
Lumber Company, of which he is secretary. These companies control small
tracts of timber lands in Central Pennsylvania, and have their offices at
Homestead. In 1910 Mr. Michael erected a set of flats, "Tlie Wesley Apart-
ments," on Fifteenth avenue. In 1912 he erected the "Michael Flats" on
Thirteenth avenue. For these he drew the plans, hired the men, and super-
intended the construction work. The buildings were erected with a view
of giving the workman with an average income, the same living conditions
and conveniences usually enjoyed only by persons with large incomes.
Large rooms, modern equipment, sunshine and good \entilation prevail
and here the ordinary workman can live well within his earnings and enjoy
all the pleasures and comforts generally to be had only in the costly man-
sion. The workingman here enjoys the living conditions that he justly
deserves and according to Mr. Michael's theory will eventually require
and demand under pressure of public opinion. Buildings like these are a
great help to those who are engaged in stamping out the underlying causes
of tuberculosis and the erection of these fine buildings instead of shacks
from which more profit could be acquired is an example, if followed gen-
erally, which would bring much happiness to our people.
He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and of numerous
organizations of varied character and purpose. He is a member of the
Ancient Order of Knights of the Mystic Chain, the Owls, Homestead
Business IMen's Association. Before the advent of a paid fire department
I200 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
in Homestead, he was a member of the Volunteer Fire Department, and
still retains his interest in this form of good work. He is a member of
the Pennsylvania Firemen's Association, of the Western Pennsylvania
Firemen's Association, and is secretary of the local Firemen's Relief Asso-
ciation. In politics Mr. Michael is inclined to be liberal, and while he has
never believed in radicalism, he believes in the cause of temperance. Na-
tionally he is usually allied with the Republican forces and is a great be-
liever in the principles laid down by Theodore Roosevelt. He is a member
of the St. John's Lutheran Church in religious faith, while his wife is a
member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. Michael married, September 6, 1904, Lenore I., born in Hays,
Pennsylvania, a daughter of Henry Wesley and Louisa ( Birch j Kirkland.
They have no children. The Kirklands were old settlers in the county.
Mr. and Mrs. Michael are great friends of the children and are busy at all
times trying to make them happy. Many small hearts are gladdened when
the little ones receive an unexpected invitation to take an automobile trip
or join a party going to the theatre, small show house or the annual circus.
Both are great lovers of the outdoors, being especially enthusiastic on auto-
mobiling, fishing and hunting. Their summer vacation is spent in the
great north woods of Canada and the week ends are taken up with automo-
bile trips. Mr. Michael has at all times a stock of thoroughbred dogs for
hunting purposes and at sunrise on the first day of the hunting season can
be found in the woods with his gun and dogs. Mrs. Michael is an expert
with the rifle and is a boon companion of her husband in all of these out-
door activities.
Matthew Drennen Craighead, a fruit and dairy farmer
CRAIGHEAD of Elizabeth township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
is a maternal grandson of Matthew Drennen and son of
Andrew Craighead and Sarah Drennen, his wife. After his marriage,
Andrew Craighead settled in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, where he lived until
his death, at Hazelwood, Pennsylvania, interred at Elizabeth, Pennsylvania,
aged sixty years. He engaged in the operation of a saw mill and in the
real estate business all his active years. He was a robust man, but was
in poor health during his later years, his service in the Union army during
the Civil War undermining his not naturally strong constitution. He was
a Republican in politics, and a member of the Grand Army of the RepubHc,
He married Sarah Drennen, a member of the United Presbyterian church,
daughter of Matthew Drennen. Children: i. John, died in infancy. 2.
Samuel, killed on the railroad at Elizabeth, sexton of Elizabeth Cemetery.
3. Charles, died in Elizabeth township, a bookkeeper in Philadelphia. 4.
Annie, married George Horner, and resides at Avalon, Pennsylvania. 5.
Joseph, died at Woodville, Pennsylvania, steward of the Woodville Hos-
pital of the Allegheny County Home. 6. William, a traveling salesman,
resides qt Avalon, Pennsylvania. 7. Jennie, married Emerson McWharter,
and died at Allegheny, Pennsylvania. 8. Matthew Drennen, of further
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1201
mention. 9. Donald, a doctor of dental surgery, located in Philadelpiiia,
Pennsylvania.
Matthew Drennen Craighead, eighth child and fifth son of Andrew
and Sarah (Drennen) Craighead, was born in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania,
February 18, 1872. He was educated in the public schools, and has en-
gaged in farming all his life since leaving school. He rented farming
properties for several years, but in 1902 purchased the old Harvey Patter-
son farm in Elizabeth township, which he had previously rented. This
farm, containing seventy-five acres, he devotes to fruit and dairy farming,
having three acres of orchard and maintaining a dairy herd of ten cows
on the remainder, disposing of the product of his herd at retail in Buena
Vista, Industry and elsewhere. Mr. Craighead is an elder of the United
Presbyterian church of Buena Vista, of which his wife is also a communi-
cant. In political faith he is a Republican. He married Emma Patterson,
born on the farm where they now reside, daughter of Harvey Patterson,
from whom Mr. Craighead purchased the farm. Children : Martha, resid-
ing with her parents; William, a student at Bucknell University; Raymond,
residing at home.
In 1881 Herman Gartner came to the United States from
GARTNER Dortmund, a city of Prussia, in Westphalia, on the Emster
river, twenty-seven miles from Arnsburg. Dortmund was
a place of importance in the middle ages, became a free imperial city, and
was one of the most active cities of the Hanseatic League. It is situated in
the midst of a great coal field and in a highly productive region, and in a
century has risen from a town of 5,000 to a city of 150,000 and is one of the
greatest industrial and commercial centres of Western Germany. The coal
mines in the immediate vicinity furnish fuel for the vast iron and steel in-
dustry of the city, the largest establishment being the Dortmund Union,
employing over ten thousand hands in the manufacture of railroad and
bridge building materials, rolling stock, etc. The brewing business of Dort-
mund is also one of magnitude. The architectural attractions of Dortmund
center in its churches, one of which, the Reinhold Kirche, is a splendid monu-
ment of mediaeval architecture. The old town hall, recently restored, is an
interesting edifice and some of the modern public buildings are noteworthy
structures. The city also has a number of modern monuments erected to
members of the Prussian royal family. From this hive of industrial activity
came Herman Gartner, a boy of seventeen years, and to a still greater manu-
facture center of iron and steel, situated in a greater coal field. The transi-
tion was not a startling one and in his new home little was strange e.xcept
speech and customs.
He is a son of Herman and Fredericka (Von Oepen) Gartner, his father
a manufacturer of vinegar until his death in 1878. His widow married a
second husband, William Heide, and in 1881 the family came to the United
States, settling first in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, later moving to
Somerset county, where Fredericka died in 1883, her husband surviving her
I202 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
several years. Herman Gartner was a soldier of the German army, and a
member of the Roman Catholic church; his wife was a Lutheran. Children:
Herman, died in infancy; Annie, yet living in Germany; Henry, died in
Germany; Elizabeth, married Henry Larrison, and resides in Sheriden,
Pennsylvania, a widow; Herman (2), of further mention; Emma, married
John Vetzel, and resides at Mt. Oliver, Pennsylvania ; Alfaretta, married
Max Hellman, and resides in Berlin, Germany; Clara, resides in Edgewood,
Pennsylvania, unmarried ; Carl, died aged three years. Two other children
died in infancy.
Herman (2) Gartner was born in Dortmund, Westphalia, Prussia, now
a part of the great German Empire, August 20, 1864. He was well educated
in the excellent city schools, and was attending the gymnasium, when in 1881
emigration to the United States was decided upon by his mother and step-
father. He accompanied the family to Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania,
but after one year left home and for twelve years worked in the coal mines
of Somerset county. He then located in Pittsburgh, where for ten years he
was engaged in the liquor business as an employee. In 1903 he opened his
own hotel at the corner of Fifth avenue and Magee street, Pittsburgh, con-
tinuing there several years. In 1912 he purchased the Point View Hotel,
on the Brownsville road, in Baldwin township, Allegheny county, a place
of public entertainment for the past seventy-five years, situated about three-
quarters of a mile from the borough of Carrick.
Mr. Gartner is a Republican in politics, and with his family attends the
Lutheran church. He married, in 1886, Cicelia, daughter of John W. Ringler,
of Somerset county, Pennsylvania. Children: i. Charles F., his father's
assistant. 2. Frank Allen, married Grace Pbilson. 3. Harry, died infancy.
4. Osepha, died in infancy. 5. Alfaretta. 6. Esther Beatrice. 7. John
Herman.
Settled in Streets Run, now Hays, Allegheny county, Penn-
RISHER sylvania, by Daniel Risher, that locality has since been the
home of this line of the Risher family. Daniel Risher was born
June 21, 1792, died December 31, 1880. He married Sarah Cready, born
May 7, 1791, died May 11, 1875, both dying in Allegheny county, Pennsyl-
vania. Children of Daniel and Sarah (Cready) Risher: Maria, John C, of
whom further; Elizabeth, Mary, Ann, Ithamer, Louisa. They were also the
parents of two other children, whose names are not recorded.
(II) John C. Risher, son of Daniel and Sarah (Cready) Risher, was
born at Streets Run, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, September 14, 1815,
died in Allegheny city (Pittsburgh North Side) January 29, 1889. In 1845
he was engaged in mercantile trade in Pittsburgh, and in the gold rush of
1849 joined a party journeying to California, afterward returning, having
met with no sensational good fortune. When he came east, he settled in
Dravosburg, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, and was there a coal merchant
until his death, gaining a substantial trade and conducting profitable opera-
tions. He married Nancy Denny McClure, born in Allegheny county, Penn-
.e^iy^y .^^S^^ </^^^^-t^^ — N
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1203
sylvania, November 6, 1808, died May 11, 1875, and had children: Rev.
Levi, of whom further; Agnes, married Stephen S. Crump, her death oc-
curring in 1894, his in 1912 ; Daniel, died on the homestead in Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania; Sarah Cready, born October 10, 1845, married Wil-
liam Snodgrass, deceased, of Dravosburg, Pennsylvania ; John M., bom in
1849, ^ resident of California.
(Ill) Rev. Levi Risher, son of John C. and Nancy Denny (McClure)
Risher, was born in Hays, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, May 18, 1836.
His early education was obtained in the public schools of Streets Run (the
former name of Hays) and under private instruction, and after a course
in Washington and Jefferson College he entered the Allegheny Theological
Seminary. He was graduated from this institution when twenty-six years
of age. He first preached in Montour Church, seven miles from Pittsburgh,
and also at Martinsburg, Pennsylvania, his first charge after his ordination
being the Amity Church, in Dravosburg, Pennsylvania. The ground upon
which this church stood and the building had been the gift of his father,
his mother naming the edifice, and he ministered to the congregation of this
church for seven years. Another of his charges was the Plains Church, in
Butler county, Pennsylvania, of which he was pastor for six years, and
another was the Fairmount Church. He was throughout his life devoted
to his duties as a minister of the Gospel, conducting his own ways in ac-
cordance with the principles that he taught, and the agent of great good, and
was a credit to the ministry of the Presbyterian church. In matters of politi-
cal import he was a Republican sympathizer. Rev. Levi Risher died Septem-
ber 23, 1894, meeting his I\Iaker as one who has served faithfully and well.
Rev. Risher married, June 17, 1862, Elmira Painter Alexander, born
in Callensburg, Clarion county, Pennsylvania, May 2. 1838, daughter of
Major Henry and Nancy Ann (Hays) Alexander, her father born in West-
moreland county, Pennsylvania, March 22, 1801, died in Callensburg, Penn-
sylvania, January 2, 1894, her mother born in Allegheny county, Pennsyl-
vania, March 31, 1818, died October 16, 1906. Major Henry Alexander and
his wife were early settlers in Clarion county, she a daughter of Jacob and
Jane (Harden) Hays, pioneers of Allegheny county. Children of Major
Henry and Nancy Ann (Hays) Alexander: i. Elmira Painter, of previous
mention, married Rev. Levi Risher. 2. Alvin Hays, of Callensburg, Penn-
sylvania. 3. Mary Jane, deceased, married Peter Young. 4. Sarah Elizabeth,
married A. B. Klingensmith, of Callensburg, Pennsylvania. Children of
Rev. Levi and Elmira Painter (Alexander) Risher: i. Alvin Daniel, born
October 15, 1863; his birth-place was the Montour Parsonage, Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, and he was baptized at Callensburg, Pennsylvania, now
residing in Charlottesville, Virginia ; he married Martha Cordelia Griffin, and
has : Mary Lou, deceased, Ruth, Daniel S., and John Calhoun. 2. Mary
Agnes, born October 6, 1865, married James Harvey Dunlevy, and has :
Risher A. and Elmira. 3. John Henry, born at Dravosburg, Pennsylvania,
February 28, 1868, died October 6. 1896; married Mary Ann Bryant, of
Dravosburg, Pennsylvania, and was the father of Margaret and Elmira
I204 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Agnes. 4. Percy Alexander, born at Sewickley, Pennsylvania, March 31,
1871, died February 27, 1896; married Jennie McCallister, and has a daugh-
ter, Annie. 5. Dr. Frank Osburne, born in Dravosburg, Pennsylvania, Janu-
ary 2, 1880, married Beatrice Chadock; Dr. Risher prepared for his profes-
sion in Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, and Magill Univer-
sity, Canada, and is now engaged in active practice at Shell Lake, Wisconsin ;
he is the father of one daughter, Kate Elmira.
Shortly prior to the American Revolution there immigrated to
REED Pennsylvania from the north of Ireland two brothers, Samuel
and Archibald Reed, founders of their line in Western Pennsyl-
vania. They made settlement near Erie, Pennsylvania, and acquired title
to a vast extent of land lying in Erie, Crawford, Mercer, Lawrence, and
Beaver counties, which they soon afterward disposed of to purchasers of
small farms. The line of which Archibald Reed was ancestor centers
mainly in Beaver county, the descendants of Samuel Reed being more
widespread. After selling his large landed holdings, Samuel Reed moved
to Allegheny county, later taking up his residence in Washington county,
where he died. He was the father of a large family by his marriage with
a Miss Brice. One of his sons was Matthew, of whom further.
(II) Matthew Reed, son of Samuel Reed, was born in 1812, died in
McKeesport, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in 1851. He was reared in
Washington county, and becoming a farmer, there inherited land, which he
cultivated. This property he later sold, moving to West Virginia, where
he purchased a farm near Moundsville, afterward returning to Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, and making his home in McKeesport. His death
occurred six months later, caused by an attack of typhoid fever. Matthew
Reed married Mary Lang, a descendant of "Mayflower" ancestry. After
his death she married a second time, her husband being Myers Stotler.
They settled on a farm near Verona, in Penn township, Allegheny county,
where she died in 1901, aged eighty-six years, having survived her second
husband. Children of Matthew and Mary (Lang) Reed: i. W"illiam, of
whom further. 2. Samuel, a soldier in the Union army during the Civil
War, lives in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania. 3. Emily, married William
Hylands, and died in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania. 4. Harriet, married
John Edwards, and died in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania. 5. Elizabeth, mar-
ried John Thompson, deceased, and resides at New Alexander, Pennsyl-
vania. Children of Myers and Mary (Lang-Reed) Stotler: i. Oscar, un-
married, resides at Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania. 2. Amanda, married James
Waddell, and lives in East McKeesport, Pennsylvania.
(III) William Reed, son of Matthew and Mary (Lang) Reed, was
born in St. Clair township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, December 5,
1839, died in that county, January 21, 1907. After his marriage he made
his home on the old Peter Miller farm in Jefferson township, Allegheny
county, later selling this property and purchasing the Lowry farm of one
hundred and sixtv-seven acres, located near his former home. From this
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1205
latter place he moved to Wilson Station, and there engaged in real estate
dealing until 1901, in which year he moved to Coal Valley. His home in
this place was situated upon an eminence overlooking the Monongahela
river, affording a wide view of the upper and lower valley. This beautiful
home, in which William Reed passed his latter years, is now occupied by
his children, Harry, Samuel, Matthew, Blanche and Mary. Mr. Reed was
active in real estate dealings until his death, his operations of generous
dimensions and successful in result. With his wife he was a member of
the Methodist Episcopal church, and was a loyal adherent to Republican
principles. In local public affairs he played a prominent part, for twenty-
three years serving as a school director in Jefferson township, and was a
recognized leader among his fellows, whose recognition of his superior
qualities was accompanied by liking and respect. William Reed was for
three and one-half years a soldier in Company C, One Hundred and
Second Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and participated in
numerous important campaigns, his regiment being engaged in some of the
hardest fought battles of the war between the states. His war record is
free from any marks of which a soldier and a patriot might not be proud,
and is a credit both to the line that bore him and to those who honor his
memory.
Mr. Reed married Caroline Miller, born in Jefferson township, Alle-
gheny county, Pennsylvania, May 17, 1845, died at Wilson Station, Penn-
sylvania, October 22, 1898, daughter of William John and Sarah (Snee)
Miller. William John Miller was a son of Peter Miller, a native of Ireland,
a farmer by calling, who, upon immigrating to the United States, made
settlement to Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, owning land first in Snowden
and later in Jefferson townships. He died in the latter locality and is there
buried. He was the father of two children, William John and Ann. Wil-
liam John Miller was born in Ireland, and was brought to the United States
when eighteen months old by his parents. He grew to manhood in Alle-
gheny county, and there passed his entire life, his death occurring at Gill
Hall in 1890. During most of his active life he was a merchant at this
place, and with his wife belonged to the United Presbyterian church. His
wife. Sarah (Snee) Miller, was born and died in Jefferson township, where
all of her days were spent. Children of William John and Sarah (Snee)
Miller: i. Harvey, a blacksmith and wagonmaker. died in Jefferson town-
ship in 1913. 2. Andrew, a mechanic, died in Braddock, Pennsylvania.
3. Amanda, married Thomas Snee, a cousin, and died at Gill Hall, Penn-
sylvania. 4. Caroline, of previous mention, married William Reed. 5. Ella,
married William Weller, and lives in West Elizabeth, Pennsylvania. 6.
Elvira, died in girlhood. Children of William and Caroline (Miller) Reed:
I. Harry, a farmer of Jefferson township. 2. Annie, deceased; married
Abraham Cutright, and lived in Parkersburg, West Virginia. 3. Blanche,
lives in the family home at Coal Valley. 4. Samuel, a farmer, resides in
Coal Valley, at the old home. 5. William E., of whom further. 6. Frank
McClure, of whom further. 7. John Chamberline. of whom further. 8.
i2o6 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Mary, lives in the family home at Coal Valley. 9. Matthew, a practicing
dentist of Clairton, Pennsylvania, lives at home. William and Caroline Reed
had two other children, Fannie and Milton, who died in ^infancy.
(IV) William E. Reed, son of William and Caroline (Miller) Reed,
was born in Jefferson township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, January
18, 1872. He was educated in the public schools and the Indiana State
Normal School, after completing his studies in the latter place teaching
schools for a period of one year. He was for two years following a student
in Washington and Jefferson College, and in 1898 enlisted in Company H,
Tenth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, when war with Spain
became an actuality. He was in the United States military service from
May 22, 1898, until August 22, 1899, stationed in the Philippine Islands,
and took part in the battle of Manila. For a large part of this time his
company was engaged in almost daily skirmishes in the guerilla warfare
that characterized the tactics of the natives.
Returning to Pennsylvania after the close of the war Mr. Reed became
a shoe merchant at Wilkinsburg, where he remained for eight months,
then pursued the same line of business in Duquesne for five years. After
disposing of his interests in this business he was elected borough clerk, filling
this office until April i, 1914. While the incumbent of this position, which
he held for eight years, in 1907, Mr. Reed began real estate and fire in-
surance dealings, at the same time devoting a part of his time to agricultural
operations. At the present time he is representative of eight of the leading
fire insurance companies, and through wide and extensive handling of real
estate has established a reputation as a business man, reliable and capable.
He is a Republican sympathizer, and fraternizes with the Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks.
Mr. Reed married, in 1902, Mary E. Bradshaw, born in Coal Valley,
Pennsylvania, daughter of Robert and Mary Bradshaw. They are the
parents of: Robert, Donald, Gerald, Margaret, Mary, and Jean, died in
infancy.
(IV) Frank McClure Reed, son of William and Caroline (Miller)
Reed, was born in Jefferson township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
September 26, 1874. He attended the Lowry District School in his native
township, and from this he went to the First Ward School in McKeesport,
Pennsylvania. In succession he was then a pupil at the Indiana State
Normal School, Slippery Rock Normal School, and Grove City College.
While a student he achieved prominence as a football player, holding the
position of center rush. In 1895 he obtained a clerical position in the county
commissioner's office, at Pittsburgh, remained there two years, and while
there played on the Pittsburgh Athletic Club Football Team. In 1896 he
was employed by William J. Morris, of Pittsburgh, to act as assistant super-
intendent of the Morris & Bailey Steel Mills at Wilson, Pennsylvania, and
with the exception of one and a half years, has been connected with the
company since that time. During this year and a half he was in the employ
of the Clairton Steel Company as cashier and real estate manager, and
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1207
lived at Clairton, Pennsylvania. In 1903 he was appointed manager and
superintendent of the entire Morris & Bailey Steel Works at Wilson, and
is still the incumbent of that position. He has about three hundred men
and boys in his employ and they manufacture cold rolled steel for stamping
and drawing purposes. He owns and lives in the fine old William Payne
homestead, near Wilson. He is Republican in political matters, and served
as a member of the borough council at Clairton. He was the first president
of the council when the borough of Wilson was organized. Mr. Reed is a
life member of McKeesport Lodge, No. 136, Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks, of McKeesport.
Mr. Reed married, April 22, 1896, Jessie, born in Mifflin township, a
daughter of William and Margaret Forsythe, both still living on a farm in
MifHin township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where the family has
long been resident. Mrs. Reed is a member of Lebanon Presbyterian
Church. Children : Paul Chambers, born June 28, 1897 ; Cleopatra, born
December 5, 1898; William, born February 13, 1900; Helen, born October
II, 1901 ; Blanche, born January 16, 1903, died February 20, 1903; Thomas
B., born December 12, 1907; Homer John, born July 3, 1910.
(IV) Dr. John Chamberline Reed, son of William and Caroline (Miller j
Reed, was born in Jefferson township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
June 26, 1877. After the completion of his youthful studies he entered
the Slippery Rock Normal School. Pie was graduated from this institution
in 1898, and for two years was a school teacher in Mifflin township, Alle-
gheny county. He then enrolled in the medical department of the Uni-
versity of Western Pennsylvania, where he was awarded his M.D. in 1907.
For a time he was an interne in St. Francis' Hospital, and since January,
1908, has been engaged in active practice at Duquesne, Pennsylvania. His
medical societies are the Duquesne, County, and State, and he is also identi-
fied with the American Medical Association. His political tendencies are
Republican. Dr. Reed has become firmly established in the good favor
of a large practice, for attendance upon which he is ably qualified, and fills
a responsible position in the medical profession in Duquesne.
Dr. Reed married, in 191 1, Emma, born in Sharon. Pennsylvania,
daughter of Charles and Mayme (McClure) Phillips, and has one son,
John Chamberline Jr.
Of the two lines of this family founded in Pennsylvania by
GRAHAM William and Matthew Graham, this chronicle deals with
the latter. Matthew Graham was born in Scotland, and
prior to the War for Independence came to the colonies, locating in Phila-
delphia and there becoming a merchant. He was a loyal friend of American
independence, and during the Revolutionary War aided the Colonial cause
in substantial measure, at its close moving west of the mountains to Alle-
gheny county. He and one of the McKees became involved in a suit over
title to the land upon which the city of McKeesport was later built,
adjudication being against Mr. Graham, and he located on Brush Creek,
i2o8 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
near Warrendale, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, entering several hundred
acres at the junction of Beaver, Butler and Allegheny counties. This
property has descended in the family through succeeding generations, and
is now in the possession of the children of O. P. Graham.
(II) William Graham, son of Matthew Graham, was born in Butler
county, Pennsylvania. He was a soldier under Commodore Perry in the
second war with Great Britain, and soon after the great victory of that
famous commander on Lake Erie returned to his home. He was, as were
all who witnessed the gallant bravery of Perry in that battle, a strong
admirer of the young Commodore, and a son born to him soon afterward
was named in honor of his former commander, bearing the name Oliver
Hazard Perry Graham.
(III) Oliver Hazard Perry Graham, son of William Graham, was
born in Butler county, Pennsylvania. He passed his life on the farm that
had been the home of his father and grandfather, cultivating its acres, and
also followed the trade of shoemaker. He married Elizabeth Morgan,
one of his sons, Oliver Hazard Perry Jr., becoming a minister of the
Methodist Episcopal church, another, Orin P., of whom further.
(IV) Orin P. Graham, son of Oliver Hazard Perry Graham, was born
in Butler county, Pennsylvania, and lived on the homestead farm all of his
life. He was a successful agriculturist, a man held in high esteem by his
neighbors, and served for ten years as a member of the school board. His
political party was the Republican. He married Mary Allan, a native of
Butler county, Pennsylvania, and had children : Allan, of whom further ;
Park P., lives on the home farm; Frank P., a missionary of the Presbyterian
church, stationed in the interior of Brazil, South America; Mary V., mar-
ried William J. Rowan, and resides near Ogle, Butler county, Pennsylvania.
(V) Allan Graham, son of Orin P. and Mary (Allan) Graham, was
born near Evans City, Butler county, Pennsylvania, March 31, 1873. When
he was sixteen years of age he was graduated from the public schools, and
he completed his education in the Slippery Rock State Normal School, and
was graduated from that institution in the class of 1900 with the degree of
A.M. Prior to his entrance at the Slippery Rock State Normal School he
had for five years taught school, and after his graduation he accepted a
position with the Stirling Steel Company, with which concern he remained
for two years, at the same time attending the Douglass Business College,
completing his course there in 1902. The following six years he passed in
the employ of the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company,
and in 1908 he assumed charge of the Long Run School in Versailles town-
ship, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, retaining this position for three
years. He then became associated with the school at East McKeesport,
Pennsylvania, and holds his place there to the present time. Mr. Graham is
an instructor of experience and ability and has met with favorable success
in each position he has been called to fill. He is popular with his pupils,
his fair, open treatment compellng respect, and his teaching, combining
scientific methods with the realities impressed by experience, is forceful and
effective.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1209
He has been a resident of East McKeesport since 1896, the houses of
East McKeesport then numbering less than a dozen, and he has been
closely connected with the growth it has experienced in that time. Active
in the organization of the borough, he served for six years as a member
of the council, and the two years that he passed as a member of the school
board extended over the period in which the commodious new building was
erected. Mr. Graham's familiarity with the methods of procedure in the
school board, and his appreciation of the difficulties under which such a
board must always labor, have lent a new value to his connection with the
school as a teacher, insuring a degree of co-operation that is most desirable.
He is a Republican in affairs of national import, but in matters of local
politics acts independently of such affiliation. He is a communicant of the
Presbyterian church, and fraternizes with the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows and the Order of Independent Americans.
Mr. Graham married (first) September 10, 1900, Mary Russell;
(second) January 25, 1904, Sarah Holler, daughter of John M. and Mary
(May) Holler, of Bedford county, Pennsylvania. John M. Holler was a
son of George Washington and Louisa (Metzgar) Holler, natives of Bed-
ford county, Pennsylvania, George Washington Holler was a farmer, and
with his son, John M., was a soldier in the Union army in the Civil War.
Harry, one of the sons of John M. and Mary (May) Holler, was a soldier
in the Spanish-American war, serving a three-year enlistment in the Philif>-
pine Islands, surviving his service, as did his father and grandfather in
the Civil War. Mary (May) Holler was a daughter of Jacob and Sarah
(Woolford) May, natives of Bedford county, Pennsylvania, members of
families long resident in that region. By his first marriage Allan Graham
was the father of one son, Orin Russell. By his second he has six children :
John Holler, Floyd Fleming, Reba May, Ruth Leota, Grace Leona, Oliver
Perry.
About the time of the Revolutionary War three brothers, of
GRAY Scotch-Irish descent, came from England to America. They
were William and David Gray, and their brother, whose name
is no longer of record. The tradition is that David Gray, who had settled
with his brothers in what is now Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania,
while clearing a farm from the dense forests in that section, was captured
by the Indians and tied to a tree while they deliberated what should be
done with him. They finally decided to carry him into their camp, which
they did, and the story goes that he married a squaw, but further than
that nothing is related of him.
(I) William Gray, one of the three brothers, and progenitor of the
family of which this memoir treats, also settled in Westmoreland county.
He was among the pioneers of Western Pennsylvania, cleared a farm at
Brush Creek, near Irwin, Westmoreland county, and died there in 1794.
He married Mary Borland, who married (second) Hugh Torrance, and
I2IO WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
lived in that section for some years longer. Mr. and Mrs. Gray had children :
James, born in 1788; George, of further mention; John, born in 1792.
(II) George Gray, son of William and Mary (Borland) Gray, was
born June 25, 1791, in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and died Sep-
tember 7, 1876, in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. Upon attaining a suit-
able age he learned the blacksmith's trade, and followed this for many
years in North Versailles township, between East McKeesport and Turtle
Creek. The shop was still standing in 1907, although in a dilapidated con-
dition. Later in life he became an extensive land owner and engaged in
farming. He married Jane Hope, March 9, 1813, and they had children:
James, born in 1815, died in 1891, was a farmer in Penn township, near
New Texas; William, born in 1817, was a blacksmith all his life on the old
homestead, and died on the Greensburg Pike ; Oliver Perry, born 1819,
died 1821 ; Mary Jane, born 1822, married John Drennan, and died in
Irwin, Pennsylvania ; George, born 1824, who was merchant at Meadville,
died there; Richard Hope, of further mention; John Borland, born 1832,
who removed to Iowa, then to Maryville, Missouri, where he is now living
retired; Robert, born 1834, removed to Awasso, Michigan, where he died;
Margaret Ann, born 1837, married Robert Boyd, and lives near Webster,
Fayette county, Pennsylvania.
(III) Richard Hope Gray, son of George and Jane (Hope) Gray, was
born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, February 7, 1830, and died in
Braddock, Pennsylvania, October 6, 1898. He was apprenticed to learn
the trade of wagon making, later becoming a carpenter and builder, occupa-
tions he followed for about twenty-five years at the present town of Wil-
merding. He then entered the employ of Carnegie, Phipps & Company,
Limited, at Homestead, as storekeeper and timekeeper, a f)osition he held
until about one year prior to his death at the home of his son in Braddock,
Pennsylvania. He was in active military service during the last year of
the Civil War, being a member of Company E, One Hundred and Fourth
Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, Fifth Heavy Artillery. He
was a Republican politically, and served one term as justice of the peace in
North Versailles township. He and his wife were life-long members of
the United Presbyterian church, and he served as ruling elder both at Turtle
Creek and at Homestead, Pennsylvania. He married, May 8, 185 1, Martha
E. Shaw, born July 3, 1832, died in Braddock, April 4, 1898. They had
children : Rachel Hughey, born August 24, 1852, is unmarried, and lives
with her brother ; George Eddy Franklin, of further mention ; Ida Lizzie,
born June 2, 1866, died May 6, 1875. Mrs. Gray was a daughter of Robert
E. Shaw, born November 30, 1793, and Rachel (Hughey) Shaw, born
February 22, 1799, who were married November 10, 1825, and both of
whom were early residents of Allegheny county in Patton township near
Wilmerding, where they were members of the United Presbyterian church
of Turtle Creek, being buried at Brush Creek. Mr. Shaw was at one time
a member of the Turtle Creek Home Guards. They had children : Dorcas
Jane, born April 29, 1830, who died unmarried, March 17, 1904, in Wil-
_-», J^J-itrXai^'-rJSrrXl--
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1211
kinsburg, while living with her sister Elizabeth ; Martha E., mentioned
above; David, born November 23, 1834, died in Braddock, September 17,
1906, while living with his nephew, Mr. Gray ; Elizabeth born September
6, 1838, died in Braddock, March 24, 1914, married James B. McDonough,
of Scott township, Allegheny county.
(IV) George Eddy Franklin Gray, son of Richard Hope and Martha
E. (Shaw) Gray, was born in Wilmerding, then called Spring Hill, Alle-
gheny county, Pennsylvania, September 3, 1856. He received a practical
education in the common schools of North Versailles township and Duff's
College, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. January 18, 1873, he entered the employ
of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, as passenger brakeman, and re-
mained with this corporation until October, 1879. Two years were then
spent in the employ of the Dithridge Chimney Company of Pittsburgh, as
invoice clerk and paymaster. On September 14, 1881, he entered the employ
of the Carnegie Steel Company, Edgar Thomson Works, at that time operat-
ing under the name of Carnegie Brothers & Company, Limited, as a rail
inspector in the finishing department, and at the end of three months was
made a record clerk, and in October, 1886, was advanced to the position
of chief clerk of the Homestead Steel Works, Munhall, Pennsylvania. In
January, 1888, he went to the Allegheny Bessemer Steel Company, at
Duquesne, in a similar capacity. In November, 1890, Carnegie Brothers
& Company, Limited, bought out the latter, but Mr. Gray remained in
charge of the office of said works until March i, 1895, when he was trans-
ferred to the Edgar Thomson Works, and has remained there since, as chief
clerk in the accounting department. Mr. Gray has shown executive and
financial ability ; was one of the organizers of the First National Bank of
Duquesne, of which he was a director for several years, and also served
as a director of the McKeesport National Bank. He has always given his
allegiance to the Republican party. He served as a member of the board of
health of Braddock for two years, and was elected to the town council from
the third ward, October 3, 1904. to which office he has been elected succes-
sively since, and during the past eight years has served as president of that
honorable body. He was elected a member and treasurer of the board of
trustees of the Carnegie Free Library, Braddock, on April 15, 1902, which
position he holds at the present time. His religious affiliation has always
been with the United Presbyterian church ; he was ordained in Homestead,
February 22, 1893. and is now ruling elder in the First United Presbyterian
Church, Braddock. His fraternal membership is with Conclave No. 89,
Improved Order of Heptasophs, of Pittsburgh.
Mr. Gray married, January 14, 1886, Sarah W. Boyd, bom September
16, 1862, in Patton township, died in Braddock, January 27, 1897, a daugh-
ter of Eli W. and Sarah (Shaw) Boyd, and they have had children:
Martha Shaw, born March 24, 1891, attended public schools of Braddock
and was graduated from the Northfield Seminary, East Northfield, Massa-
chusetts, June, 191 1, married to George W. Weller Jr., February 16, 1915;
Sarah Boyd, born December 24, 1895, died June 19, 1896.
I2I2 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
At an early day John Lougeay, a locksmith, came to West-
LOUGEAY em Pennsylvania from Maryland, settling in Birmingham
(Pittsburgh). He married Wilhelmina Ehmson and left
issue.
(II) William Anthony Lougeay, son of John and Wilhelmina (Ehm-
son) Lougeay, was born in Birmingham, Pennsylvania, and obtained a good
education in the public schools. When young he began working in a glass
house for his uncle. Christian Ehmson, and when of suitable age apprenticed
himself to the blacksmith's trade, serving his time with Abraham Goch-
eneaur. Later he bought out his employer's business and conducted a
successful smithy for many years. From 1853 until i860 he was engaged
as a bookkeeper. WiUiam A. Lougeay served as a member of the school
board of the town for several years and was always interested in school
improvement. He was a well read rhan and was held in high esteem by his
neighbors. He married Crissy Ann Ensel, born in Birmingham, daughter
of John and Mary Ensel, of an early family, John Ensel having been the
first man to hold the office of justice of the peace in old Birmingham. Chil-
dren: John, deceased; Robert Patterson, of further mention; Phoebe, mar-
ried Alexander Frew, and resides in Pittsburgh.
(III) Robert Patterson Lougeay, second son of William Anthony and
Crissy Ann (Ensel) Lougeay, was born in Birmingham (Pittsburgh) No-
vember 15, 1851. He was educated in the public schools, and after com-
pleting his studies became his father's apprentice, working with the latter
at blacksmithing for seven years. About 1875 he began as a general con-
tractor and has been continuously engaged as a contractor until the present
date with office at 1882 Douglass avenue, Pittsburgh. In 1898 he purchased
a farm of fifty acres in Penn township and there since 1913 he has resided,
operating his farm in connection with his contracting business. His resi-
dence in Pittsburgh was in the twenty-second ward and as a representative
of that ward he served four terms in the city as alderman, twice by election
and twice by appointment. For nearly a quarter of a century he served on
the local board of education and for thirteen years was a member of the
central board. He has always taken a deep interest in the schools and all
that pertained to their betterment. He is a member of the Presbyterian
church, and in politics is a Republican.
Mr. Lougeay married (first) in 1873, Anna Irwin, who bore him Wil-
liam, Susan I., Robert and Anna Elizabeth, the latter dying in infancy.
He married (second) in 1887, Rebecca Kelly McCombs. Children: John
McCombs, and Mary, who died aged eight years.
Ohio was the home of the members of this branch of the
MORRIS Morris family prior to the settlement in Pennsylvania of
Leander Milton Morris. His father, William Morris, was
born in East Liverpool. Ohio, and there passed his entire life, becoming
prominent in local affairs and a justice of the peace. He married Maria
Bradfield, who died in the same place.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1213
Leander Milton Morris, son of William and Maria (Bradfield) Morris,
was bom in Wellsville, Ohio, August i, 1832. He was educated in Beaver
College, located at Beaver, Pennsylvania. After completing his studies he
was for a time a bookkeeper, then traveled in the interest of Bennett,
Potter & Birmingham, a Pittsburgh firm. He subsequently accepted a
position in Alliance, in his native state, as ticket agent and train dispatcher
on the Fort Wayne & Pittsburgh railroad, afterward returning to Pitts-
burgh and entering Dixon Marshall's foundry at the corner of Twenty-
second and Penn avenues. In 1886 he made his home at Oakmont, on the
bank of the Allegheny river, and in 1899 he retired to this place, where he
afterward lived a life of ease and quiet. Mr. Morris was one of the
organizers of the Oakmont Bank, and was the president of this institution
until his death. His political principles were always Democratic, and
he served as a member of council, being largely instrumental in secur-
ing for Oakmont a Carnegie Library, Mr. Morris using his influence with
Andrew Carnegie for this purpose. Mr. Morris had a long, busy and useful
life, passed in the favor and approbation of his fellows, the prominence that
he gained being the attribute to an upright character and a forceful per-
sonality. With his wife he was a member of the First Baptist Church, of
Pittsburgh. He died November 7, 1910.
Mr. Morris married, in 1856, Mary Jane, daughter of Morando and
Mary (Metcalf) Bliss, of Pittsburgh- South Side, her father a native of
Sing Sing, New York, her mother born in Manchester, England. Morando
Bliss was one of the most expert workers at his trade, that of glass cutter, in
the United States, and died in Pittsburgh South Side. Living children of
Leander Milton and Mary Jane (Bliss) Morris: Harry E., Fred, Edward
D., Cora B., Mary B., and George Ehiflf.
The grandparents of H. R. McPherson, of the village
McPHERSON of Frank, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, came to the
United States from county Antrim, Ireland, bringing a
son, John, then a lad of eight years. The family settled in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, where the lad, John McPherson, began working at the age
of eleven years at the first foundry ever operated in that city. This foundry,
owned by Glass & Philips, was built at Fifetown, a suburb, now Second
street, Pittsburgh. There he served an apprenticeship of seven years, be-
coming an expert foundryman. At the end of his first year at his trade,
he molded and cast an iron bootjack that is yet preserved by his son, H. R.
McPherson, as a memento of his honored father. He was not only a
skillful workman but also an inventor of local note, one of his inventions
being a process of chilling iron, that was an important step forward. He
remained in the employ of Glass & Philips for eleven years, broadening
and expanding in mechanical skill and understanding with each year. After
leaving Glass & Philips, he installed a system of water works and supply
for the growing city of Wlieeling, West \'irginia. and later installed
similar svstems in Cleveland, Oliio. and Dover. Delaware, gaining additional
I2I4 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
reputation as an engineer of public works. He also erected and put in
operation the engines and machinery for manufacturing plants, the shops
at Economy, Pennsylvania, being equipped by him for the use of that
singular sect, the Economites. About 1848 he purchased an interest in the
Kittanning Rolling Mill and moved his family to that town. He retained
his interest in the rolling mill and resided in Kittanning until his death. He
was buried with his wife in the Catholic Cemetery there.
He married Catherine O'Malley, who bore him nine children, among
whom were: i. James S., enlisted with the three months' men called for by
President Lincoln, serving in Company A, Eighth Regiment Pennsylvania
Volunteer Infantry; he died in Elderton, Pennsylvania, in 1890. 2. John
B., also a veteran Union soldier, serving three years in Company B, Forty-
Sixth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry; he now resides in Doug-
lass, Alaska, aged seventy-eight years. 3. Josephine, married McConnell
Naughton, and died in Kittaiming. 4. William, deceased, was a puddler in
the rolling mills of Kittanning. 5. Rachel A., married Robert Woodward,
and died in Ottawa, Kansas. 6. Joseph, for fifteen years a justice of peace
in Kittanning, where he died in April, 1907. 7. Catherine, married Frank
Kerner, and died in Canton, Ohio. 8. H. R., of whom further.
H. R. McPherson, eighth child and fifth son of John and Catherine
(O'Malley) McPherson, was born in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, September
22, 1852. He grew to manhood on his father's farm at that town. He
attended the school nearby, kept in an old log school house, and remained
at home, his father's assistant, until attaining the age of nineteen years.
He then determined to learn a trade and going to Emlenton, Pennsylvania,,
appreticed himself to a stone cutter. Later he returned to Kittanning and
worked at his trade, helping to erect the Kittanning jail. After three years
working there at his trade he drifted into the Pennsylvania oil field where
he remained variously engaged until 1882. He then located in Allegheny
county where he secured a contract from the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Rail-
road Company for the erection of three miles of masonry between Douglass
and Buena Vista. After the completion of that contract he entered the
employ of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company, as superintendent of
three of their stone quarries. In all these wanderings and driftings he had
not accumulated capital, but on April 8, 1884. with but sixty-eight dollars
in cash he purchased a lot at Industry, Pennsylvania, built a house and there
resided for several years while superintendent of the quarries previously
mentioned. He finally resigned his position with the Baltimore & Ohio
railroad and for a short time resumed his trade, stone cutting, soon after-
ward engaging in masonry construction. He located in the town of Frank,
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where in 1890 he was elected justice of
the peace, an office he yet holds by continuous re-elections. He also works
at his trade and has acquired considerable farm property in Elizabeth town-
ship, the village of McPherson being located on land he owned. He is a
Democrat in politics, and a man highly respected by all. In religious faitb
he is a broad-minded and liberal, not connected with any denomination.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1215
Mr. McPherson married, May 23, 1888, Amanda, daughter of Elias
and Mary E. Hennage, of Centerville, Pennsylvania. Children: i. Mabel,
married William H. Rupert, and resides in Filmore, Califomia. 2. Roy R.,
an electrician, resides in Frank, Pennsylvania. 3. Earl Elias, an oil well
driller, now in Venezuela, South America. 4. Helen, a graduate of Penn-
sylvania State Normal School at Indiana, now teaching in California.
Joseph Lytle, of Monongahela City, is a great-grandson of Rob-
LYTLE ert Lytle, the American founder of the family, a native of Scot-
land, who on coming to this country, at the age of fifteen years,
settled in Western Pennsylvania, where on February 26, 1780, he entered
land in what is now Jefferson township, lying along the line between Alle-
gheny and Washington counties. He married Ann Mason, of the early
historic Mason family of Western Pennsylvania, whose family, except
herself and a little brother, was killed by the Indians on Sewickley Creek;
those two children were left homeless and went to the Markle Block House
and were reared by the Markle family. Mr. and Mrs. Lytle had children :
Thomas, James, William, David, Abraham and Isaac, twins, John, Joseph,
Samuel, Elizabeth, Robert, George, Henry and Benjamin.
(II) Isaac Lytle, son of Robert and Ann (Mason) Lytle, was born in
Mififlin township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in 1783. He married
Martha Penny, born in Elizabeth township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
April 19, 1787, daughter of John Penny, a "minute-man" of the Revolution,
who fought at Lexington and Concord. Later he came to Western Penn-
sylvania and founded a numerous family. After their marriage Isaac and
Martha Lytle moved, in 1807, to Forward township, Allegheny county, and
there settled on the farm now owned by their grandson, James P. Lytle, a
brother of Joseph Lytle. Isaac Lytle died May 24, 1854 ; Martha, his wife,
died November 26, 1854. Oiildren : Eliza, born August 25, 1808; Rutli,
February 1, 181 1; Robert, August 5, 1812; Margaret. August 11, 1814;
Isephena and Perry A., twins. May 27, 1821 ; Samuel, January 27, 1827.
(HI) Perry A. Lytle, son of Isaac and Martha (Penny) Lytle, was
born on the Forward township (then Elizabeth township), Allegheny
county, farm of his parents. May 27, 1821, died there December 11, 1893.
He aided in bringing the farm under good cultivation and there lived and
died. He was a Republican in politics, and he and his wife members of
the Baptist church. He married Sarah Catherine Wycoff, born at the
Wycofif homestead in Elizabeth township, October 15, 1826. Children:
Hannah ; Joseph, of whom further ; William G., deceased ; George G., de-
ceased; James P., of whom further; Gertie W.
Sarah Catherine (Wycofif) Lytle was a descendant of Cornelius \\'y-
cofT, of EHitch descent, through his son, John, and his wife Sarah WycofT.
John and Sarah Wycofif had a son, Jonathan, born October 15. 1764, died
January 17, 1845. He married, July 28, 1788, Catherine Lefevre, bom
December 27, 1761, died May 19. 1842. They were botli of early New
Amsterdam (New York) families, but after their marriage came to Western
I2i6 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Pennsylvania and settled in Elizabeth township, Allegheny county, where
they purchased land, founded a home, died and are buried in Round Hill
Cemetery. Children: i. Elizabeth, bom May 20, 1789, married a Mr. Irwin
and had children: John, Robert, Elisha, who was born October 15, 1826.
2. Sarah, born March 5, 1791, married Elisha Peairs, who died in Elizabeth
township, November 11, 1831. 3. John, born March 6, 1793, moved to Ohio.
4. Isaac, see forward. 5. James M., born March 4, 1798, married (first)
February i, 1828, Mary Ann Wintermute, born October 12, 1806, died
January 18, 1840 ; married (second) Dinah Scott. 6. Lewis, born August
19, 1799, died November 20, 1831. 7. Elijah, twin with Lewis, moved to
Ohio. 8. Lydia, born May 7, 1801, married John Watson.
Isaac Wycoff, son of Jonathan and Catherine (Lefevre) Wycoff, was
born November 11, 1794, in Elizabeth township, Allegheny county, Penn-
sylvania, died May 22, 1884. He was a farmer all his life. He married '
Gertrude Van Kirk, born in Elizabeth township, March 22, 1802, died
March 21, 1880. Children: i. Llannah, born February 8, 1821, died Janu-
ary 18, 1840; married James Patterson Wiley. 2. Jonathan, born July 31,
1822, married Mary Rine. 3. Sarah Catherine, born October 15, 1826,
married Perry A. Lytle. 4. Harriet, born October 18, 1828, died June 12,
1859; married Joseph Hornish. 5. Joseph Van Kirk, born September 27,
1831, married Gertrude Foster, who died in July, 1896. 6. Isaac (2), born
December 6, 1833, killed at the battle of Gettysburg, July 3. 1863. 7. Wil-
liam Van Kirk, born October 31, 1835, died in 1914; married Anna Speer.
8. Matilda Gertrude, born April 17. 1840, died December 13, 1865; married
Calvin Powers.
(IV) Joseph Lytle, son of Perry A. and Sarah Catherine (Wycoff)
Lytle, was born on the old Lytle farm in Forward township, Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, November 25, 1848. He was educated in the public
schools and at Elizabeth Academy, remaining at the home farm with his
parents until 1876. Then he rented the Ketchum farm, which he worked
for twelve years before purchasing the present farm of three hundred and
eighty-eight acres, in 1887. The following year he moved to his new farm
and there resided until April i, 1900, when he moved to Monongahela
City, where, since the organization of the First National Bank, of that
city, November 30, 1901, he had been its honored and efficient president
until January, 1915. He has other interests of importance, serving as vice-
president and director of the Courtney Fire Brick Company, and from
December. 1900, to December, 1903, was engaged with D. E. Gamble in the
feed implement business. He stands high in the business and financial
world, is conservative and well-balanced in judgment, qualities that render
him a valuable executive head of the institution which he guided most suc-
cessfully from its organization until his retirement from office. The family
are members of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Lytle is a member of the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and was master of Forward
Grange, Patrons of Husbandry. In political faith he is a Republican, and
has served as Forward township school director.
Q^i^ o2^^
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1217
Mr. Lytle married, September 28, 1875. Mary Jane McKinney, born
at the McKinney liomesttad in Forward township, in 1853, daughter of
Robert and Nancy (Marshall) McKinney (see McKinney family in this
workj. Children: 1. Edna Bell, born July 9, 1876, educated in Beaver
Seminary and Indiana State Normal, a graduate of the latter institution.
2. Luella May, born in 1877, died in 1901 ; was a graduate of the State
Normal at Indiana, Pennsylvania. 3. Georgie H., born in 1882, died April
5. 1897.
(IV) James P. Lytle, son of Perry A. and Sarah Catherine (Wycoff)
Lytle, and brother of Joseph Lytle, was born on the homestead. May 19,
i860. He was educated in public schools and at Monongahela Academy,
and has devoted his life to farming, owning one hundred and forty-five
well cultivated acres. He is a Republican, and in religious belief a Baptist.
He married, in 1889, Flora Pierce, born in Forward township, October 2"/,
1876, daughter of Joseph T. and Harriet (Wall) Pierce, granddaughter of
Daniel and Elizabeth ( Ketchum ) Pierce, and great-granddaughter of Louis
and Cassandia (Pennick) Pierce, of Forward township.
The earliest ancestor of this family in America, as far as
ALDRICH known, was Welcome Aldrich, a Methodist minister, whose
brother, William, was a colonel in the Revolutionary army
at the time of the battle of Bunker Hill. Welcome Aldrich removed from
Connecticut to Massachusetts, thence to Rhode Island, and from there to
Pennsylvania, buying property in Main township, Erie county, where he
resided until his death, in 1839. His wife was Rowena (Hamilton) Aldrich,
who died in April, 1861. Children; Welcome, mentioned further; Miranda
Harick, Prusha Clark, Maria Crosby, Sarah Raymond, Ruth Brown, Carohne
Terrell, Mary. Rowena.
(II) Welcome (2) Aldrich, son of Welcome (i) and Rowena (Hamil-
ton) Aldrich, was born in 1810. died May 17, 1851, in Vernon township, and
was buried at Titusville, Pennsylvania. He was a farmer, dealing also
extensively in lumber and shingles, near Corry, and residing many years
in Wayne township, Erie county. He married Mrs. Lydia Palmer, a widow,
and had four sons and four daughters : Levillo ; Jefiferson, died at Mohegan,
Michigan ; Elerton, of further mention ; Frank, lived at Titusville ; Olive
Cassandra, who became Mrs. Hartman ; Ida Dorothea, who became Mrs.
Collone ; Henrietta Hortense. who became Mrs. Pool ; Josephine Viola, who
became Mrs. Webb.
(III) Dr. Elerton Aldrich, son of Welcome (2) and Lydia (Palmer)
Aldrich, was born June 2, 1843. i" ^^ ayne township. Erie county, Pennsyl-
vania, died in Los Angeles. California, May 4. 1902. where he was buried.
He was reared on the farm, passing his early life in Erie county, Pennsyl-
vania, and receiving his education in the common schools and at private
institutions. He was an expert penman, writing a beautiful Spencerian hand.
A'^ a young man he devoted himself to agriculture first, afterwards becoming
interested in the oil fields where he did pumping and general work. He
I2i8 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
continued thus for a few years, when he removed with his family to Michi-
gan where he remained for a year or more, returning to Pennsylvania and
taking up the study of medicine. After his graduation he went West,
practicing his profession in Omaha, Nebraska ; Dallas, Texas, and finally
in Los Angeles where he resided until the time of his death. He was mar-
ried in Hayfield township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, on October 30,
1862, to Sarah Jane Dunham, a native of that place, born August 13, 1834,
daughter of William and Mary Ann (Ikeler) Dunham (see Dunham VIII).
Mr. and Mrs. Aldrich had one son, Leon Welcome, of further mention.
After the death of her husband, Mrs. Aldrich was married to Lewis Vaughn,
a civil engineer, who was a graduate of Hiram College, Ohio, and a class-
mate of President Garfield. He is now deceased, and his widow resides on
the homestead in Vernon township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania. She
has been a life-long member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
( IV) Leon Welcome Aldrich, son of Dr. Elerton and Sarah Jane
(Dunham) Aldrich, was born January 31, 1867, in Woodcock township,
Crawford county, Pennsylvania, passing his early years there and in Vernon
township. He received his education in the local schools, after which he
became employed in the lumber business in which he continued until the
fall of 1908. He then entered the Pennsylvania Institute of Embalming
and Sanitary Science, fitting himself for his present profession. He was
graduated from the institute with the highest honors ever received by any
of its students. Locating in Meadville, he purchased the Aldrich Block,
No. 851 Market street, and established himself in business as a funeral
director with finely equipped offices and an able assistant. His license to
do business covers both the states of Pennsylvania and Ohio. He is a mem-
ber of the local, State, and National Funeral Directors associations, and
has become one of the leading citizens in Meadville. In politics Mr. Aldrich
is an Independent, voting for the man whom he considers best qualified
for the office. He owns the old Aldrich homestead in Vernon township
which he makes his summer residence. He is an active member of the
First Presbyterian Church in Mead\ille, to which his wife and family also
belong.
Mr. Aldrich married, March 26, 1891, at Meadville, Letetia Chase, born
in W'est Mead township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, March 12, 1870,
daughter of Newell and Elizabeth (McNamara) Chase. She has passed her
entire life in Crawford county, being educated in the graded schools, and
she spent some time in the millinery business prior to her marriage. She
is an ardent Presbyterian, taking great interest in the First Presbyterian
Church of Meadville, and in Sunday school work, and is popular in social
circles. She is quiet and refined, devoted to her husband and children.
She belongs to the Priscillas of the Church, tlie Ladies of the Maccabees
and Tribe of Ben Hur. Mr. and Mrs. Aldrich have three children: i.
Percy, born in Vernon township, June 11, 1893, educated in Business Col-
lege, now in the employ of the Erie Railroad Company as bookkeeper;
married, September 3, 1914, Lottie Brown. 2. Ralph Raymond, born Au-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1219
gust 8, 1895, a shipping clerk in the employ of the J. J. Shryock Company
at Meadville. 3. Burton Rush, born February 28, 1898, a student in the
high school.
(The Dunham Line.)
This family was founded in England by Rychert Donham, who was
born in the year 1294, and at an early date settled in Devonshire, England.
He was probably a Spanish adventurer, but little is known of his ancestry.
He engaged in raising sheep and in manufacturing woolen goods, becoming
a person of great importance in his time and founding a family that became
connected with the English royal line and was interwoven with English
history for the following several centuries. The name has been variously
spelled, Donham, Dunham and Denham; and the coat-of-arms adopted by
Sir John Dunham, in 1498, was : Azure, on chief indented, or, a label gules.
(I) Two grandsons of Rychert Donham, Geoff ryde and John, born
respectively in the years 1350 and 1351, removed from Devonshire to Nor-
folk, England, and founded the city of Norwich. Their descendants were
influential in that section of England down to the time of the civil wars,
when John Dunham, son of Thomas, born at Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, in
1589, became identified with the Separatists. During the religious persecu-
tion in the early part of the seventeenth century, he escaped to Holland
with others of the same religious views, and became a promient member
of the colony at Leyden that subsequently came over to America in the
"Mayflower," landing at Plymouth in 1620. His name appears on the pas-
senger list of the "Mayflower" as "John Goodman," the cognomen which he
assumed in Holland for the sake of safety; and this name he still retained
in America for ten or twelve years. It was not until 1632 or 1633 that the
name "John Dunham" appears on the records of Plymouth colony, when
he was chosen a deacon in the church. He was married at Leyden in 1619,
to Abigail Wood, a distant cousin, and there his eldest child was born just
prior to sailing for America. There were eleven children : John, born 1620,
in Leyden, Holland, died at Wellsfleet, Eastham, Massachusetts, in 1692,
having many descendants; Abigail, born 1623; Thomas, 1626; Samuel, 1628;
Hannah, 1630; Jonathan, 1632; Persis, 1635; Joseph, 1636; Benjamin, 1637;
Daniel, 1639 ; Benajah. mentioned further.
(II) Benajah Dunham, son of Deacon John and Abigail (Wood) Dun-
ham, was born in 1640, and died December 24, 1680, at Piscataway, New
Jersey. He was a linen weaver by trade; was made freeman in 1664;
removed to Eastham and became court officer in 1669; and in 1672 settled
at Piscataway, New Jersey, where he purchased a hundred acres of land
and became a planter. He was a captain of militia. October 25, 1660, he
was married to Elizabeth Tilson, of Scituate, Massachusetts. Children :
Edmund, mentioned further; John, born 1663; Elizabeth, 1664; Hannah,
1666; Benjamin. 1667; Mary, 1669; Elizabeth, 1670.
(III) Rev. Edmund Dunham, son of Benajah and Elizabeth (Tilson)
Dunham, was born July 25, 1661, at Plymouth, Massachusetts, died March
17. 1734. He was ordained at W'esterly, Rhode Island, in 1705, became
I220 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
pastor at Piscataway, and was founder of the Seventh Day Baptist Church
in New Jersey. He married, July 15, 1681, Mary Bonham. Children:
Benajah, born 1684; Elizabeth, 1689; Edmund, 1691 ; Jonathan, mentioned
further; Ephraim, 1696; Ruth, 1698; Mary, 1700; Hannah, 1704.
(IV) Rev. Jonathan Dunham, son of Rev. Edmund and Mary (Bon-
ham) Dunham, was born March 4, 1693, died March 10, 1777. He suc-
ceeded his father in the ministry, and preached in Pennsylvania, at Westerly,
Rhode Island, and at Newport; he served also in the militia in 1715. In
1714 he married Jane Pyatt. Children: Elizabeth, born 1715; Azariah,
1718; Jonathan, 1721 ; David, mentioned further; Isaac, 1725; Ruth, 1727;
Samuel, 1730; Jane, 1734.
(V) David Dunham, son of Rev. Jonathan and Jane (Pyatt) Dunham,
was born March 14, 1723, died October 6, 1806, and was buried at Stelton,
New Jersey. He married, October 14, 1750, Rebecca Dunn, who died
August 30, 1734. Children: Jonathan, born 1751 ; Sarah, 1752; David,
1755; Jeremiah, 1758; Azariah. 1760; Phineas, mentioned further.
(VI) Phineas Dunham, son of David and Rebecca (Dunn) Dunham,
was born December 11. 1764, died February 10. 1844. He married, No-
vember 13, 1788, Zeniiah Dimham, born July 14, 1767, daughter of David
Dunham, cousin of Phineas, died July 16. 1864, in Vernon near Meadville,
Pennsylvania. Both are buried in (ireendale Cemetery at Meadville. Chil-
dren: Rebecca, born September 11. 1789, married Samuel Lord, died in
Meadville; Lewis, mentioned further; Lot Parent, born November 27, 1793,
married, October 27, 1825, Catherine H. Mead, daughter of General David
Mead, and died in Meadville; Jeremiah Stelli, born October 31, 1795, mar-
ried, March 30. 1820, Cynthia Bradley, and died in Detroit, Michigan;
Simeon, born April i. 1798, died in Baton Rouge; Maria, born April 28,
1800. married, August 9. 1821. Edward Augustus Reynolds; Eliza, born
September 28. 1802, in Crawford county. Pennsylvania, married, June 7,
1827, Hon. James Miles, and died near (lirard, Pennsylvania.
(VII) Lewis Dunham, son of Phineas and Zeruiah (Dunham) Dun-
ham, was born November 3. 1791. in Piscataway, New Jersey, died Novem-
ber 7, 185 1, in Vernon township, two miles north of Meadville, Pennsyl-
vania. He married, February 20, 1812, Jane McGrady, born 1793, died
1870. Children: William, mentioned further; Zeruiah, married William
Tucker and had three children. Harriet, Jane, and Lydia ; Phineas ; Au-
gustus ; Eliza, married John McFarland ; Susan ; Rebecca, married L. F.
Morgan ; Alexander, married Mary Yates whose mother was sister of
President Buchanan.
(VIII) William Dunham, son of Lewis and Jane (McGrady) Dunham,
was born April 13, 1813, died February 7, 1862. He married, December
30, 1837, Mary Ikeler. Children: Harriet, deceased; Lewis, deceased; Sarah
Jane, born August 13, T834, married Dr. Elerton Aldrich (see Aldrich III) ;
Marv Ellen; Eliza Ann. deceased; Phineas, deceased; Clara; Margaret.
(The Chase Line.^
(1) The first ancestor of the Chase family, Christian name unknown,
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1221
of the line herein recorded, was a native of Massacluisetts, and after the
Revolutionary War he enlisted in the army engaged in the Indian War,
and having served his term of five months reported at Pittsburgh and was
honorably discharged. He then came to Crawford county, Pennsylvania,
where he led the life of a pioneer, leveling the mighty forest, clearing and
cultivating the ground, depending upon the fruit of his own labor for the
sustenance of his family and herds. He was the father of eight children,
a daughter and seven sons, among whom was Samuel G.. of whom further.
(II) Samuel G. Chase, the eldest son, was born in December, 1804, in
Mead township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, died there, November 10,
1887. In later life he purchased a farm nearer Meadville, and there spent
the remainder of his life. In early life he became a Christian and united
with the old State Road Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he and his
wife were consistent members for many years, later uniting with the Meth-
odist church in Meadville, in the communion of which he remained until
his death. One of his most prominent and commendable characteristics
was his indefatigable industry, always toiling, always doing something to
bring comfort and the necessaries of life to his family. In a letter from a
nephew, living in Kansas, to his mother, he wrote as follows about Samuel
G. Chase: ''I can only remember him now as the patient, kind-hearted
uncle, who for so many years toiled and buflfetted through a little prosperity
and much adversity, and who amid all his many trials, never was known to
lose that gentleness of disposition which you know was his. Dear, kind
old uncle; small and meagre were his opportunities in life, yet how broad
and rich was the goodness of his nature." The crowning goodness of his
long life was his firm adhesion to his duty to the Master, and he delighted
to meet with the disciples of Girist in the house of God and in the prayer
meeting. He married Ursula Sacket, who, with three sons and one daughter
survived him. A second daughter, Mrs. Almena Hibbard, died in 1887.
His funeral services were conducted in the Wayland Baptist Church, Rev.
M. Miller, preaching the sermon, and the remains were interred in Oakland
Cemetery.
(III) Newell Chase, son of Samuel G. Chase, was born in Mead
township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, April 24, 1837, died September
27, 1912. He learned the trade of stone mason, which he followed, deriving
therefrom a comfortable livelihood. He is an upright and energetic man,
in his daily life adheres to the "Golden Rule," and he casts his vote for
the candidates of the Republican party. He married Elizabeth McNamara,
born May 15, 1836, and they are the parents of eight children, as follows:
Lydia, now Mrs. Braymer; Mary, now Mrs. Roberts; Olive, now Mrs.
Monin ; Oren W. ; Marguerite, now Mrs. McMahan ; Letetia, wife of Leon
W. Aldrich ; Harriet, now Mrs. Scowden; Minnie B. Melvin, deceased.
This branch of the Irvin family has been identified with the
IRVIN commercial and financial interests of the state of Pennsylvania
for some generations. William Irvin died July 4. 1862. For
1222 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
many years he was successfully engaged in business as a merchant. He
married Elizabeth Beatty, died at Sharon, Pennsylvania, October, 1912,
daughter of James and Ann Beatty. Children : Edmond Lintner, see for-
ward; Albert, of Conneaut, Ohio; William, died at the age of eight years.
Edmond Lintner Irvin, son of William and Elizabeth (Beatty) Irvin,
was born in Meadville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, July 16, 1854, and
died April 23, 1903. His grandmother, Mrs. James Beatty, had charge of
him during the early years of his life. After completing the course of
study at the public schools he became a pupil at the Academy in Jamestown,
Pennsylvania, from which he was graduated. His first business position
was that of clerk in a dry goods store, but he was obliged to
resign this by reason of impaired health and went west. For some time
he lived in Denver, Colorado, and also in Leadville, then returned to Mead-
ville, Pennsylvania, where he embarked in the coal business in association
with John Irvin, and this was continued for almost a quarter of a century.
The contracting business also engaged his time and attention, and he paved
the first streets in the town of Meadville. His partner, John Irvin, having
died, this interest was purchased by Albert Nisbet, with whom Mr. Irvin
remained in partnership until 1883, after which Mr. Irvin carried on the
business alone. He purchased a fine residence at No. JTJ Park avenue,
which he had almost entirely rebuilt in accordance with his own ideas.
Broad and liberal-minded in all his ideas, he was held in the highest esteem
in all circles. As a member of the Park Avenue Congregational Church,
he contributed liberally toward the support of that institution, as he did
also toward the support of the jNIeadville City Hospital, of which he was
one of the directors. In financial circles he was honored with election to
the ofiice of director in the Meadville Chamber of Commerce, and his
active interest was also displayed by his membership in the Taylor Fire
Hose Company. His fraternal connections were with the Ancient Order
of United Workmen ; Royal Arcanum ; Crawford Lodge, No. 234, Free
and Accepted Masons; King Solomon Chapter, No. 191, Royal Arch
Masons ; North Western Commandery, No. 25, Knights Templar ; Zem
Zem Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.
Mr. Irvin married, at Meadville, September 23, 1885, Mary Reynolds,
born December 21, i860 (see Reynolds V). Children: i. William Edward,
born in Meadville, September 26, 1886; received his education in his native
city ; he went to New York, where he was the bookkeeper for the United
States Mortgage & Trust Company; next he was employed by the Screw
and Bolt Company, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and at the present time
he is in the employ of the Pittsburgh Railway Steel Company. 2. Katherine
Kellogg, born in Meadville. April 17, 1891; was educated in the Meadville
schools, Allegheny College, Meadville, and the Girls' Finishing School, Den-
ver, Colorado; she married, January 8, 1913, H. Jones, and they reside in
Braddock, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. 3. Louise Reynolds, born at
Meadville, July 25, 1893 ; is a student at Allegheny College. 4. Robert
Lintner, born at Meadville, April 5, 1898 ; is now a pupil in the high school.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1223
(The Reynolds Line.)
Members of the Reynolds family have been identified with the early
history of Crawford county, Pennsylvania, as well as with that of the
present day. No family in the country has a cleaner or more honorable
record, and they have contributed to every cause that had for its purpose
the upbuilding of the national prosperity. Education, religion, civic better-
ment, all alike met with their approval and were benefited by the assistance
readily given. Among those members of this family not in the direct line
of descent we are tracing in this sketch, yet worthy of at least a brief
mention is the late Hon. William Reynolds, cousin of Edward Augustus
Reynolds, mentioned hereinafter. He was one of the prime movers in
many projects which brought about improved conditions, making Meadville
one of the finest inland cities of Western Pennsylvania. He was a leading
spirit in that body of men who, in 1853, succeeded in securing the construc-
tion of a railroad through what was then the borough of Meadville. His-
torian and writer as well as promoter and financial genius, it is to his faith-
ful pen that we owe much of the data incorporated in this article. His
son, the Hon. John Reynolds, follows closely in the footsteps of his father,
and ably represents his family in the present generation.
(I) John Reynolds, born and died in England, inherited a large, en-
tailed estate in Worcestershire, England. He married Sarah Fox, of Lon-
don, and had nine children. Among them were: John, who inherited
the estate as the eldest son ; William, see forward.
(H) William Reynolds, the American progenitor of the family, was
a son of John and Sarah (Fox) Reynolds, and was bom in England. He
came to America in the winter of 1794-95, having been ninety days at sea,
bringing witli him his wife and family, and settled at Cherry Tree, Venango
county, Pennsylvania. It is possible that he remained for a time in New
York and Brooklyn prior to settling at Cherry Tree, where he purchased
a large tract of land. Although the Reynolds family of England had been
strict Church of England people, William Reynolds, when a young man,
had united with the Baptist denomination. The immediate cause of his
emigration was to be found in the fact of his sympathy with the French
Republic movement, as a direct result of which his house and landed prop-
erty was destroyed during the period known as the Birmingham Riots.
They had removed to Birmingham prior to this disturbed period, during
which the property of the celebrated Joseph Priestly was also destroyed
and he also emigrated to America. With his family William Reynolds
settled on a tract of land purchased from the Holland Land Company, at
Cherry Tree. He married Lydia, daughter of Rev. John Thomas, of the
Baptist church, and had children, the first eight born in England: i. John,
born July 18, 1782, died July 23, 1871. 2. Eliza, born October 5, 1783,
died May 11, 1804. 3. Mary, born September 18, 1785, died January 3,
1854. 4. Lydia, born August 23, 1786, died April 19, 1864. 5. Sarah, born
November 29, 1787, died August 14, 1852. 6. Anne, born June 4, 1789,
died September 17, 1830. 7. Eleanor, born October 27, 1790, died April
1224 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
4, 1893. 8. William, born November 24, 1792, died February 16, 1868.
9. Joshua, born at sea, October 11, 1794, died August 4, 1873. 10. Edwara
Augustus, see forward. 11. Louisa, born at Cherry Tree, September 15,
1802, died February 10, 1885.
(III) Edward Augustus Reynolds, son of William and Lydia (Thomas)
Reynolds, was born in Brooklyn, New York, October 18, 1797, and died
October 6, 1876. He was but one year of age when his parents removed
to Veiiango county, Pennsylvania, and at the age of fourteen years he
came to JNIeadville, and attended the school conducted by the Rev. Johnson.
In 1818 he was a clerk in the county commissioner's office, and in 1830
he was appointed protlionotary of Crawford county by Governor Wolf, and
served two terms in this office. He was elected brigade inspector by the
military division of Crawford county, with the rank of major, and served
for a period of seven years. He was engaged in the mercantile line of
business, and owned and conducted personally a dry goods store. Later
he was connected with the iron industry, built and operated a furnace in
Venango county, and was subsequently manager of the Eagle l-'urnace and
a partner of the firm. Still later he established a hardware and tm store
in which he was personally active. It was only a very short time prior
to his death that he retired from the active personal conduct of his busi-
ness affairs. For forty-six years he served as a ruling elder in the Pres-
byterian church, and in political matters he was also active in the in-
terests of the Democratic party. At one time he was the owner of the
fine residence of the late Mrs. Craighead, but his latest residence was at
No. 371 Walnut street, and is now occupied by his daughters, Eliza and
Anna.
Mr. Reynolds married, August 9, 1821, Maria Dunham, born in New
Jersey, April 28, 1800, died September 2, 1880 (see Dunham VII). Chil-
dren: I. Simeon, born July 25, 1822, died June, 1880. 2. Rebecca, born
May 17, 1824, died in December, 1906. 3. Mary Louise, born March 10,
1828. 4. Edward Augustus, see forward. 5. Joshua Thomas, born October
ID, 1834. 6. Eliza Zeruiah, born September 25, 1837. 7- Anna Maria, born
January 22, 1840.
(IV) Edward Augustus (2) Reynolds, son of Edward Augustus (i)
and Maria (Dunham) Reynolds, was born November 25, 1830. He has
been a resident of Crawford county throughout his life, and has been en-
gaged in agricultural pursuits. His present farm is the old Dunham home-
stead, which he keeps in a fine state of cultivation. He is a man of the
highest type of citizenship, and is always one of the first in line when a
projest is afoot for the betterment of existing conditions. As a member
of the Congregational church he has done excellent service, and in his
political relations, which are with the Democratic party, he has also been
active, and has served as a school director of the township.
Mr. Reynolds married, at Meadville, November 25, 1858, Catherine
Law Kellogg, born January 28, 1835. They have had children: i. Affin
Kellogg, born August 21, 1859. 2. Mary, see forward. 3. Katherine, born
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1225
April 7, 1863. 4. Charles Torbett, bom December 7, 1864. 5. Edmund
Augustus, born September i, 1866. 6. Anna Maria, born March 7, 1868.
7. Jane Hayes, born February 14, 1870. 8. George, born August 18, 1871.
9. William, born December 31, 1873, died October, 1875. 10. Louise Mc-
Clintock, born September 29, 1875. 11. Arthur Dunham, bom January
14, 1877. 12. Frank Neuman, born December 23, 1880.
(V) Mary, daughter of Edward Augustus (2) and Catherine Law
(Kellogg) Reynolds, was born in Meadville, Pennsylvania, December 21,
i860. She was graduated from the Meadville High School, and has been
a life-long resident of Crawford county. She is a member of the Con-
gregational church and of the societies connected with this institution, and
takes an active part in furthering their interests. As a member of the
Daughters of the American Revolution her national number is 60,032. She
is a direct descendant of Captain William Bell and of John Foster, Revolu-
tionary soldiers (see Foster Line forward). She married, September 23,
1885, Edmond Lintner Irvin (see Irvin H).
(The Dunham Line.)
(I) Deacon John Dunham was born in the village of Scrooby, Not-
tinghamshire, England, 1588-89. He came from Leyden, Holland, in the
"Mayflower," sailing under the name of John Goodman, and was registered
as an unmarried man. This was necessary to effect his escape to the New
World'in safety, owing to the religious persecutions of those times. He
settled at Plymouth, Massachusetts, where he was an honored member of
the community. Deacon John Dunham married, in Leyden, Holland, Octo-
ber 17, 1619. Abigail Wood, who was distantly related to him. His son
John was born about the time of the sailing of the vessel, and tlie young
mother and her child were not permitted to accompany him. She, how-
ever, managed to rejoin her husband in Plymouth. Children: i. John,
born in Leyden, Holland, 1620. 2. Abigail, born at Plymouth, Massachu-
setts, 1623. 3. Thomas, bom in 1626. 4. Samuel, born in 1628. 5. Hannah,
born 1630. 6. Jonathan, born 1632. 7. Persis, born 1635. 8. Joseph, born
1636. 9. Benjamin, born 1637. 10. Daniel, born 1639. 11. Benajah, see
forward.
(H) Benajah Dunham, son of Deacon John and Abigail (Wood)
Dunham, was born in 1640, and died at Piscataway, December 24, 1680.
He was a court officer, served as captain of the militia, and in 1672 pur-
chased one hundred acres of land. He married, October 25, 1660, Eliza-
beth Tilson. Children : Edmond, see forward ; John, born 1663 ; Eliza-
beth, 1664, died 1667; Hannah, 1666; Benjamin, 1667; Mary, 1669; Eliza-
beth, 1670.
(Hi) Rev. Edmond Dunham, son of Benajah and Elizabeth (Tilson)
Dunham, was born in Plymouth, Massachusetts, July 25, 1661, and died
March 4, 1734. He was ordained at Westerly, Rhode Island, in 1705, and
in the same year founded the Seventh Day Baptists in New Jersey. He
married, July 15, 1681, Mary Bonham, and had children: Benjamin, bom
1226 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
1684; Elizabetli, 1689; Edmond, 1691 ; Jonathan, see forward; Ephraim,
born 1696; Ruth, 1698; Mar)', 1700; Hannah, 1704.
(IV) Rev. Jonathan Dunham, son of Rev. Edmond and Mary (Bon-
ham) Dunham, was born March 4, 1693, and died March 10, 1777. In
1715 he was a member of the Fourth company. Colonel Thomas Flamer's
regiment. He succeeded his father in the ministry. He married, at Pis-
cataway. New Jersey, August 4, 17 14, Jane Pyatt, who died September
^5' 1779) ^t the age of eighty-four years. Children: Elizabeth, born
1715; Azariah, 1718: Jonathan, 1721 ; David, see forward; Isaac, born
1725; Ruth, 1727; Samuel, 1730; Jane, 1734.
(V) David Dunham, son of Rev. Jonathan and Jane (Pyatt) Dun-
ham, was born March 14, 1723, died October 6, 1806, and was buried at
Stelton, New Jersey. He married, October 14, 1750, Rebecca Dunn, who
died August 30, 1734. Children: Jonathan, born 1751 ; Sarah, 1752;
David, 1755; Jeremiah, 1758; Azariah, 1760; Phineas, see forward.
(VI) Phineas Dunham, son of David and Rebecca (Dunn) Dunham,
was born December 11, 1764, died February 11, 1848, and was buried near
Stelton, New Jersey. He came to Crawford county, Pennsylvania, in 1802,
and settled on a farm twelve miles north of Meadville. He married, No-
vember 13, 1788, his cousin Zeruiah, born July 14, 1767, died July 16, 1864,
a daughter of David Dunham. She died in Vernon township, Crawford
county, Pennsylvania. Children: Rebecca, born 1789; Lewis, November
3, 1791 ; Lot Parent, 1793: Jeremiah Stelli, 1795; Simeon, 1798; Maria,
see forward; Eliza, born 1802.
(VII) Maria, daughter of Phineas and Zeruiah (Dunham) Dunham,
was born at Piscataway, New Jersey, April 28, 1800. She married, August
9, 1821, Edward Augustus Reynolds (see Reynolds III).
(The Foster Line.)
(I) Arthur Foster, May 6, 1738, owned a tract of two hundred and
fifty acres of land near the city of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
(II) John Foster, son of Arthur Foster, was born in Paxton town-
ship, near the city of Pennsylvania, September, 1759, on his father's home-
stead. He enlisted as a private, and served, 1776, in Captain William Bell's
company. Fourth Battalion of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, under the
command of Colonel James Burd. The officers of this company were
William Bell, captain ; Andrew Stewart, first lieutenant ; Conrad Jontz, sec-
ond lieutenant ; Samuel Simpson, ensign.
(III) Dorcas, daughter of John Foster, married Captain William Be».
(IV) Jane, daughter of Captain William and Dorcas (Foster) Bell,
married Samuel Hayes.
(V) Jane, daughter of Samuel and Jane (Bell) Hayes, married George
Kellogg.
(VI) Catherine Law, daughter of George and Jane (Hayes) Kellogg,
married Edward Augustus Reynolds (see Reynolds IV).
(VII) Mary, daughter of Edward Augustus and Catherine Law (Kel-
logg) Reynolds, was born in Vernon township, Crawford county, Penn-
>-
a/^
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1227
sylvania, December 21, i860. She married Edward Lintner Irvin (see
Irvin II).
Hazzard Schuyler Jackson is of Scotch and EngHsh descent.
JACKSON His paternal grandfather, Stephen Jackson, was a native
of Scotland. In 1800 he was married to Statiria Drake, a
native of England. They migrated from Scotland to the United States of
America and came to Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in the early days
of its development. He secured a farm in the then sparsely settled region,
and there resided the remainder of his life, successfully operating it. His
death occurred in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, in the eighth ward of the city.
(II) Andrew Jackson, a son of Stephen and Statiria (Drake) Jack-
son, and father of Hazzard Schuyler Jackson, was born in Allegheny
■county, Pennsylvania, in the year 1823. He was educated in the local
public schools, and upon reaching his manhood and completing his studies,
settled in the city of Allegheny, and went into the lumber business. He
■was married to Charlotte Kelley, of Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, where
she was born in the year 1824, her father being Abner Kelley, a life-long
resident of Shelocta, Armstrong county, Pennsylvania; his wife was Mary
(Richardson) Kelley. After a few successful years of business and the
death of his wife, which occurred in 1859, Andrew Jackson married Re-
"becca McClaran, of Indiana county, Pennsylvania, and moved to Sewickley
on the Ohio river, a few miles from Pittsburgh, where he continued in the
lumber business for some time. Failing in health he purchased a planta-
tion in Kentucky in the year 1874, living there only a short time, his wife
■dying in the spring of 1875, and his health failing rapidly, he left his plan-
tation to return to Pennsylvania, but died on his way home the latter part
•of May, 1875.
(Ill) Dr. Hazzard Schuyler Jackson, fourth son of Andrew and Char-
lotte (Kelley) Jackson, was born in Allegheny City, Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, March 6, 1856. While very young his parents removed to a
farm in Armstrong county, where he spent much of his childhood. His
mother died in 1859. His father, after his second marriage, moved back
to Allegheny City, remaining there a few years as a successful lumber mer-
chant. In 1865, Andrew Jackson moved to Sewickley, where Hazzard
Schuyler Jackson grew to manhood. In the year 1875 he was married to
Sarah Ellen Hart, daughter of John William and Sarah (iMcNamee) Hart,
of Wheeling, West Virginia. It was at Sewickley that Hazzard S. Jackson
received the major portion of his education, and where, after completing
the more general studies, he took his course to fit him for his professional
■career. His pursuance of this was under the direction of Dr. Robert Jen-
nings, State Veterinarian for Western Pennsylvania. In 1884 Dr. Jackson
received his degree as veterinary surgeon, and since that time has been
steadily engaged in the practice of his profession, in which he has made a
success. In 1894 Dr. Jackson opened a liverj' stable and has flourished
•greatly in his new enterprise. In 1905, his old quarters proving too small
1228 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
for his expanding business, he erected a fine building at No. 417 Beaver
street, Sewickley, and with this as headquarters he carries on an extensive
business. In politics, Dr. Jackson is a Republican, and he takes a keen
and vital interest in the affairs of his community. Indeed it is more than
mere interest that he gives, for he has played an active part in the conduct
of local affairs and has served his fellow citizens on the board of health for
a period of about three years. He owns his own home at No. 204 Fred-
erick avenue, Sewickley, Pennsylvania. He and his family are members
of the First Methodist Episcopal Church, Sewickley.
Three children have been born to Hazzard Schuyler and Sarah Ellen
Jackson. The first child, John Hart, died at the age of eleven years.
The second child, Ida Belle, was married, June 4, 1907, to William James
McCann, son of Robert H. and Lucy (Hadley) ?^IcCann, of Zanesville,
Ohio; they live in their own home. No. 721 Hill street. Sewickley: two
children have been born to William James and Ida Belle AlcCann : Robert
Hadley, now six years of age; and John Hart, aged two years. The third
child. Joe Ringley, is in business with his father ; he was married Septem-
ber 28, 1913, to Jeannette M. Browne, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander
Stephen Browne, of Hasson Heights, Oil City. Pennsylvania: they are
now living in their own home, No. 312 Thorn street, Sewickley. Penn-
sylvania.
The origin of the name of Forbes, like that of most family
FORBES names, is surrounded by mystery. It is of Scotch origin.
and has been spelled in the town records of New England.
Ffarrabas, Fferebas, Farrowbush. Fforbus. Forbes, Forbus, Forbush, Fur-
bush, Fforbes, Farabas, Fobes. Farebush and Fawbush. It is stated in
Burke's Heraldry that the surname Forbes was assumed from the lands
of Forbes in the county Aberdeen, Scotland, granted by Alexander II
(1249) to the progenitor of this noble family. John de Forbes, the first
upon record, was a man of rank and importance in the reign of King
William the Lion (1214). Following him was a long line of descendants
of whom William Forbes, of Tullickerne, Scotland, wrote in 1580: "In
all ages since our first aryse, we myght compair with neighbors, for greater
loyalty and valor for pietie (which we think truely ennobleth a families) :
witness the many bishops and doctors att home and renowned divines
abroad. Like as the root has ever done, so the several branches of the
house thought it their greatest honour to honour God in their generations.
As to their loyaltie, it was never stained."
(I) Robert Forbes lived and died on a small farm in Aberdeenshire,
Scotland, and was prominent there in the establishment of the local Pres-
byterian church. He was of robust physique and six feet in height. He
married, and had children : Robert, of further mention ; James, deceased,
lived on a farm in Scotland ; Andrew, who was a stone cutter in Pitts-
burgh, Pennsylvania, for a period of twenty years, returned to Scotland
in 1903, and died there the following year; John, deceased; William, de-
ceased, was a flour miller in Scotland.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1229
(II) Robert (2) Forbes, son of Robert (i) Forbes, was born in
Aberdeenshire, Scotland, in the Parish of McMarron, in 1827, and died
in 1905. He inherited the homestead, and lived on it all his life. Like
his father, he was of tall stature. He married Annie Abel, born in the
Parish of McMarron in 1820, died in 1892, a daughter of AVilliam Abel,
who was born in the same parish, and died there at a very advanced age.
He had other children : George and William, farmers in Scotland : Ra-
chael, who married James Davidson. Mr. and Mrs. Forbes had children:
William, lives on a farm in the Parish of Banchory ; Robert, a farmer in
the same parish in Aberdeenshire; George, a grocer in Ayr, Ayrshire, Scot-
land; Annie, unmarried, lives with her brother William; John, of further
mention; Isabelle, also lives with William.
(III) John Forbes, son of Robert (2) and Annie (Abel) Forbes, was
born at Pansk Bank, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. October 31, 1858. He
acquired a substantial education in the public schools in his native country,
attending them until he was fourteen years of age, and then became a clerk
in a general store in the village of Dorfins, remaining there four and a
half years, and during this time acquiring a thorough knowledge of all the
details of the retail mercantile business. He then went to Glasgow, where
he found employment in the dry goods store of John Anderson for two
years. In 1882 he emigrated to the United States, going directly to Pitts-
burgh, and during the next seven years had charge of the carpet depart-
ment of Mr. Sample's store on Federal street. By this time he had
amassed considerable capital, and associated himself with John Mackey,
under the firm name of Mackey & Forbes. They opened a dry goods store
on Butler street, Pittsburgh, Mr. Forbes selling out his interest at the end
of seven years. In March, 1896, he removed to Homestead, Pennsylvania,
and established himself in the dry goods business there in a small way,
on Sixth avenue, where he was located seven years, and then moved to
Eighth avenue. In 1907 he erected a fine store building at No. 137 East
Eighth avenue, and now conducts a large, modern business there. He has
gradually increased the size and scope of his stock, until he now carries a
most varied assortment of high class wares. He is a director of the Monon-
gahela Trust Company, and has an interest in other enterprises. At the
age of fifteen years he joined the church, and is now an elder of the First
Presbyterian Church of Homestead. In National political matters he gives
his support to the Republican party, but in local affairs prefers to cast an
independent vote. His fraternal connection is with Lodge No. 582, Free
and Accepted Masons.
Mr. Forbes married, January 9, 1894, Annie Richie, who was born in
Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and was ten years of age when she was brought
to this country by her parents. She is a daughter of Archibald and Isabella
(Coots) Richie, the former an architect, and the family lived for many
years at Mount Forrest, Ontario, Canada. Mr. and Mrs. Forbes have had
children: John Coots and Jennie R., the latter born in 1900, and both at-
tending the Homestead High School.
I230 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
The first of his line to leave the Ireland home, Thomas Ash made
ASH his new home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He had been edu-
cated in his native land and had there been trained in the car-
penter's trade, which he followed in Pittsburgh. He died soon after the
birth of his fifth child, Charles H., his widow marrying again, her second
husband being John McNeal, the family home continuing on the farm in
Hampton township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, bought by Thomas
Ash. Mr. Ash married Mary Ellen Collins, her family an early one io
the Pittsburgh district, and had children : Mary Ann, Catherine, Sara
Fresie, James, Charles H., of whom further. Children of the second mar-
riage of Mary Ellen (Collins) Ash, that with John McNeal: Margaret,
William, Edward.
Charles H. Ash, youngest of the five children of Thomas and Mary-
Ellen (Collins) Ash, was born in Hampton township, Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, July 14, 1845. He was educated in the public schools of
Hampton township, and has made the place of his birth his life-long home,
owning fifty acres of land, his principal operations being in the raising
of grain and hay. The house that he and his family occupy was first built
by his father, additions and alterations having been made by Mr. Ash as
necessary. Mr. Ash married, December 14, 1872, Margaret Beet, of Hamp-
ton township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, and has children: Evaline,
Margaret, Eleanor, Viola, WiUiam, Genevieve, deceased, Charles, Richard.
Albert Clififord Packer comes of an old Allegheny county
PACKER fjuuily, who through long residence has become intimately
associated with the life and traditions of the region. His
father, William Henry Packer, was a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
who left that city about the time of the great railroad strike there, and
came to Verona, Pennsylvania. He was a painter by trade, and upon reach-
ing Verona engaged in a contracting business for himself. Mr. Packer,
Sr. was a member of Company D, One Hundred and Ninety-eighth Regi-
ment Pennsylvania Volunteers, and served during the Civil War, when he
was wounded in the shin. He married Sarah Jane Talent, of Pennsyl-
vania, where she was born. To Mr. and Mrs. Packer were born six chil-
dren, as follows: Charles W., now a railroad man of Terre Haute, Indiana;
John T., now a resident of Mount Alto, Pennsylvania; Clara, died in 1891 ;
Edwin J., a glassworker of Greensburg, Pennsylvania; and Albert C. and
Cora, twins, of whom Cora died when but a few days old. Mrs. William
H. Packer died when her son, Albert C, was but two years old.
Albert Clifford Packer was born April 14, 1881, at Verona, Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, and received his education in the local public schools.
When only twelve years of age he left school and found employment at a
number of different tasks, continuing thus until sixteen, when he applied
himself with great diligence to mastering the machinist's trade in the
Verona Tool Works. Having accomplished this end, he followed the same
for a period of seven years, by which time he had saved, by dint of in-
c^^!^C^^£^i^ -^ L/^c^^/^yt^
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1231
dustry and frugality, enough money to build for himself a bowling alley
and pool parlor at No. 742 Front street, Verona, in which he now con-
ducts a flourishing and lucrative business. He is also the owner of a half
interest in the firm of Packer & Clark in the Pleasant Hour Theatre,
established in 1913. Mr. Packer is a self-made man in the best sense of
the word. He does not confine his time and attention to his personal in-
terests, but gives generously of both to a public-spirited participation in
the general life of the town. He is a member of a number of fraternal
and social organizations, among these being the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, and the Knights of Pythias. He is a member of the Republican
party and takes a keen interest in all political questions, whether of local
or general significance. Mr. Packer married, May 3, 1909, Lillian Kerns,
of Murrysville, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Albert Clififord Packer is a member
of the Presbyterian church, while her husband worships in the United Pres-
byterian church.
The name of Davies is one which has been honored in many
DA VIES countries. In the present instance it was brought to America
from Wales.
(I) Rees Thomas Davies was born in Wales, and emigrated to the
L^nited States in 1879. He went directly to Pennsylvania, where he located
at Irwin, and there became a miner, an occupation with which he had been
identified in his native land. Later he removed to Homestead, Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, where he died in 1903, after a residence there of
twenty-two years. He married (first) Elizabeth Davies, who died at Home-
stead in 1883, and they had fourteen children, of whom the following
named grew to maturity: Thomas R., of further mention; Eleanor; Mary,
married Daniel L. Price, and died at the age of twenty-seven years ; Rees,
deceased; David; Isaac. Mr. Davies married (second) Ann Watkeys,
and they had one child: Elizabeth. Mr. Davies was a member of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and he and his wife were members
of the Congregational church.
(II) Thomas R. Davies, son of Rees Thomas and Elizabeth (Davies)
Davies, was born in Glamorganshire, Wales, May 19, 1865. He received
his education in the public schools of his native country. At the age of
thirteen years he commenced working in the mines, and was thus occupied
until he was sixteen years of age. He then came to this country in the
company of his parents, and in 1881 entered the employ of the Carnegie
Steel Company at Homestead, finding a position in the bessemer department,
which he filled until 1888. He was then transferred to the rolling depart-
ment, in which he has been occupied since that time. His political affilia-
tions are with the Republican party, and he and his wife are members of
the Presbyterian church. He is a member of the Masonic Fraternity up
to the Thirty-second degree, a member of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, and also of the Royal Arcanum. He takes a deep interest in
educational work of all kinds, and has for a long time been one of the
1232
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
board of directors of the Carnegie Library. All his life he has been a
devoted patron of the art of music, and he is a charter member of the
Pittsburgh Male Chorus. Mr. Davies married, in 1889, Edith W., a
daughter of David and Mary Francis, of Elmira, New York. They have
had children: Elizabeth, who was graduated from the Pennsylvania Col-
lege for Women at Pittsburgh, is now a teacher in the public schools ;
Ellsworth, is a student in the commercial department of the University of
Pittsburgh ; Evangeline, died at the age of two years.
The name of Ludwig is a fairly common one in this country,
LUDWIG and was brought here from Germany, where it was probably
first adopted as a surname as a mark of respect for the kings
of some of the provinces, many of these bearing the name of Ludwig, or
its English and French equivalent, Lewis and Louis.
John Ludwig, whose entire life was spent in Germany, was engaged
in business as a general contractor, and was fairly successful in this enter-
prise. He married Caroline \^ogt, also born in Germany, and of their si.x
children, those now living are : John, of further mention ; Martin, of Col-
fax, Pennsylvania.
John (2) Ludwig, son of John (i) and Caroline (Vogt) Ludwig, was
born in Heilbronn, Wiirttemberg, Germany, in 1859. He obtained an ex-
cellent education in his native town, and then entered upon a business
career, filling the position of clerk for some years. Finding that there was
but little opportunity for advancement in his native land, and being energetic
and ambitious, young Ludwig determined to try his fortune in the New
World, and accordingly emigrated to the United States in 1882, being at
the time about twenty-two years of age. He made his home at Braddock,
Pennsylvania, for one year, then worked in a glass factory in Sharpsburg
for another year, having charge of the furnace for Tribby Brothers, and
after his marriage in Sharpsburg, 1884, removed to Creighton, and worked
for the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company for twenty-six years. In 1886
he removed to Brackenridge, Allegheny county, and there built a small
house for the use of himself and family. This house, which is located on
Fourth street, has been more than doubled in size since it was first put
up, is in excellent condition, and the Ludwig family is still living in it. He
also owns three other houses in Brackenridge. At the present time he Is
in the employ of the Tarentum Glass Company. His religious affiliation
is with the Lutheran church, and he is a member of the Protective Home
Circle. Mr. Ludwig married Sophia Entenman, born in Stuttgart, Germany,
came to this country in 1884. and they had six children, the three first
named living at the present time (1915): i. Herman, a mill worker at
Brackenridge; married Mina Schmidt, and has a daughter, lona.-. 2. Wil-
liam, a glass worker in tlie employ of Emerson, in Baltimore, Maryland ;
married Ella Vetters, of that city. 3. Sophia, lives with her parents. 4.
Alfred, born 1890, died in July, 1890. 5. Pauline, born 1893, died July
26, 1893. 6. Ella, born 1898, died September 16. 1898.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1233
John Braun is one of a family representative of the best type
BRAUN of German American character, which has introduced into
the complex warp and woof of American citizenship an ele-
ment of its own peculiar virtues, those of unwearied pursuit of an objective
and great endurance in effort. His grandparents on both sides of the house
passed their entire lives in the "Fatherland," and his father and mother also
spent their youth in their native land.
It happened, however, that during the years in which Mr. and Mrs.
Braun were growing to manhood and womanhood, a cloud was hanging over
Germany, threatening that land and, indeed, almost the whole of continental
Europe, with the gravest disturbances. The approaching struggle between
the masses of the people, whom a period of political enlightenment and the
awakening of democratic ideals, was beginning to arouse to a sense of their
own rights and power, and an aristocracy firmly entrenched in the customs
and usages of the past, was giving pause to the legitimate projects of sober,
peaceful men, who were, accordingly, turning their eyes elsewhere in
search of more stable conditions amid which to continue their lives. It is
natural that under these circumstances, America, where the fruits of a more
democratic regime were already assured, should appeal strongly to the
imaginations of a large portion of the great peace-loving populations of
Europe, and result in the immense immigration to the United States which
the middle decades of the past century exhibit. One of this great band,
which poured in a continuous flood from Europe upon the shores of this
country, ever weakening the old nations in the same measure with which
it strengthened the great Republic in the west, was Henry J. Braun, who
brought with him also the wife he had married in his native land. The
date of their sailing was 1844, just four years prior to the culmination of
the great democratic movement in Germany in the revolution of 1848-49.
Upon their arrival in the United States, they went at once to the city of
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, making their home in tlie section known as the
"South Side." Just after arriving at the new home, Mr. Braun Sr. se-
cured employment in a mill, and afterwards worked in an oil refinery, and
in the butcher business, for a time, until his removal to Sharpsburg, Penn-
sylvania, which has ever since been the family home. Mr. Braun Sr. was
married in Germany to Mary Smitli, also a native of Germany, and by her
had nine children, as follows: Katherine, Margaret, Henry J., Mary, Jacob,
John, of whom further, William, and two others who died in infancy.
John Braun, the sixth child of Henry J. and Mary (Smith) Braun.
was born January 31, 1859, in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania. Here he was
educated in the local public schools, and upon completing his studies, se-
cured employment in the iron mills, where he was given the position tech-
nically known as "heater." In this occupation Mr. Braun is still engaged.
Besides his business, Mr. Braun is otherwise active in the life of his com-
munity. A staunch member of the Republican party, he takes a keen in-
terest in all political questions, whether of local or general application. He
is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
1234 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Mr. Braun married, December 22, 1881, Maggie Hays, a native of
Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania, daughter of David Hays, of Sharpsburg. Mrs.
Braun is a devout member of the CathoHc church. To Mr. and Mrs.
Braun have been bom ten children, as follows : Sherman J. ; Mamie ;
Sylvia, deceased; Harry; David; Nellie; Charles; Katie, deceased; Mar-
garet and William.
Stevenson Cassidy Beissinger is of German descent on
BEISSINGER his father's side of the house and of Irish on his
mother's, a union of races which often results, as in the
case of Mr. Beissinger, in an extremely capable type of manhood.
His paternal grandparents were Michael and Christina Beissinger, who
were born and passed their whole lives in the Fatherland. Their son, John
George Beissinger, father of Stevenson C. Beissinger, was born in Ger-
many, February 19, 1812, but came to the United States when but six years
of age, and went to live in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, where he was
educated in the local public schools. He continued to live in Chambersburg
during his school years and after, learning tliere the trade of harness mak-
ing, and following the same with a high degree of success. He was a man
of great inventive genius and a master of his craft, and he invented and
made the form of knapsack which was adopted by the United States govern-
ment for the use of its soldiers in the Civil War. Mr. Beissinger prospered
so well in his trade that he was able to buy a farm in Armstrong county,
Pennsylvania, but later gave this life up and went to Pittsburgh, Penn-
sylvania, and recommenced work at his old trade. He finally took up his
residence at Oakmont, Pennsylvania, and there spent the remainder of his
life, his death occurring February 4, 1897. Mr. Beissinger, Sr., was a
Democrat in politics and took an active part in the affairs of his com-
munity. He married Ann Cassidy, a daughter of James and Jane Cassidy,
of Irish descent, but natives and life-long residents of Chambersburg, Penn-
sylvania, where also Mrs. Beissinger was born, October 7, 1818. Mr. and
Mrs. Beissinger were members of the Episcopal church and brought up
their children in this belief. To them were born seven children, as fol-
lows: Jane, deceased; Bushrod Fairfax, who served four years on a gun-
boat during the Civil War ; Hiram, died in early youth ; Cornelia ; Laura
Helen, married Bratton Wolfe, and had a family of six children; Stevenson
Cassidy, of whom further ; Alice. The Armstrong county farm is still in
the possession of the family.
Stevenson Cassidy Beissinger, the sixth child of John George and
Ann (Cassidy) Beissinger, was born December 6. 1856, in the log house
on his father's old farm in Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, and there
lived until the age of sixteen years. He obtained the elementary portion
of his education in the local public schools, and later attended the Sew-
ickley Academy, studying there under the direction of Professor Anderson.
He secured employment as a telegraph operator and later removed to
Nebraska where he was appointed clerk in the Government School for
Indians at Genoa in that state. He also took up a homestead there and
i^/io^i€^ tyiic^ciiia/Ui/n
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1235
went into stock raising. In 1894, however, he returned to Sewickley, Penn-
sylvania, having prospered to such an extent that he has been able to live
retired since that time. But though no longer engaged in business, his re-
tirement must not be understood to mean a withdrawal from the general
life of his community. On the contrary, Mr. Beissinger, is most active in
all matters of public concern, and is prominent in fraternal circles. He is a
Republican in politics, and is now serving his fellow citizens in the capacity
of school director. He is a member of the Masonic Order and of the
Knights of Pythias, having entered both these organizations when in Genoa,
Nebraska.
Mr. Beissinger married, September 29, 1892, Virginia Ann Linn, a
daughter of Hugh Linn, of Sewickley, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere
in this work. Mrs. Beissinger was born in Sewickley Heights township, on
the old Linn homestead, where now Mr. Beissinger, his wife and their
family are living. She was educated in the Sewickley public schools and
the Sewickley Academy. Mr. and Mrs. Beissinger are members of the
Methodist Episcopal church, and have reared their child in that persuasion.
To them has been born one son, Linn DePutron, June 2, 1899, who is now
attending the Sewickley public schools.
Edward McLaughlin, founder of this line of the Mc-
McLAUGHLIN Laughlin family in the L^nited States, came from his
home in Ireland to this country and settled on a rarm
later known as the Wade McLaughlin farm, obtaining the original grant
from the government, and there resided for the remainder of his life. He
cultivated the land to a high state of perfection, and there reared his family
of seven children, namely : Robert, John, Edward, James, Lydia, Eliza-
beth and Mary. He was a man of good education.
(II) Robert McLaughlin, son of Edward McLaughlin, was born on
the old McLaughlin homestead, September 25, 1786, and was a fanner
throughout the active years of his life. In 1812 he enlisted in the American
army against England, serving as drum major and recruiting sergeant for
one year. He died August 28, 1849. He married Barbara Latshaw, in
1814, who bore him seven children, namely: Robert, John, William, Riley,
and three daughters who died in girlhood.
(III) Robert (2) McLaughlin, son of Robert (i) and Barbara (Lat-
shaw) McLaughlin, was born October 3T, 1817, was educated in the public
schools, and upon arriving at man's estate he inherited a farm from his
father in Plum township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, whereon he
erected a house, his home until his death, December 26, 1901, his daughter,
Mrs. Andrew Albert Johnston, residing there at the present time (1915).
He married, December 14, 1864, Adeline McGinnis, born in Patton town-
ship, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, November 5, 1836, died at Unity,
Pennsylvania, July 29, 1912, daughter of John and Eleanor McGinnis. her
father dying June 17, 1874, aged seventy-seven years, her mother dying
February 15, 1891, aged eighty-three years, on the old McGinnis property.
1236 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
known in Revolutionary times by the soldiers as "The Dirty Camp," hence
called The Dirty Camp farm. The town of Pitcairn is now located on the
site. Children of Robert and Adeline (McGinnis) McLaughlin: i. Bar-
bara Ellen, born February 16, 1868; married, September 13, 1888, Beatty
Ralston Wright, and has three living children : Ella, Agnes, Beatty, and
two children deceased : Sidney and Robert William. 2. Agnes, of whom
further. 3. Sidney Ann, born April 13, 1873 ; married, August 23, 1906,
Clifford Arthur Caldwell, and had one son, Robert Washington, born
October 25, 1907, died December 21, 191 1.
(IV) Agnes McLaughlin, daughter of Robert (2) and Adeline (Mc-
Ginnis) McLaughlin, was born April 13, 1870. She married, June 30,
1910, Dr. Andrew Albert Johnston, son of Andrew Johnston. Dr. Johnston
received his professional training in the University of Pittsburgh, and since
his marriage has been engaged in practice at Unity, Pennsylvania, and is a
well-known and highly-regarded physician of that locality. Dr. and Mrs.
Johnston make their home on the old McLaughlin homestead in Plum
township.
Among the prosperous and progressive business men of
HECKMAN Avalon, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, noted for their
integrity, perseverance and up-to-date methods of con-
ducting afifairs, must be mentioned Arthur Heckman, a worthy representa-
tive of a German lineage.
Peter Heckman, father of Arthur Heckman, was born in Rhine Falce,
Bavaria, Germany, May 24, 1842, son of Henry and Elizabeth (Roschi)
Heckman, natives of Bavarian Rhine Falce. Henry and Elizabeth (Roschi)
Heckman died on the farm in Crawford county, Pennsylvania, and are
buried in that vicinity. Peter Heckman acquired a very limited education
in the schools in the neighborhood of his home, and in 1853, in young man-
hood, emigrated to this country, located on a farm in the vicinity of Mead-
ville, Pennsylvania, with his father and mother and brothers and one sister,
the farm still in the possession of one son, brother of Peter Heckman. He
worked for the Atlantic & Great Western Railroad, later the New York,
Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad, now the Erie Lines, assisting in the build-
ing of railways and in the making of oil barrels, during the discovery of oil
at Titusville, Pennsylvania, for transportation and served in the capacity of
machinist for the railway for a number of years. He married, at Mead-
ville, Pennsylvania, 1863. Bina Kircher, the ceremony being performed by
Rev. Leberman, a German Reformed minister. She was a daughter of
Henry and Elizabeth (Weidman) Kircher, of Mosback, Bavaria, Germany,
where her birth occurred. Her father was a farmer of that place, also a
raiser of grapes from which he made wine, disposing of the same. Mr.
and Mrs. Heckman were the parents of seven children, the last two men-
tioned living at the present time (1914) : Henry, Frederick. Frank, Harry.
Charles, Arthur, Lena.
Arthur Heckman was born in Meadville, Pennsylvania, May 8, 1873.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1237
He was educated in the public schools of that city, and began his business
career in the meat line, with which he became thoroughly familiar, and in
May, 1902, removed to Avalon and there continued in the same line up to
the year 19 12, when he engaged in the automobile business, serving in the
capacity of vulcanizer. He is an Independent in politics. He married,
October 22, 1903, Minnie May Wassum, born in Clarion county, Pennsyl-
vania, daughter of John and Mary (Lang) Wassum, of Clarion county,
Pennsylvania, who came from Germany to this country prior to their mar-
riage, which occurred December 5, 1861. John Wassum emigrated about
the year 1859 or i860, and worked in mills and built boats or barges for
river transportation, and rafted same to Pittsburgh for market, loaded with
lumber, etc., and in the latter years of his life, lived as a retired farmer
in Clarion county, Pennsylvania, until his death, April 8, 1914. He was
born in Philbrunen, Hessian-Darmstadt, Germany, February 7, 1837; his
mother's maiden name was Eva Elizabeth Weirich, his father's name was
John Wassum. Mrs. John Wassum, his wife, was Mary Barbara Lang
before her marriage, born September 12, 1842, at Messengen, Wiirttemberg,
Germany, died November 11, 1914; they lived a married life of over fifty-
two years, celebrating a golden wedding at the fifty year period. The wife
of Mr. Wassum accompanied her parents, Gottlieb and Anna Barbara
(Fell) Lang, to this country, in 1854, they locating in Piney, Clarion county,
Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Wassum were the parents of eleven children,
namely: Charles Augustus, Edward C, George C, Frank G., John M.,
Anna Barbara, died in 1885, aged twelve years ; Oscar, Minnie May, afore-
mentioned as wife of Arthur Heckman ; Laura Blanche, Harry A., Roy
Claude. The members of this family first attended the Lutheran church,
later the Reformed church. Mr. and Mrs. Heckman are members of the
Reformed church.
No nationality has come to our shores which has con-
WELLINGER tributed more to the general prosperity and development
of the country than the German. This is true of them
from the time of their first appearance here, and has been especially mani-
fested in the state of Pennsylvania, with which they identified themselves
to a large extent. While the family under discussion in this review has only
been in the United States a few generations, the various members have
shown their sterling worth in many directions.
John G. Wellinger was born in Germany and came to the United
States, at the age of seventeen years. He at once made his home in Pitts-
burgh, Pennsylvania, where he started in the ice business, in which he re-
mained until about 1899. He then bought out the Anchor Brewery, which
was at that time located on the hiH to the rear of its present location. In
1897 the plant was removed to its present site on North Canal street,
Brackenridge, the business was incorporated, and Mr. Wellinger was chosen
president of the corporation. He took an important part in the public
affairs of the community, served as a member of the common council of
1238 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Pittsburgh in his earlier years, and was the first commissioner in the borough
of Brackenridge. He was an active worker in the interests of the Re-
pubHcan party. His wife, Margaret WelHnger, bore him ten children.
John C. Wellinger, son of John G. and Margaret Wellinger, was born
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in March, 1868. He received an excellent
education in the public schools of his native city, and then became the
assistant of his father in the ice business, and was identified with this in-
dustry until 1895, when he became connected with the brewery interests.
Upon the death of his father, he was chosen to succeed him as president
of the Anchor Brewing Company. Mr. Wellinger is a member of the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and of the Fraternal Order of
Eagles.
Ohio was the destination of the band of travelers with whom
CURRY Robert, John, Moses and Joseph Curry, crossed the Allegheny
Mountains in 1804, New Jersey their birthplace, but the death
of one of the brothers, John, and a combination of circumstances caused
them to settle in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. The four brothers were
sons of the American ancestor of the line, who came to this country from
Scotland, and is buried in the graveyard of the Mifflin Church, in Alle-
gheny county, Pennsylvania. The possessions of each brother amounted
to about seven hundred dollars in value, and this they invested in timber
land, building houses after clearing a sufficient space and then undertaking
its cultivation.
(I) Robert Curry was the grandfather of Hiram G. and Samuel P.
Curry, of this record, and was an expert artisan, being master of the trades
of cabinetmaker, gunsmith and blacksmitli, at which he worked when not
engaged at his farming. He married Nancy Barnes, a native of Delaware,
and had issue, one of his sons, Robert G., of whom further.
(H) Robert G. Curry, son of Robert and Nancy (Barnes) Curry, was
born in New Jersey, in 1802, died in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in
February, 1865. He was a child of two years when his parents came to
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, and in the schools of that locality obtained
his education. In manhood he became the operator of a grist mill, and
was also for a time a distiller, abandoning the latter calling in later life.
His death occurred in Mifflin township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
and he is buried in the grave-yard of the Mififlin Church. He married Eliza-
beth W. Moore, born in Mifflin township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
daughter of William and Nancy (Wallace) Moore, her parents natives
of Ireland, her mother having come to the United States with her family
when three years of age. William Moore left his native land because of
political and religious disturbances, and made his American home in Bald-
win township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. Among his sons were
James, Samuel and William. Children of Robert G. and Elizabeth W.
(Moore) Curry: Hiram G., of whom further; Nancy Jane, Robert Bruce,
Martha Bell, Anna E., James W., Samuel P., of whom further; John.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1239
(IH) Hiram G. Curry, son of Robert G. and Elizabeth W. (Moore)
Curry, was born in Mifflin township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, Jan-
uary 25, 1844. As a youth of seventeen years he left the school-room to
join the Union army, enlisting first in Company C, One Hundred and Sec-
ond Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, receiving an honorable
discharge, July i, 1863, and then re-enlisting in the same company, serving
until the close of the war, his regiment known as "Rowley's Regiment."
In the battle of Chancellorsville he was severely wounded in the leg, his
knee-cap being split, and he was disabled for some time, being next wounded
in the "Seven Days' Fight'' around Richmond. On this occasion a bursting
shell was the agent of his misfortune, Mr. Curry being hurled high into
the air when it broke.
Returning to his home upon the restoration of peace, Mr. Curry was
employed at farming, mining, and boat-building, and after spending some
time in Westmoreland county, returned to Allegheny county, becoming a
farmer and miner in North Versailles township, where he resided for fifteen
years. In 1894 he assumed the duties of postmaster at East McKeesport,
Pennsylvania, although not under his own appointment, and fulfilled the
responsibilities of that position until 1898, when he was appointed post-
master at East McKeesport by President McKinley. Since that date he
has remained in office, an efficient public servant, managing the business
of the East McKeesport Post Office in an ably competent manner. For
eight years he was proprietor of a grocery store in this place, retiring from
business upon his wife's death in 1902. Mr. Curry is a member of the
Grand Army of the Republic, and a communicant of the United Presby-
terian church. On one occasion he was a member of the East McKeesport
council, filling that position faitli fully and well. He is well known and
liked in the vicinity of his residence, and as a merchant and public servant
has filled an honorable position in the East McKeesport community for
many years.
He married (first) in the fall of 1865, Amanda Beam, daughter of
Jacob and Margaret (Livingston) Beam. Mrs. Curry died March 22, 1902.
Children: Margaret E., John M., Minnie B., Harry W., served for three
years in the Philippine Islands as a member of Company I, Seventeenth
Regiment United States Infantry, having enlisted at the beginning of the
Spanish-American War, returned to the United States on the transport
"Mead," the trip from Manila to San Francisco consuming thirty-five days,
and was subsequently killed in a railroad accident ; William G., Robert B.,
died in infancy, H. Edward, George D. Mr. Curry married (second)
May 26, 1910, Mary A. Walthour, widow of J. F. Walthour, by whom he
had three children, who lived to maturity: Burton B., Camilla C. and Eva
E. Walthour.
(Ill) Samuel P. Curry, son of Robert G. and Elizabeth W. (Moore)
Curry, was born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, April 15, 1857. He
attended the public schools of his native place and in Irwin, Westmoreland
county, Pennsylvania, to which latter place his parents moved when he was
I240 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
a boy, and in Irwin he began to learn the painter's trade when a lad of
sixteen years. Completing his apprenticeship he began independent opera-
tions as a painter in Irwin, and was so engaged until May 13, 1890, on
which date he moved to Wilkinsburg, Allegheny county. To his original
line Mr. Curry has added paper-hanging, and in his joint business has
acquired a wide patronage, which he has steadily increased by virtue of ex-
cellent service rendered. To these he has added real estate dealing, and has
erected numerous houses in Wilkinsburg, all of which have proved excel-
lent investments. He is known as one of the solid business men of Wil-
kinsburg, and bears an unassailable reputation for straightforwardness and
honor in all transactions. He is a citizen of public spirit, a staunch sup-
porter of all projects and movements of desirable end, and has been identi-
fied with the Republican party throughout his entire life. In affairs of
local importance he is indep)endent in political action, and while a resident
of Irwin, Pennsylvania, served for two terms on the council. Mr. Curry
is a member of Oriental Lodge, No. 590, Free and Accepted Masons, and
with his wife belongs to the South Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church.
Mr. Curry married, March 27, 1883, Sarah Margaret Cunningham, of
Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and has children: i. Lydia R., mar-
ried Torrence Stiffler, of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. 2. Olive C, married
John H. Lybarger, of Uniontown, Pennsylvania. 3. John D., lives at home.
4. Samuel Howard, lives at home. 5. Albert, a student in Allegheny College.
6. Margaret R. 7. Robert P. 8. Ellen.
Nathan Jones of HafiFey, Pennsylvania, after an active life of
JONES eighty-six years, now lived a retired life on his forty-three
acres of well improved land at Hafifey, Allegheny county. He
is a grandson of William and Rebecca Jones, of Welsh ancestry, who lived
on their Bedford county, Pennsylvania, farm, where they early settled.
They reared a large family, nearly all of whom lived and died in Bedford
county.
(II) William (2) Jones, son of William (i) and Rebecca Jones, was
bom at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, moved early to Bedford county, resided,
married and lived there until 1835. In that year he moved to Pittsburgh
and there worked as a drayman, but later returned to the old homestead in
Bedford county, where he prepared to resume farming, his death, however,
occurring while still at the old home. He married Catherine Grover, born
in Virginia, daughter of Valentine and Rebecca Grover. Valentine Grover
served in the Revolutionary army when a young man fresh from Ger-
many, whence he came as a "redemptioner." After the war he worked m
Virginia, where he married his wife, Rebecca. After marriage they came
to Pennsylvania, settling on a farm in Bedford county. Children of Wil-
liam and Catherine Jones: John, Benjamin, Margaret, Valentine, Nathan,
of further mention; William (3), a soldier of the Union army. Sixty-third
Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry ; James, also a Union soldier,
serving in the cavalry; Henry, Catherine. Of these children Nathan is the
last survivor.
^lainan Jfone-i
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1241
(III) Nathan Jones, son of William (2) and Catherine (Grover)
Jones, was born in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, January 15, 1829, and
there resided until 1835, when he was taken by his parents to Pittsburgh,
the journey being made with six horses drawing the household goods in a
large covered wagon. He did not return to Bedford county with his parents,
but after finishing a course of public school study learned the book binders'
trade, at which he worked seven years. He then became second steward
on an Ohio river steamboat, later was first steward, continuing until enter-
ing railroad employ. During the Civil War he was in the government
railroad service as brakeman, his last service being on the Aquia Creek
Railroad in Virginia. After the war he returned to Pennsylvania and again
entered railroad employ, becoming conductor on the Allegheny Valley Rail-
road. At the time of the big railroad strike and riot in Pittsburgh in 1877
he resigned, having spent twenty-five years of his life as brakeman and
conductor. He then bought a small tract of land, which he afterward sold
to a company on which to erect a powder house and was employed in it
four years. The house was then torn down, Mr. Jones also being employed
in its destruction, as he was in its erection. He then began farming his
present tract of forty-tliree acres in Penn township, near Haffey, con-
tinuing until his retirement. When a young man he turned out with the
men of Pittsburgh on the first alarm sent in for what has passed into his-
tory as the "big fire" and fought until it was under control. His span of life
covers all the wonderful development of the Pittsburgh section which in its
greatness bears little resemblance to the desolate region through which he
passed when first coming from Bedford county, a lad six years of age,
seventy-nine years ago.
Mr. Jones married, in 1864, Mary Reno, who died in 1879, a member
of the Presbyterian church. Children: i. Thomas, a glass blower, now
living in Greensburg ; married Blanche Cass and has children : Laurence,
Charles, Harry. 2. Laurence, deceased. 3. William Nathan, deceased. 4.
Cora, deceased.
Samuel Milligan was born in Scotland, March 2, 1710,
MILLIGAN and was a very young child when his parents migrated
* to the North of Ireland, because of tlie religious persecu-
tions they were called upon to endure. They located in county Down, and
there Samuel was raised and married. In 1754 he emigrated with his
family to America, settling in what is now Sayville, Perry county, Penn-
sylvania, at that time a part of Cumberland county. Samuel Milligan
bought a farm there, and was engaged in its cultivation until his death. •
He and his entire family were strict Presbyterians. He married Sarah .
(II) David Milligan, son of Samuel and Sarah Milligan, was born in
county Down, Ireland, in 1750, and died in Slippery Rock, Lawrence county,
then a part of Mercer county, Pennsylvania, in 1834, while visiting a daugh-
ter. He was four years of age when he was brought to this country by his
parents, and was reared in Perry county, where he became a farmer. In
1242 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
1813 he removed to Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, vi^here he purchased
a farm of one hundred and fifty acres where Swissvale borough is now
located. The following year he returned east in order to get his family,
and resided on the farm, for which he received a patent from the govern-
ment in 1830. He married, July i, 1794, Sarah Wallace, and had children:
I. Samuel, born August 17, 1795, died in early manhood in Washington,
District of Columbia. 2. Sallie, born December 26, 1797; married John
Swissholm, a farmer, of Malvern, Ohio. 3. Robert, of further mention.
John, born March 29, 1803; a merchant, at Waveland, Indiana. 5. James,
twin of John, died in infancy. 6. Hannah, born August 28, 1805 ; married
William White, of Perry county, Pennsylvania, where they lived many
years and then removed to the state of Indiana. 7. Peggy W., born Feb-
ruary I, 1808; married Robert Graham, a wagon builder and owner of a
farm ; lived in Lawrence county, Pennsylvania. 8. Eleanor, born November
13, 1809; married Thomas Falkner, a physician, who settled in the state
of Illinois. 9. Joseph, born March 3, 1814; a merchant, who settled in
Waveland, Indiana; married (first) Jane Hawkins, (second) Harriet Ful-
lenwider. 10. Thomas Stewart, born November i, 1816; was a Presby-
terian minister and home missionary, his field of labor being chiefly Green-
castle, Indiana.
(Ill) Robert Milligan, son of David and Sarah (Wallace) Milligan,
was born near Duncannon, Perry county, Pennsylvania, October 29, 1800,
and died in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, November 18, 1887. He re-
ceived the limited education which the common schools of that day aflforded,
and was about fourteen years of age when he removed with his parents
to Allegheny county. He assisted in clearing the farm, and in its cultivation,
and upon the death of his father he bought out the shares of the other
heirs, and resided on it until his death. He was a quiet and unassuming
man, taking no active part in public affairs, but giving his staunch political
support first to the Whig party, and later to the Republican. He and his
wife were of the Methodist Protestant denomination, but as there was no
church of this sect in the vicinity, they attended Divine worship at the
Beulah Presbyterian Church. He married Mary Ann Shortess, bom Feb-
ruary 16, 1801, died May 14, 1890. She was a woman of very strong
character, a devout Methodist, and very decided in her beliefs. They had
children: i. Alexander Shortess, born April 3, 1830, died March 12, 1867;
was a dry goods merchant in Greencastle, Indiana; married (first) Anna
Hawkins, (second) . 2. Thomas A., born September 22, 1832, died
September 14, 1854, of the cholera. 3. Emmeline Ellen, married Rev.
Robert Carrothers, a Presbyterian minister, now deceased; lives at Grand
Forks, North Dakota. 4. John Wesley, of further mention. 5. Mary Mar-
garete, born September 9, 1841 ; married Dr. Samuel P. Shaw, a retired
dentist, and they live at Atlantic City, New Jersey. 6. Joseph Robert, born
May 25, 1844; a Presbyterian minister, living at St. Georges, Delaware;
married Mary Marchant.
Mrs. Mary Ann (Shortess) Milligan was a daughter of Alexander
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1243
Shortess, born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, February 25, 1759,
a son of Thomas and Mary Shortess, of Irish birth. He was a millwright
by trade, building many of the mills in Cumberland and Perry counties,
and was also the owner of a large farm, probably in Perry county, and he
lived to the advanceji age of ninety years. He was a devout Methodist.
One of his brothers was a participant in the Revolutionary war. Alex-
ander Shortess married in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, September
10, 1790, Margaret, born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, a daughter
of Levi and Ann Owen, both natives of Wales. Children: i. Levi, born
October 29, 1795, deceased; removed to Iowa where he was a farmer. 2.
Thomas, born March 7, 1798; lived in Lexington, Ohio, where he was a
local Methodist Episcopal preacher, and died February 24, 1851. 3. Mary
Ann, who married Mr. Milligan, as above stated. 4. Emily, born June 9,
1804. 5. Wesley, bom December i, 1807, died January 10, 1838. 6. John,
born April 25, 1810; of Richland county, Ohio, was in the lumber business
and the owner and operator of a saw mill.
(IV) John Wesley Milligan, son of Robert and Mary Ann (Shortess)
Milligan, was born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in Wilkins township,
now a part of Swissvale, May 15, 1838. He still lives in the fine old man-
sion on the farm on which he was born, and owns that part of the original
farm which has not been sold as the needs of the city required this proceed-
ing. His earliest education was received in the brick country school in
Wilkins township, near Braddock, and from this he went to the Wilkins-
burg Academy. One winter was spent in a preparatory school in Illinois.
He next matriculated at Dartmouth College, from which he was graduated
in the class of 1862 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. While in this
institution he was a member of Kappa Kappa Kappa Fraternity. Taking
up the study of law in Pittsburgh in the office of John Hampton, he was
admitted to the bar of Allegheny county in 1865, and then for a short time
practiced independently. He then formed an association with the Bessemer
plant of the Carnegie Steel Company, with which he remained for a period
of thirteen years. His first ten years there were connected with the re-
ceiving and shipping department, and he was then given complete charge
of the real estate department, with a free hand to buy or build houses for
the numerous employes. Since then his own large private interests have
claimed all of his time and attention. As the town of Swissvale grew he
developed a large real estate business, selling the old farm oiif in building
lots, and has been the promoter of Milligan Manor, a sub-division, and
three "additions" to Swissvale. He is a Republican in politics, and a mem-
ber of the Presbyterian church. Personally he is a courteous gentleman
of the old school, and he finds his chief recreation in his fine library, which
contains many rare books and editions de luxe.
Mr. Milligan married (first) July 18, 1867, Mary Agnew. born at
Greensburg, Pennsylvania, died March 27, 1891, a daughter of Smith and
Mary (Graham) Agnew, he a saddler by trade. He married (second)
December 10, 1910, Mary H. Ecford, born at Greenville. Georgia. Mr.
1244 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Milligan has had children: i. Robert, born August 28, 1869; a physician
who speciahzes, living in Pittsburgh. 2. Joseph Frederick, born November
13, 1871 ; lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where he owns and manages a large
sheep ranch. 3. Edwin Irwin, died at the age of six months. 4. Mary
Graham, born September 14, 1872; married William W. Coleman, an elec-
trician, and lives in New York City. 5. Matilda Carrothers, born April 9,
1877; married Gordon Fisher, Esq., a lawyer, and lives in Pittsburgh. 6.
Margarete Belle, born April 9, 1878, died March 9, 1881. 7. James Car-
rothers, born September 22, 1884; a real estate and bond broker of Pitts-
burgh ; married Edith McFarland.
The Lowmans, a German family, originally settled in
LOWMAN Indiana county, Pennsylvania, where Thomas Lowman,
grandfather of William S. Lowman, of Braddock, Penn-
sylvania, was born, lived and died. He was a farmer by occupation, own-
ing a farm in Young township, Indiana county, which he cultivated. He
was a member of the United Presbyterian church. Both he and his second
wife, Rachel (Neal) Lowman, lived to be quite old. Thomas Lowman
died in Young township, and his wife died in Center township. His first
wife died in 1838, two years after the birth of her youngest son, Alexander.
Children of Thomas Lowman by first wife: i. William, a physician and
surgeon, died in the Union army during the Civil War, in which he served
as surgeon of a Pennsylvania regiment. 2. Scott, deceased ; was a farmer.
3. Nancy, deceased; married a Mr. Marshall, a farmer of Young township,
Indiana county. 4. A daughter, married a Mr. Graham, a farmer of
Indiana county. 5. Alexander, of further mention. Children of Thomas
Lowman by second wife: 6. John, deceased; was a farmer of Young town-
ship; married a Miss Miller. 7. Hugh, a contracting carpenter, now living
in Clarksburg, Pennsylvania. 8. A son, who died in the Union army. 9.
Elizabeth, married John Graham, a farmer of Center township, Indiana
cotmty.
(II) Alexander Lowman, youngest child of Thomas Lowman by his
first wife, was born in Young township, Indiana county, Pennsylvania,
June 2, 1836, died May 27, 1894. He served nine months in a Pennsylvania
regiment of the Union army during the Civil War, then returned to Center
township, where he followed his trade and engaged in farming, owning a
good farm of one hundred and fifteen acres, and was a man held in high
esteem. He was a Republican in politics, and for fifteen years served as
school director of the township. His building operations were principally
conducted in the country, farm houses and barn buildings of the better class.
In his later years he owned several portable saw mills, which converted
many acres of timber into mercantile lumber. He was a devout Christian
and an active worker in the United Presbyterian church.
He married Elizabeth Gilmore, born in Young township, Indiana county,
Pennsylvania, November 5, 1837. daughter of William Gilmore and his
wife, who was a Miss Gray, both of Scotch-Irish descent. William Gil-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1245
more, born in Scotland, came to the United States in 1804, then a young
man of nineteen years of age. He settled in Young township, Indiana
county, Pennsylvania, in that locality known as "Scotland." The Gilmores,
one of the war-like clans of Scotland were Covenanters in religion and in
this country their descendants joined with the United Presbyterian church.
Children of Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore: i. Margaret, married John Clements,
a farmer of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, both deceased. 2. Mary,
now residing in Blairsville, Pennsylvania, unmarried. 3. Elizabeth, married
Alexander Lowman, of previous mention. 4. Martha, married William
Lucas, who died in 1913: she survives him, a resident of Homer City,
Pennsylvania. 5. William, died December 23, 1914; was a retired farmer
of Blairsville, Pennsylvania. 6. John, was a contracting carpenter of Blairs-
ville, now deceased. Four other children of William Gilmore died in infancy.
Children of Alexander and Elizabeth Lowman: i. Ada, married J. R.
Robbins, of White township, died in El Paso, Texas. 2. Louella, married
Milton Graham, a farmer of Blackwell township, Indiana county, where
she died. 3. Elizabeth, married William McCurdy, of Blairsville, where
she died. 4. William S., of further mention. 5. John G., a carpenter now
living in El Paso, Texas.
(Ill) William S. Lowman, eldest son and fourth child of Alexander
and Elizabeth (Gilmore) Lowman, was born in Center township, Indiana
county, Pennsylvania, May 4, 1868. He attended the public school near
his home and worked on the home farm until nineteen years of age. then
began the carpenters' trade under Hugh Lowman, his paternal uncle, a
contractor and builder, who had learned his trade with Alexander Lowman.
William S. worked with his uncle as apprentice for three years, then worked
at his trade around the county until 1890, in which year he moved to Brad-
dock, Pennsylvania, where he worked as a journeyman carpenter for nine
years. In 1899 he began contracting on his own account and so continues,
having built up with the many houses he has erected a reputation for skilled
workmanship, honest materials and unswerving integrity. He employs
many men in his contracting operations, is always busy, having to his credit
twenty-five buildings erected in one year. He is himself a skilled mechanic.
the skill of his father having descended to the son. He is a member of the
United Presbyterian church, served his church as trustee and in 1910 was
elected elder. He is a Republican in politics, and is now a member of
Braddock City council.
Mr. Lowman married, October 30, i8go. Bertha M. Sandels, born at
Qarksburg, Indiana county, Pennsylvania, daughter of Marshall and
Lavinia Sandels, the former deceased. Children: i. Albert, died aged nine-
teen months. 2. Elizabeth Pearl, born February 5. 1894. a graduate of
Braddock High School, class of 1914. 3. Hazel, died aged five years. The
family residence is at Fourth street and Comrie avenue, Braddock, which
Mr. Lowman erected in 1905.
1246 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
John Max Hugo Schran is one of a family representative of
SCHRAN the best type of German character, which has contributed so
desirable a leaven to the cosmopolitan citizenship of the
United States. His paternal grandfather was Andrew Schran, a mason
by trade, who, with his wife and family, lived and died in his native land.
The father of our subject has not remained so close to the hearth stone of
his ancestors as did his father. Although a cabinet maker by trade, Ludwig
Schran has also been a soldier, serving in the Prussian army during the
Franco-Prussian war. He has never crossed the seas to this country, and
now lives retired in the "Fatherland." He was married to Caroline Meiss
and had by her children, among whom was John Max Hugo.
John Max Hugo Schran, son of Ludwig and Caroline (Meiss) Schran,
was born June 14, 1874, in Germany. He received a portion of his educa-
tion in the local volkeschule, and in 1889, when he was but fifteen years
of age, came to the United States, to seek his fortune amid those opportuni-
ties which are peculiar to a young country. Upon his arrival here, the
youth very wisely continued his studies in so far as he might, and for a
time attended a school in the region he had chosen for his new home. This
was the town of Sharpsburg in the western part of Pennsylvania, whither
he had travelled upon first arriving in this country. Besides his school
work, he also applied himself with all diligence to mastering the carpenter's
trade, and in this made such good headway that he was able in 1895, but
six years after his arrival, to establish a contracting business in Sharpsburg.
In this venture he has greatly prospered and is now a man of substance and
a prominent figure in the community of which he is a member. But Mr.
Schran does not confine his activities to his business or personal interests
exclusively. On the contrary he gives most liberally of his time and atten-
tion to many aspects of the town's life. He plays an important part in
the social and fraternal circles of Sharpsburg, and is a member of the
Lodge No. 752, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and a life member
of Lodge No. 932, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is also
prominent in the work connected with St. John's German Lutheran Church
of Sharpsburg.
Mr. Schran married, December 12, 1896, Anna M. Fugh, a daug'hter
of John and Elizabeth Fugh, of O'Hara township, Allegheny county, Penn-
sylvania, where she was born. Mr. and Mrs. Schran are the parents of
four children, one son and three charming daughters, their names as follows :
Walter J., bom September 2, 1898 ; Elizabeth Caroline, born November 2,
1906; Helen Mary, born May 14, 1909; and Dortha Louise, born January
21, 1914. Mr. and Mrs. Schran are members of the German Lutheran
church and in that faith are rearing their children.
Frederick Rehner was born in Germany, and emigrated to
REHNER America in the year 1872. He located in Saxonburg. Butler
county, Pennsylvania, where he followed his trade of weav-
ing for a time, then retired. He married Wilhelmina Schriner.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1247
(II) August Rehner, son of Frederick and Wilhelmina (Schriner)
Rehner, was born and educated in Germany, and there learned the trade
of weaving. He also came to America in 1872 and located at Saxonburg,
and there followed the occupation of farming for some years. In 1884
he removed to Brackenridge, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where he
was employed in the glass works for a time, then established a grocery
business with which he was identified until his death, November 24, 1913.
About 1904 he established a wrapping paper business in Brackenridge, which
he sold later to his sons, E. C, Elmer and Arthur, who conduct it under
the firm name of Rehner Brothers. He and his wife were members of the
Lutheran church. He married Anna, daughter of Karl and Johanna
Schneider, and they had children: E. C, of further mention; Wallie, Mil-
dred, Selma, Arthur, Elmer, Hattie, Clara, Agnes, and four who died in
childhood.
(III) E. C. Rehner, son of August and Anna (Schneider) Rehner,
was born in Germany, June 8, 1869. He was but three years of age at the
time he was brought to this country by his parents, and received his educa-
tion at the public schools of Natrona, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. Upon
the completion of his education, he became associated with his father in the
grocery business, of which he had taken charge for some time before the
death of his father. He is a member of the Lutheran church.
Sweden, although a small country in area, has furnished to
NELSON this great land many of its most patriotic citizens, men who
possess the courage of their convictions, who develop the
lands on which they locate, and who do all in their power to promote the
welfare of the various communities in which they settle, and among this
number is Andrew P. Nelson, a representative resident of McKeesport.
Hans Nelson, father of Andrew P. Nelson, was a native of Sweden,
where he spent his entire life, attending the common schools in boyhood
and later following the occupation of saw mill operator. He died at the
age of fifty-two in 1894. His wife, Katharena (Olsen) Nelson, who was
also born and died in Sweden, bore him three children : Johanna, Alvera,
Andrew P.
Andrew P. Nelson was born in Sweden, May 16, 1868. He obtained
a practical education in the common schools near his home, and remained
under the parental roof until the year 1883, when he emigrated to the
United States, landing in New York City, and remained there and in New
York state about six years, at the expiration of which time he removed to
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in which city he resided until 1892, when he took
up his residence in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, and there engaged in the
trade of plumber, being employed in the water works department of that
city. His business career has been successful, and during the many years he
has toiled long and faithfully he has been able to lay aside sufficient funds
to erect a residence for hi? own use in 1906. located at No. 806 South
Union avenue, which is equipped with everj'thing needful for the comfort
1248 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
of its inmates. He is a member of the Lutheran church, and Iiis political
allegiance is given to the Republican party.
Mr. Nelson married, in 1892, Clara Dahlgrin, a native of Sweden,
whose father died during her childhood, and whose mother, Mrs. Susannah
Johnson, came to this country from Sweden about a quarter of a century
ago, locating in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, where she is now (1914) living
at the age of seventy-two years. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs.
Nelson, as follows: i. Lillian, graduated from public and high schools of
McKeesport, now a student at Allegheny College at Meadville, Pennsyl-
vania, a graduate of the class of 1915. 2. Ruth, attended the public and
high schools of McKeesport, now pursuing a course in art. 3. Anna, a
student in the high school of McKeesport. 4. Herbert, died aged two years,
twenty-eight days. 5. Roy, a student in the public school of McKeesport.
The Younkins family has been resident in the state of
YOUNKINS Pennsylvania for a number of generations, and the earlier
members of this family were generally engaged in farming.
(I) Michael Younkins was born in Pennsylvania, in Westmoreland
county, and after his marriage settled near Tarentum, but still in West-
moreland county. He was a farmer and became an extensive land owner.
He and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and
both died in Armstrong county. Fie married Mary Locke, born near Grove
City, and they had children : William, of further mention ; Jacob, a farmer,
died in Armstrong county; Benjamin, deceased, was of Westmoreland
county ; Michael, died in Armstrong county ; Samuel, lives in Armstrong
county; Sophia, married John A. Shearer, and died in Armstrong county;
Nancy, married Henry Ditman, and died in Armstrong county ; Mary Ann,
married John Montgomery, and lives in Armstrong county; John, died in
early manhood.
(II) William, son of Michael and Mary (Locke) Younkins, was born
in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, June 9, 1822, and died in Armstrong
county, in the same state, in 1902. He settled in the last mentioned county
after his marriage, and was a farmer there for many years. He married
Sarah Hawk, born August 30, 1821, is now living at Worthington, Penn-
sylvania. She is a daughter of Conrad and Esther (Slonecker) Hawk, both
born and died in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, where he was a farmer
and land owner. He was a stone cutter in his earlier years on the old
Pennsylvania canal. A Democrat politically, and both members of the
Lutheran church. They had children : Michael, a wagonmaker, died in
Salem, Pennsylvania : John, a carpenter, and later a farmer, died in Ami-
strong county ; George, a farmer, also died in Armstrong county ; Daniel, a
farmer, died in Butler county ; Sarah, who married Mr. Younkins, as above
stated ; Hettie. married Michael Kunkle, and lives on the old homestead.
Mr. and Mrs. Younkins have had children : John, an oil operator and finan-
cier, married Naomi C. Campbell, and lives in Butler, Pennsylvania ; Eliza-
beth, married Robert Jackson, and died at Braddock. Pennsylvania ; Mary,
WESTERN PEXXSYLVANIA 1249
died unmarried; Daniel, of further mention; James B., died in the Klondike,
in lyii; Jennie, married William O. Sutton, and lives in Worthington,
Pennsylvania ; McClellan, was burned to death near Herman, Pennsylvania,
in August, 1894. Air. and Mrs. Younkins were members of the Baptist
church until his death, and he was a Democrat and served for a time as
school director.
(Ill) Daniel, son of William and Sarah (Hawk) Younkins, was born
in Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, June 27, 1854. His education was
acquired in the public schools and at the Worthington Academy, and he
spent all his earlier years on the farm. In 1876 he went to Petrolia, Penn-
sylvania, as a tool dresser on the oil fields, later became a driller, then a
contractor, and finally an oil producer. Occasionally he and his brother
John worked in association, and in 1893 ^ partnership was formed, known
as Y'ounkins Brothers, and this has been continued up to the present time
(1914). The two brothers have operated extensively in West Virginia,
Ohio and Pennsylvania and employ from one to six sets of workers. Mr.
Younkins is a director in the Farmers' National Bank and the Guaranty
Safe Deposit & Trust Company, treasurer of the Craigsville Woolen Manu-
facturing Company, and a member of the board of managers of the Evans
Manufacturing Company. As a representative of Democratic interests he
has been a member of the city council fourteen years, and has served as
chairman of this honorable body two years. He is a member of the Knights
of Malta, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Woodmen of the
World. He and his wife are members of the United Presbyterian church,
in which he is an elder.
Mr. Younkins married, September 10, 1884, Eva E., born at Worth-
ington. Armstrong county. Pennsylvania, September 12, 1857, a daughter
of Joseph and Sarah B. (Kalp) Minteer. They have had children: Sarah
Josephine, born February 15, 1887, was graduated from the Butler High
School and from the Western College for Women ; Mabel Viola, born No-
vember 10, 1888, was educated at Irving College ; William Minteer, born
June 6, 1890, was graduated from the Washington and Jefferson College in
the class of 1914, a Phi Gamma Delta; Victor Daniel, born April 7, 1892,
a student in the Washington and Jefiferson College, a Phi Gamma Delta ;
Florence Evelyn, born June 12, 1894, was graduated from the Butler High
School in the class of 1913, and is now a student at the Pittsburgh College
for Women; Delma Elizabeth, born January 11, 1897, is a student in the
Butler High School ; James Kenneth, born May 3. 1900, is a student in the
Butler High School.
William Minteer, grandfather of Mrs. Eva E. (Minteer) Younkins,
was a farmer, and one of the early settlers in Franklin, Armstrong county,
Pennsylvania, where he was the owner of about four hundred acres of land
which is still in the possession of some of his descendants. He was a Whig
in politics, he and his wife were both Seceders in religious matters, and
they are buried at Slakelick, Pennsylvania. He married Mary Nicholson,
and they had thirteen children, of whom twelve lived to have children :
I250 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
James, a farmer, died in Worthington, Pennsylvania ; William, a farmer,
died near Worthington ; Mary, married Matthew Reyburn, died at Slake-
lick, Pennsylvania ; Andrew, a shoemaker, died at Newcastle, Pennsylvania ;
Alexander, was frozen to death in young manhood ; Jennie, married William
Smith, and died in Verona, Pennsylvania ; Nellie, married John Smith, died
in Slakelick; Margaret, married Anthony Williams, died in Worthington;
Elizabeth, married Robert Galbraith, died at Worthington; Nancy, married
John Milligan, died at Worthington; Thomas, died in infnacy; John, a
farmer, died in Worthington ; Joseph, of further mention.
Joseph, son of William and Mary (Nicholson) Minteer, was born in
Worthington, Pennsylvania, February 14, 1828. He learned the carpenter's
trade, and followed this calling at W^orthington until the outbreak of the
Civil War, when he enlisted in Company L, Fourteenth Regiment Pennsyl-
vania Cavalry, and was an active participant in the battles of Bull Run,
Rocky Gap and Lookout Mountain, serving altogether for a period of three
years. He then returned to W^orthington and resumed his trade, but he
never regained the strength which the hardships he endured while in service
had caused him to lose. In 1872 he removed to Craigsville, and there bought
a farm which his sons cultivated, and he died there February 19, 1878. Hfe
was a Republican, and a very devout member of the United Presbyterian
church. He had six children who attained maturity. He married Sarah B.,
who is now living in W^ilkinsburg, a daughter of Adam and Rachel (Lorimer)
Kalp, and a sister of Mary Martha, married (first) Carl Truxal, who was
killed during the Civil War; she married (second) John Mullen, and she
died in August, 1892. Adam Kalp was born in Germany, and came to
America in early manhood. He taught school near Mount Pleasant, West-
moreland county, and there he married Rachel Lorimer, and both were
members of the Baptist church, and both died about 1843. After the death
of the parents, their two young daughters came to Butler, Pennsylvania,
and were there raised by uncles and aunts.
.Andreas Benzenhoefer was born in Bohrbrue,
BENZENHOEFER Wuerttemberg, Germany, and died in 1853. He
was a worker in the vineyards in his native land,
and a contractor in the city. He married Deiner, who died in 1848.
They had eight children: Jacob, born 1830; Mary; George; Frederick;
Fredericka; John G., of further mention; Katherine; Christina.
John G. Benzenhoefer, son of Andreas and (Deiner) Benzen-
hoefer, was born in Wuerttemberg, Germany, November 16, 1842. He re-
ceived a sound, practical education in the schools of his native land, and
at the usual age was examined for fitness for military duty. He was ac-
cepted but kept on reserve duty as his section of the country had already
furnished its full quota of men for the army at that time. At the age of
twenty-two years he emigrated to America. In his native country he had
worked in vineyards and upon arriving here, not finding employment of
this sort at once, he accepted a position in the Laughlin Rolling Mills, in
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1251
Brownstown, Pennsylvania, where he received one dollar and seventy-five
cents per day for exceedingly hard work. In March, 1865, he went to Dix-
mont, where he had accepted a position as gardener, receiving twenty-five
dollars per month and his board, lodging and laundry. Later he had a vine-
yard of his own in Glenfield, Pennsylvania, which he cultivated successfully.
Mr. Benzenhoefer married, October 27, 1867, Katherine Dorothea Baessler,
also born in Wuerttemberg, Germany, a daughter of Jacob and Dorothea
(Eberle) Baessler, who had four children: Jacob, Charles, Mary and Kath-
erine Dorothea. Mrs. Baessler died in Germany, and Jacob Baessler came
to America with his three children in 1865, Katherine Dorothea coming in
1866. Mr. Baessler had charge of a vineyard for Dr. Wayne, of Glenfield.
Mr. and Mrs. Benzenhoefer had children: i. Anna, who married Louis
Landensloger and has children : Edna, Esther, Hilda and Wallace. 2.
Sophia, unmarried. 3. John, died at the age of five years. 4. Emma, mar-
ried Sherman Skees, and has children : Raymond, Thelma and Stanton. 5.
Albert, of Glenfield, married Elizabeth Gangloff and has children: Elizabeth,
Dorothea, Frederick and Leon.
Ernst Meyer was one of a family representative of that fine
MEYER type of German character which has added a leaven of its
own peculiar endurance, industry and thrift to the cosmopolitan
citizenship of the United States. His father, also Ernst Meyer, lived and
died in the "Fatherland."
Ernst Meyer, of this review, was born February 25, 1842, at Zelle, Han-
over, and there received his education at the local volkeschule. There, too,
he learned the trade of tailor, which he plied by traveling from place to
place. When he had arrived at the age of twenty-six years, he set sail
for the United States, and, upon reaching this country, went to Pittsburgh.
Pennsylvania, and made his home on Pike street in that city. He at once
sought for employment in his trade and soon secured a position with a Mr.
Elate, with whom he remained a considerable time. He later went to Alle-
gheny and there worked in succession for a Mr. Omert, a Mr. Thompson
and for C. C. Heckel. For the last named person, Mr. Meyer worked until
the year 1900, when ill health forced him to discontinue work altogether.
After this date he was taken with a trouble which continued for four years
and eventually caused his death.
Mr. Meyer was married twice. His first wife was Johanna Wilhelmina
Allers, a young orphan girl who had accompanied him and his sisters on
their voyage to America. Mr. Meyer married her shortly after their arrival
in the United States. There were no children by this union, but Mr. Meyer
adopted a little girl. Mr. Meyer's second marriage took place Novembev
1, 1883, to Amanda Hedwig Schendel, a native of Berlin, Germany, and a
daughter of Rudolph and Rosamond (Langhans) Schendel, who came to
the United States about the year 1870 and settled in the Oakland section
of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, then known as Jack's Run. The Schendels
lived in this section for twenty-seven years in the same house. Mr. Schendel,
1252 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
who was a saddler by trade, is now dead, and Mrs. Schendel died in Novem-
ber, 1898. To them were born children, as follows: A child who died in
infancy; Julius Charles, Amanda Hedwig, Emma Adeline, Otto France,
Hugh, Paul, Olga Adeline and Edward. The six older children were born
in Germany, Hugh dying there, while the three younger were born after
their parents had settled in Pittsburgh. Although known as simple Schendel
in this country, the family name was in reality Von Schendel, this prefix
only existing in the case of noble blood. The Von Schendels were large
land owners in the "Fatherland" and bore their coat-of-arts. Herr Von
Schendel, Mrs. Meyer's father, was engaged in the Franco-Prussian War. On
her mother's side Mrs. Meyer was descended from Carl Langhans, who
stood high as forester in the government service. To Mr. Meyer as the
fruit of his second marriage have been born six children, as follows : Ella
Mary, who married E. J. Ripper, of Glenfield, Pennsylvania, living at seventy-
four, and they now reside on Pennsylvania avenue, Emsworth, with their
three children, Edward Ernest, Regnalt Sloan and La Vernge Vincent;
Ernest and George, twins, both deceased ; Herman, deceased ; Ernest George,
deceased ; Ernest, deceased.
Thompson M., son of George Kirkpatrick and Martha Foster
BAKER (Russell) Baker (q. v.), was born near Homewood Station,
Beaver county, Pennsylvania. April 24, 1862. His preparatory
education was acquired in the public schools and at Sunbury Academy, from
which he was graduated, and he then became a student at Grove City Col-
lege. Between his terms of study he taught school, and then took up the
study of law, being registered with the late John M. Russell. He was
admitted to the bar in 1888, and for fifteen years practiced in association
with H. E. Coulter. In 1903. one year after the organization of The Guar-
anty Safe Deposit and Trust Company, Mr. Baker was elected treasurer of
this corporation, a position he filled with great executive ability. Until
October i, 1914, when he resigned to give his time to his varied interests.
He is a director of the People's Telephone Company and of seven other
corporations. In political opinion he is Republican, and is a member of the
city council, and on a former occasion served as secretary of that body.
He has also served as treasurer of the school board. He and his wife
are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he is a member
of the board of stewards. His fraternal affiliation is with the Knights of
Pythias, Knights of the Maccabees, and the Benevolent and Protective Order
of Elks.
Mr. Baker married, in 1887, Nannie E.. born in Butler county, Penn-
sylvania, a daughter of Simon P. and Loas Painter. Children : Clarence D.,
was graduated from the Allegheny College, then a student at the University
of Pennsylvania, and the Pittsburgh Law School, and is now a lawyer at
the local bar. married Ruth Bartholemew ; Stella G., married L. S. Hoon,
Tr., and lives in Aspinwall, Pennsylvania.
r^="r:67::?g;i^
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1253
While the Krill family has only been in the United States a
KRILL little more than half a century, the various members have thor-
oughly identified themselves with conditions here, and have
proved their worth in more than one instance as reliable and valuable citizens.
John Adam Ktill was born in Bavaria, Germany, and emigrated to this
country with his wife and children, about 1857. He soon made his home
at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he entered the employ of the Singer
Nimick Steel Company, with which he was connected until his death, which
occurred at the South Side in 1864. He and his wife were members of St.
Michael's Catholic Church. He married, in Germany, Barbara Snyder,
bom in Bavaria, Germany, and died in Pittsburgh, in 1909, while at the
home of her daughter, Mrs. Diebold. They had children : Adam, a roller,
who died at Milwaukee, Wisconsin ; Frank, a roller, lives at Mount Wash-
ington, Pittsburgh ; Elizabeth, married Michael Diebold. lives in Pittsburgh ;
John, a roller, lives in Milwaukee ; Catherine, married Frank Wulpert, and
lives in Steubenville, Ohio; Joseph L., of further mention: Marie, married
John Vondreau, and lives in Cleveland, Ohio. The four eldest were boni
in Germany, the others in America.
Joseph L. Krill, son of John Adam and Barbara (Snyder) Krill, was
born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 25, i860. He received his school
education in St. Michael's Parochial School, at South Side, Pittsburgh, and
was then apprenticed to learn the barber's trade. He worked in the steel
mills until he was twenty-three years of age, then spent a number of years
in the west. He went to Fort Denton, Montana, where he conducted a
restaurant successfully for some time, then a hotel for one year ; we next
find him at Mayersville, twenty miles from Helena. Montana, where he had
a hotel one year, after which he was in the same line of business in Mil-
waukee for a period of thirteen years. Butte, Montana, was the next scene
of his activities, and he remained tliere three years, and then returned to the
east to visit his people. In 1902 he came to Clairton, Pennsylvania, and there,
at the corner of Miller and Park avenues, erected the Park Avenue Hotel,
of which he is still the proprietor, and which is a model hotel of its size,
and is one of the oldest in the town. ■ He is independent in his political
opinions, and he and his wife are members of St. Clair's Roman Catholic
Church. He has been a member of the Catholic Order of Foresters for
twenty-eight years, and is a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, and
the Order of the Moose.
Mr. Krill married (first) in 1880, Rosa Haney. a resident of Mil-
waukee, who died in 1887; he married (second) 1894, in Milwaukee, Matilda
Weisenbacher. Children by first marriage: Clarence William, a miner
living in Montana ; Joseph D., employed by his father. Children by second
marriage: Winfred John, and Millard Thomas, students at St. Vincent's
College ; Ethel Marie, a student at the Sisters of St. Joseph ; Francis Xavier;
Sylvester Lawrence ; Mercedes Margaret.
1254 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
The Best family, of which Wesley Benson Best, a lawyer of
BEST Meadville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, is a member, is now
in its fourth generation in this country, having come here from
Ireland.
(I) David Best, who was born in county Antrim, Ireland, emigrated
to the United States and made his home in Hope, New Jersey, the active
years of his life being spent in the occupations of a minister of the Methodist
denomination. He married, September 24, 1823, Lydia De Witt, born in
that town, the Rev. Thomas Davis officiating. Children born of this mar-
riage: James, who studied for the ministry, and died at the age of twenty-
three years; Elizabeth; David, Jr., see forward; Margaret, was graduated
from Wilmington College, and died at the age of twenty-seven years; Rev.
Wesley C, a minister whose pastorate was in Philadelphia, now deceased;
Rev. Silas Benson, deceased ; Emeline, married the Rev. T. M. Griffith ;
two others, who died in infancy.
(II) Dr. David Best, son of Rev. David and Lydia (De Witt) Best, was
born in Hope, Warren county. New Jersey, April 15, 1828, and died at his
home in Meadville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, May 20, 1887. He
received his degree as Etoctor of Medicine in 1850, from the University of
Pennsylvania, and was engaged in the active practice of his profession from
that time until his final illness. In i860 he received the Adeundem degree
from the Pennsylvania Medical College, and in 1870 became a member of the
Sydenham Society. During the last mentioned year he was requested by the
secretary of the American Academy of Medicine to become a member of that
body, but the demands of his professional work were so numerous that he
was unable to comply with this request. He was, however, for a number of
years prior to his death, a member of the American IMedical Association.
His professional career was marked by distinguished success, and his kindly
ministrations carried comfort to many beds of pain and sickness. In com-
menting upon the death of Dr. Best the morning after it had occurred, the
Meadville Tribune-Republican said in part: "Loved by all who knew him,
Dr. David Best leaves many behind who will mourn his death and feel deep
sympathy for his afflicted family. In closing, there is but little to say, and
yet much might be written to the honor of the deceased. But few men were
better known in Crawford county, and none more fully filled the measure of
their professional duties than he. The bereaved family have indeed lost a
friend — a husband and father in the full meaning of the words, and yet
they are not alone in their mourning, for he whom they loved so well was
loved by all our people, and all who knew him are made mourners in his
death." In its issue of May 25, 1887, the same paper had the following:
"In Memoriam — At a meeting of the resident physicians, held at the office of
Dr. Cotton, on yesterday afternoon, the following preamble and resolutions were
adopted :
Whereas, Doctor David Best has fallen in our midst by the hand of death, we,
his professional friends and co-laborers, would record our estimate of him as a man
and a physician. Therefore,
Resolved, That in Dr. Best we recognize the upright, honorable man, the good
citizen, the kind husband, unassuming associate, whose natural instincts never per-
mitted him, under any circumstances, to forget that he was himself a gentleman.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1255
Resolved, That as a friend he never hesitated, when personal sacrifice was de-
manded for another's welfare, and as a philanthropist his chief delight was sought
and found in doing deeds of kindness to those in need of his professional ministra-
tions— often without hope of fee or reward.
iResolved, That the charity for all and malice toward none which characterized
his life, was an exemplification of one of the grand doctrines of the religion that
he professed.
Resolved, That his amiable qualities have enshrined his memory in our hearts
as a perpetual reminder of what a true physician should strive to become.
Resolved, That we recognize in our late brother a successful physician, whose
culture, scientific attainments, clear pathological views and correct diagnosis of
disease have gained for him an enviable reputation in the profession.
Resolved, That the life and character of David Best has thrown a luster around
the profession of medicine in which we all may take an honorable pride.
Resolved, That in his death we have lost a friend, a brother and counselor, en-
deared by many years of association, by intimate knowledge of his character, and
true appreciation of the motives by which his life was actuated.
Resolved, That upon his bereaved family we would not intrude the poor words
of our condolence, but commend them to the source of all consolation, to Him 'who
hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows,' which consolation sustained him
through his protracted sufferings.
Resolved, That these resolutions be published in the county papers and a copy
be presented to the family in manuscript.
C. P. WooDRiNG O. M. Evans
D. M. Calvin T. B. Lashells
Mrs. Eagleson E. H. Dewey
Susan Duncan E. H. Pond
B. Brown Williams J. D. Stoneroad
L. A. Carver J. M. Pond
J. C. Cotton C. W. Thompson
D. W. Hamaker"
Dr. Best married, in 1849, Elizabeth Lockhart, born May 8, 1824, died
July 19, 1892 (see Lockhart line forward). Children: i. Flora Lydia,
' died September 7, 1909; married Merriman C. Harris, now Bishop of Japan
and Corea, in the Methodist Episcopal church. 2. Emily S., married Rev.
J. W. Miles, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 3. Lizzie Virginia, married Robert
G. Graham, and has one son : Rev. Roy, a minister of the Methodist church
at West Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who married (first) Alberta Montrose,
who died July, 1908, (second) Grace McCafferty; by the first marriage he
■had one child: Virginia Best. 4. Dr. Mary Luella, married Dr. Amos
Jesse Newell. 5. Wesley Benson, see forward. 6. Dr. Margaret Blanche,
now engaged in the practice of medicine at Meadville, Pennsylvania.
William Lockhart, grandfather of Mrs. Best, was the emigrant ancestor
of this branch of the Lockhart family, and came to America about 1812.
There is a tradition that he came to this country as early as 1808, but the
first record of him is to be found at Philadelphia, where he settled with
his wife and five children, whose names were : Henry, John, Agnes, James
(of further mention) and David. Three other children, bom in America,
were : William, Catherine and Samuel.
James, son of William Lockhart, the emigrant, was born in county
Antrim, Ireland, August 16, 1802, and died in November, 1855. He mar-
ried, Mary, born October 13, 1802, died September 17, 1879, a daughter of
James and Mary Shrauger. Children: Elizabeth (of further mention),
Margaret, Catherine, Anna, Samuel, Henry S., Daniel W.
1256 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Elizabeth, daughter of James and Mary (Shrauger) Lockhart, married
Dr. David Best, as above stated.
(Ill) Wesley Benson, son of Dr. David and Elizabeth (Lockhart)
Best, was born in Meadville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, January 12,
1862, and has been a lifelong resident in that town. His earlier education
was acquired in the public and high schools of Meadville, from which he
was graduated in due course. He then became a student at Allegheny Col-
lege, from which he was graduated in the class of 1883. Having decided
upon the profession of law as his life work, he commenced its study in the
office of William R. Bole, of Meadville, and was admitted to the bar as an
attorney. May 11, 1886. Subsequently he was admitted to practice in the
supreme and superior courts of Pennsylvania, and he opened offices at
No. 899 Park avenue, Meadville. He has been active in the public affairs
of the community, having held a number of public offices. Elected district
attorney of Crawford county in November, 1890, he served three years ; was
appointed to fill a vacancy in this offiice in 1901, and served one and one-
half years at that time. Later he did good service in the office of city
solicitor. He served as a member of Company B, National Guard of Penn-
sylvania, for many years, and had risen to the rank of captain of the com-
pany when he resigned. His fraternal and social affiliations are as follows :
Crawford Lodge, Independent Order Odd Fellows, of Meadville; a member
Hope Hose Fire Company, of Meadville ; and formerly a member of Iroquois
Boating and Fishing Club, at Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania. He and his
family are members of the Methodist Stone Church and Christ Church
(Episcopal).
Mr. Best married in Meadville, June 30, 1891, Emma Louise Fowler,
born in Meadville, January 23, 1865. She is the daughter of Daniel and
Lydia Emeline Fowler, whose other children are : Margaret Richmond,
John, Alfred, Daniel G. and Frank C. Mr. and Mrs. Best have one child :
Josephine Elizabetlb, born April 18, 1894. She was graduated from the
Meadville high school, and at the present time is a student at Allegheny
College. Mr. Best has served as a trustee of Allegheny College for many
years, has been a director of the Meadville City Hospital for a long period
of time, was elected corporator of the Greendale Cemetery Association
in 1913, and has served as a member of the board of health of Meadville.
Wesley B. Best died January i, 191 5.
Honorable Almond Benson Richmond, a complete sketch
RICHMOND of whose ancestry appears elsewhere in this work, was
the son of Lawton and Sarah (Townsend) Richmond,
and was born in Switzerland county, Indiana, on April 26, 1825. He re-
moved with his parents to Crawford county, Pennsylvania, where Hie entered
Allegheny College; afterwards taking a medical course in which he was
duly graduated. He practiced medicine for three years, engaging at the
same time in tlie study of law for which he manifested a preference as his
ultimate work in life. In 1848 he was admitted to practice before the courts
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1257
of Crawford county, and became recognized as a criminal lawyer of unusual
promise ; this promise he more than fulfilled in later years, being a re-
markably eloquent speaker and an orator of unusual attainments. Mr.
Richmond's talents and interests were varied, and in every line of his achieve-
ments he excelled. He was greatly interested in philosophy and the natural
sciences, upon which subjects he delivered many public lectures which were
illustrated with apparatus of his own construction. His mechanical in-
genuity was marked, and in 1853 he was appointed assistant director of
machinery at the Crystal Palace. He was also state commissioner at the
World's Fair. Beside his lectures on science and philosophy, Mr. Richmond
delivered lectures on temperance before crowded audiences, his great interest
in the subject making him a most effective speaker in this movement for
reform. As an author he won considerable celebrity ; among his pub-
lished volumes having been "Leaves from the Diary of an Old Lawyer,"
treating of such subjects as "Intemperance and Crime," and "Court and
Prison ;" "A Hawk in an Eagle's Nest" is also a title of one of the treatises
in this able volume written in the interest of the great temperance movement.
His latest published work was his "Review of the Seybert Commis-
sioners' Report," a critical dissection of the work accomplished by the com-
missioners appointed by the University of Pennsylvania, in accordance with
the bequest of the late Henry Seybert, to investigate the phenomena of
spiritualism. Mr. Richmond was also one of the prime movers in arranging
for the celebration of the hundredth anniversary of the foundation of the
city of Meadville : in all matters of historical moment he was deeply in-
terested, and his knowledge in this line was wide and varied. He died in
Meadville, August, 1906. On September 7, 1848, Mr. Richmond was mar-
ried to Miss Mary Morris, born January 27, 1828, died February 5, 1894,
daughter of Levi and Nancy (McKnight) Morris. Children: Lewis Law-
ton, born in 1849, mentioned further; Hiram M., born in 1852, a sketch
of whom appears elsewhere in this work ; Charles E., born in 1859, became
major in the National Guard of Pennsylvania, and is now deceased.
(11) Lewis Lawton, son of Almond Benson and Mary (Morris) Rich-
mond, was born in Meadville, Pennsylvania, June 7, 1849. His education
was received in Meadville, where, with the exception of a few years spent
in Pittsburgh, his entire life was passed. Upon completing his education and
settling down in Meadville, he entered business life as a jeweler; and was
senior member of the firm of L. L. and H. M. Richmond, with which firm
he was connected for over twenty years. He was prominent in social and
fraternal circles as well as in commercial life, and was a member of the In-
dependent A-der of Odd Fellows, in which he was held in high regard. He
was a RepuDlican in his political opinions, and a great admirer of President
Roosevelt. In his religious affiliations Mr. Richmond belonged to the Episco-
pal church, being a man of much dignity and reserve of disposition. He
prospered in his business career, and erected a beautiful residence on Water
street in the year 1907; this being now the home of his widow and daughter.
Mr. Richmond died on November 28, 1912. His wife, to whom he was
1258 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
married on April 6, 1875, was a Miss Mary Winifred Day, born April 4,
1853, daughter of Henry Lewis and Winifred Gelston (Coffin) Day (see
Day family) ; she is also a descendant of Sir Isaac Coffin on the maternal
side. Descended thus from two of the oldest and best families in the country,
Mrs. Richmond is a woman of unusual refinement and charm. She has had
the benefit of an excellent education and is a communicant of the Episcopal
church in Meadville; it is due to her that many family records and items
of genealogical interest have been preserved. Mr. and Mrs. Richmond were
the parents of three children, two sons and a daughter: i. Mary W. Rich-
mond, their eldest child, was born February 11, 1876, and has been twice
married. Her first husband, to whom she was married in August, 1898, was
James Gardner, by whom she had two children: Gertrude M., born March 16,
1901 ; James George, born November 22, 1905. Mr. Gardner died in April,
1905 ; and in May, 1909. his widow married Harry Somers McFarland, a
member of one of the oldest families of Meadville, and now in the employ of
the Phoenix Iron Works. There are no children by this marriage. 2. Henry
C, born April, 1877, died August, 1877. 3. George W. Richmond, son of Mr.
and Mrs. Lewis Lawton Richmond, was born January 22, 1880; died in
October, 1905. He was educated at Allegheny College, after which he en-
tered the employ of the Westinghouse Company at Pittsburgh as an electrical
draughtsman. He served ten months during the Spanish-American War,
having enlisted in Company B, Pennsylvania Volunteers. Like his father he
was a member of the Episcopal church.
(The Day Family.)
(I) Robert Day, immigrant ancestor of the Meadville family of this
name, came over to America in the bark "Elizabeth," which sailed from
Ipswich, England, in April, 1634, and arrived at Boston, Massachusetts.
He was born in about the year 1604, being thirty years of age at the time
of sailing. His wife, Mary, aged twenty-eight years, accompanied him.
He was made freeman May 6, 1635, settling first at Newtown, now Cam-
bridge, Massachusetts. His wife, Mary, died soon after reaching America,
in all probability; and he married (second) Elizabeth Stebbins. Children:
Thomas, of further mention ; John, Sarah and Mary.
(II) Thomas, son of Robert Day, the immigrant, was born October 27,
1659; died December 27, 171 1, at Springfield, where he had passed his life.
His will was proved March 25, 1712. He married Sarah, daughter of
Lieutenant Thomas Cooper, her father being killed by the Indians when
Springfield was burned. Children: Thomas, born March 23, 1662; Sarah,
June 14, 1664; Mary, December 15, 1666; John, February 20, 1669, died
1670; Samuel, May 20, 1671 ; John, September 20, 1673; Ebenezer, Feb-
ruary 18, 1676, died June 12, 1676; Ebenezer, September 5, 1677, men-
tioned further; Jonathan, August 8, 1680; Abigail, died October 6, 1747.
(III) Ebenezer, son of Thomas and Sarah (Cooper) Day, was born
September 5, 1677, died September i, 1763; married, April 18, 1700, Mercy
Hitchcock, who died September 29. 1761, aged eighty years. Children:
Ebenezer, born October 23, 1701 ; Mercy, November 4, 1703 ; Luke, July
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1259
2, 1706; Sarah, November 3, 1709; Thankful, December 24, 171 1 ; Timothy,
June 15, 1714; Editha, August 20, 1715; Miriam, March 4, 1718; Timothy,
September 5, 1720, mentioned further; Caleb, September 15, 1723; Elinor,
December 10, 1725.
(IV) Timothy, son of Ebenezer and Mercy (Hitchcock) Day, was bom
September 5, 1720; died September 29, 1797; married, February 6, 1747,
Sarah Munn, who died October 4, 1800, aged seventy-six years. They re-
sided at West Springfield, Massachusetts. Children : Sarah, born June 24,
1748; Timothy, March 13, 1750; Roswell, September 2, 1752; Lewis, July
19, 1754; Thankful, August 10, 1756; Asa, November 19, 1759; Rebecca,
August 20, 1761 ; Edmund, January 17, 1767, mentioned further.
(V) Edmund, son of Timothy and Sarah (Munn) Day, was born
January 17, 1767; died September 2, 1831. He was a resident of West
Springfield, and married, January 16, 1794, Bede Hitchcock. Children:
Adah, born November 10, 1794; Bede, born ; Julia, May 10, 1797;
Harriet, March 23, 1799; Sarah Munn, December 17, 1800; Edmund, Octo-
ber 27, 1802; Maria, June 28, 1804; Diadema, March 22, 1806; Ralph, Feb-
ruary 21, 1808; Julia Ann, February 24, 181 1; Lucy, 1812; Henry Lewis,
December 22, 1814, mentioned further.
(VI) Henry Lewis, son of Edmund and Bede (Hitchcock) Day, was
•born December 22, 1814, at West Springfield, Massachusetts ; died December
16, 1873. His early years were passed in Massachusetts, and when about
twenty years old he went West and engaged in the dry goods business at
Ravenna, Ohio. He became a very successful and prominent citizen of his
adopted city, and was twice elected mayor. He was a member of the Con-
gregational church; and belonged to the F. and A. M., and to the K. T.
of Cleveland, Ohio. He married, May i, 1838, Miss Winifred Gelston
■Coffin, born at Nantucket, Massachusetts, died in June, 1901, at Meadville,
Pennsylvania. Children: Henrietta G., born July 8, 1839, died May 15,
1864; Henry Lewis, born May 6, 1841, died August, 1871 ; Roland G., born
May 13, 1843, died April, 1898; Florence M., born in 1850, now deceased;
Mary Winifred, born April 4, 1853, married, April 6, 1875, Lewis Lawton
Richmond (see Ridbmond II) ; George, born in 1859; Winslow W., born in
1863.
In the early annals of Sugar Loaf township, Luzerne county,
MINICH Pennsylvania, the records of Christ Church, jointly built by
the Reformed and Lutheran congregations, are important.
This church was organized about 1800 and their old log church was built
in 1826. In a list of members of the church, the name of Abraham Minig,
(Minnich) heads the list. In 1822, his name is on a list of taxables in Sugar
Loaf township, furnished the tax collector. Richard Allen. He had a son,
Abraham (2), whose name is found on an election list, of date of March
2.0, 1835. This Abraham (2) Minnich, born about the year 1800, was the
father of Henry A. Minich and grandfather of John Crawford Minich, post-
masters of Saegerstown, Pennsylvania. Abraham (i) MinnicJi, also had a
i26o WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
son, Jolin, who married I'olly Klase and was the father of Jacob Minnick
and grandfather of Edward Minnick of Conyngham, Pennsylvania, that
branch spelling the name with a "k'' in many instances.
(III) Henry A. Minich, a son of Abraham (2) and grandson of Abra-
ham (i) Minich, was bom in Sugar Loaf township, Luzerne county, Penn-
sylvania, October 8, 1839, died August 25, 1893. He grew to manhood in
'his native township, then journeyed West to Crawford county, Pennsyl-
vania, where he located at Saegerstown. Later he went to Ohio, but did
not remain long, returning to Crawford county, and locating in the borough
of Venango. There he engaged in mercantile life which he continued until
the establishment was destroyed by fire. He then purdhased the roller
process flouring mills at Saegerstown, where he was in successful business
until his death. He was a Republican in politics and a member of the Ancient
Order of United Workmen. He was married in Kingston, Luzerne county,
April 16, 1863, by Rev. Reuben Nelson, to Matilda Bennett Roat, born at
Forty Fort, Luzerne county, April 5, 1843, died at Venango, Pennsylvania,
April 26, 1890; children: Callie, born October 7, 1868, died at Perry, Ohio,
July 8, 1870; Elva, born at Perry, Ohio, May 14, 1873, died May 27, 1893;
Leon Russell, born September 26, 1876, died July 2, 1899; Arthur H., who
died April, 1914, at Saegerstown ; John Crawford, of wihom further.
(IV) John Crawford, youngest child of Henry A. and Matilda Bennett
(Roat) Minich, was born in Venango, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, May
15, 1882. He was educated in the public schools and is a graduate of
Saegerstown high school, class of 1900. His parents moved to Saegers-
town when he was nine years of age and from that time until the present,
that borougth has been his home. He began business life as clerk in the
freight office of the Erie Railroad Company, continuing in that employ four
years. In 1910 he was appointed postmaster of Saegerstown by President
Taft, a position he now holds (1915). He is a Republican in politics,
and since 1908, has served as borough auditor. He was made a Mason in
Coventry Lodge, No. 473, Free and Accepted Masons, and is now a past-
master of his lodge. He is also a member of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows. He is a young man of progress and public spirit ; very
popular with his fellow men and held in high esteem.
Mr. Minich married. May 29, 1914, Miss Margaret A. David, a daugh-
ter of Albert and Kate (Hunter) David. Previous to her marriage Mrs.
Minich taught school in Meadville two years.
The Rhodes family was among the pioneer settlers of Rhode
RHODES Island and begins with Zaohary Rhodes, who was born in
1603, and settled in Rehoboth in 1643. I" 1644, with other
settlers, he signed an agreement forming a town government. In 1646
he left Rehoboth, crossed the river and bay to Rliode Island, and with others
settled at Pawtuxet, where he became a large owner of land. His reason
for leaving Massachusetts appears to have been of a religious nature, as
records show he refused to comply with the Massachusetts law which
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1261
sought to compel him to contribute for the support of preaching. In re-
ligious sentiment he was an Independent or Baptist. Without doubt he
was banished from the colony because of his peculiar views, but he be-
came a man of strength and influence in Rhode Island. From 1664 10
1665 he was treasurer of the town of Providence, and at the same time was
a member of the town council. In 1658 he was admitted a freeman. He
was a member of the general court at Portsmouth, in August, 1659, and
in 1662 and 1663. In 1661 he attended as commissioner from Providence,
the general court at Newport, and was appointed member of a committee
to adjust difficulties existing between Rhode Island and Massachusetts,
and he was also appointed, with Roger Williams and others, to draw up
and sign an address to His Majesty, King Charles II. In March, 1663-64,
as deputy from Providence, he attended the General Assembly of Rhode
Island held at Newport, and again in 1665. In 1653 he, with five others,
signed an address to the Court assembled in Boston asking that Pawtuxet
might be dismissed from the government of the Massachusetts Colony.
He made his will in 1662, and died in 1665. In 1646 Zachary (or Zach-
ariah) Rhodes, married Joanna Arnold, born February 27, 1617, died in
1692. Their children were: Jeremiah, Malachi, Zachariah;, Elizabeth,
Mary, Rebecca, John, Peleg, and it is from one of these sons that the family
mentioned below is descended.
(I) Jonathan Rhodes, with his wife and nine children, left Rhode
Island, and came by wagon to land north of where Cambridge Springs,
Crawford county, Pennsylvania, is now located. Following is an extract
from an old ledger now in the possession of Young J. Rhodes :
"Tuesday, February J4, 1834', starting for Rockdale township, Crawford county,
Pennsylvania. The outfit consists of two horses, wagon, one one horse wagon. A
dog was of the party but was lost at Albany. They had on the start cold weather
and good wheeling. Got to Richfield Friday 2 P. M., March 6. Left there March 9.
Snow came up and made much mud and made one knot per hour. Cross Cayuga
Free Bridge Saturday. Drove until 9 o'clock. Thence for Parker in Byron, got
there the 19. Snowed Sunday all day. left Monday, no bottom to roads. Ebenezer
came to Batavia with horses and sleigh. Gave man there 50 cents to help 1/2 mile
with Oxen. Made Ischerwoods Corners Wed. morning 3 P. M. Hauled in on
Premises just sun Set. A farm 3 1/2 north of Cambridge. Settled on 200 acres
Rockdale Township."
A portion of this land was cleared, and a log house erected one-half
mile from the public road. Prior to coming to Pennsylvania, Jonathan
Rhodes was a merchant, and in the same old ledger mentioned above there
are entries relative to his dealings in this line of business. One entry is as
follows: "To taping & heel taping one pair Shoes for Z. 17c." The Z.
means Zadock.
(II) Zadock, son of Jonathan and Mary (Young) Rhodes, was born
in Sterling, Connecticut, August 25, 181 1, and died July 12, 1870. He
was a strong supporter of the Democratic party, and served as road com-
missioner and .school director of the township several terms. He married,
January 21, 1841, Elizabeth, daughter of William and Rebecca (Isher-
wood) Watenhouse, of Le Boeuf township, Erie county, Pennsylvania,
and had children : Amy ; Lewis ; Almina F. ; Young J., of further inention ;
Ida M.. married Eugene Drake; Allen.
1262 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
(111) Young J., son of Zadock and Elizabeth ( Waterhouse) Rhodes,
was born in Rockdale township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, August 8,
1852. His preparatory education was acquired at the public schools iu
the vicinity of his home, and he then matriculated at Mount Union College,
Alliance, Ohio, from which he was graduated, after an attendance of two
years, in the class of 1874. In the following year he located in Cambridge
township, and there commenced the manufacture of lumber, a line of
business with which he was actively identified until 1909. In 1904, how-
ever, he also engaged in the wholesale liquor business in Cambridge Springs,
and still continues to carry on this business. He has taken an active interest
in the political affairs of the township for many years, and his influence has
been felt for good in the interests of the Democratic party. He was in
office as justice of the peace in Cambridge township from about 1876 to
1886. Mr. Rhodes married, May 31, 1875, Aurelia, a daughter of Philander
G. and Clarissa (Mitchell) Porter, of Cambridge township, and they have
had children : Dolly, Horace and Robert.
In the fifth American generation the Irish family of Christy
CHRISTY is represented in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, by James
H. Christy, members thereof being numerous in Ohio and
in \Vestmoreland county, Pennsylvania. James Christy, son of the emi-
grant ancestor, passed his entire life in Ohio, married and had children,
one of his sons James, of whom further.
(III) James (2) Christy, son of James (i) Christy, was born in Ohio,
and was there reared. In manhood he came to Westmoreland county,
Pennsylvania, accompanied by his wife, Polly (North) Christy, and there
they both died. His calling was that of farmer, and the land that he cul-
tivated during his active years is still in the possession of the family. Chil-
dren of James and Polly (North) Christy: Sarah, James, of whom further;
Nancy, Thomas, Margaret, Rachel, Andrew, Joseph.
(IV) James (3) Christy, son of James (2) and Polly (North) Christy,
was born in \Vestmoreland county, Pennsylvania, in 1813, died in 1868.
After finishing his youthful studies he became apprenticed to the millwright's
trade, and after mastering the same was employed thereat for several
years, afterward engaging in farming. He was a skillful and able
workman at his trade, prospering in that as he did in ihis later occupation.
In politics he was ever allied with tlie Republican forces, and belonged to
the Methodist Episcopal church. He married Mary Jane Case, born in
Forward township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in 1821, died in 1896,
daughter of Butler and Elizabeth (Newlon) Case, her father born in Ohio,
her mother in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. Children of James and
Mary Jane (Case) Christy: Butler Case, deceased; James H., of whom
further; Elizabeth, deceased; Thomas North, deceased; Anna Belle, de-
ceased.
(V) James H. Christy, son of James (3) and Mary Jane (Case) Christy,
was born in Sewickley townsihip, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania,
^^^..^i^^^^^^^i^ ^?V^/f^fe^^^<
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1263
January y, 1845. ^^i^ youthful home was near McGrew's Mill, Sewickley
township, and he attended the public schools of that locality, completing his
studies in Elizabeth Academy. Reared to farm life, that was the calling he
chose upon attaining manhood, and he is now the owner of seventy-one
acres of land near Elizabeth, Forward township, to which locality his
parents moved in 1858. He is a successful farmer, cultivating his land
upon the most approved of modern methods and winning from the soil a
comfortable existence. Mr. Christy has always been active in public afifairs
in Forward township, and as the candidate of the Republican party has
been elected to all of the local offices with the exception of school director.
For nine years he has been township assessor, and in that office, as in the
others to which he Jias been elected, has shown a reliability and efficiency
that have made him the best of public servants. He is a member of the
Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. Christy married, August 28, 1868, Myra D. Smith, born in Forward
township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, July 21, 1846, daughter of Rob-
ert M. and Caroline (Black) Smith, of Revolutionary ancestry. Children
of James H. and Myra D. (Smith) Christy: Alvin Black, deceased; James
Case; Irene; Robert Smith, deceased; Caroline Grace; Mary; William, de-
ceased ; Edwin F., deceased ; Thomas, deceased ; Ross, deceased, twin of
Thomas; Hattie Belle; Delia, deceased; Ida, deceased; Frank; Nellie,
deceased.
//^ One of the third generation of his line in the United States,
McLANE L. O. McLane, of Linesville, Pennsylvania, is a twentieth
century representative of an ancient Irish line, his grand-
father having come from the north of Ireland to Lancaster county, Penn-
sylvania, at the beginning of the nineteenth century. After the birth of
Joseph, father of L. O. McLane, the family moved to the western part of
the state, where both of the grandparents of L. O. McLane died.
Joseph McLane was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in 1822,
died in Oil City, Venango county, Pennsylvania, in 1878. As a youth he
accompanied his parents to Pittsburgh, obtaining his education in this city
and in the place of his birth, and in your manhood he learned the trades
of tinner and coppersmith. Subsequently he was employed on steamboats
plying the rivers of the region, and wlhen about thirty years of age was
placed in charge of the Muck Rolls of the Brady's Bend Mills, Armstrong
county, Pennsylvania, where were then manufactured the only steel rails
made west of the Allegheny mountains. For several years he made that
place his home, being there married, and during the height of the oil excite-
ment moved to Oil City, Pennsylvania, where he became proprietor of a
hardware store, and at his death was a prosperous and considered highly
rated merchant. In addition to his activities in the line previously men-
tioned, he conducted oil operations upon a small scale, preferring the less
spectacular but more certain methods of established trade to the chance
and fortune of oil investment, which, while it brought fortune to many,
1264 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
did not thus favor all who followed it. Joseph McLane was a member
of the Pennsylvania Reserves during the Civil War, and with his wife
belonged to the Methodist Episcopal churoh. He married Patience Moody,
born near Red Bank, Clarion county, Pennsylvania, member of a family that
claims Dwight L. Moody, the famous evangelist and preacher, as a member.
Children of Joseph and Patience (Moody) McLane: i. Spurgeon Melang-
than, a locomotive engineer, resides in Oil City, Pennsylvania, 2. L. O., of
whom further. 3. Jennie, deceased, married John Vaughan, deceased, and
resided in Oil City, Pennsylvania. 4. Alpine W., deceased, a locomotive
engineer of Oil City, Pennsylvania. 5. James S., department head of a
gas engine manufacturing company of Oil City, Pennsylvania. 6. Daniel
D., a hardware merchant of De Soto, Missouri.
(II) L. O., son of Joseph and Patience (Moody) McLane, was born
in Brady's Bend, Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, March 16, 1854. His
youthful education was obtained in the public schools of Oil City, and he
mastered the plumber's and tinner's trades under the preceptorship of his
father, afterward becoming associated with the elder McLane in business.
Following the death of Joseph McLane he formed a connection with another
hardware concern of Oil City, and in 1879 he was sent to Bradford, Penn-
sylvania, and placed in charge of a tinning shop, remaining in this place
until he resigned from the company's service and established in independent
dealings. He made Richburg, New York, a town that derived its imme-
diate importance from its proximity to the oil fields, the scene of his first
venture, there opening a hardware store, in connection therewith conducting
a business in general tinning and plumbing. For two years he remained in
Richburg, at the end of that time moving to Garfield, Warren county,
Pennsylvania, there operating a store for a like term of years, also having
a hardware store at Gusher for two years. In 1884 Mr. McLane came to
Linesville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, purchasing the main interest
in the Schanck Hardware Company, and has here since resided and has had
his business interests in company with G. C. Schanck, when it was then
incorporated as the McLane, Schanck Hardware Company, and to this time
retains that title, the business having enjoyed prosperous growth from
year to year until it has attained its present state of vigorous independence.
In 1892 the store in which the McLane, Schanck Hardware Company was
housed was destroyed by fire, since which time it has been located in com-
modious quarters in a building forty by one hundred and ten feet. In addi-
tion to handling a full line of hardware and implements of various uses,
the company conducts a plumbing, heating and tinning trade, this branch
of the business no small part of its activities. Adjoining the hardware
store is a garage, under the same management, and the company likewise
has the agency for several well-known makes of automobiles. ■ This depart-
ment, really an independent business, has been a decided success, and is
generously patronized by the motoring element of the borough and the
neighboring region. Mr. McLane's business career is one of almost un-
interrupted success, attained through diligent application and tireless in-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1265
dustry, for he has ever appreciated the value of hard, conscientious labor
in the gaining of worthy results.
Public life and politics have always witnessed a large share of Mr.
McLane's activities, and, formerly a Republican, he is now identified with
the Progressive party. For two terms he served Linesville as burgess, and
was four times elected to represent his district in the state legislature, a
responsibility that he discharged with distinction to himself and satisfaction
to his constituents. In 1912 he was a delegate to the Republican National
Convention at Chicago, pledged for Roosevelt, and in the same year he
became a presidential elector, one of the twenty-six electors from Pennsyl-
vania, who withdrew from the Republican support and became Roosevelt
electors. Since its birth, Mr. Mcl^ne has been an ardent and enthusiastic
member of the Progressive party, and in 1914 was a candidate for the state
legislature on the ticket of that party, advocating a platform that he stated
in thirteen bold, outspoken clauses. Mr. McLane was appointed by the
legislature of 1905 a member of the Jamestown Tercentennial Commission,
and served with credit in that body. Mr. McLane is a member of the
Masonic order, belonging to Linesville Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons ;
Conneautville Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Meadville Commandery, No.
25, Knight Templar; and Zem Zem Temple, of Erie, Pennsylvania, An-
cient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. With his family he is
a member of the United Presbyterian church, of which he has long been
a trustee. Mr. McLane is a member of the board of directors of the
Linesville State Bank.
He married, January 18, 1882, Nina, born in Woodcock township,
Crawford county, Pennsylvania, daughter of Garrett C. and Sarah (Britton)
Sdianck, both deceased, her father a farmer and later a hardware dealer
of Linesville, Pennsylvania. Mr. McLane has no children.
John Kingsley, who was born in Hampshire, England,
KINGSLEY was descended from Randulphus de Kyngesleigh, of
Chester, England, 1120. Arms: Vert a cross engrailed
ermine. Crest: In a ducal coronet gules a goat's head argent. John
Kingsley, also Kyngesley and Kinsley, according to Savage, was of "Dor-
chester, Massachusetts, 1635, came probably with some other friends of
Mather, and was here before him. At any rate was one of the seven
pillars on formation of the new church for him, August 23, 1636, and was
the last survivor. He removed to Rehoboth after 1648, when he was in
office and in 1658, there lived and suffered the Indian hostilities, in which
in a letter of supplication for relief under date of May 5, 1676. a most sad
picture is given (see Trumbull Colonial Records, vol. ii, p. 445). His will
of November 2, 1677, mentions only three children : Edward, Enos, Free-
dom."
(ID A John Kingsley, in all probability a son of the preceding, died in
Rehoboth, January 6, 1678, and Mar}', his wife, on the 14th of the same
month. 1673. They had children: Eldad. of further mention; Renewal,
1266 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
born March 19, 1644; a daughter, married John French, of Northampton;
probably another daughter, who married Timothy Jones, from Massachu-
setts. (Ill) Eldad, son of John and Mary Kingsley, was born 1638. (IV)
John, was a son of Eldad Kingsley.
(V) Amos, son of John Kingsley, married, and had: Isaiah, of fur-
ther mention; Nathaniel, who came from Connecticut, and shared the
fortunes of his brother.
(VI) Isaiah, son of Amos Kingsley, with other se,ttlers, came from
Connecticut to Becket about the year 1755, and there founded a permanent
settlement. He was the first deacon chosen to that position in the Becket
Congregational Church, and was appointed March 8, 1759, when he was
thirty-five years of age. In this station he served the church thirty-seven
years, and died December 29, 1796.
(VII) Seth P., son of Isaiah Kingsley, was born June 13, 1761, and
removed from Becket to Otis.
(VIII) Erastus, son of Seth P. Kingsley, was torn June 20, 1788.
About 1824 he removed to Venango township, Crawford county, Pennsyl-
vania, locating on the farm now occupied by Lynn Kingsley. He brought
his father with him. The farm he purchased from one of the Rockwells,
the first settlers in this section. It was about two hundred acres at that
time, and Mr. Kingsley added to it by purchase until it now consists of
more than four hundred acres. When he came almost the entire tract was
covered with timber, and there was a small log cobin near the site of the
present buildings. Mr. Kingsley erected a new home, and about 1848,
built the house which is still in use by his descendants. He married, Febru-
ary 18, 1817, Elizabeth Marion Marcy, and they had children: Albert
Eldridge, of further mention; Orville Ostrander ; Harmony Angeline; Re-
becca Rice; Esther Elizabeth, born on the homestead in Crawford county;
Emily Lucinda, born on the homestead ; Nathaniel Erastus, born on the
homestead.
(IX) Albert Eldridge, son of Erastus and Elizabeth Marion (Marcy)
Kingsley, was born in Genesee county. New York, December 8, 18 17, and
came to Venango township, Crawford county, in 1824, with his father and
grandfather. The day before he was forty-five years of age he was drafted
for military duty, but, upon reporting the following day, was excused from
service as having reached the age limit. Mr. Kingsley married, October
II, 1842, Hannah Marilla Rockwell, who was born in Rockdale township,
Crawford county, Pennsylvania. They had children: Orson E. ; Ogden E. ;
Alta A. ; Albert Alonzo, of further mention ; and two who died in infancy.
Mr. Kingsley was educated in Venango township, and followed farming
from early years. Later he took up a farm adjoining the homestead, and in
1862 acquired the farm now in the possession of his son, Albert Alonzo.
This consisted of one hundred acres, and Mr. Kingsley made many im-
provements on it. He and his family were of the Presbyterian denomina-
tion.
(X) Albert Alonzo, son of Albert Eldridge and Hannah Marilla
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1267
(Rockwell) Kingsley, was born in Venango township, Crawford county,
Pennsylvania, March 22, 1856. After completing the course at the public
schools in the vicinity of his home, he attended the Edinboro Normal
School and the Allegheny College, but left the last mentioned institution
shortly before his graduation, because of the necessity of his taking charge
of the home farm and taking care of his parents in their declining years.
Returning to his home he devoted himself to farming, and since that time
has been engaged in cultivating his land for general products. He is an
active member of the local grange, Patrons of Husbandry, and of the order
of Free and Accepted Masons, and he and his family are members of the
Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Kingsley married, September 14, i88z,
Hettie C. Dauchey, of Spring Borough, Crawford county, and they have
had children: Ogden R., married Elizabeth Cole, June 12, 1912, one child,
Ruth L. ; Wilbur L., married Florence Goshorn, June 28, 1911, one child,
Robert G. ; Charles Albert, died June 16, 1901 ; Anita Vere.
Hannah Marilla (Rockwell) Kingsley was a daughter of Eleazer and
Keziah (Spring) Rockwell, of Rockdale township, where he was a farmer,
and an active church member. It was largely due to his personal efforts
and energy that the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Cambridge Springs
was erected.
The Straw family is among the pioneer families of the United
STRAW States and one of those which have enabled her to attain and
to maintain the proud supremacy she now holds in the world.
This family has been well and prominently represented in the professions
and in all honorable callings of life. When our country needed men to
defend her just rights, the members of the Straw family were ever ready
to lay aside their personal afifairs and respond to the call to arms, and in
this way, help build up the glorious history of our land.
(I) John Straw, who was an early settler in Crawford county, Penn-
sylvania, acquired land in Woodcock township, which he cleared of timber
and cultivated. He had learned the potter's trade, and followed this calling,
as well as farming, and was a very successful man. He married Christina
Blystone, and they had children: Christian, of further mention; Jacob;
Caroline ; Sarah.
(II) Christian, son of John and Christina (Blystone) Straw, was born
in Hayfield township, Crawford county, January i, 1820, and was educated
in the district schools near his home. He took up farming in Venango
township, Crawford county, and followed this occupation until his death,
at which time he was the owner of one hvmdred acres near Cambridge
Springs. He married Jane Mitchell, born in Le Boeuf township, Erie
county, Pennsylvania, in 1824, and they were the parents of children : Isabel,
who married the late O. E. Kingsley; Frank P., of further mention; Charles
P. Henry Mitchell, father of Mrs. Jane (Mitchell) Straw, was born in
Massachusetts, and settled near \\'aterford, Erie county, Pennsylvania, at an
early date, and was engaged in farming until his death. He was an active
participant in the war of 18 12.
1268 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
(III) Frank P., son of Christian and Jane (Mitchell) Straw, was
born in Venango township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, April i8, 1850.
The public schools of his native township furnished his early education,
and this was supplemented by attendance at the Edinboro Normal School.
Until 1913 he was actively engaged in farming, having a fine farm of one
hundred and thirty-seven acres, two and a half miles northwest of Venango
borough. He was also largely engaged in the raising of horses and cattle,
making a specialty of draft horses. He made many improvements on the
farm ,and increased its value greatly. In 1913 he removed to Venango
borough, and in 1914 erected his new home there. He is very prominent
in the township, and his influence for good is felt in many ways. Politically
he is a staunch supporter of Democratic principles, and he has filled a
number of township offices, among them being : Supervisor, auditor, judge
of election, inspector of elections, and school director, filling the last men-
tioned ofifice fifteen years. He is a member of the First Lutheran Church
of Venango borough.
Mr. Straw married, in 1879, Caroline Burnhardt, born in Venango
township, and they have had children: Harry M., a postal clerk on the Pitts-
burgh & Lake Erie railroad, married Clara Bickford, of Erie, Pennsylvania,
no issue; Gertrude May, married Ross Root, of Cambridge Springs, no issue.
The Rockwell family is one of the oldest in Hartford
ROCKWELL county, Connecticut, having been identified with its in-
terests for almost two hundred and seventy-five years.
(I) William Rockwell, the first of the line in America, was born in
Dorchester, England, and came to America with his wife and two children
in 1630. He located first at Dorchester, Massachusetts, where he was one
of the twenty-four freemen who took the oath of fidelity on May 18, 1631.
He was a deacon in the church there, and was one of the jurors in the
first manslaughter case tried in the colony. In 1637 he removed with his
family to Windsor, Connecticut, where he passed the remainder of his
days, his death occurring. May 15, 1640. He was also a deacon in the
church at Windsor. He married in England, April 14, 1624, Susanna, a
daughter of Bernard Chapin. She married (second), May 29, 1645, Mat-
thew Grant, and died November 14, 1666. William and Susanna (Chapin)
Rockwell had children: Joan, born in England, April 25, 1625, married
Jeffrey Baker; Samuel, born in England, July 18, 1627, of further mention;
John, born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, March 28, 1631 ; Ruth, born in
Dorchester, in August, 1633, married, October 7, 1652, Christopher Hunt-
ington, removed to Saybrook and, in 1660, to Norwich, where they were
among the earliest settlers; Sarah, born in Windsor, Connecticut, July 21,
1634, married Walter Gaylor.
(II) Sergeant Samuel Rockwell, son of William and Susanna (Chapin)
Rockwell, was born in England, July 18, 1627, and died in East Windsor,
Connecticut, in 1711. He came with his parents from England and re-
moved with the familv from Dorchester. Massachusetts, to Windsor, Con-
WESTERN PENNSYL\A>;:A 1269
necticut. lie was among the earliest .settlers in East Windsor, where he
was engaged in farming until ihis death. He was admitted to membership
in Windsor church, April 6, 1662. He married, April 7, 1660, Mary, a
daughter of Thomas and Grace (Wells) Norton, of Guilford. Children:
Mary, baptized in January, 1661, married, October 23, 1683, Josiah Loomis ;
Abigail, baptized, October 23, 1664, died May 3, 1665; Samuel, baptized
October 19, 1667; Joseph, baptized May 22, 1670; married Elizabeth, a
daughter of Job and Elizabeth (Alvord) Dirake, and died June 26, 1733;
John, of further mention; Abigail, baptized April 11, 1676, was married,
November 9, 1704, to John Smith, and died October 12, 1741 ; Josiah, bap-
tized, March 10, 1676.
(HI) John, son of Sergeant Samuel and Mary (Norton) Rockwell,
was baptized May 31, 1673-74.
(IV) Joel, was a son of John Rockwell.
(V) Ephraim, son of Joel Rockwell, was a soldier in the Revolutionary
war. He married (first) Sarah Moore, January i, 1773; he married (sec-
ond) Hannah Coon, of the family who donated the first burying ground in
Cambridge Springs, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, this being now known
as the Hill Cemetery, and in April, 1820, was the first person to be buried
there.
(VI) Zerah, son of Ephraim and Hannah (Coon) Rockwell, was born
in Windsor, Connecticut, March 6, 1787, and was about twelve years of
age when he came with his father and the other members of the family to
Berkshire, Massachusetts. His father had bought a farm there and was
also a manufacturer of rakes. In this his son assisted him until 1816 when,
in association with his brother Bernard, he went to Crawford county, Penn-
sylvania, to investigate conditions there. He was well pleased with condi-
tions and purchased a tract on French creek. In the summer of 1818, he
transported his family to this region, making the journey by means of an
ox team, and during first year, occupied the log school house, which was
located on what is now known as Yankee Hill. In the course of time they
cleared about one hundred acres of land, put up saw and rake mills, and
prospered in a satisfactory manner. He married, prior to coming to Penn-
sylvania, Phoebe Carter, of Otis, Massachusetts. In 1825 he and his wife
joined the Presbyterian church.
(VII) Abner Otis, son of Zerah and Phoebe (Carter) Rockwell, was
born at Yankee Hill, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, May 10, 1819, and
died at Cambridge Springs, May 19, 1906. He received his middle name
in honor of the native town of his mother. He was the recipient of an
excellent education, was graduated from Jefiferson College in the class of
1843, and from the Western Theological Seminary in 1846. He was
licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Beaver, April 10, 1845, the day
on which occurred the great fire in Pittsburgh. He was the minister at a
number of churches, among them being Middlesex and Sharon; Huber,
Ohio; Mingo and Lebanon, Pennsylvania; for many years at Frankfort
Springs, Pennsylvania, and later a missionary in ^^^est Virginia. He was
I270 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
one of the pioneer Presbyterian ministers of Pennsylvania, and organized
congregations in many sections. Many who owed their religion training
to Mr. Rockwell grew up to become prominent members of the communi-
ties in which they resided. He was earnest and devout in his ministrations,
and was actively identified with his calling until his death. At the time of
his death he was the oldest minister of any denomination in the state of
Pennsylvania. For many years he considered Pittsburgh his home, but
two years prior to his death removed to Cambridge Springs. He married,
January 15, 1846, Sarah Greer, of North Side, Pittsburgh, and they had
one child : Emma, who married George A. Swoger, and lives at 454 Venango
avenue, Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania; no issue. Mrs. Rockwell died
February 4, 1899.
Bartholomew Erhardt is a fine example of the best type of
ERHARDT German character which has contributed so large and valu-
able an element to the citizenship of the United States
and leavened that great and complex mass with many of the German virtues,
patient industry, and unswerving pursuit of an object. His father, Andrew
Erhardt, was born May 2, 1814, at Rheinfalls, Germany, and there spent
the greater part of his life engaged in farming and cattle raising. In 1880,
though at that time sixty-six years of age, he left the country of his birth
and came to America and settled at Squirrel Hill, Allegheny county, Penn-
sylvania, whither his son, Bartholomew Erhardt, had preceded him. An-
drew Erhardt married Mary Abt, their union being blessed with three chil-
dren, as follows: Bartholomew, of whom further; Joseph, who married
Mary Minekus, resided in Germany, and is now deceased ; Mary, w.ho
became Mrs. Jacob Minekus and is now residing in Germany.
Bartholomew Erhardt, the eldest child of Andrew and Mary (Abt)
Erhardt, was born September 26, 1842, in Rheinfalls, Germany, and passed
his childhood and youth in his native region. He was educated in the
local volkeschule, and upon the completion of his studies assisted his father
in the operation of his farm. On July i, 1869, while in his twenty-seventh
year, Mr. Erhardt set sail for the United States to seek the great opportuni-
ties which he had heard ofifered there. He was the pioneer member of his
family and it was not until eleven years later, after he had established a home
in the New World, that his father joined him. He first settled in Morning-
side, Pennsylvania, but did not remain there long, going thence to Squirrel
Hill where he engaged in gardening, an occupation which his early training
in the Fatherland had fitted him for. His first residence in Squirrel Hill
lasted about four years, between 1872 and 1876, and in the latter year he
removed to Homestead, Pennsylvania, and gardened the site where the
great steel works are situated today, and where he remained for two years.
He then returned to Squirrel Hill and continued his residence there for
six years, from 1878 to 1884. In 1884 he went to Pittsburgh, and there
made ihis home on Dallas avenue, for a period of ten years. During that
time he began to long more and more, as time went on, for the rural life
Oii,-£;s^T,<z>^;^l:x.-.^^ /^^^
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1271
which his early training and a natural taste had rendered dear to him, and
it thus happened that in 1894 he purchased sixteen acres of fine farm land
in Penn township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, and removed there to
the hamlet of Wilkinsburg. There he has made his home for the past
twenty years, and occupied himself with his beloved gardening. On his
sixteen acres he has developed a model farm where he raises for the large
and growing markets in the community all manner and variety of garden
truck and practically every kind of fruit grown in this climate. As his
sons have grown to an age to make it possible, they have turned to and
helped their father in running the place, until they have developed it to
the point where it may well claim to be the finest garden farm in the town-
ship. Upon it they have erected a beautiful house and installed every
modern improvement, both for their personal comfort and convenience and
for the more effective growing of their divers crops. Mr. Erhardt himself
and all his sons are heart and soul in the work, a fact which undoubtedly
accounts for the high degree of success they have achieved. Mr. Erhardt
is not so absorbed by his work, however, that he has no time or attention
to spare for other matters. On the contrary he is actively interested in all
aspects of the life of the community, and is himself a prominent figure in
many of its departments. He is a member of the Democratic party, and an
intelligent and keen observer of the political issues of the day, and though
he takes no active part in local affairs, and avoids rather than seeks public
office, his influence in these affairs is by no means slight, and, exerted as
they are purely in a private capacity, are the result of the weight of his
personality and the prominent place which he holds in the community. Mr.
Erhardt is a communicant of the Roman Catholic diurch, as his fathers have
always been, and in that faith is rearing his children, and has been a mem-
ber of S. S. Peter and Paul Church of East End, Pittsburgh, since 1869.
He served six years of military service and fought in the Prussian-Austrian
war of 1866. Mr. Erhardt's love for the Fatherland has not waned through
all the long years in which he has lived in the New World. A true American
in feelings and professions, he nevertheless has never forgotten the land
with which the associations of his youth are inseparably bound up, and
accordingly some years ago he developed a strong desire to see the old
sights and renew the old friendships once more. It was a desire that he could
very well indulge, and he straightway went on an extended trip to his native
place during the course of which he visited many friends and relatives ; in
1891 he recrossed again, also in 1906, this time in company with Mrs.
Erhardt.
Bartholomew Erhardt married, October 15, 1871, Mary Hochberg, a
native of Germany, born September 17, 1848, daughter of John and Kath-
erine Hochberg, of that country. Mrs. Erhardt's maternal grandfather,
John Nansmann, was a distinguished man in the region of Germany in
which he lived, and gave his long life in the service of education. He
taught for fifty years in the German State Schools, and at the expiration
of that period was pensioned by the government. He died at the venerable
1272
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
age of eigihty-four years. To Mr. and Mrs. Bartholomew Erhardt there
have been born eight children, as follows: Mary Ann, who died in early
youth; Jacob; Elias; Mary, married Albert Snyder, of Hundred, West
Virginia, July 6, 1898, and is the mother of four children: Ora, Phelma,
Harold and George; Minnie, lives at home with her parents; Peter H. ;
Rose; Bartholomew J. On November 18, 191 4, Bartholomew Erhardt 's
four sons purchased a farm of sixty-two acres adjoining the present farm
of their father.
The Boyle family was originally resident in Scotland, but at
BOYLE the time of the religious persecutions, they migrated to the
North of Ireland, and lived there for some generations, before
any of the family came to this country. They were living in the vicinity
of Ballyney Hinch, county Down, Ireland, and the family was noted for
their erudition, a number of the men being school teachers, and others
following other lines of professional work.
(I) Alexander Boyle, the progenitor of the line under discussion here,
was a farmer and miller near Ballyney Hinch, county Down, Ireland, and
is buried in the graveyard near ihis home. He was a Seceder and very
strict in his religious views. Among his seven children we find the follow-
ing names, the others not being of record at present : John ; Thomas ; Nancy ;
Elizabeth ; Francis, of further mention.
(II) Francis, son of Alexander Boyle, was born at Ballyney Hinch,
and received an excellent education. For a time he was a school teacher,
and he was the leader in athletic sports among the young men of his neigh-
borhood. About 1795, while his children, all of whom were born in Ire-
land, were still small, he emigrated to America with his family, and pur-
chased a fine farm at Glade Mills, Butler county, Pennsylvania. He mar-
ried, in Ireland, Ann Scott, and they had children : John, of further men-
tion; David, inherited the homestead in Butler county; Alexander, was a
school teacher, later a river pilot and surveyor, and wrote a book of great
value upon the navigation of the Mississippi river; there were also three
daughters.
(III) John, son of Francis and Ann (Scott) Boyle, was born in the
north of Ireland, and there received the rudiments of his education. He
was still a child when he came to this country in 1795 with his parents, and
his education was completed in this country. He was an especially fine
scholar in Latin, Greek and German. He also studied the higher math-
ematics, and fitted himself successfully for the profession of surveying, and
was considered the best educated man in Butler county. He owned a farm
in Worth township, taught for many years, and was for many years a
surveyor. A Democrat in political matters, and a Seceder in religion. He
married Martha Boyd, and had children : John, a wagon maker in Worth
township, later moved to Bennington, Kansas, where he died and is buried ;
Nancy, married (first) John Stoughton, (second) Jonathan Vogan, also
deceased ; Jennie, married William Stewart, a farmer, lived in Worth town-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1273
ship, both now deceased; Martha, married (first) J;inies Atwell, (second J
Samuel Irwin; Thomas, of further mention.
(IV) Thomas, son of John and Martha (Boyd) Boyle, was born in
Worth township, Butler county, Pennsylvania, December 15, 1815, and died
June 9, 1865. He was eleven years of age when his mother died, and his
father soon bound him out to learn the blacksmith's trade. He was a
natural mechanic, and in these days would have been called a skilled ma-
chinist. For years he had a shop in Jacksville, Pennsylvania, and later at
Bovard, where his death occurred. His widow returned to Jacksville, and
died there. He married Jane Stoughton, born in Worth township, Decem-
ber 6, 1822, died June 19, 1889. She was a daughter of John and Catherine
(Covert) Stoughton, both born in Pennsylvania. Mrs. Stoughton was of
Holland descent, her mother's maiden name being Van Zant, a family that
had settled on Manhattan Island, New York. Mr. Stoughton was of Eng-
lish descent, became a farmer, and owned three hundred and fifty acres of
land, in three farms. He had a brother, Samuel Stoughton, who was a
Baptist minister, and the entire family was very strict in its religious ob-
servances. Mr. and Mrs. Stoughton had children : William, a farmer, lived
in Clay township; Luke, a farmer in Worth township, was in active service
in the war of 1812 ; Andrew, a wealthy and prosperous farmer of Clay
township ; Jacob, a farmer, who died unmarried ; John, also a participant
in the war of 1812, lived on a part of the homestead, and married Nancy
Boyle; Barnard, a farmer, died in Kansas; Jane, who married Mr. Boyle,
as above stated ; Hannah, married John Patterson, and lived in Worth
township ; Eflfie, married Robert Logan, a farmer, who was killed during the
Civil War ; Polly, died young. Mr. and Mrs. Boyle had children : Catherine,
who died August 11, 1914, married Enoch Varnum, and lived in North
Washington, Pennsylvania; Martha, died in infancy; Martha Jane, now
deceased, married Edward Hagan, a farmer and carpenter, and lived in
Missouri ; Nancy, deceased, married Robert Hampson Book, and lived in
Worth township ; Hannah, unmarried, lives with her brother, James Clyde ;
John, deceased, lived in Worth township; Bernard and Thomas, died in
infnacy ; Christian, died in infancy ; Cornelia, died unmarried ; James Clyde,
of further mention.
(V) Dr. James Clyde Boyle, son and youngest child of Thomas and
Jane (Stoughton) Boyle, was born at Bovard, Cherry township, Butler
county, Pennsylvania, November 14, 1864. His elementary education was
acquired at the public schools of Worth township, and he then attended the
Witherspoon Institute, at Butler, Pennsylvania. He taught school for two
terms in Worth township, after which he became a student at the State
Normal School at Edinboro, Pennsylvania, and was graduated from this
institution in the class of 1889. He spent one year in teaching and reading
medicine under a preceptor, after which he matriculated at the Western
Pennsylvania Medical College, now the University of Pittsburgh, and was
graduated in the class of 1892 with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. For
a short time he practiced in association with Dr. Beatty. at Leeper, Garion
1274 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
county, Pennsylvania, then three years at Taylorstown, Washington county,
Pennsylvania. In 1896 he located in Butler, Pennsylvania, and has been in
continuous practice there since that time. He took a course at the Philadel-
phia Polyclinic College for Graduated Physicians, in 1902-03, and in 1905
took a special course in diseases of the eye, at the Royal London Ophthalmic
Hospital, and at the Westminster Ophthalmic Hospital, London, England.
He also took a special course on the ear, nose and throat at the Central
London Ear and Throat Hospital. With this fine equipment he is now
considered one of the ablest specialists on these diseases in the entire state.
He has established a hospital at No. 121 East Cunningham street, Butler,
Pennsylvania, in 1908, and his patients come to him from all over the
country. He is a member and ex-president of the Butler County Medical
Society ; a member of the State Medical Society ; member of the American
Medical Society; and a member of the Masonic fraternity.
Dr. Boyle married, January 31, 1894, Kathleen McNair, born in Butler,
Pennsylvania, died March 5, 1913, a daughter of Thomas and Jane McNair,
the former, now deceased, was a miller, and was born near Morgantown,
West Virginia, the latter was born in Butler county, Pennsylvania. Dr.
Boyle has one child : James Clyde Jr., born April 7, 1906.
This is an old family of Austria. Toward the latter part of
RABELL the eighteenth century two brothers, Michael and Ferdinand
Rabell, left their native land in order to make a home for
themselves in America. Both were evidently lost at sea, as they were never
heard from again.
(I) Anthony Rabell, a brother of Michael and Ferdinand, mentioned
above, was born at Rhona, Austria. He also sailed for America, landed
here in safety, and was a baker in the city of New York during the re-
mainder of his life. He was prosperous in his business affairs, and pur-
chased several farms in Westchester county, in the vicinity of New York
City. He married Maria Deal, a widow, and had children: Michael, of
further mention ; Anthony ; Ferdinand ; Maria ; Eliza.
(II) Machael, son of Anthony and Maria (Deal) Rabell, was born in
New York City, December 18, 1792, received an excellent education, and
was graduated from the City College. About 1863 he owned and conducted
a bakery in Meadville, Crawford county, on the present site of the Stone
church. In 1868 he removed to the farm in Woodcock township, Crawford
county, which consisted of about three hundred and sixty acres, mostly
heavily timbered. He cleared a large portion of this land and placed it under
cultivation very successfully. He was a man of many-sided activities, was
active in the interests of the Democratic party, and belonged to a company
of militia. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr.
Rabell married Harriet, a daughter of Samuel and Ann (Wiseman) Nodine,
and had children: i. Anna Eliza, now eighty-five years of age. lives at
Warsaw, New York ; she married Chester Richardson, who died in March,
1913, and had children: Harriet, who died in 1914; Louise; William;
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1275
Charles; George. 2. Anthony, wlio died in 1902; he lived on Long Island,
and married Eliza Valentine ; children : Winfield, Lida, Ada, Lelia and Lee.
3. Michael, of further mention. 4. Wiseman, who died in 1909, lived at
Richmond, Pennsylvania ; he married VVilla A. Pulman, and had children :
Raymond and Mary. 5. James, who died in March, 1909, married Minerva
Purse, and had : Natena, Mary, Harry and Theresa. 6. Sarah, married
(first) George Greenlee, (second) David Gibson; children by first marriage:
Clayton and George ; child by second marriage : Ora. 7. Martina, died in
1867, married William S. Skelton.
(Ill) Michael, son of Michael and Harriet (Nodine) Rabell, was
born in New York City, December 5, 1834. He received his education in
the public schools, and has been engaged in agricultural pursuits all his
life. He has been living in Woodcock township, Crawford county, Penn-
sylvania, for the past fifty-one years, and has a fine farm of one hundred and
eighty-six acres, which he has under cultivation for general products. He
is an active member of the Presbyterian church of Woodcock township,
and gives his political support to the Democratic party. During the Civil
War he was drafted, but was unable to go and furnished a substitute. Mr.
Rabell married, April 8, 1862, Rachel Price, and they have had children:
I. Clara, born November i, 1863, died in infancy. 2. Frank, born in 1866,
lives at Duncansville, Pennsylvania ; he married Maud Orr, and has chil-
dren : Ildra and Blanche ; he is a painter and decorator. 3. Arthur, born in
April, 1874, is unmarried and engaged in farming in Woodcock township.
4. Mary B., born in 1877 ; married Albert Greenlee, of Woodcock township,
and has one child : Marion.
Nathan Price, grandfather of Mrs. Rachel (Price) Rabell, was a resi-
dent of New Jersey. He married Mary Wilson, and had children : Wilson
John; James V.; Francis A., of furtlier mention; Anna S. ; Rachel Y.
Later Mr. Price removed to Woodcock township, and became the owner
of the farm now in the possession of Michael Rabell.
Francis A., son of Nathan and Mary (Wilson) Price, and father of
Mrs. Rachel (Price) Rabell, was educated in the common schools, and
was a staunch supporter of the Democratic party. He also was a farmer.
He married Harriet Stone, and had children : Rachel, who married Michael
Rabell, as above stated ; Margaret, now a widow ; Mary A., who died at the
age of thirty-nine years ; Alfred W., married Elizabeth Heathcote, had
children: William and Margaret, and his widow married (second) Samuel
Rabell, a cousin of Michael Rabell, and had children : Harriet and Otho L. ;
George K., married (first) Edna Ford, had children: Nina and Anna B.,
married (second) Sylva Byham; James W., married Hattie Coats, and
had children: Nettie and Ernest.
The name of Williams is very ancient, and probably ex-
WILLIAMS tends throughout the civilized world. Most of the original
members of the family were doubtless of Welsh extrac-
tion. They form a large part of the principality of Wales in England, some-
1276 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
what like the Os in Ireland and the Macs in Scotland. "Burke's Peerage"
says of Sir Robert Williams, the ninth baronet of the House of Williams
of Penrhyn, that "His family is lineally descended from Marchudel of Cynn,
Lord of Abergelen in Denbighshire, of one of the fifteen tribes of North
Wales, who lived in the time of Roderic Mann (Roderic the Great), King
of the Britons, about the year 849. From him was descended the royal
House of Tudor. The lineage of Marchudel is traced from Brutus, the
first King of the Britons." The family is one of the most notable ones
in England, where over forty families of the name settled prior to 1700.
In Wales it was formerly Ap Williams, and it is worthy of note that Mor-
gan ap Williams, of Glamorganshire, gentleman, married a sister of Lord
Thomas Cromwell, afterward Earl of Essex, who was an ancestor of the
famous Puritan reformer, Oliver Cromwell. Roger Williams, the founder
of Providence, Rhode Island, is descended from the same source.
(I) Captain "Billy" Williams was born in Massachusetts, and came to
Crawford county, Pennsylvania, about the year 1800. He bought eight
hundred acres of land in Greenwood township, in which the present home-
stead is included, cleared ofif the timber, and put up a log house. He served
in the Continental army during the Revolution, and he and his family were
members of the United Brethren church. He married, and had children :
Samuel, of further mention ; Washington and Perry, twins ; John Penn ;
James ; Darius ; Peter ; Arthur, died young. All lived in Greenwood
township.
(II) Samuel, son of Captain "Billy" Williams, was born on the Wil-
liams homestead in Greenwood township, in 1808, and died in 1856. He
was an active member of the United Brethren church. He married Nancy
Jane Taylor, born in the state of New Jersey, and they had children : Jona-
than, lived in Greenwood township, died in 1905 ; Abigail, married John
Simmons, lived in Jefferson county, Ohio, both deceased ; Joseph, of further
mention ; William, a farmer of Greenwood township ; Almira, married James
Bramer, lived at Blackash, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, both deceased;
Jesse, now deceased, lived in Greenwood township; Nancy; married E. E.
Potter, a carpenter, lives in Geneva, Ohio ; Samuel, now deceased, lived in
Greenwood ; Elizabeth, was pushed from a window at school, sustaining
a broken back, and died at the age of seven years.
(III) Joseph, son of Samuel and Nancy Jane (Taylor) Williams, was
born on the Williams homestead, in Crawford county, August 8, 1838, and
died December 23, 1906. He grew to maturity on the homestead, and in
the course of time bought out the other heirs. He finally had one hundred
and thirty acres, all under successful cultivation, and built the present
dwelling house in 1874. He was a Republican in political matters, taking
a deep and active interest in all public matters. He married, November 23,
1865, Helen Lavina Phillips, born in Trumbull county, Ohio, November 27,
1846. They became the parents of children : George H., of further mention ;
Alice, married L. D. Vogan, a farmer, and lives in Fairfield township.
Samuel Phillips, grandfather of Mrs. Helen Lavina (Phillips) Wil-
WESTERN' PENNSYLVANIA 1277
Hams, was born in Wales, and emigrated to this country in his early youth.
He was among the very early settlers in Trumbull county, Ohio; he mar-
ried Elizabeth Kline, born in Germany, who was also young when she came
to this country, and they had children : Joseph ; Samuel ; Jacob ; Charles ;
William; Elizabeth; Nancy; David J., of further mention. All lived in
Trumbull county, Ohio.
David J., son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Kline) Phillips, and father
of Mrs. Williams, was born in Trumbull county, Ohio, August 17, 1821,
and died in Greenwood township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, June 3,
1873. ^^ 1850 he moved with his family to Salem township, Mercer county,
Pennsylvania, and lived there on a farm until 1855, when he removed to
Greenwood township, where he spent the remainder of his life. He mar-
ried Huldah, born July 1, 1824, died November 23, 1896, a daughter of
Isaac and Elizabeth (Delong) Winans, who were probably born in Trum-
bull county, Ohio, about 1770, being among the earliest farmers and settlers
there. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips had children: D. Riley, born February 19,
1848, now deceased, was a farmer of Greenwood township; Helen Lavina,
mentioned above as the wife of Mr. Williams ; Henry, born September 7,
1850, was a gold miner and cowboy for some time in South Dakota, lives
in Greenwood townsliip, retired; Crawford, born October 31, 1853, now
deceased, was a physician at Milton, Wisconsin.
(IV) George H., son of Joseph and Helen Lavina (Phillips) Williams,
was born in Greenwood township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, August
9, 1868, on the farm on which he lives at the present time. He attended
the Williams district school near his home, and from the time that he was
a young lad, assisted his father in the work on the farm. He now owns
the homestead, and has added to the original tract, from time to time,
until it now consists of more than two hundred and fifty acres. He has
been very successful in his farming operations, and is very up to date in
his methods. He has been an active supporter of the Republican party,
has served as school director, and is a member of the Patrons of Hus-
bandry, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
He married, December 28, 1892, Myrtie B. Loper, born in Greenwood
township. She is a daughter of Kennedy Loper, born in Greenwood town-
ship, a farmer, and now living retired in Geneva, Penns)'lvania. He mar-
ried Elizabeth Williams, born in Greenwood township in 1853, died October
6, 1894. Mr. and Mrs. Williams have had children : Evata, born May 19,
1896, attends high school in Meadville, Pennsylvania ; Elizabeth, born De-
cember 7, 1897; Goldie, born November 4. 1900; Alice, born May 13, 1902;
Vance, born June 26, 1904; Raymond, born February i. 1907.
The Reitze family has not yet been resident in this country
REITZE a full century, yet they have made the presence of the family
beneficially felt in the various communities in which members
of it have resided. In 1851, John, Conrad and Mary Reitze came from their
native land, Germany, and made their home at Meadville, Crawford county,
1278 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Pennsylvania. John lived there many years, and died in the spring of 1909.
Mary, who also died in 1909, married John Kahler, and located in Union
township, Crawford county.
(I) Conrad Reitze, the youngest of the three, was born in Hessen, Ger-
many, March 26, 1837, and died September 9, 1899. He was about fifteen
years of age when he came to this country, went at once to Meadville,
Crawford county, Pennsylvania, where he learned the carpenter's trade
with Rice Brothers. Later he became a contractor, and subsequently re-
moved to Stoneboro, Mercer county, Pennsylvania, where he was superin-
tendent of a coal mine for some years. He then purchased seventy-five
acres of land in Union township, Crawford county, on which he lived
twelve years, and then bought one hundred and sixty acres along French
creek, in the same township, and lived there until his death. In addition
to the farm on which he lived he purchased four others, one for each of his
sons. He built a large business block in Meadville, at the corner of Market
and Chestnut streets, in which the Commonwealth Bank is now located.
One of the fine buildings he erected was the Dunn carriage factory, which
his son, George C, bought again after the death of his father, and tore
down. All this prosperity he owed to his own unaided efforts, natural
ability and indomitable energy. He was one of the directors of the Farmers'
Bank of Meadville. He was very prominent in local politics, aiifiliating with
the Democratic party, and at various times, held almost all the township
offices. He and bis family belong to the Reformed church. Mr. Reitze
married Catherine Frantzman, born in Erie, Pennsylvania, March 16, 1839,
died August 2, 1901. She was a daughter of Michael and Catherine Frantz-
man, both natives of Germany. He was a shoemaker by trade in Erie, Penn-
sylvania, an early settler in Crawford county, locating on a farm in Union
township. Mr. and Mrs. Reitze had children : Anna, married Jacob Fry-
muth, lives in Mead township ; Ella, married William Hall, lives in Green-
wood township; Katie, married John Kahler, lives in Union township;
Henry M., of further mention ; Cora, married Daniel Kleppel, lives in Union
township; George C, now county commissioner of Crawford county, lives
on the Reitze homestead ; Arthur J., bom September 10, 1873, married
Margaret Kelx)rt, lives on a farm in Union township; Barbara, married
John Kebort, a telegraph operator on the Erie railroad, lives in Meadville.
(II) Henry M., son of Conrad and Catherine (Frantzman) Reitze,
was born in Union township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, January 13,
1866. At various times he attended the district schools of Center and
Kebort, but as he was the eldest son and the mainstay of his father in the
cultivation of the farm, his opportunities for doing so were necessarily lim-
ited. After his marriage his father gave him a farm in Union township, to
which he has added from time to time, and is still engaged in general farm-
ing. The Democratic party has always had his strong support, and he has
served as supervisor and school director. He and his family are members
of the Reformed church.
Mr. Reitze married, March 21, 1889, Bertha S., born in Union town-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1279
ship, a daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Freeman) Barber. Thomas
Barber was born in Lincohishire, England, and came to this country in his
early youth. He became a carpenter and farmer, occupations he followed
until his death in Union township. His wife was a native of Germany, and
also came to America when young. Mr. and Mrs. Barber had children:
Frederick, lives in Meadville ; William, unmarried, has the homestead ;
Anna, married Charles Power, a merchant of Cochranton ; Lyda, married
Joseph Fox; Bertha S., who married Mr. Reitze, as above stated; Ella,
married George Schaffer; George, foreman in a machine shop, lives in
Buffalo, New York; Jessie. Mr. and Mrs. Reitze had children: Earl, a
carpenter, lives in Meadville; Irene and Donald, at home.
The Stotler family is one of the pioneer families of the
STOTLER state of Pennsylvania, they having obtained grants of land
from the government at an early date for services rendered.
This land has always remained in the possession of the family.
(I) Henry Stotler, who was born in 1779, removed from Franklin
county, Pennsylvania, to Penn township, Allegheny county, in 1790, and
died there in 1852. He was a son of Henry Jacob and Nancy (Fair)
Stotler. He married Catherine, a daughter of Rudolph Stotler, and they
had children : Parthenia, married John Walters ; John, married Mary Her-
shey ; Andrew, of further mention ; Harry.
(II) Andrew Stotler, son of Henry and Catherine (Stotler) Stotler,
born November 9, 1809, died in February, 1859. He was a farmer on the
homestead, a Republican in politics, and a member of the United Presby-
terian church. He married Elizabeth, born in 1813, died in 1886, a daughter
of Abraham Bush, and they had children : Henry Harrison, enlisted in the
Fifty-eighth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, was wounded at
the first battle at Fredericksburg, and died in Washington, District of Colum-
bia ; Abraham B., deceased, married Catherine Kistler ; John Stoner, of
further mention; Alevia Ann, deceased, married William Wilson; Samuel
B., married Margaret Bush ; Andrew P., married Margaret Pahlman, lives
in Penn township ; Martha E., married John A. Pahlman, lives in Penn
township; David, died at the age of four years; George B., deceased, mar-
ried Ellen Kistler; Archibald L., unmarried; Alexander S., married Sadie
Hilty.
(III) John Stoner Stotler, son of Andrew and Elizabeth (Bush)
Stotler, was born on the Stotler homestead, September 22, 1843. He was
educated in the public schools of his native township, and from his sixteenth
until his thirty-ninth year assisted his mother in the cultivation of the home-
stead farm. He then established himself independently as a farmer, and
has been very successful. He has been active in the public affairs of the
community as an upholder of Republican principles, and has served as road
supervisor for Penn township for a period of three years ; has been school
director, and was elected assessor, but refused to serve in this office on ac-
count of ill healtli. His religious affiliation is with the United Presbyterian
i28o WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
church, of which he is a member. Mr. Stotler married Fanny R. Kistler,
born March 8, 1862, and they have children : Olive M., born October 18,
1885, married (first) Joseph Lovett, deceased, (second) John Wagner;
James E., born April 24, 1887; Susanna I., born January 25, 1889, mar-
ried Edward G. Young; Verde L., born December 27, 1895; Emma E.,
born January 21, 1900.
Samuel Kistler, father of Mrs. Stotler, was born January 25, 1802,
died in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, February 3, 1884. He married
(first) Anna C. Fink, (second) Susannah Laughner. Children by first
marriage: i. Elizabeth, born November 5, 1821, died November 30, 1827.
2. Anna !Mary, born September 19, 1822, died December 10, 1907; married
a Mr. Flennman, of St. Joseph, Missouri. 3. Michael F., born April 27,*
1824, now deceased; he was twice married, his second wife being Margaret
(Frisell) Kistler. 4. Samuel T., born July 31, 1825, died January i, 1892;
married Ann Collins. 5. Jacob B., born December 12, 1826, died June i,
1892. 6. Josiah B., born December 31, 1827. died December 2^, 1911;
married Margaret Elliott. 7. Catherine, born May 15, 1829, died May 21,
1829. 8. Henry J., born May 22, 1830, died March 10, 1908. 9. Infant,
born March i, 1831. 10. Paul S., born April 18, 1832, died in September,
1912; the name of his third wife was Mattie (Gardner) Kistler. 11. Mar-
garet M., born October 4, 1833, died November 25, 1899 ; married Jackson
Kistler. 12. Catherine C, born June 25, 1835, died April 20, 1891 ; married
Jesse Waugaman. 13. Lydia S., born May 22, 1837, married Peter Frisell.
14. Sarah L., born October 8, 1838, died March 11, 1893; married J. Calvin
McCormick. 15. Agnes M., born March 12, 1840, died April 10, 1910;
married Levi Glunt. 16. Elizabeth L., born July 7, 1841 ; married Henry
Oburn. 17. An infant, born in September, 1842. 18. Anna H., born De-
cember 23, 1843 ; married John Carroll. Children by second marriage : 19.
Jonas M., born August 29, 1858 ; married Edith Spear. 20. Phoebe J. S.,
born February 27, i860; married James Heckman. 21. Fanny R., married
Mr. Stotler, as above stated. 22. Emma E., born April 5, 1864 ; married
Jesse Klingensmith. 23. Eli L., born April 25. 1866; married Emma
Brinker.
This well known English surname has been found in all parts
BROWN of America since the early days of the colonial period. Sev-
eral of the immigrant ancestors who came over during that
period were in some manner kin, but generally the families were not related,
although having the same name. It will be remembered that Brown is one
of our common English surnames which antiquarians tell us are derived
from a color. However, the family here under consideration, appears to
have come into this country independent of any other family bearing the
same name, and has proved its worth since its arrival.
(I) Theodore Brown was born in England in 1807, and died in Buflfalo,
New York, in 1900. He was brought to this country in childhood by his
parents, and became a carpenter and contractor. His family lived for a
WilSTEkX I'EXXSYLXANMA 1281
time in Connecticut Ijefore they settled in Western New York. He and
his family were members of the Baptist church. He married Vine,
who was also a child when brought to this country by her parents, and
died at the age of fifty years. Children: i. James A., of further mention.
2. William, born in Buflfalo, New York, died in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
in 1909. He was a veteran of the Civil War, and after the close of that
struggle became an oil operator in the Creek and Bradford oil fields. 3.
Theodore, who died in 1913, in Buffalo, New York, vvihere he had spent
his entire life, was a brick manufacturer and hotel proprietor. 4. A daugh-
ter, who married, and died soon after marriage.
(H) James A., son of Theodore and (Vine) Brown, was born
in St. Louis, Missouri, December 25, 1839, and died May 28, 191 1. In his
early youth he learned the carpenter's trade under the supervision of his
father. During the Civil War he went into the oil region, and there en-
gaged in teaming when four dollars per barrel was paid for hauling oil to
Titusville. He managed a large number of teams and was very successful
in this enterprise. He then engaged in the hotel business in Titusville,
owning and operating several hotels there. A cooperage plant was also one
of his industries, and he carried on this business until oil was hauled by
tank cars. In Titusville he was also engaged in oil production, and was
foreman of the first volunteer fire company in the borough. This was in
the middle sixties, and he was prominent in all the political affairs of the
community, in the interests of the Democratic party. He served as city
and county committeeman, and as city chairman. He was a member of the
council in 1885, 1886, 1889. He was a man of fine physique, weighed one
hundred and eighty-five pounds, was five feet eight inches in height, and
always enjoyed excellent health. Until six days prior to his death he attended
personally to his real estate and other interests of a business nature. He
married Mary Nash, born in Rochester. New York, March 24, 1857, and
they had children: George Frank, of further mention; Daisy, married Wil-
liam J. Wagner, a machinist, and lives in Titusville, Pennsylvania.
James Nash, father of Mrs. Mary (Nash) Brown, was born in county
Clare, Ireland, and there grew to maturity. He then emigrated to the
United States, and upon his arrival here worked as a laborer. He soon
rose to the rank of a sub-contractor in the construction of the Erie railroad
from Corr)' to Meadville, Penn.sylvania. and was killed in an accident
while in charge of a gang of men on this work. He was a Roman Catholic,
and had made his home in Rochester, New York. He married Mary Car-
roll, born in Rochester, New York, a daughter of James and (Lynch)
Carroll, who left Maryland after the Revolutionary War, made their home
in Southern New York for a time, then settled at Rochester, and were
among the pioneers of that section. Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, Marv-
land, was a paternal great-uncle of Mrs. Brown, and she had brothers and
sisters as follows : Margaret, married Henry Extine, deceased, and lives in
Tensing, Michigan ; Patrick J., in the employ of the city as an engineer at
the City Power Plant, lives in Titusville ; Anna, married Felix A. Doherty.
1282 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
a paint contractor, and lives in Franklin, Pennsylvania; James, a house
painter, married Catherine Coleman, and lives in Titusville.
(Ill) George Frank, son of James A. and Mary (Nash) Brown, was
born in Butler, Butler county, Pennsylvania, August 19, 1873. He was
about three weeks old when his parents removed to Titusville, Pennsyl-
vania, and has lived in that town since that time. He received his elemen-
tary education in the public schools, being graduated from the high school
in 1891, and then commenced reading law in the office of Roger Sherman,
of Titusville, and was admitted to the bar, February 25, 1895. He has
been in the active practice of his profession ever since. March 10, 1897,
he was admitted to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, to the Superior
Court in 1899, and to the Supreme Court of the United States in 1902, upon
the motion of Governor Little, of Arkansas. Mr. Brown has served as
city solicitor of Titusville continuously, commencing with the term, 1898-
1902. He is a Democrat in politics, and has taken an active part in political
affairs for many years. He was Democratic chairman for Titusville for
six years, was county chairman of Crawford county, and has served as
chairman of the Northwestern Pennsylvania District. He is a member of
St. Titus Roman Catholic Church of Titusville, and belongs to the American
Bar Association.
The name of Quay is one which has earned distinction in many
QUAY lines in this country, especially in those of statesmanship and
in military affairs.
( I ) Samuel Quay was born in Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, and
later removed to Crawford county, in the same state, where he purchased
a farm of one hundred acres. He was a Democrat, and a forceful agent in
local political affairs. His religious connection was with the Methodist
church. He married Mary Carpenter, of the same town, and had children:
Samuel, of further mention ; John ; Robert ; Archibald, of further mention.
(II) Samuel, son of Samuel and Mary (Carpenter) Quay, was born in
Venango, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, and was educated in the com-
mon schools in the vicinity of his home. He was a farmer by occupation, but
later sold his farm and made his home with his son, Frank. He married
Mary Angeline, who died in 1885, a daughter of Jacob Himebaugh, both
born in Germany. Jacob Himebaugh, after his arrival in this country, set-
tled in Hayfield township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, where he pur-
chased a farm, and cultivated this to advantage. The entire fanjily belonged
to the Methodist church. Mr. and Mrs. Quay had children: i. Frank, of
further mention. 2. William R., who married Mary Clark, and had chil-
dren : Nettie and Charles.
(III) Frank, son of Samuel and Mary Angeline (Himebaugh) Quay,
was born in Venango, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, and attended the
public schools, leaving those in Edinboro about 1880. During the first
twenty years of his business career he was in the employ of the Sherwood
Lumber Company, and after leaving this, engaged in the hotel business at
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1283
Cambridge Springs, Crawford county, with which he has since been suc-
cessfully identified. His political affiliation is with the Democratic party,
in whose interests he has been an active worker, and he is a member of
the Methodist church. He is a member of the order of Free and Accepted
Masons. Mr. Quay married Lovina, a daughter of James Gannon.
(11) Archibald, son of Samuel and Mary (Carpenter) Quay, married,
and had children: Robert Clark, of further mention; Sarah Jane; Mary
J.; William. All deceased.
(HI) Robert Clark, son of Archibald Quay, was born in Venango
township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, December 8, 1835, ^"d •^'^'^
May 7, 1913. For some years he was in the employ of the Erie Railroad
Company, later became a carpenter, and finally turned his attention to car-
riage and wagon building. He had a shop at Cambridge Springs, and em-
ployed an average of ten men. He was a Presbyterian in religious belief,
and a member of the Knights of Pythias for forty years. Mr. Quay mar-
ried Leora, a daughter of Archibald Torrey, and they had children : Maude,
Marguerite, Blanche and Burnett.
The surname Caldwell dates back to the first use of sur-
CALDWELL names in England and Scotland. It is a place name,
meaning simply "cold well," and localities bearing the
name are found in various counties of the United Kingdom. The family
is found, and has achieved some prominence, in the counties of Stafiford,
Berks, Worcester and Gloucester, in England, in Meath, Ireland, and in
London. It is also frequently found in Scotland. In that country the
history dates back to before 1300 in Renfrewshire and Ayrshire. The
coat of arms of the Caldwell family of Caldwell, Scotland, is: Argent three
piles issuing from the chief sable and in base four bars waved gules and
vert. All the American Caldwells come from Great Britain.
William A. Caldwell, a son of William, was born at Watkins, Schuyler
county. New York, October 13, 1877. After an excellent preparatory train-
ing, he matriculated at Cornell University, from which he was graduated
in the class of 1900 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Immediately
afterward he became a member of the reportorial stafif of the old "Phila-
delphia Times." then under Colonel McClure, and at the expiration of two
years, accepted a similar position with the St. Louis "Post-Dispatch." After
the death of his father he was with the "Butler Eagle" for one year, then
for a short time with the "Meadville Star." In 1908 he came to Titusville,
Pennsylvania, in order to take charge of the "Titusville Morning Herald."
The "Titusville Morning Herald" was organized June 14, 1865, by W.
W. Bloss, under its present name. It was the first daily paper in the great
Pennsylvania oil district. A small weekly paper had been published in
Titusville prior to the establishment of the daily paper by Mr. Bloss, and
this was the one purchased by that gentleman and remodeled as a daily.
The success was an immediate one, and the high standard established from
the outset has always been upheld. It is acknowledged, by all competent to
1284 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
judge in such matters, that the information contained in its pages is ab-
solutely reliable, and may be used as a guide by those in need of advice with
the utmost confidence. Later, H. C. Bloss, a brother of W. VV. Bloss, and
Colonel J. H. Cogswell, a cousin, formed a partnership, and this was in
force until W. W. Bloss sold bis share. In 1892 H. C. Bloss died, and for
some years his widow, Sarah Ann Bloss, was the sole owner of the paper,
and her son, Joseph M. Bloss, was the business manager, an office he is
filling at the present time. During the last four years the circulation of
the paper has grown from three thousand seven hundred to six thousand,
and they cover the counties of Crawford, Venango, Forest and Warren.
The chief feature of the paper is to chronicle all important events concerning
oil production and the oil country. Together with the Oil City Derrick, its
files make a very complete history of oil production and everything con-
nected with it. The paper employs twelve people regularly, and in the job
printing and book binding department connected with it, eight more. The
efficient work done by Mr. Caldwell in connection with this paper cannot
be overestimated, and his personal efforts are in a great measure responsible
for the present success achieved by it.
The political opinions of Mr. Caldwell are those of the Republican
party, but he is held in such high esteem by all classes that he was elected
on a non-partisan ticket to membership in the City Commission under the
new Commission Government Act. He is a member of the City Club, the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Knights of Pythias and the
Cornell Club of New York City. Mr. Caldwell married, June 22, 1904,
Johanna DeLeuw, of Jackson, Pennsylvania, and they have had children:
Elizabeth, William, Robert, Eleanor and Charles.
Kelly or Kelley is one of the most ancient surnames. Burke
KELLY states in his "Landed Gentry," that the Kelley family may
look back beyond the Conqueror, and derive themselves from
the ancient Britons. The earliest mention of the name in Irish history was
A.D. 254, when Ceallach MacCorniac is recorded as a son of the monarch
Cormac Nefedha. The King of Connaught had a son Ceallach in 528. The
Irish Archaeological Society in 1843 pnblished "The Tribes and Customs
of Hymany," in which is mention of a chief of Hymany who lived A.D.
874, and bore the name Ceallaigh ; his grandson Muechadlo O'Callaigh was
the first to use this surname, the law being made by the celebrated Irish
King Brian Boroimbe that "everyone must adopte the name of his father
as a surname." Thus the grandson of Callaigh became O'Callaigh, and the
name was simplified to Kelley or Kelly about 1014. Queen Elizabeth re-
quested Colla O'Kelley to discard the "O." as it tended, by keeping up the
clanship in Ireland, to foster disaffection in England. The most probably
signification of the name is: War, debate, strife. The spelling has been
much varied, but its origin is undoubtedly as given above. Many of the
name who have come to this country, and their descendants, are proud of
the connection with the ancient Iri-;h rather than the Ennlish lines. The
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1285
arms given in Ireland are: A tower triple-towered, supported by two lions
rampant or. Crest : A greyhound statant ppr. Also : Gules on a mount
vert, two lions rampant ; and azure in chief three estoiles argent. Crest :
A hand holding by the horn a bull's head erased, or.
(I) Oliver Kelly was born, lived and died in county Antrim, Ireland,
where he followed the occupation of farming throughout the active years
of his life. He was a man of wealth and substance at one time, but having
given security on a note for a friend, lost almost everything, and when his
children grew up, they were scattered in various directions. He married
Isabelle Fitzgerald, also a native of county Antrim, and died there, and
they had children: John, emigrated to the United Slates, settled in Pitts-
burgh, where he was a school teacher all his life; William, of further
mention; Mary, died young; James and Hugh, remained in Ireland and
joined the English army.
(II) William, son of Oliver and Isabelle (Fitzgerald) Kelly, was born
near Belfast, county Antrim, Ireland, January i, 1793, and died February
4, 1861. He was the recipient of an excellent education, and about 1818
emigrated to the United States, whither his brother John had preceded
him. Shortly afterward he came to Titusville, Pennsylvania, and for some
time was engaged in teaching in the public schools. After his marriage
■he purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, on what is now known
as Kelly Hill, above Titusville, where his death occurred. In 1852 he
built the large country house now standing on the farm. He was a staunch
supporter of the Wliig party, and an elder for many years in the Presby-
terian church.
Mr. Kelly married, in 1822, Mary Mclntyre, born in Oil Creek town-
ship, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, December 24, 1803, died April 9,
1885. She was a daughter of John and Hannah (Sweeney) Mclntyre.
both born in county Donegal, Ireland, along the shores of Loch Swilley.
They were of the Roman Catholic faith. They were married in 1795, and
at once emigrated to the United States, making this their wedding trip.
They located on the farm in Oil Creek town&hip, and had children : Patrick,
lived on farm in Oil Creek township; Susanna, married William Gilson,
and lived on a farm in Oil Creek township ; Daniel, died in early manhood ;
James, lived on the Mclntyre homestead; Mary, who married Mr. Kelly,
as above stated ; Anne, married John Gilson, and lived on a farm in Oil
Creek township; Hannah, died at an advanced age, unmarried. Mr. and
Mrs. Kelly had children : John, was a saddler by trade, lived in Pleasantville
and Erie, Pennsylvania, and died in 1906; James, lived on a farm at Magec-
town, Pennsylvania, and died in June, 1914, at the age of eighty-nine years ;
Hannah, unmarried, lived on the homestead, and died in January, 191 1;
Oliver, unmarried, died on the homestead in 1895 ; Mary, a lady of admirable
character, lives on the homestead near Titusville ; Susan, who died in 190S,
married Amos Newton, a farmer, and lived in Fredonia, Pennsylvania ;
Isabelle, married Senaea Gee, and lives on a farm near Titusville ; William,
died at the age of six years.
1286 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
As the first, and present, cashier of the Union National
BALDRIDGE Bank of McKeesport, which he also assisted in organiz-
ing, Robert M. Baldridge fills an important position in
the business of his native city. He is a son of Robert S. and Anna J. Pat-
terson (Martin) Baldridge, both born in Westmoreland county, Pennsyl
vania, of families long and well known.
(I) Robert S. Baldridge was educated in medicine, but ill health pre-
vented his practicing his profession. In the early fifties he spent several
years in teaching school in McKeesport. He located in McKeesport, was
married there, and later served four years as postmaster. After his term
expired, be began the manufacture and sale of medicines prepared from
his own prescriptions which, for many years, had a large sale. He was a
Republican in politics, and a member of the United Presbyterian church
until his death. He married (first) Amanda Carson, (second) Anna J.
(Patterson) Martin, who survives him. By his first wife he had two sons:
Thomas C, connected with the Fidelity Title and Trust Company, of Pitts-
burgh, and Charles Crawford Sumner, a real estate dealer, of Pittsburgh,
and lives on the North Side. Children by second marriage : Robert M., of
further mention ; Mary, resides in McKeesport ; Harry, died in childhood ;
Joseph S., an employe of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company, at Mc-
Keesport ; Annie, died in youthful womanhood, aged twenty-one years.
(II) Robert M. Baldridge, son of Robert S. and Anna J. Baldridge,
was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, May i8, 1871. His early education
was obtained in the Long Run District School of Versailles township. He
was early obliged to become a wage earner, but he improved every oppwr-
tunity for self-education, and after a term of service in Lovatt Brothers'
brickyard, and W. D. Woods' sheet iron mill, he became clerk for the
National Tube Company. During this period he attended night sessions
of the Gressley, and later the Douglass Business College, then held a posi-
tion with the E. H. Leizure Company, and later with the Gilbert F. Myer
Company, real estate dealers. He next became a bookkeeper in the Citizens'
National Bank, where he won his way to the teller's window. His next
promotion was to the position of assistant cashier of the National Bank
of McKeesport, holding that position until chosen cashier of the Union
National Bank of McKeesport, an institution which he helped to organize,
and with which he is still connected as cashier and director. His rise has
been steady and each upward step has been won on merit. He is highly
regarded in banking circles and esteemed wherever known. He is a director
of the Daily News Publishing Company, and is Independent in politics, has
served for a number of years as city school director.
Mr. Baldridge is prominent in the Masonic Order, holding all degrees
in Blue Lodge, Chapter, Council and Commaqdery; is a thirty-second degree
Mason of Pittsburgh Consistory, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, and is a
member of Syria Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine. He is an elder of the United Presbyterian church, and a director
in the Young Men's Christian Association. He is a director of the Mc-
^ol^ert 9. ^a/</ri</^e
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1287
Keesport Chamber of Commerce, is active and aggressive, and a member
of the Youghiogheny Country Club.
Mr. Baldridge married Margaret M., daughter of Beriah and EHza-
beth (Crawford) Amberson, of Mercer county, Pennsylvania, both well
known Pennsylvania families. Children : Robert Reed, a high school stu-
dent ; Thomas Donaldson ; Matilda.
Several theories are offered as to the origin of this
ELLSWORTH name, but certain it is that it is English. One authority
says that it derives its origin from a small village near
Cambridge, England, which is built beside a rivulet which formerly abounded
in eels ; as "worth" is the Saxon word for place, the village was originally
called Ealsworth, and as it was customary for the first settler to take th<»
name of the place where he lived, this became the name of the family. It
has been changed gradually to Ellsworth, and is also spelled Aylsworth,
Elsworth, and in a variety of other forms. There have been many lawyers,
ministers, doctors and other professional men in the family.
(I) John Ellsworth was a farmer in the State of Pennsylvania, at a
very early date. He married, November 9, 18 18, Fanny, eldest daughter
of the Rev. E. White, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, and a
descendant of Bishop White, who came from England in the "Mayflower."
(II) Ebenezer Russell, son of John and Fanny (White) Ellsworth,
was born at North East, Erie county, Pennsylvania, July 11, 1837, and
died in Meadville, May i, 1905. He was a farmer in Linesville and Mead-
ville, and is buried in Greendale Cemetery, in the last mentioned place.
During the Civil War he served from 1861 to 1864, holding the rank of
corporal in Company H, Eighty-third Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer
Infantry. He married, December 29, 1864, Maria Smith, born in Summit
township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania. April 11, 1841, died in Mead-
ville, April 5, 1909, after residing there eighteen years. Previously she had
lived in Linesville three years and in Conneautville two years. She was
a daughter of Daniel and Sarah (Close) Smith, and a granddaughter of
John Jr. and Anna (Depue) Smith. John Smith Jr, was born in Craw-
ford county, Pennsylvania, December 4, 1779, died in Summit township,
August 12, 1849. and is buried at Harmonsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was
a farmer and a Methodist. He married, April 9, 1805. Daniel Smith, father
of Mrs. Ellsworth, was born in Summit township, April 6, 1806, and died
October 28, 1846. He is also buried at Harmonsburg. He was a physician
in Summit township, Crawford county, and affiliated with the Methodist
Episcopal church. He married, March 15, 1831. Mr. and Mrs. Ellsworth
had children : Henry Edgarton. of further mention ; Archibald Clyde, born
November 9, 1870, is superintendent of the dining car service for the Penn-
sylvania Railroad Company, and lives in Jersey City, New Jersey; Raleigh
Leo, born April ' o, 1873, is a clerk in the employ of the Standard Oil Com-
pany, and lives at Franklin. Pennsvlvania.
(III) Hen- ' Edgarton, son of Ebenezer Russell and Maria (Smith)
1288 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Ellsworth, was born in Meadville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, August
7, 1866. He attended the public schools at Conneautville and from them
went to the high school at Linesville, from which he was also graduated.
Three years were spent as news agent on the Erie & Pittsburgh Railway,
after which he became a brakeman on a passenger trqin for the same com-
pany. In 1887 he established himself in the photographic business in Con-
neautville, after having been in the employ of someone in this line of busi-
ness, for one year. At the end of a year he sold this business, and in behalf
of the Keystone View Company, traveled through the country, taking pic-
tures of notable groups and buildings, and continued this employment five
years. He then started in this line independent, employing six men who
traveled for him. At th€ end of seven years he sold this business, and in
1897 took up studio work at Meadville, with which he has been identified
since that time. While he commenced this on a very modest scale, owing
to a lack of the necessary funds, his excellent and reliable work has enabled
him to build up a business wihich is second to none of its kind in that section
of the country. He is now the owner of several buildings in Meadville, the
result of his indefatigable industry and skill. He is a member of the Sons
of Veterans, having successively filled the offices of sergeant, second lieu-
tenant, first lieutenant and captain in this body. His religious affiliation is
with the Baptist church, to which many of the Ellsworths have belonged
in earlier generations.
Mr. Ellsworth married, June 2, 1909, at Meadville, Ella Josephine,
born at Round Bottom, Monroe county, Ohio, March 10, 1888. youngest
child of Richard Ernest and Mary Ann Schamback, whose other children
are: Charles Ernest, William Henry, James Alfred, George Albert and
Edward Samuel. Mr. and Mrs. Ellsworth have Had children: Fanny
Lucile, bom July 29. 1912, and Jessie Doris, born September 28, 1913.
Philip McGuire, a native of Ireland, married Catherine
McGUIRE Higgins in that country, and then emigrated to America.
He made his home in Pennsylvania, in which state his chil-
dren were born. Children : James, who was a soldier in active service
in the War of i8iz; John; Philip; William; Francis; Thomas, of further
mention. All now deceased.
(II) Thomas McGuire, son of the preceding, was born near what is
now Conneaut Lake, Crawford county, Penn.sylvania, December 24, 1807,
and died January 25. 1888. He was the owner of a fine farm of two hun-
dred and twenty-four acres, which .he cultivated very successfully. He
married Margaret, also born near Conneaut Lake, a daughter of Connell
Tinney, They had children: Bernard, born July 14, 1838, died in No-
vember, 1903, married Eliza Hay; Mary E.. born July 21, 1840, died
young; Sylvester, of further mention; Edward, born December 19, 1846,
lives in Chicago, is unmarried, and engaged in the confectionery business;
Joseph, born August 12, 1849, proprietor and manager of a hotel at Lines-
ville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania; Amelia, born September 8, 185 1,
married William Ralph, and is a resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
WESTERN IMCXXSYLVANIA 1289
(III) Sylvester, son of Thomas and Margaret (Tinney) McGuire,
was born September 12, 1844, and died July 23, 1903. He received a simple
but practical education in Chestnut Corners School, then worked on dredges,
on the farm and in the lumber business. After his marriage he took up
farming. About 1880 he and a brother-in-law established picnic grounds
where the Oakland Hotel is now located, on the east side of Conneaui
Lake. They erected a dance hall, sixty feet in length, and later added a
kitchen and dining room. Mr. McGuire soon purchased the interest of
his partner, and conducted affairs alone, bought more land along the lake
shore, and in 1894 built the Oakland Hotel, one of the five summer hotels
on the lake front, known as Oakland Beach. Since the time of his death
his family resided here except during the winter months, when their home
is in Meadville. Formerly Mr. McGuire also sold nursery stock during the
various seasons, but had no longer engaged in this line of business. In
connection with the hotel Mrs. McGuire cultivates a 325 acre farm on
which is also located a valuable deposit of shell marl, a natural fertilizer,
which is also in course of development. He married, in 1872, Cymanthia
A., born at Harmonsburg, a daughter of Almon and Caroline (Doud) Whit-
ing, both born in Wyoming county. New York, and a granddaughter of
John W'hiting, of Wyoming county. New York. John Whiting came to
Pennsylvania in the early days of settlement, and took up land near Har-
monsburg, where he engaged in farming. Mr. and Mrs. McGiiire have
had children : Blanche Marion, a sister of St. Joseph's Convent, Erie,
Pennsylvania ; Minnie Agnes ; Claude Vincent, deceased ; Don Leo, now
manager of the Oakland Hotel, married Mae Jones, a native of Franklin,
Pennsylvania, and they have one child, Elizabeth Jane ; Thomas Paul. The
family attends the Catholic church.
The Younkins family has been resident in the state
YOUNKINS of Pennsylvania for a number of generations, and
the earlier members of this family were generally
engaged in farming.
(I) Michael Younkins was born in Pennsylvania, in Westmoreland
county, and after his marriage settled near Tarentum, but still in West-
moreland county. He was a farmer and became an extensive land owner.
He and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and
both died in Armstrong county. He married Mary Locke, born near Grove
City, and they had children : William, of further mention ; Jacob, a farmer,
died in Armstrong county ; Benjamin, deceased, was of Westmoreland
county; Michael, died in Armstrong county, Samuel, lives in Armstrong
county ; Sophia, married John A. Shearer, and died in Armstrong county ;
Nancy, married Henry Ditman, and died in Armstrong county; Mary Ann,
married John Montgomery, and lives in Armstrong county ; John, died in
early manhood.
(H) William, son of Michael and Mary (Locke) Younkins, was born
m \A''estmoreland county. Pennsylvania, June 9, 1822, and died in Arm-
I290 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
strong county, in the same state, in 1902. He settled in the last mentioned
county after his marriage, and was a farmer there for many years. He
married Sarah Hawk, born August 30, 1821, is now living at Worthington,
Pennsylvania. She is a daughter of Conrad and Esther (Slonecker) Hawk,
both born and died in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, where he was
a farmer and land owner. In his earlier years he was a stone cutter on the
old Pennsylvania Canal. He was a Democrat, and both were members of
the Lutheran church. They had children: Michael, a wagonmaker, died
in Salem, Pennsylvania ; John, a carpenter, and later a farmer, died in Arm-
strong county ; George, a farmer, also died in Armstrong county ; Daniel,
a farmer, died in Butler county ; Sarah, who married Mr. Younkins, as
above stated ; Hettie, married Michael Kunkle. and lives on the old home-
stead. Mr. and Mrs. Younkins have had children: John, of further men-
tion ; Elizabeth, married Robert Jackson, and died at Braddock, Pennsyl-
vania ; Mary, died unmarried ; Daniel, an oil producer, lives in Butler,
Pennsylvania: James B., died in the Klondike in 191 1; Jennie, married
William O. Sutton, and lives in Worthington, Pennsylvania; McClellan,
was burned to death near Herman, Pennsylvania, in August, 1894. Mr.
and Mrs. Younkins were members of the Baptist church until his death,
and he was a Democrat, and served for a time as school director.
(Ill) John, son of William and Sarah (Hawk) Younkins, was born
in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, May 5, 1848. He was educated in
the public schools of Armstrong county, and his early years were spent on
the farm. He then commenced to learn the oil business, commencing at
the very bottom of the ladder, in order to become thoroughly familiar with
all its details. He gradually worked his way upward, and in 1876, started
as an oil operator in Butler county, at first as part owner of an oil well,
and continued in this line of business twenty years, the name of his firm
being Younkins Brothers, the other member being his brother Daniel. They
operated largely in Bradford and Butler counties, Pennsylvania, and also
in West Virginia. In 1900 he was one of the organizers of the Farmers'
National Bank, and has been its president since that time. Since the date
of its organization, in July, 1900, the deposits have grown to six hundred
and eight thousand dollars, with two thousand four hundred individual
depositors. He gives his political support to the Democratic party, and
has served as collector of taxes in Butler borougli for three years. He is
a trustee of the Methodist Episcopal church, and a. member of the local
lodge and encampment of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr.
Younkins married, in 1876, Naomi C, born in Butler county, a daughter,
of Robert and Lavina Campbell. Children : Edith, married John G. Wil-
liams, lives in North Side. Pittsburgh, has a son, Harold ; Myrtle, married
John L. Grant, lives in Butler, Pennsylvania : Earl, connected with Butler
Plaster and Concrete Company : Vera G., married F. C. Anderson, lives
in Butler, has a daughter, Dorothy.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1291
Timothy T. Root was born September 13, 1837, on a farm three
ROOT miles south of Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania. He was the
son of Sylvester and Mercy (Thomas) Root, both born in
Massachusetts.
Sylvester Root was educated in Massachusetts. He came, as a young
man, and took up land. He and his brother had 200 acres. Sylvester
Root the next year went back to Massachusetts, where he was married and
he brought his bride overland by ox team. They settled on the farm he
had taken up. He cleared the ground, built a log house, then a large com-
fortable residence, and lived there until his death. He was a Baptist. His
■children were: Martha, Sallie, Harmony, who died in 1852, aged twenty-one
years; Sylvester B., Justin, Morton, who fought in the Civil War; Timothy
T. and Lucy A.
Timothy T. Root was educated in the local schools. When he left the
home farm he went to Richmond, Ohio, where he engaged in the manu-
facture of staves for three years. He then returned to the home farm,
and was there for several years, later buying lands in Cambridge Springs.
He built a large house and barn in the town and still owns this place of one
hundred and forty acres. In 1906 he built his present home in the down
town section, and retired from active business. He built thirty-seven
houses in Cambridge Springs, some of which he still owns, as well as two
business blocks. He married Nancy Hart, January i, 1868. Their children
are: Clarence C, of Cambridge Springs; Claude E., also of the Springs;
and iMartha L. Root, now on the editorial staff of the Pittsburgh Post.
Timothy T. Root and family are Baptists. He has been identified with
the building of the town in a business way, morally and socially. He has
served on the borough council, has been school director, and an ardent
worker on all the progressive movements for the community. The family
is the oldest and one of the most prominent in that section of the country.
Many of this name are to be found in the United States, and
SMALL they have come here from England and from Germany. In
the latter country the name is spelled "Schmal," meaning scant
•or narrow.
Oiristian Small was born in Germany in 1827, and died in Cumber-
land. Maryland, in 1890. Early in life he was a huckster by occupation,
tut later followed various lines of industry. He was a Democrat, and an
active member of the Reformed church. He married Catherine Engel,
born in Germany in 1827. died in 1904, whose mother lived to be ninety-
three years of age. They had children : Henry, deceased ; Mary ; George,
of further mention ; Martha ; Anna, deceased ; John ; Henry ; Mary, de-
•ceased.
George Small, son of Christian and Catherine Small, was born in Cum-
berland county, Maryland, April 4, 1855. He was educated in the public
schools of his native county, and at the age of seventeen years learned the
trade of brick laying. He came to Braddock in 1879, and for twenty-six
1292
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
years held the position of foreman in the Edgar Thompson Steel Works.
He is the owner of a tine house at No. 126 Camp street, which he built in
1902. In political matters he holds independent views, and has the courage
of his convictions. He is a member of Kinsman Congregational Church,
and of the Order of Ben Hur. Mr. Small married, December 28, 1879,
Anna Elizabeth, born in Cumberland, Maryland, June 22, 1856, a daughter
of Herman and Emma Elizabeth (Snyder) Baake. both born in Germany,
came to America unmarried and married in Maryland, where she died in
1910, and he is living in Cumberland at the age of eighty-two years (1915).
They had children: Anna Elizabeth, who married Mr. Small, as above
stated ; Conrad, Anna Catherine, George Adam, Lina Dora, W. Harman,
John Milton. Mr. and Mrs. Small had children: i. Nellie Elizabeth, mar-
ried Clyde Cotter, of Braddock, and had : Nellie Thelma and Hazel Esmer-
el'da. 2. Blanche Kate, married Ira T. Snyder, and had : Earl George,
Ira W^aldorf, and Milton Frank, deceased. 3. Jennie Edna, married Harry
W. Martin, and had : Jennie Eleanor ; Irene Ethelinda, deceased ; Harry
William. 4. Harman George. 5. Esmerelda Amelia. 6. Anna Ethelinda.
Henry Heckman was born near Kaiserslautern, Bavaria,
HECKMAN Germany, in 1808. and died February 28, 1883. He be-
came a linen weaver by trade, and also owned and cul-
tivated a quantity of land in his native land. He was in the army for a
period of six years, but during this time his country was not engaged in
any war. In 1863 he sold his farm, and emigrated to .America, being fifty-
four days making the passage. He went to Crawford county, Pennsyl-
vania, and there purchased seventy-five acres of land in Union township,
on which his son Michael is now residing, and there his death occurred. He
and his family were members of the German Reformed church. Mr. Heck-
man married Madeline Rosche, born in the same town as her husband, in
180S. died February 23, 1878. They had children: Jacob, died unmarried
in 1874; Henry, a machinist, of Meadville, Pennsylvania, now deceased,
married Elizabeth Veith; Peter, deceased, was a blacksmith and lived in
Meadville ; Michael, of further mention ; Adam, an engineer on the Erie
railroad, lives in Meadville ; Catherine, lives with Michael.
(II) Michael, son of Henry and Madeline (Rosche) Heckman. was
born near Kaiserslautern, Bavaria, Germany, November 10, 1848. From
his sixth to his thirteenth year -he attended the schools in his native country,
and after his arrival here he had but one month's attendance at school.
Nevertheless, he acquired a very fair English education. During his boy-
hood years he assisted his father in the cultivation of the homestead farm,
and this passed to him by the will of his father, the only condition being
that he should purchase the shares which would have fallen to the other
heirs. He erected a fine house on the farm in 1874. and still lives in this.
He was a staunch supporter of the Republican party, and served for a time
as school director. He is a member of Zion's Evangelical Church, a
trustee of this institution. He is a member of the Independent Order of
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1293
Odd Fellows ; the local grange, Patrons of Husbandry ; and of the State
Police. Mr. Heckman married, November 15, 1873, Margaret, born in
Union township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Peter
and Elizabeth (Baugh) Kebort, early German settlers in the township.
Children: Jacob Henry, of further mention; John, born on the homestead,
November 26, 1878, was educated in the Center district school, has always
lived on the homestead, and is a member of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, Patrons of Husbandry, and the State Police ; he is unmarried.
(Ill) Jacob Henry, son of Michael and Margaret (Kebort) Heck-
man, was born in Union township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, August
25, 1874. He attended the Center District School near his home, and there
acquired a sound, practical education, which he has greatly amplified in later
years by earnest and well chosen reading. In 1902, some years after his
marriage, he purchased the Leighty farm in Union township, and he is resid-
ing on this at the present time. He carries on general farming very success-
full)', and applies the latest and most improved methods. He is a strong
Republican, but has never desired to hold public office. He and his family
are members of St. John's Reformed Church, and he is also a member of
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Patrons of Husbandry and the
State F'olice. Mr. Heckman married, June 22. 1899, Helen Phillips, born
in Union township. Crawford county, Pennsylvania. They have children :
Charles Phillips, born November 24, 1902 ; Frances Margaret, born June 4,
1910.
Jonathan Phillips, grandfather of Helen (Phillips) Heckman, was born
in Rhode Island and after his marriage settled in Chautauqua county. New
York, and in 1838, in Union township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania. He
taught school for t\venty-seven consecutive years in Crawford county, and
later bought a farm which he managed personally. A number of years
were also spent as a river pilot. He and his family belonged to the religious
sect known as the "Christians." His parents were Jonathan and Ann
(Palmer) Phillips, the name of Jonathan occurring in the family for four
successive generations. They were early arrivals in New England. Mr.
Phillips married Ruth Perkins, born near Mystic, Connecticut. They had
children: Orrin : Frank, died in R-Ieadville. Pennsylvania, in 191 1; Mary,
married David Johnson, both deceased; Delilah, died unmarried; Cordelia,
died young; Ruth, married James Larkins ; Jonathan, twin of Ruth, lives
in Union township ; Palmer, of further mention.
Palmer, son of Jonathan and Ruth (Perkins) Phillips, was born in
Union township. Crawford county, September 3. 1843. He married Frances
Henry, born in Meadville, Crawford county, August 17, 1844, died June
15, 1905. They had children: Arthur, a contractor living at Farrell, Penn-
sylvania, married Evelyn Cummings ; Helen, who married Mr. Heckman,
as above mentioned; Harry, has a vineyard supply store in Los Angeles.
California, married Ella Connell ; Charles, a pattern maker, living at Oil
Citv. married Marie Kahle ; George, unmarried, at home ; Mabel, also un-
married.
1294 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Jeremiah L. Henry, father of Mrs. Frances (Henry) PhiUips, was
born in Western New York, was of Irish descent, and became orphaned at
an early age. He married Jane F. Randolph, born south of Meadville,
Pennsylvania, November 4, 1819, died in May, 1903. She was a daughter
of Taylor F. Randolph, who was one of several brothers, and was among
the first settlers of Crawford county, Pennsylvania. His father, Robert
F. Randolph, served as a minute-man from Middlesex county in the New
Jersey militia in the Revolutionary War ; and his brother Edward Fitz
Randolph, was first lieutenant of the troop of light horse from Philadelphia,
enlisting in 1777, and resigning May 10, 1779. Ajiother close relation was
James F. Randolph, who was a private in Colonel Samuel Miles' regiment,
in the company of which C. Weitzels was the captain.
The Hafer family is one which has been identified with agri-
HAFER cultural pursuits for many generations, both in this country
and in Germany, from which they originally came. They be-
came the owners of large tracts of land here, some of which are still in
the possession of their descendants. They early settled in Crawford county,
Pennsylvania, where they bore their share bravely in developing the re-
sources of the fertile country in which they lived, and left it in a greatly
improved condition.
(I) John Hafer was born in East Fallowfield township, Crawford
county, Pennsylvania, in 1836. His father had been the owner of five
hundred acres of land there, and he lived on his share of this for a time
and cultivated it. Later he was a farmer in Greenwood township, and in
1912 he retired and removed to Greenville, Pennsylvania, where he lives
on Wilbur street. For a time he was a Republican in political opinion, then
supported the Democratic party, and served for a time as constable. He
married Julia Sprague, born in East Fallowfield township, in 1837, and
they had children : Clarence M., of further mention ; Belle, who married
Harry First, lives on Wilbur street. Greenville, Pennsylvania, where he is
a line foreman for the Erie Railroad Company.
(II) Clarence M., son of John and Julia (Sprague) Hafer, was born
in East Fallowfield township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, July 23, 1862.
His earlier education was acquired in the public schools of his native town-
ship, and this was supplemented by attendance at the schools of Geneva
borough. At the age of seventeen years he left home, going to the oil
region of the state of Pennsylvania, where he was for a time engaged in oil
rig building. He then went to Potter county, Pennsylvania, where he found
employment in the woods, in connection with the lumber industry, became
a lumber contractor, and for eighteen years was connected with the Good-
year Lumber Company. He handled a gang of from fifty to one hundred
and twenty-five men, and liis specialty was that of stocking the woods. In
1908 he returned to his old home in Crawford county, and there at various
times purchased three farms, which he still owns. Two of these are located
in Greenwood township, and the third in East Vernon township. He lives
WESTERN PEXXSYLVAXIA 1295
on the old John Gelvin farm adjoining the village of Geneva, Pennsylvania.
In 1908 he had a large, modern barn erected on this farm, fitted up com-
modiously for the housing of his valuable horses and other stock. He is a
connoisseur in horses, loves them, and keeps a stable of twenty racing
horses, raising fine colts from his registered brood mares. Some of his
best horses are: i. Patrick Pointer, sired by Star Pointer, pacer, mark
208 Yi, has raced three seasons. 2. Glory Review, sired by Byron Review,
dammed by Axtell Green, a trotter. Green, has no mark. 3. Birchwood
Maid, by Birchwood. Mark 2.23, now a brood mare. In political opinion
he is a Republican, has served as a member of the school board and as its
president. His fraternal affiliation is with the Order of Free and Accepted
Masons.
Mr. Hafer married (first) in 1895, Molly, born at St. Mary's, Elk
county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of George and Mary Lecker, the former
a farmer. She died and he married (second) February 25, 1903,
Edith, born in Potter county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Joseph and Emma
Lucas, the former also a farmer. By the first marriage there were children :
Norbert, born May 28, 1898, who lives in Cleveland, Ohio; Marion, born
February 4, 1900, lives with her grandmother at St. Mary's. Children by
the second marriage: Joseph, born October 21, 1905; Clarence, May 12,
1909; Leon, February 12, 191 1; Helen, June 4, 1913.
The American progenitor of the family under discussion here
DAVIS was probably Christopher Davis, or Davids, who was born in
England, and he was also known as "Kit" Davis. He came
to Massachusetts Bay Colony prior to 1636. The only public record we
find of him there, however, is one showing that he was bondsman for John
Davies (Davis) before the general court, December 13, 1636. Later he
went to New York and settled at Hellgate, Manhattan, where he was known
as "The Englishman" by his Dutch neighbors. He sold his land here and
removed to Fort Orange, but in 1654 went down the river and settled at
Redoubt Kill, opposite what was afterwards called Kit Davis Kill. He
married (first) Cornelia Vedos, who died in 1657. He married (second)
Maria Martens, also a Dutch woman. Davis was a noted trapper and acted
as a mediator and Indian interpreter. Governor Stuyvesant at one time
put him in jail "for spreading false reports among the Indians," but his
wife secured his release "to provide for a poor famished and disconsolate
wife and children." Indian hostilities eventually caused him to remove to
New Amsterdam, but afterward he located at Esopus, and finally at Marble-
town. He had a number of children. Owing to destruction of early records
it is not an easy matter to trace lines in an unbroken descent, but there
appears no reason to doubt that the family herein recorded is descended
from Christopher Davis.
(I) Alva Clark Davis lived on a large farm near Woodstock. Ulster
county, New York, and died there at an advanced age. He was an active
member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He married , and raised
1296 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
a family of children : Reuben, a farmer and drover, went to California
for gold, and never returned ; Gaston, a farmer in Ulster county, New
York, died at the age of eighty years; Martin, of further mention; Charles,
a farmer at Woodstock, New York; Mary; Jane.
(II) Martin, son of Alva Clark Davis, was born in Woodstock, Ulster
county, New York, in 1807, and died in 1847. He grew to manhood in his
native county, and became a farmer near Stoneridge. He died at middle
age, and his widow continued the management of the farm until her death.
This farm adjoined that of her father, and she relied upon his opinion and
counsel, whenever occasion arose. She was very prosperous at the time of
her death, which occurred at Marbletown, New York, and was an active
worker in the interests of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Davis
married Caroline Lockwood, born in Ulster county, New York, in 1810,
died February 14, 1880. She was a daughter of Abijah Lockwood, a
wealthy farmer near Marbletown, Ulster county, New York. He was a
Whig, later a Republican, and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
His other children were: Linus, married a Miss Strobridge ; Green; Em-
meline, married C. T. Tapin, and lived at Kingston, New York; Asenath,
died unmarried ; Susan Anne, married a Mr. Ostrander, and lived at Kings-
ton, New York; Delia, married Clinton Winchel, an undertaker
at Stoneridge, Pennsylvania; Eliza, died unmarried. Mr. and Mrs. Davis
ihave had children : Clark, of further mention ; Thomas Winchel, lived
in Ulster county. New York; Charlotte E., born April 10, 1839, married
Hiram Vandemark, a farmer at Stoneridge, Pennsylvania, both deceased ;
Green C, born February 15, 1842, lives at Stoneridge, where he owns three
farms.
(III) Clark, son of Martin and Caroline (Lockwood) Davis, was born
in the city of Woodstock, Ulster county. New York, June 27, 1835. He
grew up on a farm, and attended the schools of Stoneridge. He was ap-
prenticed to learn the trade of carriage building with Isaac Rose, with
whom he remained three and a half years. For this he received as wages,
the sum of $105. August 22, 1862, he enlisted in Company H, 120th New
York Volunteer Infantry, under Colonel George H. Sharp, and served until
he received his discharge at Cincinnati, Ohio, July 5, 1865. His company
was in the Second Division, Third Corps, Army of the Potomac, and fought
at the second battle of Bull Run, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and all the
other engagements in which the Army of the Potomac participated. At
the close of the war, Mr. Davis located at the city of Kingston, Ulster
county, New York, and soon established a carriage and wagon making shop
of his own. He was an expert workman, and carried on his business suc-
cessfully there until 1885, when he removed to Geneva, Pennsylvania, and
opened a similar establishment there. He conducted it until 1900, when
he retired and returned to Kingston, New York. In 1902 he again came
to Geneva, Pennsylvania, where he has since that time lived, retired from
business responsibilities. He has a pleasant little home, with a fruit, vege-
table and flower garden, and proudly says that he has never lived in a rented
WESTERN" PENNSYLVANIA 1297
ihouse. He is a Republican in politics. In religious matters he is of very
liberal views. He contributes generously to a number of churches, attends
regularly, but is not a member of any. Mr. Davis married (first), May
20, 1858, Lucinda, born July 29, 1841, died April 11, 1866, a daughter of
James Smith, a farmer of Ulster county. New York. He married (second),
August 12, 1868, Rebecca, born April 13, 1850, died August 28, 1908,
daughter of Alva and Margaret Lowe, farmers of Ulster county. New
York. Children by the first marriage: Caroline Etta, born August 13,
1859, died December 26, 1864; Eudora, born July 6, 1861, died December
28, 1864; Ulysses Grant, born February 15, 1866, died April 15, 1866.
Children by the second marriage: Sanford, born August 23, 1869, died
June 25, 1870; Bertha, born August 23, 1869, died November 6, 1874, of
scarlet fever; Charlotte C, born April 13, 1874, died November 6, 1874,
of scarlet fever ; Minerva B., born August 28, 1877, married Bert Seeley,
lives at -Youngstown, Ohio, where he is a bricklaying contractor; Maud,
born February 17, 1880, married John Marsh, a farmer of Greenwood
township, Crawford county. Pennsylvania; they have one child, Mary
Eleanor: Arthur, born November 16, 1883, married Flossie Tanner, and
lives in Meadville, Pennsylvania.
This well known English surname has been found in all parts
BROWN of America since the early days of the colonial period. Sev-
eral of the immigrant ancestors who came over during that
time were in some manner of kin, but generally the families were not re-
lated, although having the same name ; and it will be remembered that
Brown is one of our common English surnames which antiquarians tell
us are derived from a color. However, the family here under consideration,
appears to have come into this country independently of any other of the
name.
(I) John Brown emigrated to America in 1844, and settled in Mead
township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania. He cleared his land of timber
and engaged in general farming, with which he was successfully identified
until his death. He was a Democrat in politics, and a member of the Cath-
olic church. He married Geneveive Veneoux, and had children : Sophia ;
Leona ; Joseph, of further mention ; Anne ; Francis.
(H) Joseph, son of John and Geneveive (Veneoux) Brown, was born
in France, and came to America with his parents. He acquired his educa-
tion in the parochial schools, and followed in the footsteps of his father
as a farmer. He settled at East Mead, and became the owner of one hun-
dred acres of land. His religious affiliation is with the Catholic church.
He married Julia Mair, and had children : Joseph, a farmer and carpenter
of Beaver county, Pennsylvania, married Emma Smith ; Elvina, married
Edward Rouchey, now deceased, and lives at Meadville; Julius, living in
Massachusetts, married Elizabeth De Fossey; Xavier, a farmer of East
Mead township, married Elizabeth Alzinger ; Stella, married Oiarles, a
brother of Elizabeth (Alzinger) Brown; Louis S.. of further mention;
Edward, living in Pittslnirn^li. married Amelia Coffee.
1298 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
(III) Louis S., son of Joseph and Julia (Mair) Brown, was born in
Mead township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, November 7, 1873. He
was educated in the public schools, and upon the completion of his studies
was apprenticed to learn the blacksmith's trade, and followed this occupa-
tion for a period of fifteen years. In 1900 he came to Saegerstown, where
he bought a farm of one hundred and forty-one acres, on which he is still
engaged in general farming. He has been an active worker in the interests
of the Democratic party, and is at present in office as supervisor of roads.
His religious belief is that of the Catholic church, and he is a member of
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Loyal Order of Mpose and
the local Grange, Patrons of Husbandry. Mr. Brown married, in 1897,
Orpha, a daughter of M. B. Walton, of East Mead township, and has
children : Luella, Laura, Hilda, Helen, twins, and Edward, all living at
home.
The Qiase family is of ancient English origin, the name being
CHASE undoubtedly derived from the French word "chasser," to hunt.
The ancestral seat of the branch of the family from which the
American line is descended, was at Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England,
through which runs a rapidly flowing river, the Chess, which gives the
name to the place. There is a coat-of-arms as follows : Gules four crosses
patence argent (two and two), on a canton azure a lion rampant or. The
Chase family came to New England in early Colonial days.
(I) Rev. Amos Chase was the recipient of an excellent education, and
became a minister of the Presbyterian church. At that time a great deal
of money was spent by the churches in the conversion of the Indians, or
heathen, as they were called, and Mr. Chase decided to devote himself to
this branch of church activity. In 1813, with his young family, he left Con-
necticut, going westward. He had inherited $10,000 in cash, and this he
took with him. He purchased almost a full township of land, on which the
village of Centerville is now located, and in 1815 they located at Centerville,
and spent the remainder of their lives there. The church gave him a
circuit of one hundred miles square, and he rode over this on horseback,
preached in all the pioneer churches, did excellent missionary work among
the Indians, and lived to the advanced age of ninety years. Litchfield, Con-
necticut, was his birthplace. He married Joanna Lanman, also born in
Litchfield, a sister of William Lanman, once United States senator from
Connecticut, later chief-justice of that state, and also a sister of Charles
Lanman, admiral in the United States Navy, stationed at New London,
Connecticut. The Lanman family was very wealthy, and was one of the
leading families of New England. Rev. Amos and Joanna (Lanman) Chase
had children : Joseph L., of further mention ; James, a physician in Toledo,
Ohio, where he was one of the pioneer settlers ; Edward H., lived in Titus-
ville, and was associate judge in Crawford county; Daniel, a colonel in
the regular army, was stationed in California during the gold excitement
of 1849, became very wealthy, and died unmarried in Toledo, Ohio; Charles,
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1299
was a merchant in Painesville, Ohio; Juhus, lived on the old farm at Ccn-
terville, Pennsylvania; Joanna, married Thomas Sill, the congressman, of
Erie, Pennsylvania, and she died at the age of ninety-two years; Rebecca,
became the second wife of Jonathan Titus.
(II) Joseph L., son of Rev. Amos and Joanna (Lanman) Chase, was
born in 1799, and died April 23, 1879. He was about seventeen years of
age when the family removed to Titusville, and he engaged in trading with
the Indians, sending the furs he received to Philadelphia. At the age of
twenty-four years he had already amassed a fortune of $25,000, which
was comparatively as much as twenty-five millions would be at the present
time. He was the first merchant and the first postmaster in Titusville, and
retired for a time in 1842 from business pursuits. He again established
himself in business in 1859, and continued until 1865, the firm name being
J. L. Chase & Company, and his partner, his brother-in-law, Thomas Sill,
a congressman. They were extensively engaged in the lumber business,
buying large tracts of timber land, which they converted into lumber, and
at all these lumber camps they had co-operative stores. He had a chain
of saw mills all over the country, and built the first grist mill in Titusville.
In his later years he was also largely interested in oil production in that
region. He became president of the first gas company that operated at
Titusville. He was a strong supporter of Whig principles, and he was the
second burgess of the Borough of Titusville, his father-in-law, Jonathan
Titus, having been the first. Joseph L. Chase and Jonathan Titus donated
land upon which the first church in Titusville was erected, this being at
the head of Franklin street, and they were always generous contributors
to the support of this Presbyterian church. In this he was a communicant
sixty years, and an elder for a long period. He purchased from his father-
in-law, what is now the central part of the city of Titusville. Upon the
formation of the Republican party, Mr. Chase joined its ranks, but was
never a politician in the accepted sense of the word, although he always
took a deep interest in all matters concerning the public welfare of the
community. He was six feet in height, and a very active man all his life.
Mr. Chase married Susan J. Titus, born in 1801, died December 28,
1878; she was born at a place in Titusville, just back of where the Titus-
ville Herald office is now located, and she was the first white child born
in that part of Crawford county, Pennsylvania. They had children: Joseph
T., now deceased, was a member of the state legislature from Titusville
and county prothonotary of Crawford county, and married a Miss Adrain;
Cornelius S., captain of Company K, 57th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer
Infantry, was wounded at the battle of Fair Oaks, and died in the hos-
pital ; Thomas S., deceased, was the proprietor of the Coudersport Journal,
at Coudersport, Pennsylvania; William Wirt, died in 1910, was sergeant-
major of the 57th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and lived in
■Boston, Massachusetts; Edward B.. died in 1900, was a dry goods merchant
in Titusville ; George A., of further mention ; Mary, married Samuel Tor-
bett, a prominent business man of Meadville, Pennsylvania, both now de-
I300 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
ceased; Joanna, married Jonathan Watson, an extensive lumber dealer and
oil producer, lived in Titusville, both now deceased ; Adelaide, married Jolm
11. Dalzell, of Pittsburgh, a wealthy oil producer; Susan Emma, died in
girlhood.
Jonathan Titus, father of Mrs. Susan J. (Titus) Chase, was born in
Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, and studied surveying in his earlier
years. In 1790 he was employed by the United States government as a
civil engineer in surveying the Susquehanna Valley. During this trip
through northwestern Pennsylvania he decided to locate there. He went
to Meadville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, but, the Indians becoming
troublesome, he removed to Fort le Boeuf, where Waterford is now located.
After a few weeks he went to Spring Creek, and in October, 1790, came to
the spot on which Titusville is now located, and as he looked over the broad
valley 'he was much impressed by the general aspect. He pitched his camp
there, and the following morning everything was covered with snow, al-
though it was but October. He built a log house just back of where the
Titusville Herald is now located, and thus became the first settler and the
founder of Titusville. He bought many hundreds of acres of the surround-
ing country. He was a very tall man, being six feet two inches in height.
His father died in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, at the unusually advanced
age of one hundred and ten years. Peter Titus, a brother of Jonathan,
settled in Hydetown, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, and took up a large
tract of land there. A frequent visitor at the home of Jonathan Titus was
"Cornplanter," chief of the Seneca Indians. As Titusville grew up, Mr.
Titus sold off a part of his land, retiring to private life, and at his death
his property was divided among his children. That portion now known
as the Second Ward of Titusville, was a portion of the estate which fell to
Mrs. Joseph L. Chase. Mr. Titus married Mary Martin, who was born in
Maryland, near the Pennsylvania line. Children: Susan J., who married Mr.
Chase; Sarah, married E. H. Chase, a brother of Joseph L. Chase; Lavinia,
married Parker McDowell, a merchant, of Franklin, Pennsylvania; John,
went to California in 1849, and died soon afterward; Maxwell, was an in-
valid, and lived in Titusville ; Peter, died at an early age.
(Ill) George A., son of Joseph L. and Susan J. (Titus) Chase, was
born where the Chase and Stewart block is now situated, at the corner of
Spring and Franklin streets. Titusville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania,
December 6, 1844. He acquired his elementary and preparatory education
in the public schools of Titusville, being graduated from the high school.
After this he attended the Allegheny College, at Meadville, Pennsylvania,
from which he was graduated in 1865. He then took up the study of law
in the office of Alexander Miller, an attorney of Pittsburgh, and at the
end of three years, in 1868, was admitted as an attorney to the bar of
Pittsburgh, and has been engaged in general practice since that time, in
Titusville, to which he returned in that year. In 1873 he was appointed
United States commissioner, and is still the incumbent of this office. After
the death of his father, he was given control of the valuable estate, which
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"WESTERN PENNSYLXANIA 1301
he lias managed to the entire satisfaction of all the others who were inter-
ested. He served as city solicitor of Titusville for a period of thirteen
years, and is a member of the Presbyterian church at Pittsburgh. He is
also interested in oil production in Warren county, Pennsylvania. Mr.
Chase is not married.
The antiquity of the name of Hutchison, or Hutchinson,
HUTCHISON as it is frequently spelled, is very great. Its origin has
been assigned to one, Uitchensis, said to have been a
Norwegian, who came from Normandy with William the Conqueror, but
there is no record of the family after the Conquest until 1282, after which
the history of the family is definitely known. The coat-of-arms of the Eng-
lish family is: Per pale gules and azure semee of cross-crosslets or, a
lion rampant argent. Crest: Out of a ducal coronet or a cockatrice with
wings endorsed azure, beaked combed and wattled gules. From England
members of the family migrated to Scotland, then to the North of Ireland,
and thence to America.
(I) Thomas Hutchison was born in county Tyrone, Ireland, and emi-
grated to this country with his parents when he was a young child. They
settled in Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, about 1785, where he grew to
manhood. Some years after his marriage he removed with his family to
the west bank of the Allegheny river above Bradys Bend, settled on a farm
there about 1810. He married , and had children : William, of further
mention; Samuel, migrated to Kansas and took up land there; David, born
in 181 1, died in 1883, a stone mason by trade, had a farm in Parker town-
ship, Butler county, Pennsylvania, sold this and purchased one in Perry
township, Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, and married Mary Porter;
Sallie, married James Wilson, and lived in Butler county. Pennsylvania ;
Jennie, married (first) Armstrong Wilson, (second) John Campbell, lived
in Butler county, Pennsylvania ; Polly ; two who died young.
(II) William, son of Thomas Hutchison, was born in the eastern part
of the state of Pennsylvania, and followed the occupation of farming. He
was killed in young manhood by a fall from a horse. His widow never
remarried, but continued living on the farm of one hundred acres in Parker
township. Mr. Hutchison married Esther Gibson, born in Parker town-
ship, died there in 1900, at the age of ninety-one years. Children : James
Gibson, of further mention ; William, died in infancy ; Rebecca Jane, died
unmarried, December, 1915.
(III) James Gibson, son of William and Esther (Gibson) Hutchison,
was born in Parker township, Butler county, Pennsylvania, in 1836, and
died in December, 1863. He was educated in the public schools of his
native township, and upon the death of his father, took charge of the home-
stead farm for his widowed mother. Upon the outbreak of the Civil War
he enlisted in Company G, 134th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry,
served nine months, and upon his return to Ijis home died as the result of
the hardships he had endured. He married Susan Daubenspeck, born in
I302 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Parker township, in December, 1836, now living at Freedom, Beaver county.
They had children: Emma, died at the age of three years; James William,
of further mention. Mrs. Hutchison married (second) Shryock Harper, a
merchant of North Washington, Butler county, where the family lived until
his death. They had children : Edgar P., a preacher at Freedom, Penn-
sylvania, married a Miss O'Neal ; Curtis M., died at the age of twenty-one
years ; Orie Pearl, married Rev. H. O. McEtonald, a Presbyterian minister
at Monessen, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Hutchison comes of an old family, whose
history will be found forward.
(IV) James William, son of James Gibson Hutchison and Susan
(Daubenspeck) Hutchison, was born in Parker township, Butler county,
Pennsylvania, June 17, 1864. For a time he attended the public
schools of Washington township, and after the death of his father made
his home with his grandmother Hutchison, and attended the schools of
Parker township. He was prepared for entrance to college at an academy
in North Washington, matriculated at Westminister College, and was grad-
uated from this institution in 1887. Locating in Butler, Pennsylvania, he
read law in the office and under the preceptorship of the Hon. S. F. Bowser,
and was admitted to the bar December 2, 1889. Since that time he has
been engaged in an uninterrupted successful practice, and has never had
a partner. For a number of years he has served as referee in bankruptcy.
He is aggresive and energetic in his legal practice, and enjoys great pop-
ularity. He is an excellent man of business, and had he chosen to devote
his attention to business afifairs altogether, would undoubtedly have made
a decided success along those lines. As it is, his counsel is highly valued
as president of the East Butler Water Company. He lives in a beautiful
home at No. 628 Walker avenue, which he had erected in 1907. Politically
he is a Republican, and his fraternal affiliations are with the following or-
ganizations : Knights of Pythias, and is past grand chancellor of the state
of Pennsylvania ; Sons of Veterans ; Independent Order of Odd Fellows ;
and the Knights of Malta.
Mr. Hutchison married (first) in November, 1889, Ida May, who died
August 3, 1900, a daughter of John H. and Sidney Jane Campbell, the
former an oil producer, living at Kittanning, Pennsylvania. He married
(second) in November, 1903, Helen Victor, born in Lancaster, New York.
Children, all by the first marriage: Aileen, born August 5, 1890; Carl,
died at the age of three years ; Paul, born April 10, 1897, a pupil at the high
school.
(The Daubenspeck Line.)
In 1681 members of the Daubenspeck family left Hesse Kassel,
Prussia, going to England, because of religious persecution. They joined
the colonists under William Penn, came to America, and assisted in the
settlement of Philadelphia. They located on a large farm in the vicinity
of Philadelphia. For about one hundred years after this period we have
no definite information as to the fortunes of this family, but shortly after
the Revolution, we again have an uninterrupted record. At that time, and
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1303
even yet, there were many members of this family located in Lehigh,
Northumberland and Luzerne counties, and they were all unusual in stature.
The family characteristics were large blue eyes, erect figure, and large,
sinewy bodies. They often weighed more than two hundred pounds, and
were from six feet to six feet seven inches in height.
(I) Jacob Daubenspeck left his home in Luzerne county, Pennsylvania,
and migrated to what is now Butler county, then a part of Westmoreland
county, Pennsylvania. He had served from Luzerne county, during the
Revolutionary war, as a Continental Ranger. He bought a farm in Parker
township, Butler county, in 1796, which is now owned by Euphemia Dauben-
speck. Later, with two of his sons, Louis and John, he settled at Red
Bank Creek, Clarion county, Pennsylvania, where he died and is buried
in Squirrel Hill churchyard. Mr. Daubenspeck married (first) Barbara
Geiger, who died in Parker township, and he married (second), in Clarion
county, a widow. Children by the first marriage : Louis and John, men-
tioned above, who remained in Clarion county, where their descendants still
live, some of whom have changed the spelling of the name of Doverspike
and Debenspike ; Henry, located on Mahoning creek, Armstrong county,
Pennsylvania, and his descendants still live in that section ; George, who
received the home buildings and the southern portion of the homestead in
Parker township ; Philip, of further mention. The only child by the second
marriage was a son who died at the age of eighteen years in Indiana, Penn-
sylvania.
(II) Philip, son of Jacob and Barbara (Geiger) Daubenspeck, lived
and died on the homestead in Parker township, having inherited for his
share, the northern half, consisting of about six hundred acres. He was
in active service during the War of 1812. He married, and had four children :
George, of further mention ; Philip ; John ; Lewis.
(HI) George, son of Philip Daubenspeck, was born in Butler county,
Pennsylvania, and was six feet in height. He died on the homestead, on
which his entire life had been spent. He married Elizabeth Barnhart, also
born in Parker township, and they had children : Philip, a retired farmer
of Butler county, married Nancy Scott, and died in 191 1; Andrew, a Civil
War veteran, died in middle age ; Abraham, a Civil War veteran, is a farmer
in Parker township ; David, deceased, was a farmer in Parker township ;
Lavina, married Christian Daubenspeck, of W'ashington township, both now
deceased; Susan, who married Mr. Hutchison, as above mentioned; Mary
Jane, now residing in Butler, Pennsylvania, married James H. Gibson, now
deceased, a merchant in North Washington, Pennsylvania ; George F., lives
in Butler, married Elizabeth Perry ; Jacob D., a farmer of Bruin, Pennsyl-
vania, married Martha Campbell.
The Jameson family has been a noted one in England for
JAMESON many generations, and has been well represented in pro-
fessional life, especially in the field of medicine and surgery.
(I) Rev. James Jameson, son of a physician, was a clerg}-man of the
Church of England.
1304 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
(II) George Bernard, son of Rev. James Jameson, was born in England
in 1806, and died in 1890, at Holton Park, Lincolnshire, England. He was
a physician in active practice for many years. He married (first) Margaret
Swan, born in England, who died at the age of si.xty-two years. He mar-
ried (second) Amelia Dixon, who died at Holton Park, the estate she had
inherited from her ancestors, in 1906. They belonged to the Church of
England. They had children: William Hugh, of further mention; George,
who was a physician in Essex, England.
(III) Dr. William Hugh Jameson, son of Dr. George Bernard and
Margaret (Swan) Jameson, was born in the town of Caistor, Lincolnshire,
England, March 14, 1839, and died April 14, 1879. After excellent prepara-
tory tuition, he matriculated at Oxford LIniversity, from which he was
graduated with honor. He took highest honors in a severe examination
for surgeon of the royal army, passed tliis successfully, and was duly
appointed. After his marriage he was sent to. India as a surgeon of the
Royal Artillery, and was stationed at various points in India, practically
covering this entire country. He was in active service twice, one being
the "Black Mountain Rebellion." He served fifteen years in India, being
soon appointed surgeon major, and at the time of his death was the youngest
holder of this title in the sei-vice. He died in England, while visiting that
country on a furlough, in order to restore his health, which had been under-
mined by intermittent fever. Dr. Jameson married Eliza Georgina Roberts,
born in Edinburgh, Scotland, September 19, 1848, a daughter of William and
Catherine (Ogilvy) Roberts, of ancient families. They had children: Hugh,
of further mention ; Charles W., living in New Zealand, was engaged in the
stock business in 1886.
(IV) Dr. Hugh Jameson, son of Dr. William Hugh and Eliza Georgina
(Roberts) Jameson, was born at Agra, British India, January 29, 1867, and
was sent home to the town of Caistor, England, in 1875. There he attended
the elementary public schools, and from them went to Stewart's College,
in Edinburgh, Scotland, his mother having taken up her residence there with
her two children in 1880, some months after the death of her husband. He
next attended the University of Edinburgh, from the Medical Department
of which he was graduated in 1889. In 1888 he had acted as assistant and
locum tenens for another physician at Peebles, Scotland, for nine months.
After his graduation he was assistant to another physician in London for
another period of nine months. He then practiced independently for one
year, after which he decided to try his fortune in the new world. He
arrived at Titusville, Pennsylvania, October 20, 1890, and has been engaged
in general practice there since that time. He, however, gives especial atten-
tion to diseases of the eye, and also abdominal surgery. He is a member of
the medical stafif of the local hospital. His political support is given to the
Republican party, and he has served twice as a member of the city council,
once on the school board, twice on the board of health, having been chairman
of the last mentioned body, and is now a member of it. He is a member of
the board of directors of the Young Men's Christian Association of the town.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1305
In association with A. W. Bronson he organized the Men's Club of Titus-
ville, which is now a flourishing body. He is a member of the Royal
Obstetrical Society of Edinburgh, and of the Country Club, and lives at
No. 105 North Washington street, where he bought a fine residence in 1895.
He and his family belong to St. James Episcopal Church, of which he is a
vestryman.
Dr. Jameson married, December 28, 1893, Helen, a daughter of Robert
W. and Sophia (Dane) Kernochan, the latter deceased, the former, formerly
an oil well supply merchant, lives in Titusville, at the age of eighty-one years.
Children: Margaret Ogilvy, born November 3, 1897, attends "Elmhurst,"
a school for girls at Connersville, Indiana ; Hugh Kernochan, born September
28, 1900, attends high school at Titusville, Pennsylvania.
The Theobalds were for many generations farmers in the
THEOBALD Rhine Province, and were devout members of the Roman
Catholic church.
Nicholas Theobald was born about three miles from the village of
Winderbach, in 1794, and died in 1866. He inherited a fine farm, but sold
this when he married, and bought a piece of property in the town in which
his wife lived. In 1852 he emigrated to the United States, with his wife
and children, and settled at Wellsville, Allegany county, New York, where
he bought a farm, on which he lived until his death. They, also, were Roman
Catholics. Mr. Theobald married Katherina Leist, born in Germany, in
1798, died at Wellsville, New York, in 1883. Her parents were well-to-do
farmers, and Catholics. Children : Elizabeth, Jacob, Anna, John, deceased ;
Peter, of furtlier mention ; Wendal, retired from business, lives at Corry,
Pennsylvania.
Peter, son of Nicholas and Katherina (Leist) Theobald, was bom near
the town of Winderbach, Germany, November 11, 1838. He acquired his
education in his native land, and was fourteen years of age at the time he
emigrated to America with the others of his family. For some years he
worked on the homestead farm, but he was yet in early manhood when he
walked to Titusville, Pennsylvania, in order to carve out his fortune himself.
He was of a strong and robust constitution, and an excellent walker, on one
day covering forty miles. Titusville was at that time the center of the oil
industry, and he became associated with others in the putting down of oil
wells, but they were not successful in this line of enterprise. They then
started in the oil refining business, in which they met with the success which
their well directed efforts merited. At this time the Standard Oil Company
was buying up all the smaller concerns, and the approach was also made to
Mr. Theobold. He, however, seeing the possibilities of this industry, refused
to sell. But his partners who together held the larger part of the interests,
sold out, and Mr. Theobald was obliged to make the best of it. Undaunted,
he started an independent refining company, of which he was elected presi-
dent, this being known as the Independent Oil Refining Company of Oil
City, Pennsylvania. As tlie executive head of this company he raised it to
i3o6 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
a high standard, and it was a well paying corporation. In 1906 he retired
from business affairs, and lives in Titusville, where he has a comfortable
home, at No. 69 West Walnut street. He is a Democrat, and a member of
the Masonic order. Mr. Theobald married Minnie Schwartzcop, born in
Wellsville, New York. Among their children is a son, Edward T., who is
the present head of the Refining Company founded by his father.
The late Dr. Edgar C. Parsons, numbered for more than a
PARSONS quarter of a century among the leading medical practitioners
of Western Pennsylvania, and throughout that period an
honored citizen of Meadville, was of ancient New England lineage and in
his character and career strikingly illustrated the sturdy virtues of the stock
from which he sprang. The Parsons family was founded in this country in
the earliest period of our colonial history, the immigrant ancestors being
among the first settlers of Massachusetts and owning what was called the
"Northampton Meadows," situated not far from Boston. In the course of
time representatives of this ancient stock migrated to various parts of the
country, many of their descendants achieving distinction in business and in
the learned professions.
(I) Luther Parsons, grandfather of Dr. Edgar C. Parsons, belonged to
the original Massachusetts branch of the family and married Hadassah
with whom after some years he removed to Naples, New York, where he
died, leaving the following children, of whom the first and second were born
at Northampton, Massachusetts, and the others at Naples, New York : Mary,
born April 25, 1807; Esther, born May 26, 1809; Persis, born August 7, i8ri ;
Almira, born October 3, 1814; Hiram G., mentioned below; and Luther,
born December 7, 1825. After the death of the father of the family, his
widow, with her son Hiram G. and, perhaps, others of her children, removed
to Alexandria, Ohio.
(II) Hiram G., son of Luther and Hadassah Parsons, was born
May 31, 1817, in Naples, New York, and was a child when his mother re-
moved to Ohio. He received a good education and during the early part
of his life was engaged in agricultural pursuits. He later learned the black-
smithing trade, which he followed during the remainder of his active life.
He married (first) Dorothy Page, of Alexandria, Ohio, and the following
children were born to them : Edgar C., mentioned below ; Electa, married
E. P. Robb, of Kansas ; and Jerusha, married William H. Banner, of Illinois.
Mr. Parsons married (second) Nancy Trout, and they became the parents
of five children : Horace A. ; Orlena ; Wilbur ; Luther ; and Elizabeth.
Hiram G. Parsons died March 3, 1877, at Alexandria, Ohio, leaving the
memory of an upright man and a highly esteemed citizen.
(III) Edgar €., son of Hiram G. and Dorothy (Page) Parsons, was
born November 19, 1847, ^^ Alexandria, Ohio, where he received his pre-
liminary education in the public schools, later graduating from the Johnstown
(Ohio) Academy. Thereafter he was engaged for two winters in teaching,
and in 1868 went to Knoxville, Iowa, teaching for several terms in the
t ^
^
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1307
schools of Marion and Mahaska counties. In 1870 he accepted the charge
of the intermediate department and later that of the grammar school at
Knoxville, filling these positions until June, 1873. Imparting instruction was
not, however, despite his manifest fitness for it, regarded by Dr. Parsons
as his life-work. His inclinations led him to another field — one for which
he had received from nature exceptional endowments. About 1871 he took
up the study of medicine under the guidance of Dr. A. B. Wilder, and in
the autumn of 1873 attended lectures at the Hahnemann Medical College,
Chicago. After completing the regular course he began practice at Rantoul,
Illinois. In the autumn of 1876 he entered Hahnemann College, Philadel-
phia, graduating March 8, 1877. He then established himself at Meadville,
where, during the remainder of his life, a period of more than a third of a
century, he was continuously engaged in active practice. Profound and com-
prehensive knowledge, an unusual degree of skill and tireless devotion to
duty combined to insure his rapid advancement to a leading place among
the members of his profession not only in his home city but throughout the
western part of Pennsylvania. In 1883 he was appointed health officer of
Meadville, serving two terms with the greatest efficiency, his administration
of the office being fruitful in results beneficial to the city.
In all concerns relative to the city's welfare, Dr. Parsons' interest was
deep and sincere and wherever substantial aid would further public progress
it was freely given. Every movement which, in his judgment, tended toward
the betterment of Meadville received his hearty co-operation and support and
no good work done in the name of charity or religion appealed to him in vain.
He was instrumental in organizing the Crawford County Homoeopathic
Medical Society in which he held the office of secretary, and he also belonged
to the Homoeopathic Medical Society of Pennsylvania. He affiliated with
the Masonic bodies at Meadville and he and his family were members of the
Methodist Episcopal church.
Dr. Parsons married, October 14, 1874, at Irwin, Westmoreland county,
Pennsylvania, Amanda Boyd, whose ancestral record is appended to this
sketch, and they became the parents of the following children : Page Waters,
born July 19, 1875, at Rantoul, Illinois; Evangeline, born April 11, 1882, in
Meadville ; and Lenore, born May 27, 1885, in Meadville.
Page Waters Parsons graduated from the Meadville high school and
was in his sophomore year in Allegheny College when his health failed, and
he died October 28, 1896, only three months after attaining his majority.
He anticipated entering the medical profession and his endowments were
such as to encourage the brightest expectations of his parents and friends.
He was a young man of sterling qualities and endearing personal attributes
and was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Evangeline Parsons graduated from the high school, and in 1903 from
Allegheny College. During two years she was engaged in teaching — one
year at Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, and another in Meadville. On June 25,
1908, she married the Rev. Joseph Emil Morrison, a graduate of Alle-
gheny College and Drew Theological Seminary, and since 1906 pastor of the
i3o8 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Methodist Episcopal church on Cahfoniia avenue, Pittsburgh. Mr. and
Mrs. Morrison are the parents of two children : Joseph Parsons, born Octo-
ber 22, 1910; and Marion, born February 12, 1912.
Lenore, youngest of the three children of Edgar C. and Amanda (Boyd)
Parsons, was educated in the schools of Meadville so far as her preliminary
studies were concerned, but on account of delicate health took the finishing
course at home under private instruction, bestowing special attention on
music and literature. The study of history has always held much attraction
for her and she takes particular interest in preserving for future generations,
the record of her father's services to medical science and sufifering humanity.
Miss Parsons now enjoys perfect health and is a favorite in the social circles
of Meadville. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mrs. Parsons is a woman of winning personality, and her husband, a
man to whom the ties of family and friendship were sacred, ever found in
her a true helpmate. She is active in her church membership and enjoys
the love and esteem of a large circle of friends. The residence of Dr. Par-
sons, on Walnut street, one of the most modern and atractive in the city, is
now the home of his widow and daughter.
The death of Dr. Parsons, which occurred June i, 1911, was a distinct
loss to his profession and to the community at large, and is still mourned as
that of a learned, skillful, devoted and beloved physician and an honored,
public-spirited citizen.
(The Boyd Line.)
The l)0yd family of Western Pennsylvania is extremely numerous, and
should the different branches which are of old Presbyterian stock be traced
back into Ireland and Scotland they would be proved to have sprung from
a common ancestor. The progenitor of the American Boyds settled first
in Maryland, subsequently coming to Pennsylvania and residing in Dauphin
county and later in Northumberland county.
( I ) John Boyd, grandfather of Mrs. Amanda (Boyd) Parsons, was born
near Pittsburgh and followed the calling of a farmer. He married Rachel,
(laughter of the Reverend Samuel Waters, who was ordained by John Wes-
ley, founder of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. and Mrs. Boyd were
the parents of the following children: John; Eliza; Nancy; Charlotte;
William ; Jane ; Samuel ; Andrew ; Stephen ; and James Gray, mentioned be-
low. .
(in James Gray, son of John and Rachel (Waters) Boyd, was born
April 2, 1 82 1, in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and spent his early
life in West Newton, in the same state. He learned and followed the trade
of a carpenter, but in later life was engaged in agricultural pursuits near
Madison. He eventually disposed of his farming interests and removed to
Knoxville, Iowa, where, for four years, he gave his attention to the f^ouring-
mill business. Returning to his native county he settled at Irwin Station
and there, in partnership with Cyrus Billhammer, conducted a hardware
business for twenty years, and upward, finally disposing of his interest and
migrating to Cleveland, Ohio, where he passed the remainder of his life.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1309
He was a Republican and an active member of the Methodist Episcopal
church. Mr. Boyd married, April 12, 1844, Mary, daughter of Benjamin
and Magdalena (Baker) Keefer, and they became the parents of three
daughters: Catherine Jane, born June 21, 1845, married D. P. Highberger;
Amanda, mentioned below; and Elizabeth K., born April 21, 1856, married
H. F. Fulton and resides in Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. Boyd died March 10,
1895, in Cleveland, Ohio, and his widow passed away December 8, 1903, at
the advanced age of eighty-one. Both were regarded by all who knew them
with the sincere respect and affection inspired by their many virtues.
(Ill) Amanda, daughter of James Gray and Mary (Keefer) Boyd,
was born April 21, 1847, and became the wife of Dr. Edgar C. Parsons, as
mentioned above.
Luther De Long was born in the eastern part of the state
DE LONG of Pennsylvania, where he followed his calling as a carpenter
for many years. Later he removed to Ripley, New York,
where his death and that of his wife occurred. He married Anna Babcock.
William Orson De Long, son of Luther and Anna (Babcock) De
Long, was born in North East, Erie county, Pennsylvania, July 15. 1837.
Lie was educated in the public schools near his home and at Binghamton,
New York, and was then graduated from the Law Institute at Albany, New
York. He was admitted to the bar, and established himself in the practice
of his profession at Ripley and Westview, New York, where he remained
some years. He then removed to Titusville, Crawford county, Pennsyl-
vania, and while living there became connected with the Second National
Bank, a connection which remained uninterrupted for a period of fourteen
years. Mr. De Long then resigned his office and retired to private life
about two years prior to his death, May 10, 1901. He became affiliated
with the Masonic fraternity at Jamestown. Mr. De Long married, in 1851,
Helen S. Towne, a native of North East, Erie county, Pennsylvania, who
was taken in infancy to Elgin, Illinois, by her parents. They had children :
Edward ; Bessie, married Thomas Joseph Powers, a banker of Titusville,
September 11, 1906.
Bester Coleman Towne, paternal grandfather of Mrs. De Long, was a
director of the Bank of Erie, Pennsylvania. His family had been connected
with banking interests for a number of generations. He married Betsey
M. Martin. His descent from his Puritan ancestor is as follows : Joseph
and Hannah (Coleman) Towne; Ozias and Huldah (Brewster) Coleman;
Ichabod Brewster: William Brewster; Deacon William Brewster; Levi
Brewster: Elder William Brewster, who came over in the "Mayflower."
Morris C. Towne, son of Bester Coleman and Betsey M. (Martin)
Towne, was a banker. He was president of the National Bank of Elgin
and of a bank in Chicago. He was very successful in his enterprises, and
was active in business life until he was more than seventy years of age.
His fraternal affiliation was with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
He married (first) Hannah S. Oviatt. He married ("second) Maria Selk-
regg.
I3IO WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Timothy Babcock, grandfather of Airs. Anna (Babcock) De Long,
was of Rhode Island, and died December 3, 1795. He married Thankful
Reed, who died in Rliode Island, in April, 1795.
John Babcock, son of Timothy and Thankful (Reed) Babcock, was
born in 1766, and died in Sherburne, New York, March 27, 1821. He
married Mercy Whitford, who died March 23, 1843, a daughter of Christo-
pher and Sarah (Howard) Whitford, the former a Revolutionary soldier
from the state of Rhode Island, later of Sherburne, New York.
Anna (Babcock) De Long, daughter of John and Mercy (Whitford)
Babcock, was born in May, 1810, died August 19, 1880.
The name Richard or Richards, like most of the surnames
RICHARD derived from Christian names, is the common possession of
several different nationalities, and can be traced back to
the English, and from them to the Irish, to the Welsh, Dutch, French and
German.
(I) James Richard was born in Ireland, emigrated to America, and
arrived at Meadville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, in August, 1819. For
one or two years he was in the employ of Mr. Van Home, then, having
amassed a small capital by dint of thrift and industry, he purchased forty
acres of the Van Home tract and later another twenty-five acres. This land
he improved and cultivated until his death. He married Anna Hutchison.
(II) William Richard, son of James and Anna (Hutchison) Richard,
was born in Meadville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, on the Richard home-
stead, and acquired his education in the district schools. He has been a
farmer all his life, and is now located near Sugarlake, Crawford county.
At one time he affiliated with the Baptist church. He married (first) Ellen,
born in Vernon township, Crawford county, a daughter of Isaac Warner.
Mr. Richard married (second) Louisa Henry. Children by first marriage:
Anna, Ella, James, Charles A., of further mention ; children by second mar-
riage : George, John, Frank, Harry, Estella and Lillian.
(III) Charles A. Richard, son of William and Ellen (Warner) Richard,
was born in Bloomfield township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, June
4, 1870. His education was acquired in the public schools of Vernon town-
ship and Smith's Commercial College of Meadville, Pennsylvania, and he
then commenced an exhaustive study of the methods of gardening and fruit
culture. For many years after his marriage he cultivated the farm of his
grandfather, and in April, 1901, removed to the farm on which he is now
located, purchasing it in 1903. It consists of twelve acres, and he has set
out two hundred trees, and makes a specialty of gardening and fruit growing.
He is a member of the First Baptist Church of Meadville. Mr. Richard
married, April 5, 1899, Estella Doctor, bora in Cambridge township, and
they had children : Margaret Arline, Geraldine Emma and Dorothy Agnes.
Mrs. Estella (Doctor) Richard was a daughter of Jackson and Agnes
(Richard) Doctor, natives of Crawford county, and granddaughter of James
and Mary (Humes) Doctor, the latter born in Ireland, from which her
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1311
parents came when Alary was seven weeks old, and located in this section,
where they have become substantial farmers. James Doctor was probably
born in Germany, and it is believed he was one of the Hessian soldiers that
came to America during the Revolutionary War. Mr. and Mrs. Doctor had
children : Estella, mentioned above, and Emma.
Nathan Gill, a prosperous farmer of Vernon township, Crawford
GILL county, Pennsylvania, was born in Virginia, August 22, 1857. He
was still a young lad when he went to Ohio, and there settled in
Ross county. After working on several farms in that section, he engaged
in the raising of small fruits, having purchased a tract of forty-eight
acres. In 1909 he removed to a farm of one hundred and ten acres near
Union City, Erie county, Pennsylvania, where he remained until November
2, 1912, when he settled on the farm he occupies at the present time in
Vernon township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania. This consists of almost
one hundred and seventeen acres, and he cultivates it for general products.
He is a member of the First Baptist Church of Meadville. Mr. Gill married
Araminta, born in Ohio, a daughter of Chesley and Arabella (Brandon)
Pettiford, both born in Virginia, and removed to Ohio in childhood : and a
granddaughter of Jesse and Parthenia Brandon, who were farmers in Ross
county, Ohio. The marriage took place December 26, 1878. Children:
George R., married Myrtle Smith, no children ; Vossie R., married Eliza-
beth Haskell, no children ; Frederick B., married Irene GatlifT, no children ;
Edward L., married Myrtle Mathews, two children, Minnie L. and Edward
M. ; Arthur, deceased ; Elma N. ; Isabel ; Alice ; Minnie M.
Shaw is a very common English surname, used also as a termina-
SHAW tion. It means a small wood, from tlie Anglo-Saxon "Scua,"
a shade or place shadowed or sheltered by trees. Several par-
ishes and places bear the name, and from these doubtless the families of
Shaw took their surnames. We also find the name in combination, as Aber-
shaw, Bagshaw, Cockshaw, Henshaw, Bradshaw, Longshaw and Eldershaw.
The coat-of-arms of the Shaw family of Kilmarnock, Scotland, is: Azure
three covered cups two and one or ; on a chief argent a merchant ship under
sail proper, a canton gules charged with the mace of the city of London
surmounted by a sword in saltire, also proper pommel and hilt of the second.
Crest : A demi-savage aflfrontee, wreathed about the head and waist proper,
in the dexter hand a key or, the sinister resting on a club reversed also
proper. Supporters : Dexter a savage wreathed about the head and waist
with laurel, his exterior hand resting on a club all proper (emblematical of
fortitude), the sinister hand presenting an escroll, thereon inscribed "The
King's W^arrant of Precedence" sinister, an emblematical figure of the city
of London, the de.xter arm supporting the shield, the sinister extended to re-
ceive the escroll presented by the other supporter. Motto : I mean well.
(I) Robert Shaw, of Scotch-Irish descent, may have been born in
Scotland. He emigrated to America, and settled in Venango county, Penur
I3I2 , WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
sylvania, at a very early date. There he took up land, and was eng
in its cultivation until his death. He married Isabella White, a native of
England.
(II) James Shaw, son of Robert and Isabella (White) Shaw, was born
in Venango county, Pennsylvania, and was an active participant in the War
of 1812. He married Margaret Irwin, who was born in Crawford county,
Pennsylvania.
(III) Robert (2) Shaw, son of James and Margaret (Irwin) Shaw,
was born in Venango county, Pennsylvania, November 28, 1804, and died
December 23, 1884. He was a tanner by trade, but abandoned this line of
industry in favor of farming and oil production. He was the owner of a fine
farm near Oil City, Venango county, and his death occurred at Saegers-
town, Crawford county, Pennsylvania. He married Frances Bartholomew,
born at Mill Hall, Clinton county, Pennsylvania, July 4, 1819, died July 19,
1887. She was a daughter of Windell and Sarah (McGill) Bartholomew,
a granddaughter of John Peter and Frances (Ebe) Bartholomew, and a
great-granddaughter of Casper Bartholomew. She was also a granddaughter
of James and Lena (Bums) McGill. The Burns were Scotch Highlanders,
and the McGills were Irish. Mr. and Mrs. Shaw had children: James W.,
who served during the Civil War and lost his right arm in one of the en-
gagements in which he participated; Robert L., of further mention; Adelia
Elvira, Sylvester I., Ann Jane, Emeline Eretta, Sarah Elizabeth, Frances
A., Marjorie, William Parker.
(IV) Robert L. Shaw, son of Robert (2) and Frances (Bartholomew)
Shaw, was born in Venango county, Pennsylvania, February 8, 1842. He
acquired his education in the public schools of his native county, and at
a suitable age was apprenticed to learn the trade of carpentering. This he
followed for some time and then engaged in oil production. In 1888 he
purchased a farm of one hundred and thirty acres in Vernon township, and
he has since been located there, his farm yielding satisfactory results under
his capable management. He is a member of the Presbyterian church. He
has always taken an active interest in the public welfare of the community,
and has served as supervisor of Vernon township with great executive
ability. Mr. Shaw married, December 25, 1866, Rebecca Jane Neely, born
near Baden, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of George and Bar-
bara (McNorton) Neely, of Ireland, who were pioneer farmers of Baden.
Children : James A., of Vernon township, married Sarah Tritt and they have
two children, Robert W. and Alberta E ; Robert Edwin, died in infancy ;
Frank Elmer, died at the age of five years ; Charles L., of further mention.
(V) Charles L. Shaw, son of Robert L. and Rebecca Jane (Neely)
Shaw, was born at Franklin. Venango county, Pennsylvania, March 23,
1880. His education was commenced in the public schools, and completed
at Smith's Business College, in Meadville, and Reese's School of Engraving,
at Elmira, New York. He followed engraving in its various branches, in
different sections of the country, finally returning to his father's farm, where
he now has charge of a dairy business. Mr. Shaw married, in June, 1904,
/^^i^^v^'.
U<xr
WESTERN' l'E.\.\SVL\ AXIA 1313
Leda P.eardsley, of Elmira, i\'ew York, and they had children : Bessie May,
Robert L., Florence Eleanor and Leda Anna. The last mentioned died in
infancy. The family attends the Presbyterian chnrch.
Daniel Alter, the founder of this family in America, was of
ALTER Washington county, Pennsylvania. He married, and had chil-
dren: Joseph, Nancy, Jacob, of further mention ; Samuel, John,
David, Henry, Daniel, Jeremiah, Elias, Samson.
( II) Jacob Alter, son of Daniel Alter, was born in Washington county,
Pennsylvania, April 27, 1802, and died August 7, 1883. He was a black-
smith and farmer, owning a farm of one hundred and eighty acres. He
was a major of the militia, and filled many local public offices in Plum town-
ship. He lived to celebrate his golden wedding, on which occasion there were
ninety-six children, grandchildren and great-grandcliildren present. He
married Jane Bratton, born January 18, 1802, died October 28, 1880, and
they had children : George B., of further mention ; Eliza, married Thomas
King; Mary, married William Brown; Sarah Jane, married Crawford
Brown ; Lucinda, married George Rose ; Margaret Ann, married John
Weaver; Samuel, married Nancy Beal ; Susan, married M. K. Armstrong;
Jacob, married Jane Hamilton ; William D., married Alley Gray ; Rebecca,
married John Hughes. Jacob Alter was a Republican in political opinion,
and an active member of the Presbyterian church.
(III) George B. Alter, son of Jacob and Jane (Bratton) Alter, was
born in Plum township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, Jane 22, 1822. He
was educated in the public schools of Plum township, in which his entire
life was spent. He was an influential farmer, owning two hundred and
thirty acres of land, which he commenced cultivating in young manhood. He
was a Republican in politics, and a most active member of the Presbyterian
church, in which he was an elder for many years, and sang in the choir for
a period of forty years. He married Eve Stotler, born in 1824. She was
a granddaughter of Jacob Stotler, who emigrated to this country from Ger-
many, and died in Franklin county, Pennsylvania. His widow came to
Penn township with her children : Emanuel, of further mention ; Henry ;
John; Jacob; Elizabeth, married — — Reamer; Martha, who married
Coon. Emanuel Stotler. son of Jacob Stotler, and father of Mrs. Alter,
was a farmer of Penn township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. He mar-
ried Elizabeth Bowman, and had children : Jacob ; Mary, married
Snively ; Elizabeth, married Stoner; Barbara, married - — — Bright;
Henry B. ; David; Ann, married Alter; Martha; Margaret, married
Coon ; Eve, married George B. Alter, as above stated ; Catherine, mar-
ried Coon. Mr. and Mrs. Alter had children : Emanuel, deceased,
married Susan Kuhn, and lived in Plum township ; Elizabeth J., married Dr.
James Mcjunkin ; three who died in infancy; Samuel Crawford, of further
mention ; Harry, died at the age of twenty-two years ; Ella, married W. W'.
Alter, lives in Kirkwood ; ^largaret, married Rev. John Kistler.
(IV) Samuel Crawford Alter, son of George B. and Eve (Stotler)
I3I4
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Alter, was bom in Plum township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, June
12, 1857. He was educated in the public schools there, and like his father
and grandfather he followed the occupation of farming. He commenced in-
dependently with a farm of one hundred acres, making a specialty of grow-
ing grain, and of stock raising. He is considered one of tlie prosperous and
influential farmers of the section. Politically he is a Republican, and has
served as road inspector. For the past eight years he has been an elder
in the Presbyterian church, of which he has been a member many years.
He married Priscilla Jane, a daughter of Alexander and Mary Jane (Stew-
art) McMath ; granddaughter of James and Jane (Enwer) McMath ; and
granddaughter of Andrew and Priscilla (Beale) Stewart. Mrs. Alter had
sisters : Jennie, married S. I. Swank, now deceased ; Belle, married Samp-
son Alter ; Mary Margaret, married George G. Glass, of Pittsburgh. Mr.
and Mrs. Alter had children: Irene, married William ]\r. Hazellett; Grace,
married J. V. Booth, lives in Plum township; ]\Iinnia, married Robert Mc-
Machen, and has one child, Alargaret ; George; Evelyn.
The name of Cricks is recorded as among the early settlers of
CRICKS Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, and they have always proved
themselves valuable, industrious and patriotic citizens.
(I) Cricks, settled in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, at an early
date, but in later life removed to Washingtonville, Ohio, where his death
occurred. He was a farmer.
(II) Levi Cricks, a son of the preceding, was born in Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, and there followed agricultural pursuits. He married Griselda
Holmes, also a native of Allegheny county. She was of Irish descent, her
parents having emigrated from Ireland in their youth and settled near Talley
Cavey, Allegheny county.
(III) Joseph H. Cricks, son of Levi and Griselda (Holmes) Cricks, was
born near Bakerstown, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, September 16, 1845,
and died April 25, 1914. He acquired a plain but substantial education in
the public schools of his district, and for a time followed the occupation of
farmer. In later life he became both a carpenter and a sheet heater. He
commenced the latter occupation as a puddler, and worked up to a higher
position. Subsequently he purchased a farm of forty acres near Talley
Cavey. then went to Pittsburgh, where he lived twenty-five years. While
living there he followed his occupation as a carpenter, then returned to sheet
heating at Scottdale. After another short residence in Pittsburgh he went
to Brackenridge, March 27, 1900, with the intention of working in the steel
mills, but went to Canal Dover instead, where he worked as a sheet heater
six years while his family remained in Brackenridge. He then returned,
and himself built a house, in which his widow is residing at the present time.
For a few months he was employed as a sheet heater in Beling^on, West Vir-
ginia, then entered the employ of the Penn Salt Works, of Natrona, Penn-
sylvania, where he met with a serious accident, December 3, igo8, and this
was the direct cause of his death some years later. Being, however, of a
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1315
very ambitious nature, he was actively occupied until a very short time prior
to his death. Before going to Scottdale, he had also served five years as
a policeman. When the Civil War broke out, Mr. Cricks enlisted in the
Pennsylvania \'olunteer Infantry, and was wounded and captured at Fair
Oaks, May 31, 1862; paroled, August 6, 1862; again wounded at Antietam,
September 18, 1862; honorably discharged, January 16, 1863; re-enlisted, in
Company I, February 20, 1865; mustered out, June 28, 1865. An honorable
record, indeerl. .A.11 his life he had been a member of the United Presby-
terian church, and for some years a member of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows.
Mr. Cricks married, May 29, 1866, Esther Elizabeth Stoup, born at
Pakerstown, Pennsylvania, died in 1886, a daughter of John and Esther
( Saddler ) Stoup, both natives of .Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. She was
a granddaughter of Louis and Drusilla (Tucker) Saddler, both born in
Allegheny county, where he was a farmer on Kittanning Pike, between
Brackenridge and Pittsburgh, and she died at the age of one hundred and
one years. The paternal grandparents of Mrs. Cricks were John and Mary
fCubbage) Stoup, he a native of Germany, who settled near Perrysville
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Cricks was a member of the Metho-
dist Episcopal church from the time she was thirteen years of age until her
death. Mr. Cricks was a member of Natrona Post, Grand Army of the Re-
public, and of Loyal Circle, No. 113, Protective Home Circle, of Pittsburgh.
Mr. and Mrs. Cricks had children: Carrie Mary, now deceased, married
Harry E. Skiles, and had : Berdell, Elmer and Joseph ; John Orin, married
Emilie Walters, of Canton, Ohio: Esther Grace, died in infancy; Ida Lillian,
married George Heckendorn, of Detroit, Michigan; Harriet Amanda, mar-
ried Oliver F. Beet, and resides with Mrs. Cricks : Henderson W., lives at
Steubenville, Ohio, married Emma Katz, and has one child, Audria; Charles,
married Mapleton jMcFarlin, and has: Mervin, Charles Joseph, Oliver F.
and Nina ; Molly Belle, died in infancy.
The name of Kennedy has existed both in Ireland and Scot-
KENNEDY land for centuries, but its origin cannot be accurately ascer-
tained. Its bearers in the Emerald Isle are still numerous
in the interior counties, although many of them have established homes in
America, and through their habits of industry and frugality have for the
most part become prosperous.
Rev. Joseph Kennedy was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania,
and studied for the ministry. He was ordained in the Methodist Episcopal
denomination, and preached in Pennsylvania and Ohio, his death occurring
at Lancaster, Ohio, and he and his wife are buried there. He married Anna
Keeley, also born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and they had
children: John, who died at the age of seventeen years: David, died as a
result of the hardships endured in the Civil War : Daniel, superintendent of
coal mines, died in 19TI, at Charleroi, Pennsylvania; Joseph S., of further
mention ; Jane ; Catherine : Clara ; Melissa.
13 16 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Joseph S. Kennedy, son of Rev. Joseph and Anna (Keeley) Kennedy,
was born on a farm in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, October 9, 1830,
and died while on a vacation trip to Atlantic City, New Jersey, June 11,
19 10. After acquiring an education ii. -he public schools, he learned garden-
ing, and followed this occupation at Squirrel Hill until 1866, when he came
to Mifflin township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, and there purchased
eighty-nine acres of land, now the heart of Duquesne borough. This farm
extended from Germantown to the Monongahela river. He gardened and
farmed here many years, and built a comfortable house, which now stands
on Fourth street, and is occupied by his daughter, Mrs. Annie M. Black.
When the Carnegie Steel Company decided to locate a new steel mill on
the banks of the Monongahela river, they purchased a considerable portion
of land from Mr. Kennedy, and as this naturally caused a demand for prop-
erty in that vicinity, Mr. Kennedy commenced parceling oiT his lands into
lots and sold these to excellent advantage. He also sold the plots on which
the fine new Carnegie Library is located, and that on which the high school
building stands. Finally he abandoned gardening altogether, and spent the
last twenty years of his life in retirement. Mr. Kennedy was very public-
spirited and did a great deal to further the interests of the community in
many directions. In appreciation of this two streets of this new section
were named Kennedy avenue and Priscilla street, in honor of himself and
his wife.
He married Priscilla Birch feld, who died in 1907, a daughter of Joseph
and Tane (McFarland) Birchfeld, both of Scotch descent, and early settlers
in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where he was a farmer and land owner.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Birchfeld died young, after having had children: John,
died in 1894; Charles, killed at the age of eighteen years by a falling tree;
Mary, died young; Elizabeth, married Archibald Robinson, and died at
Carnegie, Pennsylvania ; Priscilla, mentioned above, and two others. Mr.
and Mrs. Kennedy had children: i. Joseph, stock dealer, lives in Chicago.
2. David, died at Lancaster, Ohio, in 1914. 3. Annie M., married H. L.
Black, and lives in the old home on Fourth street, as above stated ; Mr. Black
is a successful real estate dealer; they have had children: Fannie P., at
home; Norman, a tax collector of Duquesne; Bessie, married Ralph Emery,
and lives in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania ; Joseph, Floward and Priscilla, at
home. 4. Catherine Jane, married Samuel Kelly, and died in East Liberty,
Pennsylvania, in 1896. 5. William H., a wholesale liquor dealer, lives in
Duquesne. 6. Charles C, a stock dealer in Chicago. 7. Lili, married Charles
Immel, and lives in Jackson, Michigan. 8. John C, a roller, in Cincinnati.
9. Fannie, died at the age of eight years. 10. Frank, died in infancy, ir.
Arlies, lives in California. Mr. Kennedy was a strong supporter of
Republican principles all his life, and he and his wife were members of the
Methodist Episcopal church. They were active workers in the cause of
religion, and contributed liberally in that direction, one of their gifts being
the ground on which the ^lethodist Episcopal church stands.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^v ^^^^^'^^ISSqB^^^^^^^^H
^^^V\ k fl
^^^^^K '^•«'i^^^^^|
^oi^i/t t/. C/Ce^iyJi^d/U'
WESTRRX PENNSYLVANIA 1317
Tile immigrant ancestor of tliis line of iiokermanns is
BOKERMANN now living retired, the business that he founded and in
which his sons were associated witli him has now ceased
to exist, one of the sons of (iodfried Hokermann, jolin Hermann, is now a real
estate dealer of Aspinwall. Godfreid Bokermann was born at Beilfield, Ger-
many. January 9, 1856, there living until his sixteenth year, when he came
to tlie United States, settling in Pittsburgh and there marrying. For thirty-
five years he was a meat dealer of that city, in that business acquiring a
competence, now living retired in Pittsburgh East End. His political party
is the Republican, and he and his wife are members of the German Lutheran
church. He married Amelia Ender, born in Cassel, Germany, June 10, 1855,
and is the father of: Henry G. ; John Hermann, twin of Henry G., of whom
further; Edward, died in infancy.
John Hermann Bokermann, son of Godfreid and Amelia (Ender) Boker-
mann. was born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, December 23. 1875. and
was reared in the city of Pittsburgh, there attending the public schools.
For twelve years he was engaged in business with his father, the proprietor
of a meat market, as was his brother, Henry G., under the firm name. G.
Bokermann & Sons, and in 1909 entered the field of real estate and fire
insurance, dealing in Aspinwall as a member of the firm. Darby & Boker-
mann. This association now continues, the firm bearing a well-deserved
reputation in Aspinwall, where they have transacted a pleasing amount of
business, being known as honorable and upright in all dealings. Mr. Boker-
mann was, like his brother, an organizer of the Allegheny Valley National
Bank, of Pittsburgh, an institution strong and flourishing, and is a stock-
holder therein. Mr. Bokermann is a member of the German Lutheran
church. He married, October 25, 1900, Anna Margaret, daughter of Fred-
erick Heinz.
The Bickertons of Western Pennsylvania are of English
BICKERTON descent, although the family originally were Scotch High-
landers, who crossing that natural barrier between Scot-
land and England, Cheviot Hills, settled on the English side of the hills, in
Northumberland. They were a race of hardy men. tall and powerful, de-
voted adherents to the Established Church, earnest in their religious belief
and life.
Robert Bickerton, of Clairton, Pennsylvania, is a grandson of Thomas
(1) Bickerton, who died in Lancashire, England, his son, Thomas (2), father
of Robert Bickerton, of Clairton, being the founder of this branch.
(I) Thomas '(i) Bickerton was a sheep farmer of the Cheviot Hills in
Northumberlandshire, England, until after the birth of his son, Thomas (2),
in 1814, later lived in Lancastershire. He died in England but his widow
came to the United States and died in Wheeling, West Virginia, a very old
lady. Thomas Bickerton had children: i. James, came to the United States
and was a coal miner in West Virginia, living in Wheeling; it was in his
home that the widow Bickerton passed her last years. 2. John, came to the
i3i8 WESTERN PENT^SYLVANIA
United States and met his death in the Ohio river about 1870; he was a coal
miner, and in connection with his brothers operated a coal bank of their
own. 3. Alexander, resided at Boggs Run, below Wheeling, where with
his brothers he operated a coal bank. 4. Thomas (2), of further mention.
5. Robert, died in 1888, was an iron master of Wheeling, operating furnaces
in association with partners. 6. Arthur, died in 1904 at Fayette City, Penn-
sylvania ; was a coal miner. 7. Margaret, married John Douglass, a "forty
niner" who never returned, spending his later years in Utah; she died about
1847. 8. William, a Mormon preacher and missionary but not a believer in
polygamy, died in St. John's, Kansas.
(II) Thomas (2) Bickerton, son of Thomas (i) Bickerton, was born
in the village of Bedlandton, Northumberlandshire, England, in April, 1814,
died in West Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, January 18, 1886. He spent the first
eighteen years of his life in England, acquiring an education and learning
the carpenter's trade. About 1832 he came to the United States, settling
in Wheeling, West Virginia, where he worked at his trade around the coal
mines, also building the flat bottomed barges used in transporting coal on
the western rivers. In 1849 he caught the "gold fever" and, joining the
army of treasure seekers, journeyed to California, where he was quite suc-
cessful in finding gold. In two years, however, he returned east for his
wife and family, but she refused to go and persuaded her husband to remain
with her. Yielding to her wishes in the matter, he purchased a house in
West Elizabeth, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, and there for the remainder
of his days engaged in coal mining. In his later years he bought a small
farm near West Elizabeth and there resided until death, but continued a
mine worker in connection with the cultivation of his small farm. He was
a man of large stature, standing six feet in height and proportionately well
built. Both he and his wife were active members of the Methodist Episcopal
church. He married Eliza Smith, born in Staffordshire, England, in 1823,
died in West Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, in June, 1896. daughter of Frederick
and Mary Smith, and granddaughter of William Smith, all of Staflfordshire.
The Smith family came to the United States about 1825, William settling
in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, where he became a river boatman. Frederick
and Mary Smith with their daughter, Eliza, went further west, settling in
Steubenville, Ohio, Eliza at that time being four years of age. They later
located in Wheeling, West Virginia, where Frederick Smith engaged in the
retail coal business. Later he moved to McKeesport, Pennsylvania, where
he became a successful general contractor. He was a devout Methodist, a
local preacher and very prominent in the church. Frederick and Mary Smith
had children: i. Eliza, married Thomas Bickerton, of previous mention.
2. Alfred, superintendent of the Fawcett Coal Company, lived in Pittsburgh.
3. William, died in 1887. was a pilot on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers,
maintaining his residence in Louisville, Kentucky. 4. Thomas (3), an Ohio
river pilot and steam boat captain until his retirement ; he now resides at
Haysville, Pennsylvania, aged eighty-two years. 5. Jane, married Marshall
Lazier, whom she survives, a resident of Charleston, West Virginia. 6.
{^/^Ur^a^^z^:? <^ <^<^ve:c^e^^W_
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1319
George, a steel mill worker, died in East McKesport, Pennsylvania. 7.
James, a worker in Wood's rolling mills, now retired on a company pension,
a resident of McKeesport. 9. Frederick, a cattleman, owning a ranch in
Nebraska, where he died. Children of Thomas (2) and Eliza (Smith) Bick-
erton : i. Robert, a prosperous dairy farmer of JefTerson township. 2.
Watson, a coal miner, residing at Dravosburg, Pennsylvania. 3. Thomas
Smith, of further mention. 4. Jennie, married Thomas Bennett, and resides
in Clairton, Pennsylvania. 5. William, a farmer of Belle Vernon, Penn-
sylvania. 6. Frederick, a general workman of Riverview, Pennsylvania.
(Ill) Thomas Smith Bickerton, third son of Thomas (2) and Eliza
(Smith) Bickerton, was born on Fifth avenue, McKeesport, Pennsylvania,
July 7, 1852, and there resided with his parents until their removal to West
Elizabeth five years later. His education was obtained in the public schools,
his attendance being limited to a few months each winter. At the age of
fourteen years even this privilege was denied him and for one year he
worked steadily in the coal mine with his father and brothers. One year
convinced him that he was not adapted to a miner's life and he exchanged
his position for one as teamster. He was successful and until 1874 con-
tinued in that business, becoming the owner of teams and outfit. Mr.
Bickerton developed an oil field in Lincoln township, Allegheny county, form-
erly operated by Andrew Carnegie, known as the Carnegie Natural Gas
Company; this at the time Mr. Bickerton took hold of it was an abandoned
field. Mr. Bickerton re-leased it in 1893, and in 1894 developed it. He
built a line to convey the gas to the United States Glass Company, of Glass-
port, and operated it until 190T, when he sold out to the Rock Run Fuel
Gas Company, through John A. Snee and C. F. Shafifer. Mr. Bickerton
cleaned up about $100,000 in this deal. He went into Mifflin township
and was also successful in that field and sold out to the same company in
1903. In 1874 he married and the next year bought a house and grounds
on the crest of the hill back of West Elizabeth and has since added ad-
joining tracts until his estate now consists of four hundred acres of fine
farm and grazing land. In 1902 he erected large modern barns and stocked
his farm with a herd of fine cattle, now numbering forty head, and began
farming as both shipper and retailer of milk. He conducts operations on
a large scale and has perhaps the finest estate in the township, as well as
the largest. In 1903 he erected his present fine brick residence and there
lives in prosperous contentment, proud that from nothing but pluck and a
stout heart to begin with, he has been enabled by frugality, industry and
the aid of a good wife, to reach a position of comfortable plenty. He is a
Republican in politics, but his farm and his family are his chief concerns
and he takes no active part in public aff'airs.
Mr. Bickerton married, July 4, 1874. Mary J. Wray, born in Man-
chester, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh North Side), October 28,
1854, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Ewing) Wray, both bom in
county Derry, Ireland. Thev came to this country fn the same ship and a
few months later were married in New York City. They had grown up on
I320 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
adjoining farms in Ireland and had known each other from childhood.
After five years tlie young couple moved to Manchester, where Joseph Wray
for five years followed the occupation of teamster. They moved to Jeffer-
son township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, bought a farm and there
lived until death. Children of Thomas S. and Mary J. (Wray) Bickerton,
all born at the Jeflferson township farm: i. Joseph, born October 28, 1875,
now a resident of East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 2. Mary Jane, bom
June 16, 1876, died September, 1876. 3. Thomas (4), born August 7,
^^77' a gas well driller, of Mound City, Pennsylvania, married Agnes
Miller, and has children: Ray, Mabel, Ruth, Fern. 4. Elizabeth, born
August 27, 1879, married Miles T. Miller, tipple boss at Mine No. 7, Jeffer-
son township, and has children: Floyd, Claire, Clifford, Harold, Ethel.
5. John, born June 6. 1881, now his father's farm assistant; married Ida
Stemme, and has children: John (2), Donald, Bernice, Orville, Thomas
(5). 6. Fred, born July t, 1882, now assisting his father; married Mar-
garet Bedell, and has children : Roy, Ross, Earl, Mary Jane. 7. James
B., born October 6. 1885, also his father's farm assistant ; married Mary
Bryson, and has children: Kenneth, Margaret. 8. Mark, born June 16,
1890. is boss of a tipple gang at Mine No. 7 ; married Mayme Stidard. 9.
Clifford, born April 6, 1892, died March 15, 1898.
This is an English family of great antiquity, the name being
BALCOM spelled in some of the earlier records "Balkcom ;" it signifies
"hill" and "dell." Although the name does not appear among
the original inhabitants of Charlestown, Massachusetts, it was neverthe-
less identified with the early settlement of that place. There were two
immigrants of this name who arrived in America prior to 1690; Henry,
who established himself at Charlestown; and Alexander, who settled first
at Providence, Rhode Island, removing later to that part of Rehoboth,
Massachusetts, which is now Attleboro.
Henry Balcom, probably of Balcome, in Sussex, England, came over
to this country in about the year 1664, according to one record. According
to the history of Charlestown, however, he was at that place as early as
1655, being admitted freeman there September i, 1655. He was a black-
smith by trade. In 1664 he purchased propertv in Charlestown, and re-
sided there for the remainder of his life, dying February 29, or April 29,
1683. There is evidence that he took an active part in public affairs, and
his estate when inventoried, was valued at three hundred and fifty-four
pounds. He was twice married. By his first wife, whose name does not
appear in the records, he had one daughter, Sarah, who died December 8,
1666. He married his second wife, Elizabeth Haynes, or Haines, on August
12, i666. She was a daughter of Deacon John Haynes, of Sudbury, who
came to this country from England in 1638. He settled in Sudbury, and
with two others was granted three thousand, two hundred acres of land at
Quinsigamond, now Worcester, Massachusetts. Mrs. Elizabeth Balcom, who
survived her husband many years, was admitted to the church^t Charles-
WRSTERN TEXXSYLXAXIA i.^_'i
town. May 22,, 1699. In 1713 she was living in Siullnir), whither she re-
moved in 1694, taking her family with her. By this second marriage, Henry
Balcom had the following children: Hannah, born March 16, 1668, died
April 21, 1668; John, born October 15, 1669; Elizabeth, born August 16,
1672, married Gershom Rice; Joseph, whose descendants are numerous in
the New England states.
Luk-e Doty Balcom, who api)ears to have been one of the many descend-
ants of Henry Balcom, the immigrant, was born in Bennington, Vermont,
in the year 1804, and died in 1884. He was reared in North Adams, Massa-
chusetts, where he attended school and received an excellent education. De-
veloping great talent along mechanical lines, he devoted himself to wood-
working at the conclusion of his studies, and became an expert carpenter,
cabinet-maker, wagon-maker, and millwright. He devoted much time to travel
in later years, spending much time abroad and having the distinction of hav-
ing circled the globe. His later years were passed in Licking and Knox
counties, Ohio. He belonged to the Disciples' church, and was a member
of the Free and Accepted ]\Iasons. His wife was a Miss Cynthia Horr,
born at Worthing, Ohio, November 21, 1819, and now deceased. She was
a daughter of Major Horr, who was also a physician, and who fought in
the War of 1812. Mr. and Mrs. Balcom had six children: Nancy Eliza-
beth, Alonzo Milton, Julia, Cynthia Amelia. Silas Bland, and Otis, the
latter being mentioned further.
Dr. Otis Balcom, son of Luke Doty and Cynthia (Horr) Balcom, wari
born at Fallsburg, Licking county, Ohio, October 27, 1859. He passed his
boyhood in Gambler, Ohio, where he attended the public schools : and at
the conclusion of his studies began his business career as a teacher during
the winter season, clerking in a store for the remainder of the year. He
continued thus for about six years, when he learned the trade of millwright
under his father's instructions and continued in business with him for
some time. He then took up the study of medicine, reading in the office
of Dr. John W. Russell, at Mt. Vernon, for a period of two years, after
which he entered the Pulte Medical College at Cincinnati, and was grad-
uated there, receiving the degree of M. D. He became resident physician
in the hospital after his graduation, and subsequently entered upon his
career as a general practitioner. Deciding, however, to devote himself
particularly to diseases of the eye, he entered upon another course of train-
ing, and in 1907 came to Meadville, where he has since followed his pro-
fession as specialist in this line of medical practice, with the result that
he is now considered the leading physician here in such diseases. He is
a prominent member of the Pennsylvania Optical Association, and of the
American Association of Opticians.
Dr. Balcom is an intensely public-spirited man, taking a most active
and influential interest in all matters that concern the public welfare. He
is a member of the Chamber of Commerce in which his influence is strongly
felt ; and is prominent in the Progressive party as far as politics are con-
cerned. He has also served in the militia, having enlisted as a private in
1322 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Company C of the Seventeenth Regiment Ohio National Guards ; he re-
mained eleven years in the service, and was promoted to the rank of ser-
geant major. Perhaps Dr. Balcom's strongest hobby is the collection of
coins to which he has devoted much time and attention. His collection
now numbers over ten thousand, and is one of the finest in tliis section of
the country, including some of the rarest and most valuable coins that have
been issued. In numismatic circles he is considered one of the best-informed
men in the state upon such matters. He is a charter member of the Ameri-
can Numismatic Association.
Dr. Balcom is also keenly interested in Masonic and fraternal affairs,
and was made a Mason in Logan Lodge, No. 575, Free and Accepted Masons,
at Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1893. He is a member of Mt. Vernon Lodge,
No. 20, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of Knox Lodge, No. 121,
Daughters of Rebekah, of Mt. Vernon, Ohio, having been united with
the former body in 1883. In 1894 he was made a sir knight in Olive
Branch Lodge, Knights of Pythias. He belongs also to Meadville Lodge,
No. 99, Independent Order of Moose, and to Meadville Aerie, No. 429,
Fraternal Order of Eagles. He is a member of the Episcopal church in
which he is in high standing.
On April 26, 1891, Dr. Balcom was married at Aurora, Indiana, to
Lula Bailey, daughter of Marshall M. and Elizabeth Bailey : she was born
January 8, 1871, at Indianapolis, Indiana. By this union Dr. and Mrs.
Bailey have one daughter, Dorothy Mary, born in Indianapolis, May 10,
1892. Miss Balcom is a graduate of Aurora High School, and is at present
a student at Teachers' Normal, Terre Haute, Indiana.
The first of this branch of the Brown family of whom we
BROWN have record is John Brown, who in all probability is the John
Brown referred to in the assessment list for Hanover town-
ship, Pennsylvania, 1785. Tradition has it that his five sons left the vicinity
of Hanover township for the northwest. Of these sons, John separated
from the others and was not again heard from. Richard and Andrew took
up lands in West Salem township, Mercer county, Pennsylvania, and Wil-
liam and James took up lands near them in Vernon township, Trumbull
county, Ohio.
(II) Andrew Brown, son of John Brown, was bom in Hanover town-
ship, near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He took up lands in West Salem
township, Mercer county, Pennsylvania, about 1794, and followed the oc-
cupation of farming. Fie married Mary McLaughlin, and had children:
Josiah, see forward ; Nancy, Lovina, Sally, Maria.
(HI) Josiah Brown, son of Andrew and Mary (McLaughlin) Brown,
was born in West Salem township, 1816, and died at the same place, 1868.
He was a farmer by occupation, and his entire life was spent on a farm
which has now (1913) been in the possession of the Brown family for more
than a century. It consists of one hundred and forty acres, and is kept
in a fine state of cultivation. He was a staunch Republican, and for a
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1323
number of years served as a justice of the peace. He was a member of
the Baptist church. Mr. Brown married (first) Mary Morford. They had
children : Dr. Thomas M. ; Melissa, married Dr. A. B. Cushman ; Susan,
married William H. Brooks; Andrew. Mr. Brown married (second) Per-
melia Orlina Williams, born in Vernon township, Trumbull county, Ohio,
died September, 1899, a daughter of Osman and (Sheldon) Williams,
of Connecticut. Children by second marriage: Emma J., married Samuel
K. Parker, deceased; Emerson O. ; Ransom J.; Nancy A., married Abram
M. See; Minerva C. ; Lulu M., married Albert F. See; Milo C. ; Manley
Orr, see forward.
(IV) Manley Orr Brown, youngest child of Josiah and Permelia
Orlina (Williams) Brown, was born in West Salem township, Mercer
county, Pennsylvania, February 18, 1868. He was but six months old when
his father died. The public schools of the district furnished his elementary
•education, after which he attended the Greenville High School, from which
he was graduated with high honors in May, 1887. Li 1887-88 he taught
in the public schools of his native township, and at the same time prepared
himself for entrance to college. He was graduated from the Allegheny Col-
lege, Meadville, Pennsylvania, in 1891, the degree of Bachelor of Arts being
conferred upon him, and in 1894 he received the degree of Master of Arts.
From 1891 until 1894 he held the position of instructor of the Greek and
Latin languages in Hall Institute, at Sharon, Pennsylvania, and during his
spare time devoted himself to the study of law. This study was pursued
in the office of James P. Colter, Esq., and Mr. Brown was admitted to the
bar of Crawford county, Pennsylvania, February 25, 1895. He was ad-
mitted to the superior court in May, 1900, and to the supreme court of the
state and United States court, in October, 1900. He has resided in Mead-
ville since November, 1894, his present residence being at No. 364 Walnut
street. He has held a number of more than usually responsible positions
for so young a man, and has been highly honored. In 1903 he was elected
president of the Crawford County Bar Association, and served in this office
for a period of two years. He has been the solicitor of the Commonwealth
Bank since the organization of that institution. He has always been an
ardent supporter of Republican principles, and has been in office as city
solicitor for a number of vears. His interest in religious matters is an active
■one, and he is serving in the office of deacon in the First Baptist Church.
Mr. Brown married, in Warren, Pennsylvania, September 5, 1895, An-
toinette Dunham, born in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, August 7, 1868, a daugh-
ter of the Rev. George W. and Catherine Maria (Dimham) Snyder, the
former a minister of the Gospel, and who had other children : Laura K.,
Anna G. and Agnes L. Mr. and Mrs. Brown have had children : Douglas,
"born June 14, 1896, and George Lorimer, born June 23, 1903.
Frank A. Cooper, since 1898 engaged in the drug business at
COOPER Oakmont, Pennsylvania, is a grandson of Samuel and Sarah
(Van Voorhis) Cooper, who were early settlers of Washing-
1324 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
ton county, Pennsylvania. Samuel Cooper was a farmer of Nottingham
township, Washington county, and there owned land, reared a family and
died in old age. He was a Democrat in politics, and both he and his wife
were exemplary members of the Baptist church. Children: John P., de-
ceased ; Clarinda, deceased ; Frederick W., of further mention.
(II) Frederick W. Cooper, son of Samuel and Sarah (Van Voorhis)
Cooper, was born in Nottingham township, Washington county, Pennsyl-
vania, March 25, 1837, and now resides at Charleroi, Pennsylvania, retired.
He attended public schools and was his father's assistant until tlie latter's
death, then inherited the home farm, which he cultivated until his retire-
ment. He is a Democrat in politics, a member of the Baptist church and of
the Masonic Order. Mr. Cooper married Mary Manown, of Washington
county, Pennsylvania. Children : Frank A., of further mention ; Clarinda,
Samuel and Ella, the latter deceased.
(III) Frank A. Cooper, eldest son of Frederick W. and ]\Iary (Man-
own) Cooper, was born at the Nottingham township homestead, Washing-
ton county, Pennsylvania, August 12, 1871. He was educated in the Bryant
public school, near his home, and the public school of Monongahela City,
spending the earlier years of his life at the home farm. In 1890 he entered
the College of Pharmacy, at Ada, Ohio, whence he was graduated in 1893.
For the first two years after graduation he was prescription clerk with the
old established drug firm of R. E. Byers, at Monongahela City, then spent
two years in a similar capacity at the McConnell Pharmacy, Parnassus,
Pennsylvania. He occupied various positions until February 15, 1898, when
he opened a drug store in Oakmont. Allegheny county, at the corner of
Washington and Allegheny avenues. There he conducted a prosperous busi-
ness, purchased the property and continued until 1907, when he moved his
business to its present location. No. 643 Allegheny avenue. He has other
interests in the borough, including a fleet of canoes and boats for pleasure
boating on the river. He is a Democrat in politics, and belongs to Oakmont
Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr. Cooper married, in Jime,
1898, Mary Jane Pinkerton, of Parnassus, Pennsylvania, and has one daugh-
ter, Genevieve, born June 23, 1899.
The Carson family is of ancient origin, being found before
CARSON the year 1300 in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. The name is also
spelled Corson. A branch of the family went to L'lster Prov-
ince, Ireland, and was settled there as early as 1653. From this family most
of the American Carsons are descended. Nearly all of the name at present
in Ireland are living in the Scotch counties of Antrim, Down and Tyrone.
The coat-of-arms of one branch of the family in Ireland — perhaps belonging
to all — is described : Or a chevron gules between three crescents proper
two and one. Crest : An elepliant proper. Motto : Fortittidine et Pru-
denfia.
(I) Carson, was a minister of the United Presbyterian church,
and died in Ireland.
WESTERX PEi\XSYL\-AXIA 1325
(II) John Carson, son of the preceding, was born in Ireland, where
he was educated and learned the carpenter's trade. He emigrated to
America in the year 1852, and located at Tompkinsville, Lackawanna county,
Pennsylvania, where he lived until 1872, when he migrated to Allegheny
county, in the same state. He and his brother James were in business as
general contractors, operating under the firm name of Carson Brothers.
Mr. Carson married Eliza Jane, also born in Ireland, a daughter of
and ( Ilildebrantj Hamilton, and they had children : Robert, Anna M.,
William. Charles Presley, of further mention ; Caroline. Mr. Carson and
his family were members of the United Presbyterian church, of which Dr.
Presley was pastor.
(III) Charles Presley Carson, son of John and Eliza Jane (Hamilton)
Carson, was born in the Third Ward, Allegheny, Allegheny county, Penn-
sylvania, June 3, 1862. He was educated in the public schools near his
home, and upon leaving these was apprenticd to learn the painters' trade,
at the age of seventeen years. He then entered the employ of Hamilton
Leonard Arnold & Company, with whom he remained for a period of thir-
teen years. The connection was dissolved when Mr. Carson established
himself in business independently as a general house painter, and he has
worked up a large and successful business. He moved into the house he is
at present occupying in 1873, and has lived in it continuously since that
time. Mr. Carson married, April 16, 1907, Nancy Devellin, and they have
one child, Bella Jane.
Edmund Richard Young is by descent half English and half
YOUNG Scotch, his father's family coming from the latter people, his
mother's from the former. He is himself a native of England,
though the greater part of his life has been spent in the LInited States, and
his associations are now almost exclusively American.
His paternal grandparents, Peter and Marjory Young, were born and
passed their entire lives in Scotland, where he followed the trade of shoe-
maker. His son, James Young, the father of Edmund R. Young, was also
born in that country, and was there reared, learning the trade of machinist
and turning his attention to work on steam vessels. It was at the time
of the great development of steam transportation both on land and sea,
and Mr. Young found plenty of work in this chosen line. It was about this
period that the London & North Western Railway was extending its lines
through the country and building locomotives in large numbers. The shops
where the construction was going on were at Crewe, in Cheshire, and thither
Mr. Young repaired, and soon found employment there, remaining in the
place until the time of his death. Sprung of a hardy, capable race himself.
he was united in marriage to the daughter of a no less strong people. The
family of the mother of Edmund R. Young was a sea-faring stock, fisher-
men and sailors of the type which won and maintained for England her
supremacy on the seas. Mr. Harrison, the maternal grandfather of Mrs.
Young, was a native of Liverpool, and himself a fisherman, living and dying
1326 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
in his native region. His daughter, Alary Harrison, was married to James
Young and lived with him in Crewe, giving birth to seven children, as
follows: James, Christina, Edmund Richard, Mary, Alfred, and two chil-
dren who died in infancy.
Edmund Richard Young, the third child and second son of James
and Alary (Harrison) Young, was born January 27, 1844, at Crewe, Eng-
land, and there received his education. He spent, indeed, the whole of his
childhood and much of his young manhood in his native country, and after
completing his schooling applied himself to mastering the trade of boiler
maker. This he did in the shops of the London & North Western Railway
Company, where his father was employed. He became proficient in his
trade, and found employment therein in a number of different parts of
England. He thus went from place to place ever gaining greater experience
and skill, until he had reached the age of twenty-four years, when hearing
of the tremendous development in the Lfnited States of America, in the line
he was following, he decided to try his fortune in the great Republic of
the Western Hemisphere. Accordingly he ventured forth, and upon reach-
ing this country went at once to the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, one
of the great centres of the industry in which he was interested. He re-
mained in that place only about one year, however, when he was offered
an excellent position in the factory of John C. Bryon, of Titusville, Penn-
sylvania, which did a large business in the way of a general foundry. This
concern has since become the Titusville Iron Works, and there Air. Young
was employed for a period of two years. It speaks well for the intelligence
and capability of the young man that after a .short period of three years
he found himself in a position where he was no longer obliged to seek
employment of others, but could start an independent concern of his own.
Yet such was the case. In the year 1871 he severed his connection with
the Titusville concern, and going to Triumph, Pennsylvania, a little place
in the vicinity of Titusville, there established a machine shop of his own.
From the start the venture was successful and Air. Young began to be ;>
prominent figure in the region. His interests were not confinerl to manu-
facturing either, but embraced one of the most important industries of the
region, which was then just beginning its phenomenal development. Only
sixteen miles from Titusville, Triumph, Pennsylvania, was situated just
in the midst of the oil country, and Air. Young then became interested. • 1
interest he has ever since retained, in the oil operations in that neighb -
hood. After remaining in Triumph for about there years, he returnee', n
1874, to Titusville, and there founded his present great plant. For a time
he remained the sole owner of the extensive manufactory, but after a 'me
he admitted a Air. R. D. Locke into partnership with himself, the co. .'rn
being known thenceforward as the Young & Locke Company. After some
time. Air. Locke retired from the business, leaving Mr. Young the sole
proprietor once more, a condition which obtains up to the present time.
The establishment is now known as the E. R. Young & Son Machir" Com-
pany, and carries on operations which have grown in magnitude d im-
^^^,...>^, ^ i>^
WESTERN PENXSYLX'ANIA 1327
portance from the first until the present, and are even now growing rapidly.
Mr. Young's prominence, in the community does not depend entirely
upon his success in the business world. A wealthy and successful man,
and an extensive operator in both the iron and oil industries, he has not,
like so many of the successful men of the day, stultified his sympathies and
atrophied every part of his being save those employed in the getting of
wealth and power. On the contrary he is not more conspicuous as a busi-
ness man than in an hundred other capacities, for he makes it a point to
keep himself an active participant in the life of the community in all its
various aspects. Mr. Young is a Republican in political belief, and served
with credit as a member of the Titusville City council for two years. He
is a conspicuous figure in the social world of Titusville, a prominent fra-
ternity man, and an active church member. His religious affiliations are
with the Presbyterian church, and he is a material supporter of the many
benevolences connected with the parish work. He has for many years been
a member of the Masonic Order, and is now one of the oldest of the past
eminent commanders of the Titusville Rose Cross Commandery, No. 38,
Knights Templar. Mr. Young became a Free Mason in Titusville, dur-
ing the time of his residence in Triumph, and has since risen high in that
order.
Mr. Young married Selina Reed, also a native of England. Their mar-
riage took place in England, and two cliildren were born to them there before
they migrated to America. To Mr. and Mrs. Young nine children in all
have been born, of which there are now six living. They are as follows :
Thomas, who was born in England and died in infancy; James William,
also born in England ; Mary, born in Triumph, Pennsylvania ; Edmund R.,
also a native of Triumph: Lillian, who died in infancy; Maude, who died
in infancy: Robert Alfred; Frank Raymond and Harrison Hurst.
Edmund Richard Young Jr., the fourth child of Edmund Richard and
Selina (Reed) Young, was born in Triumph, Pennsylvania, May 20. 1874.
While he was still very young his parents removed to Titusville, sixteen
miles away, a much larger and more important place, and it was there that
he received his education. In 1894, when he was about twenty years of age,
he was admitted into his fatlier's business, and there continues to the present
time, his aptitude and persevering industry having made for him an excellent
place in the concern. He married, September 7, 1898, Harriett L. Harris
of Titusville. To them has been born one child, a charming little daughter,
Harriett Adelaide Young.
The first member of this family of whom we have record
CHALLIS is Samuel Challis, who was clerk of the church in Black-
motley Parish, Essex county, England.
(H) Daniel Challis, son of Samuel Challis, was a farmer all his life
in England. He married Digby.
(HI) George Challis, son of Daniel and (Digby) Challis, was
born in England, and there became the manager of a large farm. He emi-
1328 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
grated to America in 1872, bringing with him his wife and five of his chil-
dren, three of his sons and a brother, Thomas, having come to the United
States two years previously. Mr. Challis married Elizabeth Jarvis, also a
native of England, and they had children ; Daniel W., who married Mary
Frances Jones, of Ohio; Harry G., of further mention; Joseph, who came
to America in 1870 with his two elder brothers ; James, David, Thomas,
Emma, Minnie.
(IV) Harry G. Challis, son of George and Elizabeth (Jarvis) Challis
was born in Blackmotley Parish, Essex county, England, November 5, 1850.
With his brothers, Daniel W. and Joseph, and his uncle, Thomas, the young-
est brother of his father, he emigrated to the United States in 1870, William
Pollard, a former hotel man of England, also accompanying them. For a
time they labored on construction work in Canada, then in Virginia, and in
the spring of 1872 came to Edgewater, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
where he has been engaged in railroad construction work and forestry since
that time. He assisted in finishing the railroad from Pittsburgh to "Little"
Washington. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, to which he gives
substantial supjxjrt. Mr. Challis married, in 1875, Mary Jones, and has had
children : George, Minnie, Harry, William, Mary, Caroline, Zoxa, Thomas.
This is a record of four generations of Crawfords,
CRAWFORD dating from the emigration of Major William Crawford.
a native of county Donegal, Ireland, who settled near
Midway, Washington county, Pennsylvania, on a farm and was a stock raiser.
The manner in which he gained his military title is unknown, nor is it certain
whether it was given for service in his native land or in the country of his
adoption. He was a Covenanter in religious belief. He married, in Ireland,
Nancy ]\Iorrow, and there were four children born in Ireland : George,
William, Margaret, Matthew, and after their arrival in this country five
children were born to them, as follows: John, died young; Oliver, M.D.,
Thomas, Major James, Robert, who died suddenly in 1855, aged forty.
(II) Matthew Crawford, son of Major William and Nancy (Morrow)
Crawford, was born in county Donegal, Ireland, in 1802, and was brought
to this country by his parents when two years of age. After completing his
studies, he became a farmer in ]\It. Pleasant township, Washington county,
Pennsylvania, and followed this occupation throughout the active years of
his life, his death occurring in 1894. in his ninety-third year. Mr. Crawford
was thrice married. His first wife was Mary Slater, who died in 1836; she
was a daughter of James and Martha (Thompson) Slater, the former named
born in county Armagh. Ireland, in 1768, and the latter named also a native
of Ireland; they came to New York City in 1792, and in 1800 settled on a
farm in Fayette township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, which he culti-
vated ; they were members of the Reformed Presbyterian church ; James
Slater died in 1842, and his wife in 1836. Children of Matthew and Mary
(Slater) Crawford: i. Martha, married a Mr. McQuitty. deceased; lived
in Carnegie, Pennsylvania. 2. Nancy, married a Mr. Reed, and resides in
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1329
Cedar Rapids, Iowa ; one of their sons is United States senator from Mis-
souri. 3. Eliza, deceased, married a Mr. Erskine, and lived in Steubenville,
Ohio. 4. James Slater, of whom further. 5. Dt. William, of Frankfort,
Philadelphia; lives with a son, Rev. Harry H. Crawford, a minister of the
Presbyterian church.
(Ill) Dr. James Slater Crawford, son of Matthew and Mary (Slater)
Crawford, was born near Hickory, Mt. Pleasant township, Washington
county, Pennsylvania, in 1832, died November 11, 1890. He grew to man-
hood on the home farm, attended the district schools situated near his
father's farm, and afterward taught school for several years. Feeling that
he could with profit use additional general and classical education, he studied
for a time in the University of Michigan, and later entered the medical
department of the Western Reserve College, Cleveland, Ohio, whence he was
graduated in 1862. He first practised in Haneytown, West Virginia, where
he remained for a few years, and then moved to Taylorstown, Pennsyl-
vania, where he established permanently and was engaged in professional
work the remainder of his life. His power for good in the community was
not limited by the professional service he was able to render, but in every-
thing pertaining to the work of the United Presbyterian church in Taylors-
town he was a prime factor, his activities including a prominent and leading
part in its founding, membership in its session, the superintendency of its
Sunday school, and other interests. No important committee was com-
plete without him as a member, no decisive steps were taken by any of
the sub-organizations of the church without first seeking his advice and
opinion, which, tempered by wise and mature judgment, he willingly gave.
His wife was likewise a member of the United Presbyterian church.
Dr. Crawford married a cousin, Nannie Morrow Crawford, born near
Hickory, Washington county, Pennsylvania, July 22, 1844, daughter of
Robert (mentioned in the first paragraph, her ancestry being the same as
her husband) and Sarah A. (Elder) Crawford, her father having been the
owner of a farm near Hickory, Pennsylvania, where he conducted stock
raising operations, dying in 1855, his wife surviving him for a time. Chil-
dren of Robert and Sarah A. (Elder) Crawford: i. Nannie Morrow, of
previous mention, married James Slater Crawford. 2. William, deceased;
an attorney ; lived in Pittsburgh. 3. Elder David, deceased ; was a farmer
near Midway, Washington county. Pennsylvania. 4. Cassie J., married
W. W. McNall, a farmer, and resides at Imperial, Pennsylvania. 5. Robert
O., deceased ; was an attorney ; resided in Pittsburgh. 6. John J., a physician
of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. Children of James Slater and Nannie M.
(Crawford) Crawford: i. Herbert Pollock, born November 11, 1868; a
physician of Crafton, Pennsylvania; married Florence Zena Barr, daughter
of Dr. W. W. Barr, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 2. James Slater, of
wihom further. 3. Robert M., twin of James Slater, died in infancy. 4.
John Edgar, unmarried, a physician of Ray, Arizona, chief surgeon for the
Ray Consolidated Copper Company Mines at that place. 5. Paul Hume,
unmarried, a physician of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
1330 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
The following is a tribute to Mrs. Nannie Morrow Crawford from
her sons :
Bereft of her beloved husband, whose staunch and tender support she had
clung to through many blissful years in a devotion seldom equaled, she turned
her sorrowing heart to her four sons. At this time the oldest was twenty-one
years of age and the youngest was eight. In the years which followed there
was never a sacrifice too great, a service too irksome or a duty shirked. Today,
looking backward through the tangled web of childhood dreams and boyhood
ambitions, she, mother, stands enthroned in the hearts of her children as an
indelible image of love, all absorbing devotion and Christian character.
(IV) Dr. James Slater (2) Crawford, son of Dr. James Slater (i)
Crawford and Nannie Morrow (Crawford) Crawford, was born in Taylors-
town, Washington county, Pennsylvania, May 9, 1876. He was educated in
the public and private schools of that place. His early studies completed, he
studied for a time in Washington and Jefferson College, later obtaining his
professional education in the Medical School of the University of Western
Pennsylvania, receiving his diploma from that institution in 1899. In the
year that he graduated from the university, he began practice with an uncle,
Dr. J. J. Crawford, and was for one year and a half engaged in professional
work in Imperial, Pennsylvania. Desirous of further and more advanced
instruction in certain branches of his calling, he enrolled in the Polyclinic
Medical School of New York City, then located, in January, 1901, in Ingram,
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where he has since been in active practice.
At the present time he cares for the needs of a large general practice and
serves on the statT of the Pittsburgh South Side Hospital, holding a worthy
position in the medical fraternity of the region, among whom he is recognized
as a physician of learning, merit and ability. While a student he was a
member of the Phi R.ho Sigma, a medical fraternity, and now holds mem-
bership in the Allegheny Coimty Medical Society, the Pennsylvania State
Medical Society, and the American Medical Association. His fraternal
order is the Masonic, in which he holds the Knights Templar degree, his
commander}' being Chartiers No. 78, of Carnegie, Pennsylvania. His polit-
ical faith is Republican. He and his wife are members of the United Pres-
byterian church. Dr. Crawford is a worthy successor of the gentleman
whose name he bears, his honored father, and in the profession that he has
chosen he continues the work begun in a previous generation to the credit of
the family name.
Dr. Crawford married. June 6. 1905, Ella Belle Weinman, born at Wil-
kinsburg, Pennsylvania, daughter of Jacob and Anna Barbara Weinman,
both living at the present time, her father a retired banker and coal mer-
chant. Children of Dr. and Mrs. Crawford: i. Dorothea, born August 8,
1909. 2. James Slater (4), born May 11, 1912. Since 1905 the family resi-
dence has been at the corner of Center and Hodgson avenues, where Dr.
Crawford caused to be erected a handsome residence.
The Danner family has been in this country but a few gen-
DANNER erations, but they have given ample proof of their desir-
ability as citizens.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA i.l.^i
(I) George Banner, who lived and died in Germany, was a stone mason
in his earHer years, and later a contractor. He married Nickles.
(II) Frederick Danner, son of George and (Nickles) Danner,
was born in Germany, and died there at the age of sixty-seven years. His
business occupation was that of a building contractor. He married Cath-
erine Nuernberger, and they had children : Henry, who died in 1870, while
a participant in the Franco-Prussian War; Frederick, of further mention;
John, a resident of Blairsville, Pennsylvania; Christina, lives in Germany;
Marie Louise, lives in Illinois : Catherine and Susanna, live in Germany.
(III) Frederick (2) Danner, son of Frederick (i) and Catherine
(Nuernberger) Danner, was born in the Kingdom of Bavaria, Germany, in
1853. He was educated in his native country, and his first employment was
in the stone cutting industry. He then learned the trade of brick laying,
and was a foreman bricklayer for a period of thirty-eight years. He emi-
grated to America in 1882, settled at Creighton, Allegheny county, Pennsyl-
vania, where he was with the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company for twenty-
one years. He then built the Idenkamp's factory, plate glass works. After
this he was in the employ of several plate glass companies. He was and
is a man of considerable inventive ability, and has taken out three patents.
Two of these are on melting furnaces, and the third is on a car. He formerly
lived on West Seventh avenue, but in 1904 built the brick house at No. 711
Center street, in which he is residing at the present time. He has served
three years as the Republican representative in the common council, and his
religious affiliation is with the Lutheran church. He is a member of the
Masonic fraternity since 1891 ; was one of the organizers of the local lodge
of the Knights of Pythias ; is a member of the Germania Society, and of
the Protective Home Circle.
Mr. Danner married, in 1875, Louise Schole, and they have had chil-
dren: Frederick Lewis, John Henry, Frederick Wilhelm, Marie Louise,
Louise Hedrick. Mrs. Danner is a daughter of Gerhardt Sohole, born in
Germany in 1824, died in 1891. He was a millwright by trade, and came
to America in 1881, locating at first in Homestead and later in Pittsburgh.
He followed his trade of building mills in this country, and combined this
with general carpentering. He married, in Germany, Elizabeth Breikmeier,
a native of that country, and they had children : Henry William, Wilhelm,
Louise, who married Mr. Danner, as mentioned above.
The Downey family has been w^ell known .in Ireland for
DOWNEY many generations, and Sir John Downey, head of the branch
under review here, was a distinguished soldier. He was born
in county Donegal, Ireland, and served many years in the British army. He
was present at the famous battle of Waterloo, and throughout the Spanish
campaign. He was the father of nine sons and six daughters, and of these
children only one came to America.
(II) Andrew Downey, son of Sir John Downey, was born in county
Donegal. Ireland, about 1817, and as he was the ninth son, inherited neither
1332
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
title nor estate, which went to the eldest son. He served in the British
army for some years, then obtained a position in a bank in Londonderry,
then removed to Scotland with his family about 1870, where he was con-
!iected with a blast furnace for a time and then retired to private life. In
1883 he came to America to join his son, Charles. He was a member of
the Catholic cihurch. He had a great-uncle, James Moore, who had come
to America prior to the war of the Revolution, and some of whose descend-
ants lived in Philadelphia, and fought bravely in the Civil War. He mar-
ried, in Ireland, Alice O'Callaghan, born in county Donegal, Ireland, about
1819, a daughter of James and Annabelle (Mcllwaine) O'Callaghan, the
former a stone mason, contractor and land owner. Both were natives of
county Donegal, Ireland, and had seven daughters and one son, five of these
children coming (o America: Margaret, unmarried, died in New York
City; Isabel, married Murray, died in New York City; Hannah, mar-
ried, and died in New York City; Edward, died in New York City; Alice,
who married Mr. Downey. Mr. and Mrs. Downey had children : James,
a retired stone cutter, lives in Glasgow, Scotland ; Andrew, has a municipal
position in New York City; Mary, married Michael Barr, and lives in New
York City ; Charles, of further mention ; William, living retired in Duquesne ;
John, lives in Germantown, Pennsylvania; Edward, died in Duquesne;
Michael, died in infancy; Sarah, married James O'Hagan, and lives in New
Jersey ; Catherine, married John Powers, and lives in Stony Point, New
York; Hannah, married James Fox, and lives in New York City; Nora, died
in childhood.
(Ill) Charles Downey, son of Andrew and Alice (O'Callaghan)
Downey, was born in county Donegal, Ireland, in August, 1857. His edu-
cation was commenced in the Irish National School, and completed in Scot-
land. He joined the Fenian Society, and was obliged to flee to Scotland, and
in 1881 emigrated to America, where he settled at Coal Valley, Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania. He was engaged in coal mining eleven years in Scot-
land, and four years after his arrival in this country, then came to Duquesne,
where he became the proprietor of a hotel on Grant avenue, which he con-
ducted until about 1902. He then engaged in the wholesale liquor business,
becoming a successor to O'Doherty & Company, the old pioneer firm in that
line at No 422 Penn avenue, Pittsburgh, and has been identified with this
since that time. He was one of the organizers of the First National Bank
of Duquesne, and is a director of the institution. He is also largely in-
terested in real estate affairs, and built a beautiful house in 1909 on Fourth
street, on land which had been in his possession for twenty-two years. In
political matters he is a Democrat, and he and his wife were members of
the Holy Name Roman Catholic Church. He was married, in 1884, at Mc-
Keesport, by the Rev. Father Nolan, to Catherine O'Reilly, born at Sand
Patch Tunnel, Somerset county, Pennsylvania, died in Duquesne, and was
buried on Good Friday, 1914. at Calvary Cemetery. They had children:
Alice, who was graduated from the California State Normal School, is now
a school teacher, and makes her home with her father ; Mary, was grad-
Joie^ ^a//
WESTERN PENNSYL\A.\IA 1333
uated from the Duquesne High School, and is at home ; Charles, lives in
Duquesne ; Catherine, a student in the commercial department of the Pitts-
burgh Academy; Andrew, Mary and Catherine, deceased.
The Ball family is said to have had its origin in France, and
BALL from that country migrated to Germany, where they lived many
years.
John Ball was born in Bavaria, Germany, where his entire life was
spent. He was a farmer all his life, and a devout member of the Roman
Catholic church. He married Margaret , whose birthplace was also
Bavaria, and she died in that country. They had children : George, who
emigrated to the United States, where he followed his trade as a shoemaker,
and died in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania ; John, emigrated to the United
States, lived on a farm at North Oakland, Butler county, Pennsylvania, and
died there at the age of sixty-six years ; Joseph, of further mention ; Eliza-
beth, married Schett, and lived and died in Bavaria, Germany.
Joseph Ball, son of John and Margaret Ball, was born in the town of
Nimling. Bavaria, Germany, March 19, 1834, and died April 19, 1900. He
acquired his education in the public schools of his native town, and at the
age of fourteen years emigrated to America, joining his brother George,
who had preceded him, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They both learned the
shoemaker's trade, and later Joseph Ball became a drover, and bought and
sold stock all round Pittsburgh. During the oil excitement in the state, he
went to Butler county, and there bought a farm in Oakland township and
leased the oil interests on this. He removed to this farm in 1872, and
there continued in business as a drover. He also bought and sold several
farms, and was an all around, progressive business man. In 1878 he removed
with his family to Butler, Pennsylvania, where he lived retired from busi-
ness until his death. In 1889 he had purchased the old home of Dr. Graham,
at No. 137 East Jefiferson street, and his widow still lives there. He was a
staunch supporter of Democratic principles. He was a member of the St.
Paul's Roman Catholic Church, and his family are still communicants there.
Mr. Ball married, August 23, 1862, Margaret Spiker, born in Summit
township, Butler county, Pennsylvania, November 14, 1839. She is a daugh-
ter of John and Susan (Pistorrious) Spiker, both born in Bavaria, Ger-
many, where they grew to maturity and married. He was a farmer, and in
1831 emigrated to this country with his family, having just enough money
to enable them to reach Butler county, Pennsylvania. They were thrifty
and industrious people, and in the course of time amassed a sufficient capital
to enable them to purchase a farm in Oakland township, on which they re-
sided until death, at which time they were in very comfortable circum-
stances. They had been obliged to endure the numerous hardships of the
early pioneers, lived in a log cabin which they erected themselves, but were
a contented and happy people. They had children: Peter; Margaret, men-
tioned above ; John, lives on a farm in Oakland township ; Andrew, de-
ceased ; Susan, widow of Peter Zimmel, Hves in St. Joseph, Pennsylvania.
1334 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Mr. and Mrs. Ball have had children: John, Mary, Adam, Joseph and
Elizabeth, who were between the ages of nine and fourteen years, died
within seven weeks of each other of diphtheria; John, a merchant and oil
operator of Butler, married Blanche Thompson, and had children: Delia
Margaret and Jordan William ; Mary, married William McCartan, a build-
ing construction contractor, and has children : Mary Margaret, Samuel
Joseph, George Casper and Ruth Gertrude ; Casper Joseph, unmarried, lives
in Butler, and is manager of the High Grade Oil Refining Company, and is
owner of the Ball Oil Company, oil producing.
W. L. Daugherty Jr., one of the representative citizens
DAUGHERTY of Pitcairn, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, has been
closely connected with the development of that town,
from its inception to the present time. He is a member of a family which
has been for many years resident in the western part of Pennsylvania, where
members of it came, at a time when the country was little more than wilder-
ness, with sparsely settled tracts dotting it here and there. The members of
the Daugherty family were indeed pioneers, and have grown up with the
growth of the region, until they are intimately identified with the life and
traditions of that part of the state.
(I) John Daugherty, paternal grandfather of W. L. Daugherty Jr.,
accompanied by his wife, came to Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, in
the early days, and there took up their abode for a number of years. Mrs.
John Daugherty had been a Miss Leasure. They both lived to good old
ages in their adopted home in the west, Mrs. Daugherty dying in West-
moreland county at the age of seventy-six years. After his wife's death,
Mr. Daugherty removed to Allegheny county, and there died at the age of
eighty-six years.
(H) W. L. Daugherty, son of John Daugherty, was born in New
Stanton, Westmoreland ocunty. Pennsylvania, December 28, 1831. He
grew up in the life his father had led in that primitive region, and became a
farmer, developing and cultivating the property which he inherited. It was
during his early life that the growth of the neighborhood, which afterwards
became so great, was first noticeable in any large degree, and with the in-
creasing population, Mr. Daugherty's business changed somewhat. He re-
mained a farmer, to be sure, but in addition to this he engaged in a livery
business, which in course of time became very prosperous, so much so, in-
deed, that for the past few years he has been able to retire from active busi-
ness entirely. He still owns a fine farm upon which he resides, but he is
now engaged in politics, in which he has always been greatly interested.
He is a member of the Republican party, and takes a keen interest in the
questions of the day, and all the great issues which are at present agitating
the country. He is a staunch member of the United Presbyterian church.
W. L. Daugherty Sr. was married to Mary McWilliams, a native of West-
moreland county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of John and Margaret (Duff)
McWilliams, of Penn township in that county, Mrs. McWilliams a native
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1335
of Larabee Station, Pennsylvania. The McWilliams were pioneers in West-
moreland county, just as were the Daugherty family, and there both of Mrs.
Daugherty's parents died, he at the age of eighty-four years, and she at
seventy-three. To Mr. and Mrs. W. L. Daugherty Sr. were born eight
children, as follows : Lovinger L., deceased ; Elizabeth, deceased ; W. L.
Jr., of whom further; Ida M. ; John M. C, deceased; Linnie A.; Harry N.;
Mary B.
(Ill) W. L. Daugherty Jr., the third child of W. L. and Mary (Mc-
Williams) Daugherty, was born April i, 1866, in Penn township, Westmore-
land county, Pennsylvania. He was fortunate enough to enjoy that rapidly
disapp>earing heritage of the American youth, the early training on a farm,
than which there are few things better calculated to fit him for the battle
of life. Mr. Daugherty spent his childhood and youth upon his father's
farm, attending in the meantime the local public schools, where he gained
an excellent general education. Upon completing his studies, he learned
the trade of carriage builder and followed this line for some time in the oil
country, and then took up carpentry, in which trade he remained until the
year 1904. Three years before this, however, he had come to Pitcairn, Penn-
sylvania, when the town was beginning its development, and as a carpenter
he aided in the construction of the first houses there erected. He has made
the place his home ever since that time, and his name is associated with
much of its development as closely as with those first houses. On April i,
1904, Mr. Daugherty abandoned his trade of carpentry, and went into the
undertaking business on his own account, in which he has been eminently
successful. For a time he added the livery business to the other enter-
prise, but later sold out this part of his trade, and devoted himself ex-
clusively to the undertaking establishment. He now owns his own place
of business which is located at No. 316 Broadway, Pitcairn, Pennsylvania,
and is a man of substance and importance in the community of which he
is a member. He has always been highly interested in politics, giving in-
telligent attention to the various questions both of national and local import
which hold the political stage today. He is an active member of the Re-
publican party, and stands high in its local councils. He has also served
on the town council for one term, to the great satisfaction of his constitu-
ents. Mr. Daugherty is a staunch member of the United Presbyterian church,
as was his father before him, and his children are being reared in that
persuasion. He attends the church of that denomination in Pitcairn with
his family, and is an active worker in the interest of the congregation, and
a material support to the many benevolences and philanthropies in connec-
tion therewith.
Mr. Daugherty has been thrice married, the first time, in 189 1, to Jennie
Tillbrook, a native of Pitcairn. There was one child by this marriage. Gail,
born in 1893. The first Mrs. Daugherty died in 1896. In 1901 Mr. Daugh-
erty was again married, this time to Mary O'Neal, a native of Pitcairn.
There was one child of this union, William, born October. 1901. The second
Mrs. Daugherty died in 1903. In February, 1905, Mr. Daugherty was mar-
1336 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
ried for the third time, this time to Mary Glew, a native of Patton town-
ship, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania.
Gottfried Erb was born at Weidenau, Kreis Pulda, Germany, and
ERB died in 1906. He was a farmer all his life, and a member of the
Catholic church. He married Catherine Lauer, and had children :
Martin, who emigrated to America ; Lorenz ; Martin, who came to America ;
Paul, Rosie, Attis, Rahban, Leo, Anna, Josephine and Mary.
Martin Erb, son of Gottfried and Catherine (Lauer) Erb, was also
born at Weidenau, Kreis Pulda, Germany, March 7, 1859. He emigrated to
America, landing here. May 2, 1883, and found employment on a farm near
Philadelphia, for a time. He then went to the state of Minnesota, where
he also worked on a farm. His political views were those of the Republican
party, and he was a member of the Catholic church. Upon his arrival in
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, he also turned his attention to farming.
He has served as township commissioner. He married, November 25, 1884,
Rosie Lauer, whose father was a farmer in Germany, and had children:
Katherine, Lawrence, Mary, Joseph, Frank, Rosie, mentioned above; Mag-
dalene, Edward, died in 1893. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Erb: i.
Katherine, married George Pfeifer, lives in Reserve township, and has chil-
dren : Rosa, Millet, George and William. 2. Lawrence, married Lena
Sivert, lives in Ross township, and has one child living, Joseph. 3. Mary,
married Otto Kablash, lives in Reserve township, and has one child : Klar-
ence.
James Elliott, of county Antrim, Ireland, a farmer, was the
ELLIOTT father of a son, Robert Elliott, who in manhood came to
this country, settling in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, where
he resided until his death. He married Mary Ann Johnston, also born in
county Antrim, Ireland. Children: John, a soldier in the English army;
Margaret, Mary, Nancy, William, of further mention ; Robert, James, Frank,
Lizzie. The family were members of the Presbyterian church.
William Elliott, son of Robert and Mary Ann (Johnston) Elliott, was
born in Allegheny city, Pennsylvania, October 9, 1861. He attended the
public schools until twelve years of age, then became a glass blower's ap-
prentice in the factory of McCulley & Company, his term of service expiring
July 21, 1877, after serving four years. He became an expert bottle blower,
and until the present year, 1914, has been continuously employed in the
different glass factories of the Pittsburgh district. He owns a farm of
twelve acres in Penn township, where he has resided since July 3, 1901. He
is a member of the Bottle Blowers' Union, is Independent in politics, and
belongs to the Presbyterian church.
He married, June 28, 1892, Emma Jane Speer, daughter of James and
Martha Jane (Wallace) Speer. The Speers, of Scotch-Irish descent, were
early settlers at Speer's Landing and Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania. Rev.
Speer, father of James Speer, was a minister of the Baptist church. James
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA i337
Speer was a first class engineer and for twenty years was engineer on Ohio
river steamboats, and at one time, with his brother, owned and ran his own
boat. Later he became a brick manufacturer and while working at the yards
fell from a ladder and was fatally injured. He married Martha Jane Wal-
lace, daughter of Arthur and Anna (Garrett) Wallace, the former born in
Ireland, the latter a member of the Garrett family of Philadelphia and
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, members of the Society of Friends. After
coming to the United States, Arthur Wallace, who was accompanied to
this country by his mother, located in Pittsburgh. He freighted over the
mountains, operated a business, owned much land along the Monongahela,
but later lost his wealth and died at the early age of fifty years. Children
of James and Martha Jane (Wallace) Speer: Janette, married Wilson M.
Davidson ; Cyrus, William, Arthur, John, George, Anna, Hester, Emma
Jane. Qiildren of William and Emma Jane (Speer) Elliott: Mary Martha,
deceased ; Emma Jane ; William ; Albert, deceased ; Howard, deceased ; Ralph
Edward ; Robert ; Sherman ; Kenneth ; George, deceased.
The name of Forsyth, or Forsaith, as it is sometimes spelled,
FORSYTH originated in Scotland and is of great antiquity. During
the great religious upheaval which so violently agitated the
Scotch Protestants, in the seventeenth century, it was allied with the Cove-
nanters, and those of its representatives who were determined to live up to
the teachings of the Presbyterian doctrine sought a refuge in the North of
Ireland, where the pros{)ects of religious liberty were much brighter. The
exodus from Scotland to Ireland was followed at a later period by another
to America, which has continued to the present time.
(I) Adam Forsyth, the progenitor of this branch of the Forsyth family
in this country, was born in Scotland, and emigrated to America with his
family in 1852. He settled at McKeesport, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
where he was a farmer and a coal miner. The large farm he owned is now
the site of East McKeesport. He married, in Scotland, Ellen Latty, and
they 'had children: John, a merchant, who died at Calamity, Pennsylvania;
Robert, a retired farmer, lives in Arcadia, Wisconsin ; Colan, a soldier, died
in McKeesport ; James, died in Libby Prison during the Civil War ; George,
a farmer, died in Wisconsin ; Andrew, died in boyhood in Scotland ; Adam
L., of further mention; Belle, married (first) Wolfe, (second) Thomas
Barr, and lives at Greensburg Pike; Grace, married (first) Thomas Fer-
guson, (second) Edward Faidley, and died in Duquesne, Pennsylvania.
(II) Adam L. Forsyth, son of Adam and Ellen (Latty) Forsyth, was
born in Holytown, Scotland, in October, 1849, ^^'i died in McKeesport,
Pennsj'lvania, in August, 1910. He was three years of age when he came
to America with his parents, and after attaining maturity removed to Bell-
bridge, Allegheny county, where he lived until 1886. He then removed to
McKeesport, and later to Homestead, where he was engaged in business as
a merchant. In earlier life he had devoted his time to political matters,
working in the interests of the Republican party. He filled a number of
1338 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
public offices among them being those of justice of the peace, school director
and road supervisor. He was a member of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, the Free and Accepted Masons, Knights of Pythias, Knights of
Malta, Royal Arcanum, and Knights of the Maccabees, and he and his wife
were consistent members of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Forsyth married,
in Bellbridge, Pennsylvania, Hannah Huey, born in Pittsburgh, died in Home-
stead, in December, 1913, and they had children: William, a river man,
lives in Homestead ; John, died in boyhood ; Robert, a resident of Home-
stead; Charles, died young; Edward, a mill worker, lives in Homestead;
Ellen, died in childhood ; Albert M., of further mention.
William Huey, father of Mrs. Hannah (Huey) Forsyth, was born
in Pittsburgh, and died in Bellbridge about 1896. He resided in Pittsburgh
until the "gold fever" of 1849, when he went to California, and six years
later returned a wealthy man. He settled in Bellbridge, where he organized
the Gumbert, Huey & Farrow Coal Company, with which he was actively
identified until two years prior to his death. Political matters always had a
large share of his attention, and he gave his support to the Democratic party.
He was married, on the present site of the court house in Pittsburgh, to
Sarah Van Fossen, also a native of Pittsburgh, and both were members of
the Methodist Protestant church. They had children : Hannah, who mar-
ried Mr. Forsyth, as above mentioned ; Susan, married John W. Bradley,
and lives in McKeesport ; Sarah, married Charles Phillips, and lives in Glass-
port; Kate, unmarried, lives in McKeesport; Mary, twin of Kate, died in
childhood ; Eliza, died young ; William, unmarried, lives in McKeesport ;
John, killed at the age of sixteen years.
(Ill) Albert M. Forsyth, son of Adam L. and Hannah (Huey) For-
syth, was born at Bellbridge, Pennsylvania, March 22, 1884. He acquired
his education in the public schools of homestead, and upon its completion
he found employment in the store of his father and learned the business
of catering from the smallest detail to the most perfect service. As the years
advanced, he took a deeper interest in this line of business, improving it in
many ways, and assuming control of the management. Upon the death of
his father he purchased the interests of the other heirs, and has been sole
proprietor and manager since that time. He has added an ice business to it,
and now supplies about fifteen hundred people daily with this very neces-
sary commodity. He also has a number of other business interests, many
of them connected with enterprises of an important nature. He is a stock-
holder of the Homestead National Bank; also of the Homestead Building
and Loan Association. His fraternal affiliation is as follows: Homestead
Lodge, No. 582, Free and Accepted Masons ; Wilkinsburg Chapter, No. 285,
Royal Arch Masons ; Ascalon Commandery, No. 59, Knights Templar ;
Syria Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; Knights
of Malta; Knights of the Mystic Chain. He is a staunch Republican, and a
member of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Forsyth is not married.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1339
Jacob Reiber, a farmer near the village of Goeninger, in the
REIBER Kingdom of VVuertemberg, Germany, was a leader in the
Lutheran church there. The family had been landed proprie-
tors for a number of generations, and he employed a large force of men to
cultivate his farm.
(II) Martin J. Reiber, son of Jacob Reiber, was born in Goeninger,
in 1778, and died in 1865. He emigrated to the shores of this country in
1832, the voyage taking three months, followed the florist's trade in the
city of New York, and was also engaged in market gardening. In 1837 he
came to Butler county, Pennsylvania, and there became proprietor of the
Reiber Hotel in Summit township. About 1856 he removed to the borough
of Butler, and there his death occurred. He served as a member of the
city council of Butler, was a charter member of St. Mark's Lutheran Church,
assisted in building it and was one of its elders. Politically he was a Demo-
crat. Mr. Reiber married Catherine Fetzer, born in 1787, and died in i860,
and they had children : Catherine, married Martin Loefler, and lived at
Bradys Bend ; Martin, lived in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he was the pro-
prietor of a general store; George, of further mention; Barbara, married
H. Julius Klinger, a flour miller, and lived in Butler; Jacob, a hotel pro-
prietor, lived in Zelienople, Pennsylvania, later removed to Cleveland, Ohio ;
Margaret, died in 1832, two weeks after her arrival in this country ; two
others who died in infancy.
(HI) George Reiber, son of Martin J. and Catherine (Fetzer) Reiber,
was born in Goeninger, Wuertemberg, Germany, November 23, 1815, and
died January 11, 1904. In 1834 he followed his father to the United States,
and also engaged in market gardening. In 1839 he removed to Summit
township, Butler county, Pennsylvania, erected a saw mill on his father's
farm, and operated it two years. In 1845 he purchased a farm near Hannas-
town, Pennsylvania, and two years later removed to Millerstown, in the
same state, where he and his brother Martin conducted a general store. In
1856 he purchased a grist mill and one hundred and thirty-seven acres of the
Oymer tract on the edge of the borough of Butler. He remodeled the mill
several times and finally equipped it with a full roller system, carrying on
this industry until his retirement in 1884. He had a number of other in-
terests. From 1865 to 1873 he owned and conducted a distillery. He was a
Republican in political matters, and he and his wife were members of the
German Lutheran church. Mr. Reiber married Mary Reiger. born near
Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany, May 29, 1826, died in March, 1884. They had
children: Martin G, a miller in Butler, died in 1895; Caroline, married
William F. Miller, lived in Butler, both now deceased ; Henry, lives in Butler,
is president of the Independent National Gas Company, is an oil producer,
and unmarried ; Wilhelmina, married Rev. Frederick Meiser, now deceased,
and she lives in Detroit, Michigan; Mary L., unmarried, lives in Butler;
Anna M., unmarried, lives in Butler; Elizabeth, unmarried, lives in Butler;
George L., treasurer of the Independent National Gas Company, and an oil
producer, is unmarried, and lives in Butler ; Edward, of further mention ;
I340 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Ida F., unmarried, lives in Butler; Agatha, died at the age of seven years.
Valentine Reiger, grandfather of Mrs. Mary (Reiger) Reiber, was a
member of a wealthy and honored German family, who ranked with the
nobility. There were many professional men in this family, and a number
of them held high positions under the government. They owned a large
estate, and were communicants of the Lutheran church. Mr. Reiger mar-
ried Margaret Reibolt.
Jacob Reiger, son of Valentine and Margaret Reiger, was born in
Hessen, Germany, and died on his farm in Pennsylvania at the age of
seventy-three years. In 1839 he emigrated to the United States with his
family and bought a farm in Clearfield township. Not long after his arrival'
in this country he took a trip through the south, intending to purchase a
plantation there, but he contracted yellow fever, and while lying ill of this,
some unscrupulous person stole the eight thousand dollars in gold which
he brought with him from Europe. In Europe he and his family were people
of great wealth, and his reason for coming to this country was because he
did not want his five sons to enter the army. They were all over six feet
in height, and very powerful. He and two of his sons went to California
during the excitement of 1849. Mr. Reiger married in Germany, Eve Rei-
bold, born in that country, died in Pennsylvania at the age of sixty-nine years.
They had children : Barbara, married George Yeager, a farmer, in Hannas-
town, Pennsylvania; Mary, who married George Reiber, as above men-
tioned ; George, a farmer, now deceased, lived at Marwood, Pennsylvania ;
Martha, married John Cooper, lived on a farm in Jefferson township; Val-
entine, now eighty-one years of age, is still a farmer in Clearfield township;
Henry, now deceased, was a farmer in Qearfield township ; Elizabeth, mar-
ried August Crumpy, now deceased, a farmer, near Saxonburg; Eve, mar-
ried August Seatkin, a merchant, both living in Saxonburg; Louisa, mar-
ried John Settof, a pilot on river boats, lives in Pittsburgh ; Jacob, a retired
farmer, lives in Butler, Pennsylvania ; John, deceased, was a brick manu-
facturer in Butler.
(IV) Edward Reiber, son of George and Mlary (Reiger) Reiber, was
born at Butler, Pennsylvania, January 24, 1862. His education was ac-
quired in the public schools of his native county, and upon the completion
of his studies he commenced to assist his father and gained a practical knowl-
edge of the varied business interests. In 1884 his father turned the flour
mill over to his sons, the firm name becoming George Reiber & Sons. In
1886 they started a flour and feed store, and in 1887 a grocery store at
Nos. 117 and 119 Jefiferson street, which they continued successfully until
1897. Edward Reiber attended to the business end of these propositions,
and managed the store. In 1888 the three brothers — Henry, George L. and
Edward — organized and incorporated the Independent National Gas Com-
pany of Butler, Pennsylvania. They drilled for gas locally and confined their
operations to Butler county. The business has increased each year and has
been an enormous success financially. They are also partners in extensive
oil interests in Butler county, and have seventy producing wells at the
WESTERN' PENNSYLVANIA 1341
present time. Edward Reiber is vice-president and director of the Mer-
chants' National Bank of P.utler. He is a Progressive in politics, and a mem-
ber of the Butler Golf Club. In 1907 the three brothers, all unmarried at
that time, purchased the finest stone residence in Butler, at No. 465 North
Main street, and two of the brothers and three of the sisters are living in
it now. This house was decorated by Vantine, of New York City, and is a
work of art from the cellar to the roof. Many thousands of dollars have
been spent in beautiful and costly wood carving, and the furniture and
draperies were manufactured especially to harmonize with each other. The
members of the family all belong to the Lutheran church.
Edward Reiber married, June 17, 1914, Nora Emma, born in Butler,
Pennsylvania, a daughter of James and Wilhelmina Duffield, both still living
in Butler, where he is an oil operator. Mr. and Mrs. Reiber live at No.
537 North Main street, a beautiful and commodious residence.
The record of this old Pennsylvania family, originally of Ire-
GEALEY land and founded in this colony by James Gealey, the immi-
grant, is replete with deeds of military valor and bravery. Be-
ginning with the War for Independence, in which James Gealey and his
sons participated, the greatest conflicts of the country found those of the
name ready for service in the cause of justice and right, the War of 1812
and the War between the States finding them at the front, inspired by the
highest patriotism, strengthened by the greatness of their cause. But it must
not be concluded that deeds of violence were necessary to develop the ex-
cellent family traits, for in times of peace those of the family have taken
foremost position in the professions, in business, and in the less ornamental
arts and callings.
(II) John Gealey, son of James Gealey, lived during early life in the
eastern part of Pennsylvania, and there married, in 1797, coming with two
of his children, a daughter, aged sixteen years and William, aged six years,
to the locality that became Lawrence county, Pennsylvania. John Gealey
cleared a small tract of land and erected thereon a log cabin, work that he
completed in the fall. It was necessary for him to return east and to bring
the remainder of his family to the new home, and although he realized the
folly of leaving his children alone, there was no alternative, and he expected
to be able to make the journey rapidly. Upon arrival at his home in the
east, Mr. Gealey was stricken ill. and after his recovery other members of
his family contracted serious maladies, so that his departure to join his two
children in Lawrence county was delayed until the following spring. In the
meantime the son and daughter underwent severe discomfort and suffering.
Although in no actual physical danger during their father's absence, the
meagreness of their food supply and the lack of communication with neigh-
bors, the nearest white settlers being three miles distant, made their plight
miserable. The daughter cared for her younger brother with steadfast de-
votion, and received substantial assistance from an old Indian man. whose
home was about one-half of a mile distant. His resources were, however.
1342 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
no more extensive than theirs, and during the last six weeks of their lonely
stay the two subsisted upon potatoes alone. The reunion was a joyful one,
and from that time prosperity attended the family, John Gealey clearing and
cultivating four hundred acres of land, upon which he lived until his death.
He and his brothers were soldiers in the American army during the Revo-
lutionary War, and although four of his brothers met death in that struggle,
John Gealey survived.
(III) William Gealey, son of John Gealey, was born about 1791, and,
as previously narrated, was brought to Lawrence county, Pennsylvania, in
boyhood. As a youth he aided his father in the clearing of his land in that
locality, and afterward inherited a section thereof. In 1849 he effected a
trade with a son-in-law, James Nelson, by which, in exchange for his share
of the homestead property, he became owner of a farm about three-quarters
of a mile away, upon which he resided until his death, about 1875. He was a
Republican in political belief, and with his wife belonged to the United Pres-
byterian cihurch (formerly Covenanters). William Gealey saw active service
in the War of 1812, going to the front early in the conflict. He married
Joanna Stuart, who died aged about eighty-two years, having suffered from
blindness for many years. They were the parents of numerous children,
among them : Joanna, married James Nelson, and died on the old Gealey
homestead ; William R., of whom further ; Elizabeth, married Wesley Black,
and died in Lawrence county, Pennsylvania; James, died about 1862; John,
a soldier of the Union army in the War between the States, was killed during
the fighting in the Wilderness campaign.
(IV) William R. Gealey, son of William and Joanna (Stuart) Gealey,
was born in Lawrence county, Pennsylvania, in April, 1837. He was edu-
cated in the local schools, and after his marriage made his home on the farm
that his father had obtained by the trade with his son-in-law previously de-
scribed. Here he has since lived, the farm becoming his property in 1867.
He enlisted at the beginning of the Civil War in Company E, One Hundredth
Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, "Roundhead Regiment," and
served until disabled in the Second Battle of Bull Run. He lay for three
days on the battlefield before he was reached by the hospital corps of the
Confederate army, who immediately placed him in the care of his comrades.
Mr. Gealey was for a time in the Centerville Hospital, later being transferred,
his injuries requiring one year to heal. He now lives retired at his life-long
home, having lived a busy and useful life, eventful in at least its military
chapter. He is a Republican in political conviction, having been the in-
cumbent of numerous local offices, and with his wife is a member of the
United Presbyterian church, which he has ser\'ed as elder and trustee. He
is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic.
Mr. Gealey married, in February, 1867, Mary, born in Mercer county,
Pennsylvania, in 1845, daughter of Thomas McDowell, her parents natives
of Mercer county, Pennsylvania. Thomas McDowell was a farmer and land
owner, and was a soldier in a Pennsylvania regiment during the War between
the States. He died about 1906, his wife, a Miss Montgomery, dying in 1904.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1343
Qiildren of Thomas McDowell: i. Mary, of previous mention, married
William R. Gealey. 2. Martha, married Alexander Hanna, and died in
Dodge City, Kansas. 3. Sarah E., married Thomas Barnes, deceased, and
lives in Grove City, Pennsylvania. 4. E. Alonzo, lives on the homestead
farm near Grove City, Pennsylvania. Children of William R. and Mary
(McDowell) Gealey: i. John W., a member of the United Presbyterian
ministry and a professor in one of its colleges; lives in Stockton, California.
2. Thomas M., of whom further. 3. Edith, died aged twelve years. 4. W.
Renwick, a shoe merchant of Stockton, California. 5. Margaret, married
Rev. E. A. Campbell, and resides in Pittsburgh. 6. James A., a coal operator,
lives in Newcastle, Pennsylvania. 7. Sarah Elizabeth, married Dr. James
Lowrey, of South Bend, Indiana county, Pennsylvania.
(V) Thomas M. Gealey, son of William R. and Mary (McDowell)
Gealey, was born in Plain Grove township, Lawrence county, Pennsylvania,
June 13, 1869. His education, that of a general nature, was completed by
a course in the University of Western Pennsylvania, after which he taught
school for five years. He then began the study of law, and was admitted to
the bar in 1900, since which time he has been engaged in general practice.
For the past eleven years his home has been in Clairton, Pennsylvania, al-
though he maintains offices in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he has taken
a leading stand in the legal profession. He has been solicitor of the borough
of Clairton since that place received its municipal charter, and has also served
on the school board of the borough. He is a Republican in politics, and
holds membership in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks, and the Fraternal Order of Eagles. Mr.
Gealey has been closely associated with all of the movements for civic im-
provement in Oairton, and is known as a citizen zealous and unselfish in
service. His professional reputation is of the highest, and along legal lines
he has achieved much, adhering ever to principles straightforward and honor-
able.
He married, June 28, 1906, Agnes Prindeville. born in Allegheny City
(Pittsburgh North Side), Pennsylvania, and has children: William R., Sarah,
Thomas M., Jr.
The founder of the Guffey family in this country was William
GUFFEY Gufifey, a native of Ireland, who upon his arrival in America
located in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, settling on
the old Guffey homestead, in Sewickley township, the application for which
was made to King George in 1769, by James Baird, the consideration being
twenty-one hundred pounds. On this land Mr. Guffey built a log cabin
and made the first clearing said to have been made west of the Allegheny
mountans. He was one of the members of General Forbes' expedition.
He died in Sewickley township, in January, 1783.
(II) The line of descent traces through his son, James Guffey, born
in 1736, who was two years or age when his father immigrated. He was
twice married, his first wife being Margaret, daughter of William and
1344 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Margaret Campbell, who bore him three children: John, of whom further;
Polly, Belle, and another child who died in May, 1791. His second wife
was a Miss Findley, who bore him two children : Sarah and William.
(III) John Guffey, son of James and Margaret (Campbell) Gufifey,
was born in Sewickley township, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania,
August 6, 1764. He was for many years the justice of the peace and spent
his entire time in the vicinity in which he was born. He married (first)
Agnes Lowry, born April 18, 1773, and they had eleven children: James,
William, Anna, John, of whom further; Robert, Joseph, Alexander, Mar-
garet, Isabella, Mary and Nancy. By his second wife, Rebecca (Stewart)
Gufifey, he had Benjamin and Stewart.
(IV) John (2) Gufifey, son of John (i) and Agnes (Lowry) Gufifey,
was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, grew up at the home farm,
but after his marriage purchased a farm in Sewickley township of that
county, on which he lived until his death. He was a quiet, retiring man,
industrious and thrifty. He had seven children: i. Robert, died at Belle
\^ernon, Pennsylvania. 2. John, of whom further. 3. George, died in
Illinois. 4. Andrew, a merchant, died in West Newton. 5. James, now
living in West Newton, retired. 6. William, now a retired farmer of
Herrington, Kansas. 7. Hannah, married a Mr. Budd, and died many
years ago.
(V) John (3) Guffey, son of John (2) GufTey, was born on the
Sewickley township farm in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in 1825, died
in Forward township, Allegheny county, in 1898. He remained his father's
assistant until his marriage, then purchased a farm in Forward township,
on which he lived until death. On this farm of one hundred and forty
acres, he erected a substantial dwelling and a barn, which are still in good
repair. There he lived a quiet, upright life, was a Democrat in politics,
served as school director, and with his wife is buried in Round Hill
Cemetery, both having been members of the Round Hill Presbyterian
Church.
Mr. Gufifey married Catherine Stoner, born in the old Stoner home-
stead (now occupied by C. E. Stoner) in Forward township, Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, in 1832, died in the same township in 1899. She
was the daughter of Henry and Salome (Schraeder) Stoner, who came
from Germany many years ago, landing in Baltimore, Maryland. The
name as brought from the Fatherland was Steiner, but in America soon
became Stoner and has so remained in this branch. Henry and Salome
Stoner did not long remain in Baltimore, but made their way westward,
choosing a location in now Forward township, Allegheny county, Penn-
sylvania. There he purchased a farm of one hundred and fifty acres,
covered with forest and this he cleared and improved, fertile fields fol-
lowing the forest and a good farm house taking the place of the earlier log
cabin. This house still stands, although it has been remodeled and enlarged.
The grain and other products of his farm that he wished to sell he loaded
into fiat boats and floated them to the markets on the Ohio river. He died
WESTERN' PENNSYLVANIA 1345
on the homestead, aged seventy-five years; his wife survived him many
years, dying in 1899. Both were members of the Presbyterian church,
and both are buried in Round Hill Cemetery. Children of Henry and
Salome Stoner: i. Catherine, married John (3) Gufifey, of previous
mention. 2. Maria, married a Mr. Billick, and died in 1906 at Elizabeth,
Pennsylvania. 3. William, married Martha J. Nicholls, who died in 1874;
he is now living retired at his farm in Forward township. 4. John, died on
the old homestead, a farmer. 5. A daughter, died in youthful womanhood;
unmarried. Children of John and Catherine (Stoner) Gufifey: i. Frank,
now a practicing lawyer of Fremont, Ohio. 2. Edward, deceased. 3. John
Dickey, of whom further.
(VI) John Dickey Gufifey. youngest of the three sons of John (3) and
Catherine ( Stoner ) Gufifey, was born in Forward township, Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, on the farm he now owns, March 20, 1873. He was
educated in the public schools of the district, and from youth was his father's
assistant. Later he managed the farm alone, and after his father's death
bought out the other heirs and became sole owner. For many years he
devoted the farm to dairy purposes, maintaining a herd of forty cows and
tnarketing an immense amount of dairy products. Recently he sold his
stock, retired from dairying and now runs the place as a stock farm,
breeding nothing for market but pure bred Holstein cattle. His cattle are
carefully selected for pedigree and performance, Mr. Gufifey being an ex-
pert judge and thoroughly informed. He is a Democrat in politics, and a
member of Round Hill Presbyterian Church. Mr. Gufifey married, in 1900,
Clara Greenwalt, born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, daughter
of Abraham and Rebecca (Gufifey) Greenwalt. Children: Rebecca, John,
Jacob.
John T. Hempel. born in Germany, December 26, 1833, was
HEMPEL the founder of his line in the United States, coming to
East Pittsburgh when a youth of nineteen years. He was
educated in the schools of his native land, there learning the trade of silk
weaver, and after immigrating to the LTnited States became a coal miner.
This latter occupation he forsook to engage in farming in Braddock town-
ship, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, owning eighty-five acres on which
now stands the town of Ardmore. This he cultivated until about 1899.
when he retired, in 1906 making his home in Hannastown, Pennsylvania.
In addition to the activities mentioned above he had built up a considerable
real estate and mortgage business, the management of which his son,
Samuel, undertook upon his father's retirement.
John T. Hempel married Wilhelmina Breidenbecker, born in Colum-
biana county, Ohio, died about 1896, and has children: i. Wilhelmina,
resides in East McKeesport, Pennsylvania. 2. John G., lives in Ardmore,
Pennsylvania. 3. George, a resident of Ardmore, Pennsylvania. 4. Henry,
deceased. 5. Mary, lives at home. 6. William, deceased. 7. Samuel, of
whom further.
1346 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Samuel Hempel was a farmer until 1904, in which year he assumed
the responsibility of his father's real estate dealings. In the year that he
attained his majority he was elected tax collector of Braddock, an office
that he filled for three years, after which he was for three years township
treasurer. He is now a member of the school board, and upon the expira-
tion of his present term will have been in office for eight years. There has
been no time since he arrived at man's estate that Mr. Hempel has been
free from public duties, having been elected to all of his offices as a Re-
publican. He was one of the prime movers in the project that resulted in
the securing of paved streets for Hannastown, where he resides. He is a
member of Lodge No. 510, Free and Accepted Masons, and belongs to the
National Geographical Society. He belongs to the Church of the United
Brethren, his father a communicant of the Lutheran church.
The city of Kassel, Germany, is one of those typical,
HARTUNG German places where the past and present seem to rub
shoulders and jostle one another. The old city, with its
records and monuments of a great history, with its ancient public buildings
and quaint dwellings, the upper stories of which reach out across the
streets as though bowing to one another, is penetrated and surrounded
with the bustle and stir of new industrial Germany, for Kassel is the com-
mecial center of its region, and its recent development has been rapid. This
development might have been greater still, however, had not Kassel, like
so many of its sister cities in the "Fatherland," sent a large proportion of
its most vigorous sons across the seas to find in newer realms a freedom
from political wrongs and oppression denied them at home. The United
States of America has been the chief gainer by this process which has
deprived Germany of so much of its best blood, and it was to this country
that the family of which Mr. Hartung is a member migrated during the
early part of the last century.
The paternal grandparents of Isaac Hartung, Henry Hartung, was a
resident of Kassel, and there spent his entire life, but in 1829, his son,
Michael Hartung, though still a youth, determined to try his fortunes in
the "New World." Accordingly he set sail for the United States, and upon
arrival in that country made his way to the state of Pennsylvania, and
settled near Zelienople in that state, in a region where there was little
besides wilderness in those early days. He paid five dollars an acre for
land which he then turned to and cleared, hewing trees and struggling
with all the other difficulties of the pioneer's life. He was, however, suc-
cessful in his venture, and established a place of comfort in the midst of the
forests, and a homestead upon which his descendants are still living. He
was a member of the Republican party, and his sons have inherited his belief
along with his personal qualities. Michael Hartung married Katherine
, also a native of Kassel, whose parents came to the United States
and settled near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the early dayys. Mr. and Mrs.
Hartung were the parents of a large family of children, of which Isaac
was one.
WESTERN PEXXSYLVAXIA i347
Isaac Hartung, a son of Michael and Katherine Hartung, was born in
1845, near Zelienople, Butler county, Pennsylvania. The first fourteen
years of his life were passed on his father's farm, where he aided in the
farm work, but at that age he left the parental roof, and learned the trade
of butcher. He later engaged in this business on his own account and
remained therein for a period of over twenty-five years. Mr. Hartung
first came to Etna, Pennsylvania, about the year 1870, and from then until
the present time, a period of some forty-five years, he has resided alter-
nately in that town and at Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania. His present home
is in Etna. He has been a most active member of the community, and has
practically built up the quarter of Etna in which his home is situated. He
is a Republican in politics, as was his father, and keenly alive to all
questions of public policy, whether their bearing be of local or general
interest.
Mr. Hartung married, August 26, 1869. Emma Braun, born in Schal-
ter township, Pennsylvania, daughter of Adam and Susan (Sieber) Braun,
both natives of Germany, who had come in their youth to the United
States and here married. Mr. and Mrs. Hartung are both members of ti.e
Lutheran church, and in that belief have reared their family of children.
They are the parents of five children, as follows : Isaac Jr., the proprietor
of the New National Hotel at Mount Clemmons, Pennsylvania; Charles H.,
who has continued his father's butcher business and now operates a shop
in Etna ; William ; Sarah C. ; Emma Schelly.
The Negley family is descended from John Nageli, of Canton
NEGLEY Berne, Switzerland, co-temporary and fellow worker with
Zwingli, with whom he went from Switzerland into Germany
in the sixteenth century, preaching the Reformation. The original Swiss
spelling of the name, "Nageli," still maintains with the Swiss branch of the
family, was first modified to Naegly, and a century since to its present
form, Negley. The Swiss name has a floral signification, it meaning "a
little pink," and the crest used by one branch of the Swiss family in
modern times presents the carnation as its distinguishing feature. The
name is beloved by the Swiss, as also by the Germans, through their devo-
tion to Hans George Nageli, the illustrious composer, lecturer and author
of valuable works on music, member of congress, and at the same time
president of the Swiss Association of Music. He was born in the Canton
of Zurich, May 26, 1768, and died at Zurich in December, 1836. He is
affectionately known as "Pater Nageli," "Father of the Folk Songs of
Switzerland," and founder of choral societies. Another illustrations mem-
ber 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 in botany and was the author of a large number
of master works on this science. A German branch of the family has long
been identified with Heidelberg, Professor Nageli having occupied with
distinction the chair of medicine in Heidelberg University.
1348 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
(1) Jacob Negley, descendant of John Nageli, of Switzerland, was
born at Frankfort-on-the-Main, Germany, sailed for America in 1739, ac-
companied by his family, and his two brothers — Casper and Benjamin or
John — and their families. He died while on this voyage and was buried
at sea. His widow and three children came to this country and settled in
Bucks county, Pennsylvania, about that time. One brother settled in
Maryland, the other on the banks of the Delaware, where Negley's Hill
is commemorative of this event.
(H) Alexander Negley, son of Jacob Negley, was born in Frankfort,
Germany, in 1734, and died November 3, 1809. He was about five years of
age when he was brought to this country. In 1778 he settled within five
miles of Fort Pitt, on the present site of Highland Park, where later his
death occurred. He was the first white settler in the East Liberty Valley,
served his country in the Revolutionary War, and was largely instrumental
in erecting the first church in Pittsburgh. His farm comprised about three
hundred acres, including Negley's Run and Heath's Run, incorrectly called
Hite's Run. He utilized Negley's Run by erecting a grist mill and a fulling
mill upon it, and purchased a farm for each of his children. At that time
Pittsburgh was represented by a few log houses at Fort Duquesne. His
home with the ground surrounding it was known as Highland Park. Mr.
Negley married, in 1762, Mary Ann Bergstresser, and sometimes spelled
Berkstresser, born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, June 20, 1741, died June
20, 1829. They had children: i. Felix, born September 22, 1764, died
April 19, 1836; served in the Revolutionary War; married, May 28, 1800,
Ruth Horton. 2. Jacob, born August 28, 1766, died March 18, 1826; mar-
ried, June 9, 1795, Anna S. Winebiddle, who died May 10, 1867. 3. Peter,
died in infancy, in 1768. 4. Elizabeth, born February 15, 1772, died No-
vember 15, 1855; married, in 1801, John Powell and had eight children. 5.
Peter, born February 6, 1774, died in 1791. 6. Margaret, born June 10,
1776, died March 11, 1857; married, December i, 1800, Philip Burtner, and
had ten children. 7. John, of further mention. 8. Alexander, born August
I, 1781, died August 2, 1807. 9. Casper, born March 17, 1784, died May
23, 1877; married Elizabeth Fluke, November 6, 1823. 10. Mary Ann, born
August 20, 1786, died December 4, 1833; married Samuel Byington, and had
four children. 11. Henry, born October 20, 1790, died in 1791.
(Ill) John Negley, son of Alexander and- Mary Ann (Bergstresser)
Negley, was born in Fort Ligonier, Pennsylvania, April 6, 1778, and died
in Butler, Pennsylvania, August 11, 1870. He married, June i, 1816, Anna
Elizabeth Patterson, born August 3. 1798, died August 19, 1835. They had
children: i. Mary Bergstresser, born in Butler, May 29, 1817, died there in
August, 1905 ; she married John G. Muntz, and they had five children. 2.
Elizabeth Hull, born January 10, 1819, died August 17, 1835. 3. Susannah,
born February 13, 1821, died- November i, 1908; she married, November
17, 1845, Joseph P. Patterson. 4. John Henry, of further mention. 5.
Felix Casper, born February 28, 1825, died in Pittsburgh, October 5, 1901 ;
married, October 12, 1848, Margaret Ann Dickson. 6. Minerva, born Febru-
^/^ .^^^ Q(ff^^/
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1349
ary 6, 1827. died in 1859: married, November 27, 1845, Samuel Haseltine,
and hatl four children. 7. James Alexander, born April 3, 1829, died in
I'hiladelpliia in i89(>; married, September 10, 1861, Elizabeth Mytinger,
and they had six children. 8. Anna McClain, born January 26, 1831, died
February 28, 1831. c;. William Clark, born February 21, 1833, died Sep-
tember 17, 1850. 10. Albert Gallatin, born February 22, 1835, married
Elenora Reynolds, and has had five children ; he lives in Florence, Alabama,
where he has been postmaster fifteen years, city engineer twenty-eight
3'ears, and he was a major in the Civil War.
(I\') John Henry Negley, son of John and Anna Elizabeth (Patter-
son) Negley, was born in Butler, Pennsylvania, February 7, 1823, and died
June 17, 1908. He received his preparatory education in the public schools
and at Butler Academy, and in 1841 matriculated at Washington College,
Washington, Pennsylvania. He then studied law under the preceptorship
of John Bredin, and was admitted to the bar in 1845. He was appointed
district attorney in 1848 and 1849, and was elected to this office in 1850,
being the first man elected to it in Butler county. He was active in local
political affairs. In 1855 he and Joseph P. Patterson bought the Democrat
Herald, and in the fall of that year they commenced to publish the paper.
In 1858 he sold it and started the American Citizen, afterward called the
Butler Citizen. He stumped the county for Lincoln in i860, and in 1861
was in the enrollment office. He enlisted in Company G, Fourteenth Penn-
sylvania Militia, and served a short term. He was a member of the state
legislature, 1863-64-65. In 1888 he sold his newspaper to his son, William
Clark Negley, and retired to private life. Mr. Negley married, July 8,
1847, Mary Harper, born in Butler, May 18, 1828, died December 2, 1912,
Children: i. Elizabeth Ann Hull, born April 17, 1848, died in 1906; mar-
ried. May 21, 1872, Rev. Levi H. Geschwind. 2. William Clark, born
December 18, 1850, died April 9, 1909; married, January 8, 1878, Emma
Armor Stauffer. 3. John Henry, born December 24, 1853, died April i,
1897; married (first) December 24, 1877, Mary Lack, who died January
20, 1880; married (second) Elizabeth Shearstone, of Philadelphia. 4.
James Fletcher, born March i, 1857, died March 4, 1857. 5. Joseph Pres-
cott, born November 14, 1858; married, February 7, 1883, Kate Baum
Coleman; lives in Pittsburgh. 6. Mary Stella, born April 26, 1861. 7.
Martin Luther, born January 11, 1864, died August 21, 1884. 8. Felix
Casper, born July i, 1866; is living unmarried in Butler. 9. Arthur, born
March 13, 1869, died in 1872. 10. Edgar Hayes, of further mention.
(V) Edgar Hayes Negley, son of John Henry and Mary (Harper)
Negley, was born in Butler, Butler county, Pennsylvania, January 31. 1875.
After passing with credit through the elementary and high schools of
Butler, he read law under the preceptorship of Judge Ebenezer Junkin.
and was admitted to the bar, March 13, 1899. He has been in active prac-
tice since that time, but prior to the Spanish-American W^ar he was a
reporter. For fifteen years he was a member of the Butler Volunteer Fire
Department, and for ten years ran on the champion racing team of the
135°
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
First Ward Hose Company. He is the secretary and manager of the Butler
Publishing Company, which publishes the Clean Commonwealth, which was
started in 1909. In political matters he is a Prohibitionist, and has served
as auditor of the borough, and was a member of the school board from
1906 to 1909. During the Spanish-American War Mr. Negley was a
member of Company E, Fifteenth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer In-
fantry, serving from April 27, 1898, to September 19 of that year. He
is a member of Butler Camp, No. 33, United Spanish War Veterans, and
thrice was elected judge advocate of the Department of Pennsylvania, and
is filling that office at the present time. He is also a member of the Captain
Edwin Lyon Camp, Sons of Veterans. His religious affiliation is with the
Grace Lutheran Church.
Mr. Negley married, July 8, 1907, Mary Alice, a daughter of William
Harrison and Sarah Bell (Fleeger) Wick, and they have had children as
follows: Mary Alice, born August 23, 1908; John Henry, born July 20,
1910, died August 28, 1913; Alexander, born January 29, 1912; Nancy
Jane, born May 31, 1914.
The family of Harrison has been represented in Western
HARRISON Pennsylvania for many years, its original seat being in
McKeesport and Port Perry. The members of the family
have ever been noted for upright character, leading lives of usefulness and
activity, contributing their share to the growth and upbuilding of the com-
munities in which they located.
(I) William Henry Harrison, grandfather of Richey C. Harrison, of
Turtle Creek, was a native of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. He was one
of the pioneers of Port Perry, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where he
owned a saw mill on Crooked Run, run by water power, a motive that has
almost altogether been supplanted by steam. He married, and among his
children was George, of whom further.
(II) George Harrison, son of William Henry Harrison, was born in
Versailles township. Port Perry, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, died Oc-
tober 29, 1906, aged seventy-seven years. He attended the common schools
of that period, and in early life picked potatoes where Edgar Thompson's
Steel Works are now located, this being his first occupation, he beginning to
make his own living when a mere boy. He learned the trade of ship car-
penter and built boats for Colonel Miller, and followed this line of work
up to the early sixties, when he engaged in farming pursuits on the site of
the present town of Swissvale, and later had charge of five hundred acres
for Mr. John Chalfante in Wilkins and Penn townships, being thus occu-
pied at the time of his death. During his boyhood he also worked in the
mines, driving the first mule out of the mines at Port Perry, and from this
humble beginning he worked his way upward, the success he achieved being
the direct result of energy and determination. He married Rachel Bond, a
native of Port Perry, Pennsylvania, daughter of Benjamin and Huldah
(Key) Bond, the former named coming to Allegheny county from the city
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1351
of Philadelphia, a descendant of an English ancestry, and the latter named
a member of a Quaker family of Philadelphia. Mr. and Mrs. Harrison
were the parents of eight children : William B., George W. and Benjamin
B., twins ; John W., Huldah E., Richey C, Kate J., Oliver Duff.
(Ill) Richey C. Harrison, son of George Harrison, was born in Wil-
kins township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, August 24, 1864. His boy-
hood was spent in work on the home farm and in attendance at the town-
ship schools, and from the age of seventeen to twenty-four he was engaged in
the buying and selling of live stock. He then entered into farming opera-
tions with his father, continuing until the age of twenty-seven years, and
then began the operation of sixty-three acres of the farm owned by his
wife's people, conducting a dairy until 1907, and since then to the present
time (1914) has been engaged in teaming and general farming, at which he
has been highly successful. He is progressive in his ideas, thorough in his
methods, giving attention to every detail, and the success he has attained
is a natural sequence. He has always manifested a keen interest in politics,
being an adherent of the Republican party, and in 1894 was appointed tax
collector, was re-elected for another term of three years, served one term
as school director, then appointed township auditor, then became a member
of the township board of commissioners, served as president of the same for
a number of years, and holds membership in the board at the present time.
The number of offices he has filled is ample proof of the respect in which he
is held by his fellow townsmen. He has held membership in the Free and
Accepted Masons for the past twenty-three years, being now a member of
Valley Lodge, No. 613. He and his family are members of Beulah Presby-
terian Church.
Mr. Harrison married Anna Johnston, daughter of Joseph and Sarah
(Lindhart) Johnston. The land on which Mr. Harrison now resides was
patented by members of the Lindhart family and it has been handed down
from generation to generation to the present time. Five children were born
to Mr. and Mrs. Harrison: Adella M., George Richey, James Gilmore,
Mildred Mcintosh, Robert Franklin.
The name of Hoffmann is of German origin, and is
HOFFMANN probably derived from "Hoff'' or "Hof," meaning
"court," and "Mann," meaning man." This would indi-
cate that the earlier bearers of it were courtiers or people of importance at
a court.
( I ) Michael Hoffmann, of German descent, was an early resident of
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. He was a coal miner on South Side, and
was killed on a tipple of Jones & Laughlin about 1867. His wife died some
years after he did. They were tlie parents of children : John, of further
mention; Frederick, lives in Pittsburgh; George, went to California during
the gold fever and never returned ; Louise, married George Edel, and lives
in Canton, Ohio; Amelia, married F. A. Dentenberg, and lives at Soutli
Side, Pittsburgh.
1352 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
(II) John Hoffmann, son of Michael Hoffmann, was born in Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, June 28, 1847. He spent his entire life in Pittsburgh,
where he was clerk, accountant, and manager at various times for sand and
brick companies. He was Republican in politics and served as a member of
the school board. He was a member of the Masonic fraternity, and he and
his wife belonged to the German Evangelical church. He married Anna S.
Weber, born in Germany, December 15, 1849, a daughter of John Michael
and Dorothy (Dorsch) Weber, both born in Germany and married there.
They emigrated to America about 1850, and settled in Pittsburgh, where he
followed his calling as a blacksmith and wagon builder on South Eighteenth
street. Later they removed to Allegheny, where she died. Mr. Weber
returned to South Side, Pittsburgh, and died there about 1899. They had
children : John, a blacksmith and wagon builder, died in Pittsburgh ; Wil-
liam, a physician, lives on South Side; Charles, a melter in the steel works,
died at Tarentum ; Henry, a blacksmith; Anna S., who married Mr. Hoff-
mann, as above stated; Lena, married J. P. Conrad, and moved to the West;
Yetta, died unmarried. Mr. and Mrs. Hoffmann have had children : Amelia
Matilda, married George Saupe, and lives at South Side, Pittsburgh ; Albert,
proprietor of a restaurant, died in 1909; John M., of further mention;
Edward G., unmarried, lives at South Side ; Harry W. and Ida H., unmar-
ried, live with mother; Robert B., died in infancy.
(Ill) John M. Hoffmann, son of John and Anna S. (Weber) Hoff-
mann, was born at South Side, Pittsburgh, September 13, 1876. He obtained
his education in the Humboldt public school and the commercial department
of the Pittsburgh High School, from which he was graduated. He then
took a course in stenography in Martin's Business School, and was thus well
equipped for a business career. In 1897 he entered the employ of the
Tempest Brick Company as a stenographer, remaining with them until 1913,
when he was elected to the office of secretary upon the death of Thomas M.
Evans. The headquarters of this concern are at McKeesfKjrt, the plant
being located at Gallatin, where it employs fifty men. The product, a special
fire brick, is in demand by steel works everywhere. Mr. Hoffmann has
lived in McKeesport since 1904. He is a Republican in politics, and he and
his wife are members of the St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church. He
is a member of Germania Lodge, No. 509, Free and Accepted Masons;
Royal Arcanum; Protected Home Circle, of which he has been accountant;
Junior Order of United American Mechanics; Improved Order of Hepta-
sophs; Daughters of America. Mr. Hoffmann married, in 1899, Clara M.,
born in Pittsburgh, a daughter of John and Magdalene Burgert, and they
have had children : Gilbert J., Margaret, Dorothy, John James.
Henderson is a name derived from Henry — Henry's
HENDERSON son — or Hendrick — Hendrick's son — and in time be-
came Henrison, Hendrickson, Henderson. The name is
an old one in both England and Scotland. The Jiendersons have been well
represented in all the wars of the country.
(I) Joseph Henderson was born in Newcastle, England, and spent his
entire life there. He married Mary Armstrong.
WESTERN- PENNSYLVANIA 1353
(II) Robert Henderson, son of Joseph and Mary ( Armstrong j Hen-
derson, was born in Newcastle, England, in October, 1840, and came to
America about 1878. He settled at McKeesport, Pennsylvania, where he
was employed by the National Rolling Mill Company as general superin-
tendent, a position he held until 1903. He then removed to Hagerstown,
Maryland, where he is living retired from active work at the present time
He married (first) Elizabeth, born in 1854, died in 1898, a daughter of John
Walton, also born in Newcastle, England, where he was a wholesale dealer
in jams and jellies until his death. Children: Hannah, died when about
twelve years of age; Emily, died at the age of ten; Mary Ellen, married
Robert Muir, and resides in Pittsburgh: Thomas Scott, in the employ of
the West Penn Light and Power Company, lives in Carrick. Pennsylvania ;
Ralph W., a member of the police department of McKeesport; Laura, mar-
ried Perty Painter, and lives in McKeesport; Margaret Elizabeth, married
William Childs, and lives in McKeesport ; Maude, married Zachariah Webb,
and lives in Pittsburgh ; Ada. married Hanson Bowie, and died in Cali-
fornia about 1909 ; Robert, of further mention ; J. Stanley, died in Hagers-
town, Maryland, about 1908. Mr. Henderson married (second) Mrs.
• — • Simcox. He is a Republican in politics, and a member of the
Methodist Episcopal church. He was formerly a member of McKeesport
Lodge, No. 581, Free and Accepted Masons.
(HI) Robert (2) Henderson, son of Robert (i) and Elizabeth (Wal-
ton) Henderson, was born in McKeesport, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
June 15, 1884. After thorough preparation at the public schools, he entered
Cascadilla College, from which he was graduated in the class of 1903, and
then spent one year at Cornell University, making a special study of chem-
istry. Upon leaving Cornell University, he became a chemist for the Jones
& Laughlin Steel Company, in whose employ he has remained uninterrupt-
edly since that time. He commenced his active chemical labors in 1910. He
is Republican in his political views, and a member of the Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks, and the Youghiogheny Country Club. Mr. Hen-
derson is not married.
Patrick Greer, the American ancestor of the Greers of this
GREER review, was born in the county of Londonderry, Ireland, in
1764, and died in 1857. After his marriage, but prior to 1800,
he emigrated to America, and settled at what is now Larimer Station,
Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. He was a wheelwright by trade, and
he and his wife were members of the Bethel Associate Reform Church. He
married, in Ireland, Elizabeth Wilson, born in 1769, and had children :
William, of further mention ; James, who settled in Dayton, Ohio, where his
death occurred, was the father of the late Rear Admiral James A. Greer,
of the United States navy ; John ; Joseph ; Samuel ; George ; Rebecca, mar-
ried a Mr. Murphy ; Eliza Jane, married a Mr. Boyd ; Caroline, married
General T. J. Wood.
(II) Squire William Greer, son of Patrick and Elizabeth (Wilson)
1354 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Greer, was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, February 6, 1802,
and died July 15, 1872. He was a prosperous farmer, and a man of prom-
inence in his day. He served for many years as justice of the peace in
Penn township, was a colonel in the militia, and for a long time an elder
in the United Presbyterian church. Squire Greer married, May 11, 1826,
Abigail, who was born August 11, 1803, and died July 13, 1886, a daughter
of Colonel Joseph and Abigail (By ram) Collins, and had children: Rev.
Joseph Collins, who married Jennie S. Shryock, a sister of Hon. D. W.
Shryock, of Greensburg ; Agnes, married Rev. John M. McElroy, D.D. ;
James M., of further mention; Elizabeth J.; William S. ; Caroline K., mar-
ried Matthew Wilson ; Sarah B., married J. B. Bratton ; Eunice E., married
Rev. James McElroy; Abigail, married James Patterson; Jennie M., never
married.
Abigail (Collins) Greer was a daughter of Colonel Joseph and Abigail
(Byram) Collins. The latter was a daughter of Edward Byram, and was
captured with him by a band of Indians of the Seneca tribe, April 7, 1779.
They were in captivity about two years, were fairly well treated, but suf-
fered greatly from cold, fatigue and hunger, while in camp and while on
marches from place to place. They were taken to Canada one winter, and
while there were in the power of Toseph Brant, the leader of the hostile
Indians. Finally they were released and made their way back to New
Jersey, the old home of the Byrams. and subsequently to Edward Byram's
old farm and home near Murrysville, where he found his wife and younger
children, who were overjoyed to see one whom they had mourned as dead.
Abigail Byram married Joseph Collins, and they lived on the farm on which
she had been taken captive. They were both members of the Long Run
Presbyterian Church, in which he was also an elder. After the death of
her husband, and when her children had left home, Mrs. Collins lived with
her son William, and after his death with her son-in-law. Squire Greer, at
whose home she died, November 2?. 1851.
(III) James M. Greer, son of Squire William and Abigail (Collins)
Greer, was born in Westmoreland county. Pennsylvania, March 12, 1831.,
He married, April 5, 1854, Anna Jane Stevenson, born July 2, 1829. They
had children: i. Joseph S., of further mention. 2. Agnes Caroline, born
September 12, 1856. married, November 12, 1854, David K. McQuilkin,
born July 15, 1857; children: James, born December 25, 1886; Robert W.,
born October 14, 1888; Homer S., born May 9, 1891 ; they live at La Porte
City, Iowa. 3. William Connor, born April 17, 1859; married, January 18,
1888, Elizabeth Hershey, born June 24, 1859; children: Clara Agnes, born
December 27, 1888; Anna Elizabeth, born June 10, 1893; W'illiam H., born
August 12, 1894. 4. George McCune, born August 4, 1863; married Lida
McMath, and lives near Murrysville: children: James M., William G.,
Collins Alexander, Nelson Patterson, Paul Edward, Mary Z., Sarah Johnson.
5. Clara Belle, born May 24, 1868; married, October 3, 1895, Nelson
Euwer, born October 4, 1865 ; they live at Parnassus, Penn.sylvania, and
have one child, James Greer, born August 20, 1901.
(IV) Joseph S. Greer, son of James M. and Anna Jane (Stevenson)
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1355
Greer, was born in Patton township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, March
19, 1855. He was educated in the public schools in the vicinity of his home,
and at a suitable age engaged actively in farming, with which he has been
identified all his life. He takes a decided interest in the public affairs of
his community, giving his political support to the Republican party. His
religious support is given to the United Presbyterian church, of which he is
a consistent member. He married, November 12, 1884, Belle J. Sharp, a
daughter of George Sharp, born July 3, 1813, died September 25, 1900. He
married Sarah, a daughter of Alexander McDowell. The paternal grand-
father of Mrs. Greer was James Sharp, bom in Ireland, who married Isa-
bella Harkness. They had children: i. James Alexander, living at Taren-
tum; married (first) Ada Stotler, (second) Sarah Watt. 2. Nancy Martha,
deceased. 3. Charles Long, of Illinois. 4. Margaret M., living at Aspin-
wall ; married J. M. Morrison. 5. George R., married Laura Fryer. Chil-
dren of Mr. and Mrs. Greer: i. George Sharp, born October 4, 1885; mar-
ried Ethel Thompson; lives on a farm in Plum township; children, Leon
Otice, Sarah L. and Joseph T. 2. Stevenson McMillin, born December 10,
1888; married Edna Hogg; lives at Coalinga, California; one child, James S.
3. James Ralph, born April 8, 1891 ; married Molly Young; lives in Pit-
cairn, Pennsylvania; child, Janice. 4. Walter Ray, born April 27, 1893. 5.
Joseph Emerson, bom February 6, 1896. 6. Margaret Bell, born August 10,
1898. 7. Charles Stunkard, born November 29, 1901. 8. Sarah Anna-Ada
Abigail, born October 6, 1903. 9. Robert Alexander, born March 14, 1905,
died July 31, 1905.
Born in the Kingdom of Westphalia, Prussia, William Krone,
KRONE now of Wilson, Pennsylvania, traces to a long line of German
forebears. The Krones were an agricultural family, Luther-
ans in religious faith, and as a race, hardy and well built. Christian Krone,
father of William Krone, possessed greater strength than any other man
in his district.
Christian Krone was born in Westphalia, February 27, 1826, died
March 27, 1875, his death caused by being thrown from a wagon by his
runaway horse. He farmed for many years, later operated a distillery for
a time, but soon returned to his original occupation. He married Wil-
helmina Kilfeilt, born in the same town as her husband. May 2, 1833, died
May 3, 1883. Children: i. Heinrich, a scliool teacher, died in Germany,
aged twenty-five years. 2. William, of further mention. 3. August, now a
chief of police in Germany, a man of tremendous strength and size, weigh-
ing three hundred and fifty pounds. 4. Otto, a real estate dealer of Penn-
sylvania, now deceased. 5. Charles, a baker of Newark, New Jersey. 6.
Hugo, born and now living in Westphalia, also a man of great strength
and size, held for two years the wrestling championship of Germany. 7.
Lena, married Fred Wiesman, a butcher, and resides at Westphalia. Five
cither daughters of Christian Krone died young.
William Krone, of Wilson, Pennsylvania, was born in Westphalia,
1356 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Prussia, now a part of the German Empire, December 25, 1858. He was
well educated in school and "■•■mnasium and was preparing for the profes-
sion of civil engineer, when the death of his father in 1875 necessitated his
leaving school and beginning a wage earner's life. He learned the trade of
baker and confectioner, .serving an apprenticeship of three years. He
worked at his trade and served two years in the German army, until 1886,
when he came to the United States. He worked at his trade for one year in
Brooklyn, New York, then joined his brother Otto in Pittsburgh, taking up
his residence on the South Side. For one year he was foreman of the cake
baking department of Ward's bakery, then opened a bakery in Homestead,
Pennsylvania, which he operated for one year. He was employed at his
trade until 1891, when he cast his fortunes with the new town first known
as Mendelsohn, now Wilson. He was the first business man to locate in the
town, his bakery, confectionery and grocery store the first business house
in what is now a prosperous and thriving community. As the town grew in
importance, he enlarged and kept pace with the increased demand for his
goods, doing a prosperous business until 1907, when he sold out and retireti
with a competence. He still resides in Wilson in the comfortable house he
purchased the year of his retirement.
Mr. Krone married, November 24, 1887, Elizabeth (Garister j Snyder, a
widow, born in Glasbouden, in a Rhenish province of Germany, November
20, 1852. She is a daughter of John and Catherine (Usher) Garister, both
born in Germany, where they married, coming to the United States in 1855,
locating in Pillsbury, where John Garister became a puddler in the steel mills.
He resided in Etna and continued a puddler until the age of sixty-five, then
retired and lived in ease until his death in 1904 at the age of eighty-five
years. His wife died in 1906 at the age of ninety years.
Their daughter, Elizabeth, was two years of age when her parents
came to Pittsburgh, where she was educated in a German Catholic school,
her parents being members of the Roman Catholic church. In November,
1873, she rnarried Frank Snyder, a blacksmith, who died May 2-j, 1885,
leaving five children: i. George, died in 1910, a hotel keeper of Wilson.
2. John, a resident of Clairton, Pennsylvania. 3. Frank, married Stella
Sequat, and resides at Coal Valley, Pennsylvania. 4. Clara, married Clarence
Fogle, and resides in Wilson. 5. Rudolph, married Anna Bluhmling, and
resides at Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania. By second marriage with William
Krone there are no children.
Robert Snodgrass was born in Ireland, and in early
SNODGRASS manhood emigrated to the United States, locating near
Jamestown, Pennsylvania. At that time the section be-
tween Jamestown and Meadville was entirely unsettled, and the pioneers in
this region were called upon to endure innumerable hardships and dangers.
Mr. Snodgrass purchased a farm, and this he cleared and cultivated until
his death. He married Margaret McMaster, also a native of Ireland, and
they became the parents of children, all born in South Shenango township.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA i357
Crawford county, Pennsylvania: Robert, William, James M., of further
mention ; Jane.
(II) James M. Snodgrass, son of Robert and Margaret (McMaster)
Snodgrass, was born in South Shenango township, Crawford county, Penn-
sylvania, in 1815, and died there in 1888. He was educated in the common
schools and like his father was a farmer all the active years of his life.
He gave his political support to the Republican party from the time of its
organization until his death, and was a strong Abolitionist, taking an active
part in the conduct of the "underground railway," which was of such ma-
terial assistance to the negroes in attaining freedom. He married Mary
Ann Gamble, bom in county Down, Ireland, in 1818, a daughter of the Rev.
John and Elizabeth (Parr) Gamble, the latter of Philadelphia. Rev. John
Gamble was born in county Down, Ireland, received his education there
and was a prominent teacher. He was still young when he emigrated
to America, taught in Philadelphia and elsewhere, and then entered the
ministry. He finally settled at Jamestown where his death occurred. He
had children: Dr. William J., of Mosiertown ; Dr. David, of Jamestown;
John, of Shenango township; Martha; Caroline; Mary Ann, mentioned
above. Mr. and Mrs. Snodgrass had children: i. Robert A., was a phy-
sician of Hartstown and Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania, and died in 1890.
2. Rev. William J., D.D., was a pastor in West Middlesex, Pennsylvania,
for a period of forty years; died there at Christmas, 1912. 3. Henry, lived
and died on the homestead farm. 4. Emeline, married Robert Royer, of
Jamestown, Pennsylvania. 5. Elizabeth^ married John G. McFeeters, of
Jamestown, Pennsylvania. 6. David G., of further mention.
(III) Dr. David G. Snodgrass, son of James M. and Mary Ann
(Gamble) Snodgrass, was born in Jamestown, Pennsylvania, in 1857. After
a preparatory course at Jamestown Seminary, he became a student at West-
minster College, and after his graduation from this institution entered the
Ohio Medical College, from which he was graduated in the class of 1882
with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. He took a post-graduate course at
the Jefferson Medical College the following year, served as interne at St.
Francis Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, and has taken an additional short sum-
mer course ever since that time. He commenced the practice of his pro-
fession at West Middlesex, then practiced in Conneaut Lake for a time, and
finally settled permanently at Meadville, Pennsylvania, where he now has
a large and lucrative practice, and has won a reputation for skill in his pro-
fession. He has been engaged in polyclinic work at the Chicago University,
the Polyclinic Medical School of New York, Johns Hopkins, of Baltimore,
Maryland, and other institutions of equal note. He is the medical examiner
for a number of the life insurance companies. His affiliation witli pro-
fessional and other organizations is as follows : County, State and American
Medical associations ; Independent Order of Odd Fellows ; Knights of the
Maccabees ; Knights of Pythias. Dr. Snodgrass married E. Pauline Van
Home, in 1908, and has one child, John D.
1358
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
This branch of the Koegler family descends from the
KOEGLER ancient Koegler family of Prussia, Europe, John M. Koeg-
ler, of Wilson, Pennsylvania, being the third generation in
the United States.
(I) Grandfather Koegler, a blacksmith, came to the United States in
1842, settling in Pittsburgh on the South Side. He brought with him a
family, including several sons, who found employment in the glass manu-
facturing establishments of the district, in fact the Chambers Glass Com-
pany were instrumental in bringing the family to the United States. The
sons all entered the employ of the Chambers Company, but several years
later established in other lines. There were four sons and four daughters
in the original Koegler family founded in the United States by Grandfather
Koegler, the blacksmith: i. Adam, originally a glass blower, later estab-
lished a carpet store at 1316 Carson street, Pittsburgh, that is yet conducted
by the sons. 2. George, died at age of forty, was an expert glass blower.
3. William F., of further mention. 4. Gottleib, enlisted in the Union army
and died during the Civil War. 5. Margaret, married William Hale, a glass
blower of Pittsburgh, South Side. 6. Augusta, married Charles Brack, also
a glass blower of the South Side. 7. Elizabeth, married Elias Gunter, and
resided near her sisters. 8. A daughter, died in infancy.
(H) William F. Koegler, son of the immigrant, was born in Prussia
in 1830, died in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1884. He attended school until
1842, then came with the family to the United States, beginning work in
the Chambers Glass Works when quite young. He became a master teaser
and remained with the Chambers Company for many years, then was en-
gaged by a co-operative glass company and other firms in the glass business
until his death. He was a quiet, industrious man, possessing the character-
istic traits of his race. He married Magdalena Steel, born in Wittenberg,
Germany, March 2, 1832, died in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 2, 1912,
daughter of Christopher and Christina Steel, both of German birth. Chris-
topher Steel was a locksmith, and about the year 1845 came to the United
States with his wife and familv. locating in Pittsburgh on the South Side,
where he died in 1870, his wife in 1874, leaving an only child, Magdalena.
Christopher Steel had a locksmith shop on the South Side and did a good
business, one of the buildings that he fitted with locks being the old Pitts-
burgh jail. Children of William F. and Magdalena (Steel) Koegler: i.
Edward, deceased ; followed the trade of glass blower and lived in Pitts-
burgh. 2. William, now living retired in Carrick, Pennsylvania, after spend-
ing many years in the glass business as blower and factory manager. 3.
John M., of further mention. 4. George, died in 1912; was a Pittsburgh
hotel proprietor. 5. Frederick, now living in Carrick, Pennsylvania. 6.
Louis, now residing in Muncie, Indiana, a glass blower. 7. Philip, now a
glass packer with the Gilman Drug Company. 8. Philomena, married
Snyder Smith, whom she survives, a resident of Clairton, Pennsylvania.
9. Magdalena, deceased; married (first) William Bretzer, and (second)
John Ehler. 10. Elizabeth, married Henry Werner, a glass blower, now
residing in Clarksburg, West Virginia. 11. Christian, died in infancy.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1359
(III) John M. Koegler, now living retired in Wilson, Pennsylvania,
was born on Seventh street, Pittsburgh, South Side, April 28, i860, third
son of William F. and Magdalena ( Steel ) Koegler. He attended public
school and the old Humboldt German Lutheran school until fourteen years of
age, although from the age of nine years he worked all except the winter
months as a "carrying in" boy at the glass factory. At fourteen years he
became a constant worker, summer and winter, learning the trade of bottle
blowing and becoming an expert blower at the Wilson Glass Factory. He
continued working at his trade, an exceptionally good one at that time,
until he was thirty-two years age, acquiring capital and experience; in 1892
he abandoned this. He then invested his savings in a hotel at Blair, Penn-
sylvania, which he purchased and named "Koegler Hotel." There he con-
ducted a prosperous business for thirteen years, retaining ownership until
1905, when he sold the property to the Carnegie Steel Company and pur-
chased his brick residence in Wilson, Pennsylvania. He is a member of the
Junior Order of American Mechanics, and in political faith a Republican.
Mr. Koegler married (first) September i, 1893, Emma Stelley, born in
Jefifer.son township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, daughter of John and
Laura Stelley, he a farmer now deceased. Mrs. Koegler died in January,
1904, and in November, 1909, Mr. Koegler married (second) Annetta
Weimer, born in Perryopolis, Pennsylvania. Children by first marriage :
T. Stella, died aged thirteen years. 2. Alberta, born September 7, 1898.
Qiildren by second marriage: 3. Emma, born March 6, 191 1. 4. Laura,
born May 26, 1912. 5. Jcihn M. (2), born March i, 1914.
One of the ancestors, on the maternal side, of Clifton V.
KEEPER Keefer. a prominent citizen of Pitcairn, Pennsylvania, was
George Wallace, born in Western Pennsylvania, was ap-
pointed first judge of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, and was one of the
wealthy and influential men of his day, having been the owner of all the
land now included in the town of Braddockfield. and there conducted agri-
cultural pursuits. The Christian name of his wife was Jane.
(I ) Daniel Keefer, grandfather of Clifton V. Keefer, was a resident of
Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, where he resided for many years,
honored and respected by his neighbors and friends. He married Catherine
Van Dyke, and among their children was B. O., of whom further.
(II) B. O. Keefer, son of Daniel Keefer, was born in Westmoreland
county, Pennsylvania. He obtained a practical education in the schools of
his neighborhood, and he began his active career by accepting a position as
school teacher, in which line of work he continued for some time, and later
turned his attention to the real estate and insurance business, in which he
was highly successful. He was a staunch Republican in politics, served in
the state legislature, as deputy internal revenue collector and as deputy
treasurer of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, all of which duties he
performed in a manner to win the approbation and commendation of his
superiors in office. He married Anna M. Her, born in Barrell township,
Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and they were the parents of seven
sons and one daughter.
1360 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
(III) Clifton V. Keefer, son of B. O. Keefer, was born in Westmore-
land county, Pennsylvania, November 13, 1876. His elementary education,
received in the public schools of Westmoreland county, was supplemented
by attendance at Greensburg Academy and in a business college in Greens-
burg. In 1897 he began his active career by engaging in the real estate and
insurance business at Pitcairn, and his patronage has steadily increased with
each passing year, and at the present time (1914), after being in business
in the same place for seventeen years, he is numbered among the successful
business men, having made for himself a reputation second to none, and
gained success through his own unaided efforts. In 1905 he was elected to
the office of justice of the peace of Pitcairn, and so ably did he perform the
duties of the sarnie that he was re-elected in 191 1, and is serving at the
present time (1914). He is a member of the United Presbyterian church,
and of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Mr. Keefer married,
May 19, .1897, Leah Jones, daughter of John H. and Mary (Richard),
Jones, of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. Children : Iva C, Floyd
C, Margaret Bernice.
The forebears of Andrew Kelley, who until his death in 1908
KELLEY was one of the highly respected and prosperous farmers of
Gibsonia, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, were early settlers
of Beaver, farmers, and on both maternal and paternal lines families of
prominence in the early life of that county.
Andrew Kelley conducted dairy and general farming operations at
the farm until his death, living in contented prosperity, surrounded by the
love of family and the substantial results of his years of fruitful endeavor.
Mr. Kelley married (first) in 1857, Lena, daughter of David and Catherine
Fogle, of Pine township, her parents both born in Germany. She died
January 15, 1876, the mother of six children: i. Margaret, married
Thomas Keown. 2. Charity Ann, married Jesse Roberton. 3. Mary Olive,
married William McKinney. 4. Sarah Jane, married Samuel Arbuthunot.
5. John Nevin, deceased. 6. Elizabeth, married Charles Gibson. Mr.
Kelley married (second) March 13, 1885, May, daughter of David and
Eliza (Wilson) Crooskey, of Highland township. Children of Andrew
Kelley and his second wife, May (Crooskey) Kelley: i. Ethel, residing
at home. 2. Edna, married Albert Foy. 3. Emma (or Irma), residing at
home. 4. William, residing at home. Mrs. May (Crooskey) Kelley sur-
vives her husband and resides at the home farm at Gibsonia.
The first member of the Keil family, now so prominent in the
KEIL region of Sharpsburg, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, to set
AND foot in America was George Keil, a native of Hessen-
SEAVEY Darmstadt, Germany, and one of the much maligned company
of Hessian soldiers which George III., King of Eng-
land, hurled into the Colonies to cope with the American patriots in
the Revolutionary War. The Hessians were heartily hated by the patriots
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1361
as interlopers, and accused of every atrocity, but it must not be forgotten in
considering them that they were but helpless instruments in the hands of
their commanders, virtual masters, and that there was probably much sym-
pathy in the heart of more than one soldier for these strangers in a far
western land against whom they had been, through no choice of their own,
pitted in a war in which they had no personal interest. For the rank and
file of the Hessian troops were recruited from the great mass of the people
of that German principality, a sturdy race who at that very period, were
engaged in a struggle for their own rights and freedom with an oppressive
ducal house, saddled upon them by the aristocratic customs and traditions
of a past age. This belief is certainly given color by the action of George
Kiel himself, who when the war was over preferred to remain in the new
land of liberty, against which he had been forced to bear arms, than to
return to the land of his birth where human rights were still disregarded,
and the battle of liberty yet to be fought. Mr. Keil was a man of talent,
who besides following the trade of weaver, was also a surveyor, neither of
which ability were likely to go begging in the rapidly developing country.
The first home chosen by the Keil family in their adopted land was Pitts-
burgh, Pennsylvania, and here the four sons of George Keil spent their
childhood and youth. His sons were Jacob, John, Peter and George, the
three latter choosing a mercantile life, John becoming a grocer in Pittsburgh,
Peter, a grain dealer and banker, and George in the same city.
In the case of Jacob Keil, through whom the direct line of descent to
the present representatives of the family was continued, the business which
he chose was the highly lucrative one of building contractor, in which he
prospered greatly, erecting a number of important structures, and among
them the Allegheny County Work House, of which one of his sons, Peter,
Jr., afterwards became the first superintendent. Jacob Keil was later asso-
ciated with the firm of Lewis, Dalzell & Company, who did a large iron and
steel business in Pittsburgh. Tt was during the life of Jacob Keil that the
family removed from the city of Pittsburgh to Etna, Pennsylvania, about
the year 1840, and at a later date they again changed their home to the
present location in Sharpsburg. The children of Jacob Keil, four in num-
ber, all sons, were as follows: Peter, Jr., of further mention; Edward;
John; George L., the father of the present Sharpsburg family of the name.
Of these George L. and Peter are no longer living.
Peter Keil served during the Civil War in the LInion army, enlisting
as a drummer boy, and returning with the musket of a full fledged soldier.
He married Margaret Bram, of Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania, and by her had
three children. His children were unusually talented, one of them, Hen-
rietta Keil, having an unusual voice, which was given careful cultivation in
New York and Paris. Later the young lady went on a tour of Europe and
the United States with Damrosch, and there won much renown as an artist.
A son, A. L. Keil, is now the eastern representative of William G. John-
ston, the great publisher's firm of Pittsburgh, having his offices in Phila-
delphia. George Laurence Keil, the youngest son of Jacob Keil, was for
many years a successful grain merchant in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania, and
J 362 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
died in 1899. He married, Alay 19, 1881, Maria E. Seavey, a daughter of
William L. Seavey, of Sharpsburg, where she was born.
The Seavey family are of French Huguenot descent, a strain which has
contributed so much to the vigor and strength of the splendid New England
stock of the country, and furnished not a few of the most distinguished
names in American Colonial history. The earliest mention of the name in
this country is in connection with Nathaniel Seavey. who appears in Maine,
whither he had been attracted by the opportunities there afforded to ship
builders, by the great pine forests near at hand, the presumption being that
he had followed the same occupation in Europe before his migration to these
shores. Josiah fought in the Continental army during the Revolution for
the cause of freedom. Their home in Maine was in Kennebunkport.
Josiah Seavey, whose father served in the Continental army, as late
as 1830 moved from the old Maine home and came to Western Pennsyl-
vania, where he had a grant of land situated between Allegheny and Etna,
in Allegheny county. Here he settled in the vicinity of Pittsburgh, and
here erected the first of Apang's iron mills, which afterwards grew to such
great proportions. He was the father of six children, as follows : William
L., the father of Mrs. George Keil, mentioned above; George A.; Josiah,
Jr. ; Jason ; Emily, now Mrs. James Saint, the only survivor of this genera-
tion in the town of Sharpsburg: and Katherine and Anna. All of these
children are dead with the exception of Mrs. Saint, just mentioned, and
Mrs. Anna Turney, of Greensburg, Pennsylvania. George A. Seavey and
his brother, Josiah, went west to Colorado, where they engaged in mining.
For a full account of the Seavey family, the reader is referred to the ex-
cellent genealogy^ of the family contained in the Boston Genealogical
Library.
William L. Seavey, the eldest son of Josiah Seavey, became a building
contractor in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania, and did a prosperous business
there. He also owned a valuable farm in the locality. At the time of the
outbreak of the Civil War, William L. Seavey was anxious to enlist in the
LTnion army, but an unfortunate accident while a boy had deprived him of
the sight of one eye, and this was deemed sufficient to debar him from the
desired service. Air. Seavey married Eliza Jane Hughes, and by her had
four children, as follows : Maria E., who as above mentioned became the
wife of George L. Keil; Luella I., now a resident of Columbiana, Ohio;
George A., now profitably engaged in the grain business in Sharpsburg,
Pennsylvania ; and Orion W., now a resident of Cleveland, Ohio, general
manager of Electric Freight Service in Ohio.
By the marriage of George L. Keil to Miss Seavey, two old families,
both of which have been conspicuously associated with the Sharpsburg
region, have been united, and in the character of the children of this union
there is every reason to believe that the high traditions of the past will be
continued. Mr. and Mrs. George L. Keil are the parents of three children:
Laurence H., of further mention; Clifford V.. who studied at the Institute
of Technology, now engaged in the hardware business in Sharpsburg; and
Alma L., now a student at the Pennsylvania College for Women.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1363
Laurence H. Keil, the eldest child of George L. and Maria E. (Seavey)
Keil, was bom June i, 1882, at Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania. The elementary
portion of his education was obtained in the local public schools, and at
Pittsburgh Central High School, which he attended until 1900. He then
matriculated at the Western University of Pennsylvania, now the University
of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and in due course of time graduated there-
from with the class of 1906. Later he was admitted to the bar of Alle-
gheny county, and of Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh. Since that time he has
been active in the practice of his profession in Pittsburgh and Sharpsburg,
Pennsylvania. He has also been engaged in real estate development work
in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania.
Charles A. Hartmann is one of a family representative
HARTMANN of the best type of German American character, which
has brought to the cosmop>olitan citizenship of the
United States a leaven of its own peculiar virtues, of unswerving pursuit of
an object, of quiet industry and honest thrift. His grandparents on both
sides of the house lived and died in the "Fatherland," and his father also
passed his youth and early manhood there, receiving his education at the
local volkeschule, and later learning the tinning trade. He was married in
Germany to Barbara Isengart, but emigrated to the United States when their
son Charles A. was but little more than a year old. His destination in this
country was Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but he did not settle in that city, but
pressed on to Sharpsburg in the same state, and there made his first home
in the "New World." He later removed to Temperanceville, and finally to
Etna, Pennsylvania, where he remained until the time of his death. During
these years Mr. Hartmann, Sr., followed the trade he had learned in his
native land, and did considerable tinning work, and at length, after making
his home in Etna, he also established a tinning business there, to which he
devoted himself for the remainder of his life. To Mr. Hartmann and his
wife were born ten children, as follows: Henry, Edward, Charles A., Frank,
John, Kate, Barbara, Lizzie, Rosa and Anna.
Charles A. Hartmann, the third child of John and Barbara (Isengart)
Hartmann, was born October 14, 1859, in Germany. The following year
his parents brought him to the United States with them at the time of their
immigration thither. He was educated in the public schools of Etna, Penn-
sylvania, and upon completing his studies, learned from his father the
latter's trade of tinning. He started an independent business on Freeport
street, Etna, in 1890, and his office is still at that location, although, on
account of his greatly increased business, he was obliged to move his shop
to the two-story building which he now occupies on Union street. In the
year 191 1 the firm became C. A. Hartmann & Sons, Mr. Hartmann taking
into partnership his sons. Lender the new arrangement the business con-
tinues to be large and flourishing. Besides his business. Mr. Hartmann
finds time for other interests and is greatly interested in politics, whether
local, state or national. He is a member of the Republican party.
Mr. Hartmann has been thrice married. His first wife was Elizabeth
1364 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Roth, a native of Pittsburgh. To them were born five children, as follows :
Harrison; Frederick, deceased; Karl J., of whom further; Cyril and Freda,
deceased. Mr. Hartmann's second wife was Louisa Greinner, a native of
Ross township. The children of this union were : Elry ; Rosa, deceased ;
Edward, also deceased. Mr. Hartmann was a third time married, this
time to Emma Meister, a native of Allegheny, Pennsylvania. To them
have been born three children: Esther, Alice, Florence, deceased. Mr.
Hartmann is a member of the Lutheran church and in that belief has reared
his children.
Karl J. Hartmann, the third child of Charles A. and Elizabeth (Roth)
Hartmann, was born in Etna, Pennsylvania, June 15, 1890. He was
educated in the local public schools, continuing his studies until reaching
the age of sixteen years, when he entered the tinning shop of his father
and there learned the trade. In the year 191 1 he was taken into partnership
by his father, and now aids in conducting the flourishing business. Young
Mr. Hartmann is one of the rising men of the town and a very active
member of the community. Like his father, he belongs to the Republican
party. He is a member of the local lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, and
of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is prominent in the life of
these organizations and in the social life of the town generally.
The \\'iiller family is an ancient and honorable one of Ger-
WULLER many, where it has been distinguished for a number of
generations for the ability displayed by its various members
in the field of music. This ability has been transmitted to their descend-
ants here.
Professor John Wiiller, a native of Westphalia, Germany, spent his
entire life in that land, where he died at the age of sixty-five years. He
was an organist and builder by occupation, and earned more than a merely
local renown. His wife, who died at the age of eighty-six years, bore
him two sons and two daughters.
Professor John Henry Wiiller, son of Professor John Wiiller, was
born at Marl, Westphalia, Germany, March 2, 1821, and died in Butler,
Butler county, Pennsylvania, January 30, 1889. He was the recipient of an
excellent education in his native land, especial attention being paid to the
subject of music, as he showed undoubted talent and marked ability from
his earliest years. For some years he taught school in his native land, and
at the age of thirty years came to the United States, where he supported
himself by giving musical instruction. Five years were spent in this occu-
pation in New York City, and he then removed to Selina, New York, having
married in the meantime, and lived in that town for a period of one year.
He next removed to Pitt.sburgh, Pennsylvania, where he taught music two
years, and finally settled at No. 123 Franklin street, Butler, Butler county,
Pennsylvania, where the remainder of his life was spent. The homestead
on which he resided is still in the same condition as in his lifetime. He
followed the musical profession in Butler also, and in addition to this was
J^/^ K^U4Uf/ (ilp/i^<e4^
WESTERN" PENNSYLVANIA 1365
largely interested in real estate matters. He lived retired from business
responsibilities during the last sixteen years of his life. While giving his
consistent support to the principles of the Democratic party, Mr. Wiiller
took no active part in the political affairs of the township. He was con-
sidered the leading musician of Butler, during his years of activity, being
able to play on a variety of instruments, and also was equally proficient in
vocal music. His religious affiliation was with the Roman Catholic Church,
of which he was a devout member.
Professor Wiiller married, about 1853, Johanna Keiffer, also born in
(jermany, who was ten years of age when brought to this country by her
parents, Daniel and Margaret (Kerk) Keifer, and received her education
in this country. She had no especial musical ability, but the children were
all talented, and received excellent high school and college educations.
Children of Professor and Mrs. Wiiller: Daniel H., now deceased, was a
druggist on Main street, Butler, Pennsylvania ; Mary, unmarried, at home ;
Joseph L., a retired druggist of Butler; Jennie and Emma, at home;
Charles B., a druggist of East Butler.
The name of Johnston has been familiar in this country
JOHNSTON from its first settlement by Europeans, but in various
forms, that of the family under discussion here being
the ancient English and Scotch form, differing from such as Jonson, John-
son, Jansen, Johansen, etc.
(I) James Johnston, of Scotch-Irish ancestry, emigrated to America
with his wife, Catherine (Sept) Johnston, and for a time lived on the
"Pike." Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was a shoemaker by trade and plied
this successfully at Pittsburgh, later removing to Beaver county, where he
died at the age of sixty-five years.
(II) Archibald Johnston, son of James and Catherine (Sept) Johnston,
was born in the North of Ireland, and came to this country with his parents
when he was nine years of age. He was educated here in the district
schools, and when he reached man's estate became an engineer on vessels
which plied on the Ohio river. Later he retired to the old homestead at
Scottsville, where he kept the farm in a fine state of cultivation. He mar-
ried Mary Mackrell, also born in the North of Ireland, a daughter of Henry
and Nancy (Real) Mackrell. The latter died before her children emigrated
to America. Mrs. Johnston emigrated to this country at the age of seven-
teen years, and later she and the other children of this family sent for
their father and his second wife to come over here. They had purchased
a farm in Scottsville. Beaver county. Pennsylvania, as a home for the old
people, but the father died two days after his arrival there.
(III) Marshall Johnston, son of Archibald and Mary (Mackrell)
Johnston, was born in Scottsville, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, October
19, 1842, died June 4, 1910.
During his boyhood he was obliged to assist with the farm work
during the summer months, and could only attend school during the winter.
1366 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
He acquired his education at the district schools and the Dayton Academy,
and was attending this last named institution at the outbreak of the Civil
War. He at once abandoned his studies and offered his services in defence
of the Union. He tried to enlist in the Fourteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry,
but was not accepted because of his youth. Having obtained the permission
of his parents, he made another attempt to join the army, and this time was
accepted, and served three years under Captain Duff, a professor of the
Dayton Academy. He then returned to Pittsburgh, and there read law in
the office of Judge Fetterman and S. A. Johnston, the latter his brother.
Having been duly admitted to the bar, he commenced the active practice
of his profession, with which he was identified until his death. He was in
partnership with his brother, S. A. Johnston, and later his son, Oliver
Reed, was admitted to the firm. Mr. Johnston was an excellent man of
business as well as a fine lawyer, and had he chosen to devote his energies
to a business career would undoubtedly have been as successful in that as
he was in his professional work. He was one of the organizers of the
Peoples Building and Loan Association of Pittsburgh, and of the Home
Building and Loan Association of Bellevue ; was the first vice-president of
the Citizens' National Bank of Bellevue. At the time of his death he was
a member of the board of trustees of the Third United Presbyterian Church
of Pittsburgh. He was also a member of the Grand Army of the Republic ;
the Veteran Legion ; Avalon Lodge, No. 657, Free and Accepted Masons.
Mr. Johnston married, in 1868. Mary W. Reed, of Pittsburgh; Mrs.
Johnston lived in the same place fifty years, the house having formerly
belonged to her paternal grandmother, who was a member of an old Alle-
gheny family. William Reed, grandfather of Mrs. Johnston, was born in
Ireland, of Scotch-Irish ancestry, emigrated to America at an early date
and settled at Pittsburgh. He was a carpet weaver by trade. He married
Mary Wilson, and their son. William F. Reed, married a daughter of William
and Maria (Harris) Whitehead, of England, who came to this country
about 1845 and settled on ground which has now been appropriated to
cemetery uses. He was a marble cutter by trade in England, and he and his
brothers brought the laurels which are still in the cemetery. William F.
Reed, father of Mrs. Johnston, was a plumber and brass fitter. He was born
in Strasburg, Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Johnston have had children :
Oliver Reed, a promising young attorney, died in young manhood: Annie
Matilda ; Harry Kerr, a right of way man of the Central District Telephone
Company ; Mary Eva, who married John C. Dicks.
This is among the oldest of German families, all obtainable
HILLEN information showing the residence of the name in that coun-
try. Peter Hillen, father of Peter Hillen, Jr., was born in
that country about 1828, the son of German parents who had passed their
lives there, and died about 1880. He was the owner of a farm in his
native land and cultivated his acres until his death. Both he and his
wife were members of the Catholic church. He was twice married, his
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1367
first wife having six children, and he married (second) Katherina, daughter
of Phihp and Anna Frerres, who lived and died in Rhine province, Ger-
many, her father a farmer on a small scale. Of the children of Philip and
Anna Frerres, two came to the United States, Katherina and a brother, who
now resides in the West. After the death of Peter Hillen, his wife, in 1884,
came to the United States and settled in Heidelberg, Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania. Her resources were slender and her needs many, so that
soon after her arrival she apprenticed her oldest son to a farmer of the
locality, in 1888 marrying a second time, her husband being Frank Libert,
she dying in 1912, he surviving her to the present time. By her second
marriage she was the mother of one daughter, Lena, who married Peter
McDermott, a merchant, and resides in Burdine, Allegheny county, Penn-
sylvania. Children of Peter and Katherina (Frerres) Hillen: i. William,
a carpenter of Heidelberg, Pennsylvania. 2. Peter, of whom further. 3.
Philip, a justice of the peace of Heidelberg, Pennsylvania. 4. Catherine,
married Peter Teiss, and resides in McDonald, Pennsylvania.
Peter Hillen, son of Peter and Katherina (Frerres) Hillen, was born
in Rhine province, Prussia, Germany, April 19, 1872. He received his
scholastic training in the schools of Germany, France and the United
States, in France receiving instruction from an uncle with whom he lived
and learned the language of that country. He learned the carpenter's trade
after completing his studies and followed that occupation for fifteen years,
in 1904 establishing in contracting, a line in which he has since remained, the
present scope of his business including operations in Carnegie, Bridgeville,
Mount Lebanon and Heidelberg. The greater part of his work has been
done in the erection of residences, many of the most attractive houses of
that locality having been built under his direction, his force numbering
about eight men. In 1908 he constructed a house on Ellsworth avenue,
Loupurex, Pennsylvania, and there resides at the present time, his residence
commodious, tastefully designed and comfortable. For three terms Mr.
Hillen has served as a member of the borough council of Loupurex, his
political beliefs being those of the Socialist party. He belongs to the Im-
proved Order of Red Men, the Knights of Malta, the Loyal Order of
Moose, and the German Beneficial Society, of which last named body he
was an organizer and has for two years been its president, an ofiice he now
(1914) holds. Mr. Hillen married, in 1906, Agnes, born in Prussia, Ger-
many, daughter of Jacob and Anna Colley. Mr. and Mrs. Hillen are the
parents of two children, Agnes and Arthur.
The name of Jenkins is of English origin, and is recorded
JENKINS with honor in America and Europe. They have furnished
many men of distinction in professional life, as well as in
commercial pursuits, and the other activities of life.
(I) Jenkins was a farmer and old resident of Black Lick, Indiana
county, Pennsylvania, where he was also an extensive land owner. He mar-
ried and had children : Mary, married David Berry, and died in Indiana
1368 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
county, Pennsylvania; William Henry, of further mention; David, lives in
Black Lick, Indiana county, Pennsylvania.
(II) William Henry Jenkins, son of Jenkins, was born in Indiana
county, Pennsylvania, and died in Saltsburg, in the same county, in 1892,
aged fifty-four years. After his marriage he settled at Livermore, West-
moreland county, Pennsylvania, where he taught school for a time, then
engaged in the feed business. Subsequently he turned his attention to real
estate matters, with which he was identified for some years. He was always
active in the interests of the Republican party, and served for a long time as
justice of the peace. He was twice a candidate for the state assembly, and
during three terms held a political appointment in the house of representa-
tives at Harrisburg. He was a justice of the peace at the time of his death.
During the Civil War he served in Company A, Fifty-fourth Regiment
Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He and his wife were members of the
Presbyterian church, and fraternally he was connected with the Royal
Arcanum. He married Mary Catherine Rombach, who died in Glenfield,
Pennsylvania, in 1900, aged sixty-one years. She was a daughter of
Matthias and Mary (Jennings) Rombach, the latter born near Latrobe,
Pennsylvania, died at Saltsburg. Mr. Rombach was born in Germany, and
was in his early youth when he came to this country. He commenced his
business career as a traveling peddler, going about the country on foot, as
was the custom of those days. When he had accumulated a small capital by
dint of thrift and undoubted industry, he opened a store, and carried on his
business in this manner on a small scale. His correct business methods,
however, did not fail of their proper effect, and his business increased
steadily, until at the time of his death he was considered one of the most
successful jewelers in that section. Mr. and Mrs. Rombach had children :
Elizabeth, married John Martin ; Matthias, Jr., retired from business, lives
at Saltsburg; William D., died in Saltsburg, was a hardware merchant:
Mary Catherine, mentioned above. Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins have had children :
Harry, died in infancy; Ehzabeth, died in infancy; Mary Florence: William
Martin, of further mention; J. Arthur, a jeweler, living at La Grande.
Oregon ; Anna Catherine, widow of Charles E. Sprague.
(III) \Villiam Martin Jenkins, son of William Henry and Mary
Catherine (Rombach) Jenkins, was born at Livermore, Indiana county,
Pennsylvania, November 14, 1871. At first he attended the pubHc schools
of Saltsburg, then was pre])ared for college at the Kiskiminetas Preparatory
School, finally matriculating at the University of Pittsburgh, where he
took a special course in civil engineering to round out some practical work
he had done in that line. He was in the employ of several firms and of
the United States government for some years, then established himself in
the real estate and insurance business at Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, in asso-
ciation with John E. Elrick. He continued there until iqoo, when he
entered the employ of the Pittsburgh Coal Company as a draftsman and
computer. At the end of six weeks he became division engineer for the
Monongahela River Consolidated Coal & Coke Company, and when this
WESTERN i'EXXSVL\AXJA 1369
was absorbed by the Pittsburgh Cual Company in lyu, Air. Jenkins re-
mained with the latter corporation. In lyoy he was made chief draftsman;
in 191 1, assistant chief engineer; and he then became assistant engineer of
the Pittsburgh Coal Company; in October, 1913, he was appointed assistant
real estate agent of the Pittsburgh Coal Company, a position of which he is
the incumbent at the present time. Since November, 1901, he has lived at
Dravosburg, where he has built himself a tine house on Ridge avenue.
Politically a Republican, he has always given his strong support to that
party. He is a member and past master of Aliquippa Lodge, No. 375, Free
and Accepted Masons, of McKeesport; member of AIcKeesport Chapter,
Royal Arch Masons; McKeesport Commandery, Knights Templar. Mr.
Jenkins married, October 14, 1897, Anna Grace, a daughter of Edward H.
and Lydia Thompson, and they have one child, Grace Florence.
Kuhn and Kuhns are names of prominence in Westmoreland
KUHN county, Pennsylvania, the form of the name being varied with
that of Kuntz in the same family. The family may be of
Dutch, but is more probably of German extraction.
(I) Kuhn married, and had children: George, of further men-
tion; Arthur J., died July 8, 1913, was president of the Homestead Realty
Company, and married Mary McCowie; Jennie K., unmarried, lives in
Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
(H) George Kuhn, son of Kuhn, was born at Broad Ford, Fayette
county, Pennsylvania, in 1852, and died in 1884. He was a very young
child when he removed with his parents to Latrobe, Westmoreland county,
Pennsylvania, and there became a student at St. Vincent's Academy. As
he attained manhood he made a study of pharmacy, and was engaged in
the drug business, having a store of his own until his death. He and his
family were members of the Roman Catholic church. He married Catherine
Lipp, born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1854, died in 1895, ^ sister of:
Mary, married Hoffman, a physician in Wallbrook, Pennsylvania;
, married Dr. Charles Meyer, and lives at No. 1619 Caroline street,
Baltimore ; , married Hodinotte. Mr. and Mrs. Kuhn became
the parents of children as follows : Gertrude, married John W. Fadyen, an
attorney in Latrobe, Pennsylvania; James C, of further mention; Bertha,
unmarried, lives in Latrobe ; Charlotte, died at the age of four years ;
Catherine, married David M. Gibson, superintendent of a coal mine, and
lives in Latrobe ; George, died at the age of two years.
(HI) James C. Kuhn, son of George and Catherine (Lipp) Kuhn,
was born on Hartford Road, in Baltimore, Maryland, April 15, 1878. After
the death of the father in 1884, the widow removed with her family into
the city of Baltimore, where James C. attended school until the age of
fourteen years. He then became a salesman for Haywood Brothers &
Wakefield Company, who were wholesale dealers in chairs and baby car-
riages, and remained with that firm five years, the territory he covered
lying in Baltimore, and in \\'ashinCTton, District of Columbia. In 1898 he
I370
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
came to Homestead, Pennsylvania, and at first worked for his uncle, A. J.
Kuhn, in the real estate business, but after a time established himself inde-
pendently in this line. In 1901 the Homestead Realty Company was organ-
ized, and in 1903 Mr. Kuhn became a salesman for this concern, his uncle,
Arthur J. Kuhn, being the president. In 1910 James C. Kuhn was chosen
vice-president of the company, and upon the death of his uncle in 1913
succeeded him in the presidency. This company does an extensive business
and has a large number of salesmen. Mr. Kuhn is a Progressive in his
political affiliation, and has served as a member of the borough council of
Homestead. He is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks. He resides at No. 218 East Eleventh street.
Mr. Kuhn married, June 26, 1907, Hilda, born in San Francisco, Cali-
fornia, a daughter of Henry and Ida (Fletcher) Norton, the former a
native of New York City, the latter born in Memphis, Tennessee, and both
now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Kuhn have had children : Thomas Carey,
born January 19, 1909; Rachel, born February 2-j, 1912; David Norton,
born January 5, 1914.
Joseph H. Kim comes of one of the most capable and liberty
KIM loving of the peoples of Europe, the cradle of those hardy virtues,
which though represented by a comparatively small element in the
United States, has yet engrafted upon the citizenship of this country their
traits of fearlessness and independence of action.
(I) His grandfather, Sebastian Kim, was born in Switzerland among
the Alps, and possessed in full measure the strong and enterprising char-
acter of his race. Full of the desire to see the world and try its experiences
for himself, he set forth as a young man in the year 1818 to make the
journey to America, the reports of whose great opportunities had pene-
trated every corner of the European countries. From the first adventures
befell him and he was forced to remain nine weeks in Holland by the
shipwreck of his vessel. Not discouraged, however, he continued on his
way the following year, and in due time reached these shores. The first
place in which he made his home was the city of Riiladelphia, where he had
his headquarters for a number of years, although he could scarcely be said
to live there, as he made a number of extended excursions to other parts.
He was strongly attracted by the opportunities to be found in the rapidly
developing western region of the state of Pennsylvania, and actually made
three trips to Pittsburgh from Philadelphia and back on foot, crossing the
mountains and braving all the perils and hardships of the way, in those days
of pioneering sinister enough. Finally after assuring himself in this man-
ner of the advantages to be found in that region, he removed there and
made his home in Pittsburgh for a few years. The great possibilities in
farming in that part of the country soon attracted his attention and he
acquired a fine piece of farming land in Penn township, Allegheny county,
to which he moved, and was soon conducting very profitable farming opera-
tions. He raised garden truck for the surrounding community, which, with
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1371
its rapidly increasing population, offered the best and surest imaginable
market. Besides the garden truck, Mr. Kim made a specialty of maple
sugar, with which the surrounding wilderness provided him great quantities,
and molasses. He married Mary Wonderley, who bore him six children,
as follows: iVIary, Maria, Theresa, who later became Mrs. Joseph Keating,
of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania; Sebastian, Jr.; Henry, Ambrose, Thad-
deus, Joseph, of whom further. Sebastian Kim was a faithful member of
the Catholic church, and this faith he handed on to his children.
(II) Joseph Kim, son of Sebastian Kim, was born in Philadelphia,
before his parents had left that place for their more western home in
Allegheny county. He was still a young child when that move was taken,
hovi'ever, so he gained his education in the schools of Birmingham, Penn
township. He later followed in the footsteps of his father, took up truck
farming and continued his father's profitable business. He also engaged in
lumbering, and butchering business, which was a highly lucrative business
in that time and place. As an illustration of the size of his operations, it
may be stated that his truck farm, in 1876, the year of the war panic, com-
prised sixty-five acres. He married Louisa Limegrover, he and his wife
being the parents of ten children, as follows: Cecelia; Joseph H., of whom
further; William C. ; Sebastian, deceased; Mary A., now Mrs. James Man-
ning, of Penn township; Barbara, who now resides with her mother;
Theresa, now Mrs. Joseph Schafer, of Penn township; Louise M. B., who
married George B. Verner, a glass worker, and a resident of Greensburg,
Pennsylvania ; Rose C, who married Phillip Witham, a telegrapher. There
were besides these, two boys who died in infancy, Edward and John. Mr.
Kim was a member of the Catholic church, a Democrat in politics, and a
prominent figure in the neighborhood. His death occurred November 7,
1880.
(III) Joseph H. Kim, the second child and eldest son of Joseph and
Louisa (Limegrover) Kim, was born in Penn township, January i, 1864.
He first saw light on the old homestead which had served his father and
grandfather as a farm, and which was to serve him in a similar capacity.
He obtained his education in the public schools of Penn township, and upon
completing his studies took the management of the old Kim farm into his
able hands. Like his father and grandfather, he raises and markets truck,
his crop being represented by such staples as tomatoes, cabbages, potatoes,
and a large quantity of fruit, fifteen acres being devoted to this alone. He
is an expert gardener and farmer, and well known throughout the region
as an authority on agricultural subjects. Like his father, he is a member
of the Democratic party, and a keen and intelligent observer of the political
issues agitating the country. To him has descended the faith of his ancestors,
that of the Roman Catholic church, and he. in turn, is rearing his children
therein.
Joseph H. Kim married, January T7. toot, Mary J. E. Joyce, a
native of Alpsville, Pennsylvania, where she was born December 14, 1877,
and a daughter of Thomas J. and Honora Joyce. Mr. Joyce is a native of
-^■^72
^^'ESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Ireland, where he was born December 14, 1853. ^i*^ came to the United
States when about seventeen years of age and settled first in Jefferson
county, Pennsylvania, and removed later to Pittsburgh, where he has
resided about forty years. He and Mrs. Joyce are the parents of seven
children: Mary J. E., now Mrs. Kim; Margaret, John, Anna, Thomas,
Martin and Helen, all of whom are living. To Mr. and Mrs. Joseph H.
Kim have been born eight children, as follows : Martha Josephine, born
October 30, 1901 ; Mary Louise, born November 17, 1902; Joseph H., Jr.,
born June 6, 1904; Regina Frances, born November 24, 1905; Helen Marie,
born November 3, 1907; Anna Theresa, born October 15, 1909; Paul
Sebastian, born January 24, 191 1; William Adrian, born March 5, 1914.
The four older children, Martha Josephine, Mary Louise, Joseph H., Jr.,
and Regina Frances, are all students at the school of St. Joseph, at Verona,
Pennsylvania.
Little is known of the earlier history of this family, except
CRATTY the fact, and a very important one, that the various members
always performed the duties of the stations of life to which
they were called with exemplary fidelity and ability.
William Cratty, who was for a number of years a resident of Arm-
strong county, Pennsylvania, later removed with, his family to Butler county,
in the same state. He married Elizabeth Henshaw, and of his four sons and
three daughters the elder ones were born in Armstrong county, the others
in Butler county.
Captain Eli Graham Cratty, son of William and Elizabeth (Henshaw)
Cratty, was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, April 20, 1841,
and died in January, 1876. His education was commenced in the public
schools of Butler county, Pennsylvania, and completed at the Weatherspoon
Institute, in the same county. He was then engaged in teaching school in
Forward and Butler townships. Butler county, Pennsylvania, until April,
1861, when he enlisted for three months. Upon the expiration of this term
of service he returned to Butler county, and at once re-enlisted, becoming a
member of Company E, One Hundred and Third Regiment Pennsylvania
Volunteer Infantry. He was advanced through the various grades until
October 28, 1862, when he was appointed captain of the company. He
remained in active service, and on April 20, 1864, the anniversary of his
birth was captured at Plymouth, North Carolina, but escaped, March 7, 1865.
Altogether he was captured four times, escaping on three of these occasions,
but served imprisonment eleven months, three of these being spent in Libby
Prison. He was removed from this prison as a concession to his rank, and
was finally mustered out, June 25, 1865, when he returned to Butler county.
After his marriage he resided in Petersville, Butler county, where he was
the owner of a general store, and was also engaged in teaching until his
appointment as clerk to the county commissioner of Butler county, an office
he had filled about two and a half years when death put an end to his
labors. He was a member of the local Post, Grand Army of the Republic,
wa/i/:. Gii c/')'ci/ia^?i ^*w//W
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1373
and an elder in the United Presbyterian church. His poHtical support was
given to the Rcpuhhcan party.
Captain Cratty married, in October, 1865, Agnes Carsons, born in
Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, removed to Butler county with her parents
when she was five years of age. She was the only child of John and
Catherine (Brodfoot) (Donnon) Carsons, both natives of Scotland. The
former died in Butler county, Pennsylvania, at the age of fifty-nine years,
the latter died in the same county, at the age of eighty-two years, and both,
members of the Covenanters' church, are buried in North Cemetery, Butler
county, Pennsylvania. John Carsons came to America at the age of twenty-
five years, and for a time was a farmer in Armstrong county, Pennsylvania,
where he married Catherine (Brodfoot) Donnon, widow of John Donnon,
by whom she had no children. He continued farming after his removal to
Butler county. Of the children of Captain and Mrs. Cratty the two
eldest were born in Petersville, the others in Butler. Their names
are as follows: John Carson, deceased; Catherine; Elizabeth, deceased;
Lelila Ada, married David Caldwell, one child, Agnes Cratty; Nora Agnes,
married C. B. McMillian, one son, John Carson. Mrs. Cratty is a member
of the Women's Relief Corps, associated with the Grand Army of the
Republic, a member of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, and an
active worker in the interests of the United Presbyterian church. She is a
stockholder of the Savings and Trust Company of Butler, and resides at
No. 129 South McKean street, Butler, Pennsylvania.
The family of Kearney, well and favorably known fn Mc-
KEARNEY Keesport and vicinity, represented in the present genera-
tion by Edward C. Kearney, an enterprising and pro-
gressive business man of McKeesport, is an old and honored one, the mem-
bers in the various generations performing well their part in all the duties
devolving upon them.
(I) Kearney, grandfather of Edward C. Kearney, was the father
of five children, namely : James, David, Edward C, of whom further ;
Emma, wife of James Malloy, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and .
(H) Dr. Edward C. Kearney, father of Edward C. Kearney, was born
in Monongahela City, Washington county, Pennsylvania, 1844, died in
August, 1903. After completing his studies in the schools of his native
city, he studied medicine under the preceptorship of Dr. Stuckslager, of
McKeesport, then pursued a course in the Cleveland Medical College, from
which institution he graduated, after which he matriculated in the Johns
Hopkins College, graduating from the medical department. He began the
active practice of his profession in Dravosburg. Pennsylvania, removing
from there to McKeesport, where he spent the remainder of his life, about
twenty years. He was a skillful practitioner, and won and held the esteem
of his many patrons, also the confidence and good will of his medical
brethren. He took an active part in public affairs, his influence for good
being felt in many directions, was a prominent member of the First
1374 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Methodist Episcopal Church, and a staunch Democrat in poHtical beUef,
serving his party on many occasions. He married Mary Jane Stone, born
on South Side, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, living at the present time (1914)
at No. 1412 Mauner avenue, McKeesport, Pennsylvania. She is a daughter
of William Alsburg and Mary Jane Stone, he a native of England; they
came to Pittsburgh, and Mr. Stone engaged in the coal business, being the
first man to float coal to New Orleans, being the owner of live steamers for
that purpose, and by this means he amassed a considerable fortune. Pie
died on the ocean while making a trip to England, and his wife died in
Dravosburg, Pennsylvania. They were the parents of six other children
besides Mrs. Kearney, namely: Joseph A., deceased; George W., deceased;
William S., deceased ; John W. ; Thomas B., engaged in the hardwood
lumber business in Cincinnati, Ohio ; Elizabeth. Mr. Stone named his boats
for his children, also named one the "Coal Alley." Dr. and Mrs. Kearney
had three children: Edward C, of whom further; William S. ; Charles E.
(Ill) Edward C. Kearney was born in Dravosburg, Pennsylvania,
October i, 1874. He attended the public schools of his native place and
the Indiana (Pennsylvania) State Normal School. His first employment
was in the office of the National Tube Company at McKeesport, and later
in the masonry department of the same company at Pittsburgh, being em-
ployed by the company for about ten years in all. He was a director and
treasurer of The Realty Company of McKeesport for eleven years, and in
August, 1913, he engaged in the real estate, insurance, bonds and mortgage
business, representing the Equitable Life Insurance Company, and for the
past eight years has been a notary public. He has been successful in this
line of work, the direct result of perseverance, energy and determination.
He gives his allegiance to the Democratic party, in the work of which he has
taken an active part, and he is a member of the Knights of Malta and the
Royal Arcanum. Mr. Kearney and his family are members of the First
Methodist Episcopal Church of McKeesport. Mr. Kearney married, in
1903, Alice Hunter, of McKeesport. daughter of the late Thomas Hunter.
Two children: Edward C, born December 12. 1906, and Alice Louise,
born August 19, 191 1.
From county Sligo, Ireland, came Patrick Rafter to tlie
RAFTER United States, settling in Luzerne county, Pennsylvania,
where he and his wife passed their entire lives, he dying in
1872, she seven years afterward. His wife, Mary, daughter of Matthew
and Ann (Morrison) Byron, was likewise a native of Ireland, and they
were the parents of: Bridget, born in Ireland, died in infancy; Mary, of
whom further; Thomas, born in Summit Hill, Pennsvlvania, as were his
younger brothers and sisters. Thomas. Ann, John. James, William, Edward,
Catherine, Ellen, Hannah, Elizabeth.
Mary, daughter of Patrick and Mary (Byron) Rafter, was born in
county Sligo, Ireland, March 22. 1836. and in her early life made her home
with her maternal grandparents, joining her parents in Summit Hill, Luzerne
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1375
county, Pennsylvania, about 1856. She married, January 21, 1869, John
KilculHn, born in Ireland, son of John KilcuUin. John Kilcullin came from
Ireland when a young man, his occupation being that of mill-worker, and
after his marriage lived for a time in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. On De-
cember 15, 1891, Mrs. Kilcullin moved to Aspinwall, Pennsylvania, there
building a house and establishing in the grocery business, as she has since
been engaged. She was the proprietress of the first store opened in Aspin-
wall, and during Cleveland's second presidential administration was post-
mistress of the Aspinwall office. Mrs. Kilcullin has met with excellent
success in her business dealings, and has prospered well, owning other
property in that locality. Her store is known throughout the country-side,
and all of its many patrons know its owner as "Mother Kilcullin," by which
title she is universally addressed. During the more than twenty years that
she has been in active business she has neither needed nor asked favors of
her competitors of the opposite sex, but, learning the arts of successful
dealing, she has invested them with the simplicity and gentleness of her
nature, with what success her generous patronage shows. Her greeting is
ever cheery and her smile bright, and the unfaltering faith with which she
meets the morning is the secret of her calmness of spirit and the brightness
of her life. She has grown old at her place of business, and the reward of
her labors in Aspinwall is, besides material benefit, the friendship of all and
the love of many. She is a member and regular attendant of the Roman
Catholic church. Children of John and Mary (Rafter) Kilcullin: John,
deceased; Murdock, deceased; Mary Josephine, married Harvey C. Light-
ner, of Pittsburgh.
The name of Playward is one which is not unfamiliar in
HAYWARD the annals of our country, but the particular branch of
which this sketch treats only came to the United States in
more recent years, while it is more than probable that they have had a
common origin with those of the name who came here before them. The
grandparents of Dr. George Earnest Hayward, of Meadville, Crawford
county, Pennsylvania, came to this country from England, and settled in
Washington county, Pennsylvania.
(II) James Baird Hayward, their son, was born in England, and came
to the United States with his parents. Later in life he engaged in the
wholesale flour and feed business, and has been successfully identified
with this for the past thirty years. For a period of eighteen years he was
connected in an official capacity with the Monongahela Milling Company.
In political opinion he is a staunch Democrat, and his religious affiliations
are with the Methodist church. Fraternally he is associated with the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows. He married Anna, daughter of Stephen
L. and Anna Earnest, of Pennsylvania. They have had children : Stephen
L. ; Julia, deceased; Elizabeth; James B. ; Rachel, deceased; Laura T. :
George Earnest, see forward ; Ellen P.
(III) Dr. George Earnest Hayward, son of James Baird and Anna
1376 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
(Earnest) Hayward, was born in Monongahela, Pennsylvania, June 3, 1885.
He acquired his elementary education in the public schools of Monongahela,
and was graduated from the Kiskiminitas Springs schools in 1906. Matricu-
lating at the Hahnemann Medical College, of Philadelphia, he was graduated
with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in the class of 1910. One year was
spent as an interne at the Pittsburgh Homeopathic Hospital, in Pittsburgh,
and he then established himself in practice in Meadville, Crawford county,
Pennsylvania, becoming the successor to Dr. E. C. Parson, with offices at
No. 224 Chestnut street. Dr. Hayward is Independent in his political
opinions, and is an attendant at the Methodist church. He is a member of
the Pennsylvania State Homeopathic Medical Association; of Lodge No.
408, Free and Accepted Masons ; and of the Fraternal Order of Eagles.
Dr. Hayward is progressive in his ideas, yet this progressiveness is tem-
pered with a certain amount of conservatism, which will always keep him
on the safe side in the practice of his profession. His practice is a rea-
•sonably extensive one, and it is increasing with great rapidity. He is
rapidly gaining the confidence of the community, and great things are
expected of him in the future.
Joseph Lehner comes of a family representative of the best
LEHNER type of the stalwart Swiss people, who for centuries were
engaged in a fierce struggle for liberty, and who, of all the
nations of the motlern world, first demonstrated the possibility of practical,
permanent republican government. Although coming in smaller numbers
than many of their neighbors as immigrants to this country, the great
impulse to escape from oppressive social conditions being absent in their
case, yet have they introduced a leaven of their virtues into the composite
citizenship of the United States, which cannot but prove of inestimable
value in the final makeup of the new American race.
His father, Charles Lehner, was a native of Switzerland and a resi-
dent of that country until the year 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War
there was at one time as many as two hundred French soldiers quartered in
the Lehner home, and for whom the family cared. In the year mentioned
above, Charles Lehner emigrated to the LTnited States, and at once went to
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he made a home for himself and family
upon the North Side. He had been trained in the calling of miller in his
native land, and had while yet living there followed it for a period of
eighteen years. Some time after his settlement in Pittsburgh, in 1871, to
be precise, he resumed his past trade, and operated a flour mill until the
year 1877, when he purchased a large farm of one hundred and ten acres
at Milltown, Pennsylvania, near Verona. Charles Lehner was married in
his native land to Magdalina . and by her had six children, four sons
and two daughters, two of the sons and one daughter being still alive.
Joseph Lehner, son of Charles and Magdalina Lehner, was born in
1871, in Switzerland. His father emigrated to the New World in the same
year as that in which his birth occurred, and two years later Mrs. Lehner
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1377
followed her husband with their children. It thus happened that, coming
as he did when but two years of age, his childish associations are all with the
land of his adoption. He received but scanty education through the ordinary
channels, but his quick mind and the earnest desire to gain knowledge stood
him in good stead, and by close application and hard work he has made
good the deficiency of his early training. While a mere boy he was obliged
to assist his father in the hard path which the elder man had to walk in
his elforts to support a wife and children in a strange land. Between the
two, therefore, there grew up a strong cdmradship. Father and son shared
their toil and hardships, stood by one another through thick and thin, and
in the end won the fight against difficulties. Together they engaged in a
number of business ventures, at one time conducting a delivery business,
confectionery shop and a pool room together. In the year 1880 Joseph
Lehner engaged in the feed business, in which he has continued ever since
with a high degree of success. His first establishment was located on East
Railroad avenue, Verona, Pennsylvania, and there he remained until he
built his present store building in 1895 on the corner of Penn and South
streets, which has remained his headquarters ever since. In 1906 he built a
fine brick and stone front residence, next to his place of business, and here
he is dwelling at present. When Mr. Lehner removed his business from
East Railroad avenue, he did not dispose of the property, but continues to
retain possession of it, a policy which has amply justified itself, the place
being now rented as a moving picture house and netting him a lucrative
income.
Mr. Lehner married, in 1900. Anna Ebel. a daughter of Ebel,
of East Liberty, Pennsylvania, where she was born. To Mr. and Mrs.
Lehner have been born three children, Marie. Lorretta and Marcella. Mr.
and Mrs. Lehner are members of the Roman Catholic church, and in that
faith are rearing their children.
The McKelvys of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, descend from
McKELVY James McKelvy, born in Ireland, who with his wife and
infant son, James (2), came to Pennsylvania and located
on Penn avenue, Wilkinsburg. Later he purchased a farm and later still
bought land in what is now Wilkinsburg, paying ten dollars per acre for
land, upon a part of which his grandson, James S. McKelvy, lives. James
(2) McKelvy was born in county Down, Ireland, and was brought when
a babe to this country by his parents. He was married in 1824 and in 1828
began farming land now owned by his son. In 1839 he erected the house
that is yet in use and in good condition, residing therein until his death. He
was a successful stock raiser and farmer and prospered abundantly. He
married Rosanna Swissheler, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Wonders)
Swissheler, the latter living to the great age of ninety-three years. Rosanna
Swissheler was born in then Wilkinsburg township, now Swissvale borough,
where the family settled in 1814. Her father served in the Revolution
and endured many perils from Indians in the early days. Children : James
137S WESTERN PENNSYL\ANIA
S., Margaret Ann, John, James M., Elizabeth, John S., of whom further;
Martha, Wilham and Wilbur. The family were members of the Methodist
Episcopal church, the father a strong Whig.
John S. McKelvy, son of James (2) and Rosanna (Swissheler) Mc-
Kelvy, was born in the old farm house now occupied by him as a country
home, in Wilkinsburg township, April 22, 1841. He was educated in public
schools and Allegheny College, reaching his junior year when his brother
enlisted in the Union army in 1861, causing John S. to be called home to
take his brother's place on the farm. This brother, James S., was badly
wounded at Nashville and died from the effects of his injuries. John S.
remained on the farm which he now owns and has made it his home until
the present time, although since 1904 he has spent the winter months in
Wilkinsburg. He followed the lead of his father, and continued the line
of breeding shorthorn cattle and fine sheep. The farm contains something
less than one hundred acres and is a valuable property. He is a member of
the First Presbyterian Church of Wilkinsbiu'g, and for forty years has been
a member of the Masonic Order. Mr. McElvy married, in 1865, Eleanor M.
Horner, of Wilkinsburg, her old home now being the site of the First
National Bank. Children: Rose, James, Mary, Elizabeth, Eleanor, John
S. (2).
The thickening mill has left us several words of familiar
WALKER import, among which is \Yalker. Claiming as it does an
almost unrivalled position in the rolls of our nomenclature,
it reminds us of the early fashion of treading out the cloth before the
adaptations of machinery were brought to bear on this phase of the craft.
Walker has disappeared as a term of trade, and it is in the directories alone
that the name declaring the forgotten mysteries of early English cloth manu-
facture can be found. But the stern virtues which made the early bearers
of the name useful and valued citizens are still evidenced in the life of their
posterity, showing the virility and mental force which characterized them.
(I) Harvey Walker, a resident of Pittsburgh, removed to Greenville,
Mercer county, Pennsylvania, at an early date, and there was a real estate
dealer. He married and had a family.
(H) James Nicholas Walker, son of Harvey Walker, was born in
Greenville, Mercer county, Pennsylvania, and died when about twenty-five
years of age. He was a farmer by occupation. He married Mal-y Louise
McGranahan, who married (second) Jacob Miller, and lived on a farm in
Sadsbury township. She married (third) Rev. John McLean, whom she
also survived, and died in 1902. Mr. and Mrs. Walker had children:
Harvey, deceased, was a veteran of the Civil War, during which struggle
he lost an arm ; John, a farmer living in Sadsburg township ; James Nicho-
las, of further mention ; Priscilla. died young.
(HI) Dr. James Nicholas (2) Walker, son of James Nicholas (i)
and Mary Louise (McGranahan) W^alker, was born in East Fallowfield
township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, February 11, 1849, and his early
//rM^^^^tj^ ///v^,
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1379
years were spent on the farm there, and in Greenville, Pennsylvania. He
attended the public schools and was then prepared for college, becoming a
student at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, from which he was
graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. He commenced the
practice of his profession in Greenville, Pennsylvania, where he remained
two years, and after a short interval in Mexico and New Mexico, located in
Linesville, Pennsylvania, in 1882, and has since been successfully engaged
in medical practice in that town. In 1910 he associated his son, Herman
Hervey, with him, and intends to retire gradually from active practice.
Dr. Walker married Mary B. Hervey, a sketch of whose family is appended,
and they have had children : Herman Hervey, of further mention ; Helen,
born June 6, 1888, is employed in a bank ; Mildred, born January 4, 1894,
at home.
(IV) Dr. Herman Hervey Walker, son of Dr. James Nicholas (2)
and Mary B. (Hervey) Walker, was born in Linesville, Crawford county,
Pennsylvania, April 23, 1886. The public schools of Linesville furnished
his early education and he was then prepared for entrance to college at
the Washington and Jefiferson Academy at Washington, Pennsylvania. In
1905 he matriculated at JefTerson Medical College, Philadelphia, and was
graduated from this institution in 1909 with the degree of Doctor of Medi-
cine. His interneship was spent at the Altoona (Pennsylvania) Hospital,
and in 1910 he located in Linesville, becoming an associate of his father,
whose practice he is gradually taking over. While a student at college he
was a member of the Hare Medical Society and the Ptolemy fraternity.
He is a member of Crawford County Medical Society, Pennsylvania State
Medical Society, American Medical Association, Pine Lodge, Free and
Accepted Masons, of which he is past master ; also a member of the Royal
Arcanum. His religious afiftliation is with the United Presbyterian church.
Dr. Walker married, September 10, 1914, Bertha Louise McKean, born in
Conneaut township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, February 13, 1893, a
daughter of L. H. and Mary (Spaulding) McKean. the former a farmer of
the township.
(Maternal Line of Dr. H. H. Walker.)
(I) George Ludwig Mytinger was married, in Brettach, a village of
Baden, Germany, November 11, 1749, to Margaret Engelhardt. He sailed
with his family from Rotterdam, Holland, arriving in Philadelphia, Penn-
sylvania, September 30, 1754, and then settled at Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
(II) John Jacob M;ytinger, son of George Ludwig and Margaret
(Engelhardt) Mytinger, was born in Germany, September 19, 1750. He
was a soldier in the War of the Revolution, serving as second lieutenant
in the command of Batholomew Von Heer's Light Dragoons, a battalion
authorized for special service by Washington, and a part of the time his
body guard. Lieutenant Mytinger served imtil the close of the war.
(III) Hannah Mytinger, daughter of Lieutenant John Jacob Mytinger,
was thirteen years of age when she became an orphan, and she was reared
by an uncle, Lewis Mytinger, of Alexandria, Pennsylvania. She married
1380 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
John Conrad Bucher, of Alexandria, Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, and
tliey had children: Maria, married John Porter; Anna Dorothea, of further
mention ; Elizabeth, died unmarried ; Susannah, married Dr. Houtz ;
Hannali, married George Swoat; Caroline, married Charles Hatfield; John
Jacob, a farmer, lived in Cumberland Valley; George Conrad, a capitalist,
lived in Alexandria, and married a Miss Scott.
(IV) Anna Dorothea Bucher, daughter of John Conrad and Hannah
(Mytinger) Bucher, was born August 15, 1780. She married, December
10, 1799, Charles Porter, at one time a merchant in Alexandria, Pennsyl-
vania, later a flour merchant and the owner of a flour mill at the same place.
(V) Jane Porter, daughter of Charles and Anna Dorothea (Bucher)
Porter, married the Rev. Hugh Henry Hervey, D.D., a son of Robert and
Mary Hervey, the former a miller by trade, who came to this country from
Ireland in 1846. Robert and Mary Hervey had children : Robert, an oil
'producer; John, a farmer and merchant; William, went to Australia; James,
a miller ; Ford, an oil producer ; David, an oil producer ; Mary, died in early
womanhood ; Hugh Henry, of further mention.
(VI) Rev. Hugh Henry Hervey, D.D., was born near Bambridge and
Neury, county Down, Ireland, October 10, 1826, and died December 31, 1903.
He received a good education at the Royal Institution, Belfast, Ireland, and in
1846 emigrated to this country with his parents. He located at Tarentum,
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, and was graduated from the Western
Theological College, at Pittsburgh, in 1848. He then passed to the Asso-
ciate Reformed Theological Seminary, and was graduated from this in
1852. He was ordained a minister of the United Presbyterian church in
1853, and the following year was assigned to a pastorate at Hartstown,
Crawford county, Pennsylvania. Prior to receiving this appointment he
had also preached to the congregations at Jamestown and North Shenango.
He served as minister at Hartstown for the period of forty-six years, was
many years a member of the board of trustees of the Theological Seminary
at Pittsburgh, and also of Westminster College. He married, October 11,
1853, Jane Porter, born in Alexandria, Pennsylvania, January 27, 1832, died
September 20, 1899. They had children: Mary B., who married Dr. James
Nicholas Walker (see Walker III) ; Jennie, married J. R. Andrews, and
lives in Mcadville. Pennsylvania.
Among the early Scotch-Irish pioneers of Western Penn-
McJUNKIN sylvania was the well known and highly respected Mc-
Junkin family, whose various members in the course of
years have done their full share toward increasing the prosperity of the
state of Pennsylvania.
(I) Robert Mcjnnkin. a native of Scotland, migrated to Ireland about
1745. He married and had a family.
(II) William Mcjnnkin. son of Robert Mcjunkin, received a good
common school education. He was in all probability a farmer. He emi-
grated to America, and settled in Plum township, Alleghenv county, Peim-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1381
sylvania, in 1788, about three years after his marriage. He erected the first
blociv house in that section of the country, and he and his neighbors took
refuge in it when the Indians made their frequent depredations. He was
an active member of the Plum Creek Presbyterian Church, Allegheny
county, and he assisted in building the original house of worship on a part
of his farm. The remains of his block house may still be seen. Mr. Mc-
Junkin married, in Ireland, about 1785, and had children: William, of
further mention ; David, who removed to Butler county, Pennsylvania,
shortly after 1800, and his descendants are to be found there at the present
day; James, who removed to Ohio, and from there to the Shenandoah
Valley, where his descendants are numerous.
(III) William (2) Mcjunkin, son of William (i ) Mcjunkin, was born
in Ireland, and was a very young child when brought to this country by his
parents. He was successfully engaged in agriculture, owning a farm of two
hundred and thirty acres. He was Republican in political opinion, and a
Presbyterian in religious denomination, and served for many years as an
elder of the old Plum Creek Presbyterian Church. He married Susan
Mary Meanor, and they had ten children : William Alexander, died in
infancy; Josiah, William, David, James, of whom further; Susan, Mary,
Martha, Elizabeth, Sarah.
(IV) James Mcjunkin, son of William (2) and Susan Mary (Meanor)
Mcjunkin, was born in Plum township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
January 5, 1824, and died July 21, 1900. A sound, practical education was
obtained in the common schools of the district, and he followed agriculture,
as his forebears had done. He gave his political support to the Republican
party, and served as school director and road supervisor for many years.
His religious affiliation was with the Presbyterian church, in which he was
a member of the board of elders for a long time. He married (first)
Rebecca Logan, and by this union there was no issue. He married (second)
March 11, 1869, Mary Elizabeth Carpenter, and had children: William
Marshall, who married Jennie W. Wakefield, of Pittsburgh, a granddaughter
of Rev. Samuel Wakefield, a prominent Methodist Episcopal minister, and
the author of a large number of hymn books, many of which are still in use;
Eleanor C. ; Walter L., married Millie Cunlifife, and had two children, Mary
E. and Melinda T. ; James, of further mention ; Mary E. ; Rebecca L., mar-
ried William W. Wallace, and had two children, Sarah E. and Robert M.
Mrs. Mary Elizabeth (Carpenter) Mcjunkin was born June 21, 1844. a
daughter of Jeremiah Murry and Eleanor (McFadden) Carpenter. Her
paternal ancestor in this country was Heinrich Zimmerman (the trans-
lation of which is Carpenter), who came from the Canton of Berne, Swit-
zerland, about 1698, with his family, and settled in Lancaster county, Penn-
sylvania, about 1703. He had a son Daniel, a grandson Daniel, a great-
grandson John, and a great-great-grandson Jeremiah Murry Carpenter, the
father of Mrs. Mcjunkin. Jeremiah Murry Carpenter was a teacher in his
earlier years, then became a farmer and surveyor, and was also a scrivener
or drawer of contracts. In political matters he was a Democrat, served
1382 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
many years as justice of the peace, and was a member of the miHtia. He
was a staunch adherent of the Presbyterian faith, and was one of the ruhng
elders of the old Plum Creek Presbyterian Church. He married Eleanor,
born in West Middletown, Washington county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of
James and Margaret (Stewart) McFadden. They had four children besides
Mrs. Mcjunkin, and were people of prominence in the community. The
names of these children are : Mary E. ; John James, common pleas judge
of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania; Jeremiah M. ; Samuel L. and Bertha E.
(V) James (2) Mcjunkin, son of James (i) and Mary E. (Carpenter)
Mcjunkin, was born in Plum township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
December 7, 1876. The public schools furnished his educational advantages,
and he has supplemented these by well chosen reading on all the questions of
importance of the day. He is independent in his political views, preferring
to form his own opinions, based on the merits of a political candidate,
rather than to have them formed for him. His religious affiliation is with
the Presbyterian church, of which he is a consistent member and a ruling
elder. When his father died he divided his property among his children,
and seventy acres of fine farming land fell to the lot of James Mcjunkin,
when he attained his majority. He married, in September. 1913, Mabel
Elizabeth Boord, a daughter of William and Anna P. (Ryan) Boord, her
father being a farmer in that section. Mr. and Mrs. Mcjunkin are the
parents of one child, James W., born July 27, 1914.
The name of McElheny is one which is well known in the
McELHENY industrial world in Pennsylvania, and in many other
states.
(I) William McElheny was born in Scotland, emigrated to the United
States, where he lived for a time in Adams county. From there he migrated
to Snowden township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where he was a
farmer during the remainder of his life. He married King, and had
children: Robert, William, Victor, Samuel, John, of whom further; Hugh,
Mjrs. Torrence, Mrs. Hara, Mrs. Wilson, Mrs. King. Of these Samuel,
Robert and John were scythe makers in Schaler township.
(H) John McElheny, son of William and (King) McElheny,
learned his trade with his brother Robert, and then worked for S. W.
Shaw for some years. Later he had a good factory of his own at Little Pine
Creek, where he owned a farm of one hundred acres. His widow is now
residing on this farm, which was virgin forest when he purchased it about
1 82 1, and he cleared it, converted the timber into lumber in the saw mill
which he erected there, and it is now a finely cultivated place. He was a
man of much influence in the community, and served two years as justice
of the peace. He married Mary, a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Hil-
ands) Morrows, both the Morrows and Hilands being pioneer families in
Perrysville, Allegheny county. They had children : Victor K., Mrs. Eliza-
beth Hurst, John A., of whom further.
(HI) John A. McElheny, son of John and Mary (Morrows) Mc-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1383
Elheny, was born on the farm in Schaler township, August 8, 1834, and
spent the active years of his Hfe in general farming. He was a Repubhcan
and a member of the Presbyterian church. He married Sarah J., a daughter
of Henry and Katherine (Spang) Griesmere. The Sprangs came to this
country originally from H^oUand, became prominently identified with the
iron industry here, and during the Revolutionary times were noted for their
connection with the Hession troops, General Kuyphausen being an intimate
friend of George Spang, one of the ancestors. Children of Mr. and Mrs.
McElheny: John H., deceased; Robert H., a Bachelor of Science, lives at
Mars, Butler county, Pennsylvania ; Mary C, married Thompson, lives
at Millvale; Caroline L., at home; Thomas L. W., a water well driller, of
Schaler; Oscar William C, a farmer on the homestead; Roy, of further
mention.
(IV) Roy McElheny, son of John A. and Sarah J. (Griesmere) Mc-
Elheny, was born on the McElheny homestead, in Schaler township, in
1884. He was educated in the Locust Grove School, in his native township,
and then took up the occupation of well drilling, in association with a
brother. This partnership was later dissolved, and Mr. McElheny has now
been engaged in this line of industry independently since 1910. He resides
on the homestead. Mr. McElheny married, in 1907, Elizabeth Stewart, a
daughter of and Elizabeth Thompson, and both are members of the
Presbyterian church at Glenshaw. They have had children : Mildred Lillian
and Chester Addison.
Thomas and Ann Martin, old settlers of Somersetshire, Eng-
MARTIN land, there lived and died, he a gardener. They were the
parents of thirteen children, eight of whom survived child-
hood, and of these, Gilbert, the eldest, became the founder of his family in
the United States, and is now one of the leading business men of Carnegie,
Pennsylvania. Children of Thomas and Ann Martin : Gilbert, of whom
further ; Sanborn, known as Charles in his English home ; Adaline, resides
in Bath, England, unmarried ; Albert, a plasterer of Carnegie, Pennsylvania ;
George, died aged eighteen years ; Mary, married William Gwynn, and
resides in California; Harry, a printer, residing in England; a daughter,
died aged eighteen years.
(II) Gilbert Martin, eldest son of Thomas and Ann Martin, was born
in Somersetshire, England, and spent the first nineteen years of his life in
his native land, there obtaining his education. He then came to the United
States, locating in Mansfield Valley, now Carnegie, Allegheny county, Penn-
sylvania, where he apprenticed himself to a contractor of mason work, be-
coming in time a skilled workman. He then became a contracting plasterer
and carried on a very large and prosperous business for several years. He
then founded the Carnegie Mill and Lumber Company, being himself the
sole owner of the company, and until 1901 conducted a successful and
profitable retail lumber business in Carnegie. He then retired with a com-
petence and has since passed his winters in California, devoting his summers
1384 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
to the care of his large real estate interests in Carnegie. His California
holdings consist of a small orange grove which he manages more as a
recreation than a business. He is a director of the Crafton Savings Bank
and Trust Company, of Crafton, Pennsylvania, and of the First National
Bank of Carnegie, and while he has surrendered the cares of private mer-
cantile business, he takes an active interest in the welfare of his community.
He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, Knights of Malta, the
Royal Arcanum, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and in politics is
a Republican. He married Emma Page Hall, who bore him four children :
I. Homer Osmond. 2. Frank Gilbert, of Carnegie, manager of the Ingram
Lumber and Supply Company. 3. Edwin Hall, of Carnegie, clerk for the
John Dunlap Company. 4. Alice Edna, married Russell Marple, and re-
sides in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, her husband a draughtsman, with the
Fort Pitt Bridge Company.
Emma Page (Hall) Martin is a daughter of James B. and Sarah C.
(Beaumont) Hall, and granddaughter of John and Sarah Hall, of England.
John Hall came to Western Pennsylvania early in the nineteenth century,
locating in Pittsburgh, on what is now Fifth avenue, but later moved
out in the country further, locating near what is now Bridgeville. He
finally moved to Washington, where he owned eighty-six acres near Canons-
burg, on which he and his wife both died. They were both members of
the Methodist Episcopal church. Their children were all born in Pennsyl-
vania : John, Sarah, Henry, Robert, Maria, Elizabeth and James B.
James B. Hall, the youngest child, was born near Bridgeville, Pennsyl-
vania. He married Sarah C. Beaumont, of French ancestry, daughter of
William and Ann Beaumont, whose parents died in Illinois, leaving her an
orphan when quite young. She was a cousin of the Halls and was brought
to Pennsylvania and there lived with her relatives until her marriage to
James B. Hall. The young married couple began life on the old Hall farm
of eighty-five acres near Bridgeville, which in fact James B. had managed
from the time he was sixteen years of age, later purchasing the property
from the other heirs, paying for the farm with money earned by threshing
grain for other farmers of the locality. They lived for many years on their
farm, James B. dying at the age of sixty-eight years, his widow at the age
of eighty-two years. Children: William John, died in 1912, in Carnegie, a
carpenter; Sarah Ann, married Joseph Smith, whom she survives, a resident
of Carnegie; Elizabeth, died in infancy; James B. (2), died in infancy;
Mary, married James Johnson, and resides in Venice, Washington county,
Pennsylvania; Emma Page, married Gilbert Martin, of previous mention;
Edward S., died in Illinois ; Frank, resides in Carnegie ; Fanny, died in
infancy; Charles, died in infancy.
(Ill) Homer Osmond Martin, eldest son of Gilbert and Emma Page
(Hall) Martin, was born in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, January 14, 1881,
and was there educated in the public schools. He began business life as an
employee of his father in the lumber business, continuing five years, when
his father sold the business. Homer O. next entered the employ of the
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1385
Pent! Sash, Door and Blind Company, then was with the Pittsburgh Coal
Company, later entering the employ of the Keystone Lumber Company, the
largest retail and wholesale lumber company in Western Pennsylvania. He
later became shipper and for several years was in charge of the company's
outside work, a responsible position, as in the past ten years the company
has doubled its business. On January 13, 1914, Mr. Martin was elected
a director of the company and is one of the useful, valued men of a strong
organization. He is a Republican in politics, and a member of the Methodist
Episcopal church. Mi-. Martin married, in 1905, Olive Sarah Freed, born
in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, daughter of Judson Freed, of an
old county family; children: Mildred, Thelma, Homer O. (2).
The ancestors of Matthias W. McDonald, a prominent
McDonald citizen of Turtle Creek, were natives of Scotland, from
whence they came to this country, first settling in Clinton
county, Pennsylvania, then in Center and then in Jefiferson counties, where
they were actively and prominently identified with local affairs.
(I) David McDonald, grandfather of Matthias W. McDonald, was
born in either Jefferson or Indiana counties, Pennsylvania, but was among
the early settlers of Jefferson county. He married Alargaret Lantz, a
native of Jefiferson county, Pennsylvania, and among their children was
Samuel Marshall, of whom further.
(H) Samuel Marshall McDonald, son of David McDonald, was born
in Jefferson county, Pennsylvania, died aged seventy-two years. After
completing a common school education, he turned his attention to agri-
cultural pursuits, and later became a lumberman, accimiulating considerable
capital from the latter named occupation. He served in the Civil War.
enlisting in the Seventy-sixth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry,
his service being noted for bravery and complete obedience to orders. He
was active in the ranks of the Democratic party, and served in the capacity
of county auditor, county commissioner, school director for thirty years,
and justice of the peace for twenty years. He married Mary C. Timbhn,
born in Jefferson county, Pennsylvania, daughter of George and Margaret
(McHenry) Timblin, the former named a native of Jefferson county,
Pennsylvania, a farmer by occupation, and the latter named a native of
North Point, Indiana county, Pennsylvania. They were the parents of
twelve children, eight of whom are living at the present time (1914),
among whom is Matthias W., of whom further.
(Ill) Matthias W. McDonald, son of Samuel Marshall McDonald,
was born in Jefferson county, Pennsylvania, December 24, 1862. He
received an excellent education by attendance at the common schools in
the neighborhood of his home, at Glade Run Academy, Edenboro Normal
School and Clarion Normal School. Being thus thoroughly equipped for
the profession of teaching, he accepted a position as teacher, serving in
that capacity for a number of years, meeting with well deserved success.
In the year 1892 he engaged in the real estate and insurance business in
1386 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Reynoldsville, Jefferson county, Pennsylvania, and remained there until
1896, when he removed to Turtle Creek, his present residence, his brother,
George M., operating the business he had established in Reynoldsville. He
at once established a similar business in Turtle Creek, which he is conducting
at the present time, and from which he derives a lucrative livelihood.
Being a man of strict business principles, upright and honorable in his
methods, he was chosen as a director in the East Pittsburgh Building and
Loan Association, and he is also actively interested in local banks and other
enterprises, his advice and counsel being of great value. Mr. McDonald
holds membership in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the
Fraternal Order of Eagles.
Mr. McDonald married, in 1896, Minnie M. Reynolds, of Reynolds-
ville, Jefferson county, Pennsylvania, daughter of Thomas and Christina
(Ernest) Reynolds. Children: Fay, Gorman, Dorothy. The family are
members of the Lutheran church, in which they take an active interest.
The McCutcheons, of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania,
McCUTCHEON descend from the Scotch-Irish McCutcheon family of
Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, founded by
William and Andrew McCutcheon, who together patented one hundred and
thirty-five acres there, February 25, 1828. Later they acquired a great
amount of land, much of which is yet owned by descendants.
(II) Andrew McCutcheon, son of one of the pioneer ancestors, was
born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, there married Nancy Irwin,
lived and died. He farmed the homestead and there reared his family of
three sons and four daughters.
(III) William McCutcheon, son of Andrew and Nancy (Irwin) Mc-
Cutcheon, was born at the Westmoreland county homestead and there
spent his youth. Later he went to Pittsburgh, where he followed the trade
previously acquired, carpenter. For several years he was a contractor and
builder in Pittsburgh, then about 1885 moved to the Park farm, upon
which he resided until his death. He married Martha, daughter of William
(2) and Nancy (Johnston) Park and granddaughter of William (i) and
Mary (McGahey) Park, who came from Ireland, and settled in Penn
township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. William Park met his wife,
Mary McGahey, on the passage to America, were soon afterward married
and together began life in the log cabin he built in Penn township. Nancy
(Johnston) Park, wife of William (2) Park, was a daughter of John and
Martha (Miskimming) Johnston, who came in 1745, John aged seventeen
years. He served in the Revolutionary War and was attached closely to
General Washington in a confidential capacity. Later he became owner of
six hundred and twenty acres in what was then Pitt township, now Penn
and Wilkins township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. He built a log
house on his tract, where now stands the frame house in which the Mc-
Cutcheons reside. John Johnston was a justice of the peace until his
death in t8io. By his first wife, Martha, he had a son, George. By his sec-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1387
ond wife he had James, Nancy and Jane. From John Johnston the farm
has been handed down in direct succession to the present owners. Children
of WilHam and Martha (Park) McCutcheon : Jesse, died young; Mary
Nancy; Lily; William Park, of further mention; and John Gilmore, all
living at the old Johnston Park homestead, except William P., who occu-
pies part of the old farm, but has separate residence.
(IV) William Park McCutcheon, son of William and Martha (Park)
McCutcheon, was born at the Park homestead in Penn township, Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, November 10, 1874. He was educated in public
schools of the township and at Wilkinsburg High School, and from youth
was his father's assistant on the farm and at his carpentering. He also
learned the carpenters' trade but beyond assisting his father in his building
operations has never followed it. preferring the life of a farmer. He
cultivates fifty acres of the old Park farm, which has descended from John
Johnston, and there erected a fine brick house in 1904. He has prospered in
business, farm and garden yielding plentifully to his intelligent cultivation.
He is a member of the United Presbyterian church. Mr. McCutcheon
married, December 25. 1906, Daisy Saylor, of Penn township. Children :
den, Owen, Nevin.
Jacques Chalet, born in the village of La Roen, France, was
CHALOT a farmer in his native land. In 1853, fearing that he and
his sons would be drafted for military service, he emigrated
with his family to America, and settled at Frenchtown, Crawford county,
Pennsylvania. He was small of stature, and had suffered an injury to
his back, but this did not interfere with his successful farming operations.
He married Julia , also a native of La Roen, and they had seven sons and
one daughter: Francis, of further mention; Joseph, a farmer in Crawford
county, near Frenchtown ; Xavier, was killed in an accident in a saw mill ;
Philip, lived at Guys Mills, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where he died
of pneumonia; John, now deceased, lived in Transfer, Mercer county,
Pennsylvania ; three died at an early age, one of them being the daughter,
Mary, who was ill when the family boarded the ship on their voyage to
this country. The attending physician thought that the voyage might benefit
the child, but she died on the fourth day out.
(II) Francis Chalot, son of Jacques and Julia Chalot, was born in La
Roen, France, March 27, 1835, and died on his farm in Frenchtown, Craw-
ford county, Pennsylvania, May 22, 1902. His life was spent in his native
]and until the age of eighteen years, when he came to this country with his
parents and brothers, to escape drafting into the army, in which he would
have been obliged to serve three years at an average pay of three cents per
day. Upon his arrival in America the family settled at Frenchtown, and
young Francis obtained employment with the nearby farmers. After his
marriage he rented farms for a time, and cultivated them independently
imtil he had amassed sufficient capital to enable him to purchase a small
farm for himself, on which he passed the remainder of his days. He also.
1388 WESTERN PEXXSYLN AXIA
for a time, worked in a saw mill. He was a staunch supporter and attend-
ant of the Roman Catholic church. Mr. Chalot married, July 15, 1858,
Rosanna Lopeno, born in Crawford county, Pennsylvania, November 8,
1839, now living with her son, Francis Xavier Chalot. They had children :
Francis Xavier, of further mention ; Anna, married Frank Mallaird, and
lives at Stittsville, Pennsylvania; John, a jeweler, lives at Atlantic, Penn-
sylvania; Emma, died at the age of seventeen years; George, died at the
age of eleven years.
(Ill) Francis Xavier Chalot, son of Francis and Rosanna (Lopeno)
Chalot, was born in Frenchtown, East Mead township, Crawford county,
Pennsylvania, November 7, 1857. His opportunities for obtaining an edu-
cation were but limited, and were confined to attendance at the Frenchtown
public schools at irregular intervals until he was thirteen years of age. He
then commenced working for the farmers in the neighborhood, earning
twelve dollars and fifty cents per month, and turning this money over to
his father. Later he commenced the business of building oil rigs, and for
several years follow'ed this line of industry in the surrounding country. He
then purchased a hay-baler and for a period of nineteen years operated this
throughout Crawford, Warren, Elk and Jefiferson counties. In 1904 he
removed to West Mead township, where he started a retail dairy business,
which he is conducting very successfully, but for the past three years has
been disposing of his dairy products at wholesale. He sells the dairy
products in Meadville. He owns the old homestead farm in East Mead town-
ship, but is at present living on rented property known as the Gilmore farm.
Politically he entertains independent opinions, and he affiliates with the
Roman Catholic church. Flis fraternal connection is with the Improved
Order of Heptasophs. Mr. Chalot married, April 26, 1888, Rebecca, born
near Frenchtown, a daughter of Louis and Frances Nageotte, both born in
France, he later a farmer in Crawford county, Pennsylvania. Children of
Mr. and Mrs. Chalot: Blanche, married Joseph Mercer,' and lives on a
farm near Frenchtown ; George, employed on the railroad, lives in Mead-
ville, Pennsylvania; Frances; Ralph; Albert, a student in the high school;
Marion, also attending the high school; Lena, attending the ward school.
Francis Lopeno, father of Mrs. Rosanna (Lopeno) Qialot (see Chalot
II), was born in France, near the border line of Switzerland, February 4,
1795. and died June 30, 1879. In 1821 he was drafted into the French army
and served seven years in Spain, after which he was honorably discharged.
He emigrated to America as soon as possible after his discharge, and set-
tled in the city of New York, where he remained the greater part of three
years, and there learned the art of button making from bone. He next
removed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he followed his trade two
years, and then removed to Frenchtown, Crawford county, where he lived
during the remainder of his days. Lie followed the trade of bone button
making until his eyesight failed, and was also the owner of a small farm.
He and his family were devout Roman Catholics. Mr. Lopeno married
Margaret Vezier, born near the village of Le Coit, France, in October,
/A<:/-^'
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1389
1808, died September J2, 18O7, a daughter of Francis and Frances Vezier,
and she was brought tu this country in 1824. Francis Vezier died in
France, and his widow married (second) Nicholas Galmish, and emigrated
with him and her family to America in 1824, settling in the forest lands
near Frenchtown in 1826, and he died there in 1849, of palsy. Mr. and Mrs.
Lopeno had children: Margaret Jane, lives at Meadville, married John
Wagner, deceased; Francis, a retired farmer and cooper, lives in Pettis,
Crawford county, married Julia Heney, now deceased; Rosanna, married
Mr. Chalot (see Chalot llj.
The McClure family came to this cuuntry from Ireland
McCLURE many generations ago, and have been equally honored and
prominent in both lands.
(I) Judge McClure spent the greater part of his life in Mifflin town-
ship, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where he was one of the pioneers of
the section. He assisted in clearing a great part of the land of timber, and
was actively engaged in farming. His political afifHiations were with the
Republican party, and he was a member of the Methodist church. He
married Catherine Cox and had children: Alexander, Francis, Andrew, of
whom further ; Susannah, Margaret, Sarah.
(II) Andrew McClure, son of Judge and Catherine (Cox) McClure,
was born in Mifflin township in 1824, and died in 1908. He was educated in
the public schools, and in early manhood established himself as a farmer,
and was identified with agricultural pursuits almost all his life, only a
short period, about fifty years ago, being spent in mercantile business. He
lived near McKeesport, on the White Oak Levels. He was active in the
interests of the Republican party, and served as tax collector. His religious
affiliations were with the Methodist church, in which he was also active.
He married Mary, a daughter of Samuel and Catherine (Webb) Kelly,
and they had children: Catherine, married Rufus McKee: Elizabeth, mar-
ried Henry Mikle : Samuel A., of further mention; Daniel, married
Priscilla Taylor ; Sarah, married A. D. Foster ; Martha, married George B.
Watkins; John, married Belle McHafifey ; Bert B., married Sarah. Mc-
Cormick.
(III) Samuel A. McClure, son of Andrew and Mary (Kelly) McClure,
was born in McKeesport, ^Vllegheny county. Pennsylvania, December 28,
1858. He was educated in the public schools of Versailles township, and
upon the completion of his studies assisted his father in the cultivation of
the farm. He purchased the farm on which he is at present located, about
1893, this consisting of one hundred and twenty-six acres. He raises gen-
eral market produce, and has set out a young orchard which is in fine con-
dition, and promises much for the future. He gives his political support
to the Republican party, and is a devout member of the Presbyterian
church. Mr. McClure married, in 1884, Laura, a daughter of Walter and
Susannah (Stewart) Foster, and they have one child, Hazel Foster, born in
1886, who married Tames Gibson, and has one child, Samuel Foster Gibson.
I390
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Henry Mehrlich is one of a family representative of that
MEHRLICH fine type of German character, which has added to the
cosmopolitan citizenship of the United States the leaven
of its own sturdy endurance, industry and thrift. His father, John Mehrlich,
was a native of the "Fatherland"' and came to the United States at the age
of twenty-three years, one unit of that great tide of migration which set
from Germany to these shores during the middle part of the last century,
seeking refuge from the hard and oppressive conditions at home, in the
freer atmosphere and amid the more liberal political institutions of the
great republic of the Western Hemisphere.
Mr. Mehrlich, Sr., had been a shoemaker by trade in his native land,
and upon reaching this country continued to follow the same occupation
in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, where he settled and made his home. It was
not long, however, before he removed to Sewickley township and there
engaged in farming, in which occupation he was highly successful. Some-
time afterwards he purchased a farm of forty acres in Marshall township,
Allegheny county, whither he removed, and he continued his farming opera-
tions until the time of his death. The location of this property was near
what is now Bradford Station on the Pittsburgh & New Castle trolley road.
Mr. Mehrlich, Sr., was twice married, the first time to Elizabeth Long,
also a native of Germany, and by her had three sons born to him, all of
whom are living, of whom Henry of this review is one. After the death
of the first Mrs. Mehrlich, he was again married and by the second union
became the father of three daughters, all of whom are living.
Henry Mehrlich, a son of John and Elizabeth ( Long) Mehrlich, was
born September i, 1866, in Sewickley township, Allegheny county, Penn-
sylvania. Not long after his birth his parents removed to their new farm
of forty acres in Marshall township in the same county, and it was here
that young Mr. Mehrlich passed his childhood, attending the local schools
where he received his education. At the age of eighteen years he left the
parental roof, and going to the city of Pittsburgh he learned the trade of
blacksmith. After mastering the difficulties of this trade, he went to Mc-
Kees Rocks, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where he followed it for a
period of years. In the year 1893 he removed to Millvale, Pennsylvania,
and bought out the blacksmith establishment of George Dillig, next door to
his present location. Here he plied his trade until the year 1901, when he
built for himself the large establishment which he still occupies, engaged
in a horse shoeing and general smithing trade. In this enterprise Mr.
Mehrlich has been signally successful, and at the present time does a large
and flourishing business in which he employs several men.
Mr. Mehrlich married, August 31, 1893, May Carver, a native of Mill-
vale, Pennsylvania. To them have been born six children, as follows :
George, who after receiving the elementary portion of his education in
the local public schools, is now taking a course in Iron City College ; Hilda,
living at home with her parents ; Margaret, deceased ; Henry ; Matilda and
Fred.
WESTERX l'Ex\NSVL\ AXIA 1391
Mr. Mehi'lich is a prominent figure in his community, taking an active
part in the Hfe of the town. He is a member of the Repubhcan party and
is keenly interested in the conduct of local politics. He is a member of a
number of organizations of a social and fraternal character, these being
the Junior Order of American Mechanics, the Knights of Pythias, the
Daughters of Liberty, the Order of Moose and the German Benefit and
Aid Society. Mr. Mehrlich and his wife are members of the German
Lutheran church.
The name of Weber is one which has become well known in
WEBER many directions, and undoubtedly the various bearers of it
have a common origin. Originally it was probably given to
designate the trade of the person, as its meaning is "weaver." In the course
of time it was adopted as a surname.
(Ij Weber was born in (jermany, in the Province of Saxony,
and also died there. He was a carpenter by trade, and was an active
participant in the Napoleonic wars. He and his wife, who was also a native
of Saxony, were members of the Roman Catholic church.
(H) John Weber, son of the preceding, was born in Saxonberg,
Saxony, Germany, in 1817, and died in March, 1899. In 1842 he emigrated
to America with his wife and children, making the voyage in a sailing
vessel, and landing here after a long and tedious passage. He settled in
Allegheny, Pennsylvania, where he worked for a time in a grist mill, then
became a teaser in a glass factory, retiring in 1882, and making his home
with his son Frederick. He was a member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church,
and his wife was a German Presbyterian. He married, in Germany, Rosalia
Smith, born in Albersleben, Saxony, Germany, in 1824, died in Pennsyl-
vania in 1885, a daughter of Smith, who was a cabinet maker. They
had children : John, who died at the age of twenty-one years ; Frederick,
of further mention; Frank, a paint contractor, died unmarried; Joseph, a
painter, died unmarried at the age of fifty-two years ; Conrad, a railroad
detective, lives at Beck's Run; Mary, died at the age of two years; Louise,
died at the age of four years.
(Ill) Frederick Weber, son of John and Rosalia (Smith) Weber, was
born in Allegheny City, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, November 23,
1852. He attended the public schools at Latrobe, Westmoreland county,
Pennsylvania, for seven years, then for a short time those at South Side,
I'ittsburgh. At the age of twelve years he commenced working in the glass
factory and continued this for two years, after which he again became a
pupil in the public schools, continuing for a period of three years. Upon
the completion of his education, he found employment in the steel mill of
Jones & Laughlin, in the Cold Roll Department, became a skilled and careful
workman, and remained in their employ for a period of twenty years. In
1884 he established himself in the grocery business at South Side, Pitts-
burgh, at 171 Pius street, and conducted this successfully until 1901. In
1895 he had built a sfcre at No. 604 Brownsville Road, Mount Oliver, and
1392 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
was identified with both places of business until 1901, when he sold the
South Side establishment, and gives his entire attention to the one at
Mount Oliver.
Mr. Weber married, April 14, 1872, Mary Vogfel, born at the South
Side, Pittsburgh, May 4, 1853, died April 13, 1906; she was a daughter of
Frederick and Magdalena Vogel, the former a teamster, both born in
Germany, and married in the United States. Mr. and Mrs. Weber have
had children : Frederick, died of diphtheria at the age of four years ; Ed-
ward, died of diphtheria, at the age of one and a half years ; Rose ; Nellie,
died at the age of seven months ; Frank, is the assistant of his father in the
business ; Antoinnette.
Nicholas J. Fruechtel, born in Germany in 1835, was
FRUECHTEL the founder of his line in the United States, coming
hither about 1868. His calling in the homeland was
that of shoemaker, but in his new home he abandoned this trade, purchas-
ing a part of the old Logan farm in Plum township, Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania. He was a Republican in political belief, and was prominent
in the work of the German Lutheran church, of which he was a member.
He married and had children : Elizabeth, thrice married, now lives in Penn-
sylvania ; Henry, married Jennie Calgore ; J- Fred, of whom further ; Cath-
erine, died aged twelve years ; Annie.
J. Fred Fruechtel, son of Nicholas J- Fruechtel, was born in Plum
township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, December 20, 1868, and was
there educated in the public schools. In young manhood he began agricul-
tural operations, which he continues to the present time. His political
action is independent, and he is a member of the German Lutheran church.
Mr. Fruechtel married Ida, born May 27. 1870, daughter of John
and Elizabeth (George") Warn, her father a farmer and carpenter.
Children of John and Elizabeth (George) Warn: Jennie; Henry; Ida;
Elizabeth, died July 22, 1907; James, a carpenter, lives in Verona, Penn-
sylvania ; Charles, married Elizabeth Argyle, and resides in Plum township,
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania; Jemima; Parry, died in 1884; Minnie,
married Mert Hodle ; Grover, lives in Wyoming ; Ethel, married Frank
Ritchie, and resides in Verona, Pennsylvania ; Nora, lives at home. Chil-
dren of J. Fred and Ida (Warn) Fruechtel: Ruth, born February 15. 1891 ;
\\'i!liam, December 17, 1894; Annie, December 22, 1896; Victor, j\Iarcli
3, 1900; Clara, November 18, 1902; Florence, July 4, 1907; John, February
20, 191 1 ; Brita, October 30. 1912. All of the above children live at home.
John Cornett was born in Germany in 1832. and died in
CORNETT Noble county, Ohio, in igo6. He emigrated to America
in his youth, settling in Noble county in 1852. He was a
Democrat in politics, and a member of the Catholic church. He married
Barbara, born in Noble county, died December 10. 1884, a daughter of
George and Barbara (Scheep) Miller, both born in Germany and early
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1393
settlers in Noble county, where he died at the age of eighty-two years,
and she at the age of seventy-six years. Mr. and Mrs. Cornett had chil-
dren: John, of further mention; George, Lizzie, Rosie, Maggie, Joseph,
Mary, Tillie, Lewis, Alexander, Inglets.
(II) John Cornett, son of John and Barbara (Miller) Cornett, was
born in Noble county, Ohio, June 29, 1859. He obtained a good education
in the parochial and public schools of Noble county, and in that county was
apprenticed to learn the carpenter's trade, which he followed there until
1877. In that year he came to Braddock, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
and continued his work as a carpenter. He owns a fine home at No. 610
Fourth avenue, in which he has now lived for the past seventeen years.
He is a strong supporter of the Democratic party, and a devout member
of the Catholic church. Mr. Cornett married, in 1881, Catherine, born in
Monroe county, Ohio, a daughter of Adam and Catherine (Gasser) Burk-
hart, who came to Noble county at an early date, and where he died in
1902, aged seventy-two years, and she died in 1912 at the age of eighty-one
years. Children of Mr. and Mrs. Cornett: i. Clara. 2. Cromelen, married
Bertha Costello, and has one child, Clara. 3. Anna, born in 1886, died in
1913; married Leo Crock, and had two children: Catherine; John, deceased.
4. William, married Celia Weisart, and had one child, John Alexander, who
died in 1913 at the age of two years. 5. Minnie, deceased.
James Armstrong, a native of New Jersey, was the
ARMSTRONG founder of his family line in Pennsylvania, being a
pioneer of Armstrong coynty, where he was a holder
of extensive lands. He died in that county, aged eighty-two years. He
was accompanied to Armstrong county by a brother. Rev. Richard Arm-
strong, likewise a native of New Jersey and a pioneer of that county, a
minister of the Methodist Episcopal church. He held charges in Penn-
sylvania for many years, and was an intim"ate friend of Bishop Simpson,
of that denomination, and is buried by the side of his brother. James, and
his nephew, Thomas, father of Captain Joseph T. Armstrong, of McKees-
port, Pennsylvania, in the Freeport Cemetery, the ground for which was
donated to the Methodist Episcopal church by the Armstrong family. James
Armstrong married and had one son and one daughter, Thomas, of whom
further, and Maria.
(II) Thomas Armstrong, son of James Armstrong, was born in Greens-
burg, Westmoreland county. Pennsylvania, September 12, 1810, died in
Freeport, Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, in 1854. After completing his
general education he took up civil engineering, received his degree in that
profession, and became employed in the engineering corps of the Penn-
sylvania railroad, his residence being in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. In
later life he moved to Freeport, and there passed his remaining years, his
death occurring when he was in the prime of life, aged forty-four years.
He married Mary Taylor, born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, in
1816, and had children: Frances, deceased; Lois, deceased; Mary, lives in
1394 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Monongahela City, Pennsylvania; Edward, deceased; Captain Joseph T.,
of whom further; Anna, hves in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
(Ill) Captain Joseph T. Armstrong, son of Thomas and Mary (Tay-
lor) Armstrong, was born in Greensburg, Westmoreland county, Pennsyl-
vania, April 12, 1849. His father died when Joseph T. was a lad of five
years, and the boy then made his home with an uncle, Joseph B. Taylor,
in Monongahela City, Pennsylvania, where his boyhood days were passed
and where he gained his education. Toward the close of the war between
the states, when he was fifteen years of age, he enlisted in the Union army,
becoming a member of Company H, One Hundred and Ninety-third Regi-
ment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and served for six months, when
peace was restored. As a young man he mastered the painter's and grainer's
trade, and was employed thereat after his return from the front, being for
a time connected with the state militia. He was for five years in the regular
army of the United States, stationed at different posts throughout the west-
ern part of the country, and then became a manufacturer of Monongahela
City, Pennsylvania. His line was the making of fire brick, his product
made in a factory he had erected and the process that he used covered by
his own patents. This was the first fire brick factory in the valley, and he
operated it until 1888, in which year he moved to McKeesport and estab-
lished the firm of Wild & Armstrong, dealers in furniture, a concern that
was active in its line until its dissolution seven years later. At this time
Mr. Armstrong returned to Monongahela City, and was there engaged as a
furniture dealer and undertaker until 1897, '" which year he disposed of
his business and journeyed to Alaska, in that country spending two years.
Since returning to Pennsylvania Captain Armstrong has resided in Mc-
Keesport, Pennsylvania, and since 1900 has been again identified with
furniture dealing as a member of the R. E. Stone Company. His home is
at No. 223 West Fifth avenue, where he built a handsome residence in 1906.
and he is likewise owner of two residences in Monongahela City. He has
been a life-long Republican, and in Monongahela City was at one time city
treasurer and school director. His church is the Methodist Episcopal.
Captain Armstrong is a citizen of substantial qualities, and has taken de-
sirable position among the business men of McKeesport. His career has
been an eventful one, beginning with his youthful army service, and has
given him a broad viewpoint and balance of judgment acquired in no other
way. He is a successful merchant, universally popular.
Captain Armstrong married, September 24, 1888, Jessie B. Anton, born
near Monongahela City, Pennsylvania, daughter of John and Barbara
(Haechelstein) Anton, her parents natives of Germany. Mr. and Mrs.
Anton were married in that country, and after coming to Pennsylvania
settled in Washington county, where he died in 1886, aged sixty-three years,
his wife having died the year previous, aged seventy-three years. Children
of John and Barbara (Haechelstein) Anton: John, Mary, George. Fred,
Christopher, Joseph, Peter, Elizabeth. Jessie B., of previous mention, mar-
ried Captain Joseph T. Armstrong. Children of Captain Joseph T. and
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1395
Jessie B. Armstrong: Nellie, married John E. lierbertson, of McKeesport,
Pennsylvania; George R., of McKeesport.
John McFadden was born in Ireland in 1840, and is now
McFADDEN living there at the age of seventy-four years. He mar-
ried Catherine Cunningham, who died in 1869, and they
had children : John, David, Augustus.
Augustus McFadden, son of John and Catherine (Cunningham) Mc-
Fadden, was born in Ireland, May 8, 1867. He was brought up by his
maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Brown, who emigrated to America after
the death of her husband, and settled in Philadelphia. There his early
years were spent and there he acquired his education in the public schools.
In 1885 he came to Pittsburgh, where he took a comprehensive course in
Duff's Business College, and in 1887 removed to Braddock, Allegheny
county, with the interests of which he has since been identified. He entered
the employ of the Edgar Thompson Steel Company, rose to the position
of foreman, and is now superintendent of the blacksmith department. His
own energy and determination led him to acquire the fine education of which
he is possessed, and his leisure time has always been spent in wide and
diversified reading. He amassed a considerable fortune, which good man-
agement has constantly increased, and he is the owner of his residence at
No. 731 Fourth avenue, and also of No. 737 in the same street. He is
Republican in political matters, and a member of the Catholic church.
Mr. McFadden married, in Braddock, January 27, 1887, Elizabeth Car-
roll, born in Ireland in 1869, a daughter of Richard and Ellen (Warnock)
Carroll, the former of whom died in Ireland, after which his widow came
to the United States in 1883, where she died in T911 at the age of seventy-
three years. They had children : Thomas ; Margaret ; William, deceased ;
Elizabeth, mentioned above ; Ellen. Richard Warnock, maternal grand-
father of Mrs. McFadden, came to the United States in 1849. He was a
resident of New York City, and in early life was employed in the construc-
tion work of the railroads, and assisted in building the Pennsylvania railroad
across the mountains. Mr. and Mrs. McFadden have had children: i.
]\Iary E., born November 4, 1887 : married James Donavan, and has one
child, Mary Madeleine. 2. Augustin William Brendan, born in 1892 ; was
educated in the public schools, and was graduated from the high school in
191 1 : he then matriculated at the University of Pittsburgh, was graduated
from the classical department, and is now a student in the law department
of that institution. 3. Elizabeth Catherine, was educated in the North
Braddock schools, and was graduated from the high school in the class of
1914. 4. Ann, born in 1901, is a student in the public schools.
The meaning of this name is simple, unassuming, yet ever
SCHLICHT ready, and it was probably the possession of these qualities
which governed the bestowing of the surname upon the
earlier members of this family, for they are still in evidence at the present
time.
1396 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Joseph Schlicht was born in Bavaria, Germany, and came to this
country in early manhood about 1870. Some time after his marriage he
removed to Pine Grove, Pennsylvania, and followed his trade as a car-
penter. He lived for a time in Clarion county, and in 1896 removed to
Butler, Butler county, Pennsylvania, where he lived until 1914, when he
made a trip to his native land ; he completed the visit and was on his way
home when he was stricken and died on board the ship "Canopie," one
hour before she was booked to start; he is buried in Rotterdam, Holland.
He was a Democrat politically, and a member of the Catholic Mutual
Benefit Association. He was a devout member of the Catholic church.
Mr. Schlicht married, about 1876, in Buffalo, New York, Elizabeth Bellis,
who was born in Stuttgart, Germany, and came to this country about 1872.
They had children: i. Michael, who died at the age of thirty years. 2.
Margaret, married George Smith, and lives in Butler, Pennsylvania. 3.
Joseph A., of further mention. 4. Martin, engaged in the hardware busi-
ness in Butler. 5. John, twin of Martin, agent of the Baltimore & Ohio
Railroad Company, lives at Meyersdale, Pennsylvania. 6. Peter, engaged in
the hardware business in Butler. 7. Mary, died at the age of twelve years.
8. Charles, lives with his parents at Butler. 9. Philomina, died at the age
of one year.
Joseph A. .Schlicht, son of Joseph and Elizabetli (Bellis) Schlicht,
was born in Buffalo, New York, October 5, 1878. He acquired his educa-
tion in parochial schools in Clarion county, Pennsylvania, and in 1896
came to Butler with the other members of his family. Here he readily
found a position with a fish dealer, for whom he worked almost three
years, receiving three dollars per week. His ambitious and energetic nature
would not permit him to remain in a subordinate position, and about 1899
he established himself in the same line of business independently on Main
street. At the end of eight months he removed to better quarters on Jeffer-
son street, and carried on his business in that location very successfully
for a period of nine years. By this time he had amassed a considerable
capital, and associating himself with his brother Peter, he organized the
Standard Ice and Cold Storage Company. Owing to his excellent manage-
ment of affairs it was found necessary, at the end of a couple of years,
to enlarge their working space and capacity, and accordingly in June, 191 1,
they erected a suitable plant at the corner of College and Monroe streets.
This covered a piece of ground eighty by one hundred and forty feet, and
they were the sole owners of the plant and everything connected with it.
Three months later Mr. Schlicht purchased the interest of his brother Peter,
and has remained the sole proprietor of this concern up to the present
time. He employs eighteen people, and the plant manufactures one hun-
dred tons of ice every twenty-four hours. The business is wholesale ex-
clusively, and a very important branch of it is the cold storage department,
which has space for vast quantities of fruits, meats, etc. It is the largest
plant of its kind in this section of the state, and ships away enormous
quantities of goods. Mr. Schlicht is a Republican in National politics, but
Ji^/J^io^
WESTERN PENNSYLNANIA 1397
is independent in local matters. He and his wife are members of St. Peter's
Roman Catholic Church. Mr. Schlicht married, July 25, 1901, Josephine
Spingler, born in Butler, Pennsylvania, and they have one child, Chester
Jacob, born May 8, 1902.
An old colonial family of Pennsylvania, long seated in Phil-
NAYLOR delphia, the family of Naylor in this branch have spread to
Western Pennsylvania and to Ohio. Orran P. Naylor, of
Allison Park, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, is a descendant of Nelson
W. Naylor, a life-long resident of Philadelphia. One of his sons was
George F., of whom further.
(II) George F. Naylor, son of Nelson W. Naylor, was born in Philadel-
phia, died in Allison Park, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in 191 1. As
a boy he attended the public schools of Philadelphia, and in that city learned
tlie trade of machinist, in 1869 locating in Zanesville, Ohio. Twelve years
later he became assistant master mechanic in the shops of the Pittsburgh
& Lake Erie railroad at Newark, Ohio, later being transferred to McKees-
port, Pennsylvania, where he occupied the same position. In 1891 he ac-
cepted the position of master car builder in the works at Warren, Penn-
sylvania, and was then for a short time superintendent of the Pittsburgh
Tool Refining Company, at W'arren. Mr. Naylor in 1892 abandoned his
mechanical work, in that year, in partnership with, his son, Orran P., open-
ing a general store in Allison Park, Pennsylvania, remaining its proprietor
until his death in 191 1. During the time that he was a merchant of Allison
Park Air. Naylor was likewise postmaster of that place, being a government
servant from 1892 to 191 1. his son succeeding him in the postmastership.
George F. Naylor answered the Union call for volunteers to preserve the
integrity of the United States, and became a soldier in Company K, Twenty-
sixth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, remaining with that com-
pany until his honorable discharge from the service. He married Hannah
M. Peterson, and had three children.
(III) Orran P. Naylor, son of George F. and Hannah M. (Peterson)
Naylor, was born in Zanesville, Muskingum county, Ohio, June 29, 1870.
His father's business called the family to Newark, Ohio, and Orran P.
Naylor there attended the public schools, his first position in the business
world being as a clerk in the offices of the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie railroad
at McKeesport, Pennsylvania. Leaving this service, he became chief clerk
in the office of the Pittsburgh Tool Refining Company, at Warren. Penn-
sylvania, resigning this position to enter business with his father. Father
and son together strove for a strong and firmly founded mercantile trade,
and the present wide patronage and flourishing business of the store are
eloquent testimonials of the success that attended their labors. Upon the
death of the father, the junior Naylor assumed his father's responsibilities as
postmaster of Allison Park, and has also since conducted the business in-
dependently, maintaining in every way the high standard raised while his
father's partner. Mr. Naylor fraternizes with the Allegheny Lodge, Fra-
1398 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
ternal Order of Eagles, Hampton Lodge, No. 224, Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, and McKinley Lodge, No. 314, Free and Accepted Masons.
He is a communicant of the Presbyterian church. He married, in 1900,
Edith Quigley.
Three-quarters of a century contains the American life
HAVERLINE of this German family, known in Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, since the settlement in that region of
George Haverline, who came from his native country about 1841. He at-
tended the schools of the country of his birth, and after immigrating to the
United States he became employed in a mill in Allegheny City (Pittsburgh
North Side). The confinement of his work and the city residence were
distasteful to him, and he undertook farming, buying land at Wexford
and later purchasing property near Talley Cavey, living in the latter place
until his death. He married Margaret Beck, and had children : Ann,
Michael, George, of whom further; Margaret, John, Elizabeth.
George (2) Haverline, son of George (i) and Margaret (Beck)
Haverline, was born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, April 17, 1858.
His early schooling was meager, as he attended the schools of Hampton
and Richland townships for about one year. In young manhood he learned
the blacksmith's trade at Talley Cavey, and for four years he was employed
in that line at Talley Cavey, and for the four following years was the
proprietor of a shop at Gibsonia, at the expiration of this time purchasing
ninety-six acres of land at Allison Park, where he now resides. Mr. Haver-
line has made many additions to the improvements upon the property in
the course of his residence there, and now possesses a desirable farm.
Instead of utilizing his entire acreage for general operations, Mr. Haverline
has set out an orchard, whicbi, in full and vigorous growth, has proved a
most profitable asset. He and his wife are members of the Presbyterian
church. He married, in 1886, Jeannette Woods, of McCandless township,
Allegheny county. Pennsylvania, and has children: Georgetta, Florence,
Grace, Alice, Carrie, Mary, Margaret, Jeannette, George. Michael.
Frederick G. Duerr is a member of a family which represents
DUERR in its members the best type of the German people, a type
which has contributed to the composite population of the United
States an element of great value, and woven into the growing fabric thereof
its own sturdy virtues of tireless energy and industry and an unswerving
pursuit of the objective.
His parents were Christian Frederick and Hannah (Smith) Duerr,
both natives of Germany, he having been born in the Kingdom of Wuerttem-
berg. Christian Frederick Duerr came to the United States as a young
man of twenty-one years, in 1842, and, upon his arrival here went directly
to Pennsylvania and settled in the city of Pittsburgh in that state. Five
years prior to this a wealthy fellow countryman of his, by the name of
Christian Smith, had also come from Germany and settled in the neighbor-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1399
liood of the great Pennsylvanian city. With him he had brought his family
and among them his httle daughter Hannah, a child of ten years. Christian
Smith had been a man of much importance and weaUh in his own country,
and now, in the "New World," was a successful farmer and the proprietor
of a flourishing hotel. Christian Frederick Duerr met Mr. Smith's daughter
Hannah, when she had grown to womanhood and they were married. Mr.
Duerr was a cooper when he first arrived in the United States, and later
became a farmer. He served in the Civil War, and really gave up his life
for his adopted country, for though not killed on the field of battle, he
later died as a result of sickness brought on by swimming a river and sub-
sequent exposure. His death occurred December 20, 1870, his wife sur-
viving him for many years, finally dying in 1904. To them were born nine
children, as follows: William C, born in 1850; Emilia Elizabeth, born in
1852; John George, born in 1855; Fredericka Elizabeth, who died as an
infant of three months; Mary Elizabeth, born in 1858; Sophia Carolina,
born in i860, died in 1861 : Christina Fredericka, born in 1862; Frederick
G., of whom further; Mary Emely, born in 1868, died December 19, 1904.
Frederick G. Duerr, the eighth child of Christian Frederick and Hannah
(Smith) Duerr, was born October 22, 1864, at Cabot, Butler county, Penn-
sylvania. Cabot was at that time known as Saxon Station, and it was there
that he spent the earliest years of his childhood and received the first por-
tion of his education in the local schools. After the death of Mr. Duerr,
Sr., in 1870, his widow sold the farm and moved to Great Belt, Butler
county, Pennsylvania, and later to Winfield township, Butler county, and
in each of these places Frederick G. Duerr attended school. As soon as
he reached an age to make labor of any sort possible to him, he was set
to work on his mother's farm, and his early training in this hard but
healthy life gave him a foundation of health and endurance which has never
failed him. At the age of fifteen years, however, he was taken from the
farm and apprenticed to a shoemaker at Sarver's Station, Pennsylvania, his
brother John George, who was established in that business there, and under
whom the youth learned the trade. His natural aptitude soon made him a
master of his tools, and he then worked as a journeyman until the year
1886. In April of that year he was offered a position in a glass manufac-
turing establishment, and from that time filled many positions until of recent
3'ears he engaged in the successful milk business which he now conducts.
His first work in a glass house continued from 1886 to 1892, when he en-
gaged in the grocery business upon his own account. After a year of
this enterprise, however, he received an offer of a better position in the
great glass works at Creighton, Penns^'lvania, where he remained two years.
In 1895 he entered the employ of the Pittsburgh Street Car Company. Two
vears later he once more returned to the glass business, this time with the
Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company at Tarentum, Pennsylvania, remaining until
September, 1901, when he accepted a position at the Allegheny Plate Glass
Works at Hites, now Glassmere. where he remained five years, then re-
turned to the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, No. 2. Tarentum, Penn-
i^oo WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
sylvania, and in 1906 he became the foreman of the casting department in
that great concern. After holding this responsible post for a matter of
three years or more, he resigned it to accept an ofifer in the steel mill at
Brackenridge, Pennsylvania. He did not find the latter work congenial,
however, and after a term of four and one-half years abandoned it. By
this time Mr. Duerr was in a position, as a result of long years of hard
work and economy, to engage in business for himself. In 1908, five years
prior to his surrender of his position in the steel mill, he started a milk
business which he turned all his energies into when free from his other
connections. His store is on tlie corner of Roup and Orman streets, Taren-
tum, Pennsylvania, and in tliis location the business has flourished greatly,
and in 1914 he added a grocery store to his other enterprise. Mr. Duerr
has lived for a number of years in Tarentum. In 1889 he built for himself
a frame house on the corner of Roup and Orman streets, in which he lived
until 1907, when he built his present brick store and dwelling, directly to the
north of the old structure, and there carries on his business and makes his
home. He owns both properties and rents the one which he no longer
uses for himself.
Mr. Duerr married, November 26, 1889, Mary Sophia Wilt, a daughter
of Peter and Sophia (Hetzell) Wilt, of Tarentum, Pennsylvania. Mrs.
Duerr was born May 25, 1870, at Hoboken, Pennsylvania. Mr. Wilt was
the son of John Wilt, a native of Germany, where he passed the entire
period of his life. Peter Wilt, however, came to the United States as a
young man of twenty-one years, in the year 1846, his birth having been
on April 25, 1825. He settled in Saxonburg, Butler county, Pennsylvania,
where he became a crockery worker. He later removed to Hoboken, Alle-
gheny county, and there met his future wife. Mrs. Wilt was Sophia Het-
zell and was born in Alsace, Germany, July 29, 1849. She was the youngest
of thirteen children, the eldest of whom, a brother, had come to America
before her birth. Twenty-five years later he had returned on a visit to his
native land to find the little sister he had never seen grown to a charming
girl of eighteen years. When he finally went back to America he took
her with him. Mr. Wilt had been already married and was the father
of three children, Henry, Mary and Barbara, when he met Miss Hetzell,
and they were married, June 25, 1869, and became the parents of eight
children, as follows : Mary Sophia, now Mrs. Duerr ; Carolina Christina ;
Charles William ; George Harrison, deceased ; John Peter, deceased ; Frank
Jesse ; Leona Frances ; Leroy Jacob.
To Mr. and Mrs. Duerr have been born seven children, as follows: i.
Bertha Mary, born September 2, 1890, now Mrs. Frank H. Petz, and the
mother of one daughter, Arvilla Mary. 2. Freda Sophia, born in 1894.
'3. William Franklin, born in 1900, died in 1901. 4. Mary Caroline Rosa,
born in 1902. 5. Helen Elizabeth, born in 1908, died when only ten days
old. 6. Frederick G., Jr., born in 1909. 7. Paul L., born September 8,
191 1, died April 2, 1912. Mr. and Mrs. Duerr are members of the Ger-
man Evangelical Lutheran church, and in that faith have reared and are
WESTERN' PEN'XSYLX AXIA 1401
rearing their children. They attend the livangehcal (German Lutheran
church at Tarentum, and are prominently connected with the work of the
church and its various benevolences. The rector, the Rev. George Amschle,
performed the wedding ceremony for Mr. and Mrs. Duerr and the daughter
also, Mrs. Petz, and baptized the little granddaughter.
John Samuel Hines, for the past decade a resident of Avalon,
HINES in the interests of which he takes an active and leading part,
was born on Chestnut street, Lawrenceville, now Forty-second
street, Pittsburgh, May 3, 1853, son of William and Hannah (Speer) Hines.
William Hines, whose father was a native of Germany and died in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was born in Philadelphia, reared and educated
there, and at the age of eighteen years came to Pittsburgh and engaged in the
teaming business, having contracts to haul oil, which proved an exceedingly
profitable enterprise, and during the last ten years of his active career con-
ducted an express business, running from Lawrenceville to Pittsburgh. He
married Hannah Speer, born in Deer Creek, now Harnerville, Pennsyl-
vania, daughter of William Speer, and sister of Speer, proprietor of
the Speer Plow Works. William Speer was born in Germany, came to
this country in early life, before his marriage, locating on Chestnut Hill,
Philadelphia, where he followed the occupation of farming, served as con-
stable and was active in community aiTairs. He died at Deer Creek, now
Harnerville. Children of Mr. and Mrs. Hines : John Samuel, Anna Man,',
deceased ; William Abraham ; Nicholas, deceased.
John Samuel Hines attended Hill school, Pittsburgh, where he acquired
an education which prepared him for the activities of life. His first posi-
tion was as clerk for the firm of Pearson & Ollerberger, grocers, and after
dissolving his connection with them he learned the trade of brick laying,
and later became a labor foreman at the Lucy Furnace, and Mr. Scott, the
steel man, was once on his pay roll. He ser\'ed in the capacity of labor fore-
man for a period of eight years, during which time he gained the good will of
those under his control by reason of his fair treatment and impartiality.
He then returned to the laying of brick, accepting a position as foreman,
and has so continued to the present time, following the same policy as here-
tofore. He has been a resident of Avalon since June, 1904, and he i.^ a
member and regular attendant of the services of the Methodist Episcopal
church.
Mr. Hines married (first), 1875, Alice Shaffer: no children. He mar-
ried (second), 1894, Carrie E. Woodruff; no children.
Burke speaks of the "ancient and illustrious family of
STEADMAN Stedmans fSteadmans) known in England since 1191."
A Scotch family of Stedmans is descended from Patricius
Stedman, 1369. A once strong Welsh family of this name is said now to
have no male representatives. Of the Scotch family are several distinguished
writers and soldiers. The first Stedman in New England was Isaac, who
1402 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
came in the "Elizabeth," in 1636, and settled in Scituate. From him is de-
scended Edmund C. Stedman, the poet. John and Robert Stedman came
over in 1638. Robert Stedman's descendants married into the Quincy and
Ellery families, and William Stedman was a member of congress. The
names of Robert and Thomas Stedman are found on Windsor (Connecti-
cut) records, in 1647, arid that of Thomas in New London, in 1649. From
Thomas and Isaac are descended most of the Stedmans of New England,
and from that section they have migrated to other portions of the United
States. The destruction of early records, owing to various agencies, makes
it often a matter of difficulty to establish uninterrupted descent.
(I) James Steadman was probably bom in the state of Connecticut,
and after his early marriage came to New York state. He was a farmer.
Finally he located at Conneaut Lake, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, and'
died at the home of his son in Fallowfield township. He married ,
also bom in Connecticut, and of his fourteen children, thirteen attained
maturity; six children were by a first marriage, and eight by a second: i.
William, a farmer and oil operator, lived near Union City, Pennsylvania.'
2. John Garner, of further mention. 3. Earl, a wagon maker, lived at
Reaver Dam, Pennsylvania. 4. Daniel, a farmer, lived in Corey, Pennsyl-
vania. 5. Polly, married Jesse Carrier, lived in Randolph township, and
later went west. 6. Miranda, married Charles Windsor, who operated a saw
mill, and lived in Clarion. Children by second marriage: 7. Samuel, was
a farmer in Corey, Pennsylvania. 8. Perry, a farmer in Tennessee, where
his death occurred. 9. Nathan, a retired blacksmith, of Corey. 10. Jerry,
a farmer, who lived in Crawford county, Pennsylvania. 11. Thomas, left
home in boyhood. 12. Nancy. 13. Rena. 14. Isabella.
(II) John Garner Steadman, son of James Steadman, was born in
Tioga county. New York, in November, 1807, and died in October, 1883.
He grew up in the state of New York, assisting his father in the pioneer
work connected with the farm, and at the age of eighteen years came to Craw-
ford county; Pennsylvania, w'here he worked as a farm hand. Not long
afterwards he married, and then rented a farm, which he cultivated for a
time. In 1835 he was living in Tioga county. New York, but returned to
Crawford county, where he located in East Fallowfield township. In 1843
he purchased a fifty acre farm there, this being heavily wooded land. In
order to make the first payment for this land, he drove two steers through
the town of Greenville, Pennsylvania, and sold them for fifteen dollars.
He could only get five dollars in cash, the remainder being taken in the form
of groceries and other commodities. He walked home, then to Meadville,
Pennsylvania, where he secured the deed for his property, paying the five
dollars as security on it, and then walked back to his home. With the
assistance of his sons he erected a log house, and commenced to clear the
ground with a view to cultivation. This was done by cutting the timber,
and burning it as was the fashion of that time. He lived on this place until
within four years of his death, when he moved to a farm near Geneva,
Pennsylvania, in Greenwood township, and there spent the remainder of his
WESTERN' rENNSVL\ANIA 1403
life. He and his wife were active and devout members of the Methodist
Episcopal church, in which he was class leader for many years. Mr. Stead-
man married Catherine Gross, born near Beaver Dam, Crawford county.
Pennsylvania, March 2, 1812, died March 10, 1895. Children: i. Kinsley,
deceased, was a Civil War veteran. 2. Earl, deceased, was a Civil War
veteran. 3. Dow, of further mention. 4. Wesley, born July 31, 1838; is
now living retired in Geneva, Pennsylvania. 5. Nelson, living on a farm
in Arkansas, a Civil War veteran, who spent several months in Libby
Prison. 6. Eliza, married Hiram Bedow, lives in Geneva. Pennsylvania.
7. Lester, deceased, was a Civil War veteran. 8. Perry, born November 12,
1845, died in 1907: he owned and lived on various farms in Greenwood
township; he married Rachael Grinnell, who afterwards married his brother
Dow ; children : Inez, married Silas Williams, now deceased, and lives in
Greenwood township : El^ie, married Park Bailey, lives on a farm in Brook-
field, Ohio: Pearl, married Harry Shadley, a machinist, and lives in Youngs-
town, Ohio. 9. John, deceased.
(HI) Dow Steadman, son of John Garner and Catherine (Gross)
Steadman, was born in Tioga county. New York, October 9, 1835. He grew
up in Greenwood township. Crawford county. Pennsylvania, and what little
education he was able to obtain was acquired at the Finley District School,
which was more than two miles from his home. His opportunities, how-
ever, were limited, as he was obliged to devote the greater part of his time
at the homestead farm until his eighteenth year. He then left his home,
and spent three years in learning the wagon making trade, under Thomas
McDowell, one mile east of Atlantic, Pennsylvania. After his first mar-
riage he purchased a farm in the woods of Randolph township, and when
he had this cleared, he sold it with a satisfactory profit. He at once re-
peated this operation, netting a considerable sum by the sale of the second
farm also. February i, 1864, he enlisted in Company B, Eighteenth Penn-
sylvania Cavalry, and served one year and three months. During the greater
part of this time he was located at Harper's Ferry, and he participated in
many of the engagements with the Confederate forces under General Early.
At the close of the war he was in the hospital, and when he was discharged
he returned to Randolph township, and bought a farm on the Oil Creek
road, where he lived several years. He then moved to Adams county,
Nebraska, and bought a farm there which he is still holding: he took up
a claim in Chase county, Kansas, proved it, and returned to Nebraska, where
he made his home until 1909. When he first went there he purchased eighty
acres for four hundred dollars, and when he left he sold this land for five
thousand dollars. He carried on general farming in Adams county. In
1909 he sold out and retired, and bought a house in Geneva, Crawford
county, Pennsylvania, where he now lives. In political matters he is Re-
publican. At the age of fifteen 3'ears he joined the ]Methodist Episcopal
church, and has served as steward, class leader and trustee. Since coming
to Geneva he joined the United Brethren church.
Mr. Steadman married (first) Rachel Ralya. born in the old Block
I404 WESTERN PENNSYLXANIA
House in Meadville, I'eniisylvania, in 1826, died August 18. 1908, a daughter
of John Ralya, a farmer, of German descent. He married (second) April
29, 1909, Mrs. Rachael (Grinnell) Steadman, born October 3, 1853, widow
of his brother Perry. Children: i. Clara, married Ezra Reese, both de-
ceased. 2. Nancy, married I. C. Warren, botli deceased. 3. Ida, married
Jason Dumas, a boiler maker, lives at Hastings, Nebraska. 4. Elmer M.,
a state evangelist, lives in Denver, Colorado ; married Mary Garris.
The paternal grandparents of Mrs. Rachael (Grinnell) (Steadman)
Steadman, were born in the state of New York, at what is known as Grin-
nell's Corners. One of their sons, John Grinnell, served in the War of
1812. Another son was Benjamin, of further mention.
Benjamin Grinnell, father of Mrs. Steadman, was born in Tioga county,
New York, August 11, 1811, and died March 13, 1890. He came to Craw-
ford county, Pennsylvania, and purchased a farm in Greenwood town-
ship. He was very successful in its cultivation, but sold it after his children
had grown up, and purchased a farm in the eastern part of Greenwood town-
ship in association with Perry Steadman, and lived there until his death.
He married, February 18, 1830, Lucinda Staley, born in Crawford county,
Pennsylvania, in 1817, died January 8, 1864, whose parents were also natives
of New Y^ork state and settled in Crawford county, Pennsylvania. Children
of Benjamin and Lucinda (Staley) Grinnell: i. Samuel, born April 11,
1831 ; married Polly Gelven, both deceased. 2. Sciuire, born in October,
1834; married Anna Mattox, both deceased. 3. Laura, born in March, 1836,
died at the age of six years. 4. Dennis, born April i, 1838; married Melissa
Powell, both deceased. 5. Morris, born November 19, 1839; married Mar-
garet Ames, both deceased. 6. John, born in 1840; married Loretta Billings,
both deceased. 7. Mark, born August 29, 1841 ; married Nancy Taylor ;
he is a farmer in Geneva, Pennsylvania. 8. Dinah, born in 1843 ; married
Porter Brooks. 9. Loretta, born December 3. 1843 ; lives in McKean county :
married Abraham Davidson, deceased. 10. Jesse, born in April, 1845, died
in infancy. 11. Gideon, born February 2, 1847; was a farmer, now de-
ceased; married Emma Daniels. 12. Abigail, born August 15, 1850: mar-
ried Extel Mattox, both deceased. 13. Samantha, born in September, 1851 ;
married Christy Anderson ; lives in Greenwood township. 14. Rachael, men-
tioned above, as the wife of Mr. Steadman. 15. Lodema, born September 7,
1855 ; married William Hood, a farmer, and lives in Ohio. 16. Lewis, born
June 20, 1857 ; a farmer at Monroe, Wisconsin ; married Esther Grinnell.
All of these children were born in Greenwood township, Crawford county,
Pennsylvania.
Second to no other trade of importance to the human family
BAKER is that of baker; and from the trade which, from the dawn of
civilization, has given employment to a multitude of laborers,
continuously, comes the surname which has been the appellation of some
of the most prominent and useful men among the English speaking people.
(I) Robert Baker was born in Ireland, and emigrated to this country
WKSTliRX PENNSYLVAMA 1405
when lie was ^dung. lie settled in Big Beaver township, Beaver county,
Pennsylvania, on a farm of about one hundred acres, and died there about
the year 1862. He and his wife, who outlived him some years, are buried
at Clinton Cemetery. Both were members of the Methodist Episcopal
church, and he gave his political support to the Democratic party. He mar-
ried Rachel Williams, also a native of Ireland, and they had children: i.
Richard, of further mention. 2. Samuel, a farmer, removed to Ohio, where
he died. 3. Enoch, also a farmer, in Ohio, where he died. 4. John, died on
the Ohio river. 5. George, lived and died on the old homestead. 6. Sidney,
married George Kirkpatrick, and died in Pittsburgh. 7. Meribah, married
Samuel Jackson, and died in Pittsburgh. 8. Sophronia, went to California,
where she died. 9. Millie, married a Mr. Zipperneck, and died in Ohio.
10. William, died on the homestead.
(II) Richard Baker, son of Robert and Rachel (Williams) Baker, was
bom in Big Beaver township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, May 7, 1800, and
died in November, 1882. He was the first white child born in Big Beaver
township. He learned the trade of coopering, and followed this until he
had amassed a sufficient capital to purchase one hundred and fifty acres of
land, when he turned his attention to farming. He found much valuable
coal under his land, but sold these rights to others to develop. The hamlet
of Bakerstown was named in his honor, and he was its postmaster many
years. He married Catherine Thompson, born in Beaver county in 1807,
raised in Butler county, died October 9, 1884, and is buried in Clinton Ceme-
tery. She was a daughter of James and Catherine Thompson, both born in
Ireland, who emigrated to America, at first settled in Beaver county, Penn-
sylvania, then removed to Butler county, where they purchased six hundred
acres of timber land. A part of this he cleared, erecting a log cabin on it,
and there spent the remainder of their days, the property at their death
being divided among their children. They had children : i. Catherine, who
married Mr. Baker. 2. Jane, married Shipman Newkirk, and died in Iowa.
3. , married Howell. 4. Elizabeth, married John Irwin, and died
on the old homestead in Cherry township, Butler county, Pennsylvania. 5.
Sarah, married Samuel Sherlock, and died in Lawrence county, Pennsyl-
vania. 6. Mary Ann, married John Davidson, and died in Iowa. 7. John,
a farmer, died in Iowa. 8. Moses, a farmer, died in Butler county, Penn-
sylvania. 9. James, killed in the Civil War. Mr. and Mrs. Baker had chil-
dren: I. James, died in Andersonville Prison, during the Civil War. 2.
William, a farmer, died in Beaver county, Pennsylvania. 3. Sophronia,
when last heard from was living, unmarried, in Detroit, Michigan. 4. Sid-
ney, deceased, was the widow of William Beatty, and lived in Beaver
county. Pennsylvania. 5. Lorenzo, died from the effects of a wound le-
ceived during the siege of \'icksburg. 6. John, a farmer in Iowa. 7. Rob-
ert, starved to death in Belle Isle Prison, during the Civil War. 8. George
Kirkpatrick, of further mention. 9. Thompson, a retired farmer, lives in
Nebraska. 10. Richard Wesley, served during the Civil War in Company
K, Tenth Regiment Pennsylvania Reserves; is a retired farmer in \'e-
i4o6 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
braska. ii. Sarah, married Benjamin James, and died in Lawrence county,
Pennsylvania. 12. Mary A., married Frederick Strahley, and lives in
Beaver county, Pennsylvania. 13. Nancy J., married Talbert Swogger, lives
in Beaver county, Pennsylvania. 14. Matilda Thompson, lives in Pitts-
burgh, and is the widow of Walter G. Craig, a soldier of the Civil War,
a member of Company K, One Hundred and Thirty-ninth Regiment Penn-
sylvania Volunteer Infantry, who was in Belle Isle Prison and in Salisbury
Prison six and a half months. 15. Rachel, widow of George Minner, lives
in Wampum, Pennsylvania. 16. Catherine Ellen, married Robert Mills,
lives in Nebraska. Four other children died in infancy.
(Ill) George Kirkpatrick Baker, son of Richard and Catherine
(Thompson) Baker, was bom in Big Beaver township, Beaver county,
Pennsylvania, December 7, 1837. His education was acquired in the public
schools of his native county, and from his early years he has been identified
with agricultural pursuits. At the age of twenty-two years he rented a
farm in Center township, Butler county, Pennsylvania, and lived on this
for six years. He then purchased eighty acres in Clay township, where
he lived until 1898, engaged in general farming and stock raising. In the
above mentioned year he retired, selling his farm, and has lived in Butler
county since that time. March 28, 1865. he enlisted in Company I, Sixty-
seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and served until July
20, 1865, during this time being engaged in guard duty, and not being called
upon to take part in any battle. He and his wife are members of the
Methodist Episcopal church, and he is a member of A. G. Reed Post, No.
105, Grand Army of the Republic.
Mr. Baker married, September 20, i860, Martha Foster Russell, born
in Venango county, Pennsylvania, July 9, 1835, and they have celebrated
their golden wedding anniversary. John and Mary (McQuiston) Russell,
grandparents of Mrs. Baker, were old residents of Butler county, Penn-
sylvania, coming there from Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and were
farmers and large land owners. William Russell, son of John and Mary
(McQuiston) Russell, and father of Mrs. Baker, was born in Butler county,
married there, and died on his homestead in Center township in 1893. He
married Elizabeth McCandless, born in Butler county, died in Center town-
ship, September 6, i860, a daughter of Robert and Jane (McCandless)
McCandless, both born in Ireland, and farmers and large land owners in
Center township. William and Elizabeth (McCandless) Russell had chil-
dren: I. Mary Jane, died at the age of twenty years. 2. Margaret, married
James Eakin, and died in Missouri. 3. Martha Foster, who married Mr.
Baker, as above stated. 4. Elizabeth Abigail, married Anthony Thompson,
and lives in Center township. 5. Robert McCandless, a farmer, died in
Center township. Children of George K. Baker and wife: i. Thompson M.,
whose sketch is in this work. 2. Elizabeth R., married (first) Lowrey
Stoops, (second) L. S. Byers, and has six children: Harry C. and Frances
J. by first marriage, and Louis S., George C. Edward, and Gwndolyn by
iher second marriage. 3. Mary C, married Oliver Pisor ; four children:
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1407
Oliver D., Le Verne, George, Martha V. 4. William R., married Mary
Ralston; four children: Edith, Jesse, Harold and Robert C.
Hiram Morris Richmond, second son of the Hon. Almond
RICHMOND Benson and Mary (Morris) Richmond, was the descen-
dant of one of the oldest and most prominent families in
the country. A full history of his line of descent, as traced back to the
immigrant, John Richmond, of Taunton, appears elsewhere in this work ;
as does also an extended sketch of his father, the Hon. Almond Benson
Richmond. The family is one whose English ancestry is illustrious, tlie
original bearer of the name accompanying William the Conqueror into
England, and founding a family whose representatives in England, and later
in America, have upheld the honor of its traditions.
Hiram M. Richmond was born in Meadville, Crawford county, Penn-
sylvania, February 28, 1852, and was the second of his father's three sons.
His elder brother, Lewis Lawton Richmond, is referred to at length else-
where in this work; his younger brother. Major Charles E. Richmond, is
now deceased. Mr. Richmond entered Allegheny College after receiving
a thorough preparatory education, and upon completing his studies there,
decided upon a legal career for which he fitted himself by reading law with
his father, who was recognized as one of the leading criminal laywers of
that time. Upon thoroughly preparing himself for his chosen profession,
Mr. Richmond was admitted to practice in May, 1880. He became asso-
ciated in business partnership with his father under the firm name of A. B.
Richmond & Son, and was considered a most brilliant and promising young
attorney. He had a large and increasing clientele in Crawford county, but
after devoting only four years of his life to active practice, his health failed
and he was compelled to retire from business. He died March 17, 1884.
Mr. Richmond had retained his membership in his college fraternity. Delta
Tau Delta, and was a communicant of tlie Episcopal church, as are also
his wife and daughter.
On December 9, 1879, he married Margaret Fowler, daughter of Daniel
and Lydia Emeline (Pardee) Fowler; a sketch of the Fowler family also
appears in this history. Mrs. Richmond was born at Newcastle, Lawrence
county, Pennsylvania, January 17, 1858, and attended school in Burlington.
New Jersey, finally graduating from Pennsylvania Female College, Pitts-
burgh, in the class of 1877. Her cultural and educational attainments are
unusual, and she is a woman of strong influence in the community in which
she moves. For the past fourteen years she has served as treasurer of the
City Hospital at Meadville. and she is an active member of Qirist Episcopal
Church, in which she has been choir mother for twelve years. Mrs. Rich-
mond devotes a part of her time to travel. Mr. and Mrs. Richmond had
but one child, a daughter. Marguerite Richmond, born November 22, 1882,
in Meadville. She has received an excellent education, having at the con-
clusion of her high school course in this city attended the Misses Elv's
school on Riverside Drive, New York City. On June 18, 1906, Miss Rich-
i4o8 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
mond was married to Charles Cogswell McCord, born January 15, 1878,
son of Samuel and Jessie (Collins) McCord. Mr. McCord is a graduate
of Yale, of the class of 1900, and is a member of the St. Elmo fraternity.
He is now in the employ of the Erie railroad as division dispatcher and
freight agent at Rochester, New York. Like his wife, Mr. McCord is a
communicant of the Episcopal church. Mr. and Mrs. McCord have two
children: Margaret Richmond, born January 13, 1909; Samuel, born Janu-
ary 21, 1911.
This is a Scotch name of high distinction, the Camp-
CAMPBELL bells being a Highland clan noted in their home, and
whose descendants have achieved eminence in other parts
of the world. According to their tradition, the clan Campbell is of Irish
origin, being descended from the great King Heremon, who reigned in
Ireland from 1699 to 1683 B. C. Heremon's descendants form by far the
most illustrious line in Ireland, and his ancestry is traced by the Irish
chroniclers to Adam without a single break. As Pennsylvania has received
since early days a large Scotch infusion, it is not strange, but rather what
is to be expected, that Campbell is a common name in the state. The
Campbells of this review came to Pennsylvania from the North of Ireland,
and have given many valued citizens to the country.
(I) Alexander Campbell was born in Butler county. Pennsylvania,
April 13, 1813, and died November 12, 1877. In 1837 he purchased a farm
in Concord township, on which he lived until 1873, when he purchased a
farm at Mount Qiestnut, and there spent the remainder of his days. For
many years he was a Whig in politics, then joined the ranks of the Repub-
lican party. He married, in 1839, Eliza Jamison, who died December 3,
1883, whose father was a farmer of Butler county, Pennsylvania. They
had children: i. Joseph C. who enlisted, in August, 1861, in Company E,
Thirty-first Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and was an active
participant in twenty-two battles ; he fell on the bloody field of Chickamauga.
2. William T. 3. Andrew G., of further mention. Alexander Campbell and
his wife were consistent members of the United Presbyterian church.
(II) Andrew G. Campbell, son of Alexander and Eliza (Jamison)
Campbell, was born on the Campbell homestead. Concord township, Butler
county, Pennsylvania, July i, 1842, and died there, December 27, 1907. He
learned the milling trade in the mill which stood on the homestead, and he
and his father were associated in this industry as well as farming both before
and after the Civil War. In August, 1862, he enlisted in Company C, One
Hundred and Thirty-fourth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and
was mustered into service at Harrisburg. The regiment was ordered to
Arlington Heights and soon afterward he took part in the battle of Antietam.
After this he was detailed to serve with the supply train, and continued in
this duty until he was honorably discharged, June 16, 1865. He then re-
turned to Butler county, and resumed his farming operations. In 1868 he
started a general store at Mount Chestnut, continued this for a few years,
/^^^ c:^^yr^^i-/i^^^^^^
WESTERN PENXSYLX ANIA 1409
then removed to Hrownsclale, I'ennsylvania, and later to Boydstown in the
same state. In 1893 he was elected sheriff of Butler county, an office in
which he served with great efficiency. He was a man of sterling worth
and many fine traits of character. Politically he affiliated with the Repub-
lican party. Mr. Campbell married Rachel J., a daughter of George H.
Hutchinson, a farmer of Oakland township, and they had children: i.
Alexander M., of further mention. 2. Eliza A., married John H. Robb, a
grocer in Butler. 3. Thomas A., an oil operator at Beelers Station, West
Virginia; twice married, name of first wife, Celia B. Stoner. 4. William j.,
lives at Core, West Virginia. 5. Charles F., lives at Renfrew, Pennsylvania;
was twice married. 6. Millard H., an oil operator, of Salem, West Virginia.
(Ill) Alexander M. Campbell, son of Andrew G. and Rachel J. (Hutch-
inson ) Campbell, was born at Greece City, Concord township, Butler county,
Pennsylvania, October 28, 1864. For some years he attended the Nixon
District School in Penn township, leaving this at the age of thirteen years,
and commenced the active work of life as a driver of a delivery wagon for
his father. This took him through the surrounding country, and although a
boy in years he accomplished much of a man's work. In 1894 he was ap-
pointed by his father as deputy sheriff, and held this office until 1906, when
he was elected sheriff' of Butler county, and held the office until 1909. He
then rented the Atlas Hotel in Butler and later became the proprietor of
this, and in 1910 purchased the hotel at the corner of McKean and Center
avenues, and at the present time is still conducting this in a very prosperous
manner. While he is very popular throughout the county, he has never
taken an active part in political matters, but he gives. his political support
to the Republican party. He is prominent as an oil operator, holding many
local leases in this field. He is a member of Butler Lodge, No. 170, Benevo-
lent and Protective Order of Elks, was exalted ruler in 1901, and repre-
sented the lodge in 1902 at the Grand Lodge Convention at Salt Lake City.
Utah.
Mr. Campbell married. November i, 1904, Sarah A., born near Chicora,
Pennsylvania, a daughter of John and Ann ( Collins ) Sweeney, both now
deceased. Mr. Sweeney was a farmer in Butler county, and in 1874 re-
moved to Kansas, where he lived a few years. Returning to Pennsylvania,
he made his home at Petrolia. Butler county, then removed to Butler, where
the deaths of himself and wife occurred. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell have no
children.
Josiah Culbertson. of Scotch-Irish descent, came to
CULBERTSON this country with a number of relatives, and settled
at a place which they named Edinboro. Pennsylvania.
He obtained a grant of a large tract of land, a part of which he cleared and
farmed, and he was also engaged in business as a merchant. He also fol-
lowed the tailor's trade with considerable success. He was a prominent and
influential man in the community, was active in the organization of the
Presbyterian church, and was one of the first trustees of the Edinboro
I410 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
State Normal School. He had a brother, William, who constructed the
Cambridge, Erie & Edinboro Trolley Line, and was a United States con-
gressman. Mr. Culbertson married Cordelia Stewart, and they had children :
James L., of further mention ; Cordelia ; Levine ; one died in infancy.
(II) James L. Culbertson, son of Josiah and Cordelia (Stewart) Cul-
bertson, was born in Edinboro, Erie county, Pennsylvania, attended the
public schools, and was graduated from the Edinboro State Normal School
at the age of eighteen years. For a time he was in the employ of others in
the dry goods business in Meadville, and when he had accjuired a thorough
and practical knowledge of this line of business, he established himself in
the same town. His business has since been incorporated, and is conducted
under the name of The J. L. Culbertson Dry Goods Company, of which he is
the president and leading spirit. Until 1912 he conducted the business alone,
but in that year he incorporated it. He is a member of the Congregational
church, and has for many years been a member of Meadville Lodge, Free
and Accepted Masons. He married Elizabeth Richmond Edmeston. born in
Norwalk. Ohio, and they have had children : Charles Chester, deceased ;
Margaret B., deceased ; Leland James, of further mention ; Robert A. ;
Stewart A. ; Ivan C. David A. Edmeston, father of Mrs. Elizabeth Rich-
mond (Edmeston) Culbertson, was born in Paisley, Scotland, and after his
marriage emigrated to America. He settled at Norwalk, Ohio, where he
conducted a large grocery and meat business. His brother Alexander was
surgeon of the Ninety-third Regiment, New York, and Mr. Edmeston went
to that state, enlisted under his brother, and served in the war two years,
when a severe wound obliged him to return to his home. These were the
last two years of the war, and upon its conclusion he made his home only
for a short time in Norwalk. Ohio, when the after effects of the wound
caused his death. He married Margaret A. Peek, a native of Amsterdam,
New York, and they had children : David. Margaret. Alexander, Elizabeth
Richmond, mentioned above as the wife of ]\rr. Culbertson ; Robert A.
(III) Leland James Culbertson, son of James L. and Elizabeth Rich-
mond (Edmeston) Culbertson. was born in Meadville, Crawford county,
Pennsylvania, July 26. 1887. His education has been a liberal and most
comprehensive one, commencing with attendance at the public schools near
his home, one year in the Allegheny Preparatory School, then a course in
civil engineering at the Rensselaer Polytechnic School, in Troy, New York.
January 17, 1912, he registered with Albert L. Thomas, district attorney, and
commenced reading law. and was admitted to the bar of Crawford county
in May, 1915. On November 5, 1913. he was appointed a collector in the
Department of Internal Revenue. For the past two years he has held the
office of probation officer at the juvenile court. He resides in Vernon town-
ship, just outside of Meadville. and is now serving his second term as school
director. Mr. Culbertson is a devout member of the Church of Christ,
Scientist.
WESTERN PENNSYL\ANIA 141 1
The surname Crosby is of very ancient English origin. It is
CROSBY derived from two English words, cross and by (bury, burgh
or borough J, meaning the town of the cross, and has been in
use from the time when surnames were first adopted in England. In the
time of Richard III., one of the name occupied Crosby House in London,
and that city still has a street by the name. It is also found in no less than
eight places in England, namely : Crosby-upon-Eden, near Carlisle, in Cum-
berlandshire; with the villages of High and Low Crosby; another village in
the western division of Cumberland ; Crosby-Garrett and Crosby-Ravens-
worth, in Westmoreland; a village in the North Riding of Yorkshire; a
village in Lincolnshire ; and Great Crosby and Little Crosby, suburbs of
Liverpool. In 1204 Ode de Crosseby was constable of Tikehall in York-
shire, and as early as 1220 we find Simon de Crosseby in Lancashire, where
he was a landholder. The name Simon has continued in frequent use
among his descendants to the present day, and he was undoubtedly the
progenitor of the American family. Several settlers named Crosby came to
Nevv- England early enough to be classed among the pioneers, and from them
sprang a hardy race of frontiersmen who were industrious workers in peace
and hard fighters in the wars with French and Indians. Still later genera-
tions of Crosbys have been foremost in business and professional life, in
philanthropic endeavor and every worthy line of efifort. The name has been
especially prominent in the medical profession, and has been closely associ-
ated with institutions of learning, notably Harvard and Dartmouth. Having
first been used as a place-name, it was easily adopted as a surname by one
coming from the "crosstovvn"' or "town built by the cross."
(I) Nathaniel Crosby was reared in Herkimer county, New York, and
when advanced in years went to the \\'estern Reserve, Ohio, and there died
at the home of his son Elkanah. Many descendants of this branch of the
Crosby family still live in Herkimer county.
(II) Elkanah Crosby, son of Nathaniel Crosby, was born in Herkimer
county. New York, and there grew to maturity. Soon after his marriage
he removed to Ohio, where he took up six hundred and forty acres of land
in the Western Reserve. This was virgin timber land in what is now
Ashtabula county, and Mr. Crosby was one of the pioneer settlers of this
section. They cleared a portion of this land, built a log cabin, as was the
custom of the time, and spent the remainder of their lives there. Mr.
Crosby was a Whig, later a Republican, in politics, and he and his familv
were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. He married Persis
Holly, also born in Herkimer county. New York, and they had children :
I. Joseph, married Hannah Monish. and had a part of the homestead. 2.
Hiram W., of further mention. 3. Jeannette, married Frank Swartzell ;
removed to Illinois. 4. Zilpha, married (first) Eben Jackson, (second)
Henry Black, (third) Allen Stahl, (fourth) William Mullen.
(III) Hiram \Y. Crosby, son of Elkanah and Persis (Holly) Crosbv.
was born in Ashtabula county. Ohio, January 3. 1830. and has spent his
entire life up to the present time in that county. He inherited his share of
I4I2 WESTERN PEXXSYLXAXIA
the homestead tract, and added to this by purchase from the other heirs, until
he possessed a fine farm of one hundred and sixty-five acres, on which he
resided many years, and which he cultivated very successfully, with an
additional seventy-acre farm he gave to his son. In 1906 he removed from
his farm, and made his home with his son, Charles Noel, with whom he is
still residing. He has always given his strong support to the Republican
party, casting his first vote for Abraham Lincoln. His religious affiliation
is with the Methodist Episcopal church, of which his wife was also a mem-
ber and active worker for many years. She practically, by her but little
aided efforts, built the church at Cherry Valley, Ohio, near her home, and
at her death special memorial services were held in this church to honor her
name. Mr. Crosby married Fannie Spellman, born in Ashtabula county,
Ohio, August 2, 1837, died April 7, 1897. They had children: i. Lynn C,
lives on the Crosby homestead ; married Anna Perry. 2. Sarah, married
G. W. Swezey, at Andover, Ohio, where he is a retired hardware merchant.
3. Minnie, married A. W. Bailey, a capitalist, and lives at Jefiferson, Ohio.
4. Charles Noel, of further mention.
Dr. Luther Spellman, grandfather of Mrs. Fannie (Spellman) Crosby,
was born in Connecticut, and was graduated from Yale College with the
degree of Doctor of Medicine. About the year 1800 he went to Ashtabula
county, Ohio, where he purchased a large tract of land, and there settled
down to the practice of his profession. He married and raised a family,
and resided there until his death.
Charles Spellman, son of Dr. Luther .Spellman. and father of Mrs.
Fannie (Spellman) Crosby, was the recipient of an excellent education, as
were all the members of the wealthy Spellman family. He took up the
study of law, and later became a judge of the court of common pleas in
Ohio. At the time of his death his estate was valued at about forty thousand
dollars, a very large fortune for that time. He married Sarah Vale, a
member of the famous Vale family of New Jersey, and they had children:
I. Schuyler, deceased; married Jane Burlingham ; followed the occupation
of farming in Ashtabula county, Ohio. 2. Fannie, who married Mr. Crosby,
as above stated. 3. Sarah, married Lester Burlingham. a farmer of Ash-
tabula county ; both now deceased.
(IV) Charles Noel Crosby, son of Hiram W. and Fannie (Spellman)
Crosby, was born in Ashtabula county, Ohio, September 29, 1876. He at-
tended the public schools at Cherry Valley. Ohio, then the New Lyme
Preparatory Institute, after which he matriculated at the Western Reserve
University, Cleveland, Ohio, from which he was graduated in the class
of 1897 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. During the four years of his
college life he played as right end on the Varsity Foot Ball Team, and was
a member of Beta Chapter of the Beta Theta Phi Fraternity. lie then
studied one year in the W^estern Reserve Law School, following this with
reading law one year in the office of Judge Burrows, of Painesville, Ohio,
after which, his health having become impaired by too close application to
his studies, he returned to his father's farm and spent two and a half years
WESTERN PENNSYL\AXIA 1413
in outduor employment nntil he had thoroughly regained his health. In the
winter of 1902 he came to Linesville, Crawford county, l^ennsylvania, and
there organized the National Silo and Lumber Company, of which he was
made president. The comjjany constructed silos and carried on a general
lumber business. In 1906 the company was reorganized and called the
Inter-National Silo Company, Mr. Crosby being president. Later he dropped
the company charter, as he had become the sole owner of the concern. He
also carries on a lumber business. His silo is called the International Silo,
and his plant constructs about five hundred per year. It employs about
thirty-five men, and they have salesmen on the road throughout the United
States, as these silos are constructed everywhere. Mr. Crosby is also an
extensive builder in his home town, and each year erects several houses
which he rents or sells. He is a member and trustee of the Presbyterian
church, and his fraternal affiliation is with the Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. During his
boyhood years he had very naturally given his allegiance to the Republican
party, but after studying political economy at college, he became a Democrat,
and has taken an active interest in politics since that time. He has served
as a member of the local school board, and was an unsuccessful candidate
for the office of burgess. Recently he was nominated on the Democratic
state ticket for representative in his district for congress at large.
Mr. Crosby married, October 17, 1901, Sarah Isabelle, born in Ash-
tabula county. Ohio, a daughter of Jasper and Fanny (Ross) Fetterman.
both born in Mercer county. Pennsylvania, removed to Williamsfield town-
ship, Ashtabula county. Ohio, where he is a farmer. Qiildren : Fanny,
born June 6, 1903 ; Theodore, February 23, 1905 ; Jean, May 7, 1907 ;
Penelope, June 17, 1909: Virginia Beryl, June 15. 1912; Charles Noel,
December 21, 1914.
Thomas Lapsley, who was a native of Ireland, emigrated to
LAPSLEY America, and was among the pioneer settlers of Indiana
county. Pennsylvania. He married Roy, and they
had children : George, of further mention ; James ; Elizabeth, who married
Thomas Reese, and they lived and died in Indiana county.
(II) George Lapsley, son of Thomas and (Roy) Lapsley. was
born in Ireland, and came to Indiana county, Pennsylvania, with his parents.
He married Agnes, also born in Ireland, a daughter of Thomas and Nancy
(Ray) Evans, who were also among the early settlers of Indiana county.
Mr. and Lapsley had children : Thomas, of further mention ; Ellen, Eliza,
Mary Ann, Martha.
(III) Thomas (2") Lapsley, son of George and Agnes (Evans) Laps-
ley, was born at Cherry Hill township, Indiana county. Pennsylvania, De-
cember 19, 1836, and died August 10, 1909. He removed to Glassport.
Allegheny county. Pennsylvania, about 1905, where his widow lives at the
present time, and both were members of the Presbyterian church. He mar-
ried, October 2, i860, Elizabeth Munshower. born in Center township.
I4I4 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Indiana county, Pennsylvania, October 13, 1840. They had children: i.
Alfred E., born June 23, 1861 ; married Clara Pierce, and has children:
Merna, Florence and Alfred. 2. John A., of further mention. 3. Eliza
Ellen, died in infancy. 4. Clara, born in 1865, died in 1913. 5. Daniel V.,
born January 21, 1867; married Carrie Snyder, and has children: Marie,
Arthur an4 Glenn. 6. George S., born May 30, 1869; married Nettie Finley,
and has children : Thomas, Naoma, George, Paul and Raymond. 7.
Laura, born October 30, 1871 ; married Harry Hull, and has children:
Hazel, Thelma, Claire, Boyd and Alberta. 8. Sadie, born April 17, 1873;
married Charles Harbaugh, and has children : Geddes, Catherine and
Delorme. 9. Charles H., born April 8, 1877; married Keziah Mabon, and
has had children: Violet; Catherine, who died in 1910 at the age of four
years. 10. May, born November 12, 1885; married Norman Howard, and
has : Norman and Clifford.
John Munshower, grandfather of Mrs. Elizabeth (Munshower) Laps-
ley, was born in Maryland, and at an early date came to Indiana county,
Pennsylvania, with his family. There he acquired a fine homestead. He
married Catherine, a daughter of Dr. Baker, of Maryland, in which state she
was born. Mr. and Mrs. Munshower had children : John, David, William,
Nicholas, Samuel, Joseph, Daniel, of further mention ; Mary, Eliza, Hannah,
Susan, Jane.
Daniel Munshower. son of John and Catherine (Baker) Munshower,
and father of Mrs. Elizabeth (Munshower) Lapsley, was born in Maryland
in 1802, and died in 1889. He removed from Center township to White
township, Indiana county, Pennsylvania, in 1847. He and his wife were
members of the Lutheran church. He married Eliza, born in Westmore-
land county, Pennsylvania, in 1822, died in 1865, a daughter of Samuel Smith,
who died when she was but two years of age, and his wife, Elizabeth (Good)
Smith, who married (second) Henry Ow, and had children: Mary, Susan-
nah and Samuel. By her first marriage she had : Eliza, who married Mr.
Munshower, as mentioned above; and Sarah, who married William Snyder.
(IV) John A. Lapsley. son of Thomas (2) and Elizabeth (Mun-
shower) Lapsley, was born in Indiana county, Pennsylvania, July 24, 1862.
Upon the completion of his education, which was acquired in the public
schools, he went to Kansas with his brothers, Alfred E., Daniel V. and
George S., and about 1890 they returned to Pennsylvania, locating in
Blairsville, where they were in business ten years. While in Kansas he was
at Healy, Lane county, where they were engaged in the general mercantile
business, and John A. was postmaster of the town for several years. He
taught his brothers the carpenter's trade, and Daniel V. was for several
years an engineer on the railroad. The firm of Lapsley Brothers, general
contractors and builders, lumber dealers, builders' supplies, etc., was organ-
ized in March, 1900, and the present officers are : John A. Lapsley, presi-
dent; A. E. Lapsley, vice-president and treasurer; G. S. Lapsley, secretary
and general manager. In political matters Mr. Lapsley is a Democrat, and
he is a member and active worker in the Presbyterian church. He has
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1415
been one of the elders and superintendent of the Sunday school since
locating in Glassport. His brother, Alfred E., is a treasurer of the church,
and while living in Blairsville, Pennsylvania, John A. was a deacon in the
church.
Mr. Lapsley married (first) in 1888, Ella M., who died in 1890, a
daughter of Albert Flint, of Coldwater, Michigan. He married (second)
in 1895, Anna Bell Wilson, of Blairsville. They have had children: Helen,
a special student at the Indiana Normal School ; Pauline, in the high school ;
John H. ; Anna Bell.
Simon (?) Lessig was born in Bavaria, Germany, and at
LESSIG the age of about fifteen years ran away from home and
emigrated to America. He was of an energetic and enter-
prising disposition, and readily made friends. He settled in Westmoreland
county, Pennsylvania, and there became a prosperous farmer and land
owner. He married there and had children: i and 2. Lewis and John, both
retired farmers at the time of their deaths in Ohio, whither they had removed.
3. Joseph, also a farmer, died near Leechburg, Pennsylvania. 4. Jacob, a
farmer and stone mason, died near Delmont, Pennsylvania. 5. George, a
veteran of the Civil War, died in Scottdale, Westmoreland county, Penn-
sylvania. 6. Simon Peter, of further mention. Also two daughters, names
not on record.
(11) Simon Peter Lessig, son of Simon ( ?) Lessig, was born in West-
moreland county, Pennsylvania, and died at his home in Homestead, Alle-
gheny county, Pennsylvania, December 20, 1893. After his marriage he
settled at Delmont, Westmoreland county, where he was the owner and
operator of a woolen factory for about eight years, when the factory was
destroyed by fire. He then engaged in the oil business in Clarion county,
Pennsylvania, followed this for about twelve years, then removed to Home-
stead, where he conducted a grocery business at Fifth avenue and Dixon
street, and was thus occupied at the time of his death. He was a Democrat,
and during the last six years of his life a strong Prohibitionist. His religious
affiliations were with the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he was a fre-
quent and conscientious office holder. He married Amanda M. Cummins,
bom on a farm near Massillon. Ohio, died at Homestead, Pennsylvania,
December 7, 1900. They had children: i. Charles, who died at the age of
three years. 2. A daughter, who died unnamed. 3. Harry W., a newsdealer,
living in Connellsville, Pennsylvania. 4. Clark Simon, of further mention.
Simpson Cummins, father of Mrs. Lessig, was born in Pennsylvania or
Virginia. After his marriage he removed to Ohio and settled on the present
site of Zanesville. He was a man of great wealth and purchased a large
farm there. Through mismanagement he lost almost all of his fortune, and
removing to Stark county, Ohio, made their home there and lived on the
small income that was all that was left of their large fortune. He died
there when he was more than seventy years of age. He was a well read
man and well educated. His political affiliations were with the Democratic
I4i6 WESTERN" PENNSYL\"ANIA
party, and he and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. Cummins married in Virginia, EHzabelh Beavers, born in Virginia, died
near Canton, Ohio, when she was over ninety years old, a daughter of
Samuel and Mary Baird (Floods) Beavers, both born in Fairfax county,
Virginia, and both of Scotch-Irish descent. Children: i. Frances, married
Abraham Miller, and died in Canton, Ohio. 2. Thomas, went to Kansas
and was killed in the border warfare. 3. Elizabeth, married George Shaver,
and died in Cleveland, Ohio. 4. Lou, married Frank Steyer, lives in Canton,
Ohio. 5. Alice, married Robert Binsley, and died in Columbiana county,
Ohio. 6. Mary, married William Shafifer, and lives in New Lisbon, Ohio.
7. Amanda J\L, who married Mr. Lessig, as above stated. 8. Albert, who
died in early childhood.
(Ill) Clark Simon Lessig, son of Simon Peter and Amanda M. (Cum-
mins ) Lessig, was born at Delmont, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania,
March 6, 1868. He was equipped for the battle of life with an excellent
education, wihich was acquired in the public schools and the local normal
school. His business career has been an extremely creditable one, as he
commenced it by entering the employ of the Carnegie Steel Works, in the
structural steel department, about 1887, and his connection with this com-
pany has been an uninterrupted one up to the present time, a record which
honors the employee and the employer alike. Since March, 1913, he has
held the position of foreman of the thirty-five and forty inch mills. He is a
member of Homestead Lodge, No. 582, Free and Accepted Masons ; of
Pittsburgh Council, Royal and Select Masters ; and he and his wife are
members of the First Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1906 he built a fine
buff brick residence at No. 403 Eleventh avenue, Munhall, and has lived
there since that time. Mr. Lessig married, September 28, 1893, Anna M.,
a daughter of Thomas Lloyd, and they have had children : Harry, born
June 15, 1895, now a student at the Munhall High School; Jeannette Lenore,
born in 1902, died April 11, 1907.
This has been an honored name in Germany for many genera-
MAIER rations, and has become no less so since its advent in this
country. It is now represented in all parts of the Union.
George Maier was born in Wittenberg, Germany, and emigrated to the
United States in early manhood. He settled in Pittsburgh, where he estab-
lished himself in the dairy business. He married Mary, daughter of Jacob
and Margaret Croneweth. and had children : Harry A., of further mention ;
Anna, unmarried, lives in Wilkinsburg. Mr. Maier was a Republican and
a member of the German Lutheran church, to which he contributed gener-
ously.
Harry A. Maier, son of George and Mary (Croneweth) Maier, was
born in East Liberty, Allegheny county. Pennsylvania, June 25. 1868. Early
in life he established himself in the dairy business in Ross township. Alle-
gheny county, and remained there about seven years. In 1896 he came to
Shaler township, and in 1900 purchased his present farm, and erected the
WESTERN PEXXSYLVAxNIA 1417
house on it in 1906, He commenced growing fruit, and so successful has
this enterprise been that he sold his dairy business in 1914, and intends de-
voting his entire time and attention to the growing of fruits and vege-
tables. In doing this he adopts the most progressive methods, and his farm
is a model of its size in the section. There is also a beautiful residence on
the farm, and this has all up-to-date improvements. Politically he is a
Republican, and he is a member of the English Lutheran church.
Mr. Maier married Enmia, born June 16, 1872, a daughter of Frederick
and Mary (Knoedler) Leuzinger, and a sister of Edward Leuzinger, who
married Anna Eisner, and lives in Shaler township. Mr. and Mrs. Maier
had children: Marie, born September i, 1889, married Edward Wetzel;
Harvey, April 18, 1891 ; BertJia, December 29, 1893; George, May 19, 1895;
Elizabeth, April 6, 1897; Harry J., January 2, 1899; Anna, born September
24, 1901 : Grace, January i, 1903; John, born September 30, 1904, died Feb-
ruary 15, 1906; Kathryn, March i, 1909; Dale, February 5, 1912.
The sturdy characteristics of the Scotch people are plainly
CROSBIE discernible in the life history of Irvine C. Crosbie whose
ancestors for generations made their home in that land,
abiding by its rules, leading lives of honesty and good will to men.
Thomas Crosbie, father of Irvine C. Crosbie, was a native of Scotland,
as were also his parents, who spent their entire lives there. After completing
a common school education, he learned the business of florist and gardener,
becoming an expert in that line, and working at the same in his native land
until 1872, when he emigrated to the United States and settled in Washington
county, Pennsylvania, where he followed his work successfully until the
year 1880, when he moved to Allegheny county, same state, later to Bloom-
field District, and subsequently, about the year 1884, to Wilkinsburg, Penn-
sylvania, where he also devoted his attention to gardening. He conformed
to the rules of his adopted country, in which he took a keen interest, and
in community affairs he was always an active factor. He married Helen
Cunningham, born in Scotland, daughter of Alexander and Maggie Cun-
ningham, natives of the same country. Mr. and Mrs. Crosbie had eight
children, five sons and three daughters, namely : Thomas A., Margaret M.,
William W., Irvine C, John H., Jean E., Archie J., Blanche H.
Irvine C. Crosbie was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, Janu-
ary, 1878. He attended the schools of Wilkinsburg, thus obtaining a prac-
tical education, and then served an apprenticeship at the trade of carpenter,
for which he was well qualified, and at which he became quite proficient.
In 1902 he engaged in a contracting business, which he has since continued,
and in which he has been uniformly successful, owing to his thorough
preparation, his honorable methods and strict attention to all details. He
is a man of honor and integrity', and his influence for good is felt throughout
the community. He married, September 24, 1913, Pauline D. Harris, born in
Virginia. 1872, daughter of George W. and Maggie E. Harris. Mrs.
Crosbie is a member of fhe Shady Avenue Baptist Church, of East Liberty.
I4i8 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
in which she takes a great interest, contributing her share in the work of
the various societies connected therewith.
Founded in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, by
BAUMGARTEL Christian Baumgartel, this line has in its new home
devoted itself principally to agricultural pursuits.
Christian Baumgartel was born in Germany, and soon after his marriage
emigrated to the United States, settling in Hampton township, Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, and there becoming a farmer. His original purchase
was of seventy acres, and to this he later added forty acres, his possessions
including the farms upon which his son and grandson, George and John C.
Baumgartel, afterward lived. He was a quiet and unpretentious citizen;
living in unbroken accord with his neighbors. He and his family were mem-
bers of the Evangelical Lutheran church at Dorseyville, Pennsylvania, at-
tending its services with marked regularity. Christian Baumgartel married
VVilhelmina Grimm, a native of Germany, whose parents settled at Cross
Keys, Pennsylvania, there buying a store. They were the proprietors of
this for a time, then engaged in farming operations. Christian Baumgartel
died in 1862, and his wife died in 1893. Their children : Sophia, Mary,
John F., of whom further; Joseph, George, Christian, Minnie, Louis.
(H) John F. Baumgartel, son of Qiristian and Wilhelmina (Grimm)
Baumgartel, was born in Hampton township, Allegheny county, Pennsyl-
vania, and was educated in the country schools of the locality. Upon his
father's death he inherited forty-five acres of the home farm, and through-
out his life was a farmer, his operations general in character. About 1886
he erected a substantial house on this property, also a large and well-built
barn, and there lived until his death, which occurred June i, 191 1. He was
well known in the locality, and universal regret was felt at his death, many
having come to know him as a citizen of good characteristics, a gentleman
of honor and consideration. John F. Baumgartel married Louisa Eggers,
and had children, the following attaining mature years : Emma, Nettie, John
C, of whom further; Martin, deceased; Christian, deceased.
rni) John C. Baumgartel. son of John F. and Louisa (Eggers) Baum-
gartel, was born in Hampton township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
September 4, 1872. He attended the public schools in his boyhood, and in
manhood became an agriculturist, in 1899 purchasing eight acres of land in
his native township. After his father's death he made his home on the old
farm, and there resides to the present time, farming and gardening occupying
his entire time. Mr. Baumgarten is a strong Republican sympathizer in
matters political, and for one term was township supervisor of roads. He
is a member of the German Lutheran church. Mr. Baumgartel married,
April 12, 1899, Minnie, daughter of Louis Otto and Caroline (Keothe)
Hoburg. Her father was born in Germany, Etecember 27, 1836, and in
that country his parents died. As a lad of thirteen years Louis Otto
Hoburg came to the United States, settling first in New Jersey and later
proceeding to Ohio, then making his home in Pittsburgh. His occupation
^
c.^^^^^^--.
WESTERN PENXSYL\ANIA 1419
was that of glass blower, but while in Ohio he purchased and cultivated a
farm, and after coming to Pennsylvania soon moved from Pittsburgh to
Indiana township, Allegheny county, where he still lives. The tract of land
upon which his home is situated is seventy-five acres in extent, and he is
also the owner of another farm of sixty acres. His career has been a
decided material success, and he holds the confidence and respect of his
fellows. He was married in Pennsylvania, his wife a native of Germany
and daughter of August and Dorthy Keothe, her parents settling in Alle-
gheny City (Pittsburgh North Side). Three of the children of Louis Otto
and Caroline (Koethe) Hoburg are deceased, the survivors being: August
Hoburg, William Hoburg, Anna Rush, Louis Hoburg, Emma Kramer,
Carrie Zimmerman, Minnie, of previous mention, married John C. Baum-
gartel; Mary Stipe, Selma Kather. Children of John C. and Minnie (Ho-
burg) Baumgartel : Alda, Louis, Caroline, Helen, Ora.
Andrew Anderson (the name of the family in Sweden)
SWEDBORG was born in Sweden, where he died at an advanced age.
He was a farmer, and was awarded a silver spoon by the
government for 'his success in turning wild uncultivated tracts of land into
fertile fields. This spoon is now in the possession of his grandson, Frank
Otto Swedborg. He was a very strong man, six feet two inches in height.
He and his wife, who died at the age of seventy years, belonged to the
Swedish Lutheran church.
(H) Andrew (2) Anderson, son of Andrew (i) Anderson, was born
at Roby, Sweden, in 1813, and died August 27, 1867. He was one of seven
children, and in his youth was very poor, but by dint of thrift, industry and
good investments he became the owner of three fine farms and a quantity
of other property at the time of his death. He was an excellent mechanic,
and could turn out the finest kinds of woodwork. In his earlier life he was
a contractor, constructing roads, etc. ; then he operated a saw mill and a
grist mill in the town of Croteryd, Sweden, and in the course of eight years
had amassed a sufficient capital to enable him to buy a farm in the rolling
prairie country. He took an active part in the municipal life of the com-
munity, was considered an authority in legal matters, and people would
come to him for advice from far and near. He was commissioner for
"appraising the soil" for many years. He and his family belonged to the
Swedish Lutheran church, of which he was a regular attendant. He mar-
ried Justina Johnson, born at Parish of Odeshog, Sweden, in 1823, died
September 30, 1890, a daughter of John Johnson, who, together with his
wife, died when their daughter was but six years of age. Mr. and Mrs.
Anderson had children : C. J., born in 1839, died in 1909, on the old home-
stead in Roby, Sweden ; Johanna, married John Oberg, lives on a farm in
Sweden ; Frank Otto, of whom further.
(Ill) Frank Otto Swedborg (as the name was spelled after coming to
the United States), son of Andrew (2) and Justina (Johnson) Anderson,
was bom in the town of Odeshog, near Lake Vetter, in the southern part of
I420 \\ksti-:rx pexxsvlxaxia
Sweden, Xovember 2^5, 1847. He acquired his education in the Swedish
Lutheran schools of his native land, and was then apprenticed to learn
cabinetmaking and fine woodworking of all kinds. In this occupation he
remained until he was twenty years of age, in the meantime also assisting his
father with the farm labors. This did not appeal to him, however, and he
determined to emigrate to America, where there appeared to be better oppor-
tunities for an ambitious, industrious and energetic young man. After his
arrival here he went to Jamestown, New York, reaching that place June 15,
1868, and found employment as a carpenter, and remained there until May,
1869. Then, after three month spent in Warren, Pennsylvania, he removed
to Titusville, Pennsylvania, where he has resided until the present time.
At first he worked as a carpenter for Philip Hesch, and while with this
gentleman assisted in building the Catholic convent. After a few years of
work as a journeyman, he started in the contract business for himself, and
erected many of the dwelling houses, store buildings, and the Chase Block.
The Titusville Furniture Factory, at Nos. 64-66 West Central avenue, one
of the important enterprises of the town, was purchased by Mr. Swedborg
from C. P. Casperson, and was incorporated in 1882 under the laws of the
state of Pennsylvania. The concern occupies a large brick structure, the
property of Mr. Swedborg. It is three stories in height, forty by ninety
feet in dimensions, and has a storehouse in the rear, thirty by ninety feet.
The most modern equipment is in use throughout the building, and the
comfort of the workmen is a prime consideration. It has fifteen thousand
square feet of floor space, and about twenty-five skilled workmen are con-
stantly employed. They manufacture bedroom and office furniture, and
inside trim of all kinds. At times they employ as many as forty men. Mr.
Swedborg was personally actively identified with this factory until his re-
tirement in January, 191 1. He is a strong supporter of the Republican
party, but has never desired to hold public office. He and his wife attend
the Swedish Lutheran church. He is prominent as a member of the Swedish
Brotherhood of America. Mr. Swedborg married, October 29, 1872, Emily
Carlson, born on a neighboring farm in Sweden, a daughter of Carl and
Hedda (Carlson) Johnson, both now deceased. Qiildren : Nellie Olivia,
died at the age of six years ; Yealy Renhalt, died at the age of four years.
Both of these children died of malignant diphtheria, known at that time as
"black diphtheria." Mr. and Mrs. Swedborg reside in a beautiful home at
No. 68 West Elm street. Titusville.
John Hildinger. who was born in Stuttgart, Germany,
HILDINGER emigrated to this country about 1820 with his wife and
two children, and settled near Zaner Church, Westmore-
land county. Pennsylvania. After a time he sold his farm there, removed to
Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, and there purchased two farms of one
hundred and eighty-five acres, the town of Sagamore now being located on
this land. He cleared and improved his farms and resided on them until
his death. He and his wife were members of the Lutheran church. He
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1421
married, in Stuttgart, Margaret Ann Miller, a native of that city, and had
children: Rose Anna, married William Cochran, and died in Armstrong
county, Pennsylvania; John A., of further mention.
(II) John A. iriildinger, son of John and Margaret Ann (Miller; Hil-
dinger, was born in Germany about 1819, and died in Pennsylvania about
1884. He was a very young child w-hen brought to this country by his
parents, and was raised and educated in Westmoreland and Armstrong
counties, Pennsylvania. After his marriage he settled at Sagamore, and com-
menced farming on the homestead, and there his death occurred. He
erected a number of new buildings on the homestead, and improved the
property in many ways. Politically he was a Republican, and a member of the
Lutheran church. He served about three years during the Civil War as
a member of the P'ennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He married Jane
Cochran, born in Indiana county, Pennsylvania, about 1820, died about
1889. She was a daughter of Samuel Cochran, who was a farmer and a
descendant of the old Cochran family of Penn.sylvania, who came to this
country from Ireland. He was twice married, and by his first wife had
children as follows: 1. William, who died on a farm in Indiana county,
Pennsylvania. 2. Scott, died on a farm in Jefferson county, Pennsylvania.
3. John (Jack), a lumberman, once treasurer of Pittsburgh, died in that city.
4. Jane, who married Mr. Hildinger. 5. Nancy, widow of James Neel,
lives in Brookville, Pennsylvania. 6. Martha, died in infancy. Mr. and
Mrs. Hildinger had children: i. Margaret, married William Cochran, and
lives in Pittsburgh. 2. Belle, died at the age of about twenty years. 3.
John J., of further mention. 4. Lizzie, married D. C. Johnson, and lives
in Trenton, New Jersey. 5. Anna Priscilla, married Charles Sweet, and
lives at New Kensington, near Pittsburgh. 6. Alpha, married C. C. Cutler,
and lives in Trenton, New Jersey. 7. Qiarles C, lives in Trenton, New
Jersey, is at the head of important enterprises in the moving picture world,
and is also largely interested in real estate matters.
(Ill) John J. Hildinger, son of John A. and Jane (Cochran) Hil-
dinger, was born in Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, November 26, 1861.
He was educated in the public schools of his native county, and his earlier
years were spent entirely on the homestead farm. Upon the completion of
his education he became a clerk in a lumber mill, and later a contractor in
the sash and door industry at Du Bois, Pennsylvania. Having sold this
plant he became the proprietor of Terpe House at Du Bois, which he con-
ducted for about five years. He then purchased a homestead which he
farmed for a couple of years, then sold, and removed to McKeesport, Alle-
gheny county, Pennsylvania, about 1890. For ten years he was the manager
there for the Nelson Morris Company, wholesale provisions. He was one
of the organizers of the Keystone Commercial Company, of McKeesport, a
wholesale feed corporation, and has been manager of this concern since its
inception. This covers local territory entirely, and employs about twelve
men. Mr. Hildinger is interested in a variety of other enterprises, among
them being: The coal industry at Clarksburg, T\'est \'irginia : fruit growing
1422 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
in Hampshire county, West Virginia, and also in Maryland, he being tlie
organizer of these fruit growing corporations. In politics he is a Republican,
and he is a member of the Masonic fraternity, up to and including the
Knight Templar degree. Mr. Hildinger married (first) in 1882, Jennie
M., daughter of Julius Terpe. He married (second) in 1899, Mrs.
Minnie May Welsh, nee Heading. By the first marriage there were children :
La Roux, married Thomas Baird, and lived in Portsmouth, Ohio, she died
in October, 1914; Virginia, living at present time (1915) in Du Bois, Penn-
sylvania. There were no children by the second marriage.
The members of the Brodmerkel family trace their
BRODMERKEL origin to Germany, where the early ancestors lived
and died, performed the duties and obligations of life
in a conscientious manner, reared their children in the way they should go,
and lived at peace with all men.
John Brodmerkel, father of George Brodmerkel, a late resident of near
Wilkinsburg, was born in Germany, where he obtained a good education,
learned the trade of moulder, working largely in copper, and married Bar-
bara , a native of Germany. In 1846, accompanied by his wife and
three children, he set sail for the United States, but his wife died before
the journey was completed ; one child died in Allegheny, Pennsylvania,
another in Barrettstown, Pennsylvania, the only surviving member of his
family being George, of whom further. Upon his arrival here John Brod-
merkel settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he worked at his trade,
but died at the early age of thirty-eight years from the effects of an acid.
George Brodmerkel was born in Byron, Germany, July 24, 1839, died
in Penn township, Pennsylvania, April 24, 1914. He was left an orphan at
an early age, consequently was thrown upon his own resources at the time
when most boys are having a comparatively easy time. He received his
education in the schools of Pittsburgh, and his first occupation was in the
coal mines in Schaeler township, after which he learned the trade of moulder
with his father. Upon the outbreak of the Civil War he enlisted his services
in behalf of his adopted country, becoming a member of Company B,
Seventy-fourth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and served
for three years and three months, being wounded at the battle of Gettys-
burg, and during his last year of service was filling the office of corporal,
having attained that rank as a reward for his bravery. After an honorable
discharge from the service of the government, he returned to Schaeler
township and again resumed coal mining, continuing in that line of work for
the long period of thirty-five years. He then operated a farm at Sandy
Creek, and subsequently purchased a farm in Penn township, consisting of
twenty-three acres, it being reduced at the present time (1914) to fifteen
acres, where his family now resides. A portion of the house on this property
has been standing for over a century, it being one of the landmarks of that
section. R'Ir. Brodmerkel served as an officer at tlie Allegheny ^Vo^k
House for five years, performing his duties to the satisfaction of all con-
cerned. He was a member of Custer Post, Grand Army of the Republic,
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 14^3
at Etna. He was reared in the faith of the Lutheran church, but after the
removal of the family to Penn township they attended the services of the
United Presbyterian church. Mrs. Brodmertcel holds membership in the
United Presbyterian church at Hebron, Pennsylvania. Mr. Brodmerkel
led an active and useful life, and his death was deeply regretted by all
wlho had the honor of his acquaintance.
Mr. Brodmerkel married. May 28. 1864, .\nna C. Hock, born in Etna,
Pennsylvania, daughter of Frederick and Elizabeth (Urbach) Hock, na-
tives of Germany, from whence they emigrated to the United States and
located near Etna, Pennsylvania, where they died in early life. They
were the parents of one other daughetr, Philimina, Mrs. Shaffer. Children
of Mr. and Mrs. Brodmerkel: i. Katherine, deceased; was the wife of
James Sanderson and mother of Florence, wife of Thomas Dushane ;
Grace, wife of Ferdinand Mulligan and mother of one child, Jane ; and
Margaret. 2. John, a resident of Delmont, Pennsylvania; married Anna
Ruppel, of Oakmont, Pennsylvania ; children : Ruth, Margaret, Leah, Wal-
ter, Richard, George. 3. Andrew, deceased. 4. Henrietta, deceased ; was
the wife of Robert Woodside and mother of four children: Russell, Harry,
Nelson, deceased, Norman, deceased. 5. Margaret, resides at home. 6.
George, resides at home : married Bessie Elizabeth Hamilton ; children :
Alexander, Martha. 7. Elizabeth, married Thomas J. Klingensmith ; chil-
dren: Clarence, Helen, Grace; the family reside in New Kensington, Penn-
sylvania. 8. Albert, married Margaret Chestnut ; children : Arthur, Martha,
deceased. 9. Harry, married Elizabeth Kane; child, Anna May. 10. Mil-
dred, resides at home.
Nicholas Bick Jr. is descended on both sides of the house from
BICK families representative of that best type of German character
which has contributed so valuable an element to the composite
fabric of American citizenship, and furnished a leaven of its own peculiar
virtues, namely a high degree of industry and thrift and an unwearying
pursuit of the objective. His paternal grandparents spent their entire lives
in the "Fatherland," in the town of Bryson. They were the parents of a
large family of children, several of whom are still alive in their native
land, only two of them coming to this country. These were Nicholas Bick
Sr., and Wendel Bick, who for some years was employed as a watchman
in a glass house in Washington, Pennsylvania, and now lives retired in
that place.
Nicholas Bick Sr. was born at Bryson, Germany, and there passed his
childhood and youth, emigrating to the United States in the year 1866,
and making his home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he engaged in a
contracting and building business, which grew to large proportions. He
had learned the trade of stone mason in his native land and so was very
well fitted to carry on the business intelligently and with success. He con-
tinued in this line until about 1894, when he retired, and he now lives at
No. 1827 Edwards alley, on the "South Side," Pittsburgh. Nicholas Bick
Sr. has been twice married, the first time to ^Irs. John Fleckenstein, a
1424 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
native of Bavaria. Germany, daughter of Hartman, also a native of
Bavaria, wiience he came to the United States in 1849, accompanied by
his wife and children, when their daughter, above mentioned, was very
young. The Hartmans settled near Parkersburg, West Virginia. Mr.
Hartman at first engaged in farming but before a great while retired. He
and his wife eventually died in the home they had chosen in the "New
World." They were the parents of seven children, of whom six came with
their parents to America, aiid most of them lived and died near Parkers-
burg, although one branch of the family went to Marietta, Ohio, where the
descendants are living at the present time. Catherine Hartman was first
married to Mr. John Fleckenstein and they became the parents of nine
children before Mr. Fleckenstein was killed in the mines where he was
employed. She fhen became the wife of Nicholas Bick Sr., and they had
three children, as follows: Nicholas Jr., of whom further; Joseph, now a
resident of Pittsburgh, with a home on Arlington avenue; Maggie, who
died when but six or seven years of age. Mrs. Catherine (Hartman-
Fleckenstein) Bick died March 17, 191 1, and in 1913 Mr. Bick was again
married, this time to Mrs. , and the two are now living at Mr. Bick's
home in Pittsburgh.
Nicholas ( 2 ) Bick, the eldest child of Nicholas ( i ) and Catherine
( Hartman- Fleckenstein) Bick, was born October 31, 1867, in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, on the "South Side." His family had always been members
of the Roman Catholic church, and the boy was educated in the parochial
schools of the neighborhood until he had reached the age of twelve years.
He later attended night school and obtained an excellent general education.
At the age of eighteen he abandoned his general studies, and set himself
to mastering the trade of bricklaying, and with his usual aptitude and ap-
plication had very soon become proficient in the use of his tools. He followed
this trade for five years, and then, feeling secure in his own knowledge and
experience, began a contracting business on his own account in brick con-
struction work. He was successful from the start, and is still continuing
a very prosperous business. He has done large and important work through-
out the region, some of the largest being the brick work for the great
Homestead Brewery, that for the Armour Meat House in Pittsburgh, and
an entire block of brick construction for the D. and O. Cunningham Glass
Company. Besides these great works, he has erected many smaller build-
ings, and probably as many as two hundred dwellings in and about Carrick,
Pennsylvania. He employs continually some ten or twelve men. Mr. Bick
is a man of large substance and a very prominent figure in his community.
He has lived since 1893 "i St. Clair borough, at No. 516 Arlington avenue.
In 191 1 ihe remodelled his house, and. indeed, practically rebuilt it, and it is
• now one of the finest residences in the place. He takes an active part in
the life of the town, but has never aspired to public office. Mr. Bick is not,
however, uninterested in politics or the issues which the conduct of public
aft'airs, local and national, are forever raising. On the contrary, he has been
a close student of these very issues and of social conditions generally,
WESTERX PENNSYLVANIA 1425
devoting much time and attention and no little original thought to these
matters. His is an unusually sincere and uncompromising nature, not con-
tent to take for granted the conclusions of others, without submitting them
to the test of his own reasoning faculties. As is common with such cases,
Mr. Bick's views are not the usual cut and dried opinions which so clog the
wheels of progress and reform, but the more or less unconventional beliefs,
always looked upon more or less askance by their own period, and accepted
as fundamental by the next. For many years he was a Democrat in his
views and feelings, but of recent years has been driven by his sincere
studies and thought to the position of socialism. While taking a profound
and intelligent interest in these matters, and even playing a part in pwlitics,
it is always from a purely private position, and without ambition for political
preferment for himself.
Mr. Bick married, July 27, 1893, Bella R. Stuart, a native of Saxonville,
Butler county, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Bick is a daughter of Uriah and Mary
(Anderson) Stuart. Mr. Stuart is a member of a very old family and
came to Butler county many years ago, serving from there in a regiment of
Pennsylvania volunteers during the Civil War. To Mr. and Mrs. Bick
have been born five children, as follows: i. Eva, who was educated in the
Iron City Business College, and is now a bookkeeper employed by the
Pittsburgh Chemical Company. 2. Florence, who received a thorough musi-
cal education at the Pittsburgh Conservatory of Music, later became the wife
of Joseph McGowan, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 3. Harold. 4. Cyril.
5. Myrtle. Mr. and Mrs. Bick are members of the Presbyterian church and
in that persuasion are rearing their children.
This is the record of a Southern family, Tennessee having
BURTON been the state whence came Charles Webster Burton to Ohio,
after the close of the war between the states. He was born
in Tennessee, and was there married, later settling in Pike county, Ohio,
where he was employed at his trade, that of cabinet-maker, subsequently
taking up his residence in Toledo, where his death occurred March i, 1907.
He was a soldier in the Confederate army, serving in the First Regiment of
Tennessee Cavalry and participating in all of the battles in which General
Forrest's command was engaged. Despite the fact that he fought in some
of the bloodiest battles of the war and was under fire many times, Mr.
Burton came through the four years of that conflict unharmed. He was a
Democrat in political belief, his wife a member of the Methodist Episcopal
church, which both attended regularly. He married Mary Susan Brown,
a native of Ohio, now residing in Toledo, Ohio, never having married a
second time. Children of Charles Webster and Mary Susan (Brown) Bur-
ton: I. Harry Clay, of whom further. 2. Minnie, married J. L. Smith, and
resides in Toledo, Ohio. 3. William C, station agent at Carnegie in the
employ of the Pittsburgh, Chartiers & Youghiogheny railroad. 4. Cecil
Roy, a cabinet-maker of Toledo, Ohio.
(II) Harry Clay Burton, son of Charles Webster and Man,- Susan
1426 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
(Brown) Burton, was born at Strawberry Plains, Tennessee, November
4, 1868. He attended the public schools, and when eighteen years of age
entered the employ of the road known as the Norfolk & Southern railway
in the capacity of telegraph operator, continuing with that road for two
years. He then became identified with the Pan Handle railway and for
some time was in the Ohio service of that road, in 1890 being assigned to
duty in Carnegie, where he has since lived. In 1906 he was promoted to
the position of train dispatcher, his present place in the company's service,
which he fills in a competent and able manner, thorough familiarity with all
branches of railroading eminently qualifying him for its responsibilities.
Mr. Burton's memberships are in Lodge No. 616, Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, the Temple Club, and the Masonic Order, in which he belongs
to Lafayette Lodge, No. 652, Free and Accepted Masons, and Cyrus Chapter,
No. 280, Royal Arch Masons. Mr. Burton married, November 29, 1890,
Dora, born in Ohio, daughter of William M. Leggett, deceased, and has
children: i. Winifred, married John F. Price, and lives in Carnegie, Penn-
sylvania. 2. Irene, lives at home.
This is an ancient Scotch name and has gained distinction
FERGUS in this country also, but just when it was first brought here
is not, at the present time, a matter of record, owing to the
destruction of early documents through various agencies.
Hugh Fergus was born in Juniata county, Pennsylvania, February 23,
1788, and was brought to Washington county, in the same state, by his father
in 1801. After his marriage he removed to Elizabeth, Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, and set up a tannery in the vicinity, a line of industry with
which he was identified until 1857, when he retired to Elizabeth, and resided
at the comer of Second and Market streets. There his death occurred,
April 19, 1872, and he and his wife are both buried there. Both were
members of the United Presbyterian church, and he was a Republican in
politics. He married, in Elizabeth. Martha Gilfillan. and had children: i.
Samuel, a carpenter, who died in Kansas or Missouri. 2. Sarah, married
Rev. Samuel Jamison, and died at the age of ninety-three years, in March,
1914, in York county, Pennsylvania. 3. Thomas, of further mention. 4.
William, a farmer, died in Monongahela City, Pennsylvania. 5. Martha, died
at the age of twelve years. 6. John, died in infancy.
Thomas Fergus, son of Hugh and Martha (Gilfillan) Fergus, was bom
in Elizabeth, Allegheny county. Pennsylvania, March 3, 1828, and died
suddenly, in Elizabeth, in July, 1888. He received an excellent education
in the public schools of his native town, and entered upon his business career
as a clerk. In 1855 he opened a small store at the corner of Second and
Market streets, the site now occupied by R. V. Blankenbuehler. In later
years he erected a brick two-story building, with a frontage of about sixty
feet, in which his widow and children are still conducting the business
founded by him, which is now one of the oldest in the town. It is a general
store and has earned a reputation for reliability which is second to none.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA M27
He was one of the promoters of the McKeesport & Belle Vernon railway,
and interested in any project which promised to be for the improvement of
the community. He was a Republican in his political views, and served as a
member of the council and of the school board. His religious affiliation was
with the United Presbyterian church, and he had been an elder for a number
of years. He was recognized by all as a public-spirited citizen, and during
the time of his funeral services, the business of the city was at a standstill.
Mr. Fergus married, September 15, 1857, Isabella J. Drennen, born in
Elizabeth township, February 21, 1833. She was educated in a girls' seminary
in Allegheny, from which she was graduated in 1851, and since she became
a widow lives in the old brick house on Second street, erected by :her hus-
band in the eighties. They had children: i. Margaret, married Rev. W. B.
Smiley, who served as pastor of the United Presbyterian church at Canons-
burg, Pennsylvania, for a period of twenty-seven years ; they had children :
Fergus, Howard, Olive, who married George A. Lewis, and has a daughter,
Margaret. 2. Alexander, died in infancy. 3. Sarah, died at the age of four
months. 4. Emma, lives with her mother, and manages the store above men-
tioned. 5. Martha, who died some years ago in Pittsburgh, married William
O'Neil, and had two sons, Hugh and Paul.
The grandparents of Mrs. Fergus were Thomas and Martha Drennen,
both born in Scotland, settled in Eastern Pennsylvania at an early date,
then migrated to Elizabeth township, Allegheny county, where he was
occupied as a farmer, and where they died.
William Moore Drennen, son of Thomas and Martha Drennen, and
father of Mrs. Fergus, was born in Elizabeth township, Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, about 1802, and died on the old Drennen homestead, June 11,
1857, aged fifty-four years, buried in Round Hill Cemetery. He was also
a farmer, and his entire life was spent there. He married Margaret Pollock,
who died October 7, 1882, aged eighty-one years, buried in Round Hill
Cemetery, a daughter of David and Martha Pollock, also natives of Scot-
land and early settlers of Allegheny county, where he was a farmer and
land owner. Mr. and Mrs. Drennen were both members of the United
Presbyterian church. They had children: i. Martha, married (first) Finlcy
Power, (second) Dean, is again a widow, and lives in Emporia, Kansas.
2. Thomas H., lives retired from business on Water street. 3. Isabella J.,
the widow of Mr. Fergus. 4. Margaret, died at the age of five years. 5.
Esther Mary, married David Pearis, and died in Kansas. 6. David, died in
boyhood. 7. Emma, is unmarried, and lives on the old homestead.
The well-known English and Welsh surname has been found
BROWN in all parts of America since the early Colonial days. Several
of the immigrant ancestors who came over during that period
were in some manner of kin, but generally the families were not related
although having the same name, and it will be remembered that Brown is
one of our common English surnames which antiquarians tell us are derived
from a color. However, the family here uniler consideration appears to
1428 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
have come into the country independent of any other family of the same
name. The name has been variously spelled Browne, etc., the French
Brun has been changed into it, as has also the German Braun.
(I) William Brown was born in Wales, and spent his entire life in
his native land, where he was a tin plate worker. He married, and had
children: Charles, of further mention; James, unmarried, was also a tin
plate worker; William, deceased, a tin plate worker; John, foreman in a
mine in Wales; Lucie; Matilda; Annie, married Charles Mills; a child
died young. All of these children, with the exception of Charles, remained
in Wales.
(II) Charles Brown, son of William Brown, was born in Wales and
there grew to maturity. He was engaged in the tin plate rolling mills, and
followed this occupation in Wales until 1889. when he emigrated to America,
and settled on South Side, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There he worked in
the rolling department of the steel mills until his retirement about 191 1.
He lives on Curtin avenue, in the eighteenth ward. He is a Republican,
and a member of the Baptist church. He married, in Wales, Margaret
Wellington, born in Wales, died in Pittsburgh in 1912, having come to
that city in childhood. She was a daughter of and Margaret Well-
ington, the former of whom died in Wales, after which his widow and
children came to this country. The children were: Margaret, mentioned
above; Mary, unmarried, lives in Carrick ; Richard, unmarried, lives with
Mary; Annie, married James Robson, lives in Carrick; John, deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Brown have had children : Charles Llewellyn, of further
mention ; John, a bookkeeper for the J. R. Weldin Company, lives in Knox-
ville, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania ; Edith, married William Hartman,
and lives in Youngstown, Ohio; Evelyn, married Ray McKnight, pro-
prietor of the Wihnington Globe, at Wilmington, Pennsylvania; Oscar,
a professional ball player; Lily, at home; Helen, a school teacher, lives
with her parents ; Richard, died at the age of six years ; Jean, died when
about five years of age.
(III) Charles Llewellyn Brown, son of Charles and Margaret (Wel-
lington) Brown, was born in Monmouthshire, South Wales, September 31,
1873. He received his education in the public schools of his native land, and
was about sixteen years of age when he came to the United States. He at
once sought and found employment at the steel works, finally becoming a
structural steel roller, and is thus employed at the present time. He has
lived in Carrick since 1904, and has built a house on Woodlawn avenue.
He and his wife are members of the Bethel Baptist Qiurch, and he is a
Republican, and a member of St. John's Lodge, No. 219, Free and Accepted
Masons. Mr. Brown married Delia, born in West Virginia, a daughter of
William and Josephine Hopkins, who came to Pittsburgh some years ago.
He was a blacksmith and worked in the steel mills, and died there, while
the mother is still living. Mr. and Mrs. Brown have had children : Richard
Lewis, Clififord, Phyllis.
WESTERN PENNSYL\'AX1A 1429
At an early date John Work came to Washington county, Penn-
WORK sylvania, from "East of the Mountains." He later settled in
Allegheny county, with wife, Jane, and family, owning land in
Jefiferson township, where both died, leaving issue.
(IIj Aaron Work, son of John and Jane Work, was born in Washing-
ton county, Pennsylvania, in 1823, died in 1898. He came with his parents
to Allegheny county and later inherited the homestead farm in Jefiferson
township. He was a Republican in politics, and both he and his wife were
members of the Presbyterian church. He married Mary Andress, born in
Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, in 1830, died in 1903, daughter of Jacob
and Susan Andress. Jacob Andress was born in New Jersey, married in
Washington county, Pennsylvania, lived for many years in Armstrong
county. Children of Aaron and Mary Work: Wilson, deceased ; John C, of
further mention ; Alexander, Albert, Jane, Mary, Susan, William, deceased ;
King, deceased.
(HI) John C. Work, eldest son of Aaron and Mary (Andress) Work,
was born in Jefferson township. Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, August
16, 1845. He attended public school, and from youth until retiring from
active labor has been engaged in farming. In 1879 he bought his present
farm in Baldwin township and has there resided continuously. He is a
Republican in politics, and is a member of the Presbyterian church.
Although all his life engaged in the peaceful pursuit of agriculture, Mr.
Work has not altogether missed the adventuresome side of life. In 1863
he enlisted in Company A. Fourteenth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer
Cavalry, fought with General Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley and rode
with General Sherman from "Atlanta to the Sea." At the close of the war
he returned to the farm with an honorable discharge.
Mr. Work married, in 1873, Anna Weightman, of Baldwin township,
daughter of Henderson Weightman. Children : Mary, deceased ; Hart, de-
ceased : Frank, married Edith Dayton, and has three children : Helen, Mary,
Margaret.
The pioneer ancestor of the McGinley family, of the
McGINLEY line herein traced, was a native of Ireland. The supposi-
tion is that his name was David, that he was one of four
brothers who emigrated to the New World in early manhood, two settling
in New England, and two in Westmoreland coimt)% Pennsylvania, David
McGinley being among the latter. He located in New Alexandria, where
he followed the occupation of farming, success attending his efforts. In
religious faith he was a Covenanter. He married Stitt, and they had
children: i. Henry, a major in the militia, died in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania.
2. James, died in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. 3. Samuel, a farmer, died in
Indiana county. Pennsylvania. 4. Michael, a farmer, died in Greensburg,
Pennsylvania. 5. David, of whom further.
(II) David ]\IcGinley, youngest son of the preceding couple, was born
at New Alexandria, Pennsylvania, in 1806, and died in Elizabeth, Pennsyl-
I430 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
vania, in 1880, after an active and useful life. He removed to Elizabeth
in earl}' life, and established himself as a shipbuilder, an occupation with
which he was identified until his death. At the outbreak of the Civil War
he was drafted, but his services were not accepted by reason of physical
disability. He was a staunch Democrat until Buchanan's administration,
when he joined the ranks of the Republican party. In religious faith he was
a Covenanter. Mr. McGinley married Mary Ann Walden, born at Perry-
opolis, Pennsylvania, in 1827, a daughter of John and Louisa (Bean)i
Walden. Mr. Walden was a glass blower by occupation, and came from
Baltimore, Maryland, to Perryopolis, when the first glass factory was estab-
lished west of the Alleghany mountains. Later he removed to New Geneva,
Pennsylvania, when a glass factory was established at that place, and still
later, when the first glass factory was established at Elizabeth, took up his
residence in that town. He continued in this calling until compelled by ill
health to abandon it, and then opened a hotel and was identified with its
management personally until his death. After his death, Mrs. Walden mar-
ried James Milliken, and died some years later. Mr. and Mrs. Walden had
children: i. Theresa, deceased; married Frank McCowan, a prominent
glass manufacturer. 2. Mary Ann, mentioned above. 3. Elizabeth, deceased ;
married William S. Nell, and resided in South Carolina. 4. Laura, died
ui;married while living with a sister in Baltimore, Maryland. Mr. and Mrs.
Milliken had children: i. Adelaide, widow of John Barkley, resides with
a daughter in Dayton, Ohio. 2. James, a resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsyl-
vania. Mr. and Mrs. McGinley have had children: i. Robert, died in Eliza-
beth, Pennsylvania. 2. Anna, married Amos Sarver, died in Elizabeth, Penn-
sylvania. 3. Louise, married George Duke, resides in Elizabeth, Pennsyl-
vania. 4. Elizabeth, widow of Harvey McElhaney, resides in Elizabeth,
Pennsylvania. 5. Frank Chaffin, of whom further. 6. Charles, a printer,
resides in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania. 7. Laura, widow of J. P. Walker. 8.
William, deceased, twin of Laura.
(Ill) Frank Chaffin McGinley, son of David and Mary Ann (Walden)
McGinley, was born in Elizabeth. Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, October
31, 1856. His education, which was a sound and practical one, was acquired
in the public schools and at Miss Jane Pike's Academy, and he then learned
the trade of printer, and became associated in a partnership, in 1876, with
R. T. Wylie. and purchased the Elizabeth Herald. In January, 1913, Mr.
Wylie sold his interest to W. G. McBrier, and the business was incorporated
with Mr. McGinley as president, the name of the company being The Eliza-
beth Herald Publishing Company. It has been necessary to change the
home of the company from time to time, as the conditions in the town
changed, but it now has commodious and comfortable quarters which will
apparently be sufficient for its needs for some time to come. The paper is a
strictly local weekly publication, having a circulation of about twelve hundred
copies. For a period of two years a branch office was located at Clairton,
but this has now been discontinued. The tone of the paper is independent in
political matters, although its proprietors are Republicans, and it is noted for
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1431
its invariable fairness and justice to all parties. Shortly before the outbreak
of the Spanish-American War Mr. McGinley had been elected burgess, but
resigned this ofifice in May, 1898, in order to offer his personal services in
defense of his country. He enlisted in Company I, Fourteenth Regiment
Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and served until October, 1899. Prior
to this time he had been a member of the National Guard for a period of
eighteen years. Since the war he has been repeatedly elected to serve as a
member of the borough council of Elizabeth, serving in all for twelve years.
His fraternal affiliation is with the Knights of Maccabees, and he and his
wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. McGinley married, June 7, 1894, Martha Taylor, born in Elizabeth,
Pennsylvania, daughter of Joseph S. and Eliza (Neel) Taylor, and they
have one child, Louise, who is now studying music, harp and piano.
Joseph Markle Means united in his person two lines of descent
MEANS from two of the most liberty loving, independent and capable
peoples in the world, the Scotch and the Dutch. His father.
a descendant of the former race, was a native of Allegheny county, Penn-
sylvania, having been born and spent his entire life in Sewickley township,
where he owned a farm of one hundred and six acres. This property he
sold during his life for the sum of twenty-two hundred dollars, since which
time the value in that neighborhood has increased enormously. This gentle-
man, John Means by name, married Susan Whitesell, a descendant from the
Van Werts, a distinguished family of Holland. Mrs. Means' father was
Jacob Whitesell, an officer in the Revolutionary War, taking part in the
engagement at Bunker Hill. Mr. Means Sr. was a farmer all his life and
both he and Mrs. Means died in Sewickley township, where they had lived.
Joseph Markle Means, a son of John and Susan (Whitesell) Means,
was born June 14, 1826, in Sewickley township, Allegheny county. Penn-
sylvania, and was educated in the public schools of that district. Following
in the footsteps of his father, he engaged in the occupation of farming, perse-
vering in his chosen work during his entire life. He was drafted for service
at the time of the breaking out of the Civil War, but sent a substitute in his
place. He had a cousin, however. Captain iMarkle, who served throughout
that historic struggle. Mr. Means continued to live in Sewickley township
all his life and finally died there.
Mr. Means married Margaret Ingram, a daughter of John and Sarah
(Ridpath) Ingram, both natives of Ireland. Her father, John Ingram, was
born in that country in the year 1800 and came to the L^nited States when but
eight years of age, and his wife came from county Down in the same country,
when only six years old. A number of Mrs. Means' Ridpath cousins served
through the Civil War, some of them as officers. To Mr. and Mrs. Means
were born six children, five sons and one daughter, as follows: i. Lithial
Brown, deceased ; was a physician of Wexville, Pennsylvania ; married Har-
riette Hamilton, by whom he had one daughter who died in infancy. 2. Ada,
unmarried, a resident of Belleville, Pennsylvania. 3. Cassius Whitesell, a
1432 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
painting contractor. 4. Arthur William, a carpenter by trade; married Eliza-
beth Adams, and by her had seven children : Ada E., Wilbur, Eugene, Alfred
William, Robert Whitlock, Ruth Elnada and Dotta Mona. 5. John I., a
painter by trade; married Eva Heckert, and by her has had two children,
Herbert Lithgo and Helen Roberta. 6. Robert Markle, deceased ; was a
physician of Allison Park, Pennsylvania; married Lillian Griffith. Besides
bringing up his own family, Mr. Means adopted and reared Daniel Pepper,
who at the age of sixteen enlisted in the Union army for the Civil War, and
served throughout. Among the many members of the Means family and
their relatives who served in the Civil War must be mentioned John Heckert,
a brother of Mrs. John L Means. The majority of the members of the
Means family belong to the Presbyterian church, although originally the
family was Reformed Presbyterian.
This is an old Westmoreland county family, the first set-
MOORHEAD tlement having been made by the great-grandparents of
Samuel Logan Moorhead, of Pitcairn, Pennsylvania.
They came from east of the mountains, locating in what is now Salem town-
ship. The Caldwells (Mr. Moorhead's maternal line) were also an early
Westmoreland family and through inter-marriages the two families are con-
nected with many of the leading early names in the township. In the war
for the preservation of the Union, many Moorheads fought side by side
with Caldwells, six uncles of Samuel L. Moorhead, bearing the latter name,
serving in the LInion army, one of them giving up his life on the battlefield.
Samuel Logan Moorhead is a son of William La Bana Moorhead, and a
grandson of William Moorhead, all of the three generations born in Salem
township, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania.
(I) William Moorhead was born, lived and died on the Westmoreland
county homestead, a farmer and man of good standing. He married Sarah
McLeod Caldwell and reared a family, all of his sons becoming substantial
farmers of the county that gave them birth.
(II) William La Bana Moorhead, son of William and Sarah McLeod
(Caldwell) Moorhead, was bom in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania,
was educated in the Porter Run school in Salem township, and spent his
entire life engaged in fanning. He married Martha Jane, daughter of
James and Sarah Caldwell, all born in Westmoreland county. Children :
Jeremiah, Ella, Craig, Sarah, James, Eliza, William, Samuel Logan, of
further mention, Emma.
(HI) Samuel Logan Moorhead, youngest son and eighth child of
William La Bana and Martha Jane (Caldwell) Moorhead, was born in
Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, January 21, 1869. He obtained a good
education in the public schools, and in his youth aided in the cultivation of
the home farm. He then apprenticed himself to learn the carpenter's trade,
working in Greensburg and other towns, until 1892, then locating in Pitcairn.
There were then but six houses in that village, three of them farm houses.
Expansion was beginning, however, and from the date of his arrival until
WESTERN PENNSVLNAXIA I433
the present time he has been steacHly engaged as a builder and contractor.
For two years he hiid aside his trade to serve as chief of pohce of the now
prosperous borough, that has a population of over three thousand. For six
years he held the office of constable and has been a factor in the government
and upbuilding of the town from the date of his arrival. He is a member of
the Presbyterian church and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He
married, in 1892, Mary Elizabeth Smail, of Westmoreland county, Penn-
sylvania.
The McLaughlin family has been resident in the state
McLaughlin of Pennsylvania for a number of generations, and have
been the owners of a fine homestead. This has passed
from father to son in regular succession. Edward McLaughlin married
]\Tary Speer and raised a family.
Jeremiah Wade McLaughlin, son of Edward and Mary (Speer) Mc-
Laughlin, was born in the old log cabin on the McLaughlin homestead, in
July, 1825. He was educated in the district schools in the vicinity of his
home, and all his life was engaged in farming. He was the owner of one
hundred and thirty acres of the homestead, and of other land which he added
to it by purchase from time to time. His death occurred December 11,
1903. He married, in 1859, Amelia Rigby, born near Etna, a daughter of
Jonathan and Catherine fSchroeder) Rigby, the former of English descent,
the latter of German. They lived on the Butler Pike, where he had charge
of the toll gate. After his death his widow married (second) Andrew
Ivory, of Plum township, who farmed for many years on White Oak Levels,
then retired to Oakmont, where he lived until the death of his wife, after
which he made his home with his daughter, Mrs. Keener, at Kittanning.
Children by first marriage : Katherine Elizabeth, John Henry and William
James, died in infancy ; Amelia, who married Mr. McLaughlin, as above
stated. Children by second marriage: A. L., an attorney of Kittanning;
A. E., a traveling salesman, lives in Knoxville, Tennessee ; Frank, of Pitts-
burgh ; R. B., an attorney in. Pittsburgh ; Mary I., married J. F. Keener, of
Kittanning; Ella, married .Alfred Gray, of Columbus, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs.
McLaughlin have had children : Cassius Milton, of Pittsburgh ; Mary
Emma, married McCallin, of Wilkinsburg; Jane, married Jack-
son, lives on the old place, and has her mother living with her ; Frank Wil-
bur, lives on a part of the homestead ; Nelson Wayde, a telegrapher, lives at
Beech View ; Kate, married Miller, engaged in the concrete business.
Mr. McLaughlin was for many years an elder in the United Presbyterian
church established in 1837, and was for a time treasurer of the school board.
Conrad Nauman, a native of Germany, emigrated to Amer-
NAUMAN ica in his early manhood, and made his home on what is
now the site of Etna, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. There
he purchased a truck farm, with the cultivation of which he was identified
many years. Prior to coming to this country he had served in the German
army. He married Elizabeth , also born in Germany.
1434 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
(II) Michael Nauman, son of Conrad and Elizabeth Nauman, was
born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in May, 1844. His education was acquired
in the public schools of his native city, where he later engaged in business.
For a time he had a grocery store, then a milk route, then again a grocery
store, after which he dealt in seeds and garden implements, then became a
gardener on the old homestead at Etna. He now lives in Millvale, and is
employed in a grocery store. He was once a member of the school board
at West Liberty, and has been president of the school board at Mount Wash-
ington. He and his wife are members of the Lutheran church. Mr. Nau-
man married Dorothea Conrad, born in Germany, and they have had chil-
dren : Elizabeth ; Charles Conrad, of further mention ; Michael, Jr. ; Con-
rad F. Mrs. Nauman is a daughter of Charles Conrad, who came to Amer-
ica from his native country, Germany, located in the thirty-second ward,
Pittsburgh, where he was a coal miner, and later a grocer.
(III) Charles Conrad Nauman, son of Michael and Dorothea (Con-
rad) Nauman, was born in the thirty-second ward, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
in 1869. He obtained a good education in the public schools of Pittsburgh,
and at the age of seventeen years went to McKees Rocks, Allegheny county,
and for three years was with Philip Steinmiller, to learn the butcher busi-
ness. During the ne.xt thirteen years he worked for his uncle, Frederick
Nauman, in McKees Rocks, and then purchased his place and conducted
business there for a period of nine years. He removed to Oakmont, where
he was in the same business for one year, then in Millvale three years, in
1908 removed to Tarentum, where he is still engaged in the same line of
business. In political matters he is a staunch Republican, and in religious
matters a member of the Lutheran church. He is also a member of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Business Men's Association of
Tarentum and Brackenridge, and the German Beneficial Union. Mr. Nau-
man married, January 15, 1892. Margaret Stauffer, and they have had chil-
dren, as follows : Elizabeth, Frederick, Margaret, Michael, Charles, Wil-
liam, Anna, Daniel, Robert and Julia. Charles and William are deceased.
The name of Nicholas has been identified with the early
NICHOLAS history of Pittsburgh, a number of the name having en-
dured the hardships incidental to a pioneer settlement.
They bore their share of these bravely, and their descendants have become
recognized as worthy and valuable citizens of the various communities in
which they are living.
(I) Nicholas was of English birth, and was among the pioneer
settlers of what is now that center of the industrial world — Pittsburgh.
After his death his widow married (second) Venerable, who was em-
ployed at the Bradley Bend Iron Works, near Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
(II) William Nicholas, son of Nicholas, was born in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, and was an iron worker many years in that city and its
vicinity. In his later years he purchased a farm at Creighton, Pennsyl-
vania, and devoted his time to its cultivation. He married Eliza, a native
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1435
of Wales, and a daughter of David Thomas, who died in Wales, and his
wife, who came to America after the death of her husband, and made her
home in the vicinity of Pittsburgh, where she died. Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas
were the parents of seven sons and three daughters who lived to maturity,
and two children who died young.
(Ill) David J. Nicholas, son of William and Eliza (Thomas) Nicholas,
was born in Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, May 17, 1865, died in 1914,
his death the result of an automobile accident. The public schools of that sec-
tion of the country furnished him with an excellent and practical education,
and at the age of sixteen years he entered upon his business career. He
became a worker in an iron mill, learning this industry in every detail from
the very rudiments, and continued in this manner until 1893, when he opened
a foundry independently in Creighton, and operated it five years. He then
abandoned this in favor of the hotel business, running a hotel in Bracken-
ridge for a period of ten years, with a very satisfactory amount of success.
In 1912, in association with others, he organized the Allegheny Foundry &
Machine Company, and erected the present building at Glassmere, Penn-
sylvania. He was the manager of this plant and one of the heaviest stock-
holders of the corporation. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal
church, as are the members of his family, and he was also a member of
the Knights of Pythias. Mr. Nicholas married, in 1888, Ida Smith, and
they had seven children : Charles W., William D., Jeannette, Ethel, Laura,
Alice, Anna.
Frank Pschirer is one of a family the home of which has
PSCHIRER been for generations Bohemia, that region so out of the
beaten track of our experience that its name has become the
synonym for all that is doubtful and romantic. We think of it as the home
of Prince Florizel and regard it in much the same light, very probably, as
that in which Mr. Pschirer thought of the United States, when as a young
man he turned his steps hither. For Bohemia is not all that the imagination
paints, in some ways being much more, in some ways much less. In spite
of a great and romantic past, in spite of much natural beauty and many
things which give it a picturesque flavor to the stranger, it is at the present
time a very wide-awake, commercial country, which has felt the urge of
the new industrial impulse passing over the world today. It is probable that
Mr. Pschirer has had a somewhat similar disillusionment concerning the
United States, which he has assuredly found a very earthly region, although,
if he had any dreams concerning fortune to be made here, he may well feel
them to have been in a measure fulfilled.
The paternal grandfather of Mr. Pschirer was John Pschirer, a hardy
Bohemian farmer, who lived and died as his fathers before him, in the
land of his birth. His son, John Pschirer, the younger, the father of Frank
Pschirer, was born in Bohemia and there passed his childhood and youth,
finally marrying Mrs. Mary Kaim, a widow with one son. Joseph Kaim,
who is still a resident of Bohemia. To Mr. and Mrs. Pschirer, Sr., were
1436 WESTERN PENNSVL\^ANIA
born four children, all of whom are now in America. They are as fol-
lows: Katherine, a resident of Millvale, Pennsylvania; Frank, of whom
further; John, now a resident of Bradford, Pennsylvania; Leonard, now of
Millvale. Mrs. Pschirer died while the family still lived in Bohemia, but
after her death, in the year 1881, Mr. Pschirer migrated to the United States.
Upon his arrival in this country, he went immediately to Millvale, Penn-
sylvania, where he made his home until the time of his death. Before his
migration to the United States, Mr. Pschirer, Sr., had spent fourteen years
of his life in the Austrian army. A large portion of this time was spent
in Mien, but he saw active service in the War of 1848-49. His trade
was that of carpenter, and this he practiced during his life in this country.
Frank Pschirer, the second child and eldest son of John and Mary
(Kaim) Pschirer, was born in 1858, in Auster, Bohemia, and there passed
his childhood and youth up to twenty-four years of age. He was educated
in the local volkeschule, and after the completion of his studies applied him-
self to learn the trade of carpenter. He shared the task of all able-bodied
young men in his country and served for three years in the Austrian army,
from 1879 to 1881. This time was sj>ent in Thersienstadt Fort. The latter
year was that in which his father sailed for America, and in the fol-
lowing year the younger man also went thither. Mr. Pschirer, Sr., hav-
ing settled in Millvale, Pennsylvania, his son followed him, and took up
his abode in what has proven his home to the present time. He found,
employment in his trade in Millvale and continued to work at it until
about twenty years ago, when he began contracting for carpentry work
on his own account. He still continues in this business which has grown
to a large size and is now most flourishing. He has been most success-
ful and has become a man of substance and influence in his community.
Besides his business, Mr. Pschirer is active in the general life of the town.
He is a member of the Democratic party and takes a keen interest in all
political qustions whether local or general issues. He is also engaged in
the hardware business.
Mr. Pschirer married, October 30, 1883, Mary Anna Boehm, a daugh-
ter of John and Anna (Wurdock) Boehm, both natives of Bohemia, where
Mr. Boehm was a shoemaker by trade. He was also the owner of a large
farm and was a prominent man in this community. Like the father of Mr.
Pschirer, he also served fourteen years in the Austrian army and saw active
service in the War of 1848-49. To Mr. and Mrs. Boehm were bom fouf
children, as follows: Margaret, Mary, Anna, and Mary Anna, now Mrs.
Pschirer. To Mr, and Mrs, Pschirer have been born ten children, as follows:
Katherine, Bertha, Caroline. Mary, Elizabeth, Frank, Joseph, Florian, Al-
bert, Clemmons, Mr, Pschirer and his wife are members of the Roman
Catholic church and in this faith are rearing their children. They attend
St, Anthony's Church, Millvale.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1437
Among the representative citizens of Ben Avon, who are ac-
PARK tively interested in every enterprise calculated to benefit the
community, and whose influence for good is felt in various direc-
tions, must be mentioned William B. Park, a native of Damascus, Ohio, bom
on the farm of his parents, December 24, 1851, son of David, Jr., and
Asenath (Butler) Park, and grandson of David and Sarah (Hemingway)
Park and John and Lydia (Street) Butler.
(I) David Park, grandfatlier of William B. Park, was a descendant
of an Irish ancestry. His birth occurred in Ohio, and he devoted his atten-
tion to agricultural pursuits, from which he derived a comfortable livelihood.
His wife, Sarah (Hemingway) Park, was also a native of Ohio, and among
their children was David, of whom further.
(II) David (2) Park, son of David ( i ) Park, was born on a farm near
Damascus, Ohio. He received a practical education in the schools of the
neighborhood which enabled him to accept a position as teacher, in which
capacity he served for many years. Later he turned his attention to farming,
which line of work he pursued for the remainder of his days. He married
Asenath Butler, born east of the mountains and who was brought to the state
of Ohio by her parents, John and Lydia (Street) Butler, the former named
born near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a truck farmer by occupation. In
his early life he drove west, looking for a suitable location, and stopped at a
farm adjoining that of David Park. He took up government land and
both he and David Park erected log houses and cleared their land. Mr.
Butler became acquainted with Abraham Lincoln and was later appointed
Indian commissioner by President Lincoln, and his son, who was brought
up among the Indians, taught school for that race of people. He was a
man of practical ideas and was often called to Washington to consult with
President Lincoln. He was a Republican in politics. His death occurred
in Ohio, whither he returned in later life. He married Asenath Butler.
Mr. and Mrs. Park were the parents of seven children : Sylvester G., John
Butler, deceased ; Elmira Bostwick, William Butler, David James. Lewis
Lincoln, Lorenia, all attended the district schools, and Elmira B. was a
student in Mt. LTnion College. The first death among the children of this
family was in the year 1913.
(III) William Butler Park, son of David (2) Park, after completing
his studies in the district school, attended Damascus Academy, operated by
the Friends' diurch. He resided with his parents on the home farm until
he was twenty-one years of age, then accepted a position as freight brake-
man on the Pennsylvania Railroad, then the Pittsford, Ft. Wayne & Chicago
Railroad, and remained in that position for four years, after which he was
promoted to the position of freight conductor. In April, 1887, he was given
the position of passenger conductor on a local passenger train and served
as such for a period of three years. He is actively interested in apple
orchards in Maryland, from which he derives a goodly income. He took
up his residence in Avalon when he was appointed to work on the railroad
and resided tlicre until TO08, when he removed to Ben Avon, his present
1438 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
residence. He casts liis vote for the candidates of the Republican party,
is a member of the Presbyterian church at Avalon, and of the Brotherhood
of Raihvay Conductors.
Mr. Park married Barbara j\I. Copeland, of Leetsdale, Pennsylvania,
born in Scotland, daughter of Thomas and Sarah Copeland, of Scotland,
who came to this country when their daughter, Barbara M., was six years
of age, and located in Leetsdale, where Mr. Copeland was a florist for
the Pennsylvania Railroad. Children of Mr. and Mrs. Park: Sarah
Asenath, a student at Bucknell College at the present time (1914); Wil-
liam Henry, a student in the high school.
Francis McWilliams, born in the North of Ireland,
McWILLIAMS spent the greater part of his life there. He was a
stone mason by occupation. He and his wife were
members of the Catholic church. They had seventeen children, all of whom
died in England, whither they had removed in the year 1838.
(II) Jeremiah McWilliams, youngest child of Francis McWilliams,
was born in the North of Ireland in 1834, and was about four years of age
when taken to England. For some time he followed the occupation of weav-
ing, then was a worker at a blast furnace for a period of twenty-seven years.
He died in February, 1891, from the efifects of a fall down stairs. He and
his wife were active in the affairs of the Catholic church. He married, in
England, Elizabeth Glavin, born in Cockermouth, England, May 15, 1839,
and is still living there. They had fourteen children, among them being:
I. Francis Joseph, of whom further. 2. Theresa, now the widow of Peter
Dougherty ; lives in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. 3. James, assistant superin-
tendent at a blast furnace in Hartlepool, England. 4. Jeremiah, a machinist,
lives in Jarrow-on-Tyne, England. 5. Lillian, married John Gartland ; lives
in Bayonne, New Jersey. 6. Catherine, married John Wood ; came to Amer-
ica, and died in October, 1912, in Bayonne, New Jersey. Mrs. McWilliams
is a daughter of Phillip Patrick and Ann Glavin, the former named born in
Cockermouth, England, and the latter named in London, England, and both
members of the Catholic church. Mr. Glavin was a hatter by trade. Of their
eighteen children the following two came to America : John, a hatter, came
in i860, and made his home in New Jersey, where he was last heard from ;
Elizabeth, the second child, became the wife of Mr. McWilliams.
(III) Francis Joseph McWilliams, son of Jeremiah and Elizabeth
(Glavin) McWilliams, was born in Cockermouth, county Cumberland, Eng-
land, July 30, 1862. He was a student at the National schools until the age of
twelve years, and was then apprenticed to learn the trade of boiler maker,
and followed that until 1885, when he went to sea and spent a year and a
half as assistant engineer, first on the "Layland," and then on the "Sahara."
He left the sea in order to construct the Jubilee Furnace (by sub-contract)
at Workington, county Cumberland, England, under Messrs. George Stan-
field & Company, boiler makers. This furnace was fired. May 15, 1887, and
was named the Jubilee Furnace in honor of the Queen's Jubilee. In Jan-
^/^£^^^:^^s^^^^^^J/'
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1439
uary, 1887, Mr. McWilliams came to the United States, and upon his ar-
rival he went to Homestead, Pennsylvania, and found employment with the
Homestead Steel Works, remaining there until 1893. He then went to
McKeesport as foreman for the National Tube Works, remaining with
them almost two years, then removed to Duquesne, as foreman in the boiler
shops for the Carnegie Steel Company. Four years later he was advanced
to the position of superintendent of operation of boilers and boiler shojjs,
and is still filling that position. He is a director in the Duquesne Trust
Company. He gives his political allegiance to the Republican party, has
served one term as a member of the borough council, and for the past nine
years has been a member of the Republican county committee. His fra-
ternal affiliation is with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Lodge
No. 751.
On November 12, 1904, the Carnegie Free Library of Duquesne was
dedicated in a manner befitting the occasion. In the afternoon twelve thou-
sand men, accompanied by sixteen bands, paraded the principal streets of
Duquesne, and in the evening the beautiful institution, which was prettily
decorated for the occasion, was formally dedicated and presented to the
people of Duquesne by Mr. Thomas Morrison, personal representative of
Mr. Carnegie, who was unable to be present. I\Iany men of prominence were
in attendance and assisted in making the affair a pronounced success. Mr.
McWilliams accepted the building on behalf of the employees of the Du-
quesne Steel Works, and his speech was followed by those of C. M. and
Joseph E. Schwab, A. R. Hunt, A. C. Dinkey and H. D. Williams.
Mr. McWilliams' speech for the workmen was as follows:
The present hour is an important one in the history of Duquesne borough. It
will go down on record to show that the past and present periods of her existence
are related one to the other only by the links of time. When we look back for a
few short years and scan the Monongahela Valley and think of the many changes
that have taken place, especially in an industrial way. we are. more or less, apt to
ask ourselves the question : By whom or by what means have all these changes
been brought about ? To this same question there can be but one answer. They have
been accomplished by Mr. Andrew Carnegie, and his able and trustworthy lieutenants.
A man who started life under circumstances that showed to him nothing but a
hard world to fight against, but in whose bosom there existed a keen and honest
desire to push himself to the front, to do good for his fellow man, to do good for
the country of his adoption, and in particular, the district of Pittsburgh. And what
has been the result? Did he fail in anything he put his mind upon, whether it was
business or otherwise? No. he could not fail, because he was possessed with a will
that was imperturbable, with an energy that was indefatigable, with an ambition that
surpassed anything that has been known in this industrial world, even to the present
time. Surmounted with a desire to make this country of ours the industrial peer of
the world; and you all know his undertakings were brought to a successful issue,
for through his never tiring application to business, this valley in which we live has
been converted from a mass of green fields to a bee-hive of work shops, where the
industries of this modern world are carried on in such a manner that the people on
the other side of the .Atlantic Ocean have stood aghast with amazement, wondering
what it all means, or how it was done, for has it not been proven to everyone, directly
or indirectly concerned, that through these same facilities that have been placed at
our command, this country can dictate terms and compete with any known condition
that the commercial world can put forth.
Now that we find so much to the credit of this man for the benefit of industry.
I wish to show vou that he yet possesses another side to his character. We find him
in his leisure hours showing' to the human race that behind the closed doors of com-
mercial enterprise he had a special desire to show to the world that it was possible
to make millions, and it was also possible to spend the same in a manner befitting a
1440 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
man that had the welfare of his fellow-being at heart. And in this line he has taken
great pains to demonstrate that the people of Duquesne should receive a most sub-
stantial exemplification of his good will toward them. In doing so he has built this
beautiful structure ; endowed and perpetuated it for all time ; made it impossible for
any man or combination of men to bring about its destruction, and when this is
all said it is but a poor illustration of the real value of this magnificent edifice. Be-
cause, within its walls, we find tlie stepping-stone to our civilization; a keystone to
a higher education ; a home of cultivation for the untrained mind, and as I know
no better expression, I will name it from a mechanical standpoint ; I will call it the
moulding shop of the human intellect, where the pattern of humanity is placed in
the flask of tuition, there to have the molten metal of progress poured upon it, and
to have the sand of formation contract and concentrate a desire for a higher education,
in short, to have this Duquesne Library of ours placed where the young man or
woman, who may some day find themselves out on the deserts of Africa, or perhaps
in some of our new Eastern possessions, will look back with pride, and feel within
themselves that anything they have gained on this earth they owe to their early
tuition in the Duquesne Library.
Mr. Morrison, I wish to say on behalf of the people of this borough, that we
will receive this beautiful and valuable gift from you, as the true representative of
the munificent donor, in the same spirit in which it was given; that we will watch
and cherish its educational welfare with a desire to see it kept in the front ranks
of anything in or about our town. We will keep it and take care of it and pass it
down to the next generation as an heirloom of true American citizenship, where our
patriotism and pride shall ever rest, where the foundation of civilization shall ever
be cultivated, and last, but not least, where "Old Glory" shall float in evidence on
its highest pinnacle as the proud emblem of a liberty-loving people.
Mr. McWilliams married (first) November 3, 1888, Ann Magee, a
native of England, who died in 1903. He married (second) June 12, 1906,
Mrs. Sadie (Haney) Bedell, daughter of Joseph H. and Elizabeth J. (Bur-
nett) Haney, of West Elizabeth, Pennsylvania. He was a steamboat pilot
on the Monongahela river for many years. They are both living in Du-
quesne, Pennsylvania, where they have made their residence since 1895.
They are of Irish-German descent, and lifelong members of the Methodist
Episcopal church, of which Mrs. McWilliams is also a member. Children
by first marriage: Lillian, John, Jeremiah, Josephine, Ethel, Francis,
Myrtle, Annie. Child by second marriage: Herbert Gladstone, born De-
cember 2, 1907.
The flat, fertile county of Meath, Ireland, on the Irish sea,
REILLY has for generations been the home of the family of Reilly.
Its productive nature has to a large extent directed their activi-
ties, and agriculture has ever been a favorite calling with those bearing the
family name. Such was the line followed by Bryant Reilly, grandfather of
Patrick J. Reilly, of this chronicle, who passed his entire life in the home-
land. He married Margaret Smith, and had children.
(II) Edward Reilly, son of Bryant and Margaret (Smith) Reilly, was
born in county Meath, Ireland, and there died. He was the owner and cul-
tivator of land and remained a farmer until his death. He married Mar-
garet, born in county Meath. Ireland, daughter of Patrick and Mary (Fin-
negan) Fedigan, and had ten children, of whom the following immigrated to
the United States: Michael, James, John, and Patrick J., of whom further.
(III) Patrick J. Reilly. son of Edward and Margaret (Fedigan) Reilly,
was born in county Meath, Ireland, in i860, and lived in his native land until
the year before attaining his majority. In the land of his birth he had ob-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA M41
tallied a good education ami had likewise mastered the trade of horseshoer,
so that upon arrival in New York he followed that calling for a time. Sub-
sequently he moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was tliere actively
engaged at his trade until 1913, when he retired, having become the pro-
prietor of a shop in Pittsburgh East End, at the corner of Broad and High-
land avenues, which is still conducted under his direction. Mr. Reilly's
Pittsburgh home is at the corner of Highland and Rieby avenues, and in
1906 he purchased a farm of one hundred acres in Shaler township, Alle-
gheny county, where he has since passed his summers, employing the land
for general agricultural purposes. Aside from the business he established in
Pittsburgh, Mr. Reilly has dealt extensively in real estate, and has been
interested in the transference of considerable valuable property in the lo-
cality. Mr. Reilly is a member of the Journeyman Horseshoers Associa-
tion, No. 9, and was at one time president of the Pittsburgh organization.
He has also for the past twenty-two years been a member of the Master
Horseshoers Union, and has held several offices therein. He and his family
are adherents of tlie Roman Catholic faith.
It is greatly to Mr. Reilly's credit that one must attribute his material
prosperity only to his thrift and industry. He began his career free from
favor or prejudice on the part of any one and has won business success,
sound and substantial, by righteous exercise of the talents and abilities
with which he was endowed by nature. He has made his life a working
ground, not a struggle, and his upward course has been taken not at the
expense of weaker brethren but in a manner fair and honorable. He richly
merits the favor that he has found witli his business associates and his
many friends. Mr. Reilly married, in 1900, Catherine A. Myron, and has
children : Edward, Marv, Margaret, Catherine.
John A. Stewart, a lifelong resident of Avalon, Allegheny.
STEWART county, Pennsylvania, where he is respected and esteemed
for his many excellent characteristics, is a representative
of a family of Scotch origin, who were noted in their native land for energy,
enterprise and thrift, qualities which make for good citizenship.
(I) Daniel Stewart, grandfather of John A. Stewart, was born in
Lanarkshire, Scotland, July 17, 1787. He was a weaver by trade, which
occupation he followed throughout the active years of his life. He married
Elizabeth Hamilton, born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, July 12, 1788, daughter
of Andrew and Isabella (Nichol) Hamilton, residents of Lanarkshire, where
they lived and died, he acting as a carrier, having his own horse and cart.
Children: Isabella, born May 11, 1808; Helen, February 12, 1810: Daniel,
February 27, 1812: Jeannette, March 30, 1814; Andrew, June 23, 1816:
Mary, June 11, 1819; Jean, March 28. 1821 : Agnes, December 6, 1824;
John, of whom further; Elizabeth, May 25, 1830.
(II) John Stewart, son of Daniel Stewart, was born in Leswahogan,
Lanarkshire, Scotland, July 27, 1827. He was educated in his native land,
and there also learned the trade of weaver, which he followed successfully
1442 WESTERN PENXSYL\AN1A
for many jears. He emigrated to this country in 1862, and in the following
year was joined by his wife and three children. About the year 1863 he
located in Ohio township, which was later divided and he was then in Kil-
buck township, now known as Avalon. He worked at various things, mostly
farming with the Semple family, and being an honest, industrious man won
for himself the approval and good will of all with whom he was brought
in contact. He married Anna Semple, a native of Lanarkshire, Scotland,
sister of James Semple, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work.
She is living at the present time (1914) aged eighty-eight years. Children:
Elizabeth Telfer, resides at home; Daniel, died in Detroit, Michigan, 1910;
David, a resident of Little Washington; Isabella, wife of Joseph Fairly,
of Bellevue ; Marion, resides in Avalon ; John A., of whom further ; Annie
Semple, resides at home; William Semple, resides at home. The family
are members of the United Presbyterian church.
(HI) John A Stewart, son of John Stewart, was born in Avalon, Alle-
gheny county, Pennsylvania, then Kilbuck township, in 1865. He was edu-
cated in the schools of the neighborhood, completing his studies at the age
of fourteen years. He tlien went to Pittsburgh and for a quarter of a
century was an employee of Fleming & Hamilton, tin plate manufacturers,
during the last ten years of this long period serving as city salesman. Al-
though his employment called him to another city, he has always resided in
Avalon. In 1894 he established an express business in Avalon, putting his
brother, William S., in charge, but shortly afterward he assumed the active
management and still continues ; he makes a specialty of moving, making
trips throughout P>eaver and Allegheny counties, going as far as Butler.
Mr. Stewart has served two terms on the Avalon council, his services being
lielpful and beneficial. He has witnessed many changes in Avalon during
his residence there, it being nothing but farm land during his boyhood, it
being necessary to climb four rail fences in order to reach Ft. Wayne Sta-
tion. His father purchased land from the Taylor family, who acquired the
land from the Indians.
Mr. Stewart married, in 1895. Alary B. Armstrong, of Sharpsburg,
Pennsylvania. Children : John A. Jr.. Elmer W., Jean, James A., Thomas
H. The family are members of the United Presbyterian church of Bellevue.
The family of which James Smith, of Mall, is a worthy repre-
SMITH sentative, is of Irish origin, and the characteristics of that race
of people are manifested in large degree in the active career
of the man whose name is the subject of this sketch.
Michael Smith, father of James Smith, was born in county Cavan,
Ireland, and remained in his native land until manhood, attending the schools
in the vicinity of his home, and assisting with the work of the home place.
After settling in this country in the state of Pennsylvania, he worked at
the grading and construction of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and later was
appointed track foreman, serving in that capacity until he was killed at
Manor Station in the year 187 1. He married, in Ireland, Sarah Sloan, born
WESTERN PEXXSVLXAXIA 1443
ill county Down, Ireland, who bore him seven children, namely: James,
Michael, John, deceased; Thomas, John, Jane, Margaret.
James Smith was born in Bolivar, Westmoreland county, Pennsyl-
vania, August 10, 1852. He was a pupil in the public schools of his native
place until April i, 1865, and his first employment was as water boy with
the division gang, and since then he has never been out of employment. He
next served as laborer, after which he learned the trade of stone mason
and bricklayer, at which he worked until the death of his father in 1871,
and then was appointed assi.>;tant foreman on the tracks. On June i, 1872,
he entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad as brakeman at Erwin
Station, remaining until 1876, then removed to Pittsburgh and was local
freight flagman for one year, after which he was promoted to the position
of conductor of the shifting local running between Pittsburgh and Dairy.
In 1882 he came to Mall. Pennsylvania, to run the wrecking train, and re-
mained in that position for fourteen years, then was transferred to the
Pitcairn shop as conductor, and in 1902 became yard foreman of the Pit-
cairn shop, his present position. He is filling the office of justice of the
peace, to which he was elected five successive times, the last time being in
November, 1913, for a term of six years. This fact is proof positive of
his popularity and fitness for the position to which his fellow townsmen have
seen fit to elect him. He is a member of the Royal Arcanum, Knights of
Pythias and Junior Order of Railroad Conductors. He is faithful in the
discharge of every duty, in both public and private life, and therefore merits
the esteem in which he is held by all who know him.
Mr. Smith married, in 1879. Ellen Goodman, of Manor, Pennsylvania.
Children : Nellie, William, Florence, Nannie, James, Brande, Edward Frank.
In 1903 J\lr. Smith erected a fine brick house in Mall, in which he still
resides, equipped with all modern improvements, one of the attractive resi-
dences of that place.
Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, is the district of the Kaiser's
SEIBERT realm whence came John Seibert, born there in 1824, who
immigrated to the United States in 1848. He was married
in his native land, one of his children, Elizabeth, dying on the American
voyage, being buried in Albany. New York. His trade was that of stone
mason and he settled in Pittsburgh, South Side, there following contracting
for many years in partnership with Peter Earhard, now a resident of Cora-
opolis, Pennsylvania. In 1852 he moved to Sewickley. later moving to Moon
township where he purchased fifty-nine acres of land at Coraopolis Heights,
continuing in the pursuit of his trade in that place and there dying in 1893.
His residence in Coraopolis extended over a period of about six years. His
early political party was the Whig, and in later years he adhered to Repub-
lican principles. At one time a member of the Lutheran church he after-
ward was numbered in the congregation of the Sharon Presbyterian church.
He married Elizabeth Arras, born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, in 1820.
died in 1892, the ceremony being solemnized in the homeland. John and
1444 WESTERN PENNSVLNAXIA
Elizabeth Seibert were the parents of: Margaret, married Philip Fetter;
Elizabeth, deceased ; Peter, of whom further ; John, deceased ; Elizabetli,
married George Weckerlie, of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania ; William, a resident
of Coraopolis; Philip, deceased.
Peter Seibert, son of John and Elizabeth (Arras) Seibert, was born
in Sewickley, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, November 15, 1852, and was
reared on the home farm in Moon township. He learned his father's trade
under the instruction of his parent and when twenty years of age established
an independent business. He has resided in Haysville, Pennsylvania, since
his marriage. During his active career he has been engaged in contracting
and building with profitable results, owning real estate in Glenosborne, and
holding title to a portion of the old homestead in Moon township. He has as
well real estate in Coraopolis and owns his house in Haysville. He is a
stockholder in the Crescent Cement Company of Wampum, Pennsylvania.
He performed work on the first cellar dug in Coraopolis. over which was
erected the first modern dwelling built in the town. His political faith is Re-
publican, and he holds membership in the Lutheran church at Coraopolis.
Mr. Seibert married, in 1873. Catherine, born at Unionville, Beaver county,
Pennsylvania, daughter of Jacob and Catherine Elizabeth (Bolan) Fetter.
Mr. and Mrs. Seibert are the parents of : i. Anna K., married Albert C. Wil-
liams, of Haysville, Pennsylvania, and has children: Catherine and Sarah.
2. Sarah, married A. C. Wooding, and has one daughter, Martha.
John Woolf Jordan. EL.D., Librarian of the Historical So-
JORDAN ciety of Pennsylvania, and an author of note, is descended
from Frederick Jordan, of French extraction, who was born
in county Kent, England, and came to America in his early manhood, locating
for a time in Pennsylvania, and then removing to Hunterdon county. New
Jersey. He bore an honorable part in the Revolutionary War, serving in
the Second Regiment. New Jerse}' Continental Line, participating in the
Yorktown campaign. He married Catherine Eckel, of Bucks county, Penn-
sylvania.
Their son, John Jordan, was born in Hunterdon county. New Jersey.
He entered the counting house of his uncle, Godfrey Haga, the eminent
Philadelphia merchant and philanthropist, whom he succeeded in the busi-
ness. He married Elizabeth Henry, daughter of Hon. William Henry.
Francis Jordan, son of John and Elizabeth ( Henry) Jordan, was a native of
Philadelphia, and became a prominent merchant in that city, and connected
with a number of its important financial institutions. He married Emily
Woolf, daughter of John Lewis and Margaret (Ewing) Woolf. Her father
was a prominent citizen of Philadelphia : held many public positions, and
was a lieutenant-colonel of militia during the second war with England. Her
grandfather, Lewis Woolf, a native of Hanover, Germany, became a resident
of Pottsgrove, Philadelphia (now Montgomery) county, and served in the
Continental army, in the Troop Marechausse. commanded by Captain
Bartholomew Von Heer, and accoutred as light dragoons.
WESTERN rENNSVL\AXIA 1445
John W'oolt Jordan, eldest son of Francis and Emily fVVoolf) Jordan,
was born in Pliiladelphia, September 14, 1840. lie received his education in
private schools in that city, and Nazareth Hall, from which he was graduated
in 1856. During the "emergency" of 1863, when the state was invaded by
the army under General Lee, he served in Starr's Battery, attached to the
Thirty-second Regiment Pennsylvania Militia.
As librarian of the Historical Society of Pennsxlvania, Dr. Jordan
(LL.D., Lafayette College, 1902) has charge of the splendid library and
valuable archives of that institution, and since 1887 editor of the Pennsyl-
vania Magazine of History and Biography, and of the present work: "En-
cyclopedia of Pennsylvania Biography." His contributions to local and gen-
eral history are numerous and valuable. He edited the Diary of Jacob Hiltz-
heimer, of Philadelphia, 1765-1798; Orderly Book of the Pennsylvania Regi-
ment of Foot, 1777; Orderly Book, Fourth Pennsylvania Battalion, Col.
Anthony Wayne, 1776; Orderly Book, Second Pennsylvania Line, Col. Henry
Bicker, 1778; Orderly Book, Gen. J. P. G. Muhlenberg, 1777; Orderly Book,
Seventeenth British Foot, Major Robert Clayton, 1778; John Martin ]\Iack*s
Narrative of a Visit to Onondaga in 1752; Bishop J. C. F. CammerhofF's
Journal of a Journey to Shamokin, 1748; Annals of Wechquetauk, Indian
Mission, 1760-1763; Annals of Wyalusing, Indian Mission. Among his
writings are: "A Red Rose from the Olden Time, 1752-1772," "Frieden-
stahl and Its Stockaded Mill," "Narrative of John Heckwelder's Journey
to the Wabash in 1792," "John Heckwelder's Notes of Travel to Ohio, 1797,"
"Bishop A. G. Spangenberg's Journey to Onondaga in 1747," "Military Hos-
pitals at Bethlehem and Lititiz During the Revolution," "Revolutionary His-
tory of Bethlehem, 1775-1783," "Battle of Germantown," and "Franklin as a
Genealogist." He has edited and contributed to numerous works such as
"Colonial Families of Philadelphia," "Colonial and Revolutionary Families
of Pennsylvania," etc., etc.
Dr. Jordan was first president of the Pennsylvania Federation of His-
torical Societies, vice-president of the Colonial Society of Pennsylvania,
registrar of the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution, vice-presi-
dent of the Swedish Colonial Society, honorary member of the Pennsylvania
Society of the Cincinnati, and connected with many learned societies. He is
also a commissioner of Valley Forge Park, and holds a similar connection
with the Commission for the Preservation of the Public Records of Penn-
sylvania.
Dr. Jordan married Anne, daughter of Alfred and Rebecca Page, and
has issue, two sons and one daughter.
[The following sketch of Mr. Crumrine is reprinted by permission, with slight
amendment, from the "History of the Jefferson College Class of i860," hy Rev. J. W.
Wightman, D.D., of Washington, D. C, read on the occasion of the 50th anniversary
of the graduation of that class, held by its surviving members on Tune 21. 1910,
during the commencement exercises of the united college of Washington and Jefferson.
On June 19. 1912, during the commencement exercises of that year, the board of
trustees of Washington and Jefferson College conferred upon ]\fr. Crumrine the
honorary degree of LL.D., in consideration, as was publicly stated at the time, of
his work as the official State Reporter of the Decisions of the Supreme Court of
1446 WESTERN TENNSYLVANIA
Pennsylvania, and his many publications relating to the local history of Southwestern
Pennsylvania.]
This member of our class is by profession an attorney at
CRUMRINE law, residing at Washington, Pennsylvania, but practicing
regularly in the courts of Allegheny county, as well as of
his native county of Washington. He is of German descent, tracing his
ancestry in America back to 1748, and, in Germany, to September 7, 1719,
the birthday of his immigrating ancestor, George Lenhart Krumrein, his
great-great-grandfather. His great-grandfather on his maternal side was an
Englishman, George Rex by name, who gave to him his one-eighth English
blood, the remaining seven-eighths being given him by his German ancestors.
The Thirty- Years War in Germany was followed by long-protracted re-
ligious persecutions, resulting in extensive emigrations to the new world,
chiefly to Pennsylvania, of those who came from central Germany. In the
office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth at Harrisburg are preserved
the original lists of over thirty thousand German immigrants into Pennsyl-
vania witliin the period 1727-1776, immediately prior to the Revolutionary
War with Great Britain. These lists are in Rupp's "Collection of Thirty
Thousand German Immigrants," published some years ago and found also
in vol. 17, Second Series, of the "Pennsylvania Archives." Any one ex-
amining them will be attracted by the facts that in many cases the ship's list
of names subscribed to the oath of allegiance is headed by the name of the
pastor who was leading his people into the wilderness ; and that, excepting
a very small percentage of the whole number, every name is written in
German script, evidently the writer's autograph, and in the clear hand of a
good penman.
In this collection of thirty tliousand names there are but two "Krum-
reins." On September 11, 1732, "the ship 'Pennsylvania,' John Stedman,
master, from Rotterdam, last from Plymouth,'" landed with "seventy-three
males above sixteen, women and children of both sexes ninety-eight — in all,
one hundred and seventy-one." In this list is the name of "Hans Michael
Krumrein." And on September 5, 1748, "the ship 'Edinburgh,' James Rus-
sell, master, from Rotterdam, last from Portsmouth," landed with one hun-
dred and twenty-seven persons. In this list of names is that of "George
Lenhart Krumrein."
The Lutheran Church Registry at Dottingen, in Wiirttemberg, Ger-
many, shows that "Hans Michael Krumrein" was born in Yungholzhausen,
between the rivers Rhine and the Necker, not far from Stuttgart, in Wiirt-
temberg, on June 13, 1713, and "communicated" for the "first" time in 1726.
His name does not again appear upon the registry, as it doubtless would have
done had he died or remained in the jurisdiction. The same registry shows
the name of "George Leonhardt Krumrein" as born at the same place on
September 7, 17T9, and afterward as a communicant for the "last" time in
1746, after which his name is no more to be found, as it doubtless would
have been had he died or remained in the Fatherland. Germany has always
looked after her children. There are records in the heart of Germany yet
V/-''\y—^y6 L--X---\_,-. — -\_^t_,.,^'_-i-i-A_<_^
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1447
to be received, by wbicli the family name "Krumrein" may be traced back
to 1592*.
Hans Michael Krumrein, after living in the neighborhood of Phila-
delphia until after 1741, passed westward into Northampton county, and
finally into Centre county, where some of his descendants still live near
Bellefonte, the county seat, others having passed on into Ohio. George
Lenhart Krumrein settled in Baltimore county, Maryland, which then ex-
tended westward as far as York county, Pennsylvania. And in the year
1800, George Crumrine, a son of Abraham, who was a son of George Len-
hart, passed from Baltimore county, Maryland, near Melrose, now Carroll
county, Maryland, over the Alleghanies into the valley of the Monongahela,
and settled upon a farm on the east side of Plum Run, in East Bethlehem
township, Washington county, Pennsylvania. One of his sons, Daniel Crum-
rine, was born upon the same farm on April 25, 1805. He married Margaret,
a daughter of John Bower, Esq., who lived at Fredericktown in said town-
ship. Elizabeth, the mother of Margaret Bower, was a daughter of George
Rex, of Jefferson, Greene county, Pennsylvania, heretofore mentioned. The
Bower family was of Swiss-German origin and came west from the Juniata
valley in 1796.
Boyd Crumrine, our classmate, was a son of Daniel and Margaret
(Bower) Crumrine, and was born in East Betlilehem township, Washington
county, Pennsylvania, February 9, 1838, on the farm occupied by his grand-
father in 1800. His boyhood was spent upon his father's farm, at hard work
as a farmer's boy, and in attendance upon the schools of the Buckingham
district, in said township. During the winters of 1854-55 and 1855-56, he
attended the Bridgeport high schools, in the care of Mr. L. F. Parker, after-
ward State Superintendent of Public Instruction in Iowa : and in the summer
of 1856 he was a student at Waynesburg College, Waynesburg, Pennsyl-
vania. In September, 1856, after a public examination in Old Prayer Hall,
he was admitted to the sophomore class of Jeft'erson College, with an
admonition from good old Dr. Smith, that maybe he "would haf to mek up a
leedle Greek" ; and the first sentence of Greek he ever had to translate was
from Demostlienes on the Crown ! Yet he had previously learned something
of the old tongue from his preceding summer's study of the Greek Ollen-
dorff. At the beginning of his second term, however, being somewhat wiser,
he v^-as permitted, at his own request, to drop back into the freshman class,
in order that he might lay a better foundation for a more complete classical
* It will be interesting, at least to the descendants of Mr. Crumrine. to know that
his g;enealogy, as far back as learned, is now shown by a table made up from the
Parish Records of the Lutheran Church at Dottingen in Wiirttemberg, Germany, and
certified by the pastor in charge; from which, beginning with Thomas Krumrein,
born in 1592. and, adding his ancestry in America through the immigrant, his line
is as follows :
Thomas Krumrein. born at Yungholzhausen in i.=;92; had son Georg, born 1629;
who had son Georg, bom 1667; who .had son Georg Philipp, born 1696; who had son
Georg Leonhardt, born 1719, who, in 1748, emigrated to America and settled in old
Baltimore county, Maryland, and had a son .Abraham, who had a son George, who
had a son George and also a son Daniel, and one of Daniel's sons was our classmate,
Boyd Crum'-ine.
1448 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
course. With that class he remained until his graduation with it on August
I, i860, when he was given the Greek Salutatory for delivery, his special
friend and the friend of all of us, Roland Thompson, being charged with the
delivery of the more honorable Valedictory, the two dividing the first honor
of the class. Mr. Crumrine writes of one incident of the last day of his
college life as follows:
"You will remember that, to obtain access to the large platform in front of the
pulpit in old Providence Hall to say our commencement speeches, we had to climb a
temporary stairway up into a rear window, and thence pass to our positions on the
platform. A little before the exercises commenced 1 had gone up the steps to the
window, and to my surprise I saw my father, a plain farmer, in a seat on the plat-
form among the doctors of divinity, eminent trustees and other \ enerable visitors
usually in attendance on Commencement Day ! I at once thought I would go to him,
and suggest that he find another seat with the audience, in a vast crowd, a jam, below.
But, thought I as a wiser thought, 'you will behave, I know, and you have as good
a right to sit on that platform as any of the big-wigs about you,' and he stayed
there. My name being called, third probably, as I passed forward to my place I had
to go immediately in front of him, and as I did so he reached his right hand to me
with a small package, which quickly went into my right hand vest pocket. Nobody
saw the act, I think, but that packet, whatever it was. did not help the Greek speech
much. As soon as I was let off and had got back out of the window to the campus
in the rear, I went for that roll, and found that it counted out $100, a large sum for
a farmer of those days. Then I thought: 'Well, I pray to God that you may yet
live long enough to see me among the well-known and busy lawyers of the Washing-
ton Bar.' I knew that I had been an expensive student to him, especially in the way
of the purchase of books, many of which I had imported from London, as aids in my
class studies. He died in 1883."
At the beginning of our junior year, Professor John Eraser, of mathe-
matics, blessed be his memory, formed what he called his "Select Class,"
embracing all the juniors whose grades were above ninety, to whom he
offered special instructions in the higher mathematics and in general litera-
ture. The class consisted of Mr. Crumrine and four others, one of whom
was our class historian, and these met at night for two years in the pro-
fessor's chambers in Old Fort Job, where the privileged five were regaled
often into the "wee sma' hours" of the morning, by the loftiest thoughts and
the noblest sentiments of the man who, as a teacher, stands without a rival
and without a peer in the memories of his pupils.
One year before graduation Mr. Crumrine chose the legal profession
for his life-work, and entered upon it with Hon. John L. Gow, of Wash-
ington, Pennsylvania, as his preceptor, to whom he recited once a week
during his senior year at college. And during that year, in addition to his
other work, he served as tutor for two hours each afternoon in the prepara-
tory department. The first year after graduation he taught a select class
of young ladies at Canonsburg, continuing his law studies at the same time,
and on August 26, 1861, he was admitted to practice as attorney at law at
the Washington county bar.
The Civil War, which had begun with the attack upon Fort Sumter in
April, t86i, had interfered with Mr. Crumrine's purpose to begin legal
business in the West, and within a week after his admission to the bar he
enrolled himself as a private in an infantry company which, in the following
November, 1861, was mustered into the service of the United States as
Company B, 85th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, when he was
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1449
made (luartermaster-scrgeaut of the regiment. After spending the winter
of 1861-62 with his regiment in training camps about Washington, D. C,
he was discharged, in order to accept a commission as first lieutenant in a
brigade of Eastern Virginia \'oIunteers then forming, but soon after his
commission was received, the government issued an order discontinuing all
recruiting service and disbanding all incomplete organizations. This made
him a citizen again, and returning home he opened a law office in Washing-
ton, Pennsylvania, in May, 1862, and began the practice of law, in which he
has continued ever since, with sufficient business always to keep him occu-
pied. He has not grown rich in goods and chattels ; he never made such
riches his object in life. He has almost always had reasonably good health
and as will be seen he has done much work in a literary way outside his
profession. Of his own efforts in life he wrote to the class historian for
our reunion of 1885 :
"I have tried to keep my little boat trimmed neatly, and to trim it myself and
after my own style. My sole ambition lias been to do as well as I could what has
been set before me. The law to me has been a jealous mistress; yet, as a relaxation
and a mellowing of the lines of toil, which otherwise would have been hard to me,
I have been a rider of hobbies, one after another, but always with the reservation of
the liberty to change them at my own will and pleasure — philology at one period, then
entomology, the microscope, and for many of the later years, local history and
philosophy."
Mr. Crumrine, coming out of college just before the beginning of the
Civil War when the word "politics" came to mean something, at once be-
came deeply interested in public affairs, and during the war and afterwards
until the shameful period of reconstruction, was an ardent Republican; but,
at the time when patriotic business men abandoned "polities'" and let the
professional politicians take hold again of the party machinery, he became
and has remained an Independent Republican, and will so remain. He has
tried only to do his duty in public affairs, as well as in his private life and
business.
He served his county as its district attorney, by election, from 1865
to 1868. In 1870 he served his State and Nation under appointment of the
U. S. Census office, in compiling the Social Statistics for the Western
District of Pennsylvania, composed of the territory of about three-fourths
of that State, for the Ninth Census of the United States. After this last
temporary employment outside of his profession in matters in which he had
great interest, he confined himself to his legal business until, in April, 1887.
he was appointed, without solicitation on his part, by Hon. James A. Beaver,
Governor of Pennsylvania, the State Reporter of the Decisions of the Su-
preme Court of Pennsylvania, and, accepting the appointment as one suited
to his tastes and experience, he had published at the end of his five-year term
thirty-one official volumes of Pennsylvania State Reports.
In the winter of 1891-92, his term as State Reporter about expiring,
his name was presented to President Harrison for appointment as U. S.
District Judge for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and among many
letters to the President from judges and lawyers of the State, filed in his
favor, there was one in which the judges of the Supreme Court of the State
1450 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
had joined, and this letter was such as made him feel more than comfortable,
even though he failed to receive the appointment. At the general election
in November, 189 1, he was chosen a member of the Constitutional Con-
vention provided for by the Act of the General Assembly of Pennsylvania
passed June 19, 1891. However, a majority of the electors of the State
voting against the prohibition amendment submitted to the people, the
convention was not held. In 1894 he was mentioned for nomination as a
candidate for the ofifice of Judge of the Supreme Court ; and in 1895, the
Superior Court having been created and organized, an active canvass was
made by his professional friends in favor of his nomination as one of the
judges of that court, but unsuccessfully. He has frequently allowed himself
to be made a candidate for office, "but," he says, "I have never solicited
the vote of an elector in my life, nor sought to have anyone else to get it
for me.''
At the close of his term as State Reporter, Mr. Crumrine opened again
an office for active practice with his son-in-law, Mr. J. P. Patterson, at No.
96 Diamond street, Pittsburgh, — afterwards removed to 432 Diamond, and
now in Rooms 501-504 Berger Building, Pittsburgh. Since then, still
retaining his connection with his home office, at Washington, Pennsyl-
vania, conducted by his son, E. E. Crumrine, he has been employed literally
day and night in the business of his profession. But, whenever, in his
almost fifty years in the pursuit of his calling, he would become wearied,
he would rest by riding his hobby for the time being, and outside of printed
pamphlets and addresses, and records and arguments for the appellate
courts, he has published the following bound volumes :
1. "Rules to Regulate the Practice of the Several Courts of Washington County."
Philadelphia, King & Baird, 1871. i vol.
2. "Pittsburgh Reports; containing Cases Decided by the Federal and State
Courts, Chiefly at Pittsburgh," Philadelphia, John Campbell & Son, 1872-1873. 3 vols.
.1. "Omnium Gatherum, or Notes of 'Cases for the Lawyer's Pocket and Counsel
Table." Washington, Pa., E. E. Crumrine, 1878. i vol.
4. "The Centennial Celebration of the Organization of Washington County,
Pennsylvania, Proceedings and Addresses." Washington, Pa., E. E. Crumrine, 1881.
I vol.
5. "History of Washington County, Pennsylvania, with Biographical Sketches of
many of its Pioneers and Prominent Men." Illustrated. Royal octavo, 1,002 pages
with index. Philadelphia, L. H. Everts & Co., press of J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1882.
I vol.
6. "Pennsylvania State Reports, Containing Cases Decided by the Supreme Court
of Penn.sylvania." Vols. 116 to 146 inclusive. New York and Albany, Banks &
Brothers, 1887-1892. 31 vols.
7. "The Boundary Controversy between Pennsylvania and Virginia, 1748-1785,
with the Records of the Old Virginia Courts held within Southwestern Pennsylvania
from 1775 to 1780." Separates from the Annals of the Carnegie Museum, bound
together. Pittsburgh, Pa.. Carnegie Museum, 1002-1905. i vol.
8. "The Courts of Justice. Bench and Bar of Washington County, Pennsylvania,
with Sketches of the Early Court-houses, the Judicial System, the Law Judges, and a
History of the erection and dedication of the Court-house of 1900: Portraits and
Illustrations." The Lakeside Press, Chicago, 1902. i vol.
9. Bound up with No. 7. supra : "The County Court for the District of West
.Augusta, held at .Augusta Town (Washington). Pa., 1776-1777." An Historical
Sketch. Washington, Pa., Observer Job Rooms, 1905. i vol,
10. "Art Work of Washington County, in Nine Parts, for Portfolio." Historical
Development in Text. Chicago, Gravure Illustration Compan}-, T905, i vol.
11. "The Celebration of the Incorporation of Washington. Pa., as a Borough on
February 12, 1810" ; with an Introductory Sketch of the Old-Home Week's Enter-
WESTERN PENNSYEVANIA 145 1
tainment, and the Addresses by Hon. Daniel Ashworth, subject, "The Great Gateway";
Prof. Albert Bushnell Hart, Ph.D., subject, "The Pennsylvania Pioneer"; Mr. David
T. Watson, LL.D., subject, "Early School-Day Recollections"; and a "Centennial Ode"
by Miss Wilma F. Sciimitz. Printed by the Nevif Era Printing Co., Lancaster, Pa.,
1912. One volume.
Mr. Crumrine is a member of the board of curators of the Citizens'
Library of Washington, Pennsylvania ; of the board of directors of the
Washington Cemetery; of the board of directors of the Washington Fire
Insurance Company ; member and ex-president of the Washington County
Bar Association ; president of the Washington County Historical Society ;
member of the State Advisory Commission for the Preservation of Public
Records ; fourth vice-president of the Western Pennsylvania Historical
Society, Pittsburgh ; member of the National Conservation Association of
Washington, D. C. ; member of American Academy of Political and Social
Science, Philadelphia ; member of American Institute of Criminal Law and
Criminology, Qiicago ; and a inember of the Pennsylvania Arbitration and
Peace Society, Philadelphia.
On August 2, i860, the day following that on which he was made a
Bachelor of Arts, Mr. Crumrine was married to Miss Harriett J., daughter
of George A. and Jane B. (Thompson) Kirk, of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.
They had four children : Ernest Ethelbert, Louisa Celeste, Roland Thompson
and Hattie J. Of these Roland T. and Hattie J. both died young. Ernest E.
is a graduate of Washington and Jefferson College, class of 1883, and,
admitted to the Washington bar in 1886, is associated with his father in tlie
law office at Washington, Pennsylvania. His wife is Gertrude, daughter
of Rev. Dr. J. F. Magill, late of Fairfield, Iowa, deceased ; they have one
son, Lucius McKennan Crumrine, now a sophomore in the Washington
and Jefferson class of 1912. Louisa Celeste was educated at the Washing-
ton Female Seminary, and is now the wife of J. P. Patterson, Esq., of the
Pittsburgh bar, associated with her father in their law office at Pittsburgh.
They now reside at Crafton, Allegheny county, and have had three children :
Hattie, a daughter who died young, and two sons, John Logan and Boyd
Crumrine Patterson, both now in the Crafton graded schools.
Mr. Crumrine's first wife, Harriett J. (Kirk), to whom he was married
■on August 2, i860, died after a severe illness on April 29, 1899 ; and on
January i, 1902, at Chicago, Illinois, he was married to Miss Martlia A.
Roberts, a daughter of Mr. John T. Roberts, deceased, formerly of Canons-
burg, Pennsylvania, and a full cousin of his first wife. They reside at 212
East Maiden street. Washington, Pennsylvania, in the property purchased
"by Mr. Crumrine in 1866.
These simple annals — they are nothing more — present the record of a
life devoted to doing things, and disclose the persisting characteristics of a
college student who always did things well. Unwearied labor, self-impelled
and moving along chosen lines of conscientious effort, has brought results,
and they are of the kind that bring recompense. The result of doing is
"being. The final fruits of a man's efforts are found in himself. We ac-
cordingly congratulate our classmate on the largeness of a life which has
1452 WESTERN PENiXSVLX'ANIA
already been so generously comprehensive, and yet continues beyond the
Biblical limit of three score years and ten in level poise and vigorous ac-
tivity. So may it continue, till present lights become as shadows in the
presence of the greater light.
Lives of great men possess fascinating interest to the stu-
CARNEGIE dent of human nature, and one naturally seeks to discover
the secret source of their power to rise superior to every
circumstance ; or to find the impelling force that drives them ever onward
and upward until they scale the dizziest heights, passing all competitors, and
standing alone before the entire world, unequalled in the greatness of their
achievements. Often it is the influence of heredity, family and fortune, that
furnishes the impulse; oftener still, ambition that drives men forward. Love
of humanity and a sincere desire to be of benefit to their race is the motive,
but none of these satisfactorily explain Mr. Carnegie's source of strength
up to the culminating point of his business career. For one must not con-
found Mr. Carnegie, the business man, with Mr. Carnegie, the humanitarian.
He was first of all the resistless money maker, and later the philanthropist,
whose princely benefactions are the wonder of two continents. But consider
him as you will, the source of his power has not yet been revealed. Ask
him the secret of his success as a steel master and his reply is already re-
corded : "Write as my epitaph : He knew how to surround himself with
abler men than himself." Yet that is not a reason ; that is but an example
of his greatness in executive management. The world has had its great
iron masters, but none greater than he. Great philanthropists are not rare
in either Europe or America, but none so princely in either the scope or
magnitude of their benefactions. In every land, in every clirhe. the name
Carnegie is a familiar one. and is synonomous with generosity. While we
cannot fathom the source of his greatness, an approving world acknowl-
edges the fact and holds him in honor and respect.
Andrew Carnegie was born at Dumferline, Fife, near Edinburgh, Scot-
land, November 25, 1835, son of William and Margaret Morrison Carnegie.
His fatlier was a weaver of linen goods, in fairly comfortable circumstances,
who gave the lad such advantages as the Dumferline schools afforded. In
1848, finding his occupation gone, Mr. and Mrs. Carnegie decided, for the
sake of their two boys, to emigrate to the LTnited States, believing the op-
portunities here more plentiful for their advancement. "They builded better
than they knew," but the father did not live to see the prosperity of his
son; his mother, however, did. The family settled in Pittsburgh (North
Side) where the lad Andrew obtained work in a cotton mill as bobbin
boy at a salary of one dollar and twenty cents per week, which amount
was added to the general family fund. Through the kindness of a Colonel
Anderson, who made a practice of loaning books to boys and working men,
he was able to supplement the education received at Dumferline with a
course of good reading. Colonel Anderson also "builded better than he
knew," for there was born in the lad's brain, as he realized the good he
WKSTERX PENNSYL\'ANJA 1453
derived from the Colonel's kindness, a resolve that has resulted in the
thousands of "Carnegie Libraries" all over the L'liited States, Canada and
Great Britain.
At the age of thirteen years young Carnegie obtained a position in a
factory, making bobbins, his duty being to attend the engine that furnished
power to the mill. The work was too hard for a boy, but his efforts had
pleased his employer, who gave him a place in his office. At the age of
fourteen years he secured a position as messenger boy in the office of the
Ohio Telegraph Company in Pittsburgh, at a salary of two dollars and
fifty cents weekly. Here he quickly saw an opportunity, and this has ever
been one of the secrets of his success. When opportunity knocked, he al-
ways "rose and followed." He began learning telegraphy, and never gave up
until he was an expert operator, able to receive messages by sound, an art
then exceedingly rare. As an operator he received twenty-five dollars a
month. He attracted the attention of Thomas A. Scott, then superintendent
and manager of the Pennsylvania railroad telegraph system, who made him
his clerk at a salary of thirty-five dollars monthly. He remained with the
Pennsylvania thirteen years, and after the election of Mr. Scott to the vice-
presidency was appointed superintendent of the Western, or Pittsburgh
Division. In that position he introduced many improvements, including the
block system of operating trains by telegraphic signals. During the war be-
tween the States, when Colonel Scott was appointed Assistant Secretary
of War, he placed Mr. Carnegie in charge of military railroads and govern-
ment telegraph lines. One of his first duties was to reopen telegraph com-
munications between Annapolis and Washington, and after the battle of
Bull Run he was the last official to board the train for Alexandria. He
was equal to all demands made upon him during this period, and who shall
say that the inspiration for the Great Peace Building at The Hague did not
come to him as a result of his war experiences.
It seems to have been Colonel Scott, later president of the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad, that first gave the lad his first lesson in finance. While still
a clerk, an opportunity presented itself to purchase ten shares of Adams
Express Company stock, this corporation not then having reached great
proportions. Colonel Scott strongly advised the purchase, and the stock
was bought, although it compelled the mother to mortgage her home to
raise the necessary funds. This was his first investment. Later, he met
in a business way, Mr. Woodruff, the inventor of the sleeping car bearing
his name. Quick as ever to see an opportunity, he arranged a meeting be-
tween the inventor and Colonel Scott, which resulted in mutual profit, Mr.
Carnegie securing money from the local bank to finance his share in tlie
company. This was the first note he ever signed, and, like his venture in
Adams Express stock, the investment was a profitable one. He was at
this period in receipt of a good salary from the Pennsylvania, and had
acquired some capital, for the money earned was husbanded with tnie Scotch
thrift, but held in constant readiness for the next turn of the wheel. This
came during the oil excitement in Pennsylvania. In 1884 he interested Mr.
1454 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
William Coleman in the project of purchasing the Story farm on Oil Creek,
\'enango county. They purchased the farm for $40,000, and formed a
stock company whose shares represented at one time a value of $5,000,000
and paid an annual dividend of one million. He was now a capitalist, and
had made influential friends.
While with the Pennsylvania, that road contemplated the erection of an
iron bridge, and here Mr. Carnegie first became interested in iron manu-
facture, in connection with the Keystone Bridge Company. He was far-
sighted enough (though unfamiliar with the business) to see the great pos-
sibilities of iron manufacture, and associated himself with others in various
mills, foundries and furnaces in the Pittsburgh district. After a visit to
Europe, he saw that steel would surely supplant iron, and on his return
introduced the Bessemer process of making steel. While not an inventor
of any of the numerous processes, he gave every man with an idea every
encouragement, furnishing plant and money, and for this the steel world
owes him a debt of gratitude. As he grew in power he surrounded him-
self with young men who had proven their worth in the various plants of the
Carnegie Steel Company, until he was surrounded by thirty of the most
capable and enthusiastic men in the iron, steel, coke, mining or transporta-
tion world. Piut among the "thirty" his was the master mind by common
consent. At the zenith of his power he was in control of great mills and
furnaces, turning out millions of pounds of manufactured steel daily: great
coke fields and miles of ovens ; vast ore beds in the Lake Superior region ;
steamers on the Great Lakes, carrying ore which they delivered to his double
tracked railroad that carried it to the Pittsburgh plants, four hundred and
twenty-five miles away ; great mines of bituminous coal in the Pittsburgh
district were drawn upon for daily supply ; while the men employed in the
allied companies formed an army thoroughly drilled, well ofiicered, and
moved at the will of a master mind whom we know as Andrew Carnegie.
Conditions in the industrial world had reached a crisis : a break had come
with the Pennsylvania Railroad, and through the southern tier of Pennsyl-
vania counties eastward from Pittsburgh, a great railroad was being con-
structed to parallel the Pennsylvania. The great Carnegie interests were
protecting themselves at every point — mills were planned to compete in
lines they had hitherto left to their rivals ; when lo ! overnight as it were,
arose the United States Steel Corporation, successor by purchase to every
mill, furnace, bloomery, oven, mine, rail, locomotive and ship, hitherto owned
by the many companies owned or controlled by Mr. Carnegie and his thirty
partners. Peace came to the threatened steel industry; the Pennsylvania
Southern was never completed, and Andrew Carnegie stepped from his
proud position as the world's greatest iron master and constructive genius.
The price paid him was fabulous ; each of the trusted "thirty" retired, en-
riched many times beyond their wildest imaginings, while the great master
was hundreds of times a millionaire. The greatest fortune of modern times
was his, and from that moment began the second phase of this most won-
derful life. Fifty-three years had elapsed since the penniless boy landed
WESTERN PEXXSYL\AXIA M55
in a strange land, lie was sixty-six years of age, and the problem now
facing him was how to make good his own statement that "it is a crime
for a man to die rich." As this article has made no attempt to give in
detail the many ways in which this fortune was made, so there will be no
attempt to give in detail the way it has been disposed of.
Mr. Carnegie had given generously for man}' years, principally to in-
stitutions in the Pittsburgh district, a locality which he will always regard
with love and affection. He now began that wonderful career of world-
wide philanthropy that has never been equalled, knowing no sect, creed or
nationality, but giving Pittsburgh first place, the United States second, and
then his native land. He has not given at random, but following carefully
matured plans ; has given almost exclusively along educational lines, but in a
manner peculiarly his own. Upon retiring from business the first con-
siderable gift Mr. Carnegie made was one of five million dollars to his old
employees — four million dollars for pensions and relief, and one million
dollars for the endowment of the three institutes (libraries, music halls,
workmen's clubs, etc.), at Homestead, Braddock and Duquesne. Outside
his educational giving in its manifold forms, his most active effort has been
to bring about the Peace of Nations, and this position he firmly maintains.
Mention is necessarj' of his great educational gift to the city of Pitts-
burgh, commonly known as the "Carnegie Institute." This includes a won-
derful building located in Schenley Park, covering four acres, and a sepa-
rate building near by, across a deep ravine, the home of the Carnegie Tech-
nical Institute. Under the roof of the larger building is a free library
of mammoth proportions, a magnificent gallery, a most perfect music hall,
with a great organ where every Sunday afternoon a free organ recital is
given ; a hall of architecture and department of natural history, most won-
derful in its scope. Twenty acres of floor space is in use, while the most
costly marbles and finest of decorations adorn foyer, halls and stairways.
Over the main entrance is engraved : "This Building, dedicated to Litera-
ture, Science and Art, is the gift of Andrew Carnegie to the People of
Pittsburgh." Nowhere else can there be found a similar building, con-
taining library, music hall and museum, a school of technology with capacity
for three thousand students, and a notable school for young women. One
would like to dwell upon the value of this gift to the scientific world, to
the young man and woman seeking a technical education ; to the student
whose days are spent among its wonders of natural history, architecture and
art; to the school children whose goal it is; to those who so freely draw
upon its book treasures ; and to those who every Sunday listen almost
reverently to classic music drawn from the great organ by master hands.
But this is impossible; the cost in dollars and cents of his various gifts.
including all that have been named as his particular gifts to Pittsburgh, is
in excess of thirty-one millions of dollars, and he rejoices in the gift. His
total gifts to date exceed three hundred millions.
Lest there be an impression that Mr. Carnegie, in his generosity, gives
only enduring monuments of practical educational value, attention must be
1456 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
called to the thousands who draw annually from vast pension funds in both
the United States and Great Britain. These constitute an army in them-
selves, one little known, but wonderfully appreciative. One fund created
by Mr. Carnegie is world-wide in its operation — The Hero Fund. This is
a reward to those displaying courage in emergencies, whether on sea or
land. A fund for this purpose exists in Pittsburgh, embracing the United
States and Canada, and others in Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy,
Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Holland and Belgium. Awards are made
annually of medals, cash or educational privileges. A recent newspaper
credits Mr. Carnegie with having achieved his purpose, and states that he
has disposed of all of his fortune to a corporation which is to continue
the operation of his various gifts generation after generation, except such
sums as he will distribute by last will and testament. Thus he will not
commit the crime of "dying rich.''
He married, in 1887, Louise Whitefield, who has been in closest accord
with him in all his plans for disposing of his fortune. Their only child, Mar-
garet, was born in 1897. Their time is divided between a magnificent estate
in Scotland, "Skibo Castle," and a palatial residence on Fifth avenue, New
York. Honors have been showered upon Mr. Carnegie ; universities have
conferred honorary degrees ; France created him a knight of the Legion of
Honor ; the Sorbonne gave him its medal ; Saint Andrews, Aberdeen, and
Glasgow Universities elected him Lord Rector. He has gained distinction
in the literary world and upon the platform. In 1886 he published "Tri-
umphant Democracy," which has run through many editions ; this followed
his "Around the World" (1884) ; in 1906 appeared his "Gospel of Wealth,"
followed by the "Empire of Business;" "Life of Watt," in 1906; and "Prob-
lems of To-day," in 1909. He has always supported the principles of the
Republican party, although he strongly opposed the annexation of the Philip-
pines, following the Spanish War. He has the utmost faith in the future
of the English speaking race, in the ultimate abolition of war and the prog-
ress of education along non-sectarian lines. He is a brave man, indeed,
who would analyze the character of Mr. Carnegie. He is as "canny a Scot
as e'er drew breath ; as shrewd a Yankee as the sun of New England e'er
shone upon ; as big hearted and happy as an Irishman ; as stubborn as an
Englishman" ; yet, withal, a man that, take him all in all, stands alone in the
magnitude of his achievement. Wallace Bruce, the Scotch-American poet,
after a visit to the Carnegie Institute in 1896. wrote die following poem,
presenting a copy to Mr. Carnegie and one to the Library :
You have wrought a noble poem
In your home of early years,
Aye, a proud prophetic poem
In the land of peerless peers.
Cold the lines that fall and falter
Since the bard of Colla passed
Fruitless offerings on life's altar,
But your work abideth fast.
Oh ! to wake the coming ages,
Idle wish of many a seer.
Dead the tome of weary sages.
But vour note shall linger clear.
WESTERN PENNSYL\'AXIA 1457
Hark, beneath yon swelling arches,
Knowledge, skill and hope enchime,
As the long procession marches
To the grandest song of time.
Rev. Andrew A. Lambing, LL.D., Roman Catholic priest
LAMBING and author, was born at Manorville, Armstrong county,
Pennsylvania, February i, 1842. He is descended from
Christopher Lambing, who emigrated to America from Alsace in the vicinity
of Strasburg in 1749, and settled in Bucks county, where he died about 1817,
at the age of ninety-nine years. Some of his family passed to Adams county,
where his son Matthew married and settled in New Oxford, where Michael
A., the father of the subject of this sketch, was born October 10, 1806.
The family came west to Armstrong county in 1823. Here Michael married
Anne Shields, December i, 1837. She was descended from Thomas Shields,
who emigrated from county Donegal, Ireland, about 1760, and Ainberson's
valley, Franklin county ; but his grandson Williaiu came to Armstrong
county in 1798 and made his home near Kittanning, where his daughter
Anne was born July 4, 1814. Michael was the father of five sons and four
daughters, of whom Andrew Arnold was the third son and child. Both
parents were remarkable through life for their tender and consistent piety
and for the care they bestowed on the education and training of their
children. Three of their sons fought in the Civil War, one of them losing
his life and another becoming disabled ; two of their sons are priests, and
a daughter a Sister of Charity.
Trained in the school of rigid poverty, Andrew began work on a farm
before he was eight years old, and a few years later found employment
in a fire-brick yard, where he spent nearly six years, with about four months'
schooling in each winter ; and two years in an oil refinery, a considerable
part of which time he worked from three o'clock in the afternoon to six
the next morning, being at the same time foreman of the works. During
this time he managed to steal a few hours as opportunity permitted to devote
to study and useful reading, for reading has been the passion of his life.
At the age of twenty-one he entered St. Michael's Preparatory and Theo-
logical Seminary, Pittsburgh, where he made his course in the higher studies,
frequently rising at three o'clock in the morning to continue his course, and
being nearly all that time prefect of the students. He was ordained to tlie
priesthood in the seminary chapel by Bishop Domenac. of Pittsburgh, August
4, 1869. He was then sent to St. Francis College, Loretto, Pennsylvania,
as professor, with the additional obligation of assisting the pastor of the
village church on Sundays with the exception of one Sunday in each month,
when he ministered to the little congregation of Williamsburg, Blair county,
about forty miles distant. On the following January he was appointed pastor
of St. Patrick's Church, Cameron Bottom, Indiana county, where he re-
mained till the end of April, when he was named pastor of St. Mary's
Church, Kittanning, with its numerous out-missions. While there he built a
little church a few miles west of the Allegheny river for the accommodation
1458 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
of the families residing there, and in the middle of January, 1873, he was
sent to Freeport, with tlie additional charge of the congregation at Natrona,
six miles distant. But at the end of six months he was appointed chaplain
of St. Paul's Orphan Asylum, Pittsburgh, with a view of bettering his finan-
cial condition. This, however, was rendered impossible by the financial
crisis of the fall of the same year, and he was named pastor of the Church
of St. Mary of Mercy, at the Point in the same city, January 7, 1874. Here
he placed the schools in charge of the Sisters of Mercy, bought and fitted
up a non-Catholic church for the congregation, and placed an altar
in it dedicated to "Our Lady of the Assumption at the Beautiful
River," as a memorial of the one that stood in the chapel of
Fort Duquesne during the French occupation in the middle of
the previous century ; and also built a residence. But the encroachments
of the railroads began to drive the people out in such numbers that he was
transferred to St. James' Church, Wilkinsburg, an eastern suburb of the
city, October 15, 1885, where he still remains. The congregation was then
small, numbering about one hundred and sixty families, with a little frame
church, but it soon began to increase rapidly. His first care was to open
a school, which he placed in charge of the Sisters of Charity, and in the
summer of 1888 he enlarged the church, which, however, was occupied only
three months when it was entirely destroyed by fire. Nothing daunted, he
immediately undertook the present combination church and school building,
which was dedicated just a year after the destruction of the other. So
rapid has been the growth of the town and the increase of the congrega-
tion that an assistant has been required since the spring of 1897; "^^d, al-
though parts of three new congregations have been taken from it, it still
numbers nearly six hundred families.
As a writer Father Lambing is the author of "The Orphan's Friend"
(1875), "The Sunday-school Teacher's Manual" (1877), "A History of the
Catholic Church in the Dioceses of Pittsburgh and Allegheny" (1880), "The
Register of Fort Duquesne, Translated from the French, with an Introduc-
tory Essay and Notes" (1885), "The Sacramentals of the Holy Catholic
Church'' (1892), "Come Holy Ghost" (1901), "The Immaculate Concep-
tion of the Blessed Virgin Mary" (1904), and "The Fountain of Living
Water" (1907). Besides these he has written a considerable number of
religious and historical pamphlets, and a considerable part of the large "His-
tory of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania," "The Centennial History of Al-
legheny County" (1888) and "The Standard History of Pittsburgh" (1898).
In 1884 he started the "Catholic Historical Researches," a quarterly maga-
zine and the first of its kind devoted to the history of the Catholic church
in the country, now continued by Mr. Martin I. J. Griffin, of Philadelphia,
as a monthly ; and he is a constant contributor to periodicals on religious
and historical subjects. The editor of "The Standard History of Pitts-
burgh" says of him that "He has done more than any other one man to
place in permanent form the valuable and fast-perishing early records."
For a number of years he was president of the Historical Society of West-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA i439
eni Pennsylvania, and he is one of the trustees of the Carnegie Institute
and the Carnegie Technical School of Pittsburgh.
As a churchman he was for many years president of the Clerical Re-
lief Association of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, and was president of the
board that prepared the diocesan school exhibit for the Columbian Ex-
position. For nine years he was fiscal procurator of the diocese of Pitts-
burgh, has long been the censor of books, and is now president of the
diocesan school board. Of regular habits and inheriting the health of his
fathers, standing six feet tall with heavy frame, he seems built for labor
and endurance, and he was more than thirty years on the mission before
he was oflf duty for a single day on account of ill health, although he has
never taken a vacation. In 1883, the University of Notre Dame, Indiana,
conferred upon him the degree of Master of x^rts, and two years later that
of Doctor of Laws.
George W. Guthrie, recently appointed ambassador to
GUTHRIE Japan, ex-mayor of Pittsburgh, a leader of the Pittsburgh
bar, and a power in the political life of Western Penn-
sylvania, is descended through both his parents from ancestors of that force-
ful and valiant Scotch and Scotch-Irish stock which contributed so largely
to the upbuilding of the Keystone State and the prestige of the Iron City.
Both the father and the maternal grandfather of George W. Guthrie served
with honor as chief executive of Pittsburgh, and both were descendants of
men who won laurels on the battlefields of the Revolution. John Gutjirie,,
a great-grandfather of George W. Guthrie, was the first of the family to
settle in Pennsylvania, and during the struggle for independence served as
an officer in the Continental army.
James V. Guthrie, son of John Guthrie, was a boat-builder, and in the
early part of the last century made his home in Pittsburgh. He married
Martha, daughter of John Brandon, a captain in the Revolutionary army,
and afterward sheriff of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania.
John B. Guthrie, son of James V. and Martha (Brandon) Guthrie, was
born July 26, 1807, in Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, and was a youth
when the family removed to Pittsburgh. He became in course of time
one of the most prominent and influential residents of his adopted city,
filling offices of trust and honor, including the mayoralty, in which he
served two terms. He was a member of the constitutional convention of
1872-73. Mr. Guthrie married Catherine S., daughter of Magnus M. Mur-
ray, and granddaughter of Commodore Alexander Murray, of Revolutionary
fame, whose ancestors came from Scotland to tlie American colonies in
1 71 5 — whether or not in consequence of the political agitations of the
period history does not say. Magnus M. Murray came to Pittsburgh in
1807, and was a lawyer of prominence; also, a business man of progressive
ideas, being one of the promoters of the first rolling mills built in Western
Pennsylvania. He served with distinction as mayor of Pittsburgh. John
B. Guthrie died in July, 1885, leaving the record of an astute man of affairs
and an upright public official.
1460 WKSTERN l'ENXSYL\"ANIA
George W. Guthrie, son of John B. and Catherine S. (Murray) Guthrie,
was born September 5, 1848, in Pittsburgh, where he received his pre-
liminary education in the pubHc schools, subsequently entering the Univer-
sity of Western Pennsylvania (now the University of Pittsburgh), and
graduating in the class of 1866. He then studied law in the office of Hon.
Robert J. Walker, of Washington, D. C, later entering the law depart-
ment of Columbian College (now George Washington University), and
graduating in 1869. He was admitted the same year to the Washington
bar and the bar of Allegheny county, being enrolled as a member of the
latter organization on November 5. He has been since that time con-
tinuously engaged in successful practice, with a clientele which is simply
immense, and a reputation for ability equalled by few of his contemporaries.
He was for a short time in partnership with Colonel James K. Kerr and
Hon. Malcolm Ha}', and he has long been recognized as a leader in his
profession, having been retained in many of the most important civil law
cases in Western Pennsylvania. He has a broad, comprehensive grasp of
all questions that come before him, and shows unusual facility in getting to
the bottom of every contention submitted, possessing that judicial instinct
which makes its way quickly through immaterial details to the essential
points upon which the determination of a cause must turn, and his argu-
ments are ever logical, forcible and clear.
In politics Mr. Guthrie is a Democrat, and has accomplished much to-
ward insuring the success of his party in national affairs. In 1884 he was
one of the secretaries of the Democratic National Convention, and in 1896
vvas nominated for elector-at-large, but. in consequence of not being in
accord with the platform as adopted by the national committee, he with-
drew his name. The same year he was nominated by the Citizens' Muni-
cipal League for mayor of Pittsburgh, and, though defeated at the polls,
made a brilliant campaign, failing of an easy victory — so it was stated at the
time — only by the agency of fraud. He had previously been nominated in
1892 for lieutenant-governor of Pennsylvania. In 1905 when Pittsburgh
was swept by a wave of political and moral reform, Mr. Guthrie, as the
leader of the reformers, again permitted his name to be put forth as a
candidate for the mayoralty, and on February 20, 1906, was elected for the
term of three years by a vote of 40,000, the largest vote ever polled in the
city. Mayor Guthrie entered upon the duties of his office April 7, 1906,
and his administration is conspicuous in the annals of Pittsburgh as an
era of municipal reform. He was associated with David T. Watson in the
preparation of the bill to create a Greater Pittsburgh, and vi'as active and
influential in securing its passage by the State Legislature, becoming in con-
sequence the first chief executive of the larger city.
In 1908 Mr. Guthrie was elected an honorary member of the Pitts-
burgh Chamber of Commerce, subsequently becoming a member of its
board. He is identified with a number of civic bodies having for their
object the promotion of the welfare of Pittsburgh, and no good work done
in the name of charity or religion seeks his co-operation in vain. He be-
-_. u.
/^y<?-/^//.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA • 1461
longs to the Pennsylvania Society Sons of the American Revolution, and
is a member of the Pittsburgh and Duquesne clubs. He has had the degree
of LL.D. conferred upon him by the University of Pittsburgh and by
Trinity College, Hartford. A thirty-third degree Alason, he was grand
master of the order in Pennsylvania in 1910-11, and also affiliates with the
Scottish Rite, the Knights Templar and the Mystic Shriners. He is a mem-
ber of the American Institute of Social Science, and of the Church Club
of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. As vice-president of the Dollar Savings
Bank, he is identified with the financial interests of his home city.
In May, 1913, Mr. Guthrie was appointed ambassador to Japan by
President Wilson, from a large list of available candidates, on account of
his 'intimate legal knowledge of the constitutional relations between the
states and tlie federal government. The appointment met with national ap-
proval, and the following editorial from one of the Pittsburgh papers shows
the esteem'in which Mr. Guthrie is held :
"The nomination of George W. Guthrie as ambassador to Japan is gratifying
to the fellow-citizens of the distinguished Pittsburgher. The Japanese mission is one
of the choice foreign positions, and is one of the most important even when not
attended by an unusual condition, as is the case at the present time. The international
problem that has arisen necessitates a representative of sound judgment, one who is
thoroughly versed in law and with a knowledge of conditions. In selecting Mr.
Guthrie for this responsible post, the President shows that he has implicit confidence
in him, an opinion that will be shared by the people of this city. It is a big office
and Mr. Guthrie is big enough to fill it to the credit of the country.''
Personally, Mr. Guthrie is tall and fine looking, his features expressing
in every line the nervous, energetic determination so strikingly manifest
throughout his career. His face has the intensely meditative aspect of the
thinker, combined with the forceful observant look — most noticeable in the
piercing glance of his eyes — of the man of action. In all his relations in
both public and private life he is courteous, dignified and kindly in manner
and speech — a gentleman in every sense of the word. A loyal friend, he
has the faculty of inspiring in all with whom he is brought into contact feel-
ings of devoted and enduring regard.
Mr. Guthrie married, December 2, 1886, Florence J., daughter of the
late Hon. Thomas M. Howe, of Pittsburgh. Mrs. Guthrie 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 trusted confidante. Both Mr.
and Mrs. Guthrie are extremely popular in society, and "Overbridge," their
beautiful home in the East End, is a seat of gracious hospitality, as is also
their lovely summer residence, "The Cedars,'' at Bar Harbor, Maine. Mrs.
Guthrie is a member of the Art Society of Pittsburgh and the Twentieth
Century Club.
In the political annals of Pittsburgh the names of John B. Guthrie and
Magnus M. Murray are inscribed with honor. George W. Guthrie, son of
the one and grandson of the other, has helped to maintain the prestige of
the bar of his native city, and as mayor of Pittsburgh and diplomat has
rendered the name of Guthrie twice honorable.
1462 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
The first real epic in the romance of Pittsburgh — the imperial
FRIEND era of steel — ^has carried the prestige of American industrial
achievement to the remotest ends of the earth, and made of
the "Iron City" the "World's Anvil." Among the Princes of the Empire
of Steel — one of the mightiest that history has ever seen — was the late
James Wood Friend, president of the Qinton Iron and Steel Company, and
throughout his entire business career an acknowledged leader in all move-
ments and interests essential to the growth and prosperity of his native city
and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Porter R. Friend, father of James Wood Friend, married Rebekah J.,
daughter of James Wood, who was also the father of two sons — J. Theodore
and Charles A. Wood. James Wood was probably the first practical steel
and iron worker in Pittsburgh, and for years operated an immense iron
plant at Saw Mill Run. He was the owner of a large tract of land skirting
the South Side, and Wood street is named in honor of this noble pioneer.
The sons of Mr. Wood were the assistants of their father in business, but
after the death of the latter the estate became insolvent and went into
bankruptcy.
James Wood Friend, son of Porter R. and Rebekah J. (Wood) Friend,
was born November 2, 1845, on Third street, Pittsburgh. He received his
education in . public and private schools, and later attended Pittsburgh
Academy, which was near where the courthouse now stands, and which later
became the Western University of Pennsylvania, and now is the University
of Pittsburgh. At the age of seventeen Mr. Friend made his first entrance
into the business world, being employed in his father's iron business, the
name of the firm being P. R. Friend & Company. He worked here several
years, and then went with his grandfather, James Wood, in the iron busi-
ness. He left this firm after his grandfather's death, when the business was
involved ; first, however, with a wisdom beyond his years, assisting his
mother to save a portion of the estate. He then purchased the Eagle Roll-
ing Mill, at Saw Mill Run. and operated it under the name of J. W. Friend
& Company. Associated from his youth up with the leading business men
of his native city, Mr. Friend's innate abilities, which were of no common
and his advancement to the commanding position which, for so many years,
order, expanded in an atmosphere which fostered their rapid development
he filled with honor in manufacturing and financial circles, is a record of
undaunted, persistent effort, and stainless, unimpeachable integrity.
In 1886 the firm of Grafif, Bennett & Company, owners of plants on
the South Side and at Millvale, became bankrupt, and when the property
was sold, Mr. Friend, in association with F. M. HofTstot, purchased both
plants, the South Side plant being known as the Clinton Furnace, situated
near the end of the Smithfield street bridge. When Charles T. Schoen in-
vented the pressed steel car, v^'hich has revolutionized railroad freight trans-
portation, Mr. Friend, with that intense progressiveness, which was ever
one of his salient characteristics, was one of the members of the original
corporation. In 1900, in connection with Mr. Hofifstot, Mr. Friend pur-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1463
chased the plant, situated at McKees Rocks. This plant had been founded
by Air. Schoen, and when it changed hands the Pressed Steel Car Company
was organized with Mr. Hoffstot as president and Mr. Friend as vice-presi-
dent. The affairs of this concern thenceforth absorbed the greater portion
of j\Ir. Friend's time and the result of Mr. Friend's devotion to them was
manifest in the rapid growth and extremely flourishing condition of every-
thing pertaining to the enterprise, which attained to the proportions of one
of the giants of the industrial world.
The vigorous, compelling nature of Mr. Friend, and his keen, practical
mind assured the success of every undertaking to which he gave his vitaliz-
ing energy. He was president and principal owner of the Clinton Iron and
Steel Company, president of the People's Coal Company, chief owner of
the Monongahela Dredging Company, holder of stock in other concerns and
director in the Farmers Deposit National Bank, the German National Bank
of Allegheny, of which he was also vice-president ; director of the Pressed
Steel Car Company, First National Bank of McKees Rocks, and Chartiers
Trust Company. He was also officer in several cement manufacturing com-
panies and several land development and real estate companies.
In politics Mr. Friend was a Republican, but took no active part in
public affairs, and could never be persuaded to become a candidate for office,
preferring to concentrate his energies on his manufacturing and financial in-
terests. As a citizen with exalted ideas of good government and civic
virtue he stood in the front rank, and no project which, in his judgment,
tended to advance the welfare of Pittsburgh and of Pennsylvania, lacked
his hearty co-operation. Widely, but unostentatiously charitable, he was
ever ready to respond to any deserving call made upon him. Realizing that
he would not pass this way again, he made wise use of his opportunities
and bis wealth, conforming his life to the loftiest standards of rectitude.
The countenance and bearing of Mr. Friend were indicative of his
noble nature, his commanding abilities and his genial disposition. Few men
have been more beloved, and his friends, which were numberless, were to
be found in all classes of the community. He was a thirty-second degree
Mason, and belonged to the Duquesne, Pittsburgh, Oakmont and Alle-
gheny Country clubs. He was a member of the Second Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Friend married, January 4, 1871, Martha Anne McClellan. whose
ancestral record is appended to this sketch, and they became the parents
of two sons and two daughters : Charles Wood ; Theodore W. ; Elizabeth,
wife of William Howard Parke, and Rebekah, wife of Hay Walker. All
these are residents of Pittsburgh. By his marriage Mr. Friend gained the
life companionship of a charming and congenial woman, one fitted by native
refinement, a bright mind and thorough education for her exacting duties
as a leader of Pittsburgh society, duties which she performs with the most
perfect grace and winning tactfulness. Withal Mrs. Friend is an accom-
plished homemaker, and her gifted husband, who was never so happy as at
his own fireside, surrounded by the beings he loved best on earth, ever
found in her a helpmate truly ideal. Not long before the close of his life,
1464 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Mr. Friend and his family took possession of a beautiful residence on
Squirrel Hill, the building of which had been a source of great interest and
pleasure to the one who was destined to be for so short a time its master.
The death of Mr. Friend, which occurred December 26, 1909, de-
prived Pittsburgh of one of those substantial and aggressive business men
who constitute the bulwark of a city's strength and development. Honor-
able in purpose, fearless in conduct, he stood for many years as an able
exponent of the spirit of the age in his efforts to advance progress and
improvement. His business transactions were conducted in accordance with
the highest principles, he fulfilled to the letter every trust committed to him
and was generous in his feelings and conduct toward all.
William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, the famous statesman and "Creator of
Modern England," in whose honor Pittsburgh received her name, was be-
loved by the American colonies as the champion of their liberties ; James
Wood Friend, one of the "Creators of Modern Pittsburgh," was venerated
and loved by his native city as an example of business honor and civic
virtue. And now, after he has ceased from earth, his memory is an object
of reverence and affection, for his works follow him.
(The McClellan Line.)
It is thought that all the families in the United States bearing the name
of McClellan, McLellan, Maclellan and McClelland are derived from one
original stock having its home in the southwestern part of Scotland. About
1646, during the religious war, many families of the name removed from
Scotland to Ireland, the migration being probably known in Ireland as the
"Ulster Plantation," the settlements being made near Belfast and Dun-
gannon. After 1760-70 numerous families, both from Scotland and Ireland,
emigrated to the American colonies, settling in Nova Scotia, New England,
New York, Pennsylvania, and the Carolinas. Theologically the McClellans
inclined toward Calvinism. Politically they were largely Federalist and
Whig and are now principally Republican. In Scotland they were loyal
to the king, in Ireland they wore the "Orange."
"Laird" McClellan, founder of the Chester county (Pennsylvania)
branch of the family, was of Bannagachen, Ireland, and in 1685 was ban-
ished to the American colonies on account of the part he had taken in the
wars. He was accompanied by three of his children and the family settled
in the New Jersey neighborhood, where they remained until 1689, when news
of a favorable change in affairs at home caused the "Laird" to resolve to
return. On the voyage he was taken prisoner by the French, but finally
arrived at home on the last day of October, 1691. The children remained
in America and became the progenitors of the Chester county branch of the
family.
Joseph McClellan. great-great-great-grandfather of Mrs. Martha Anne
(McClellan) Friend, married Elizabeth Ewing, and served with the rank
of captain in the patriot army of the Revolution. The following inscription
is on his tombstone in the Octoraro cemetery : "An approved officer of the
Revolution, an estimable and highly esteemed citizen and a sincere Chris-
tian. In life respected and venerated; in death lamented."
WESTERN PENXSYLVANIA 1465
James, son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Ewing) McClellan, married
Martlia Caldwell. Their son Joseph was born April 28, 1747, in Chester
county, and enlisted at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. July 15,
1776, he was appointed lieutenant of a company of musketeers, under the
command of Captain Abraham Marshall, and was promoted to captain in
a battalion commanded by Colonel Samuel Atlee. He was transferred to
the Pennsylvania Line, Ninth Regiment, and on March 22, 1781, to the
Second Regiment, Pennsylvania Line, serving until June 13, 1781, when
he resigned from a sense of filial duty, his parents being aged and infirm.
He participated in the battles of Long Island, Brandywine and Monmouth.
On the back of Captain McClellan's commission is a high testimonial to his
merit endorsed by General Anthony Wayne. Captain McClellan married
Keziah Parke, born January 24, 1767, and their children were; Anne, born
August 15, 1787, died August 19, i860, married William Hemphill; Martha,
born February 7, 1789, married, 1810, Isaac Rogers, and died March 14,
1814; Elizabeth, born 1794, died in 1799; and Joseph Parke, mentioned
below. Captain Joseph McClellan died October 14, 1834, and his widow
passed away July 31, 1842.
Joseph Parke, son of Joseph and Keziah (Parke) McClellan, was born
March 19, 1796, and was a farmer, becoming, in the forties, owner of the
historic Green Tree Hotel in West Chester. From 1814 to 1816 he was
president of the Bank of Chester County, and held the same position from
1817 to 1819. This is now the National Bank of Chester County. Mr.
McClellan served as a burgess of West Chester and as sheriff of Chester
county. He was a member of Octoraro Presbyterian Church. He married
(first) Sarah Whelan, and (second) Mary Ellis Miller. Mr. McClellan
died February 26, 1861.
James Downing, son of Joseph Parke and Sarah (Whelan) McClellan,
married Elizabeth Litzenberg, and their children were: John; Sarah Keziah,
married James David Ruth ; Christian L. ; Joseph Parke ; Mary ; Martha
Anne, mentioned below ; Henry ; Ella, who, like Mary, died in early child-
hood ; Anne Hemphill, married Harry Friend ; Elizabeth Litzenberg, mar-
ried John W. Betz ; and Joseph.
Martha Anne, daughter of James Downing and Elizabeth (Litzenberg)
McClellan, was born December 4, 1847, and became the wife of James Wood
Friend, as mentioned above.
Although of New Jersey birtli, Mr. Sutton, educator, lawyer
SUTTON and financier, has passed his entire professional life in and
near Philadelphia. His father, a scholarly gentleman, wa^
connected with the Philadelphia Conference of the Methodist Episcopal
Church for many years, later transferring to the Wilmington Conference.
William H. Sutton was born in Haddonfield, New Jersey, September
II, 1835, son of Rev. Henry and Ann (Craig) Sutton, his father an honored
minister of the Methodist Episcopal church. After a course in the public
schools he entered the preparatory department of Dickinson College, Car-
1466 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
lisle, Pennsylvania, entering the following year the freshman class. He
continued at Dickinson until near the close of his sophomore year, when
an epidemic of smallpox closed the college. He then engaged in teaching
the next two years, entering in September, 1855, the junior class of Wesleyan
University, Middletown, Connecticut, whence he was graduated A. B.,
class of 1857. After leaving the university he spent three years as in-
structor at the American Institute for the Deaf and Dumb, Hartford, Con-
necticut, pursuing during the same period legal studies under Hon. John
Hooker, son-in-law of Rev. Lyman Beecher. He then entered Albany Law
School, but being financially unable to complete the course, came to Phila-
delphia, completing his legal preparatory study under the preceptorship of
Hon. William M. Meridith, a fortner Secretary of the Treasury of the
United States.
In 1863 Mr. Sutton was admitted to the Philadelphia bar and at once
began practice in that city. His practice extends to all the state and federal
courts of the district and is one of importance. He has developed unusual
ability in the cases tried before a jury, and is a particularly skillful cross-
questioner. He has been connected with many notable cases and is con-
sidered one of the ablest lawyers practicing at the Philadelphia bar. His
reputation extends beyond the limits of his home city, and has also secured
him a large jury practice in the counties of Delaware and Montgomery.
The law has been to Mr. Sutton a "jealous mistress," and he has devoted
his time almost exclusively to his profession, his outside interests being
largely confined to directorships in the banks and trust companies which he
has assisted in organizing, viz. : The Merion Title and Trust Company of
Ardmore, Pennsylvania, of which he has been a director since its incorpora-
tion; and the West Philadelphia Title and Trust Company. He also was
one of the promoters of the Bryn Mawr National Bank. He has been
active and influential in the councils of the Democratic party; was elected
in 1876 auditor of Lower Merion township; in 1879 school director of the
same township; in 1882 State Senator from the Ninth Senatorial District
of Philadelphia, serving with honor and distinction four years, and has since
declined nominations for Congress, although accepting a nomination for
judge of Montgomery county.
During the Civil War, while residing in Springfield, Delaware county,
he was instrumental in raising a company of emergency guards, who were
held in readiness to march to the front, but the battle of Gettysburg turned
back the invaders from the South and the services of the company were not
called for. Mr. Sutton was made a Mason many years ago and has attained
unusual distinction in that order. He is the oldest past master of George
W. Bartram Lodge, No. 292, Free and Accepted Masons ; was one of the
charter members of the Montgomery Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, of
Ardmore, was its first high priest and for thirty years has served as treas-
urer ; is past eminent commander of Hutchinson Commandery, No. 32,
Knights Templar, and has also served in every elective office in that body.
He has taken a deep interest in civic associations, also scientific and educa-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1467
tional societies that have a specific aim, and has contributed freely to their
upbuilding by personal effort. These include : The American Academy of
Political and Social Science ; Children's Playground Association ; Public Edu-
cation ; and the Pennsylvania Civil Service Association. His college fra-
ternity is Psi Upsilon; his clubs, the Merion Cricket, Philadelphia, Demo-
cratic, and others. He and his family are members of the Methodist Episco-
pal church, belonging to St. Luke's of Bryn Mawr, in which Mr. Sutton now
serves as treasurer of the board of trustees. He has been an active church
worker all his life and has served different churches as Sunday school
superintendent, steward, trustee, president of boards of trustees and treas-
urer.
Mr. Sutton married, June 25, 1872, at "Llanelew," Haverford, Lower
Merion township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, Hannah Anderson.
The wedding ceremony was performed by the then senior bishop of the
Methodist Episcopal church, Rev. Matthew Simpson, assisted by Rev. Horace
Cleveland, D.D., and Rev. M. A. Day.
Mrs. Sutton is the daughter of Isaac W. and Martha ( Yocum ) Ander-
son, and a great-great-granddaughter of Major Patrick Anderson, who
bravely commanded a detachment of troops under General Anthony Wayne,
during the Revolution. His son Isaac was a distinguished member of Con-
gress. She is a granddaughter of Dr. James Anderson, a prominent physi-
cian and landowner at and near what is now Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Chil-
dren of William Henry and Hannah Sutton: i. Howard Anderson, born
1873, a graduate of Wesleyan L'niversity, class of 1895; now a practicing
physician of Philadelphia. 2. William Henry, died in his third year. 3.
Helen, wife of Newlin Evan David, a graduate of Wesleyan University;
now residing at Middletown, Connecticut. 4. Isaac Crawford, bom March
ID, 1887, a graduate of Wesleyan LTniversity and the Law Department of
the University of Pennsylvania; now associated with his father in legal
practice; he married, November 12, 1912, Miss Ruth Clarke, of Lexington,
Kentucky. 5. Grace, now connected, and rendering important service, with
the Charity Organization of Philadelphia. 6. Corona, residing at home. 7.
Henry Craig, graduate of Cornell LTniversity, C.E. and M.E., now practicing
mechanical engineering in Philadelphia. 8. Mildred, married, June, 191 1,
Olin McCormick, a civil engineer, now residing at Perth Amboy, Ne\V
Jersey. 9. Joseph Aubrey, now a sophomore at Wesleyan University. Middle-
town, Connecticut.
Mr. Sutton is highly regarded for his scholarly and legal attainments
and has received from the National Temperance LTniversity of Tennessee
the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws, while in 1909 Dickinson College
conferred D.C.L.
As this brief outline of his career shows, he has been active in legal,
church, fraternal, benevolent and philanthropic work, and is highly esteemed
and honored by his brethren and associates.
1468 WESTERN PEXXSYL\AXIA
Dr. Robert Watson McClelland, physician, orthopedist,
McClelland professional instructor, has achieved a reputation dur-
ing the practice of more than a quarter of a century,
of which he may justly be proud. His professional brethren freely acknowl-
edge his proficiency in many branches of the medical profession, and honor
him with their esteem for the splendid record he has made.
Dr. McClelland is one of the younger sons of the late James H. and
Elizabeth Thomson (Black) McClelland, and was born in Pittsburgh, Penn-
sylvania, June 22, 1857. His elementary and college preparatory education
was acquired in the public schools of his native city, after which he was a
student in Lafayette College for a period of two years, and followed this
with a course of study at Cornell University, being graduated from this
institution in 1882, at which time the degree of Bachelor of Sciences was
conferred upon him. His work at Cornell also included a preliminary course
in the study of medicine, which enabled him to enter the second year at the
medical college. He then commenced the study of medicine at Hahnemann
Medical College, Philadelphia, from which he was graduated two years
later with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. A considerable amount of
time was then spent by Dr. McClelland in travelling abroad, making special
studies in various hospitals. A special course in orthopedics was taken
under Professor Wolff, of Berlin, and a special clinical course under the
noted Dr. Lorenz, of Vienna, who efifected many wonderful cures during
his recent visit to this country. Upon his return to his native city Dr. Mc-
Clelland established himself in the general practice of medicine in associa-
tion with his two brothers. Dr. J. H. and Dr. J. B. McClelland, and is still
(1915) associated with them. As a close student of human nature in con-
nection with his professional work he takes high rank, and the knowledge
he has thus acquired has greatly furthered the success of his efforts. His
patience is practically inexhaustible and his skill in mastering the details
of a case has aroused the enthusiasm of those competent to judge. He is
connected with the numerous professional institutions and organizations, in
all of which his counsel is highly prized. He is a member of the orthopedic
staff of the Homoeopathic Hospital of Pittsburgh, and in the Training School
for Nurses, which is connected with the hospital, he is the lecturer on
anatomy and physiology. He is a member of the Pennsylvania State Med-
ical Society, the East End Doctors' Club, Allegheny County Homoeopathic
Medical Society, American Institute of Homoeopathy, L"fniversity Club,
Pittsburgh Golf Club, and Cornell Club of Western Pennsylvania, having
been the first president of the last mentioned association. As a Mason
he has attained the thirty-second degree, is a member of Franklin Lodge,
No. 221, Free and Accepted Masons: the Pennsylvania Consistory, and the
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. His religious affiliations are with the
Third Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh, of which he is a member, and his
political support is given to the Republican party. He has never devoted
time to active political work, but he takes a keen interest in all matters con-
cerning the public welfare.
\\'i:STRR.\" PENNSVIAAXIA 1469
In additiuii lu being a man of great force of character and possessing
a vast amount of professional knowledge, Dr. McClelland is a cultured
scholar in all branches of learning. This latter attribute, in connection with
his cordial manner and sympathetic heart, has won for him the warm
regard of a large circle of friends, and he is a welcome visitor wherever he
makes his appearance.
The name of this family, which is evidently of German
SHAFFER origin, is to be found in a variety of spellings. It is prob-
ably derived from the German word "Schaefer," meaning
a shepherd, and this would indicate that the earliest bearers of it were en-
gaged in peaceful occupations. The emigrant ancestors of the particular
branch of the Shaflfer family of which we are treating in this sketch most
likely came from Lancaster county, Penn.sylvania, as tradition has it that
they came from "east of the mountains," and settled in Woodcock town-
ship, Crawford county.
(I) Daniel Shafier came to Woodcock township, Crawford county.
Pennsylvania, about 1795 or 1800. He and his wife are buried in Gravel
Run Cemetery, in ^'\^oodcock township. He was the owner of the fine farm
on which he resided, and in addition to cultivating this, won more than a
merely local renown for his skill as a blacksmith. He could readily forge
all manner of tools and farming implements, and the articles he manufac-
tured were in great demand. He married Sarah, daughter of Elias Wykofif,
and granddaughter of William Wykoff, who was the emigrant ancestor of
the family. They came from New Jersey to Crawford county in 1796.
Children : John, Maria, Elias, George Peififer, see forward : Sarah C,
Benjamin F., Mary. Emeline, Ellen Housel, a niece whom they adopted.
(II) George Peififer Shafifer, son of Daniel and Sarah (Wykofif)
Shaffer, was born on the farm of his father in Woodcock township, Craw-
ford county, Penn.sylvania, May 19, 1826, and died August 2, 1893. His
education was the usual one of a farmer's son of that period, and at an
early age he commenced to assist his father in the cultivation of the home
farm. Later in life he engaged in lumbering, was the proprietor of a saw
mill in Woodcock township, and, having learned the carpenter's trade, fol-
lowed that occupation to a considerable extent. He became the owner of a
farm of one hundred and five acres, on which he lived, and which he kept
in a fine state of cultivation. He took a prominent place in the public life
of the community, and was a staunch supporter of the principles of the
Democratic party. In addition to serving as supervisor of the township, he
filled at various times a number of minor oflfices. He also served as a
member of the local police force. His fraternal afifiliations were with the
local Grange, and he was a member of the Methodist church. Mr. Shafifer
married Prudence, born April, 1827, died March 28, 1898, a daughter of
John Wykofif. Children: Sarah Matilda, Florence Sophronia. Cornelia
Lourmida, Wilbur De Hass, see forward ; Frank Johnson, born February-
19, i860; George Melvin. born September 10. 1865.
1470 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
(III) Wilbur De Hass Shaffer, son of George Peiffer and Prudence
(Wykoff) Shaffer, was born in Woodcock township, one mile south of tlie
borough, on his father's farm, June 23, 1858. He was educated in the
district schools of his native township, and then learned the carpenter's
trade under the supervision of his father. He was engaged in this line of
business for more than a quarter of a century, then branched into the
lumbering business, from that to the construction of mills and houses, and
finally general contracting work, in which he has been eminently successful.
He was engaged in this last development in Woodcock township from 1881
until 1901. On April i, of the last mentioned year, he came to Meadville,
and there took charge of the Harper Lumber Company's yards for a period
of five years. Two years were then spent in operating a saw mill inde-
pendently at Salisbury, then another five years with the Harper Lumber
Company, after which he again engaged in business for himself under the
name of W. D. Shaffer. He buys and sells all kinds of wood, converting
it into lumber, and also manufactures laths, railroad ties, pit posts, etc. His
office is located at No. 343 North street, Meadville. He is independent in
his political views, preferring to cast his vote for the candidate whom he
considers best fitted for the office, irrespective of partisanship. He is a
member of the Presbyterian church, served as superintendent of the Sunday
school from 1886 until 1901, and is one of the trustees of the church. He
is a member of the Crawford Lodge, No. 249, Independent Order of Odd
Fellows.
Mr. Shaffer married, at Edinboro, Pennsylvania, Martha Amelia
P.angher, born in Cambridge township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania,
March 4, 1859, died at her home in Meadville, July 26, 1913, buried in
Greendale Cemetery. She was a woman of strong character, a kind friend
and neighbor, and a sincere Christian woman. She was educated in the
elementary and high schools of Cambridge township, and was also given
special training in music. She was a member of the First Presbyterian
Church, and of the Home Missionary Society, and had charge of the music
of the Methodist church at Woodcock. She also belonged to the T. B. H.
(see Baugher). Children: i. George Earl, born in Woodcock township,
September 21, 1880, was educated in the public schools, and was graduated
from the Edinboro State Normal School ; read law with Otto Kohler, and
was admitted to the bar of Crawford county ; in September, 1910, he located
at Hugo, Oklahoma, where he is practicing his profession ; he married
Catherine, daughter of Louis F. Smith, of Meadville. 2. Charles Vance, born
October, 1881 ; was educated in Woodcock township; he resides in Mead-
ville, and is in the employ of the Erie Railroad Company, for which he has
charge of the soliciting and delivery of supplies from Salamanca to Chi-
cago, Illinois ; he married ^Margaret Kaine, and has one son, Howard Wilbur,
born September 3, 1912. 3. Adelaide Maude, born February 15, 1883;
was educated at the Woodcock borough school ; married Frank B. Clay, and
resides at No. 343 North street, Meadville.
WESTERN PENNSYLXAXIA 1471
(The Baugher Line.)
(I) Henry Baugher, a native of Germany, was probably the first settler
in Cambridge township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, in 1800. He
patented the tract in the southwest corner of the township, and afterwards
settled on tracts Nos. 130 and 131. He managed to hold a settlement on
both tracts by building his double log cabin just on the line which was later
known as the Mercy farm. Mr. Baugher was a very eccentric character. He
was a carpenter by trade, and removed to Mercer county, where he passed
the remainder of his life.
(H) John Baugher, son of Henry Baugher, was probably born in
Germany, and settled in Cambridge township, Crawford county, Pennsyl-
vania, 1819. From the fact that one of his children was bom in Chautauqua
county. New York, it is presumed that he must have lived there for a con-
siderable length of time, was probably in the employ of some one there. He
married Esther, a daughter of Jacob Stroupt, a native of Germany. Chil-
dren: Mary, Jacob S., see forward; David. Michael, Margaret, Emily J.,
Nancy, Isabella, Laura J., Samuel.
(HI) Jacob S. Baugher, son of John and Esther (Stroupt) Baugher.
was born in Chautauqua county. New York, January 4, 1816. He resided
on a part of the farm purchased by his grandfather, Henry Baugher, in 1800.
and was held in high esteem in the community. His political affiliations
were with the Democratic party, and he served as supervisor of the town-
ship and as school director in it. He and his wife were members of the
Methodist Episcopal church. He married, March 10, 1842, Lucy A., daugh-
ter of George and Christine (Null) Heile, of Lebanon county, Pennsyl-
vania. Children : Charles L., married Lucy Wood : Melissa, died unmarried ;
David T., married Sophia Humes; George A., married Pernell Humes; John
S., married Eveline Lang; Helen, deceased; James O., married Olive
Winings; L. Warren, married Effie Hemstreet; Martha Amelia, married
Wilbur De Hass Shafifer (see Shaffer HI) ; Mary A., married Logan,
of Meadville.
The name of Shephard is to be met with very frequently
SHEPHARD in this country, and came to it from England and Gtr-
many. The form of the name varies, as it is spelled
Shepperd, Shepherd. Shepard, etc. The family under discussion in this
review came originally from Germany and has been resident in America
many years, settling some generations ago in Germantovvn. Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania.
(I) John Shephard was born in Germantown, and was connected with
the manufacture of bricks, with which industry his family had been identified
for many years, and are still actively engaged in it. He was in active mili-
tary service throughout the Mexican War, and died in Germantown. He
married Louisa . born in Germantown.
(H) John (2) Shephard, son of John (i) and Louisa Shephard, was
born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, and died in Braddock, in the same
1472 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
state. He was engaged in the brick manufacturing industry during all the
active years of his life with the exception of the time he was engaged in
military duty. He enlisted in the Fifty-fourth Regiment Pennsylvania
Volunteer Infantry, served three years, and then resumed his manufacturing
interests. These he carried on for a time in Germantown, then removed to
Fayette county, and finally, in 1870, to Braddock, Allegheny county. In
association with two other men he laid out the town of Braddock. He was
a member of the school board of the town. He married Louisa Fix, born in
Germany, came to this country when two years old, and died in German-
town at the age of eighty-eight years. They had thirteen children : Susan.
Joseph, Mary, Andrew, Sadie, Annie, Laura, Henry A., Samuel, Willie,
Lizzie, Kate, John, the last four named being deceased.
(HI) Henry A. Shephard, son of John (2) and Louisa (Fix) Shephard,
was born in Braddock, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, November 2, 1870.
After obtaining his education in the public schools of Braddock he learned
the brick-making trade, but soon abandoned this in order to enter the employ
of the Edgar Thompson Steel Works, where he commenced as a water boy.
He remained there since that time, advancing in rank from time to time, and
in 1908 was appointed to the position of night foreman, in which capacity he
is serving the company at the present time. In 1904 he built a fine brick
residence at Fourth and Price streets. North Braddock, a section he remem-
bers as being thickly wooded in his youth. He is a member of Braddock
Lodge, No. 510, Free and Accepted Masons. He is also interested in mines,
of which his father opened many in the vicinity of Braddock. He is a
member of the Christian church of Braddock, of which his parents were
charter members, this being the first church in the town. Mr. Shephard
married, in 1896, Margaret Shaw, born in Braddock, and they have had
children : Harry, deceased ; Russell, Andrew Jackson, Albert Henry, Bessie,
deceased.
This is an ancient name in Germany and was undoubtedly
SCHWER adopted by the original bearers, at the time surnames came
into use, as an appellation suited to their prominence, the
word itself meaning, heavy or important. This would indicate that they
were people of influence.
(I) Martin Schwer lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he was a
carpenter and contractor. He married Anna , who died in 1893. They
had children : Josephine, married Ferdinand Henry, a newspaper man,
living at East End, Pittsburgh ; Mena, married Rudolph Keonig, who died
in Fort Wayne ; Theresa, married Joseph Keonig, a jeweler of Pittsburgh ;
Mary, died young; Frances, died in Baltimore; Alphonse, was with General
Custer, it is thought that he carried the message from the Black Hills to
Fort Cloud ; Henry ; Joseph, see forward.
(II) Joseph Schwer, son of Martin and Anna Schwer. was born in
Pittsburgh, and died January 7, 1897. He was educated in his native city,
and for the long period of forty years was in the employ of the Pennsyl-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA I473
vania Railroad Company, creditable alike to employer and employed. He
was seventy years of age at the time of his death. Politically he was a
Democrat, and he was a member of St. Joseph's and St. Augustin's Catholic
Church. He married Frances Gangwish. They had children : Joseph,
married Anna Frank, lives in Verona, Pennsylvania; Martin, deceased;
Theodore R., of further mention ; Leo, married Lizzie Brim, lives in Verona;
Louis, married Andrew Frank ; Tilly ; Josephine, married Frank Pottmire,
of Beaver, Pennsylvana; Lauretta, married Charles Bailey, an engineer on
the Pennsylvania Railroad ; and Charles, died in infancy.
(HI) Theodore R. Schwer, son of Joseph and Frances (Gangwish)
Schwer, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March i6, 1874. His edu-
cation was acquired in the Catholic schools in Verona, and upon its comple-
tion he entered upon the more serious work of life. In early manhood he
was a machinist and has now been with the Pennsylvania Railroad Machine
Works for the past seventeen years. During his vacations he works for the
Metropolitan Insurance Company. He casts his vote for the candidates of
the Democratic party, is a member of the Catholic church, and the Pennsyl-
vania Relief Association.
Mr. Schwer married Sarah Agnes, born May 28, 1870, a daughter of
Thomas and Mary Elizabeth (Daugherty) Dunahue, and a sister of: Mary,
deceased, married Frank Ricker, lives at Sandy Creek ; James, married Jose-
phine Johnston, lives at Oakmont; Jennie, married Augustus Wember,
lives in Ambridge ; Cecelia, married Albert Hunkley ; Estella, married Mar-
tin Cosier, lives in Bloomfield, Pennsylvania ; Verna, married Joseph Kerns.
Mr. and Mrs. Schwer have had children: Claire, born September 28, 1900;
Grace, born in 1902, now deceased; Kenneth, born May 29, 1904; Avilla,
born June 28, 1906; Martin, born May 8, 1909; Leo, born February 13, 191 1.
George N. Schafer was born in Lichtenau, Hesse-Cassel,
SCHAFER Germany, and there grew to manhood. After his second
marriage he came to the United States in 1864, and went to
Keokuk, Iowa, where he remained but a few months, and tlien removed to
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and settled on South Side. He had been a nail-
smith in his native land, and established himself in this line of industry on
South Sixteenth street, ^this being at a time when all nails were made by
hand from thin, narrow strips of iron. He retired from business about 1890,
and died in 1905, at the age of eighty-two years, in Mount Oliver borough.
He married (first) Christina, who died in 1862, a daughter of Wilhelni
Goebel, who served as a soldier under Napoleon during the famous Russian
campaign, receiving a medal for meritorious service, this being still in the
possession of his descendants. Mr. Schafer married (second) Annie, a
sister of his first wife, and she died in 1872. He married (tliird) Mrs.
Bianna, who died in 1904, having no children by this marriage. Children
by first marriage: i. George W., a glass blower by occupation, lives in
Carrick borough. 2. Charles, of further mention. 3. Mary, married (first)
George H. Fink, (second) George Kallelburg; lives in Pittsburgh. 4. Con-
1474 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
rad, died in infancy. Children by second marriage: 5. An infant, born and
died on board the ship en route to America. 6. Minnie, married Lewis W.
Hartlep ; lives in Mount Oliver, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. 7. Adolph,
a glass worker and tax collector; living in St. Clair borough. Mr. Schafer
was a Republican in politics, and he and his wife were members of the
German Evangelical church on Jane street, South Side.
(II) Charles Schafer, son of George N. and Christina (Goebel)
Schafer, was born in the town of Lichtenau, Hesse-Cassel, Germany, Novem-
ber 6, 1854. He was educated in the public schools of his native country,
and his education was continued here, as he was but ten years of age when
he arrived in America. He was apprenticed to learn the blacksmith's trade
at the age of nineteen years, having previously been employed in a glass
factory. He worked for the firm of Lewis, Oliver & Phillips, which has
since grown into the great Oliver Iron Works, and remained with this firm
until 1893. In that year he established himself in the real estate and fire
insurance business, and has been eminently successful in this line, his efforts
having been of immense advantage to the community. In 1893 he was
elected justice of the peace for Lower St. Clair township, and has been
Squire since that time, his present term of office not expiring until 1920.
He has also served as tax collector, and as a member of the school board,
having been chosen as secretary of this body. In association with others,
he was instrumental in organizing St. Clair borough in 1906. He has erected
a number of houses in St. Clair and Mount Oliver. He is secretary of
the Lyman Building and Loan Association. He is a member of the Vol-
unteer Fire Department, having been one of the organizers, and is also one
of the organizers of the St. Clair Manor Choir. He is a member and past
master of Germania Lodge, No. 509, Free and Accepted Masons; past
sachem in the Improved Order of Red Men, and for the past nine years
has been a representative to tlie Great Council of the United States. His
political affiliations are with the Republican party.
Mr. Schafer married, in 1874, Emelie, born in Pittsburgh, a daughter
of David and Caroline Binz, born in Germany and died in Pittsburgh. Chil-
dren: I. Walter F., a clerk, who died in St. Clair borough, in 1912. ;;.
Carrie M., married Ernest H. Miller, and has children: Charles H. and
Helen. 3. Amelia, married William F. Jones, and has children, Mildred and
Edith. Ten children who died, not living to attain maturity. Mrs. Schafer
died in 1912.
Mr. Schafer has always been a man of great public spirit and has
done much to further the interests of the community. Appended is a copy
of a letter which speaks for itself. His kind offer was, however, not ac-
cepted by St. Clair Council.
St. Clair Borough, June i, 1914.
To the Honorable Council of the Borough of St. Clair.
Dear Sirs,
As it was my intention not to give a certain parcel of ground to the Borough until
after my dissolution, but realizing that man can and should do things while he lives
and further realizing that he should do some good to the Community in which he
lives, and has to a limited extent prospered, and Children of the present and future
OtjO/Li^-^Dc/L^-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1475
should have some place to play. I make this proposition to you and if accepted by
your Honorable Body with the consent of our Honorable Burgess, with the condi-
tion as set forth hereafter, (in memory of my late wife,) I will make a proper Deed
to the Borough and deliver the same in due time. I'or all that certain piece of groimd
bounded on the West by William Street, on the South by Sylvan Street, on the East
by Schafer Street, and on the North by Center Alley; being in size (125 by 157.63
feet), being Lots Nos. 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13, in my Revised Plan as Recorded in Plan
Book, Vol. 20, Page 35, On condition that the said Lots shall be used forever, (only
for a Public Square, Play-Ground, or Comfort Station). And if the said St. Clair
Borough, or any other Borough, or City to which said St. Clair Borough, may be
hereafter annexed to, attempts to, or does use said Plot of ground or any part
thereof, for any other purpose than a Play-ground, Public Square, or Comfort
Station, or if the said Borough of St. Clair fails to signify the acceptance of the
said Piece of ground, for the purpose as above set forth by a proper Ordinance.
Then the said piece of ground shall immediately revert back to my Estate and Heirs,
the same as if said Deed had never been delivered.
Very truly your Well Wisher,
(Signed) Charles Schafer.
Francis Schilling is one of a family representative of the
SCHILLING best type of German-American character, which has con-
tributed so large and desirable an element to tlie composite
citizenship of the United States. His father was Frederick Schilling, a
native of Germany, who came to the United States during the great period
of emigration from that country during the forties, when the awakening of
the democratic spirit in opposition to the oppressive aristocracy which had
so long dominated events in Germany was making that country but a sad
place for those who desired opportunities for the expression of themselves
in the arts of peace. He was married while still in the "Fatherland" to
Emilia Keil, also a native of that country, and brought his young wife
with him to America. Upon their arrival in the United States, they first
made their home in Missouri, but later removed to Baltimore and finally to
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mr. Schilling was a gunsmith by trade, and
carried on this business up to the time of his death, which occurred in Pitts-
burgh.
Francis Schilling, son of Frederick and Emilia (Keil) Schilling, was
born in Carterville, Missouri, May 19, 1848, but came with his parents to
Pittsburgh while still very young, so that his entire childhood and youth
are associated with that city. There he was educated and as a boy engaged
in the newspaper business. Later he secured a position witli the firm of
Ellwoods, and remained in that service until his death. In the year 1891
he removed to Oakmont, Pennsylvania, and there made his home for the
remainder of his life. He was a member of the local lodge of the Free and
Accepted Masons and played an active part in the social and fraternal life
of his community.
Mr. Schilling married, in 1887, Mary Home, a native of Pittsburgh,
daughter of George and Katherine (Renszing) Home, both natives of
Germany, who came to the L'nited States in 1850, just after the Revolution
of 1848-49, and settled in Pittsburgh. Her maternal grandmother, Mrs.
Anna Renszing, accompanied Mr. and Mrs. Home to this country, and
later died in Pittsburgh. To Mr. and Mrs. Schilling have been born four
children, as follows : Grace, Esther, Lewis, Raymond, deceased. Mr. Schil-
1476 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
ling was a member of the Presbyterian church, as is also Mrs. Schilling,
and in that persuasion reared their children.
In the great mixture of nationalities which is forming the
SMITH American people, it sometimes happens that a number of fami-
lies exist all bearing the same name altliough they may be en-
tirely unrelated to each other, and even have come from different countries.
This has happened many times with the name of Smith, which was brought
to this country from England, and in a somewhat different form from Ger-
many and Holland. In tlie latter cases it has frequently been Anglicized.
(I) William Smith emigrated to America about the year 1829, and in
his earlier years was a tailor. Later, in association with his son, he turned
his attention to farming. He married Mary , who came to America
with her husband.
(II) Frederick Smith, son of William and Mary Smith, was born in
England, in 1799, and emigrated to America, settling first in Philadelphia
about 1827. From there he migrated to Ohio, after a time to Wheeling,
West Virginia, where he was interested in the coal business, and in 185 1
removed to McKeesport, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where he was
engaged in teaming. He died at McKeesport at the age of eighty-five years.
He married Mary Barton, born in England, in 1801, died in McKeesport,
Pennsylvania, in 1886. They became the parents of seven sons and two
daughters.
(III) Thomas Smith, son of Frederick and Mary (Barton) Smith, was
born in Zanesville, Muskingum county, Ohio, January 15, 1833. He was
educated in the public schools, and at an early age entered upon his business
career. At the age of twenty-two years he was employed on one of the
old coal boats, later on a steamboat, and for a period of twenty-four years
was captain on the "Boaz." He retired from the responsibilities of this posi-
tion at the time of the second election of President Cleveland. In political
affairs Mr. Smith has been a Republican since the days of Lincoln. His
wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Smith married,
November 18, 1858, Matilda Bevington, of the South Side, Pittsburgh, and
they have had children: Solon L., Frank Henry and Hugh Bevington.
Mrs. Smith is a daughter of Henry and Margaret (Laughlin) Bevington,
the former born in Vanport, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, the latter at
Georgetown, Pennsylvania. Henry Bevington was a son of William Bev-
ington. Margaret (Laughlin) Bevington was a daughter of William and
Sarah (Belle) Laughlin, of Georgetown, the Laughlin family being one
of the pioneer families of Beaver county. It is very likely that William
Laughlin operated a mill in Georgetown. He removed to Millport, Colum-
biana county, Ohio, where he purchased one hundred acres of land at one
dollar per acre. So profitable was this investment, and so successful was he
in the conduct of his' business that, at the time of his death, he left one
hundred and sixty acres to each of his twelve or fourteen children.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA i477
Frank M. Slater is a member of a family, for many years
SLATER identified with New England, where his great-grandfather
settled in early days, and where his family lived to the time
of his father's removal from his native state of Massachusetts to Western
Pennsylvania. The great-grandfather, who originally settled in Massachu-
setts, is said to have been the first man to open a Sunday school in America,
His business was selling shoe models. His son, Hiram Slater, grandfather
of Frank M. Slater, served in the Civil War in the Fifteenth Massachusetts
Regiment. He married Elmira J. . Their son, Albert H. Slater, father
of Frank M. Slater, was born in Massachusetts. He served during the Civil
War in the same regiment as did his father, and was wounded at Antietam
so that he was laid up in the hospital for nine months. His ill fortune
did not end there, for at the battle of the Wilderness he was captured by
the Confederates and sent to Libby Prison. He was fortunate in being
exchanged within a short time, however. After the war he removed to the
state of Pennsylvania, and there settled in Allegheny county, where he be-
came one of the early schoolmasters in that region. He later began a con-
tracting and carpentry business, and in 1902 purchased the ice cream fac-
tory located in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania, where Frank M. Slater is at
present engaged in business. Albert H. Slater married Sarah McClean, a
native of Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania, daughter of George McClean. To Mr.
and Mrs. Albert H. Slater were born six children, as follows : Elmira J. ;
Samuel George ; Hiram, deceased ; Alice, now Mrs. C. J. Barnett ; Frank M.,
of whom further; Albert H., Jr. Mr. Slater is a member of the Masonic
Order.
Frank M. Slater, the fifth child of Albert H. and Sarah (McClean)
Slater, was born March 16, 1876, in O'Hara township, Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania. He was educated in the local public schools, and after com-
pleting his studies found employment in a number of different capacities
during a term of years. These were, however, but preparatory to his enter-
ing into the ice cream manufacturing business already established by his
father. This he did in the year 1903, and since that time he has taken over
the management and control of the concern more and more until he is now
the sole owner. The business under his direction is a highly successful
one, as, indeed, it has always been, and Mr. Slatfer has, as a result thereof,
become a man of substance and a prominent figure in the community of
which he forms a member. The demands which his business make upon his
time and attention are of course excessive, but in spite of this he finds it pos-
sible to give generously of both to many other not purely personal interests.
He is prominent in fraternal circles in the town and is a member of the
Junior Order of United American Mechanics, the Benevolent and Protec-
tive Order of Elks, the Improved Order of Heptasophs and the Indepen-
dent Order of Odd Fellows.
Mr. Slater married, July 23, 1908, Delia J. Forks, a native of the "East
End," Pittsburgh. Mr. and Mrs. Slater are the parents of two children,
Lyman Edwin and L. Elizabeth. Mr. and Mrs. Slater are members of
1478 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
the United Presbyterian churcVi, and in this persuasion are rearing their
children.
This is one of the names which, at the time of the adoption
TAYLOR of surnames, was taken from the occupation of the one to
assume it. In the course of time it has varied its form con-
siderably, many manners of spelling being generally in use.
(I) William Taylor was a farmer in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
and had children: William, of further mention; and Robert, of whom little
is known.
(II) William (2) Taylor, son of William (i) Taylor, was born near
Wilkinsburg, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in 1824, and followed the oc-
cupation of a blacksmith in Monroeville and Murrysville all the active years
of his life. He died at the age of seventy-three years. He was in active
service during the Civil War, was a member of the Presbyterian church,
and gave his political support to the Republican party. He married Eliza-
beth, daughter of James Carroll, and they had children: i. William G.,
lived in Patton township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, married Sophia
Wilson. 2. John, a grocer of Swissvale, Pennsylvania ; married Jane
Dempsey. 3. Harry E., an oil well driller in Mexico. 4. James S., engaged
in the real estate business in Murrysville ; married Emma McCutcheon. 5.
Elmer Harvey, of further mention. 6. Lovenia M., married Stacey Thomas;
lives in Topeka, Kansas. 7. Frank Hamilton, an oil well driller ; married
Lina ; lives in West Virginia. 8. Belle, married William Davis, as-
sistant supervisor of the Pennsylvania Railroad ; lives in Wilkinsburg. 9.
George S. 10. David J., lives in Kentucky.
(III) Elmer Harvey Taylor, son of William (2) and Elizabeth (Car-
roll) Taylor, was born in Murrysville, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
January 9, 1862. He acquired his education in the public schools of Franklin
township, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and in very early manhood
learned the blacksmith's trade. He followed the pipe line for fifteen years;
was with the Philadelphia Gas Company twelve years. In 1895 he estab-
lished himself in business as a general merchant, his store being in Milltown,
and he is now one of the prosperous and prominent men of Allegheny county.
He is independent in his political opinions, and has filled a number of re-
sponsible offices. He has served as a member of the state board of health,
been secretary of the school board: and is at the present time postmaster at
the Halifey post office. He is a member of the L^nited Presbyterian church,
and of the Fraternal Legion.
Mr. Taylor married. May 19, 1886, Isabella, born March 27, 1866, a
daughter of John Aber, of Murrysville, and they have had children: i.
Dwight L., born February 16, 1887; married Frieda Gerster; lives in North
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 2. Cora Cecil, born September 19, 1888: mar-
ried Elijah McWilliams. 3. Ella Aber, born March 21, 1890; married M.
R. Stepp. 4. William, born August 24, 1891 ; married Dela Smith. 5.
Claire C, bom July 13, 1893. 6. Ralph D., bom August 16, 1895. 7.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1479
Harold, born July 4, 1897. 8. Chester, born May 30, 1899. 9. Floyd, born
May 29, 1901. ID. Dorothea, born October 9, 1904. 11. Dale, born March
3, 1907. 12. Bernice, born February 3, 191 1.
The families of Thomas, James, John and William Til-
TILBROOK brook have many members in Western Pennsylvania, and
it is with the line of which William Tilbrook was a mem-
ber that this record is concerned. Three of the four brothers were farmers,
James pursuing the occupation of blacksmith. William Tilbrook became the
owner of property in Patton township, Allegheny county, where he lived
until his death, engaged in the cultivation of the soil. He married Martha
Kissick, and had children: Ann, married George Brinton; Nancy Jane,
married James Porter ; Martha, married Franklin Dibble ; Margaret, mar-
ried John M. Chaffy; Sarah, married Michael Zimmerman; Joseph; An-
drew ; William, of whom further ; John.
(H) William (2) Tilbrook, son of William (i) and ]\Iartha (Kis-
sick) Tilbrook, was born in Patton township, Allegheny county, Pennsyl-
vania, January 16, 1828, died September 21, 1894. He was educated in the
schools of his native township, and from the time he was able to assume
responsibility on the home farm was a farmer, maintaining the homestead
after the death of his father. The house in which he lived came to him
from the former generation who had there resided, but he erected a sub-
stantial and commodious barn, raising his one hundred and sixty acres of
land to a high state of cultivation and improvement. He was on numerous
occasions assistant assessor of the township, and was a member of the
Cross-roads Presbyterian Church. His brothers owned farms in the neigh-
borhood, and they, like him, bore reputations as gentlemen of worth and
honor, citizens of the highest type. He married, February 7, 1856, Jane
Ann, born November 13, 1834, daughter of William and Jane (Cavett)
Hughey, her mother, daughter of John Cavett, a native of Cavettsville, West-
moreland county, Pennsylvania. John Cavett was a pioneer of Westmore-
land county, Pennsylvania, and established a carding mill in that locality
at a time when the original savage inhabitants of the district were still
numerous. He had sons, Robert, James, John, Isaac and William, the three
first named remaining in Cavettsville, the last two moving to the west.
Children of William (2) and Jane Ann (Hughey) Tilbrook: i. William
H., a machinist of Beaver Falls, Beaver county, Pennsylvania ; married,
and is the father of Virginia, William, Edward, and another child. 2. James
Franklin, deceased ; married and was the father of Gilmore, Robert, Kenneth.
Norris. 3. Anna Martha, married a Mr. Shearer, and resides in Trafford
City, Pennsylvania, the mother of Delia, Clair, Rankin, Pearl. 4. Elmer
E., a machinist; married, December 28, 1892, Maggie O'Neil, and has
Hazel, Stanley, Ethel. 5. Lizzie Hughey. 6. John Rankin. 7. Oscar
Thomas, of whom further.
(Ill) Oscar Thomas Tilbrook, son of William (2) and Jane Ann
(Hughey) Tilbrook, was born on the home farm in Patton township, Alle-
1480 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
gheny county, Pennsylvania, January 17, 1874. Educated in the nearby
schools he has passed his entire life on the home farm, performing general
farming and gardening operations on his ninety acres of land. Prosperity
and success have attended his efforts, and while gaining place among the
leading farmers of the region he has become favorably known to all ac-
quainted with his upright and manly career. He is a communicant of the
Presbyterian church. Mr. Tilbrook married, in 1902, Glenn Martin, of
Patton township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, and is the father of two
children, Agnes and Bernice.
With the early settlement in Westmoreland county, Pennsyl-
TARR vania, of Henry Tarr, this record begins. His name has been
left in this locality in Tarr's Station, a railroad stop upon his
land. Henry Tarr married Elizabeth Poole, and had children : John, a
soldier of the Union army in the war between the states, met his death in
battle; Joseph, lives in Missouri; Casper, of whom further; Peter, deceased;
Henry; Maria, deceased; Keziah.
(H) Casper Tarr, son of Henry and Elizabeth (Poole) Tarr, was born
in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, in 1834, died in 1897. During
his entire active life he was a tiller of the soil, finding in farming an occupa-
tion both congenial and profitable. He was a loyal Republican, and held
membership in the United Presbyterian church. Casper Tarr married Mar-
garet A., born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, near Sutersville, in 1836,
now living, daughter of John and Martha (Hough) Peairs. John Peairs
was a son of John Peairs, who passed his entire life in Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, his farm being located in Elizabeth township. He married
and had sons, John, of whom further; David, William, James. John (2)
Peairs was born in Elizabeth township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
and there died. He was a farmer on one hundred and ten acres of land,
on which he erected excellent farm buildings. He and his wife were mem-
bers of the United Presbyterian church, he was a Democrat in politics,
and both are buried in the Round Hill Cemetery. His wife, Martha, was a
daughter of David Hough, a farmer, distiller and grist mill owner, who lived
near Cookstown, Fayette county, Pennsylvania. Children of John and
Martha (Hough) Peairs: i. Margaret A., of previous mention, married
Casper Tarr. 2. Etta, married John Gufifey ; died in Westmoreland county,
Pennsylvania. 3. Eliza, married PhiHp Howell; died in EHzabeth town-
ship, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. 4. David, a farmer, died in Eliza-
beth township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. 5. John, a farmer and car-
penter, died in Elizabeth township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. 6.
William, a farmer, resides in Elizabeth township, Allegheny county, Penn-
sylvania. 7. Martha, lives unmarried in Elizabeth township. 8. James. 9.
Joseph, a farmer of Elizabeth township. Children of Casper and Margaret
A. (Peairs) Tarr: i. Elizabeth, married J. F. Logan. 2. Etta P., married
Samuel Woodward, of West Newton, Pennsylvania. 3. Belle, deceased,
married John Anderson. 4. John P., of whom further. 5. Henry C, lives
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1481
on the homestead in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. 6. Maggie, de-
ceased, married Foster Mathias. 7. Joseph, lives in Homestead, Pennsyl-
vania.
(Ill) John P. Tarr, son of Casper and Margaret A. (Peairs) Tarr,
was born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, near Sutersville, September
9, 1867. He obtained a good education in the public schools, and ever since
applying himself to the business of life has been a farmer. In 1899 he
moved to Sutersville, Pennsylvania, and there remained for three years,
then purchasing a farm near Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, which he cultivated
for nine years. In 1912 Mr. Tarr bought the John Applegate farm of one
hundred and four acres, in the same locality, and has there since conducted
general farming operations with profitable results. He is held in universal
high favor among his fellows, with whom he has lived upon terms of neigh-
borly friendliness, and who, through their daily intercourse with him have
come to recognize the gentleman of honor and the citizen of worth and
public spirit. His church is the United Presbyterian, his political party the
Democratic, and he has served as a member of the Forward township school
board.
Mr. Tarr married, in May, 1885, Margaret, born in Westmoreland
county, Pennsylvania, December 16, 1866, daughter of Adam and Hannah
(Smith) Saimer, her father a native of Somerset county, her mother born
in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. Adam Saimer was a son of Adam
and Parnelia (Hyatt) Saimer, his wife a daughter of David Smith, an early
settler of Westmoreland county. Children of John P. and Margaret
(Saimer) Tarr: Gertie, Harry, Logan, deceased; Frank, deceased; Mar-
garet, Adam, Warren.
The family bearing this name has only been resident here less
TEPE than a century, yet its influence has been felt for good in the
communities in which the various members have resided. We
find that Frederick Tepe came to America in 1848, and made his home in
Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was a teamster. Later he removed to Pitts-
burgh, and after his marriage settled on a farm in Jefferson township, Alle-
gheny county, Pennsylvania, where he died after having become very pros-
perous. He marrie.d IMary Elizabeth Willenbrock, also a native of Germany,
to whom he had been betrothed in their native land, and for whom he sent
when he saw a bright future in store for them. Their son, William O., now
owns their homestead. Joseph, a brother of Frederick Tepe, lived and died
in Germany.
Christopher Tepe, a brother of Frederick and Joseph Tepe. mentioned
above, was born in the town of Osnabrueck, Hanover, Germany, in 1825,
and died in 1910. He and his brothers were very young when they lost
both of their parents, and at an early age he commenced working on the
farms in the vicinity of his birthplace. In 1849 he emigrated to America,
going to New Orleans, Louisiana, by means of a sailing vessel, the voyage
being one of six weeks' duration. Arriving here, his first employment was
1482 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
in the cutting of timber along the banks of the Mississippi river, and also
the Ohio river. For a short time he lived in Cincinnati, Ohio, then re-
moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and from there to Braddock, in the same
state, where he worked for a few years. He next rented a farm in Baldwin
township, cultivated it for six years, then, in 1868, purchased what is now
known as the "Christopher Tepe Farm,'' in Jefferson township, where he
spent the remainder of his life. He built the present dwelling house on the
farm in 1894, and spent considerable sums in improving the property in
every direction. Mr. Tepe married (first) Anna Cranburg, born in Osna-
brueck, in 1825, died in 1858; he married (second) Catherine ; he
married (third) Margaret Snyder, now living with her stepson, Aloysius
Frederick Tepe. Children by the first marriage: Aloysius Frederick, of
further mention; Hulda. Children by the second marriage: Katie, mar-
ried Joseph Graum, of West Elizabeth, Pennsylvania; Julia, married Her-
man Adler; lives at McKeesport; Clara, died unmarried.
Aloysius Frederick Tepe, son of Christopher and Anna (Cranburg)
Tepe, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, December 31, 1851. He at-
tended the parochial schools in Braddock, Pennsylvania, and the public
schools in Baldwin township, until he was twelve years of age, and then
left scliool, as he had become the main assistant of his father in the cul-
tivation of the homestead farm. In spite of the comparatively few years
during which he was able to attend school, he has acquired a fund of knowl-
edge which is not to be despised, and is a level-headed man of business.
As his father advanced in years, Aloysius Frederick assumed more and
more of the responsibilities of managing the farm, until they all devolved
upon him, and he has proved his capacity to carry this burden successfully.
He is now the sole owner of this property, having purchased the interests
of the other heirs to it. He is a Democrat in political affairs, and he and
his family are communicants at St. Clair Roman Catholic Church, at Clair-
ton, Pennsylvania. Mr. Tepe married, August 7, 1883, Josephine Slaffner,
born in Pittsburgh, died December 10, 1910, a daughter of Slaffner,
both natives of Bavaria, Germany. Children of Mr. and Mrs. Tepe : Chris-
topher, engaged in the ice business at Clairton ; Katie, married Laurence
Hall, and lives at Large, Pennsylvania ; Mary, married Robert Du Mont,
lives at Monessen, Pennsylvania ; Edith, at home ; Emma Marie, unmar-
great. Always keenly alive to the questions of the day, he was a close
ried, lives at North Side, Pittsburgh ; Francis and Margaret, at home.
James Thompson is a member of an old Pennsylvania
THOMPSON family, long identified with the western part of that state,
and holding always a prominent position in the com-
munity in which it resided. His father, who also bore the name of James
Thompson, was a very early resident in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
and lived there all his life. He was a conspicuous figure in the county. His
wife bore him seven children, as follows: Elizabeth, now Mrs. Alexander;
Margaret, now Mrs. Negley; Martha, now Mrs. Lydick; John; William;
Alexander ; James, of whom further.
Jfaf/w-} ■i/notnfhH'ii
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA i4«3
James (2) Thompson, the youngest child of James (i) Thompson, was
born in 1829, in Allegheny, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. He was reared
in his native city, and educated at the local public schools, and upon com-
pleting his studies at these institutions began the active business of life by
securing employment with the Pennsylvania Railroad. Mr. Thompson never
knew another employer during the whole of his long life, nor was ever en-
gaged in any other business. The date of his first association with the Penn-
sylvania Railroad, which was to enjoy his services for so many years, was
1862, and he continued with them until the year 1899, when he was seventy
years of age, at which time he retired from active business altogether. He
continued to live in his home at Pitcairn, Pennsylvania, for eleven years
after his retirement from business, or until 1910, when his death occurred
at the age of eighty-one. Mr. Thompson was a very active man, and took
a. prominent part in the general life of the community of which he was a
member. He was particularly interested in politics, and a devoted member
of the Republican party, in the local councils of which his influence was
great. Always keenly alive to the questions of the day, he was a close
student of the great political issues agitating the country during his life.
Mr. Thompson married, June 5, 1884, Mrs. Drusilla Harris, the widow
of the late Henry Harris. Mrs. Harris was the mother of two children by
her former marriage, Henry John and Sarah Jane Harris, both deceased.
To Mr. and Mrs. Thompson were born five children, as follows: i.
James Lauflfer, born in 1885, and met his death in what is known as the
"Pan Handle" Tunnel, on the Pennsylvania Railroad, in 1903, when but
eighteen years of age. 2. Myrtle Irene, became the wife of John Hopkins,
of Pitcairn; died February 10, 1913, aged twenty-six years, leaving one
child, a daughter, Drusilla Irene. 3. Lawrence D., born March 23, 1889 ;
now employed by the Pennsylvania Railroad in the capacity of fireman. 4.
Paul, born July i, 1891. 5. Daisy, born November i, 1894. Mr. Thompson
was a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal church, attending, as
his wife still does, the First Methodist Episcopal Church of that denomina-
tion at Pitcairn. Mr. Thompson during his life, and now Mrs. Thompson,
have been very active in the work of the church and have helped it ma-
terially and the numerous philanthropies in connection with it. Their chil-
dren have been reared in the same persuasion.
Mrs. Thompson's maiden name was Drusilla McElhose, a native of
Winsor township, Morgan county, Ohio, where she was born October 8,
1855. She was a daughter of John and Sarah (Balentine) McElhose, both
natives of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, who had gone to Ohio early in
life and there married. They continued to live in Ohio for a period of
forty years, and then returned to Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, and
eventually died there, Mrs. McElhose at East Liberty, at the age of fifty-six
years, and buried in the Homewood Cemetery, and Mr. McElhose, in Wis-
consin, in the year 1890, at the venerable age of eighty-four years. Mrs.
Thompson's maternal grandfather was George Balentine Sr.. who married
Letitia Marland, whose father served gallantly in the Continental army dur-
1484 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
ing the Revolutionary War. A son of George Balentine was George Balen-<
tine Jr., who had a son James, familiarly known as the Rev. Mr. Balentine,
a distinguished clergyman in the Methodist Episcopal church, who became
presiding elder in the McKeesport district. He married Hettie Ford, of
Sewickley, Pennsylvania. In spite of his well deserved prominence in the
church, he was but a young man when he died, forty-three years of age in
fact. John McElhose, father of Mrs. Thompson, married (first) Nancy
Balentine; children: Archibald, Letitia, George, Margaret, Nancy. He
married (second) Sarah Balentine, sister of his first wife, and they were the
parents of fifteen children, as follows, Mrs. Thompson making the fifth :
Abram, Amanda, Susan, Mary, Drusilla, Julia, James, Helen, Martha, Roena,
Rebecca, John, Anna, Dorcas, Persus. Of these Julia is now Mrs. Scott
Clark, of Indiana, Pennsylvania. The McElhose family was an old and
distinguished one in the region of Indiana county, Pennsylvania.
The following was written by Myrtle Irene Thompson Hopkins, when
she was yet a young girl :
MOURN NOT THE DEAD.
Mourn not the dead who calmly lie.
By God's own hand composed to rest;
For, hark! A voice from yonder sky
Proclaims them blest — supremely blest.
With them the toil and strife are o'er;
Their labors end, their sorrows cease;
For they have gained the blissful shore,
Where dwells serene eternal peace.
Mourn not the dead, though like the flower,
Just opening to the morning ray,
Nipped by disease's cruel power.
They fell from love's embrace away.
Where breathes no chill or tainted air,
Where falls no darkness of the tomb,
They prove the loving Savior's care,
And blossom in immortal bloom.
Mourn not the dead whose lives declare
That they have nobly borne their part,
For victory's golden crown they wear,
Reserved for every faithful heart;
They rest with glory wrapped around,
Immortals on the scroll of fame ;
Their works their praises shall resound.
Their name — an everlasting name.
Drop the warm tear — for Jesus wept;
Sorrow shall find relief in tears.
But let no secret grief be kept,
To waste the soul through nameless years.
They rest in hope ; their hallowed dust
Is watched, and from the grave shall rise.
Earth shall restore her sacred trust.
Made all immortal for the skies.
Joseph Weiss, born in Germany, came to the United States at
WEISS the age of twenty-four years and settled at Brodhead (now
part of Pittsburgh) where he owned a few acres of land. Later
he moved to Ohio township, Allegheny county, where he bought a tract of
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1485
seventy-five acres about half cleared. He cleared tlie remainder of the tract,
erected a house and barns and there resided until his death in 1910. He
was a member of the Roman Catholic church. He married Mary Milford,
who survives him. Oiiidren : i. George, married Mary Gross and resides
in Ross township, Allegheny county. 2. Joseph, married Anna Harold and
resides in Ohio township. 3. Sebastian, of further mention. 4. Michael,
married Anna Snyder and resides in Ohio township. 5. Anna, married
Joseph Carlin and resides in Bellevue, Pennsylvania. 6. Barbara, married
Frank Abel. 7. Agnes, married Peter Emhoff and resides in Kansas.
Sebastian Weiss, third son of Joseph and Mary (Milford) Weiss, was
born on Pittsburgh South Side, March 4, 1864. He attended public schools
in Ohio township and worked at the home farm as his father's helper, until
becoming a farmer on his own account. He owns seventy-five acres of well
improved land, which is devoted to market gardening and standard crops.
He married Theresa Kuwbon and has children: i. Anthony, a farmer of
Ohio township, married Ellen Taylor and has a daughter, Florence. 2.
Mary, married Albert Brunner and has a son Frank. 3. Sebastian (2). 4.
Trecia. 5. Albert. 6. Raymond.
The Weaver family of Crawford county, Pennsylvania,
WEAVER which is represented in Meadville by the well known archi-
tect, Edwin Joseph Weaver, has been resident in the state of
Pennsylvania for a number of generations. The American progenitors of
the family came to this country from Germany, and the original spelling
of the name was Weber, of which the English form Weaver is a literal
translation.
(I) Michael Weaver, the first of whom we have definite record, was
probably born in Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, from whence he
migrated to Mercer county, in the same state. He was a shoemaker by
trade, a calling with which he was identified throughout his life. He mar-
ried Elizabeth Smoyer, daughter of Jacob Smoyer, and had these children :
Mary, John, Henry, Elizabeth, Joseph and Lydia.
(H) Joseph Weaver, son of Michael and Elizabeth Weaver, was born
in Greenville, Mercer county, Pennsylvania, August 28, 1839, and died at his
home in New Hamburg, in the same county, November 19, 1910. For many
years he was employed in carpenter work, and in his younger years went
to the oil section. Returning to Mercer county in 1873, he spent the re-
mainder of his life there. He was Republican in his political allegiance, and
his religious faith was tliat of the Methodist Episcopal church. Intensely
patriotic, he was the first volunteer in his district at the time of the out-
break of the Civil War. enlisting in April, 1861, and serving actively until
the close of the war. He married in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, January
16, 1866, Maria, born at Big Bend, Mercer county. Pennsylvania, November
27, 1845. She was the daughter of Alexander and Bessie Morrow, of
Scotch-Irish extraction, who emigrated to the United States about the year
1840, and settled on a farm near the Big Bend of the Shenango river. Mr.
I486 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
and Mrs. Weaver had children: Carrie, born June lo, 1867; Lillian, April
10, 1869; A. M., May i, 1871 ; Edwin Joseph, see forward; William R., born
March 26, 1879.
(Ill) Edwin Joseph Weaver, son of Joseph and Maria (Morrow)
Weaver, was born in Delaware township, Mercer county, Pennsylvania,
April 26, 1873. In the common schools of his district he acquired a sound
practical elementary education, being graduated from them March 2, 1892.
He then became a student at the Fredonia Institute, from which he was
graduated in the class of 1899, the degree of Bachelor of Sciences being
conferred upon him. He made an especial study of architecture, and has
achieved some excellent results in this direction. He combines original ideas
with the best that has been attained in older times, and the combination is
a most happy one. He located in Sharon, Pennsylvania, January i, 1906,
and removed from there to Meadville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, in
May, 191 1. Among the best known of the buildings he has erected in
Sharon are : The Sharon Hotel, the Harmony Bank, Lafayette street school
and the Jefferson street school. Among his most notable constructions in
Meadville are: The plant for the City Ale Brewery Company, and the
business buildings for Moore Brothers, Drefus Brothers and the McCroskey
Renner Company. He is connected in an official capacity with the Pitts-
burgh Deposit and Title Company. He gives his support politically to the
Republican party, but his many and diversified business occupations have
never allowed time for the holding of public office. He is a member of the
Park Avenue Congregational Church of Meadville, and is a member of
Sharon Lodge, No. 250, Free and Accepted Masons ; Sharon Lodge, No.
103, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks ; and the Elks Club, Sharon,
Pennsylvania.
Mr. Weaver married at Sharon, Pennsylvania, June 15, 1904, Eliza-
beth Anne, born in Sharon, January 22, 1878, daughter of John James and
Rachel Thomas, whose other children are: David, George, William, John
J., Morgan, Benjamin and Mrs. John J. Miller.
The name Wall is a corruption of De Val, and it was introduced
WALL into Ireland by the Normans in 1169. The bearers of this name
settled in the South of Ireland and held estates in Waterford
and Cork. The family seat was at Coolnamuck, Waterford. They were sold
under the Encumbered Estate Act, 1852, and are now held by the Ormond
Buttlers. The name is still carried in the original form by the Italian and
French descendants of the family. In some cases it is written Del Val,
notably in that of Merry Del Val, secretary to Pope Pius X, who is a direct
descendant of the Waterford branch. The name was introduced into Spain
by Richard Wall, born in Waterford, Ireland, in 1693, died at Granada, in
1778. He entered the Spanish navy while still a youth, and rose to the
rank of major-general. He served as private agent of Spain at Aix-La-
Chapelle, was minister to the Court of St. James, and later minister of
foreign affairs to Ferdinand VI and Charles III. It is to his antiquarian
zeal that the world is indebted for the preservation of the Alhambra.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1487
(I) Walter Wall was born in New Jersey, and he and his brother
James came to what is now Forward township, Allegheny county, Penn-
sylvania, and took up six hundred acres of land in 1782. He spent the re-
mainder of his life there. He married, and had children: James; Isaac,
of further mention; John; Hannah; Rebecca; Rachel.
(II) Isaac Wall, son of Walter Wall, was born on the Wall home-
stead in Forward township. He married (first) Mary Maxwell, (second)
Mary Smith. Children by first marriage: Rebecca; John; Maxwell, of
further mention. Children by second marriage: Margaret, Araminta, Isaac.
(III) Maxwell Wall, son of Isaac and Mary (Maxwell) Wall, was
born on the Wall homestead in Forward township, in 1803. He followed
the occupation of farming all his life, was an ardent supporter of Whig
principles, and later joined the Republican party. He married Elizabeth
Jobb, born in Forward township in 181 1, a member of the Methodist Episco-
pal church. She was a daughter of James and Nancy (Gray) Jobb, the
former born in Allegheny county, the latter bom in Philadelphia; and a
granddaughter of Robert Jobb, a native of France, who was the first of the
family to make a home in Forward township. Mr. and Mrs. Wall had chil-
dren : Isaac, of further mention ; Margaret Ann, deceased ; Araminta, de-
ceased ; Sarah Melissa, deceased ; Hannah Rebecca, deceased ; Mary Eliza-
beth.
(IV) Isaac Wall, son of Maxwell and Elizabeth (Jobb) Wall, was born
in Forward township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, on the Wall home-
stead, October 28, 1835. He was educated in the public schools, and under
Professor Lind, who was later an instructor at the Washington and JeiTer-
son College. Mr. Wall also became a farmer, and was the owner of one
hundred and twenty-two acres of the old Wall homestead, and also of an-
other farm of one hundred and seven acres. He is now living retired. He
has always given his political support to the Republican party, has served
as supervisor of roads, has been a delegate to conventions and has been gen-
erally active in the interests of the party.
Mr. Wall married (first), in 1863, Margaret Bean, who died in 1872;
she was of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. He married (second), Sarah
M., a daughter of the Rev. Jonas K. Cramer. Children by the first mar-
riage : Lina, married Isaac N. Wykof, of Elizabeth township ; Lewis, de-
ceased ; Ada May, deceased ; Margaret, deceased. The children by the sec-
ond marriage were: Francis Cramer, deceased; Lillian Vaughn; Susan
Pearl; Theresa Mabel; Maxwell Keller; Ella Lorena.
This old English family settled in Eastern Pennsylvania, and
WARREN from Adams county, Pennsylvania, near the later battlefield
of Gettysburg, came Thomas Warren, grandfather of Samuel
Harvey Warren, of Elizabeth, Pennsylvania. Thomas Warren when a
young unmarried man, crossed the mountains and finally settled in what is
now Elizabeth township, Allegheny county. There he bought one hundred
and sixty acres of partly wild land, which he cleared and brought under cul-
1488 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
tivation. He prospered and on his farm erected a brick dwelling in which
he lived until his death at the age of eighty-five years. He was a soldier of
the War of 1812, serving the full two years that war lasted. He was twice
married, having by his first wife one son. He is buried with his second wife
in Round Hill Cemetery, both having been active members of Round Hill
Presbyterian Church. Children of Thomas Warren by his second wife: i.
John, died near Buena Vista, Pennsylvania, a farmer. 2. David, of further
mention. 3. Thomas, died in boyhood. 4. Perry, a carpenter, died in Suters-
ville, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. 5. Sheppard, died at Monon-
gahela City, Pennsylvania, aged over ninety years.
(H) David Warren, son of Thomas Warren by his second wife, was
born on his father's farm in Elizabeth township, Allegheny county, in 181 1,
died in Forward township, Allegheny county, in 1865. He grew up on the
homestead and there lived after his marriage, until about 1850. He then
purchased a farm of one hundred and fifty acres in Forward township, in
the same county, a farm well improved with good buildings, orchards and
very fertile. He found the farm larger than he cared to cultivate and re-
duced its size by the sale of about twenty-two acres. He lived on the farm
about fifteen years, until his death in 1865. He was a Democrat in politics,
and both he and his wife were members of the Presbyterian church. He
married, in Elizabeth township, Eliza Decatur McGuire, born in
New Jersey, who survived him several years. She was the daughter
of Samuel H. and Mary (Luker) McGuire, who came from New Jersey to
Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, when their daughter was four years of
age. Samuel McGuire was an expert cabinet maker, having his shop near
West Newton. Furniture he made is yet found in the old homes, his grand-
son, Samuel H. Warren, owning a chaii made by Mr. McGuire that is a
model of good workmanship. He and his wife both died in Westmoreland
county, leaving three children: i. Eliza Decatur, married David Warren,
of previous mention. 2. Sarah Jane, married Robert Patterson and recently
died near Buena Vista, Pennsylvania. 3. Samuel H., a carpenter, died in
West Virginia. Children of David and Eliza D. Warren: i. Samuel Har-
vey, of further mention. 2. Mary Jane, died unmarried. 3. Olive, married
Cicero P. McClure and lives at Bunola, Pennsylvania. 4. Minerva Belle,
married Clarence McClure and recently died in Monongahela City.
(HI) Samuel Harvey Warren, only stin and oldest child of David and
Eliza Decatur (McGuire) Warren, was born in Elizabeth township, Alle-
gheny county, January 18, 1840, his birthplace not far from his present farm
in Forward township. He was educated in the public schools and has always
followed the pursuits of agriculture. He was his father's assistant until
the latter's death, then managed the farm for the heirs, later purchasing his
sisters' interest, and became the sole owner. He worked the farm as a
general farm and stock raising proposition, prospered and in 1904 retired,
turning the farm over to his son, Albert, who specializes in the breeding of
fine Holstein cattle. In August, 1864, he enlisted in Company E, Sixth
Regiment Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, and served with that company
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1489
until the close of the war, receiving an lionorable discharge. For several
years he was affiliated with the Grand Army of the Republic, is a Re-
publican in politics, served as school director, and with his wife belongs to
the Presbyterian church.
He married, in 1867, Anna M., daughter of Martin Lutz, of Fayette
county, Pennsylvania. Children: i. Laura Eliza, married George A. Card-
well and died in 1905. 2. Eliza Olive, married D. R. Shafer and resides
in Florida. 3. Albert, an only son, married Lillian Vaughn and now man-
ages the home farm, being the third generation of Warrens to cultivate its
acres. 4. Anna Blanche, married Charles Hamilton and resides in Eliza-
beth, Pennsylvania. 5. Mary Jane, married Porter Wall and resides in
Monongahela City. 6. Edith Lee, married William P. Mayhew and resides
in Forward township.
The early history of this line of Warners, descended from
WARNER English forbears, is closely intricated with that of Mahoning
county, Ohio, where members of the family were pioneer
settlers, one of them John Warner, grandfather of Alexander S. Warner, of
Oakmont, Pennsylvania. John Warner was at one time commissioner of the
county, a Republican.
(H) Hiram Warner, son of John Warner, was born in Mahoning
county, Ohio, died in 1896 in that place. He was reared on his father's
farm and in manhood adopted agriculture as his occupation, in that line
achieving gratifying success and prosperity. He was a supporter of the
Democratic party, and belonged to the Lutheran church. Hiram Warner
married Sarah, born in Germany, died in 1896, daughter of Francis and
Elizabeth (Beck) Zeiger, her parents natives of Germany, who, after com-
ing to the United States, settled first in Philadelphia, later moving to Ohio.
They were among the early residents of Latonia, Ohio, Francis Zeiger being
extensively interested in the promotion of that place, at one time owning
more than one hundred houses in the city, where both he and his wife died.
Children of Hiram and Sarah (Zeiger) Warner: Mary; Alexander S.,
of whom further ; Oliver ; Irene ; Lois ; Clara ; and Frank.
(Ill) Alexander S. Warner, son of Hiram and Sarah (Zeiger) Warner,
was born in Mahoning county, Ohio, December 28, 1856, and was reared on
the home farm. As a youth he attended school with William McKinley,
afterwards president of the United States, and was a student in the seminary
at Poland, Ohio. His own studies completed, for four years he was a
school teacher, then learned the trade of tinner, at which he was occupied
in Petersburg, Ohio, and in 1892 moved to Verona, Pennsylvania, where he
continued in business. The following year he moved to Oakmont, Penn-
sylvania, there building an attractive house on Washington avenue, his
present residence. Aside from his private business interests Mr. Warner
has been active in local affairs, being one of the directors of the Oakmont
National Bank, in the organization of which he played a prominent part.
As a Republican he has been for the past nine years a member of the local
1490 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
council, in that position giving the best of his service to his town and cast-
ing his influence for the raising of a high standard, socially and politically,
in Oakmont. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias, and affiliates with
the Presbyterian church.
Mr. Warner married, April 17, 1884, Emma Louise Stoll, of Delaware,
her parents, both deceased, having come to Ohio from that state. Children
of Alexander S. and Emma Louise (Stoll) Warner: i. Emily. 2. Julia.
3. Delmer, educated in the Augusta Military Academy, for a time employed
in the construction of the Panama Canal, now engaged in business in New
Kensington, married Anna Theilbahr. 4. Charles, educated in Purdue Uni-
versity, Indiana, associated in business with his father. 5. Amy, deceased.
6. An unnamed child, died in infancy. 7. Roy, a student in high school. 8.
Oliver, a student in high school.
The American life of the immigrant ancestor of this branch
WALKER of the Walker family, Gabriel Walker, a native of Ireland,
was, in part, of the most dangerous and thrilling nature. His
original grant of land, part of which is now occupied by Noblestown, Penn-
sylvania, was from William Penn, and conveyed title to a tract twenty-five
hundred acres in extent. The most primitive of conditions prevailed through-
out this locality, and the long-lasting feud between the native American and
the white colonists had begun, so that in reality at that time eternal vigilance
was the price of safety, and even the utmost precaution was no assurance
against a superior force. While pursuing his daily business he and his
wife were taken captive by a band of Indians and carried away to Canada,
where they were held in slavery for three years before they escaped and
returned to their home, where both died. The property received from Wil-
liam Penn remained in the family for many years. Gabriel Walker was
the father of a considerable family, one of his sons Gabriel, of whom further.
(II) Gabriel (2) Walker, son of Gabriel (i) Walker, was born in
Pennsylvania, and spent his entire life in the vicinity of the present town of
Noblestown, cultivating the home acres, a calling that was his life-long oc-
cupation. He married and had children: James; Reason, of whom further,
and a third.
(III) Reason Walker, son of Gabriel Walker, was born in Burgesstown,
Pennsylvania. His early studies completed, he learned the millwright's
trade, and among the many mills that he erected were the old structures at
Shields and at Baden. He was busily employed in his line and prospered,
becoming the possessor of a comfortable competence. In September, 1854,
he departed for the gold fields of California, after which time no word of or
from him was ever received by his family, whose slow-dying hope gradually
changed to dark despair over his unknown fate. He married Mary, born
at Frankford Springs, Washington county, Pennsylvania, died in 1884, aged
sixty years, daughter of Ira Peebles, of Scotch descent, who died near
Noblestown, Pennsylvania, the lands of his family being adjacent to those
of the Walkers. Children of Reason and Mary (Peebles) Walker: Eliza,
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1491
James, deceased ; Virginia, accidentally burned to death in girlhood ; Reason,
deceased; John P., deceased; Alice V., and Frank M., of whom further.
(IV) Frank M. Walker, son of Reason and Mary (Peebles) Walker,
was born in Hancock county. West Virginia, August 17, 1854, and until
he was seven years of age lived in West Virginia, later moving to Sewickley,
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where he attended school, then learned the
trade of carpenter. This has been his occupation throughout his entire active
life and in 1904 he branched out into a business for which his former prac-
tical training had excellently prepared him, contracting and building, in
which line he has met with favorable success. In the winter of 1906-7 he
built a handsome brick house at the corner of Hill and Locust Place, where
he has since resided, his home attractive, commodious and comfortable. Mr.
Walker has always been a staunch Republican, while he and his wife are
communicants of the Methodist Episcopal church.
He married, in 1879, Elizabeth, born in England, daughter of Shem
Hill, who came to the United States from that country. Children of Frank
M. and Elizabeth (Hill) Walker: Albert, deceased; Shem Arnold, de-
ceased; Merrill, died in infancy; Herbert C, a clerk in the employ of the
American Bridge Company, at Ambridge, Pennsylvania ; Wilbur E., de-
ceased ; George F.
Charles Zimmer, a representative citizen of Tarentum, where
ZIMMER he has resided since 1901, a period of thirteen years, is a self-
made man in the truest sense of the word, beginning his active
career at the early age of eight years, and advancing step by step until he
is now serving in the capacity of manager, a position of the utmost re-
sponsibility, the duties of which he is discharging in a highly efficient manner.
Christopher Zimmer, father of Charles Zimmer, was a native of Ger-
many, where he was reared and educated, and for many years was a resident
of Rhine Bavaria. He emigrated from his native land to the United States
in 1849, in early manhood, locating in Old Bingham, Pennsylvania, now
Pittsburgh, where he was employed in the Sligo Mills in the capacity of
hammerer. He spent the remainder of his days in that city, his deatli oc-
curring in the year 1S98. aged seventy-nine years, he having survived his
wife, Philapina (Sutter) Zimmer, two years, she passing away in Pitts-
burgh in 1896, aged seventy-eight years.
Charles Zimmer was born in Rhine Bavaria, Germany, November 2,
1844. He was five years of age when his parents located in this countn,' and
he attended the Old Bingham Bedford School for a few years only, becoming
an employee in old Christ Impen's Boiler House at the age when most boys
are devoting their entire time to study and play, and since that time, a period
of sixty-two years, a lifetime for most people, has been constantly engaged
in active employment, performing his labor in a manner satisfactory to all
concerned. In July, 1901, he changed his place of residence to Tarentum,
and at the present time (1914) is manager of the Tarentum Glass Com-
pany, one of the leading industries of that place. To be successful in the
1492 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
position of manager a man must possess ability, common sense, tact and
perseverance, qualities which Mr. Zimmer possesses in large degree, gained
through his many years of intercourse with all classes of men. By industry
and thrift Mr. Zimmer has accumulated considerable capital, and a portion
of this he invested in a house for his own use located at No. 638 Second
avenue, Tarentum, which is equipped with everything needful for the com-
fort and convenience of its inmates. Mr. Zimmer is a member of the
Lutheran church, and a Republican in politics.
Mr. Zimmer married, in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Mary Eisle, of West
Newton, Pennsylvania. Having no children of their own, Mr. and Mrs.
Zimmer have given their love and affection to three children, whom they
reared and educated and who remained with them until their marriages,
namely: Harry Eisle, a nephew of Mrs. Zimmer; Annie Eisle; Bertha
Zimmer. Mr. and Mrs. Zimmer are highly regarded in the community for
their many excellent characteristics, and they have a wide circle of friends
who estimate them at their true worth.
Of English birth and lineage was Robert Walker, born in
WALKER 1606, admitted a freeman of Boston, Massachusetts, in 1632,
and living in that city as late as June 10, 1684. He had six
sons: Rev. Zechariah, see forward; John, born 1639, died there June 6,
1663; Jacob; Joseph, born 1646, died 1655; Eleakim, born 1652; Joseph (2).
(H) Rev. Zechariah Walker, eldest son of Robert Walker, was bom
in Boston, Massachusetts, 1637, died in Woodbury, Connecticut, January 20,
1700, He was a regularly ordained clergyman of the Presbyterian church,
stationed at Jamaica, Long Island, 1663 to 1668; was ordained pastor of
the Second Church in Stratford, Connecticut, May 5, 1670; removed with his
family to Woodbury, June 27, 1678, and there resided until his death. His
wife, Susannah, died April 26, 1710; children: Zechariah (2), Abigail,
baptized May 22, 1670; Elizabeth, born March i, 1675.
(III) Deacon Zechariah Walker, only son of Rev. Zechariah and
Susannah Walker, was baptized with his sister Abigail in the Stratford
Church, May 22, 1670, his father then being the pastor. He settled in Wood-
bury, Connecticut, where he was a deacon of the church and a land owner.
He died December 21, 1753. His wife, Elizabeth, daughter of Deacon
Samuel Bull, died December 19, 1749; children: Mary, baptized January,
1689, married, February 13, 1707, Lieutenant Joseph Judson ; Abigail, bap-
tized, September, 1691, married Valentine Prentice; Timothy, of whom
further; Josiah, baptized, September, 1694; Joseph, died unmarried in 1727;
Zechariah (3), born May 14, 1702; Peter, born October 24, 1706; Elizabeth,
born December 16, 1708, married, June 26, 1729, Caleb Martin ; Gideon,
born December 16, 171 1, died April 30, 1780, married, November 6, 1735,
Mary Munn, who died April 6, 1793 ; he had no children, but adopted two,
Esther and Zechariah.
(IV) Captain Timothy Walker, son of Deacon Zechariah and Eliza-
beth (Bull) Walker, was baptized June, 1693, died June 15, 1786. By his
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA i493
wife, Sarah, he had children: Elisha, born February 7, 1724, married, No-
vember 2, 1752, Isabel Ward; Sarah, baptized, November 7, 1725; Eliza-
beth, September, 1728; Joseph, see forward; Timothy, born December 14,
1732; Samuel, baptized, April 11, 1736; Gideon, born April 27, 1739; Mary,
baptized, August 23, 1741 ; Abigail, baptized, April 26, 1747.
(V) Joseph, son of Captain Timothy and Sarah Walker, was born
February 13, 1731. He married and had issue: Joseph (2), see forward,
baptized November 11, 1753; Simeon, January 11, 1756; Caleb, March 8,
1759; Phoebe, November 4, 1764; Caleb, March 30, 1766; Mary, June 4,
1769; Timothy, January 6, 1773; Reuben, 1777; Elizabetli, December
14, 1780.
(VI) Joseph (2), eldest son of Joseph (i) Walker, was baptized, No-
vember II, 1753. He grew to manhood in Connecticut, later in life moved
to Erie county, Pennsylvania, where he died aged eighty-five years. He
enlisted in the Revolutionary arm}^ and served from the beginning until the
ending of the War for Independence. He was associated with the command
of General Lafayette and for a time served on his staff. After his marriage
and birth of some of his children he moved to Remsen, Oneida county, New
York, and in 1816 settled at Edinboro, Erie county, Pennsylvania. He
there purchased a tract of 100 acres, on which he resided until his death.
He was an ardent Whig in politics and was one of the leaders of that party
in his county. He was highly respected in his locality and greatly beloved.
The sword and canteen that the old hero carried during the Revolution are
now owned by his grandson, Judson Walker. Joseph (2) Walker married
Cecelia Cooley, sister of Matthew Cooley ; children : Walter, Amos, James,
of whom further: Dean, Joseph (3), Russell, William, Rachel, Elizabeth
(Betsey). The mother of these children died in Edinboro, aged about eighty-
five years.
(VII) James, son of Joseph (2) and Cecelia (Cooley) Walker, was
born in Connecticut in 1795, and came with his parents to Erie county, Penn-
sylvania, in 1816, from Oneida county. New York. On first coming to the
county, being then just of legal age, he took up 320 acres of land in Water-
ford township and there spent his life, becoming a prosperous farmer. He
served in the War of 1812 from New York state, being then in his seven-
teenth year. He was a man of good education, a member of the Christian
Church, Oak Hill congregation, one of the earliest formed in the locality.
In politics a Whig, he affiliated with the Republican party upon its forma-
tion. He was a man of energy and fairly won his fine farm from the forest.
He also built in 1850, with the assistance of his sons, one mile of the Water-
ford and Erie Plank Road, and later constructed over three miles of the
road bed of the new Philadelphia and Erie Railroad. He was a strong,
upright character and he served well his day and generation. He married
in 1826, Sarah Ross, born in Meadville, Pennsylvania, in 1803, died March
30, 1866, daughter of Francis Ross, a farmer near Meadville. later moved
to West Virginia, where he died: children of James Walker: Rachel;
Francis R. ; Cecelia A.; Joseph, deceased; Judson, of whom further; Nancy
M. ; Amos A., deceased ; Sarah.
1494 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
(VIII) Judson, son of James and Sarah (Ross) Walker, was born on
the homestead farm in Waterford township, Erie county, Pennsylvania, and
there his youth, early manhood and greater portion of his life was spent.
He was educated in the public schools and Waterford Academy, early begin-
ning his business career. He assisted his father in the management of his
farm and was also engaged with him in building a section of the Waterford
Plank Road to Erie and in constructing a section of the Philadelphia and Erie.
Later he became the owner of the homestead farm and resided there until
1908, when he retired to a comfortable home in Waterford. He is a Repub-
lican in politics and has always been active and interested in public affairs.
He served ten years as school director ; was transcribing clerk of the senate
in 1887; treasurer of Erie county 1889, 1892, creditably and honorably per-
forming all his official duties. He is a member of the Presbyterian church,
Waterford Lodge No. 424, Free and Accepted Masons, and is actively inter-
ested in both organizations.
He married at Erie, Pennsylvania, April 11, 1895, Kate Mason Craw-
ford, born in Chicago, Illinois, December 23, 1855 ; daughter of William
Allison and Sophia (Caughey) Crawford. Her early life was spent in Erie
and there she became a member of the Presbyterian church, transferring her
allegiance after her marriage to the Waterford church, wherein she is
active aud useful.
(The Crawford Line.)
(I) Thomas Crawford, one of the pioneer settlers of Erie county,
Pennsylvania, was born at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, March 27, 1769,
died 1857, son of James Crawford, who served as an officer in General
Washington's army. Thomas Crawford located in North East township,
Erie county, Pennsylvania, about 1796, on the Lake road, and purchased
two hundred and forty acres in that vicinity, a portion of which is known
as the Carr farm. He followed agricultural pursuits throughout the active
years of his life, and was esteemed and respected by all who knew him.
He was a Whig in politics. He married Polly Custard, also a native of
Harrisburg, who bore him the following named children: Hugh, born
December 3, 1791, died in infancy; Jane, April 5, 1793; James, November
17, 1794; William, of whom further; Polly, March 18, 1801 ; Thomas, June
13, 1803; Rose Ann, June 20, 1805; Susan E., May 10, 1807; Nancy, July
19, 1810, died 1895; Sally, August 10, 1812, died August, 1895; Robert, May
6. 1817; and an unnamed child.
(II) William Crawford, son of Thomas and Polly (Custard) Craw-
ford, was born in North East township, Erie county, Pennsylvania, Decem-
ber 25, 1796, died August 9, 1850. He devoted his attention to farming
in North East township, and he resided near the mouth of Sixteen Mile
creek, which is now known as Orchard Beach. Mr. Crawford was also
interested in a pail factory at Freeport and also operated a saw mill there,
deriving a comfortable living from these various pursuits. He married,
June 20, 1820, Nancy Blaine, born June 21, 1800, died May 21, 1877,
Mc/j-^n^
l^
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1495
daughter of Alexander T. and Rosanna (McCordj Blaine, and a cousin of
James G. Blaine, the noted statesman. Children of Mr. and Mrs. Craw-
ford: Alexander Blaine, born September 24, 1821; Thomas Childs, De-
cember 27, 1822; Rosanna Mary, April 20, 1825; William Allison, of
whom further; Harriet Newell, September 16, 1829; James M., December
25, 1831; Ephraim W., October 21, 1833; B. Franklin, May 25, 1836;
Josephine and Joseph, twins, March 30, 1839; Edwin, May 18, 1842.
(Ill) William Allison Crawford, son of William and Nancy (Blaine)
Crawford, was born in North East township, Erie county, Pennsylvania,
August 17, 1827, died at Waterford, Pennsylvania, July 4, 1914. He
spent his boyhood days on the home farm, and at the age of twenty went
to Erie and there clerked in a dry goods store for a Mr. Wright, and in
die year 1849 went to Chicago, Illinois, and served in the capacity of sales-
man in a mercantile establishment there. In 1857 he returned to Erie City
and engaged in the dry goods business on his own account. Upon the
breaking out of the Civil War he entered the government service as a
sutler and was stationed at Baltimore, Maryland, remaining about three
years. Upon his return to Erie, Pennsylvania, he became a member of the
dry goods firm of Southard, Crawford & McCord, and subsequently, for
five years, was interested in the same line of business in the oil fields of
Pennsylvania. In 1900 he erected a house for himself and family in
Waterford township and resided there, retired, until the death of his wife,
when he removed to Waterford and made his home with his daughter, Mrs.
Judson Walker. He was a member of the Presbyterian church, a liberal
contributor to its various societies and activities, and was held in high
esteem for his many excellent characteristics. He was a member of the
Free and Accepted Masons, affiliating with the lodge at Erie.
Mr. Crawford married, January 2, 1855, Sophia Caughey, born in
Erie, Pennsylvania, August 17, 1834, died July 8, 1904, daughter of Miles
W. Caughey. She was a devoted wife and mother, a member of the Pres-
byterian church, and active in all projects which had for their object the
betterment of mankind. Children: i. Kate Mason, born in Chicago,
Illinois, December 23, 1855; married, April 11, 1895, Judson Walker (see
Walker VIII). 2. Miles W., born in Erie, Pennsylvania, December 26,
1857, died January 19, 1905 ; was clerk in the Second National Bank, Erie,
at the time of his death ; married Edith Gumender.
One of five brothers, James, John, Ralph, George and
SAMPSON Thomas Sampson, John Sampson, great-great-grandfather
of George and John E. Sampson, of Wilkinsburg, Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, was born in Ballyloughlin, county Tyrone, Ireland,
from which locality he came to America. He made his home on the Greens-
burg pike, in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and there resided until
ibis death in 1800. He married and was the father of: Joseph, bom in
1768, married, in 1790, Eliza McClelland, two years later moving to Ohio,
and his second wife was Mary Patmore; Robert, James, Sarah, George,
1496 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Mary, Charles, John, Jane, Margaret, WilHam ; Thomas, of whom further.
(II) Thomas Sampson, son of John Sampson, was a soldier in the
American army in the War for Independence, gaining the rank of major.
In his youth he and his brother, Joseph, had wandered from the family home
into the woods surrounding, and were surprised and pursued by two Indians.
The savage following Thomas Sampson stumbled over a projecting root,
and the lad regained his home in safety; his brother, however, was taken
captive and carried to the Indian camp, where other prisoners were held.
All of the captives met cruel deaths after torture at the hands of the
aborigines with the exception of two youths, one of them Joseph Sampson,
and these were carried into Canada and sold. News of the boy's whereabouts
afterward came to his parents, and his father journeyed to Canada, recovered
his son and returned with him to the family home, where a loving and
grateful welcome awaited him. Thomas Sampson married Mary Dufif, and
had children: John, of whom further; James, Alexander, Thomas, William,
David, Mary ; Margaret, married Stewart Thompson.
(HI) John (2) Sampson, son of Thomas and Mary (Duff) Sampson,
was born April 20, 1785. died January 7, 1854. He was a soldier in the
second war with Great Britain, aiding in the reconquering of the foes in
whose first defeat his father had participated so gallantly. He married Jane
Dampster, and had children : John, of whom further ; Thomas, of whom
further ; George W., a soldier of the Union army in the war between the
states, met his death in the course of that struggle ; Eliza Jane, married
John Harrison and had seven children; Mary M., married Alexander Mud-
nix; Sarah.
(IV) John (3) Sampson, son of John (2) and Jane (Dampster) Samp-
son, was born in Penn township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, and there
died. After a course of study in the public schools he began farming, and
followed this occupation during his active years. In public position his was
a well-known figure, and he filled at dififerent times the offices of township
supervisor and road commissioner. He was long active in the works of the
Hebron United Presbyterian Church, a member of the community whose
useful and rightly ordered life commanded universal respect. He married
Catherine Duff, a native of Penn township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
and had issue: George, of whom further; Elizabeth, Albert, James D.,
Jennie, Harry, Anna Belle, Frank, John Howard.
(V) George Sampson, son of John (3) and Catherine (Dufif) Sampson,
was born on the home farm in Penn township, Allegheny county, Pennsyl-
vania, in 1863, and was educated in the public schools and Duff's Business
College. As a youth he apprenticed himself to the trade of carpenter, and now
continues in that line, having resided on the homestead at Wilkinsburg with
the exception of two years passed in Swissvale, Pennsylvania. He cultivates
his land in connection with his work at his trade, orchards and berry patches
giving contrast to the cultivated fields. Mr. Sampson is, as was his father,
a member of the Hebron United Presbyterian Church, and for two terms
has served the township as school director. He is a substantial member of
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA I4'>7
the borough of W'ilkinsburg, exact in his observance of civil duty and strong
in his support of all movements for its advancement. He married, in 1892,
Elizabeth Findley, of Penn township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, and
is the father of: Wallace, Warren, Winifred, Evelyn, Marjorie.
(IV) Thomas Sampson, son of John and Jane (Dampster)
SAMPSON Sampson (q. v.), was born in Penn township, Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, where he was educated in the public
schools. He followed the occupation of farming all his life. In political
matters he was a staunch Democrat. He was a member of the United Pres-
byterian church, and had been an elder in it many years. He married Martha,
a daughter of Jacob and Asenalh (Sproul) Vantine, and they are both now
deceased. They had children: John E., of further mention; Arthur M.,
of further mention ; Anna M., deceased, married Henderson Eliott, and
lived in Sampson Town, Penn township.
(V) John E. Sampson, son of Thomas and Martha (Vantine) Sampson,
was born on a farm on the Frankstown road, Penn township, Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, February 2, 1867. The public schools of his native
township and Curry Institute, of Pittsburgh, were the educational institutions
he attended, and as a young man he was employed in a Pittsburgh real estate
office. Leaving this employ he established in independent dealings as a
grocer, his place of business adjoining his home on the Frankstown road.
Here, in 1907, he erected an attractive brick residence, and four years later
he withdrew from the grocery business and began operations in real estate.
To this he has since devoted his entire attention, and is now engaged in
laying out his eighteen acres of land into building lots, naming the operation
the Denver Plan. The popularity of the location is assured and Mr. Sampson
should attract to that locality a most desirable class of residents. He is a
member of the Knights of Malta, and affiliates with the United Presbyterian
church. Mr. Sampson married, in 1894, Phoebe L. Trees, of Plum township,
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, who died in 191 1.
(V) Arthur M. Sampson, son of Thomas and Martha (Vantine) Samp-
son, was bom in Penn township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, May 21,
1869. The public schools furnished him with his early educational advan-
tages, and he tlien attended the Westley Academy, at Braddock. For a time
he followed farming, and at the age of twenty years learning the blacksmith's
trade, a calling he followed at Pittsburgh for a period of twenty-seven years,
then sold out in May, 1912. He has a place of ten acres in Penn township,
on which he has had a fine residence erected. Politically he is a Democrat,
and he is a member of the Guardians of Liberty. His religious affiliation is
with the United Presbyterian church. Mr. Sampson married Grace A., a
daughter of Dr. George A. and Anna (Boyd) Foster, of Penn township,
where the former died in 1898, and they had otlier children: Dr. Joseph,
born October 24, 1874, now living in Cleveland. Ohio; George, born May 2,
1892. Mr. and Mrs. Sampson have had children : Ernest F., born July 26.
1901 ; Joseph Clyde, born June 20, 1905 ; Grace Helen, born March 10, 1909;
Mildred, born September 11. iqii ; George Roy. born March 14, 1914.
1498 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Charles Geibel, a worthy member of the Roman CathoHc
GEIBEL church, lived and died at Puettlingen, Prussia, Germany.
(II) Christian Geibel, son of Charles Geibel, was born in
Puettlingen, Germany, where he followed the occupation of a tailor. For
reasons of health he decided to emigrate to America, and accordingly, in
1837, set sail for that country, arriving at Baltimore, Maryland, after ten
weeks spent on the water. He celebrated his first Fourth of July while on
this voyage. By stage coach he traveled to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and
lived there about ten or twelve years, during this time working in the coal
mines. He then purchased one hundred acres of land at Carbon Center,
Summit township, Butler county, Pennsylvania, located on this and there
spent the remainder of his life. German was the language generally em-
ployed by them, as their English was broken. They were devout members
of the Catholic church. His death occurred in 1870, at the age of sixty-nine
years. He married Anna Breinig, born in Germany in 1805, died in i860,
the marriage taking place in Germany. They were blessed with children :
Elizabeth, married (first) John Hempfling, (second) John Bier, both now
deceased ; Charles, of further mention ; Catharine, married a Mr. Baer,
lived in Butler county, Pennsylvania, both now deceased ; Anna, married
J. Lushy, both deceased ; Jacob, a coal miner, lived in Butler county, Penn-
sylvania; Henry, was married, and died in early manhood; John, married
Catherine Smith, and lived on the homestead; Philomina, died in Butler
county, Pennsylvania, married Henry Green, deceased.
(HI) Charles (2) Geibel, son of Christian and Anna (Breinig) Geibel,
was born in the town of Puettlingen, Prussia, Germany, November 11, 1824,
died April 12, 1894. He acquired his education in schools in his native
country, and at the age of twelve years accompanied his parents to this
country. As a young lad in Pittsburgh he worked in a cotton factory, and
when his parents removed to the farm in Butler county, at which time
he was a young man, he assisted in the cultivation of this property. After
his marriage he removed to Pittsburgh, worked four years in a cotton
factory, then returned to the farm of his father, and rented a part of it.
This was fifty acres of woodland, and Mr. Geibel and his wife cleared the
land and erected the necessary buildings themselves. They improved the
place in every possible manner, and there reared their family. Later Mr.
Geibel purchased the old homestead, at Carbon Center, and as his four
sons grew to manhood and married, he presented each of them with a farm.
In 1876 he removed to Springdale, a suburb of Butler, Pennsylvania, lived
there three years, then made his home in Butler until his death. He had
retired from active pursuits some years prior to his death. He was an
active worker in religious matters, and was the leading spirit among the
laymen in starting the movement for building the German Roman Catholic
church at Carbon Center, and assisted materially in the construction of it.
In political matters he was a Democrat.
Mr. Geibel married, February 10, 1850, Barbara Graham, born in
Puettlingen, Germany, January 1, 1832, and was four years of age when
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1499
she came to this country with her parents. She was a daughter of John
Graham, born near PuettHngen. He was a farmer and a Roman CathoUc,
and in 1835 emigrated with his family to America. Here, with several
•other famihes who had come at the same time, he settled in Butler county,
Pennsylvania, near St. Joe, in Oakland township. He married (first) in
Germany, Elizabeth Kramer, who died in Pennsylvania in 1837 ; he mar-
ried (second) Secunda Knapp, and died at an advanced age. His daughter
Barbara (Graham) Geibel, at a very early age was sent to live with a family
by the name of Stehle, in Butler county, Pennsylvania, and worked there
as a servant until her marriage at the age of eighteen years. Mr. and Mrs.
Geibel had children: i. Catherine, lived in Pittsburgh, married Jacob
Baldauf, both now deceased. 2. John, lives on a farm at Carbon Center,
Pennsylvania; married Elizabeth Ritzert. 3. Charles, who died in 1912;
married Caroline Eyth. 4. Mary, married Frank Ritzert, a farmer, and
lives at St. Joe, Pennsylvania. 5. Joseph, deceased; married Mary Weiland.
6. Philomina, born in 1862, died in 1887; married Jacob Weiland. 7.
Annie, deceased ; married Peter Krebb. 8. Jacob, a farmer on the old
homestead ; married Caroline Hinterlang. 9. Henry, a priest of the Roman
Catholic denomination, at Donora, Pennsylvania. 10. Theresa, married
Edward Martin Kemper, lives in Butler county, Pennsylvania, and has
had children: Loretta, born June 22, 1899; Edna, born February 20, 1901 ;
Alberta, born October 10, 1902; Irene, born November 21, 1903; Hilda,
born April 3, died July 23, 1905; Bernadetta, born June 16, 1906, died
March 27, 1908; Clement, born January 30, 1909; Sylvester, born August
9, 1910. II. Margaret, who died in 1911; married William Pfaff, and had
two children : Pauline and Edward.
J. C. A. Stein comes of a family representative of the best
STEIN type of German American character, which has introduced into
the formation of the complex citizenship of the United States
a leaven of its own peculiar strength and virtues, of unremitting industry,
and undeviating pursuit of an objective. His grandparents on both sides
of the house lived and died in the "Fatherland," where his father's father
was one of the hardy farmers of that country, where conditions are not
as quickly responsive as in the "New World," and his mother's father oc-
cupied the position of professor in a school.
His parents, Jacob and Mary (Havermai) Stein, passed their youth
in Germany and were there married. In the year 1858 they migrated to
the United States and settled first in Baltimore, where they remained until
1865 and then removed to Chicago. Here also they continued to live for a
number of years until a final move brought them to Zelienople. Pennsyl-
vania, their present residence. Mr. Stein was a merchant tailor, and has
plied his trade in all the places where he has resided, continuing to this
day in the same business. He and Mrs. Stein are members of the Lutheran
church. To them have been born ten children, as follows : Lena, now a
resident of Philadelphia ; Mary, a resident of Allegheny, Pennsylvania ; J.
X
I500 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
C'. A., of whom further; Katherine, who lives in the "East End," Pitts-
burgh, Pennsylvania; Jacob E., a resident of Baltimore; Albert, of Sharps-
burg, Pennsylvania ; Nettie, who lives at home with her parents ; Emma
and Mollie, both residents of the "East End," Pittsburgh; Harry, of
Sharpsburg.
J. C. A. Stein, the third child and eldest son of Jacob and Mary (Haver-
mai) Stein, was born in 1866, in Chicago, during his parents' residence in
that city. They moved to Zelienople, Pennsylvania, shortly after, however,
so that his childish associations are all with the latter place. He received
the elementary portion of his education in the public schools of Zelienople,
taking later a course in Harman Academy, from which he graduated with
the class of 1883. He then applied himself to the task of learning his
father's trade of tailor under his father's tutelage, and in the year 1892
opened a tailoring establishment on his own account in Sharpsburg, Penn-
sylvania. In this venture he was eminently successful and is at the present
time doing a large and flourishing business there. Mr. Stein's activities in
the town of his adoption do not end with his business, however. On the
contrary he takes a keen and effective interest in the conduct of local affairs.
He is a prominent member of the Republican party in Sharpsburg, and
upon that ticket has been elected school director. He is also a member
of the county committee. Besides these manifold public and private duties,
Mr. Stein finds time to take part actively in the life of the social and
fraternal organizations of his community. He is a member of the local
lodge of the Free and Accepted Masons, and is a thirty-second degree
Mason. He is also a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of the Improved Order
of Heptasophs.
Mr. Stein married, 1888, Elizabeth Bradford, a native of Allison Park,
Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Stein are the parents of three children, as
follows: Clarence D., John C, and William Norman. Mr. and Mrs.
Stein are members of the Presbyterian church and in that persuasion are
rearing their children.
The Hunters of Mill Village, Erie county, Pennsylvania, as
HUNTER well as the numerous Hunter families of Western Penn-
sylvania, are of Scotch-Irish ancestry, a hardy race in which
the Scotch stability, shrewdness, mental vigor and physical energy is blended
with the geniality, warmheartedness, ambitions and versatile genius of the
Irish. This combination has produced a people whose physical, mental and
moral qualities have made them leaders in every business and profession,
and enriched the pages of American history with an almost endless roll of
distinguished men.
When the first Hunters arrived in Western Pennsylvania that section
was almost an unbroken wilderness, but nevertheless, a region that attracted
many Scotch-Irish emigrants. Many of them settled in or near Pitts-
burgh, even prior to the Revolutionary War — notably in Westmoreland
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1501
county, where they were the practical founders of that important poHtical
division. Of these hardy people it has been proudly said — "The Scotch-
Irish : the race that never produced a Tory.'' They were also attracted
to desirable locations in the valleys of the streams of Western Virginia and
saw the wealth hidden in the mountains and growing upon the hillsides.
To these hardy, energetic, ambitious people the wealth, hills and forests
seemed a challenge which nature had thrown down to those who had the
nerve, brain and brawn to come and take it. So these Irish emigrants, the
Hunters, Gilsons, Broadfoots, Hendersons and others, stimulated by the
danger and attracted by promise of fortune, attacked the forest and finally
subdued it.
The Hunters from county Tyrone and county Down, closely related,
including Robert and Elizabeth (Park) Hunter, Jared, his brother, and
Poland Hunter, came in the latter part of the eighteenth century with others
of their section. Robert and Jared settled in Center county, Pennsylvania,
later in Warren county, where both founded families, now prominent.
Poland Hunter, born 1760, in Ireland, brought with him a bride, Nancy
Simpson, and settled first in Westmoreland county. They were of the true
pioneer stock and with all the hopefulness of their Irish and determination
of Scotch blood, built their rude cabin, cleared there a field in the forest
and supplied the wants of their five children. They later moved to Tionesta,
now Forest county, Pennsylvania, and took up land on a large island at
the mouth of the Tionesta river. Here he farmed and engaged in lumber-
ing, kindred pursuits in those days, when first a man must be a lumberman
and remove the forest ere he could be a farmer and till the soil. He pros-
pered, surviving the hard life of a pioneer until 1840, dying at age eighty
years. His wife, Nancy, the companion of all his privation and success,
died two years earlier, aged seventy-five years. The party spirit ran as
high then as now, and Poland Hunter was a stalwart adherent of the
Democratic party ; children : David, John, Andrew, William, of whom
further, and Peggy.
(II) William, son of Poland and Nancy (Simpson) Hunter, was born
in Tionesta, Forest county, Pennsylvania, in 1795, died in his eighty-fifth
year and is buried in the cemetery at Mill Village, Pennsylvana. He re-
mained at the home farm until he was seventeen years of age, then
went to Erie and enlisted in the American army for service on the Niagara
frontier. He and his brothers, John and Andrew, served during the entire
period of the war. After the war he returned home and became a pilot
on the Allegheny river, running lumber rafts down the river to Pitts-
burgh and Ohio river points. This required knowledge of the river and
its currents, strength, courage and skill, qualities he possessed in an unusual
degree. After leaving the river he erected and operated a log grist mill
until 1848, then with his three sons, built a large three-story mill at Tionesta,
which they operated until 1864, when they sold out. In the fall of that
year, William Hunter purchased a farm on French Creek, near Ford"s
Bridge, in Le Boeuf township, Erie county, Pennsylvania. To this property
I502 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
of 140 acres, for which he paid $7,750, he added eighty acres, purchased
of WilHam Ford for $9,000 and there lived until his death. He was an
active, devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal church, holding several
official positions, serving the church with zeal and earnestness. He mar-
ried, in 18 1 6, Sarah Range, born in 1800, in Maryland, but coming to
Tionesta with her parents in 1808. She died in 1878 and is buried in the
cemetery at Mill Village. Her father, John (2) Range, was a son of
John (i) Range, a soldier of the War of the Revolution, holding the rank
of lieutenant. He received a land grant of 400 acres for his services, and
on this land the family later resided. Children of William Hunter: Jane,
married William Siggins ; John ; Ann, married Jacob Range ; William ;
George; Sarah, marred Henry Church; Mary, married Frank Mondage;
Martha, married Nelson Ball ; Harriet, died unmarried ; Nancy, died in
infancy ; James R., of further mention ; Hannah, married Andrew McCray ;
Ellen, married John Alstrand; Moses, a soldier of the Civil War; Isaac,
died young.
(Ill) James R., son and twelfth child of William and Sarah (Range)
Hunter, was born at the old homestead, on the banks of the Allegheny near
Tionesta, Pennsylvania, February 11, 1835. He attended the public schools
during the winter months, when the ice was strong enough to form a bridge.
This was usually safe for about one hundred days during the winter. He
worked on the farm, in the grist mill, and when but thirteen years of age,
began rafting on the river, becoming a skillful pilot. He followed "the
river" for about thirty years before he abandoned a pilot's life. When a
young man he invested $400 of his earnings in a tract of land on "Plum
Island," purchased from his father, holding it several years, when he sold
it for $4,000. On November 5, 1864, he located in Le Boeuf township,
Crawford county, purchasing ninety acres, paying therefor, $4,500. He
resided on this farm until 1908, purchasing an additional twenty-five acres
about 1884, and erecting a handsome brick residence. He dealt in and
bred registered Durham cattle and was very successful in his operations.
In 1908 he returned to a comfortable residence in Mill Village, leaving
his children to manage the farm. He has always been an active temperance
worker; is a member of the Patrons of Husbandry; trustee and class leader
in the Methodist Episcopal church, which he joined in the fall of 1857, and
in political faith a Prohibitionist. He has led an active life of worthy effort
and has passed the scriptural "three score and ten" ; is well preserved, vig-
orous and contented, highly esteemed as friend and neighbor.
He married (first) January 10, 1865, Pearley Abbott, born 1845, died
December 30, 1893. He married (second) Mrs. Elizabeth (Allender) Mc-
Grory, a widow; children (all by first wife) : Lillian, married William R.
Smith and has children: Hazel M. ; Hunter and Kenneth; Edith B., mar-
ried Samuel Besley, who died February 3, 1893, she is now a resident of
Erie; Frank M., married Emma McFadden, and resides in Mill Village,
where he is engaged in mercantile business ; Odessa, married Ferd M. Place,
children : Louise and Howard.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1503
This name, known and honored in New England, from
WILLIAMS the earliest days, is borne by worthy eminent men in every
state of the Union. In New England it is perpetuated by
Williams College, and by the fame of Roger Williams, the first Baptist
minister in America and founder of the early settlement in Rhode Island.
( I ) Ephraim was a common name in the early family and one that was
worthily borne by the founder of this branch of the family in Erie county,
Pennsylvania. There is no record found that can be quoted as giving his
descent, nothing definite being found of him, further than a residence in
New York, prior to 1850, on which date he came to Erie county. He was
a farmer, owned land and was twice married, having by both wives eighteen
children. Ephraim Williams, born October 10, 1790, died March 25, 1855,
in Green township, Erie county, Pennsylvania. He settled in Green town-
ship in 1850, where he purchased a small farm.
He married (first) Nancy Dwight, born March 27, 1791, died Novem-
ber 21, 1814. He married (second) Sarah Shellman, born January i, 1794,
died aged eighty-seven years, nine months, two days. Children by first wife:
Adolphus D., born May 3, 181 1; George, September 17, 1812; Nancy, Sep-
tember 9, 1814. Children of second wife: Dwight, born August 3, 1816;
Urial, October 18, 1817; De Witt C, September 6, 1818; Daniel D., Octo-
ber 15, 1819; Anna M., June 7, 1821 ; Charles, March 22, 1822; Polly,
October 26, 1824; Abigail A., April 13, 1826; Stephen H., January 27, 1828;
Phoebe E., March 11, 1830; Ephraim P., February 11, 1832; John B., of
whom further; Nancy, born May 15, 1835; Mary, May 29, 1837; Martha,
twin of Mary.
(II) John B., fifteenth child of Ephraim Williams and twelfth child
by his second wife, Sarah Shellman, was born in New York state, August
21, 1833, died in Waterford township, Erie county, Pennsylvania, January
23, 1895. He was a farmer of Green township, Erie county, for several
years, tilling a farm of fifty acres until 1865, when he moved to Waterford
township. He was an active member of the Free Will Baptist church, served
as deacon for many years and was highly esteemed by all. In political
faith he was a Democrat. He married, April 10, 1861, Elizabeth A. Bank-
son, born November 2, 1833, died September 6, 1910, adopted daughter of
Conrad Bankson, who came to Waterford township in 185 1, from New
York state with children, John T. and Elizabeth A., wife of John B. Wil-
liams; children: i. Charles Otis, of whom further. 2. Smith B., born
February 7, 1869, died February 3, 1907, at Erie, Pennsylvania, a pros-
perous farmer. He married Elizabeth Klemmer, who survives him with
children: Harold, Donald and Arthur. 3. Sarah Ellen, born October 9,
1872, rnarried December 23, 1900, Edward J. Long, a farmer residing at
Weston, Wood county, Ohio; child: Grace Lucile, December 16, 1903.
(III) Charles Otis, eldest son of John B. and Elizabeth A. (Bank-
son) Williams, was born in Green township, Erie county, Pennsylvania,
June 24, 1863. He was educated in the graded public schools and Water-
ford Academy, spending his early life on the home farm and also taught
I504 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
school. Later he engaged in the commission business in Erie, Pennsylvania,
for six years, returning to Waterford township, where, February 7, 1907,
he purchased his present farm of iii acres, one and one-third miles from
Waterford, where he conducts general operations and also deals in produce
on a commission basis. In November, 191 1, he bought the real estate busi-
ness of L. L. Barber in Waterford, where he conducts a prosperous busi-
ness in addition to his other enterprises. He is a man of energy and high
standing, a member of the United Presbyterian church, as are his wife and
children. He belongs to the Waterford Lodge, No. 425, Free and Accepted
Masons; the Protected Home Circle, No. 106; Golden Lodge of Water-
ford, Pennsylvania; and Erie Council, No. 216, United Commercial Travel-
lers of America.
Mr. Williams married, June 8, 1886, in Wilmington, Ohio, Allie May
Colvin, born in Washington township, Erie county. May 30, 1869, daugh-
ter of Isaac and Asenath (Davis) Colvin, both of whom died in Water-
ford township — he a farmer and both members of the Christian church.
Their other children : Cordelia, married A. G. Sexton ; Peleg Orson, killed
accidentally at the age of nine years. Children of Charles Otis and Allie
M. Williams: i. Harry Orson, born March 22, 1889, residing at home;
married Margaret E. Donnell, March 3, 1914; one child, Carrie Evelyn,
born February 20, 1915. 2. Bertha May, born January 26, 1894, died Feb-
ruary, 1896. 3. Bessie Marie, born May 7, 1896; married, January 20,
1914, to John M. Donnell.
This name is of French origin and is found as Gourley,
GOURLAY Gourlai, Geurley, Gurley and Gourlay. The progenitors
of Captain James Duncan Gourlay of Waterford, Penn-
sylvania, were Scotchmen residing in Fifeshire. The first of this branch
to come to the United States was John (2), father of Captain James Dun-
can Gourlay. He was a son of John Gourlay, born in Cuper, Fifeshire,
Scotland. He was a well informed blacksmith, skillful at forge and anvil.
He married Nancy Steen and had two children : James, a well educated
man, died in Scotland aged twenty-five years; John (2), of further mention.
(II) Jo'hn (2), son of John (i) and Nancy (Steen) Gourlay, was
born in Cuper, Fifeshire, Scotland, died in Waterford township, Erie,
Pennsylvania, January 2, 1855. He was well educated in the Scotch schools,
and became a manufacturer of linen and cotton goods in his native land,
where he also married. He read a great deal about the United States and
the form of government here in vogue, forming so favorable an opinion
that in 1832, with his daughter, Mary, he came to investigate. He finally
chose a location in McKean township, now Waterford township, Erie
county, Pennsylvania, where 'he purchased 127 acres of good farm land.
He then sent to Scotland for his wife and other children, who later rejoined
him. He lived a life of great contentment on the old farm and took a
deep interest in the questions affecting national prosperity. He was strongly
anti-slavery, joined the Whig party and used all his influence in support of
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1505
his principles. He was a member of the United Presbyterian church, Hberal
in his rehgious views, but a man of strictest morahty, and one of the most
austere observers of the sanctity of the Sabbath. He hved for many years
in the original log house, 20 x 30 feet, that he built on his purchase from
the Holland Land Company (Jan Huydecooper, agent), his residence later
giving place to a frame dwelling. He lived to see the land, for which he
paid $2.00 per acre, cleared and worth many times its original price.
He married, in Scotland, Elizabeth Sinclair, born 1795, died aged
ninety-three years, daughter of Duncan R. Sinclair. Both are buried in
the Sharp's Church graveyard in Waterford; children: i. Agnes, born in
Scotland, married Robert Liddell, came to the United States and died in
Erie, Pennsylvania ; children : James P., John, Isabella and Mary. 2. Mary,
born in Scotland, died in Waterford, Pennsylvania; she married Robert
Galloway. 3. Elizabeth, born in Scotland, died at Lake Arthur, New
Mexico, in 1912, aged ninety-two years, married Thomas Taylor; children:
James H., Thomas J., George D., Mary J. and Isabel. 4. John, born in
Scotland in 1825, a farmer, married Susan Wilcox and had issue, all de-
ceased. 5. Jeanette, born in Scotland, married William Lee; children: John,
George, William W.. and Agnes. 6. James Duncan.
(Ill) James Duncan, youngest child of John and Elizabeth (Sin-
clair) Gourlay, was born in McKean, now Waterford township, Erie county,
Pennsylvania, September 19, 1836. He attended the public school at Sharp's
Corners until fourteen years of age and was his father's assistant at the
farm until his leaving home to enter the army. He enlisted in a Water-
ford company that went to Erie and was mustered into service as part of
McLean's regiment, serving three months. This service was merely nominal,
the regiment never received its arms. Mr. Gourlay returned to W^ater-
ford, later was drafted and entered the service as second lieutenant. Com-
pany F, 169th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, serving ten
months. He again returned to Waterford, this time opening a recruiting
office at the old Union Hotel, and in six days recruiting 144 men. He was
elected captain, and taking his company to Pittsburgh, was mustered in as
Company F, 211th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He re-
ceived his captain's commission, and vnth the regiment went to the front,
where they were assigned to the Ninth Corps, Army of the James, and
later were a part of that grand army division, the Army of the Potomac.
He led the regiment at Fort Steadman and at the capture of Petersburg,
receiving a wound in the head at the latter battle, an exploding shell caus-
ing an injury that kept him in the hospital five weeks. Captain Gourlay
then rejoined his regiment, continuing in the service until June 2, 1865,
when he was honorably discharged and mustered out with the regiment at
Camp Curtin, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Returning from the war, wherein
he had proved himself every inch a good soldier and gallant leader, he
resumed farming pursuits most successfully. He later became the owner
of the Gourlay homestead farm, which, with other farms he owned, totaled
300 acres of fertile land. He sold all his farms, purchased the Andrew
i5o6 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Lytle homestead on East Second street, Waterford, and tliere resides, re-
tired from business cares. He is a life-long Republican, served on the
township school board for twenty years ; was road commissioner many
years ; burgess of Waterford one term and served as councilman. He
was raised a Mason in Waterford Lodge, No. 425, Free and Accepted
Masons, in 1872, and is now the oldest living member of that lodge and
one highly esteemed by his brethren. He was one of the organizers of
John F. Rice Post, No. 345, Grand Army of the Republic, was commander
two years and is among the few survivors of that post.
Captain Gourlay, married, July 3, 1866, Eliza A. Cross, born in Ire-
land, June 14, 1839, died March 25, 1897, daughter of John R. Cross; chil-
dren: I. Frank Steen, born August 11, 1867, now living in California. 2.
Mary J., born May 17, 1869, died March 23, 1884. 3. Anna, who died aged
about three years. 4. W. Lee, born June 14, 1872, now a machinist, resid-
ing in New Castle, Pennsylvania. Pie married Maud Bittles, and has a son,
James Paul Gourlay. 5. Margaret H., born May 26, 1879.
Neal McKay, the American progenitor of this branch of the
McKAY McKay family, was born in Ireland, January 11, 1749, died
January 11, 1835, at Waterford, Erie county, Pennsylvania.
After marriage he came to America, settled in Hanover township, Lan-
caster county, Pennsylvania, and there enlisted in the Revolutionary War,
August, 1776, serving two months as first sergeant, under Captain Rogers.
He again enlisted November, 1776, serving five months as second lieutenant,
under Captain James Roberts' "Paxton's Riflemen." He enlisted in a third
time, September, 1777, served as private two months under Captain Grain
and Colonel Moose. He also served one month as private under Captain
James Sawyer, and Colonel Matthew Smith, also Captain John Herrick.
He was engaged at the battle of Brandywine and in other service. The
above is compiled from an application for pension, records of Bureau
of Pensions, Washington, D. C, pension claim allowed, No. 22,899. Neal
McKay and his wife were first buried in the old "graveyard" and after-
wards their remains were removed to the new cemetery at Waterford,^
Pennsylvania.
Neal McKay married, in Ireland, Nancy Montgomery, born January
18, 1749, died January 18, 1855; issue: i. Polly McKay, born 1773, died
March i, 1864, married Robert Huston. 2. Robert, bom June 8, 1776,
died July 31, 1857, married February 19, 1807, Mary Sarner. 3. John,
bom January 6, 1779, of further mention. 4. Joseph L., born 17 — , died ,
married Lucy Long. 5. Margaret, born about November, 1784, died Sep-
tember 2, 1834, married, 1805. Archie McSparren. 6. James, born October
5, 1788, died November 18, 1870, married November 26, 181 1, Jane Under-
wood, born March 5, 1793, died December 4, 1863.
(II) John, son of Neal McKay, was born January 6, 1779, died Sep-
tember 13, 1829. He was born near Milton, Northumberland county, Penn-
sylvania, became a farmer and served in the War of 1812. In early life he
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1507
came to Western Pennsylvania with his parents, who settled first in Craw-
ford county, Pennsylvania, and later came to Erie county, locating first
at Waterford. He purchased 100 acres of woodland, just one mile south
of Waterford on the old Pittsburgh and Erie Turnpike Road (known to-day
as the Oliver farm) ; built a log cabin, cleared up his farm and later built
a frame house. Here he spent the remainder of his life. He is buried
in the New Cemetery at Waterford Church. He was a highly respected
man and his wife a woman of more than ordinary charm and talent. John
McKay married, January 8, 1807, Sarah Blair, born October 31, 1788, died
April 8, 1859; issue: i. Samuel B., born November 8, 1807, died May 9,
1840, never married. 2. Nancy Ann, born October 11, 1809, died Sep-
tember 16, 1890, married January 12, 1830, Andrew Lytle, children: John,
James, Robert, George, Henry, Charles M. and Frank. 3. Robert H., born
January 12, 1812, died in Illinois, no children. 4. Jane M., born January
15, 1814, married September 10, 1835, James L. Range; children: Sarah
B.; John P.; James B. ; Wilber P.; Joseph W. ; Robert M. ; Andrew L.;
Lucinda P. ; Emma J. ; George W. ; Nancy A. 5. James Wilson, born Sep-
tember 26, 1816, died September 24, 1891, married October 22, 1862, Maria
Wood, born March 15, 1834; children: Paul W. and Mary V. McKay.
6. John N., born February 25, 18 14, died August 4, 1820. 7. Alexander
B., born June 16, 1821, died June 10, 1823. 8. Mary M., born May 5, 1824,
died June 9, 1910, married Hiram Oliver, deceased. They lived to celebrate
their sixty-seventh wedding anniversary ; children : James ; Albert ; Robert ;
Frank and Mark, twins; Ray and Lena. 9. Joseph Long, born February 15,
1827, of further mention. 10. John McKay, born February 29, 1833, died
September 18, 1846.
(Ill) Joseph Long, son of John and Sarah (Blair) McKay, was born
in the log house on the old homestead, one mile south of Fort Le Boeuf,
(Waterford), February 15, 1827, and there spent his boyhood days. His
education was obtained by first attending the little "red school house,"
better known to the pupils as "Frog College," presided over by Samuel Mc-
Gill, perhaps better remembered as "Paddy McGill." He completed his
studies in the public school of Waterford, as taught in one room of the
Waterford Academy. In early life he had thought much of following the
trade of saddler and harnessmaker and at the age of eighteen years he
left the parental home and went to Buffalo, New York, for the purpose of
finding a place to learn that trade, but being unsuccessful he went to Cleve-
land, Ohio, meeting with the same fate there. His funds running low, he
found a temporary job loading staves on a boat at the Cleveland docks and
as soon as he saved sufficient funds returned home. This adventure ratJier
dampened his ardor, and acting upon the advice of his mother, to remain
near home, he made a bargain with the firm of Marvin Judson, gen-
eral merchants, to enter their employ, learn the business, and for the first
year's services to receive as wages his board and clothes. After a term
of seven and a half years in the employ of the above firm, the young man
decided to go into business for himself, and after tendering his resignation.
I508 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
he went to New York City, and on the I2th day of December, 1853, he
purchased his first invoice of dry goods of Hastings & Forby. The
original bill for this invoice Mr. McKay yet preserves as a souvenir of
his early business life. He first opened a store on the corner of High
street and West Park, Waterford, where the furniture store of Charles
Phelps now stands, later he moved to the present site of the Frank Phelps
store and subsequently to the building now occupied as the post office. He
admitted James Wilson McKay, as partner, this association continuing four
years. He afterwards associated in business with James Lytle for about
six years, then sold out to Lytle Brothers. He then was associated with
E. B. Sleeper, in the manufacturing of "Sleeper's Compound Liniment,"
for a short time, when he purchased Mr. Sleeper's interest, but later closed
out his business to Mr. McNeal. He next returned to his old business,
opened a dry goods store in the Phelps Block, and in 1888 admitted his
son, William, as partner, trading as J. L. McKay & Son. In 1872, Mr.
McKay purchased the Amos Judson brick block, corner of First and High
streets, remodeled it, put in the first plate glass front in Waterford, and
added a third story, which is known as "McKay Hall." The brick block
on High street, in which the firm conducts their general dry goods busi-
ness, was built by the firm in 1895. The residence of Mr. McKay, senior,
located on Walnut street, southwest corner of Park, built in 1855, has ever
since been the family home. All through his business career he has dealt
occasionally in real estate, has bought and sold several farms, and in addi-
tion to store and residence, owns considerable property in Waterford. He
is now eighty-eight years of age, regularly attends to his business and yet
enjoys a day's fishing on the lake. He is young in spirit and is familiarly
known to every man, woman and child in Waterford as "Uncle Joe." After
a business life of sixty years in the town, he is not only the "veteran mer-
chant" and the best known there, but is first in public esteem, his dealings
having always been characterized by fairness, his life honorable and iiis
daily walk above reproach. He has not been so absorbed in business that
he has not attended to his obligations as a citizen, but has joined heartily
in all movements for the public good and has borne his full share of official
responsibility. He has served many times as a member of the borough
council ; two terms as chief burgess ; twenty-five years was trustee of Water-
ford Academy; was one of the incorporators of the Waterford Cemetery
Association; was a member of the board of directors at the time the re-
ceiving vault was built and superintended its erection ; was one of the charter
members of Clemment Lodge, No. loi. Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows, and officer of the Ancient Order of United Workmen and a vestry-
man of Saint Peter's Protestant Episcopal Church. He was a Whig in
politics, later a Republican and so far back does his useful life extend that
his first presidential vote was cast for General Zachary Taylor, in 1848.
This record of a busy, useful life, not yet ended, shows that work does
not wear out a man's vitality if strength is properly conserved. A worker
from youth and often in circumstance of deepest concern, his light heart.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1509
quick, active brain and stout heart have carried him through, and to-day
he is the physical superior of men twenty years his junior. Surrounded
by the comforts of life, with a prosperous business and a wealth of friends,
"Uncle Joe," thankful for the blessings of the past, looks forward to the
future confidently and without fear.
Mr. McKay married (first) August 29, 1854, Cornelia E. Parmalee,
born at Hotchkissville, Connecticut, December 10, 1829, died in Waterford,
Pennsylvania, April 6, 1895, daughter of Timothy Judson and Mahala
(Stone) Parmalee; children: i. Charles, died young. 2. William, born
December 29, 1864, of further mention. 3. A child, died in infancy. He
married (second) in 1896, Mary McLean.
(IV) William McKay, son of Joseph Long and Cornelia (Parmalee)
McKay, was born in Waterford, Erie county, Pennsylvania, December 29,
1864, the only child of his parents to survive childhood. He was educated
in Waterford public school, and completed his studies in Waterford
Academy, whence he was graduated class of 1883, afterwards taking a
course in Clark's Business College at Erie, Pennsylvania. In 1884 he went
to Wichita, Kansas, where for one and a half years he was in the employ
of the Oliver Brothers Lumber Company. In the fall of 1885 he returned
to Waterford, and April i, 1886, began mercantile life as a clerk in his
father's dry goods store. In 1888 he was admitted a partner, under the
firm name of J. L. McKay & Son. The firm is the largest of any kind
in Waterford, and the senior partner, J. L. McKay, is the only man living
among the merchants who were in business when ihe opened his store in
1853. The house is modern and progressive, well stocked and prosperous.
W'illiam McKay, in addition to being a part owner of the brick store in
which the business is conducted, has purchased the old John Phillips prop-
erty on the site of the old French Fort, and remodeled the residence in
accordance with modern requirements. The old spring on the property,
which furnished cooling refreshment for the soldiers, both French and
American, is yet a source of supply and carefully preserved. The property
known as the "Garrison Lot" is the original site of the old French Fort
built in 1753. Mr. McKay, one of Waterford's most esteemed citizens, was
elected burgess in 1890, served one term, was again elected in 1909, his term
expiring in 191 3. He has also served on the board of education and as
borough treasurer. Politically he is a Republican, a member of the Pres-
byterian church of Waterford ; Lodge No. 974, Independent Order of Odd
Fellows. He married, October 4, 1888, at Waterford, Pennsylvania, Lena
May, daughter of Timothy M. and Mary E. (Middleton) Judson; chil-
dren: I. Joseph Harold, born in Waterford, June 26, 1891. 2. Charles
Judson, born in Waterford, June 13, 1895.
Lyman Parmalee, grandfather of Cornelia E. (Parmalee) McKay, was
born in Killingworth, Connecticut, in 1780, died in Waterford, Pennsyl-
vania, March 17, 1854. He married, March i, 1800, Sarah, she born in
Woodbury. Connecticut, 1780, died at Waterford, October 4, 1864: chil-
dren: I. Timothy Judson, born March 7, 1801. 2. Erza A., March 2, 1803.
I5IO WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
3. Revillo W., July 20, 1805. 4. William R., July 20, 1805 ; twins. 5.
Charles R., January 2, 1807. 6. Elizabeth L., July 28, 1813. 7. Mary A.,
September 16, 1816. 8. Mary A., June 29, 1819. 9. Sarah M., September
20, 1825.
Timothy Judson, eldest son of Lyman and Sarah (Judson) Parmalee,
was born in Bethlehem, Connecticut, March 7, 1801, died there August 5,
1845, married Mahala Stone; children: i. and 2. Cornelius C, born De-
cember 10, 1829; Cornelia E. (twin of Cornelius C). 3. Fidelia M., born
August 29, 183 1.
Cornelia E., daughter of Timothy J. and Mahala (Stone) Parmalee,
was born December 10, 1829, died in Waterford, Pennsylvania, April 16,
1895, she married, August 29, 1854, Joseph Long McKay, of previous
mention.
Dating from the early days of English settlement in Massachu-
SKIFF setts, this branch of the family left Martha's Vineyard, the
family seat for several generations, settling in Chautauqua
county. New York, during the lifetime of James Skifif of the sixth American
generation. From Chautauqua county came Ira, son of James Skiff, settling
in Erie county, Pennsylvania, residing at Edinboro and Waterford and gain-
ing fame by his skill in forging metal. The business he founded has been
perpetuated and is still carried on by his son, George B. Skiff, in Waterford.
The American ancestor, James Skiff, a Welshman, is found in the
records of Lynn, Massachusetts, in 1630, nothing being known of him prior
to that date. The record of the general court, 1630, has this entry concerning
James Skiff: "Resolved that a summons be sent James Skiff to answer
to things as shall be objected against him in regard to traducing the law about
refusing to take the oath of fidelity." He moved to Sandwich, Massachu-
setts, in 1637, and is entered among the first eleven members of the Sand-
wich Church. In 1659 James Skiff, town deputy, elected from Sandwich.
was rejected by the general court, on account of his "toleration of Quakers."
He was often called upon to perform responsible public duty and was one
of the strong men of his town. He married Mary Reeve (family record),
who died September 26, 1673. James Skiff died in Sandwich after 1688;
children : James, Stephen, Nathaniel, Samuel, Bathsheba, Mary, Miriam,
Patience, Benjamin. Nathan, of whom further; Elizabeth.
(II) Natlian, youngest son of James and Mary Skiff, was born in
Sandwich, Massachusetts, May 16, 1658, died February 9, 1726. He mar-
ried (first) July I. 1680, Hepsibah, daughter of Robert Codman, of Edgar-
town, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. He married (second) December
13, 1699, Mercy, daughter of John Chipman, of Barnstable, Massachusetts,
a granddaughter of Governor Carver, "the Pilgrim :" children of first mar-
riage: Hepsibah, Patience, James, Elizabetli, Benjamin, Stephen, Mary,
Sarah. Children of second marriage: Mercy, Samuel, John and Joseph.
(III) James (2), son of Nathan Skiff and his first wife, Hepsibah Cod-
man, was bom March 10, 1689, died June 6, 1724. He married Lydia Smith,
who died November 8, 1748: children: Stephen and James.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1511
(IV) James (3), son of James (2) and Lydia (Smith) Skiff, was born
at Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, July 5, 1722, died about 1815. He
married Ann Stewart, who bore him several daughters and sons: James
(2), Prince, of whom further; Obadiah and Valentine. These four sons
all enlisted in the Revolutionary army and all are recorded as having ren-
dered valuable service.
(V) Prince, son of James (3) and Ann (Stewart) Skiff, was born at
Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, according to records on file at Wash-
ington, D. C, January 7, 1746, died at Madison, New York, July 5, 1834.
His military service began with his enlistment in 1776 at Martha's Vine-
yard in Captain Benjamin Smith's company. In 1777 he moved to Williams-
burg, Massachusetts, where in June of the same year he enlisted in Captain
Samuel Fairfield's company, holding the rank of corporal. He served in the
two decisive battles, Bennington and Saratoga, and in various campaigns
with the Northern army. After the war he moved to Cambridge, New York,
later to Madison, New York, where he died. He married and had sons :
William, Charles, James (4).
(VI) James (4}, son of Prince Skiff, the Revolutionary soldier, was
born (according to the record preserved in the family Bible), at Martha's
Vineyard, March 31, 1792. He was a farmer of Arkwright, Chautauqua
county, New York. His wife, Lovina, born February 3, 1791, bore him
eight children: William, born September 14, 1812; Lovina, January 4, 1816,
married Lathrop Woods and had issue : Jutson, Watson, Edson, Jason and
Lawson; Louisa, born February 2, 1818; Rachel Ann, January 22, 1821 ;
James P., March 6, 1823; Charles, April 5, 1826; Electa, June i, 1827; Ira.
(VII) Ira, youngest child of James (4) and Lovina Skiff, was born
in Arkwright, Chautauqua county, New York, May 17, 1831, died at Water-
ford, Pennsylvania, May 14, 1892. With Ira Skiff begins the Pennsyl-
vania history of this branch of the family. He was educated in the district
public school and in early life worked with his father on the Chautauqua
county farm. Later he learned the blacksmith's trade and became famed
locally as a smith. There was no trick of forge and anvil he could not
perform ; his skill in working metal w-as marvelous, the work turned out with
hammer and anvil equaling in finish the best forging and surpassing them
in quality. He did a great deal of carriage iron work, forging his own parts
and turning out beautifully finished work. He opened a shop first in Edin-
boro, Pennsylvania, went to Waterford, returning to Edinboro. again
locating in Waterford where his after life was passed, his shop being located
on Second street. He was well known to all, his skill at forge and anvil
attracting a large trade while his kindly heart and genial disposition won
him even a larger circle of friends. Politically he was a Republican and
was identified, with his family, with the Presbyterian church. He was a
good man, and gave his children all tlie advantages of a good education.
He was buried in the family plot in Waterford Cemetery the Sunday fol-
lowing his death. Rev. Marcus Wishart preaching the funeral discourse.
He married at Edinboro, Pennsylvania, in 1859, Salome \'an Dyke,
I5I2 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
born 1832, on a farm two miles west of Edinboro, died August 14, 1899,
daughter of David Van Dyke. She was a woman of superior inteUigence
and was highly esteemed for her many womanly virtues. She is buried be-
side her husband; children: i. Emma L., born February 8, 1861, died
August 29, 1865. 2. Getta A., born June 16, 1863, died September 6, 1865.
3. Henry Elmer, born in Waterford, February 4, 1866, and educated in the
public school. He learned the printer's trade on the Waterford paper and
has since been employed on many of the newspapers of Western Pennsyl-
vania, now living in Washington, Pennsylvania ; he married Maud Matthews,
and has a daughter, Mildred, born June 3, 1895. 4. George Bertie, of whom
further. 5. Eva, born in Waterford, October 22, 1876, died March 13, 1909,
she married F. Free Moore, of an old Erie county family, and left a son,
Forrest, born in Waterford, in 1889.
(Vni) George Bertie, youngest son of Ira and Salome (Van Dyke)
Skifif, was born in Waterford, Erie county, Pennsylvania, September 7,
1872. He was educated in the public schools and early in life began work-
ing with his father at blacksmithing. He completed his years of apprentice-
ship, profiting by the skill of his preceptor and from him learning many valu-
able formulas and secrets connected with the forging and working of metals.
He also spent two and a half years in the employ of Scott Alden and in
1895 purchased the shop of the latter, located on Second street, where he is
yet in business, enjoying a good patronage and ranking among the influential
men of his town. He is a devotee of out-door sports, particularly with gun
and rod, and exhibits at his home many pictured trophies of his prowess,
including a giant muscallonge weighing, when removed from the hook,
forty- four pounds, two ounces. He is a member of Park Presbyterian
Church; Waterford Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and in
political faith is a Republican. Both he and his wife are active workers in
the Sunday school connected with their church.
Mr. Skifif married at Waterford, December 22, 1904, Rev. Marcus
Wishart officiating, Grace, born in Waterford, August 23, 1889, daughter
of James and Nancy (Williams) Sutley; cliild : Albert Alton, born in
Waterford, October 7, 1905.
Erie county, Pennsylvania, is the locality that contains all
COOVER the past history of the Coover family in Pennsylvania, the
records of this line beginning with George W., born in Green
township, Erie county, March 17, 1823, died there February 22, 1913, in the
ninetieth year of his life. He married and was the father of several chil-
dren, among whom was Jesse, of whom further.
(II) Jesse, son of George W. Coover, was born in Green township,
Erie county, Pennsylvania, March 4, 1847. When he was two years of
age his parents moved from Green to Waterford township, and in the
schools of the latter he obtained his education, from the time of the com-
pletion of his school course until he was eighteen years of age assisting his
father on the home farm. As soon as he attained an age that made him
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1513
eligible for service he hastened to enlist in the Union army then engaged
in the War of the Rebellion, which had been raging for four long and tragic
years, the darkest that had ever fallen upon the fair union of the states.
The nearest recruiting point was Ridgway, and thidier he hastened when
the burden of his eighteenth year had been but laid upon his shoulders, being
enrolled on April 5, 1864, in Company A, One Hundred and Second Regi-
ment Pennsylvania Volunteers, which was ordered to Danville, Kentucky;
Washington, District of Columbia, and subsequently to Pittsburgh, Penn-
sylvania, never being actively engaged. His term of enlistment had been
for one year, but the close of the war brought him his honorable discharge
in July, 1864. He then returned to his home and for two years worked
on the home farm, then going to Wattsburg, Pennsylvania, where for about
three years he received instruction in the harnessmaker's trade from R. O.
Cushan. Becoming master of this occupation, he moved to Waterford, and
for about four years was employed in the shoe factory of A. D. Johnson,
in 1873 establishing in the harnessmaking business in that town. For thirty-
seven years his was the chief harnessmaking shop in that locality, the work
of that nature from the whole neighborhood finding its way to his bench.
In 1910, after such a long and honorable record of active and continuous
service, he retired in favor of his son, George W., and has since lived re-
tired. He is widely known throughout the region and universally liked,
those who have had business dealings with him being impressed by the
straightforward frankness and honesty that have marked his entire career,
and his social friends attracted by his genial wit and cordial manner.
He is a member of the Waterford Post, Grand Army of the Republic. He
married, April 20, 1876, Amanda Underwood, born, in Little Wash-
ington, Pennsylvania, February 12, 1850, daughter of George W. Under-
wood. Children of Jesse and Amanda Coover: i. Blanche May,
born June 16, 1879, married George C. Young, and lives in Waterford
township, Erie, Pennsylvania, on the old Young homestead. They are the
parents of Howard Jesse and Orville. 2. George W., of whom further.
(HI) George W., only son of Jesse and Amanda (Underwood) Coover,
was born in Waterford, Erie county, Pennsylvania, December 20, 1880.
He attended the public schools of his birthplace, completing his education
in the Waterford Academy. His first occupation was in the cheese factory
of George Wells, where he served a three years' apprenticeship, then enter-
ing the employ of Noah Jewett, who conducted a factory on the Plank
road, known locally as "The Forest Home." This he operated on a com-
mission basis for a time, then establishing as a contractor in cement work in
Waterford, remaining in that business for about two years, in the course of
that time laying many pavements in the town and performing other jobs
where cement work could be used to advantage, as for curbs and cellar
floors. On October i, T910, he purchased his father's harness store in
Waterford, having been previously instructed by his parent in that trade,
and has since conducted the business. That he was the son of Jesse Coover
was first sufficient to retain all of his father's old customers, and as he has
ISI4 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
demonstrated that the quality of work leaving the store is of the same
high grade as that done for the past four decades, new business has been
attracted and his undertaking has been branded with the mark of success.
Mr. Coover is a Democrat in politics, gladly assisting in the promotion of all
projects for civil improvement with public-spirited vigor. He is a member
of the Waterford Lodges of tlie Knights of the Maccabees and the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, being a past officer of both bodies.
He married, in Waterford, Pennsylvania, Maysie McLean, born in Le
Boeuf township, Erie county, Pennsylvania, November 22, 1882, daughter
of Ansel P., deceased, and Mary (Stafford) McLean, the latter the second
wife of Joseph L. McKay (q. v.) Children of George W. and Maysie (Mc-
Lean) Coover: i. Thelma, born October 15, 1903. 2. Josephine, born May
30, 1908. 3. Melvin, born November 30, 1912.
James Moore was born at Ballyavelin, county Londonderry,
MOORE Ireland, in the year 1767. Few records of vital statistics were
kept at that time in Ireland, and what few are extant are but
fragmentary, so it is utterly impossible to ascertain with any degree of cer-
tainty the names of his father and mother, or those of any of his more
remote ancestors. It is reasonably certain, however, that the male line was
of Scottish descent and were among the troops of Cromwell, who took pos-
session of Ireland in the seventeenth century, and, after reducing the island
to subjection, were rewarded by grants of Irish land and, instead of re-
turning to their homes in Scotland, looked with favor upon the fertile
valleys and green slopes of Ireland and colonized the northern portion, which
has ever since held to the tenets of the Protestant (Presbyterian) faith.
He was the youngest of four sons and it fell to his lot to take care
of and provide for his parents, which duty he performed faithfully and
well. His brothers had emigrated to America while he was quite young,
leaving the responsibility of caring for his aged parents resting entirely
upon him. They are buried in the old cemetery of Drumachose parish,
about a mile from the town of Limavady, formerly Newton-Limavady. Their
graves cannot now be identified owing to the fact that in those days it was
only the grand families who could afford monuments and headstones suit-
ably inscribed. The graves of those of humbler origin being'entirely un-
marked, or at best marked by a plain stone or a rough piece of rock.
James Moore married, in the latter part of 1801, Elizabeth Canning,
born in 1778, died November 12, 1843. She was the second of three sisters
— Martha, the eldest, having married James Steele, and Nancy, the youngest,
married James Smith, and emigrated to America, where they settled in
Wayne township, Erie county, Pennsylvania.
James Moore, as his father had been for many years, continued a
tenant of Lord Waterford, whose estates comprised nearly the entire coun-
tryside of Ballyavelin. The farm consisted of forty-two acres, for which
he paid an annua! rental of one hundred and forty dollars. The house,
which is situated about four miles east of Limavady, wa^ built by the father
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1515
of James Moore about 1750. It is still standing and, aside from the fact
that the straw-thatched roof has been replaced by one of slate, is unchanged
in appearance and is in as perfect condition as when it was built, over a
hundred and fifty years ago. It is built of stone and mortar, one story
high, and about sixty feet in length and, like the usual Irish cottage, is
painted a glistening white. It contains four large rooms and the stable,
which occupies one end under the same roof. The present owner has
added to the other end of this structure a two-story stone addition, but
continues to use the original dwelling for a kitchen, dairy and storage room.
The kitchen contains the large old-fashioned fire-place and the crane used
by our ancestors, and this is the room most popular with the present oc-
cupants in the winter time, as they gather around the fire of glowing peat.
The house is surrounded by a high whitethorn hedge, which forms an arch
over the front gate, rendering the taking of a satisfactory photograph a
matter of considerable difficulty. By a singular coincidence the present
owner of the farm, Mrs. Marcus Gault, is distantly related to the Moore
family, her grandmother, Leah Smith, having been a cousin of Elizabeth
Canning, the wife of James Moore.
Lord VVaterford was much beloved by all his tenants and was known
as a very kind and just landlord, and to be one of his tenants was con-
sidered a great privilege. In the spring of 1818, having left Ireland and
taken up his residence in London, he left in charge of his estates an agent
by the name of Marrah, who, in his treatment of the lord's tenants, was
as harsh and exacting as Lord Waterford had been kind and considerate.
While he could not alter the terms of existing leases, as fast as they matured,
he demanded most excessive rents for all I'enewals, in many cases doubling
the previous rental. It was customary to draw leases for farm lands run-
ning twenty or twenty-five years, and the lease of this farm expiring at tliis
time, the agent demanded a rental of two hundred and fifty dollars per year
as a condition for executing a new lease. James Moore was a good farmer
and a thrifty and prudent man, and although he had accumulated some
little money and property, he well knew that if he were to renew his lease,
at the exorbitant rent demanded by the agent, it would not only absorb
his entire savings but, within a few years, reduce him to beggary, so he
decided to come to America. After disposing of such property and effects
as were not easily to be transported, he, together with his wife and nine
children, took passage on board the "Thomas and Henry," sailing from
Londonderry, June 10, of that year, bound for St. Johns, New Brunswick,
commencing a voyage nearly equal in length to that of the "Mayflower."
Driven by storm after storm out of their course, oftentimes being
entirely lost, with the hatches closed for three days at a time, the passengers
suffered great hardships and completed their voyage, which should have
been made in four weeks, in eight weeks and five days. Mrs. Moore was
sick throughout the entire voyage and on this account the family were
obliged to remain at St. Johns until she recovered, when they continued
their journey to New York city, in a small coasting vessel. This vessel
I5i6 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
had been condemned as unseaworthy, and the captain did not dare make
a landing in the daytime, but on reaching New York he loitered about the
port until midnight, when he ran into port, landed the family and their
baggage, and left again as soon as possible. The family and their effects
were unloaded hurriedly and in the bustle the baby (Mary) together with
some of the bedding was thrown by the sailors upon the dock at some dis-
tance from the boat and was. not discovered until some time after the boat
had left. This landing was made about midnight on Saturday night, about
the first of September. Sabbath morning soon dawned and with the sun shin-
ing in its glory and the clear sky affording a roof for their dwelling, Mrs.
Moore thought it a proper time to array her children in their new clothing
which had been provided for them before leaving home, and made prepara-
tion for keeping holy that Sabbath day. Early in the day, however, people
began to assemble on the dock and make inquiry as to the manner in which
they had been left there. Among them were two well-to-do men who not
only made inquiry but proceeded to procure for them a house in which
the family and their belongings were soon installed. They left with the
assurance that they would call the following morning, which they did, and
one of them bought a clock which Mr. Moore had brought with him from
Ireland. It was an eight-day clock, giving in addition to the time, the day
of the month and the changes of the moon. It was a perfect timepiece
and was sold for seventy dollars. If it were now in the family it would
be treasured very highly. The two kind friends who rendered them such
valuable assistance were very desirous of adopting two of the little boys,
aged three and five years respectively, but Mrs. Moore would not give her
consent, as she said s'he had brought them thus far and would try to keep
her family together. They remained in New York eight days, Mr. Moore
and his two sons, John and Alexander, working every day unloading wood
from vessels for which they received one dollar each per day, which aided
materially in the support of the family. They also had the privilege of
carrying home what wood they could at noon and night for family use.
From New York they journeyed by stage and steamboat to Phila-
delphia, where they remained eight days, the father and oldest sons en-
gaging in the same work of unloading vessels. From Philadelphia they
went to Pittsburgh by wagon, a trip that required fourteen days, and they
arrived there on a Sabbath. Soon after their arrival Mr. Moore met an
old friend by the name of John Steele, who informed him that he had
seen his older brother, John Moore, the day before on the market in that
city. This was glad tidings to him, for he had not heard from his brother
John for thirty years. Mr. Steele told him that John lived about ten miles
below the city and furnished him with a horse upon which he rode out
that day to see him and on the following day (Monday) John Moore took
his team and wagon and carried his brother's family to his own home and
he and his neighbors immediately set to work and erected for them a house,
which was even better than the one in which he lived. The flooring was
obtained from the floor of an old boat that had been providentially de-
WESTERN PENxMSYLVANIA 1517
posited on the river bank at the time of a flood. The boards had a number
of auger holes in them which Mrs. Moore calked with corn cobs by driv-
ing them in with an axe and cutting them ofif smooth with the same tool.
This house, when visited twenty years later (by Uncle John) was in as
good condition as the day it was built, even to the corn cobs. Here they
lived that winter and the next summer, and the following autumn Mr. and
Mrs. Moore came to Waterford to visit James Smith, whose wife was
Mrs. Moore's sister.
While here, he rented from Thomas King a farm of fifty acres, sit-
uated on the Union Road, about two and one-half miles from Waterford
borough and removed his family to Waterford in February, 1820, taking
a comfortable log house in which three children were born to them, thus
making a family of twelve, six sons and six daughters, all of whom lived
to maturity. In 1835 he purchased the farm for the sum of two hundred
dollars, and after his death, in the year 1848, it was purchased from his
heirs by his youngest son, Wilson Moore, who, with his family, resided
on the old homestead until his death in 1876. Shortly after removing to
Waterford, on account of the prosperity which had attended him and of
the love he had for his adopted country, James Moore made application for
citizenship, declared his intention to support the government, and was in
due time made a citizen of the United States, which he remained until the
time of his death, which occurred December 4, 1838. Of his family there
were twelve children, none of whom are living ; sixty-eight grandchildren ;
eighty-two great-grandchildren ; sixty-six great-great-grandchildren ; and
five great-great-great-grandchildren, making a total of two hundred and
thirty-three descendants.
James Moore's reasons for leaving his native country were not selfish.
He saw his large family of children growing up about him, and realized
that he would not be able, by remaining in Ireland, to give them the advan-
tages he desired for them and keep them together. He had seen his father's
family grow up and scatter to foreign lands, and he felt that it was his
duty to his children to emigrate to America, where they would have better
opportunities to earn a livelihood and might be located near each other,
for he was a Christian man and believed in the words of the Psalmist :
"Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in
unity."
In Ballyavelin the name of James Moore is still revered by those now
living, whose ancestors were his contemporaries. He was known through-
out the community as a "grand, good man," and just, and it is said that so
highly were his opinion and sense of justice regarded, that when any of
his neighbors fell into a dispute among themselves, they always referred
their affairs to him and he never failed to bring about an amicable and
satisfactory settlement of their quarrels. That he was a man of good
judgment and much respected in the community is shown by the records
of the vestry of the Drumachose Parish Church (Church of Ireland) in
the town of Limavady. Under the date of the i6th of May. 1801. it ap-
I5i8 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
pears that he was appointed by the parish, one of a committee of three gentle-
men, to take steps to investigate the condition of and grant badges to the
deserving poor entitling them to beg within the parish. The following entry
is also on record in the parish register :
"At a vestry meeting held on the 14th day of June, 1805, the vestry refused to
confirm the applotment made and to appoint church wardens, and at a vestry meet-
ing held in the church of Newton-Limavady, for the Parish of Drumachose, on Tues-
daj', April 8, 1806, being Easter Tuesday, due notice thereof having been given,
the majority of the parishioners refused to nominate and appoint any church wardens
for the ensuing year; I, therefore, the Rev. John Wilkinson, Curate, do in the name
and for the Honorable and Reverend Charles Knox, Rector, nominate as required
by law, for the approbation of William, Lord Bishop of Derry, the following two men
to be church wardens for the ensuing year: Mr. James Moore, of Ballyavelin, and
Mr. Robert George, of Newton-Limavady, who are by law obliged to make and levy
a rate for the repairs of the church and to furnish all things necessary for the due
celebration of divine worship. The late church wardens have neglected to receive
from their predecessors the amount of the cess laid on in their year, as also to
collect their own cess, and therefore, have not settled their accounts or done aught
toward repairing the church, &c. (Signed) John Wilkinson, Curate, (Witnessed)
Richard Ross, William Patterson." "The vestry is adjourned until the 8th of May,
1806, for the purpose of entering in this book his Lordship, the Bishop of Derry's
nomination and appointment of the said James Moore and Robert George to the
office of church wardens. (Signed) John Wilkinson, Curate."
"At a vestry meeting held at the church of Newton-Limavady, for the Parish
of Drumachose, on Thursday, the 8th of May, 1806, pursuant to adjournment from
the former vestry, for the purpose of entering in this, the vestry book of the said
parish, the nomination, constitution and appointment of James Moore and Robert
George, to the office of church wardens for the year commencing on the 8th of
April, 1806, till Easter. 1807, by the Right Reverend William Knox, Lord Bishop of
Derry, in default of the parishioners of the said parish, said parish in vestry assembled
on Easter Tuesday, the 8th day of April, 1806, having refused to appoint church
wardens, a true copy of the said nomination, constitution and appointment of the
said James Moore and Robert George to the office of church wardens is hereto
annexed and regularly entered in this, the vestry book of the said parish.
"William, by divine permission. Lord Bishop of Derry, to James Moore, of
Ballyavelin, and Robert George, of Newton-Limavady, both in the parish of Druma-
chose, Greetings: Whereas, it hath appeared to us by faithworthy information that
the parishioners of Drumachose, at vestry assembled on Easter Tuesday, the 8th
day of .A.pril, 1806, did refuse to appoint church wardens for the said parish, for
the present year, and Whereas, by reason of the said refusal, the appointment of'
church wardens devolves upon us, and. Whereas, you the said James Moore and
Robert George have been returned to us by the Reverend Charles Knox, Rector
of the said parish, as proper and fit persons to serve the office of church wardens for
said parish, for the present year, we do hereby, by these presents, nominate, consti-
tute and appoint you, the said James Aloore and Robert George, church wardens for
the said parish for the year commencing on the 8th day of April, 1806. and ending
Easter, 1807, and have caused the said nomination, constitution and appointment to
be recorded in the registry of our diocese. Given under the Episcopal seal of said
diocese, the 24th day of April, 1806. (Signed) William, of Derry. A true copy.
(Signed) John Wilkinson, William Patterson, Joseph Maxwell."
While it inay seem strange that James Moore, a strict Presbyterian,
should be chosen as a church warden by the rector of the Drumachose
parish church (Episcopal), which was then the established church of
Ireland, we find that the ofiice of church warden was not at that time an
ecclesiastical, but rather a civil one. Previous to the establishment of the
Church of Ireland, the church wardens were responsible for the levying
and collection of the rates, the care of the roads and the poor, the furnish-
ing of coffins for the destitute and the making of necessary repairs to the
church edifices, not only of the established church, but of those of all
denominations within the parish, duties that would more properly appertain
in these times to a parish supervisor. It was, therefore, a striking tribute
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1519
to his ability and the estimation in which he was held in the parish that,
when trouble arose in the parish church through the failure of the wardens
to discharge their duties, the rector should go outside of his own congrega-
tion and select James Moore, a Presbyterian, for that responsible office.
Although the early records of the Drumachose Presbyterian Church
were destroyed, it is presumed that he and his wife were both members
of that congregation, as this church was built in 1743, rebuilt in 1875, and
is to this day attended by the Steeles and Cannings, many members of
whose families are buried in the beautiful churchyard adjoining the sanc-
tuary. He was one of the founders of the first church of Waterford, and
one of the first elders in die church, which position he filled as long as he
lived. The members of his family all united with the same church. His
last will and testament, duly proved and registered on the 8th day of Jan-
uary, 1839, a copy of which is hereto appended, reflects the character of
the man :
"In the name of God, Amen. I, James Moore, of the Township of Waterford, in
the county of Erie, being in a low state of health, and knowing that life is uncertain
and that death to me is at no distant period certain, do make and declare the follow-
ing instrument of writing to be my last will and testament, ist. It is my will and
desire that all my debts, of which there are but few and none of magnitude, be
promptly paid. 2d Item. I will and bequeath to my wife. Elizabeth, the sole use
and occupancy of my dwelling house and barn and the fifty acres of land embracing
them, to be enjoyed by her during her natural life, with all the appurtenances. 3rd
Item. I also will and bequeath to my said wife (after the pa>Tnent of my just debts)
the use of all my other property, personal and mixed, to be used and disposed of by
her, at her discretion, for the support of herself and such of our unmarried children
as may choose to reside with her. 4th Item. It is further my will and desire that
at the' decease of my wife, the said real estate, with whatever may then remain of
the personal property, be sold at public sale, and the avails thereof be divided equally,
share and share alike amongst all my children. 5th and lastly. I hereby constitute
and appoint my sons, John and .Mexander, together with my son-in-law, Simon
Himrod, or the survivor or survivors of them, to be my executors to execute the
foregoing will. In testimony whereof. I have hereunto set my hand and seal the
first day of Dec, A. D. 1838. James Moore (Seal). Witnesses present, John W.
Smith, John C. Smith."
His wife, Elizabeth, was a woman of uncommon education and refine-
ment, as were her sisters and her brother, John Canning, who ranked as
one of the most talented musicians in the North of Ireland. She was a
woman of deep religious sentiment, a good wife and a good mother, and
her memory was ever held in sacred veneration by all her children. The fol-
lowing poem, written in her own hand and signed by her, is worthy of a
place in this work :
"Remember me,
Not as thou wouldst a flower whose leaves are broken.
Whose rich, glad hues were brightened but to flee ;
That were, alas ! too fair, too sweet a token
To 'waken in thy breast my memory.
"Remember me.
Not as thou wouldst a thought once proudly glowing,
With all life's early freshness, warm and free.
For then the fount of memory is flowing.
Too high, too full, to call up thoughts of me.
"Remember me.
Not as thou wouldst thy morning's early breaking.
WTien the bright sun shone glad on land and sea;
I520 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Thy bosom is too proud of its awakening,
To cast one blissful thought on me.
"Remember me.
E'en as thou wouldst the autumn leaf that's lying,
In solitary sorrow by the tree,
Clinging to what is loved in life, the' dying,
'Tis thus I'd have thee sadly think of me.
"Remember me.
As thou wouldst call back some old strain of sweetness,
Whose melancholy breathings pleasur'd thee
And when thou sighest o'er its vanished fleetness.
Then, waken in thy heart one thought of me.
"Remember me,
Sadly remember me — for I am lonely.
And pleasant things are but a mockery;
I would be with thee in thy sorrows only.
Therefore, in thy grief, I pray thee, remember me."
The above sketch of the founder of the Moore family in this country is
due to the courtesy of P. W. Free, James S. Moore and Harry L. Moore.
Children of James and Elizabeth (Canning) Moore were: i. John, born
November 2, 1802. 2. Jane, born January 5, 1804. 3. Alexander, born
June 4, 1805. 4. William, born September 18, 1808. 5. Nancy, born May
18, 1 810, died January 8, 1894. 6. Martha, born October 7, 181 1. 7.
Thomas, born April 3, 1813. 8. James, born February 23, 1815. 9. Mary,
born May 31, 1817. 10. Lavina, born June 6, 1820. 11. Wilson, born February
25, 1822. 12. Elizabeth, born November 25, 1825, died September 24, 1893;
she married, July 7, 1859, E. P. Snow, who died August 26, 1865; they had
no children.
(II) Wilson, son of James and Elizabeth (Canning) Moore, was born
February 25, 1822, died April 29, 1870. He married (first) December 28,
1848, Hannah Campbell, who died January 6, 1850. He married (second)
December 18, 185 1, Nancy Campbell, who died August 26, 1898. Children,
all by second marriage: i. Francis James, born June 18, 1853, died Octo-
ber 10, 1910; he married, February 3, 1875, Erieanna Bean; she died June
16, 1894; child, Lynn William, born February 22, 1876, married, September
18, 1902, Daisy R. Buskey, child, Gladys Josephine, born August 24, 1907.
2. George Steele, born August 18, 1855, died November 2, 1856. 3. Mar-
shall, born August 26, 1857, died July 25, 1895 ; married, December 30,
1879, Ida Belle Hippie; children: i. Frederick Wilson, born September i,
1881, married, June 30, 1906, Grace Lillian Wheeler, deceased; left one
child, Marshall Edward, born September 19, 1908. ii. Julia Marie, born
November 8, 1893. 4. Sarah Elizabeth, born October 28, i860, died January
28, 1863. 5. Harry Lytle, see forward.
(III) Harry Lytle, son of Wilson and Nancy (Campbell) Moore, was
born March 16, 1865. He attended the public schools and Waterford
Academy, from which he graduated, after which he entered Lafayette Col-
lege, Easton, Pennsylvania, in the fall of 1884, and graduated in 1888,
Theological Department. He read law with Frank F. Marshall and during
this time also purchased and edited the Waterford Leader. In 1890 he
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1521
removed to Erie and became city editor of the Morning Dispatch. In 1890
he was admitted to the bar, and entered upon practice, giving special atten-
tion to corporation law and orphans' court practice. He confines himself chiefly
to office practice. In 1892 he was appointed United States commissioner,
was twice reappointed for five year terms, his last commission to expire
in 1917. He is a director and vice-president of the Marine National Bank;
a director of the Erie Trust Company since 1902 ; and secretary of the Erie
Qub since 1894; is a member of the board of managers of the Hamot Hos-
pital, and is a trustee of the Erie Public Library.
He married. May 16, 1888, Madeline T. Gleubler.
(II) Thomas Moore, son of James and Elizabeth (Canning) Moore,
was born April 3, 1813, died November 14, 1886. He married (first) De-
cember 26, 1834, , who died February 25, 1861. He married (second)
September 23, 1862, Isabella Powell, who died February 18, 1908. Children
by the first marriage :
I. Sarah, who was born June 22, 1836; married November 22, 1854,
Matthew Campbell, who died December 18, 1887; children: i. Martha
Edith, bom July 20, 1856; married, April 7, 1886, Bumham S. Gilkinson ;
child, Sarah May, born February 27, 1894. ii. Bertha Jane, born April
28, 1859; married, January 25, 1882, Marshal B. Hood; child, Ruth H.,
born September 17, 1884, married, December 17, 1907, Samuel Myers,
iii. Thomas Kirk, born October 21, i860, died May 26, 1861. iv. James
Moore, born March 28, 1863, died December 12, 1887. v. George Winters,
born November 2, 1865; married, February 3, 1885, Jennie E. McLean;
children: a. Sarah Esther, born February 21, 1886, married, January 14,
1904, Harry A. McWilliams ; children : a. Lawrence A., bom August 8,
1904; Merle, bom March 2, 1908. b. Clarence M., born December 29, 1892.
c. Arthur M., bom April 14, 1897. 2. James K., born May 18, 1839, died
July 23, 1865. 3. Ralph, born March 24, 1842; married, June 4, 1868,
Sophia J. Avery ; has no children. 4. Pressley Thomas, born October 26,
1845, died June 13, 1882; married, January 4, 1871, Margaret J. Powell;
children : i. Hugh Howard, born September 19. 1871 ; married, June 3,
1901, Cora C. Bennett: children: Margaret May, born March 11, 1902;
Sarah Elizabeth, born June 25, 1907. ii. Fred Himrod, born August 23,
1873, married, June 14. 1905, Anna B. Rose ; child, Howard Pressley, born
November 5, 1906. 5. Kirk Canning, born January 3, 1854, died December
II, 1856. Children of the second marriage of Thomas Moore: 6. Kate
Wilson, born August 7, 1863, died in the same year. 7. Albert Lincoln,
see forward. 8. Anna Elizabeth, born July 13, 1867, died October 28. 1907;
married, July 28, 1903, William D. Bryans; child, Florence E., born May
20, 1904.
(III) Albert Lincoln Moore, son of Thomas and Isabella (Powell)
Moore, was born April 15, 1865. He married, June 2. 1898, Olive Potter.
Children : Albert Lee, born November 27, 1899 ; Harold Potter, born
January 10, 1902.
1522 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
The Strong family of England was originally located in
STRONG Shropshire. One of the family married an heiress of Griffith,
of the county of Caernarvon, Wales, and went thither to re-
side in 1545. Richard Strong was one of this branch of the family, born
in Caernarvon in 1561. In 1590 he moved to Taunton, Somersetshire, Eng-
land, where he died in 1613, leaving a son, John, now known in history as
Elder John Strong, "The Pilgrim," and a daughter, Eleanor.
"Elder" John Strong was born in Taunton, England, in 1605, lived in
London and Plymouth, England. Having strong Puritan sympathies he
sailed from Plymouth for the new world, March 20, 1630, in the ship "Mary
and John" with 140 passengers arrived at Nantasket, Massachusetts, Sun-
day. May 30, 1630. Here they were put ashore by the captain of the vessel,
although their destination was the Charles river. This colony founded
the town of Dorchester, Massachusetts. John Strong and his sister Eleanor
shared the fortunes of the new colony until 1635, when John Strong moved
to Hingham and on March 9, 1636, took the freeman's oath at Boston.
He soon moved to Taunton, Massachusetts, where he was a land owner
and proprietor of record December 4, 1638, and in that year was made
a freeman of Plymouth colony. He was deputy in the General Court from
Taunton 1641-1643 and 1644. From Taunton he moved to Windsor, Con-
necticut. From Windsor he removed in 1659 to Northampton, Massachu-
setts, being one of the first and most active founders of that town, as he
had previously been of Dorchester, Hingham, Taunton and Windsor. He
was a very prosperous tanner in Northampton and owned at various times
some 200 acres of land there. He was elected ruling elder of the North-
ampton Church, as appears from the church records. "After solemn and
extraordinary seeking to God for his direction and blessing the church
chose John Strong, ruling elder." His first wife died on the passage over
or shortly after, and soon afterward her second child also died. He married
(second) in December, 1630, Abigail, daughter of Thomas Ford, who came
in the "Mary and John" from England with him. Abigail (Ford) Strong
was the mother of sixteen children. She died July 6, 1688, aged about
eighty years, he died April 14, 1699, ^ged ninety-four years. At the time
of his death fifteen of his children had families, their children numbering
114 and these had thirty-three children, great-grandchildren of Elder John
Strong.
(II) John (2), eldest son of Elder John Strong and his first wife,
was born in England in 1626, died at Windsor, Connecticut, February 20,
1698. He was a tanner and a man of importance. He married, November
26, 1656, Mary, daughter of Joseph and Frances Clark. She was bap-
tized, September 30, 1638, died April 28, 1663. He married (second) in
1664, Elizabeth Warriner. By the first wife he had, Mary and Hannah; by
second wife, John, Jacob, Josiah and Elizabeth.
(III) Jacob, second son of John (2) Strong and his second wife, Eliza-
beth Warriner, was born April 8, 1673, died in 1750. He married, November
10, 1698, Abigail, daughter of Nathaniel and Mindwell (Moore) Bissell of
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1523
East Windsor, Connecticut. She was born, March 9, 1676, died March 25,
1749; children: Abigail, Mindwell, Jacob, Ann, Eunice, "Sergeant" Nathan-
iel, Asahel and Timothy.
(IV) Timothy, youngest child of Jacob and Abigail (Bissell) Strong,
was born in 1719, died August 19, 1803. He was a farmer of East Windsor,
Connecticut. He married (first) December 26, 1753, Sarah Stricklin, born
in 1724, died May 13, 1769. He married (second) March 7, 1770, Abi
Doudy, born 1742, died January 14, 1792. He married (third) December
S, 1793, Editha Richestone. His first wife bore him: Alexander, Eli, Sarah,
Samuel, David. His second wife bore, "Captain" Martin, Timothy, Abi,
Timothy (2), Levi, Willard. His third wife bore Betsey.
(V) "Captain" Martin Strong, eldest son of Timothy Strong and his
second wife, Abi Doudy, was born in East Windsor, Connecticut, November
20, 1770, died in Erie, Pennsylvania, March 24, 1858. He moved to Presque
Isle (Erie), Erie county, Pennsylvania, in August, 1795, being then twenty-
five years of age and unmarried. He purchased 400 acres of well located
land, paying therefor, fifty cents per acre, and by a life of determined in-
dustry, cleared about 300 acres of it and added 200 acres to the original
area. He left to two of his sons a farm of 600 acres, half of it cleared
by his efforts and theirs. He was remarkable for his energy and for his
many excellencies of character, also for his eccentricities. He married, June
16, 1805, Hannah Trask, born August 9, 1786, died April 30, 1807, daughter
of Rufus and Hannah (Tracy) Trask. He married (second) December
10, 181 1, Sarah Drake, bom at East Windsor, Connecticut, September 10,
1778, died January 15, 1866, daughter of Amasa Drake, her mother a Webb.
Child by first wife, Eliza, died aged seventeen years ; children by second
wife: I. Sarah Ann, born September 24, 1812, married June 24, 1834,
Bethuel Boyd Vincent, a civil engineer, merchant, iron manufacturer and
banker of Erie, Pennsylvania. Their eldest son. Brigadier General Strong
Vincent, fell mortally wounded at Gettysburg, July 2, 1863, and died July
7, following. 2. Francis, of further mention. 3. Major Martin, a farmer
and extensive cattle dealer. 4. Timothy, died young. 5. Lydia Webb, born
September 26, 1818, married Thomas Brown Vincent, a merchant of Erie,
Pennsylvania, sheriff of Erie county, and manufacturer's agent. 6. Landafif,
December 30, 1821, died July 13, 1869.
(VI) Francis Drake, eldest son of "Captain" Martin Strong and his
second wife, Sarah Drake, was born on the homestead farm in Waterford
township, Erie county, Pennsylvania, April 4, 1814, died in May, 1891. He
obtained a good education, and ever resided upon the homestead farm. He
managed tlie large estate with rare judgment and made it not only a very
productive property but a favorite resort of his many friends. He had a
wide circle of warm friends and at his beautiful country home was the ideal
host and agreeable companion. He was a Democrat in politics and a good
friend of St. Peter's Episcopal Church, his father. Captain Martin Strong,
having been one of its founders. Mr. Strong married, October 13, 1846,
Annabel B. Vincent, bom in Waterford, July 3, 1823, died February 10, 1910,
1524 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
daughter of William and Elsie (Nichols) V^incent. Mrs. Strong began her
married life at the home, where for forty-five years her happiness was un-
interrupted. She survived her husband nineteen years, continuing her home
until her death at the farm to which she came a bride sixty-four years
previous. She was greatly beloved by all who knew her, her great mother
heart opening not only to children and grandchildren, but to every living
creature who needed a friend. She vied with her husband in hospitality and
none who ever knew the cordiality of her welcome can ever forget it. Chil-
dren, all born at the old homestead: Emma, November 25, 1847; Jessie,
August 6, 1849, died July 5, 1904, married Jason P. Way, children: Anna-
bel and Scott; William Martin, born October 31, 1851, unmarried; Margaret
Webb, born February 8, 1855; Sarah Drake, born May 29, 1857, married
Arthur Von Senden, children : Karl Strong, Boyd Vincent and Margaret
Louise, who died aged seventeen years; Frank, born April 4, 1861, resides
at Pioneer, Iowa ; George Vincent, of whom further.
William Martin Strong, his sisters, Emma and Margaret, reside at the
old homestead, rendered so dear to him by the traditions and influences of
three generations. The property is modernly managed and under the wise
care of its owners is increasing in value. The old home has been modern-
ized until little of the original dwelling remains. This is one of the few
estates in Erie county that is yet in the same name as appears on the original
grant. Both daughters are members of St. Peter's Episcopal Church, which
their grandfather aided in founding.
(VII) George Vincent, youngest child of Francis Drake and Annabel
B. (Vincent) Strong, was born on the homestead, Waterford, Pennsylvania,
July 18, 1865. He was educated in the public schools and Waterford
Academy, spending the years of youth and manhood until 1907 at the home
farm. In that year he entered the employ of the Wheeler Lumber Com-
pany and spent a year in West Virginia. In 1908 he purchased the furniture
and undertaking business of James A. Boyd in Waterford, and is there well
established and prosperous. He is a Democrat in politics and a member of
the Masonic and Odd Fellows Orders, and both he and his wife are members
of St. Peter's Episcopal Church. Mr. Strong possesses the traits of char-
acter that marked his father and grandfather and ranks with the able men
of his town.
He married at Guelph, Province of Ontario, Canada, January 23, 1907,
Nellie May Walker, born in Guelph, May 14, 1875, daughter of Hugh Lewis
and Jane (Robertson) Walker. She is a granddaughter of Robert and Sarah
(Shaw) Walker, who emigrated from county Antrim, Ireland, about 1850,
settling on a farm near Georgetown, Canada. He had children : Margaret,
Sarah, Hugh Lewis, Charlotte, Benjamin. Hugh Lewis Walker, born in
county Antrim in 1847, was in his third year when he was brought across
the seas by his parents to Canada. He there obtained a good education,
remaining at the home farm until he was twenty years of age. He then
entered business life at Guelph, Canada, which has ever since been his home,
although he was engaged in the sewing machine business in Cleveland, Ohio,
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1525
for a few years. He is now general manager of the Raymond Sewing Ma-
chine Company at Guelph. Mr. Walker married, about 1872, Jane Robert-
son, born in Norham, Canada (or Northam, England), in 1855, died Jan-
uary 2, 1901, daughter of William and Mary (Tate) Robertson; children:
Charles, Nellie May, Maud, George Shaw and Harold.
Child of George Vincent and Nellie May (Walker) Strong: Hugh Vin-
cent, born at Elkins, West Virginia, November 19, 1907.
This branch of the Vincent family, which also includes the
VINCENT well known Bishop, John H. Vincent, of the Methodist Epis-
copal Church, and the gallant Brigadier General Strong
Vincent, who fell- at the battle of Gettysburg, springs from a Huguenot an-
cestor, Levi Vincent, who fled to America to avoid religious persecution. He
was born in the southern part of France, April 10, 1676, died in New Jer-
sey, 1763, leaving a son, John. On coming to this country he first settled
at New Rochelle, New York, later moving to Essex county, New Jersey,
where he made permanent settlement, and owned a farm on which he died.
(II) John, son of Levi Vincent, the Huguenot ancestor, was born on
the New Jersey farm in 1709, died in Milton, Pennsylvania, February 24,
1 801. He lived in New Jersey until his children grew to manhood, then
came to Pennsylvania with his son, Cornelius. The Vincents were the first
settlers on Warrior Run, Northumberland county, coming from New Jersey
in 1772. John Cornelius and Peter Vincent coming with Peter Freeland,
who settled on Warrior Run three or four miles from its mouth, the Vin-
cents settling on the West Branch about a mile below the mouth of the
Run. These pioneers built log cabins and began improvement forming a
nucleus around which other settlements were made. Freeland built a small
grist mill on Warrior Run in 1773, having brought the necessary iron with
him from New Jersey. In 1775, when it became apparent to Freeland, the
Vincents and other settlers, that the Indians were becoming bolder and more
troublesome, Fort Freeland was built on a rising piece of ground about half
a mile from where Warrior Run Church later was built. The fort, which
afterwards became famous, was a stockade enclosure and ranked as one of
the principal defenses in the valley above Fort Augusta. On the morning of
July 28, 1779, the fort was attacked by a force of 100 British soldiers and
200 Indians, the defending force consisting of twenty-one efifective men. a
large number of women and children relyin^on these few men for protec-
tion. Of the brave women in the fort, there were two, Phoebe Vincent and
Mary Kirk, who began moulding bullets for the rifles of the defenders, con-
tinuing until every leaden dish or spoon had been melted. After a stout
resistance, Captain McDonald, the British commander, offered terms of sur-
render, in order to prevent a massacre when the fort should finally fall,
which was inevitable. Captain Lytle, of the defending force, and John \'in-
cent, went out to meet him under a flag of truce and arranged the terms of
surrender, one of the articles reading: "All men bearing arms to surrender
themselves prisoners of war and to be sent to Canada."
1526 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
John Vincent was one of the old men allowed to remain, being then
in his eightieth year. His wife was a cripple and unable to walk. He car-
ried her from the fort to the lower end of the meadow and there they re-
mained during the rainy night without cover or shelter. In the morning
he caught a horse, which came to them, made a bridle from hickory bark,
placed his wife on the horse and succeeded in making his way in safety to
Sunbury. Notwithstanding their hardships and exposure, the wife lived until
1788, while John survived her thirteen years, dying in 1801 at the age of
ninety-two years. John Vincent married, December i, 1733, Elizabeth Dore-
mus, born July 13, 171 1, died February 11, 1788. She was a member of the
Doremus family of New Jersey, yet a prominent one in Essex county of that
state ; children : Isaac ; Cornelius, of whom further ; Rachel ; Elizabeth, died
young; Elizabeth (2); Jane Mary; Benjamin; Peter. Of these sons Cor-
nelius and Peter settled at Warrior Run, Northumberland county, Pennsyl-
vania, near Milton.
(Ill) Cornelius, son of John and Elizabeth (Doremus) Vincent, was
born on the home farm in Essex county. New Jersey, April 15, 1737, died
in Milton, Pennsylvania, July 16, 1812. He grew to manhood in New Jer-
sey, married and had a large family, with whom in 1772 he made the journey
to Penns)'lvania, his aged father also accompanying him, as did his brother,
Peter. At Warrior Run, on the west branch, in Northumberland county,
he selected his farm and there lived the hardy life of a pioneer until 1789,
when he became a prisoner to the British and Indians, by the terms of sur-
render of Fort Freeland. By the tSrms of capitulation all women were to be
allowed to go free with their clothing, but the men became prisoners of war.
John, the aged father, being so old, was exempted from capture, but Cor-
nelius Vincent and his sons, Bethuel, Daniel and Benjamin, were all taken
prisoners to Canada. Cornelius, the father, was kept heavily ironed for
about eighteen months, and when he finally returned from captivity, carried
the cruel marks of his fetters, marks that he bore to his grave. (The ex-
periences of the sons will be given in their individual records.) Cornelius
Vincent married Phoebe Ward, of an old New Jersey family. On a plain
monument in Warrior Run Church graveyard, reared by loving hands, is this
inscription: "This monument is erected by John Vincent, esq. to rescue
from oblivion the memory of his beloved parents, Cornelius and Phoebe
Vincent. They were born in Newark, New Jersey, and died in Milton, Penn-
sylvania. He died July 16, 1812, in his seventy-sixth year; she died Feb-
ruary 25, 1809, in her seventieth year." Children: i. Isaac, bom June 20,
1757. 2. Daniel, born January 17, 1760. At the time of the capture of Fort
Freeland he had been but a short time married and after his taking away to
Canada a prisoner, his wife made her way back to her parents in New Jersey.
Three years rolled away without tidings, but she did not give up hope and
finally he did return. He had been adopted into the tribe capturing him and
claimed by a squaw whose warrior had been killed in battle at Fort Free-
land. He was an expert rifle shot and after a time was permitted to hunt,
but never without two Indian companions. By seeming content with his lot
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1527
he was allowed a certain amount of freedom which he employed in becom-
ing familiar with all the peculiarities of the country and planning a route by
which he intended to escape. He finally lured his companions as far away
as they would go, then after a fight in which both the red men were slain,
he struck out for his own home in New Jersey, where his wife had re-
turned. After incredible hardships he reached his family bearded and un-
recognizable. 3. Bethuel, of further mention. 4. Sarah, born July 26, 1765.
5. Benjamin, born 1768. He was a lad of but eleven years when captured at
Fort Freeland, July 21, 1779, on the first attack. He was sent to Canada,
and there held five years before he was liberated and returned to his home^
6. John (Judge), born February 4, 1772, settled in Erie county, Pennsyl-
vania, in June, 1797, and became prominent in the legal and political world.
He erected the monuments to his parents in Warrior Run Church cemetery
and ever cherished the memory of his forbears. He married (first) in 1802,
Nancy Boyd, born November 28, 1768, died March 1806, daughter of Wil-
liam and Sarah Boyd. He married (second) Nancy, daughter of James
Anderson. The only child of his first marriage, Bethuel Boyd Vincent, mar-
ried Sarah Ann, daughter of Captain Martin Strong (see Strong V). Their
children were: Brigadier General Strong Vincent, killed at Gettysburg;
Bishop Boyd Vincent ; Ward Vincent ; Reed Vincent ; Rose V. ; Blanche Belle
and Kate. The children of the second marriage of John Vincent were in
part: John A., Phoebe W., Henry R., Cornelius H. and James Preston. 7.
Elizabeth. 8. Rebecca. 9. Mary.
(IV) Bethuel, third son of Cornelius and Phoebe (Ward) Vincent,
was born in New Jersey, June 3, 1762, died May i, 1837. He accompanied
his father to Pennsylvania and was one of the prisoners delivered to the
Indians at the surrender of Freeland's Fort and with his father and brotliers,
Daniel and Benjamin, carried away to Canada. He was held a prisoner
for a long time but at last was released and returned to his home in Milton,
Pennsylvania, where he resided until death. He was postmaster of the vil-
lage and a man of prominence. He married in January, 1788, Martha
Himrocl, born in Bedminster, New Jersey, October, 1764, died August 10,
1806, daughter of Simon Himrod, (see Himrod) ; children: i. Sarah, born
December 13, 1788, died October 30, 1839, married Colonel John B. Hogan,
U. S. A. 2. William, of whom further. 3. Daniel, born January 17, 1792,
died October 6, 1858. 4. Mary, born March 14, 1794, died November 15,
1830, married William T. Brown. 5. "Captain" Benjamin, born June 6,
1796, died October 30, 1839. 6. John Himrod, born April 20, 1798, died
August 13, 1873. 7. Phoebe, born 1800, died in infancy. 8. Phoebe (2),
born ]\Iarch 23, 1803, married (first) Moore B. Bradley. M.D.. (second)
William Himrod.
(V) William', eldest son of Bethuel and Martha (Himrod) Mncent,
was born in Milton, Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, July 4. 1790,
died in Waterford, Pennsylvania, March 19, 1872. He came to Waterford
in 1816, served as postmaster and justice of the peace, a man highly honored
and deeply respected. He married, Februan^ 20, 1817, Elsie Jackson Nichols,
1528 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
born near Jersey Shore, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, in November,
1797, and came to Waterford in 1816; children: i. John Pericles, of vk^hom
further. 2. Margaret Martha, bom in 1819, died in 1841, unmarried. 3.
George Calhoun, born 1821, died 1847, married and had issue, George T.
and Frank. 4. Annabel B., born July 3, 1823, married Francis Drake
Strong (see Strong VI). 5. Thomas N., born 1825, married and left a
son. 6. Phoebe Marie, born 1827, married Samuel Rea. 7. Oscar Bethuel,
born October, 1829, left two sons, residents of Webster City, Iowa. 8. Wil-
liam H., born 1832, died 1852. 9. Sarah Hogan, for many years post-
mistress at Waterford, died unmarried.
(VI) John Pericles, eldest son of William and Elsie J. (Nichols)
Vincent, was born in Waterford, Pennsylvania, December 2, 1817, died at
Erie, Pennsylvania, March, 1909. He was educated in the public schools
and Waterford Academy, beginning the study of law in 1839, under the
direction of Elijah Babbitt. He was admitted to the bar February 2, 1841,
and became one of the strong men of his profession. An active Republican
from the formation of the party, he added weight to its early adherents and
in turn received honors in abundance. In 1862- 1863 he was a member of
the House from Erie county and in the latter year a candidate for speaker.
In 1866 he was elected additional judge of the Sixth Judicial District, com-
posed of the counties of Erie, Crawford and Elk. When under the con-
stitution of 1874 the state was redistricted and Erie county with Warren and
Elk, continued the Sixth District, he was appointed and commissioned
judge of the district, serving until January, 1877, when he retired to private
practice.
The traditional origin of the name Manross, a patronymic
MANROSS connected with many of the proudest of the state of Penn-
sylvania, is that an ancestor of the family, who wrote his
name Manroe, was taken prisoner in the Revolutionary War, and, upon
escaping from his captors, changed the termination of his name from roe
to ross, in order to avoid detection. Becoming known as Manross, it was
practically impossible for him to once more assume his true name, and as
Manross he and his descendants lived and worked. The first of this line
of whom record is obtainable was Asa Manross, a native of Vermont, New
England having been the American seat of the family, who was a soldier in
the second war with Great Britain. He was the father of George, of whom
further.
(II) George, son of Asa Manross, was born in Vermont, where his
youthful days were spent. In young manhood he came to Pennsylvania,
locating near Hickory, Forest county, where he engaged in lumbering all
his life, his death occurring when he was about seventy-two years of age.
He was ever a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, having united
with that faith in childhood. He was twice married, first to Sarah Burdick,
who died aged about fifty-three years, and second to Mary Kid, of Chau-
tauqua county, New York. Children, all of his first marriage : John Wash-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1529.
ington, of whom further; Betsey; Jane; Lavina; and a son, who died in
infancy.
(Ill) John Washington, son of George and his first wife, Sarah (Bur-
dick) Manross, was born in Warren county, Pennsylvania, died in Erie
county, Pennsylvania, October 9, 1880, aged fifty-six years. His early
home was near Pollock's Bridge, on French Creek, Erie county, where he
attended the old Burdick school. When he was a lad of fourteen years he
entered the employ of George Buryer, remaining with him until he had at-
tained his majority, by which time he was a thoroughly competent lumber-
man. He then worked for his uncle, Gates Manross, in the lumber woods
of the Allegheny region, for fifteen years, felling the trees and rafting them
down the Allegheny river. With his earnings from this employment Mr.
Manross purchased more than four hundred acres of land, thinking only
that it was a safe investment, and one on which he would be able to realize
profit at the rate usual in such transactions. During his ownership, oil
was discovered on the property and he was made an oflfer of $50,000 for
the tract, which he accepted, fortune thus endowing him with a comfortable
competence in return for his modest investment. He then returned to
Erie county, purchasing about two hundred and forty acres of land and
erecting a commodious home and numerous farm buildings. On his farm
he also built a mill, operating the same until his death. His land was fertile
and valuable, his buildings attractive, his mill well patronized, and his loca-
tion ideal, the combination making his property the most desirable and valu-
able in the region. He was the owner of considerable other property, among
his possessions being two large farms in Crawford county, both rich and
productive, and the land once occupied by the old United States fort at Le
Boeuf, property still owned by his descendants. At the time of the Civil
War he was drafted for service, but because of physical inability was not
permitted to march to the front, his bodily weakness having been the
obstacle in the way of his enlisting. His political sympathies were with
the Republican party, and he was a member of the Methodist Episcopal
church. He donated the fund to build the Manross Church and for several
years defrayed the cost of maintenance, a true index to his generosity and
the admirable course that his beneficences followed. This church, dedicated
to non-sectarians, the members of any congregation, of any denomination,
being privileged to use it at any time, permission of which advantage was
often taken. The predominant traits of Mr. Manross' character were his
fidelity and loyalty to a friend, and his adherence to convictions first formed,
in spite of damaging evidence that might arise later. He married, at Enter-
prise, Warren county, Pennsylvania, in 1846, Fannie Mahala Roland, born
at Russellville, Warren county, Pennsylvania. April 5. 1831, daughter of
Jesse and Jenny (Brown) Roland. She survives him to the present time,
spending her latter years on the Manross farm. Although four score and
three years have intervened since the day of her birth, their mark upon her
is faint and their blighting touch light. The spirit of her youth is still strong
in her, and with her clear faculties and her strong mentality, contact and
I530 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
conversation with her is a rare enjoyment, for while most of her generation
have passed from her, she has learned the secret of happiness in old age,
the enjoyment of the pleasure of others, a secret that brightens the lives
of many of more youthful years than Mrs. Manross. She holds member-
ship in the Methodist Episcopal church, to which she has belonged since
1867.
Jesse, son of David Roland, was born in Connecticut, and was there
a farmer, in Pennsylvania purchasing land, and, after a short time spent
in the lumber woods of Forest county, settled on his farm near Russell-
ville, Warren county, where he resided until his deatli, aged seventy-two
years. His wife, Jenny (Brown) Manross, died aged fifty-five years. They
were the parents of: i. Nancy, died aged eighty-six years. 2. Phoebe, died
aged fifty-four years. 3. Charles, died aged three years. 4. Daniel. 5.
Fannie Mahala, of previous mention, married John Washington Manross.
6. and 7. Both died in infancy. Children of John Washington and Fannie
Mahala (Roland) Manross: i. Riley George, of whom further. 2. Isa-
dora, born January 20, 1854, died March 30, 1913, married Charles Manross
(no relation) and had one daughter, Sadie, married Charles Rider, deceased.
3. Emma, born February 25, 1858, married Charles H. Himebaugh, deceased,
and had three children, all deceased.
(IV) Riley George, son of John Washington and Fannie Mahala
(Roland) Manross, was born in Forest county, Pennsylvania, May 4, 1851,
died on the Manross homestead July 22, 188 1. He came to Manrosstown
with his parents, there growing to^manhood and attending the public schools.
He inherited a portion of the homestead, on which he resided until his death,
lumbering and farming being the occupations with which he busied him-
self. He was a strong supporter of the Republican party, and belonged to
the Methodist Episcopal church. He married, April 8, 1869, Eliza, born
March i, 1848, died March 7, 1910, daughter of James and Betsey Shearer.
Children of Riley George and Eliza (Shearer) Manross: i. Adelbert D.,
born May 30, 1871, died May 20, 1883. 2. Daniel Riley, of whom further.
3. Fannie Mahala, born September 18, 1880, married Claude Babcock, and
had four children, of whom two died in infancy, the other two being Ora
and Mabel.
(V) Daniel Riley, son of Riley George and Eliza (Shearer) Manross,
was born on the Manross homestead in Erie county, Pennsylvania, Sep-
tember 13, 1873. The public schools were the source of his graded educa-
tion, and since his birth he has made the homestead, of which he owns a
large part, his home. He has remodeled the old buildings, has built and
operates a saw-mill, and in his agricultural operations has attained a high
state of cultivation, his various activities, besides giving him many duties
to which to attend, netting him a comfortable income. He is a Republican
in politics and for the past eight years has served as a member of the Re-
publican county committee. He belongs to the Home Watchmen, of Erie,
Pennsylvania. For his success in the lines of endeavor to which he has
directed his efforts Mr. Manross is held in high regard by his friends and
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1531
neighbors, and because of his readiness to assist in any forward movement
in the locality in which he lives he is justly known as a citizen of public spirit.
He married Lulu Edna, born near Custer City, Mercer county, Penn-
sylvania, July 14, 1875, daughter of William and Caroline (Chaney) Turner.
William, son of Reverend Isaac, a minister of the Baptist church, and Abi-
gail (Williams) Turner, was born in Crawford county, Pennsylvania,
and is buried in Mill Village, Pennsylvania. A large part of his life
was spent in the pursuit of lumbering and for a time he was the operator of
a saw mill, his business taking him to Clarion and Venango counties and
finally to Erie county, where he purchased a one hundred acre tract of land,
known as the Gates Manross farm, spending the last eight years of his life
thereon. He was a Republican in politics and a member of the Free Will
Baptist church. Children of William and Caroline (Chaney) Turner: i.
Harry Burton, born April 24, 1872. 2. Freeman Edmund, died in in-
fancy. 3. Lulu Edna, of previous mention, married Daniel Riley Manross.
4. Clara Leona, born January 16, 1878. 5. Perley M., died November 6,
1888, aged nine years. 6. George W. 7. Adah Elmina, born July i, 1887.
Children of Daniel Riley and Lulu Edna (Turner) Manross: i. Ralph
W^ellington, born May 25, 1898. 2. Alberta Lucile, born December 4, 1909.
This ancient Scottish family has an ancestry very inter-
ROBERTSON esting to trace. The Robertsons of Strowan are un-
questionably one of the oldest and most eminent families
in Scotland, being the sole remaining branch of that royal house which oc-
cupied the throne and kingdom during the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth
centuries, from which they can distinctly trace their descent. Says Skene:
"It is undoubted that the Robertsons are descended from the ancient Earls
of Athol, which house sprang from Duncan, King of Scotland, eldest son of
Malcolm III., surnamed Canmore." The Earls of Athol were the ancestors
of the Robertsons of Strowan. They were the Robertson family before
the name of Robertson was assumed as a surname. Crenan, Lord or Earl
of Athol, married Balhoe (or Beatrice), daughter of King Malcolm II.
Crenan and Balhoe were the ancestors of all the Scottish kings from Dun-
can I to Alexander III in the male line, except Macbeth. In America the
allied families include the Patrick Henry family of Virginia, the Hamiltons
and Livingstons of New York, MacNaughtons, MacDougalls and many
others famous in American history.
(I) George Robertson, who was born in Scotland, emigrated to this
country, but it is a matter of doubt whether or not his parents ever left their
native land. He settled in the state of New York, where he had two
brothers, Philip and Oakley. He was a farmer in Dryden township, Tomp-
kins county. New York, where he bought a tract of land from a land com-
pany. He was one of the men of influence in the locality, and assisted in
attracting new settlers to the district. He married Mary Smith, and had
children : Thomas, John, Theodore, Philip, of further mention ; Robert,
Cyrus, Smith, Mott, Permelia, Corella, Phoebe, Paulina.
1532 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
(II) Philip Robertson, son of George Robertson, was born in New
York about 1808. He settled in Conneaut township, Crawford county,
Pennsylvania, about 1834, purchasing one hundred and fifty (150) acres
of land. He married prior to coming to Crawford county, Sarah, a daughter
of Chapman Fulkerson, and they had children: i. Mary, who died in 1864;
was the wife of A. M. Osborne, and had children: Charles M. and Smith,
deceased. 2. George C, of further mention. 3. D. S., living in Conneaut
township, married Trilena Lucas, and has had children : Mary, deceased ;
Sarah, deceased; Ada; Georgia.
(III) George C. Robertson, son of Philip and Sarah (Fulkerson)
Robertson, was born in Conneaut township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania,
April 9, 1840. He acquired his education in the common schools, then at-
tended the high school, and from there went to Ithaca, New York, where
his education was completed. For a time he was a clerk in a store, then
entered the employ of the California State Telegraph Company, at Fort
Vancouver, Washington state. In later life he devoted his time to farming
in Conneaut township. In 1875 he was a charter member of the Conneaut
Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, and he is also a member of the Masonic
fraternity. He married, September 9, 1867, Sarah J., daughter of James
McKean, and they have had children: i. Roy, died in infancy. 2. Mott,
living at Sharon, Pennsylvania ; is owner of the largest ice cream plant in
Western Pennsylvania ; married Bessie Collins, and had children : Collins,
Victor, Sarah Louise and Isabella. 3. Ross A., a motorman on the Sharps-
ville, Sharon and Middlesex Lina ; married Daisy Spaulding, and lives at
Sharon. 4. Florence M., living in Linesville, Pennsylvania ; married Arthur
Martin, a merchant, doing business under the name of Martin Brothers
Store. 5. Ethel R., living at Linesville, Pennsylvania ; married Frank Shat-
tuck, a tower operator in the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Com-
pany, and had children : E. Robertson and Frank Allen, Jr.
An extract from the "Spicer Genealogy," compiled by Susan
SPICER Meach, and published by the F. H. Gilson Company, of Bos-
ton, Massachusetts :
The authentic coat-of-arms of the Spicer family, found at Exeter county,
Devon, Visitation of Devonshire, England, 1620, is: Per pale gules, and
sable, three castles in bend or cotised within a bordure enge, ermine. The
American progenitor of the family is not established with certainty, but
according to the will (still extant) of an Elizabeth Spicer, probated March
20, 1684, at Exeter, county Devon, England, it seems that the American
progenitor was an Edward Spicer, who came to Virginia in 1635, who had
a SOB Peter, who came north and settled in Connecticut. We have authentic
records from Peter down, but whether this Peter was the Peter, son of
Edward, who settled in Virginia, we are not sure, but everything points that
way.
(I) Peter Spicer resided on a large tract of land two miles from New
London, Connecticut, in 1666, according to Connecticut land records, and
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1533
the family Bible of Abel Spicer, a descendant of Peter, says Peter came from
Virginia and was of English parentage. In 1675, during King Philip's War,
Peter Spicer was among the volunteers, and received for his services one
hundred and forty acres in Voluntown, Lot 108, of the "Cedar Swamp
Lots." This land was sold by his son Edward to Christopher Avery, of
Groton, in 1719. Peter Spicer left a large estate to his widow, his death
occurring in 1714. He married, December 15, 1670, Mary, a daughter of
Peter and Mary Busecot, and had children: Edward, married Katherine
Stone; Peter; William, married Hannah Roath ; Ruth, married Samuel
Newton; Samuel, married Susannah Olmsby ; Jabez, of further mention;
Abigail ; Hannah ; Jane ; Mary ; Sarah.
(II) Jabez Spicer, son of Peter and Mary (Busecot) Spicer, was born
at New London, Connecticut, and had his homestead between Pomfret and
Canterbury, Connecticut. He had a tannery there for many years, and was
also a great dealer in real estate, the county records showing about fifty ex-
changes of land which he bought and sold in his vicinity. At times he owned
several hundred acres of land. He married, August 2, 1715, Margaret, a
daughter of Nathaniel and Sarah (Geer) Parke, and had children: Ezekiel,
born August 19, 1716, married Luce Shepard ; Jeremiah, born January 28,
1718; Ebenezer, born January 5, 1722; Desire, born February 15, 1724,
married, November 11, 1742, Nathaniel Holmes; Phebe, born August 8,
1730, married, June 21, 1750, Nathan Whiton ; Nathan, of further mention.
(III) Nathan Spicer, son of Jabez and Margaret (Parke) Spicer, was
born in Pomfret, Connecticut, September 10, 1735, and died in Fort Ann,
Washington county, New York, July 27, 181 1. He spent some time in
Amenia, New York, and from there went to Kinderhook, Columbia county,
New York, removed to Nassau, Albany county, in the same state, and finally
settled in Washington county, where his death occurred. He served in the
Revolutionary War. His name appears in an assignment of land county
rights, composed of members of Colonel Killian Van Rensselaer's Albany
County Regiment — "Nathan Spicer, private — Willets Regiment, Newell's
Co." (Roster of New York State Troops). Nathan Spicer married (first)
Leah , who died July 11, 1764, in her twenty-fifth year, in Amenia, New
York. He married (second) January 10, 1765, in Sharon, Connecticut,
Abigail Mayhew, born in 1748, died in Fort Ann, New York, February 12,
1820. Children: Nathan, of further mention; George, born in 1757, mar-
ried Elizabeth Gamble; Ebenezer; Jeremiah, born August 28, 1761, married
Rhoda Brownell; Michael, born in 1766, married Sarah Atwood ; Leah, mar-
ried Reuben Doty ; Hannah, married W^ells, and settled at \'an Wart,
Ohio ; Rachel, married Sylvanus Bishop ; Benjamin, left home and never
returned; Daniel, married Sally Jones; Jacob, born September 26, 1782,
married Anna Emmons; Tobias, born November 7, 1788, married Phoebe
Jones, died November 12, 1862.
(IV) Nathan (2) Spicer, son of Nathan (i) and Leah Spicer, was
bom in Connecticut, in 1756, and died in Springport. New York. He was
a blacksmith, and served in the Revolutionary War. His name appears
1534 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
in an assignment of land county rights, in Colonel William B. Whiting's
regiment (Office of State, Albany, New York). He also served under
Colonel Frederick Wesenfels, Major Elias Van Bershreten (New York
Men of Revolution). He married, during the progress of the Revolu-
tionary War, in Cayuga county. New York, Catherine Filkins, who was
born in Holland in 1765, and died in 1868, at the remarkable age of one
hundred and three years and eight months. She was living in Esopus,
Ulster county. New York, when that place was destroyed by fire. They
had children: Jeremiah, married Sally ; Asa, born May 26, 1785,
married Betsey Tobias ; Nathan, married Claramon Tiffany ; William, of
further mention; Catherine, married Daniel Ryan; Ellen, who died of
cholera in New York City, married Asa Holmes, who went to California,
and was never heard from, but left his wife weathy ; Clara, married Elias
Thompson.
(V) William Spicer, son of Nathan (2) and Catherine (Filkins)
Spicer, was born in New York state in the early part of 1801, and died
May 18, 1856. He was young when he married, and lived in Livingston
county, New York, where he was a farmer, and a speculator in land and
live stock. He was of a roving disposition, and found pleasure in assum-
ing business risks. In 1834 he moved to Erie county, Pennsylvania, and
there was also engaged in farming. In 1837 he pursued the same occu-
pation in northeastern Ohio, and the following year removed to Illinois.
The ague, however, caused his removal from this location, and in 1839
he settled near Vicksburg, Michigan, on a farm. During the gold excite-
ment of 1849 he went to California, and returned wealthy after a short
stay there. His death occurred at Vicksburg, Michigan. Mr. Spicer mar-
ried, in 1821, near Mundale, New York, Lydia, a daughter of Abner and
Hannah (Harding) Tuttle. She was born in the spring of 1801, and died
July 29, 1854. Children : Amy. born April 28, 1822, married Jacob Lemon,
died February 11, 1847; Nathan, of further mention; Sarah Ann, born
October 25, 1826, married Jacob Gardner, died June 18, 1848; Hannah,
born May 3, 1827, married Jacob Lemon, both deceased ; Edward, born
October 29, 1829, married Mary Salsbury; Catherine, born in 1834, mar-
ried Warden Wells; Cordelia, born in 1837, married Frederick Rhodes;
George, born in 1842, married Algina Salsbury, resides in South Haven,
Michigan ; Plhebe, born June 3, 1849, married George Hits.
(VI) Nathan (3) Spicer, son of William and Lydia (Tuttle) Spicer,
was born in Sparta, Livingston county, New York, July 4, 1824, and died
in Cooper, Kalamazoo county, Michigan, February 17, 1899. He removed
with his parents to the various farms on which they resided, until he bought
one for himself in Kalamazoo county, Michigan, on which he resided until
his death. He was an active participant in the Mexican War, and a strong
supporter of tine Democratic party in politics. He and his wife were
members of the Baptist church. He married, in Kalamazoo county, Michi-
gan, July 4, 1852, Sarah Gray, born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania,
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1535
in July, 1832, died in Portage, Kalamazoo county, Michigan, July, 1898.
She was a daughter of Ernest T. and Hannah (Belknap) Gray, the former
born in England, the latter in Eastern Pennsylvania in 1800. The Grays
are related to Earl Gray, of England. When Mrs. Spicer was an infant
her parents removed to a farm in Erie county, Pennsylvania, and when she
was eight years of age, they removed to Kalamazoo county, Michigan, w'here
they lived and died on a farm, he at the age of fifty-four years, she at the
age of seventy-six years. Both were Baptists. They had children : Sarah,
who married Mr. Spicer, as above stated ; Qiarlotte, died unmarried ;
Lydia, married S. H. Carmine, and lived at Lawrence, Kansas. Mr. and
Mrs. Spicer had children : Clarence E., of further mention ; Ernest Gray,
born in October, 1857, died in October, 1876; Arthur, lives in Danville,
Illinois, is an electrician in the employ of the Eastern Illinois Railroad Com-
pany; Florence, born in 1861, died February 6, 1915; married Frank Fran-
cisco, and lived at Vicksburg, Michigan; Cora, born in 1866, married R.
A. Wilcox, a farmer residing near Kalamazoo, Michigan ; John, born in
1870, is a farmer in Kalamazoo county, ^lichigan ; Willis, born in 1873, died
April 30, 1899.
(VII) Dr. Clarence E. Spicer, son of Nathan (3) and Sarah (Gray)
Spicer, was born in Ostemo, Kalamazoo county, Michigan, August 7,
1854. He received his earlier education in the public schools of his native
county, then matriculated at the Eclectic Medical Institute, at Cincinnati,
Ohio, from which he was graduated in the class of 1884. He at once estab-
lished 'himself in the practice of his profession, at Vicksburg, Michigan,
where he remained two years, then in succession, one year at Marcellus,
Michigan ; seven years at Tryonville, and Centerville, Crawford county,
Pennsylvania. In 1897 he came to Titusville, Pennsylvania, where he has
been continuously engaged in practice since that time. He is a Democrat
in politics, and has served as a member of the board of health and the
school board. In April, 1900, he purchased his present beautiful house at
No. 107 West Main street. He is a member of the Eclectic Medical Asso-
ciation of Pennsylvania ; the Titusville Medical Society ; the Blue Lodge,
Chapter and Commandery, of the Masonic Fraternity, at Titusville; the
Lodge of Perfection at Oil City, Pennsylvania; and Pittsburgh Consistory,
Ancient Accepted ScottisJi Rite of Free Masonry. Dr. Spicer married,
December 24, 1890, Carrie B., born in Tryonville, Pennsylvania, a daughter
of Henry Tryon, a farmer, and they have had children: Florence Irene,
born May 21, 1893; Mildred, born April 8, 1898.
Jacob Peters was the first of this branch of the Peters family
PETERS to locate in Crawford county, Pennsylvania, and he made his
home in Venango township in 1804. Subsequently he moved
to Hayfield township, where his death occurred. He married, and had
children.
(II) Jacob (2) Peters, son of Jacob (i) Peters, was a farmer, and
gave his political allegiance to the Democratic party. He married May,
1536 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
daughter of Christopher Silverling, who settled in Venango township, in
1796. They had children: Samuel, George, Lydia, Salome, Levi, see for-
ward ; John, David, Caroline, Jacob, Edward.
(III) Levi Peters, son of Jacob (2) and May (Silverling) Peters,
was born in Hayfield township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, January
16, 1821, and died March 17, 1906. He was engaged in farming through-
out the active years of his life, and was a prominent member of the com-
munity. He served as supervisor and as school director, and also filled a
number of minor offices. He was strongly Democratic in his political
■opinions, and held the most liberal opinions upon all the questions of the
'■day. He married in Hayfield township, January 16, 1842, Elizabeth, born
August 25, 1814, died April 11, 1890, a daughter of John and Sarah (Graft)
Leiphart. They had children: i. Lydia Ann, born April 25, 1843, mar-
ried Stephen Woodring. 2. Sarah Ann, bom September 13, 1844, married
John FHck. 3. Francis Rolandus, born June 16, 1845, died September i,
1913. 4. Charles Henry, born March 4, 1851, died April 28, 1888. 5.
Mary Augusta, born September i, 1852, died December i, 1908, married
Jacob Fleisher. 6. Tamzen Albina, born May 21, 1854, married Morgan
D. Muckinhoupt. 7. Preston Levi, see forward.
(IV) Preston Levi Peters, youngest child of Levi and Elizabeth
(Leiphart) Peters, was born in Hayfield township, Crawford county, Penn-
sylvania, June 28, 1856. His education was acquired in the public schools
of his township and at Saegerstown. He was continuously engaged in
farming until 1902, at which time he removed to Saegerstown, where he
was engaged in various kinds of business until 1908. At this time he es-
tablished himself in the coal business, with which he has been connected
since that time. He has taken a prominent part in the councils of the
Democratic party, has served as one of the board of school directors of
Saegerstown for two terms, and was secretary of the board during this
period. He was appointed postmaster of Saegerstown by President Wil-
fon, March 13, 1915. His religious affiliations are with the Methodist
Episcopal church in Saegerstown, and ihe is a member of the following
organizations: Covenant Lodge, No. 473, Free and Accepted Masons,
Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania ; Venango Lodge, No. 298, Knights of
Pythias, Venango, Pennsylvania. He has served as past chancellor of
the latter body and represented it at the Grand Lodge, at Bethlehem, Penn-
sylvania, in 1910. Mr. Peters married in Cussewago township, September
7, 1881, Margaret Anna Muckinhoupt, born in that township, January 18,
1861. She is the daughter of John and Margaret (Peters) Muckinhoupt,
the former a farmer throughout his life, and whose other children were:
Mary P.. deceased; George H., deceased; John A., deceased; Morgan D. ;
Emma L., married Phelete Payne; Frank; Florence Imelda, married
Charles R. Mosier; Margaret Anna, mentioned as wife of Mr. Peters.
Mr. and Mrs. Peters have had children: i. Roy Stillman, see forward. 2.
Olive Bernice, born October 15, 1886, was graduated from the high school;
married S. G. Davis. 3. Florence Leona, born June 17, 1889, also was
WESTERN PENXSYLVANIA 1537
graduated from the high school. 4. Margaret Ehzabeth, born October 31,
1898, is at present a student in the high school.
(V) Roy Stillman Peters, eldest child of Preston Levi and Margaret
Anna (Muckinhoupt) Peters, was born in Hayfield township, Crawford
county, Pennsylvania, February 18, 1883. His elementary education was
acquired in the public schools. He spent one year in the Cambridge Springs
High School, and was graduated from the Saegerstown High School in the
class of 1902. For two terms he taught school in Hayfield township, then
took up the study of law, which he had decided to make his life work, in
1905, in the office of Homer J. Humes & Son, and, after the decease of
the elder Humes, continued this association with the son, E. Lowry Humes,
with whom he formed a partnersihip in 1913. During all this period of
study Mr. Peters worked in various capacities and defrayed the cost of
his education himself. His promptness in discharging all obligations, busi-
ness or otherwise, was noticeable from the beginning of his career, and
this fact has conduced in a large measure to the enviable reputation he en-
joys in all circles at the present time. Mr. Peters has already made his
mark in the community as a man whose interest and activity in public
matters has been of infinite benefit to the Democratic party, with which
he is affiliated, and much is expected of him in the future. He has served
as chairman of the Democratic county committee in 1911-12, and his work
as the head of this important body was highly commended. He is a mem-
ber of the Lutheran church, Venango, Pennsylvania, and of the following
organizations: Saegerstown Lodge, No. loii, Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, Saegerstown, Pennsylvania ; the Daughters of Rebekah, of Saegers-
town, Pennsylvania; Olympus Encampment, No. 82, of the same order,
Meadville, Pennsylvania; Knights of Pythias, No. 298, Venango, Penn-
sylvania ; is past grand of Saegerstown Lodge ; and is a member of the
Meadville Chamber of Commerce.
County Down, Ireland, was for many years the home of
WILKINSON this branch of Wilkinsons, and in that land farming
was the family occupation. Presbyterianism is the
family faith. Samuel Wilkinson was born in county Down, Ireland, in
1805, there died in 1894. His entire life was spent in the county of his
birth and besides owning a small farm he conducted retail dealings in
crockery. He and his wife were members of the Presbyterian church.
He married Jane Baird, bom in county Down, Ireland, in 1807, died there
in 1896, both she and her husband having attained the unusually advanced
age of eighty-nine years. They were the parents of: i. William, the first
of the family to immigrate to the United States, died in Texas, where
he owned a farm one hundred and sixty acres in extent. 2. James, proprie-
tor of a hotel, died in Dallas, Texas. 3. Samuel (2), of whom further.
4. Susan, married in Ireland and there died. 5. Elizabeth, married Jesse
McCart, a railroad engineer, and lives in Dallas, Texas. 6. Arthur, dieri
1538 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. 7. John, resides on the home farm in county
Down, Ireland.
(II) Samuel (2), son of Samuel (i) and Jane (Baird) Wilkinson,
was born in county Down, Ireland, in 1838. In his youth he was favored
with but few educational advantages, when ten years of age beginning
regular work upon the farm, which he continued for eight years. At the
end of this time, when he was eighteen years old, he and his younger
brother Arthur came to the United States, locating in Pittsburgh, obtaining
his first position in the employ of W. H. Brown, loading coal along the
Monongahela river for three years. He was then for a long time a miner
on the coal property of John A. Roberts, also holding a position in the
boat-building yards for Horner & Roberts for several years. The fol-
lowing thirty years he passed in different places along the river, accepting
positions at whatever callings offered the best inducements, taking advan-
tage of every favorable turn in the industrial conditions of the locality to
better his material welfare, and in 1879 moved to Homestead, Pennsylvania,
where for six years he was street commissioner. Real estate has been the
form of investment that he has most favored all of his life, and tO' this use
he has put the means that he has acquired through industrious and diligent
toil, having chosen his property with such wise judgment that in nearly
every instance its value has risen appreciably, and as far as worldy welfare ■
is concerned he is independent. Fraternizing with the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, he is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He
married, in November, 1862, Elizabeth Jones, born in Glamorganshire,
Wales, August 22, 1833, died March 19, 1907, daughter of Solomon and
Mary Jones, who came to the United States with her parents when four
years of age, living first in Philadelphia, later proceeding westward to Pitts-
burgh, where she grew to maturity and where she was married. Children
of Samuel (2) and Elizabeth (Jones) Wilkinson: William James, of
whom further; Samuel Solomon, died aged four years.
(III) William James, son of Samuel (2) and Elizabeth (Jones)
Wilkinson, was born in Baldwin township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
May 24, 1870, and when nine years of age was brought to Homestead, Penn-
sylvania, where he obtained the greater part of his education. At the age
of fifteen years he entered the employ of the Carnegie Steel Company as
messenger, later finding service in the open hearth department. Through
various grades of employment he gradually advanced to the position of as-
sistant superintendent and then to the superintendency, passing ten years
in the two last named capacities with mutual satisfaction to himself and
his employers. In 1910 he discontinued his association with this concern
and formed a partnership with a brother-in-law, C. K. Andrews, in the
handling of builders' supplies, operating under the firm name of Andrews
& Wilkinson, a relation that continues to the present time, the offices
of the firm being in the German National Bank Building, in Pittsburgh.
For about fifteen years prior to the formation of the above-mentioned firm
Mr. Andrews had been traveling in the interests of a firm handling that
yr^m.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1539
line, and, combining his experience and the vigorous enthusiasm and energy
of both partners, the reason for the firm's success is not difficult to discover.
Among the specialties handled by Andrews & Wilkinson are sewer pipe,
clay products of all kinds, and slate, and the field into which their activities
extends includes Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland,
New York, New Jersey, and Delaware, the firm everywhere favorably
known, their methods meeting with universal approval, and their products
of the highest grade. Mr. Wilkinson was one of the organizers and is
now a director of the First National Bank of Munhall, his other business
interests confined to a place upon the directorate of the Netn's Messenger,
the Homestead daily, Mr. Wilkinson's residence being in that place. Party
affiliation is not a part of Mr. Wilkinson's political action, and he belongs
to Homestead Lodge, No. 650, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks,
is an honorary member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and holds the
thirty-second degree in the Masonic Order, holding membership in Home-
stead Lodge, No. 582, Free and Accepted Masons, Zerubabel Chapter, No.
162, Royal Arch Masons, Commandery No. i, Knights Templar, Pittsburgh
Consistory, and Syria Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.
Mr. Wilkinson married, December 18, 1900, Sarah Lillian, born in
Clarion county, Pennsylvania, daughter of Henry C. and Eliza (McClure)
Andrews. Henry C. Andrews, a native of Pittsburgh, was a grandson of
the founder of the Presbyterian Banner, this Andrews being also for a
time the editor of that periodical. Henry C. Andrews was by profession a
druggist, and after his marriage in Pittsburgh, was a resident of several
places in Western Pennsylvania, in Clarion county holding a position as
superintendent of an oil works, his death occurring in Pittsburgh, he being
buried in Meadville, Pennsylvania. He was a veteran of the Civil War,
having served through that entire conflict as a member of a Pennsylvania
regiment of infantry, assistant to the surgeon. Dr. McCann. Henry C.
and Eliza (McClure) Andrews were the parents of: i. Ida, married Horton
Penrose, and resides at No. 216 Linden street, Pittsburgh. 2. William,
deceased. 3. Harry, deceased. 4. Cyrus K., a member of the firm of An-
drews & Wilkinson, resides on Craig street, Pittsburgh. 5. Sarah Lillian,
of previous mention, married William James Wilkinson. 6. Jessie, died
in infancy. Children of William James and Sarah Lillian (Andrews') Wil-
kinson: I. Sarah Elizabeth, born December 14, 1902. 2. William Samuel,
born April 22, 1905.
This family is first found in Western Pennsylvania in 181 5,
ARTERS when James Arters was married to Jane Oaks in Pittsburgh.
In 1820 they moved to Tionesta, Forest county, Pennsylvania,
where he followed his trade of blacksmith. Later he moved to Troy, Craw-
ford county, where he owned property and ran a smithy. He was a Whig
in politics, and an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church. His
wife, Jane (Oaks) Arters, born 1793, died at Cherry Tree, Venango, Penn-
sylvania, aged eighty-four years. Both are buried in the cemetery at
I540 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Troy, Crawford county. Children: Joseph, of whom further; John, killed
in the Mexican War; Mary Ann; Jane and Elizabeth, twins; James, served
in the Union army during the Civil War; Isaac and Rebecca, twins.
(II) Joseph Arters, son of James and Jane (Oaks) Arters, was born
at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 23, 1816, died at Waterford, Penn-
sylvania, July 25, 1878, and is there buried. He attended district school,
and in early life learned the trade of shoemaker, which he followed in
Venango county, Pennsylvania, until March 15, 1865, when he moved to
Erie county. There he purchased a farm of one hundred and ten acres on
the old Meadville and Waterford Turnpike, five miles south of Waterford,
now the home of his son, Robert Boyd Arters. He there resided until his
death, becoming well known in the community, and attaining high standing
as a man of upright life and sterling integrity. He was a Republican in
politics, and served several times as school director and path master. He
was also active in the church. He married (first) Jane Palmer, whose
only child died in infancy. He married (second) Isabella Benn, born in
Troy township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, April 13, 1819, died No-
vember 29, 1895, daughter of Jonathan and Nancy (Wilkins) Benn, her
father, a soldier of the War of 1812. Children of Joseph Arters and his
wife, Isabella: i. Jane, born August 13, 1846, married William Shearer.
2. Martha, born June 18, 1849, married Daniel Weit. 3. James, born May
15, 1852, died July 16, 1866. 4. Lydia, born June 27, 1855, died June 2,
1876, married Robert Culbertson. 5. Robert Boyd, of whom further.
(III) Robert Boyd Arters, son of Joseph and Isabella (Benn) Arters,
was born in Oakland township, Venango county, Pennsylvania, June i,
1859. He was educated in the Walker public school, the Manross public
school, Mill Village high school and Waterford Academy. He remained
at home, his father's assistant, until the latter's death, then was the main-
stay of his widowed mother at the farm until 1881, when he left home,
remaining two years. He then returned home and again became manager
of the home farm, continring until the death of his mother in 1895. In
1897 he established a meat market in Mill Village in partnership with E. J.
Shearer, a successful enterprise, in which he is still engaged. For two
years Mr. Arters represented the Keystone View Company of Meadville,
as traveling agent, but has otherwise been engaged as noted. From De-
cember 10, 1909, until August I, 1912, he resided in the state of Washington.
He is a strong Prohibitionist, and one of the leaders of his party in the
country. He has been their candidate for county treasurer, polling a very
flattering vote. He is the present burgess of Mill Village, serving his
second term, and has also served on the school board. He is a very active
member of Mill Village Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, and is master of
that grange. He is also a member of the Mill Village Lodge, No. 349, In-
dependent Order of Odd Fellows, a steward of the Methodist Episcopal
church and superintendent of the Sunday school. He owns the old home-
stead where so many of his years have been spent, and divides his allegiance
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1541
Letweun farm and shop. He has many friends and is one of the strong men
of his town.
He married, March 8, 1881, Frances M. Manross, born in Le Boeuf
township, Erie county, Pennsylvania, August 4, i860, daughter of Preston
and Adaline (Dey) Manross. Children: i. Glenn W., born November
5, 1883 ; educated in the public schools and State College, now managing
the homestead farm; he married, in June, 1909, Bessie Goflf; children:
Harriet, born March 9, 1910; Ruth, February 8, 1912; Katharin Marie,
April 23, 1914. 2. Marie, born September 29, 1886; graduate of Edinboro
State Normal School, class of 1905, and until her marriage taught school
in Mill Village, Edinboro, Wheelertown and in the state of Washington ;
she married, December 25, 1912, Claude Comegys.
The Himrod family, of Waterford, Pennsylvania, descend
HIMROD from Simon Ludwig Himroth, of Germany, who came to
this country in 1752, landing at Philadelphia. Descendants
settled in Somerset county. New Jersey, served in the Revolution and later
lived in Cayuga county, New York, Northumberland and Erie counties,
Pennsylvania. The name quickly became shortened to Himrod in this
country, that being the almost universal spelling. In Erie county, the
family is an honored one, in all the various lines of industry, manufacturing
and mercantile.
(I) Simon Ludwig Himroth was born in 1751, at Bendorf, Germany;
was baptized in the Evangelical Head-Church by Pastor John George
Schmidt, the baptismal certificate reading, "The 16 of Dec. 1731 to Master
Wilhelm Himroth a miller of this place, Bendorf a son has been baptized :
witnesses were Simon Ludwig Rickart, a citizen and fruit dealer of this
place, Veronica Gerdutta, wife of Master George Peter Otto, a citizen of
this place, and has been given to the child the name Simon Ludwig Him-
roth. God bless the baptized one for Jesus' sake." Wilhelm Himroth was
a seigneural miller, and the family evidently were relatives of the Moelichs,
as Veronica Gerdutta Otto, sister of Maria Katherine Moelich, stood God-
mother to the son, Simon Ludwig. Himroth is not an uncommon name in
Rhenish Prussia, there being a ruined Abbey Himroth, six miles from
Bendorf and thirty miles from Treves in the Province of Witlich. Simon
Ludwig Himroth remained in his native land until he was of legal age,
sailing for America in the ship "Two Brothers," commanded by Thomas
Arnolt, from Cowes, and landing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September
15, 1752. On registering with the secretary of the province, he signed his
full name, but later discontinued the middle name Ludwig. He joined
the family of Johannes Moelich at Bedminster, New Jersey, and under him
and Andrew, his son, learned the trade of tanner and currier. He married
Maria Katherine Moelich, daughter of his employer, and continued to
live at Bedminster until 1772, when he moved to Milton. Pennsylvania.
There he suffered much from the raids of Indians and Tories and it is
said, when Fort Freeland capitulated, he and his two eldest sons were
1542 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
carried away by the Indians to Canada and there kept prisoners for some
time before being allowed to return to their home. During their absence it
is supposed that his wife and younger children returned to her parents in
New Jersey. Simon Himroth was a member of the Pennsylvania house of
assembly from 1781 to 1785. Children: i. Aaron, of further mention.
2. Catherine, born October 2, 1760, died June 21, 1829; married John Ryan.
3. Andrew, born 1762, died in Delaware county, Ohio, leaving a family.
4. Martha, born October 12, 1764, died August 10, 1806, at Milton, Penn-
sylvania; she married, January i, 1788, Bethuel Vincent. 5. William, born
1766, died February 8, 1813; married Elizabeth Sutphen. 6. Elizabeth,
born February, 1772; married Edward Ryan, and lived in Crawford county,
Pennsylvania. 7. David, born in 1773 ; married Anna Harris.
(II) Aaron Himrod, eldest son of Simon Ludwig Himroth, was born
at Bedminster, Somerset county, New Jersey, August 18, 1757, died at
Waterford, Erie county, Pennsylvania, December 4, 1820. He is said to
have been carried to Canada a prisoner by the Indians, but later returned,
living in Turbot township, Northumberland county, from boyhood until
his removal to Erie county about 1798; although after he married in 1789
he moved to the shores of Lake Cayuga in New York, near Trumansburg,
where the name is preserved by Himrod's Point. The Indians were trouble-
some and he returned to Turbot township, where he owned and cultivated
a farm. About 1798 he moved to Waterford township, Erie county, set-
tling upon a farm that is yet owned by his descendants. He served in
the Revolutionary army and is credited with service at the battles of Prince-
ton and Trenton. He married, April 17, 1789, Isabella Kirk, born in
Paxton township, Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, September 26, 1756, died
April 22. 1841, daughter of Moses Kirk, who came to Northumberland from
Dauphin county. Giildren: i. Moses, of further mention. 2. William,
born May 19, 1791, died June 21, 1873, at Erie. 3. Andrew, born Sep-
tember 9, 1792, died August 19, 1819; married Sarah Crawford. 4. Mary
Foster, born August 13, 1794, died at Milwaukee, Wisconsin; married Amos
P. Woodford; had two children. 5. Eleanor McGuire, born March 12,
1796; married Samuel Phoenix; six children. 6. John, born July 18, 1797,
died March 20, 1880; married (first) Rebecca Leetch, married (second)
Nancy Boyd. 7. Catherine, born January 6, 1799; married Samuel Gill.
8. Sarah, born July 2, 1800, died January 30, 1873; married Rev. Robert
Reed. 9. Simon, born January, 1802, died May 13, 1874; married, Feb-
ruary 13, 1828, Jane Moore; eight children. 10. Isabella, born March 27,
1804, died March 27, 1880. 11. David, born May 26, 1806, died November
23, 1877; married. July 4, 1833, Abigail Patten; ten children. 12. Martha,
born January 4, 1808, died February 25, 1861 ; married Thomas Moore;
five children. 13. Aaron Melick, born June 28, 1809, died in 1834, while
studying for the ministry.
(III) Moses Himrod, eldest son of Aaron and Isabella (Kirk) Him-
rod. was born in Northumberland county. Pennsylvania, January 9, 1790,
died at Waterford, Pennsylvania, September 26, 1868. He was a success-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1543
ful farmer of Waterford township, where his Hfe was spent after the re-
moval of his parents there about 1798. He served four years in the Penn-
sylvania militia, enlisting in 181 1, and attaining the rank of lieutenant and
captain of the Seventh Company, One Hundred and Thirty-sixth Regiment.
He married, January 15, 1816, Nancy King Lattimore, born in Erie county
in 1790, died October 4, i860, daughter of James Lattimore and grand-
daughter of John Lattimore of the "Irish Settlement" at the Forks of the
Delaware. Children: i. Adaline, born December 2, 1816; married, Sepn
tember 2, 1845, Flavel Boyd. 2. John Lattimore, born August 23, 1818;
married Elizabeth Brown. 3. Mary Ann, born February 9, 1820. 4. Isa-
bella, twin, born February 9, 1820, died February 14, 1830. 5. Aaron, born
January 23, 1822 ; married Mary Jane Cook. 6. Daughter, born and died
October 8, 1826. 7. Margaret Cordelia, twin, born October 8, 1826,
drowned October 24, 1853. 8. James Walker, born September 13, 1888;
married Isabella S. Riddle. 9. Sarah Ann, born December 30, 1829; mar-
ried Harvey Boyd. 10. William D., of further mention.
(IV) William D. Himrod, son of Moses and Nancy King (Lattimore)
Himrod, was born in Waterford towrnship, Erie county, Pennsylvania, Feb-
ruary 21, 1832, died there December 16, 1908. He obtained a good educa-
tion, became his father's assistant, and spent his entire life engaged in farm-
ing and kindred pursuits. At the time of his death he owned a part of the
old home farm and thereon resided. He was held in high esteem as friend,
neighbor and citizen and was a liberal supporter of the Presbyterian church,
of which his wife and children are members. He served as school director
of his township and used his influence always in behalf of good educational
advantages for the youth of his neighborhood. He was a Republican in
politics, but never sought or accepted public office.
He married, December 18, 1856, Frances Sarah, daughter of Squire
Joseph Trask. Mrs. Himrod survives her husband, a resident of Water-
ford, where she is held in high esteem for her many womanly virtues.
She is a member of Park Presbyterian Church ; public spirited and charit-
able. Children: i. Harry Reed, born April 18, 1858; was educated in the
public schools and Waterford Academy ; he was his father's assistant and
has been engaged in farming since his youth ; he is a Republican in politics ;
is present jury commissioner of Erie county, an office to which he was
elected in November, 1912, for a term of three years ; he married, December
22, 1887, Francelia Valnette Waldorf, born in Mecca, Trumbull county,
Ohio, November 23, 1862, daughter of John and Sarah (Rose) Waldorf;
children: Louis Waldorf, born June 28, 1890; John Edson, September 2"],
1893; Ahce Rose, October 17, 1896; Helen, March 12, 1898. died Sep-
tember 18, 1899; Seth Reed, August 31, 1903. 2. Ralph B., born Sep-
tember 8, 1859, died February 2, 1915; educated in the public schools of
Waterford ; he was a resident of Weaver township, Humboldt county,
Iowa, engaged in'f arming: he married, December 10, 1891, Rachel Eliza-
beth, daughter of George W. and Emmeline (Eversole) Dodson, who were
residents of Lawrence county, Indiana, later of Avery township, Lawrence
1544 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
county, Iowa, moving to the latter locality in 1869 ; children of Ralph B.
Himrod, all born in Humboldt county, Iowa : Charles William, born Octo-
ber I, 1892; Guy Reed, April 24, 1894; Sarah Emmeline, February 6, 1897;
Paul Edward, October 28, 1899; Kirk Dodson, April 16, 1906; Leon Ralph,
September 12, 1909. 3. Nancy L., born 1861, died in June, 1888. 4. Paul
M. O., born October 28, 1863 ; he was educated in the public schools of
Waterford, remained at the home farm during his youthful man-
hood, then went West, settling in Seattle, Washington, where he
engaged in merchandising; he was accidentally killed by a railroad tram,
January 17, 1900, at Danville, Illinois; he married May Blackburn, also
'deceased, without issue. 5. Harvey Boyd, born October 15, 1869; he was
educated in the public schools of Waterford and spent his early life at the
home farm; in early life he journeyed westward, settling in Weaver town-
ship, Humboldt county, Iowa, where he yet resides ; he married, November
10, 1909, Johanna Birdsack, daughter of John A. and Ottie Shindlies, both
born in Berlin, Germany, where they were married in 1871, came to the
United States in 1878 and settled in Humboldt county, Iowa ; child, Arthur
Dale, bom 1910. 6. William C., born February 11, 1875; he was educated
in the public schools and early began farm labor, continuing a tiller of the
soil until the present ; he resides on the homestead farm two miles above
Waterford on the Erie turnpike and is one of the prosperous, well esteemed
men of Waterford township. He is a Republican in politics, and is a mem-
ber of the township school board; he married Mary, daughter of James
and Susan (Thompson) Trask; children: Laurence, born March 15, 1899;
Louise, born April 8, 1901.
The name of Smith is one of most frequent occurrence in the
SMITH United States. It has been brought here from England, Ire-
land, Scotland and Wales, and in a slightly different form from
Germany and Holland. Originally it designated a trade or occupation, but
this meaning has long since been lost. Of the family under discussion
here, the elder generation lived and died in county Mead, Ireland, where
they were farmers and members of the Romr.ii Catholic church. They had
children : Brian, who died in 1909, was a hotel proprietor in Newark, New
Jersey; Nicholas, of further mention.
(II) Nicholas Smith, born in county Mead,' Ireland, December 19,
1838, was reared and grew to maturity on a farm. In 1872 he emigrated
to America with his family, locating in Newark, New Jersey, in which city
he has since resided. Upon his arrival there, he found employment with
the Public Service Company of Newark, which was the street railway com-
pany of that period. The motive power in those days consisted of horses,
and the first position of Mr. Smith was as a driver on one of the street
cars. So faithful was he in the discharge of his duties in this position that
he was soon advanced to the post of foreman of the large stables of the
company, and remained in the employ of this corporation until a few
years ago, when he was pensioned and retired at an advanced age. He now
^JlOT^^i^
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1545
lives at No. 597 Springfield avenue, Newark. He has always taken a deep
interest in the welfare of the community in which he resides, giving public
matters careful considerations, and has given his support to the Demo-
cratic party. His religious affiliation has always been with the Roman
Catholic church, to whose support he has been a generous contributor. Mr.
Smith married Mary Gillespie, born in county Mead, Ireland, May 24, 1833,
and they have had children: Sarah, who resides in Newark, married Levi
D. Elliott, who is connected with the Public Service Company ; William
Joseph, of further mention; Matthew, a resident of Newark, also in the
employ of the Public Service Company, married Mrs. Catherine Bower;
Catherine, married James O'Donnell.
(HI) William Joseph Smith, son of Nidiolas and Mary (Gillespie)
Smith, was born near Dublin, county Mead, Ireland, December 20, 1871.
He ^vas an infant when brought to this country by his parents, and acquired
his education in the public schools of Newark, which he attended until he
was eleven years old. At that time his parents were in poor circumstances,
and he was obliged to commence work to assist in the support of the
family. His first position was that of driver of "the hill horse," that is,
the extra horse which was used to aid in drawing the cars up a steep in-
cline. Later he became a driver on a horse car, was advanced to the posi-
tion of conductor, and in a few years was transferred to a position in the
car house. His next office was that of car dispatcher, and in 1896 he was
promoted to the responsible position of acting superintendent of the Public
Service Company of Newark. At the expiration of two years he resigned
from his office in order to enter that of general manager of the Staten
Island Street Railway, a position he held seven years, during which time
he resided on Staten Island, New York. He still retains his beautiful home
there at No. 80 Crescent avenue. New Brighton, Staten Island, New York,
but the other part of the year is spent in Titusville, Pennsylvania. In 1908
he became president of the Titusville Electric Traction Company and of the
Federal Gas Company, both located at Titusville, Pennsylvania. He still
holds the presidency of the former company, which is mainly supported by
New York capital, and he personally holds a large amount of its stock. It
has seventeen and one-half miles right of way, and runs from Pleasant-
ville to Tryonville, Pennsylvania. Mr. Smith also carries on an extensive
real estate business, having his main office in New York, and another at
No. 95 Richmond Turnpike, Staten Island. Mr. Smith is essentially a self-
made man. From being a poor boy, with nothing but his natural ability
and energy and ambition to aid him, he has grown to be one of the fore-
most men of his community, and a man of wealth and standing. Politically
he is a Republican, and he has neither desired nor held public office. He
is a consistent member of the Roman Catholic Church of St. Titus, of Titus-
ville, and gives it substantial support. His fraternal association is with
the Knights of Columbus.
Mr. Smith married, June 28, 1905, Mary Estelle, born on Staten Island,
a daughter of Patrick and Margaret Carolan, both natives of Ireland, and
IS46 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
he is now a prominent contractor on Staten Island. Mr. and Mrs. Smith
have had children: Mary, born May lo, 1906; Margaret, born September
24, 1907; William Gerard, born May 24, 1912.
Alexander Humes, a native of Ireland, emigrated to America,
HUMES and was among the first settlers of Cambridge township,
Crawford county, Pennsylvania. His brother, Archibald
Humes, of whom later, came with him. He married and had children.
(II) Robert I. Humes, son of Alexander Humes, was born in Ireland,
and was brought to this country by his father when he was a very young
child. He was educated in the common schools near his home, in Cam-
bridge township, and was a farmer all his life, becoming the owner of a
fine farm of two hundred and fifty acres. He was a Democrat in political
matters, and a member of the Methodist church. He married (first) Nancy
Jane Shear, and had children : Margaret Ann, deceased ; Clark, deceased ;
Mary, deceased ; Sarah Ann, lives in Waterford ; Robert ; John O. ; Thomas
P., of further mention. He married (second) Nancy Ann Averill, and by
her had two children who lived to maturity : Cassius and Ida ; he married
(third) Sarah Fowler, a widow. Mr. Humes died in 1881, and his widow
died in 1910.
(III) Thomas P. Humes, son of Robert I. and Nancy Jane (Shear)
Humes, was born on the farm on which he now resides in Cambridge town-
ship, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, October 8, 1854. He acquired his
education in the public schools in the vicinity of his home, assisting his
father on the farm in his leisure time, and thus acquiring a practical knowl-
edge of farm work which was invaluable in his later life. His farm con-
sists of one hundred and fifty acres of land, cultivated for general products,
and dairy farming. As a supporter of Democratic principles, Mr. Humes
has taken a prominent part in local pohtical afifairs. and has served as school
director, supervisor of roads, and several other offices. His fraternal affilia-
tion is with the Free and Accepted Masons. Mr. Humes married (first)
Anna McKeown, and had children: Guy, lives in Union City, Pennsyl-
vania; Mary, lives in Chicago: Nancy, lives in Chicago; Thomas, is in the
state of Wisconsin ; CalHe, married Scribner Beach and had one child, Zola ;
Anna, a nurse in Cambridge, Pennsylvania. Mr. Humes married (sec-
ond) in 1893, Flora, a daughter of George Cutshall, and they have had
children, none of whom are married: Achibald ; Dora, a nurse; Louise;
Homer; Cecil; Laura Bell; Clifford; Walter; Robert, who died May 2,
191 1 ; Irene; Gladys, died November 9. 1914.
(I) Archibald Humes, brother of Alexander Flumes, mentioned above,
was born in Ireland, and emigrated to America in 1802. He settled in
Woodcock township, Crawford county. Pennsylvania, acquiring a tract of
land of two hundred acres, and converted this into a fine farm. He mar-
ried (first) in Ireland, Elizabeth McCalmot. and had children: Mary, born
in Ireland; Robert, of further mention; Margaret and Archibald, born in
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA iS47
America. Mr. Humes married (second) Jane M. Humes, a cousin, and
had children : John D., Sarah, Fannie, James, WilHam, Archibald,
George W.
(H) Robert Humes, son of Archibald and Elizabeth (McCalmot)
Humes, was born in Woodcock township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania,
in 1804, and died in 1828. He was a farmer of Cambridge township, Craw-
ford county, owning a farm of one hundred acres, and was noted as a
singer. He married Mary, a daughter of Leonard Doctor, of Crawford
county, Pennsylvania, and they had children: Elizabeth; George, of further
mention.
(HI) George Humes, son of Robert and Mary (Doctor) Humes, was
born on the homestead, in Cambridge township, Crawford county, Penn-
sylvania, May 13, 1813. He was the recipient of a fine education, was
graduated from Allegheny College, and then taught for many years in
Cambridge township. He has been active in the interests of the Democratic
party, and served as postmaster of Cambridge Springs during the adminis-
tration of President Cleveland. He is the owner of a well cultivated farm
of one hundred and ninety-two acres, is a member of the local Grange,
Patrons of Husbandry, and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr.
Humes married Esther A. Aimes, and this union was blessed with children :
Elmer E. ; Edwin G., who was killed in a railroad accident, December 31,
Among the notable members of the legal profession now
ROBERTS practicing in Western Pennsylvania must be numbered
James Dowling Roberts, of Meadville, former district at-
torney and for the last quarter of a century a leader of the Crawford
county bar. Mr. Roberts is a representative of a family which had its
original home in England.
(I) Nathan Roberts, great-grandfather of James Dowling Roberts,
was of Frankford, Pennsylvania, and served, as records show, in the
patriot army of the Revolution.
(II) Nathan (2) Roberts, son of Nathan (i) Roberts, was born about
1793, in Frankford (Philadelphia), Pennsylvania, and learned the trade
of a silversmith. In 1817 he settled near Greenville, Mercer county, Penn-
sylvania, where he purchased a farm and devoted himself to agricultural
pursuits. In 1875 he moved to Henry county. Illinois, where he became
the owner of another farm and passed the remainder of his life. He mar-
ried (first) in 1815, at Columbia, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, Susan
Kaufman, and their children were: Ann, John K., Joseph, Enoch, men-
tioned below ; Benjamin, Susan, Josiah, Nathan. Mr. Roberts married
(second) Margaret Patterson, by whom he became the father of tliree chil-
dren: Andrew, Henry, Obed. Mr. Roberts died August 24, 1873. He
was a respected member of the Methodist Episcopal church,
(HI) Enoch Roberts, son of Nathan (2) and Susan (Kaufman)
1548 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Roberts, was born August 8, 1825, near Greenville, Mercer county, Penn-
sylvania, and learned the blacksmith's trade which he followed all his life.
After his marriage he made his home for a number of years at Jamestown,
Pennsylvania, and in 1856 moved to the vicinity of the town of Cochranton,
where he passed the residue of his days. He was a Republican, and a
member of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he served as steward.
He married, August 7, 1849, Mary Calvin, whose family record is appended
to this sketch, and they became the parents of the following children : James
Dowling, mentioned below ; Elizabeth Ann, born June, 1852, died September,
1855; John Kaufman, born May 15, 1856: and George Calvin, born Feb-
ruary 18, i860. Enoch Roberts, the father of the family, died May 13,
1893, and the mother passed away June 18, 1896. Both were regarded by
all who knew them with profound and sincere affection. Mrs. Roberts was
an earnest member of the United Presbyterian church.
(IV) James Dowling Roberts, son of Enoch and Mary (Calvin)
Roberts, was born August 9, 1850, at Jamestown, Mercer county, Penn-
sylvania, and received a common school education. In the spring of 1869
he went to Illinois, and on his return to Pennsylvania the following autumn
taught his first school in Wayne township. In the autumn of 1870 Mr.
Roberts attended the New Lebanon Academy, and again taught the follow-
ing winter, afterward studying at the Edinboro State Normal School,
whence he graduated in 1875. For a few years thereafter Mr. Roberts
was again engaged in teaching, at the same time studying law under the
preceptorship of the Hon. John J. Henderson. On August 14, 1876, he
was admitted to the Crawford county bar, and in 1878 to the superior and
supreme courts. The same year he began practice in Meadville, where he
has since resided continuously. His advancement was rapid, owing to his
thorough acquaintance with every detail of his profession, his devotion
to duty and his possession of the judicial mind. In 1887 he was elected
district attorney of Crawford county, serving three years, and during that
time, by his fearless, able and energetic discharge of the duties of the office,
winning from all classes of the community implicit confidence and unquali-
fied approval. He is now serving his second term as attorney for the com-
missioners of Crawford county.
As a citizen with exalted ideas of good government and civic virtue
Mr. Roberts stands in the front rank. He is identified with the Republicans
and has served as a member of the school board, the select council from
the second ward and in several minor offices. No good work done in the
name of charity or religion appeals to him in vain, and in 'his work of this
character he brings to bear the same discrimination and thoroughness which
are manifest in his professional life. He is past master of Lodge, No. 408,
Free and Accepted Masons, and affiliates with R. A. Chapter, No. 191, and
the Northwestern Commandery, No. 25, Knights Templar, both of Mead-
ville, also with Crawford Lodge, No. 734, Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows. He and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church in which
since 1884 he has held the office of ruling elder, having also served as
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA I549
trustee and officiated for many years as superintendent of the Sunday school.
The personality of Air. Roberts is that of the astute counsellor and
the skillful advocate, sagacious and far-sighted, aggressive and at the same
time prudent, always before moving making sure of his ground. These
characteristics are stamped upon his countenance which is also indicative
of those personal qualities which win and hold friends. Dignified, genial
and courteous, he stands deservedly 'high both with, the members of his
profession and with the community at large. Mr. Roberts has accomplished
much in the sphere of his chosen profession and has attained a commanding
position at the bar of his home county, but he is still in the prime of life
and his record gives assurance that the future 'holds for him fresh laurels
and greater honors.
Mr. Roberts married, April 21, 1880, Flora Ann Forbes, whose family
record is appended to this sketch, and they are the parents of one daughter :
Mary, born April 8, 1881, graduated from the high school in 1900, from
Allegheny College in 1904, and on August 28, 1906, married Robert R.
Phillips, a lumber dealer of Oil City. They have one child, Francis Louise,
born August 10, 1907. Mrs. Phillips is a member of the Methodist Episco-
pal church. In Mrs. Roberts, a woman of winning personality, her husband
has ever found a true helpmate. Both are extremely popular in the social
circles of Meadville and their home is a centre of gracious and refined hos-
pitality.
(The Calvin Line.)
Thomas Calvin, father of Mrs. Mary (Calvin) Roberts, served in the
War of 1812. He married Ann Dowling. Their children were: Mary
and Catherine (twins), the former mentioned below; Matthew A.; Nancy
A. ; T. Jefferson ; Hannah J., now the sole survivor ; and Sarah E.
Mary, daughter of Thomas and Ann (Dowling) Calvin, was born July
19, 1823, in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, and became the wife of Enoch
Roberts (see Roberts III).
(The Forbes Line.)
Forbes, grandfather of Mrs. Flora Ann (Forbes) Roberts, was a
farmer and lived in Herkimer county, New York. He married a Miss
Preston, and the following were their children, all of whom are deceased :
George, Chauncey, John, Charles, mentioned below; Harriet, Ann, Sophia,
married ■ Cox ; Rachel, married Sheaf.
Charles Forbes, son of and (Preston) Forbes, was born in
Herkimer county, New York, and received his education in the public
schools. In 1852 he removed to Conneaut township, Crawford county, Penn-
sylvania, where he purchased a farm and at the time of his death was the
owner of one hundred and twenty acres, now in the hands of his son. When
Mr. Forbes bought the estate it consisted of woodland, the dwelling being
a log house. In the course of time he erected frame buildings and barns
and by his advanced methods brought the land into a high state of cul-
tivation. For some time prior to his death he was a dealer in landed prop-
I550 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
erty. In 1886 he moved to Linesville, Pennsylvania, and there passed the
remainder of his hfe. In 1863, at the time of the invasion of Pennsylvania,
Mr. Forbes enlisted in the Home Guards and was ordered to Harrisburg.
He was always a public-spirited citizen, affiliating with the Republicans.
He was a member of the United Presbyterian church.
Mr. Forbes married, in 1852, Mary Gifford (see Gifford line), and
they were the parents of the following children : George Irwin, Elbert
Orlando, Flora Ann, mentioned below ; Melvin Charles, now living on the
old homestead. Mrs. Forbes died March 20, 1897. She was a member
of the Methodist Episcopal church, and a woman of lovable personality.
Her husband did not long survive her, his death occurring June 9, 1900,
at Poland, New York. He was universally respected and beloved by reason
of his sterling integrity, his genial nature and his unfailing cheerful dis-
position.
Flora Ann, daughter of Charles and Mary (Gififord) Forbes, was
born October 21, 1857, in Conneaut township, Crawford county, and be-
came the wife of James Dowling Roberts (see Roberts IV).
(The Gifford Line.)
Benjamin Gififord, great-grandfather of Mrs. Flora Ann (Forbes)
Roberts, received his commission as lieutenant of a regiment of the militia
of Columbia county. New York, dated October 2, 1787, and signed by
George Clinton, first governor of the Empire State. He married Amy, born
October 7, 1756, daughter of Dr. Leonard Barton, and they were the
parents of one son, Rowland, mentioned below. Benjamin Gififord died
February 19, 1819, and his widow passed away October 20, 1827.
Rowland Gififord, son of Benjamin and Amy (Barton) Gififord, was
born in February, 1791. He married Ann Hunt, who was born July 17,
1800. Their children were: Mary, mentioned below; Samantha, born in
1834, now living in Beaver township, Crawford county. Mr. Gifford died
September 19, 1863, and his widow survived him more than a third of a
century, passing away May, 1897, in the ninety-seventh year of her age.
Mary, daughter of Rowland and Ann (Hunt) Gififord, was born June
20, 183 1, in Herkimer county. New York, and became the wife of Charles
Forbes, as mentioned above. Their daughter. Flora Ann, is now the wife
of James Dowling Roberts.
The Gahan family is an old and honored one in Ireland, and
GAHAN has been no less honored and esteemed since their arrival here.
(I) William Gahan was a farmer, located four miles
from Kilkenny, Ireland, and his entire life was spent there. He married
Margaret , who emigrated to the United States and settled in Cleve-
land, Ohio, about 1849, and died there in 1854. Children of Mr. and Mrs.
Gahan. i. John, born in 1806, was a millwright in Cleveland, Ohio. 2.
William, a farmer, died in Ireland. 3. Michael, died in Cleveland, Ohio,
in 1874; was a landscape gardener. 4. Patrick, of whom further. 5. Cath-
erine, became the wife of Michael Highland ; settled in Cleveland, Ohio, in
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1551
1849. 6. Kittie, married William Carroll ; both died in Ireland. 7. Mary,
died in Cleveland, Ohio, unmarried, at the age of ninety-three years.
(II) Patrick Gahan, son of William and Margaret Gahan, was bom
in Kilkenny, county Kilkenny, Ireland, in 1815, died in that country, June
16, 1857. He was engaged in the business of buying, raising and selling
horses all his life, was a great lover of that noble animal, and kept a tine
stable for his own use. He married Julia Dunney, born in Ireland in 1812,
died December 27, 1885, in Bradford, McKean county, Pennsylvania. She
was a sister of James Dunney, a horse transfer man in Kilkenny, Ireland,
and a sister of Mary, who became the wife of William Cody, a farmer of
Ireland. Children of Mr. and Mrs. Gahan: i. Margaret, who died in
August, 1912; married James McGuire ; lived in Titusville, Pennsylvania.
2. Mary, deceased; became the wife of James Kennedy; lived in Titusville,
Pennsylvania. 3. Julia, became the wife of Michael Brackon, of Cleve-
land, Ohio. 4. John, of whom further. 5. James, of whom further. 6.
Elizabetlh, who died in Brooklyn, New York, February 17, 1889; became
the wife of Thomas Morrow, general superintendent of the Masury Varnish
& Paint Works. Mr. and Mrs. Gahan were devout and consistent members
of the Roman Catholic church.
(III) John Gahan, eldest son of Patrick and Julia (Dunney) Gahan,
was born in the town of Kilkenny, county Kilkenny, Ireland, July 11, 1850.
As his father died in 1857, and John was the eldest son, great responsibility
devolved upon him at an early age, and he was a man in thought and action
when other boys of his age still have their heads filled with thoughts of
play. In 1866 he came to Cleveland, Ohio, and there worked with his
uncle, John Gahan, a farmer, and also for another uncle, Michael Gahan,
a landscape gardener, in all two seasons. In 1868 he came to Titusville,
Pennsylvania, on a visit to his sister Margaret, wife of James McGuire,
and never returned to Cleveland to make a home there. He worked on the
railroad and in the railroad shops at Titusville, and in 1878 located at Brad-
ford, MpKean county, Pennsylvania, where he was superintendent of an
oil company for some years. Finally he became an oil producer there, also
in the state of Indiana and in Crawford county, Pennsylvania. He was a
great lover of fine horses, always kept good ones for his own use, and
was especially noted for his magnificent saddle horses. He had the best
in McKean county, and later sold one for one thousand dollars. In i888-
he located in Titusville, purchased the livery barn of John McCort, and
still conducts this, under the style of John Gahan & Company. In con-
nection with this he has a sales stable and an auto and transfer business.
He is a Democrat in politics, and has served as school director for twenty-
one years. He and his family belong to St. Titus Roman Catholic church,
in Titusville, and he is a member of the Knights of Columbus.
Mr. Gahan married (first) April 23, 1877, Anna Crotty, born at
Euclid, near Cleveland, Ohio, died December 5, 1880, and they were the
parents of one child, May, born May 16, 1879, became the wife of Daniel
Mahoney, and lives in Buffalo, New York. Mr. Gahan married (second)
1552 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
October lo, 1883, in Cleveland, Ohio, Mary Reid, born in county Kilkenny,
Ireland, August 27, 1854, who came to Cleveland in 1869 with a sister,
Bridget, who died unmarried in 1912. They were daughters of William
and Betty (Whalen) Reid, both born in county Kilkenny, Ireland, where
he was a farmer, and where both died. Children of Mr. and Mrs. Gahan:
Mlargaret, born July 27, 1885, a school teacher in Johnstown, Pennsyl-
vania; James Reid.
(III) James Gahan, son of Patrick and Julia (Dunney) Gahan, was
born in the town of Kilkenny, county of Kilkenny, Ireland, September
II, 1852, and there attended the public schools. In 1869 he emigrated to
the United States, settling in Titusville, where he has resided since that
time. As a young lad he entered the employ of the Oil Creek Railroad
Company, remaining with this corporation for a period of twenty-three
years, during which he was car repairer, night baggage agent, depot master
from 1876 to 1879, then again baggage master for a time. In 1888 he be-
came a member of the firm of John Gahan & Company, with which he is
still connected. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus, a charter
member of the order at Titusville, a member of St. Titus Roman Catholic
Church, of Titusville, the Catholic Mutual Benefit Association and the Cath-
olic Benefit League. He married (first) Agnes McCune, a native of Lan-
caster county, Pennsylvania; she died in 1885, aged about forty years; no
children. He married (second) September 5, 1892, Josephine, a daughter
of Michael and Ellen Shea, and they have one daughter, Helen, born Sep-
tember 13, 1894, who is attending the National College of Domestic Science
and Art at Washington, D. C.
(IV) James Reid Gahan, son of John and Mary (Reid) Gahan, was
born in East Bradford, McKean county, Pennsylvania, November 5, 1887.
He was an infant when his parents removed to Titusville, Crawford county,
Pennsylvania, and he has lived there since that time. He acquired his
earliest training in the St. Titus parochial schools, and then attended the
public schools from which he was graduated in 1906. Matriculating at the
Allegheny College, at Meadville, Pennsylvania, he was graduated from this
institution in the class of 1910, and while there was a member of the Phi
Kappa Psi fraternity. Having decided to follow the legal profession, he
commenced reading law in the ofiice of Axtell J. Byles, of Titusville, and
was admitted to the Crawford county bar, May 26, 1913. April i, 1914,
he opened an office in Titusville, and judging from results up to the present
time (1915) there is every reason to predict a brilliant future for him.
This name is of English origin. The Harvey family in Eng-
HARVEY land traces its ancestry to the time of the Conquest. The
progenitor is believed to be Herveus- de Bourges, or Hervey
of Bourges, who came with William the Conqueror, and according- to
Domesday Book was a baron in county SuflFolk in 1086. He was a grand-
son of Geoffry, third viscount of Bourges, an ancient city of Berry, a
former province of France. Goeffry rebuilt the abbey of St. Ambrose at
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1553
Bourges in 1012. Harvey as a surname is undoubtedly derived from the
ancient baptismal name variously spelled Herveus, Hervey, Harvey, etc.
(I) Silas Harvey was the owner of a fine farm in Ohio. He was twice
married, his first wife, Jane (Alexander) Harvey, being the mother of
James, of further mention.
(H) James Harvey, son of Silas and Jane (Alexander) Harvey, was
born in the state of Ohio, where he received his educational advantages,
which were very few indeed. He was a Democrat, and a member of the
Methodist church. His death occurred in 1913. He married Salvina
Sweet, of the state of New York, who died in 1907. Children : Bert,
married Maggie Shangler, lives at Hydetown, Crawford county, Pennsyl-
vania; Judson, died in 1907; Ami F., of further mention; Rosie, living in
Rome township, Crawford county, married J. T. Murry; Jennie, lives at
Tionesta, Pennsylvania, married William Burrows; Silas, lives on Spring
Creek Road, Crawford county, married Ada Beers ; Harry, lives in Cali-
fornia, married Nora Wheeling.
(HI) Ami F. Harvey, son of James and Salvina (Sweet) Harvey, was
born in Oil Creek township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, November
13, 1869. He was educated in the public schools, and then worked for
others in the dairy business. He purchased a farm of one hundred and
eighty acres, and this he cultivates for general products, and makes a
specialty of dairy farming, in which he has been very successful. He has
a fine herd of twenty-seven cows, and his barns and stables are kept up in
the most up-to-date manner. He is a Prohibitionist in politics. Mr. and
Mrs. Harvey attend the Bethel Methodist Episcopal Church of Oil Creek
township. He married, March 13, 1899, Rosie Schutrum. They have one
child, Frank, born November 22, 1900.
John Sdhutrum, grandfather of Mrs. Rosie (Schutrum) Harvey, was
of Buffalo, New York. He married, and had children : Jacob ; George,
deceased ; Margaret ; Peter, of further mention.
Peter, son of John Schutrum, was born in 1844, ^"d died January 19,
1909, after a well spent life. He married Agnes Kuhn, born in 1844, now
living in Titusville, Pennsylvania. They had children: i. John, living
unmarried at White City, Pennsylvania. 2. Anna, lives at White City;
married Charles Curry, and has children : Earl, David, Mary and Elsie.
3. Rosie, mentioned above as having married Mr. Harvey. 4. Mary, who
died September 5, 191 1 ; married (first) Anthony Moore, and had children:
George and Edward; she married (second) William Teed.
Robert Boyd, who was born in county Armagh, Ireland, in
BOYD 1797, and died in Waterford, Westmoreland county, Pennsyl-
vania, April II, 1864, is the American progenitor of the Boyd
family which is now numerously represented in Waterford and in Union
City, Erie county, Pennsylvania. His sons, Samuel and Adam, had pre-
ceded him to this country, and when Robert Boyd came here he resided for
a time on Brick Yard Hill, and later removed to the comer of Cherry and
1554 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
First streets in the village. He had married, in Ireland, Elizabeth, a sister
of Adam Bittles, Sr., who came to Erie county about 1842. She was born
in county Armagh, Ireland, and died at Waterford, October 8, 1865. Mr.
and Mrs. Boyd had children: Samuel, of further mention; William, who
resided in West Jefiferson, Ohio, where he married and reared a family;
Joseph, a resident of Erie, Pennsylvania, married and reared a family;
Adam, who married Catherine Salem, and had children: Mary, married
Christopher Gray, of Waterford ; George, Ida and Alice, the two last men-
tioned now deceased; a daughter, name unknown. All the children were
born in Ireland.
(II) Samuel Boyd, son of Robert and Elizabeth (Bittles) Boyd, was
born in county Armagh, Ireland, September 6, 1822, died in Waterford,
Pennsylvania, September 25, 1902. He came to America in young man-
hood, and after his marriage settled in Waterford, Pennsylvania, where he
spent the remainder of his life. Upon his first arrival in Waterford, he
entered the employ of Judge Vincent, and later followed the tanning busi-
ness. He was employed in the tannery of Miles Bamett, and that of
Bolard & Hayes. Mr. Boyd purchased a house on East First street, iB
which he resided for many years, whidh is now in the possession of his
daughter, Mrs. Curtis E. Cole. He and his wife were active members of
the United Presbyterian church, and contributed liberally to the support
of this institution. Mr. Boyd married, at Markham, Ontario, Canada, Sep-
tember 5, 185 1, Eliza Stevenson, born in county Armagh, Ireland. While
still a child she made her home with Mr. and Mrs. Adam Bittles, and died
in Waterford, December 15, 1877, at the age of about fifty-four years. Mr.
and Mrs. Boyd were the parents of children as follows: i. Robert Andrew,
born in Waterford, May 21, 1852, died November 30, 1877, unmarried. 2.
Elizabeth, born in Waterford, May 20, 1853 ; married Edgar James Gardner,
and has one daughter, Ethel, who married Charles Hill, and has two daugh-
ters: Elizabeth and Charlotte. 3. Mary Jane, born in Waterford, October
29, 1854; married Curtis E. Cole, and has children: Anna Clare, who mar-
ried Frank Gillett ; Florence, married Ranson E. Walker, and has children :
Ronald R. and Curtis Boyd. 4. Selina, born in Waterford, July 19, 1857;
married William S. Webb. 5. Sarah Maria, born July 15, 1859; married
Charles O. Phillips, and has children : Clayton Charles, married Birdenia
Hall, and has children : Paul and Marion ; Bessie, married Edward Hewitt,
and has children: Helen and Ruth ; Lester A., married Georgie Phelps, and
has one child, Wilma I. 6. Joseph Stevenson, born in Waterford, March
14, 1861 ; married Flora Erhart, and has one daughter, Maud Anna. 7.
Esther, born January 31, 1864; married Dr. Edward C. Porter. 8. Adam
Bittles, of further mention.
(HI) Adam Bittles Boyd, son of Saftiuel and Eliza (Stevenson) Boyd,
was born in Waterford, Pennsylvania, July 24, 1867. He acquired a good
education in the public schools of his native town, and as he had applied
himself to his studies diligently, he formed an excellent foundation for his
later useful business career. He learned the printer's trade in the office
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA I555
of die Waterford Leader, and then went to Erie, where he found em-
ployment in several printing offices. From 1889 to 1908, he was in the
office of the Erie Herald. During the time of his residence in Erie he was
elected president of the Typographical Union for two terms, represented
the organization as delegate to the International Typographical Union, at
St. Louis, Missouri, in 1904, and delegate to the State Federation of Labor,
at Harrisburg, in 1905. He has always been active in promoting the wel-
fare of organized labor, and has repeatedly been a delegate to the conven-
tions of the Central Labor Union. In 1908 he accepted the position of
manager of the Union City Enterprise, entering upon the duties of this
position on October 15, 1908. He continued as manager and part owner
of the Enterprise until April 8, 1912, when the Union City Enterprise and
the Union City Times, owned by Frank E. McLean and John C. McLean,
were consolidated. He acted as manager of the Times-Enterprise until
the death of Frank E. McLean, June 7, 1913, when Mr. Boyd combined
the offices of editor and manager in his person, and has, since that time,
attended to the duties of this dual position with a remarkable amount of
executive ability. He is a member of the Protected Home Circle, the
Knights of Pythias and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His re-
ligious affiliation is with the Presbyterian church.
Mr. Boyd married, at Erie, Pennsylvania, April 24, 1890, Clara Schu-
macher, born at Fairview, Pennsylvania, August 17, 1865, a daughter of
Michael and Helen Schumacher, and a sister of : Henry, Emma, Edward,
Clara, Albert and Lena. Mr. and Mrs. Boyd have had children : Josephine
Vernece, born at Erie, Pennsylvania, January 31, 1891 ; Cornelia Eliza, also
born at Erie, May 17, 1894.
Rev. Matthew Henderson, founder of this Scotch
HENDERSON family in America, is known to posterity as more than
the immigrant ancestor of his line, as a minister who,
laboring faithfully in western isolation, in that locality. Western Penn-
sylvania, was one of the earliest and iirmest friends of education. He
was prominent in the founding of Washington Academy and of JefTerson
Academy.
Rev. Matthew Henderson was boni in Scotland in 1735, and after
preliminary study entered the University of Edinburgh, there obtaining
an exceptionally good education. When a young man of twenty-three
years, he was ordained into the ministry of fhe Associate Reformed Pres-
byterian church, and in the year of his ordination came to America, settling
first in Oxford, Pennsylvania, where he remained as pastor until 1779. In
the latter year he crossed the mountains to Washington county, Pennsyl-
vania, becoming one of the first ministers of the faith west of the Alle-
ghenies, and continued active in the ministry until his death, which oc-
curred accidentally, October 2, 1795. he receiving a blow from a falling
"bee-tree," which his sons had cut down to obtain its delectable yield. Rev.
Matthew Henderson was a member of the first board of trustees of the
1556 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
old Washington Academy, serving as its president from 1787 to 1792, and
was also interested in the organization of Jefferson Academy, at Canons-
burg, Pennsylvania. He was a man of sterling character, loyal to his
friends and to his church, but nevertheless broad-minded to a degree that
would permit him to lend his support to the founding of a non-sectarian
educational institution when such action received scant approval from the
clergy. Washington and Jefferson College is his debtor for service rendered
in the days of its infancy, when he worked assiduously to assure its per-
manent usefulness. He was a man of courageous determination, living a
life beautiful in its simplicity and earnest faith, going his daily way, think-
ing ill of no man, doing naught but good to any man, and was blessed in
his ministry, as he so richly deserved. Upon his tombstone is the following
description, the testimony of one who knew him well :
In Memory of Reverend Matthew Henderson,
Who departed this life
October 2, 1795.
Aged sixty years and in the
thirty-seventh year of his ministry.
In Heavenly toils, O Hendeison, grown gray,
Thy earthly frame was hastening to decay,
Thy growing languor threatened to detain
Thee from thy loved employment, but in vain.
For in thy course no Sabbath failed t'attest,
Thy love of souls which burned within thy breast,
Till by one transient stroke, which gave release,
Thy Saviour bade thee enter into peace.
Great and most happy change from battered dust,
Unto the glorious mansions of the just!
Let us prepare to measure that bright road ;
The best of all our friends is there — our God.
The children of Rev. Matthew Henderson were : Matthew, of whom
further; Rev. Ebenezer, who was the first pastor of the First United Pres-
byterian Church, of Pittsburgh, was at Turtle Creek and Bethel, Pennsyl-
vania, released from there in 1804, and went to the Carolinas, and upon
his return, died at Staunton, Virginia ; Robert ; Joseph, a physician and
surgeon; Mrs. Murdock; Mrs. Clark; Mrs. Allison; Mrs. White; Mrs.
Wiley.
(II) Rev. Matthew (2) Henderson, son of Rev. Matthew (i) Hender-
son, was bom January 10, 1762, and died July 21, 1835. He was con-
nected with the old Pittsburgh Academy, which later became the Univer-
sity of Western Pennsylvania, and still later the University of Pittsburgh.
He had two charges in the Associate Reformed church, one of the denomina-
tions which merged into the United Presbyterian church subsequent to his
death. These charges were at the Red Tree United Presbyterian Church,
at Brush Creek, Pennsylvania, and Bethesda Church, in the "Forks of tHie
Yough," as it was then known. He married, October 3, 1786, Rebecca
Patterson, and they had children : Martha, married Samuel Shaw ; Mary,
married Hugh Wilson; Matthew; Samuel P.; John; Arthur, of whom
further ; Ebenezer ; James P. ; Rebecca, who never married.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1557
(III) Arthur Henderson, son of Rev. Matthew (2) and Rebecca
(Patterson) Henderson, was born in EHzabeth township, Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, April 28, 1798, and died December 25, 1863. His education
vv-as obtained in the common schools of his day and section, and upon
attaining man's estate he turned his attention to farming, which occupa-
tion he followed practically all his life. He served as justice of the peace,
and as conveyancer and executor attended to many wills and deeds. He
was a devout Christian gentleman, and served as elder of the Elizabeth con-
gregation of the United Presbyterian church w'hich he had helped to or-
ganize. In political opinion he was a Republican. Mr. Henderson mar-
ried (first) Mary Patterson, also a native of Elizabetli township, and they
had one child, Matthew, of whom further. He married (second) Nancy
Shaw, and had children: Jane M. and William.
(IV) Matthew (3) Henderson, son of Arthur and Mary (Pat-
terson) Henderson, was born near McKeesport, Elizabeth township, ■ Alle-
giheny county, Pennsylvania, November 14, 1827, and died July 2, 1914.
His education was a liberal one, and he was successfully engaged as a
teacher for a time. Farming and stock raising then engaged his attention
for some time, after which, in 1850, he went to California, where he was
interested in gold mining, which proved a very profitable investment for
him. He returned east in 1859, and there engaged in a general mercantile
business, with which he was identified a number of years. Turning his
attention to real estate matters, he was connected with this branch of busi-
ness during all the latter years of his life. In 1889 he removed to Mc-
Keesport, in which place he resided until his death. Mr. Henderson mar-
ried, in 1867, Emily, born in 1841, died in 1891, daughter of William and
Julia (Flynn) McCune, both distinguished families of the Youghiogheny
Valley. They had children : William M., a prominent business man of
Pittsburgh ; James F., also noted in the business life of Pittsburgh ; Matthew,
deceased ; Mary, who resides in the old home in McKeesport ; Arthur, of
California. We can give no better estimate of the character of Mr. Hen-
derson than by quoting a few extracts from The United Presbyterian,
which appeared at the time of his death. They are as follows :
In every instinct Mr. Henderson was a gentleman of the old school — not un-
progressive, but tenacious of all good traditions. The honor of his ancestry, of his
family, his native place, and his church, was an unceasing pride to him. His personal
attractions were very marked. Rarelv have the contrasting virtues been so perfectly
blended in a great character. He was firm, but gentle; strong, but tender; self-reliant,
but leaned toward his friends. Of broad s\Tnpathies, he did "feel another s woe.
* * * From his vouth ]Mr. Henderson was a member of the United Presbyterian
Church. For twentv-five years he was conspicuous in the activities of the First
McKeesport congregation. 'Repeatedly he declined the call to eldership because of
physical conditions he could not control. Yet few men have ever been more highly
esteemed and more influential in the best sense in any congregation. His evident
appreciation of his Father's house, and the hour of prayer, even as he passed up and
took his place in the pew, gave impetus to all who worshiped with him. His poetic
nature easily lent itself to devotion. His subsequent aspirations often found utterance
in the lines' of some devout poet, like Pope or Pollock, and especially of the "Sweet
Singer of Israel." From a lone and verv close fellowship with him, the impression
that will linger till the last will be that of his worshipful spirit. He feigned nothing
when he said : "As the heart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after
Thee, O God !" His pastor said of him, in part : "I have lost a friend, strong for help.
1558 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
wise for counsel, gentle for reproof, and tender for sympathy. And I am in dis-
tress because I shall see his face and hear his voice no more."
The Van Sicklin family came to America from Hol-
VAN SICKLIN land, and was among the early Dutch settlers. They
made their home at what is now the City of New
York, where they became prosperous citizens, and their descendants are
now to be found in many sections of the United States. Many of the valu-
able antiquities which were brought to this country by the earlier arrivals
of this family are still in the possession of their descendants, and are of
almost priceless value, as well by reason of their intrinsic worth as their age.
(I) John A. Van Sicklin, who was born in New York City, was a
tailor by trade. He married Sarah Clair, and had children : James, who
lived and died in the City of New York; John A., of further mention;
Henrietta, married Henry Wanamaker; Letitia, married John Gates, of
New York City; Sarah, married Edward Crowell; Jane. All of these are
entitled to membership in the Sons or Daughters of the Revolution because
of active service of a direct ancestor.
(II) John A. (2) Van Sicklin, son of John A. (i) and Sarah (Clair)
Van Sicklin, was born in New York City in 1809, and died in February,
1854. He had a fair education in his native city, and there grew to ma-
turity. After his marriage he removed to Erie, Pennsylvania, where he
followed his trade of shoemaking until his death. It is said that he bore
a remarkable resemblance to Abraham Lincoln, both in face and figure,
while his wife was small in stature. He married, in 1840, Sarah A. Nodine,
born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1820, died in 1865. Probably both were
natives of Connecticut, and he, in young manhood, made the trip to the
western part of Pennsylvania in order to investigate conditions with a view
of going there with his family. He did not return, and is supposed to have
been drowned while fording a stream. In later life Mrs. Nodine removed
to Pennsylvania, died there, and is buried at Blooming Valley, Pennsyl-
vania. Mr. and Mrs. Van Sicklin had children : John A., of further men-
tion; James, a blacksmith, lives in South Bend, Indiana; Emma, now living
in Erie, Pennsylvania, married W. B. Sherwood, who is fire chief of Erie
Engine House, No. 4.
(III) John A. (3) Van Sicklin, son of John A. (2) and Sarah A.
(Nodine) Van Sicklin, was born at the corner of Hudson and Charles
streets, New York City, March 18, 1837. He was a very young child when
he was taken to Erie, Pennsylvania, and received a sound, practical educa-
tion in the public schools of that city. He was still a young lad when
he was apprenticed to learn the flour milling trade, at which he remained
three years. He learned in the Mill Creek Mills of Erie, and then followed
this occupation at various other mills in the state until the outbreak of the
Civil War. On the second day of the firing upon Fort Sumter, Mr. Van
Sicklin enlisted in Company B, of the regiment then being organized for a
three months' term at Erie. At the expiration of this period he re-enlisted,
J. ^. (^y/ '^^:cM:,,..
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1559
this time in the United States navy, and was detailed to the gunboat "Ot-
tawa," and served one year on this. This vessel participated in the attacks
on Fort Royal, Fort Pulaski, and on Jacksonville, Florida, and served on
the Blockade. At the termination of his period of enlistment he returned
to Erie for a short time, then went to the oil country of Pennsylvania, and
there worked at oil drilling, dressing tools, pumping oil, etc., at Pithole,
Coraopolis, and other places for a period of three years. He next went
to Amboy, Ashtabula county, Ohio, where he worked in a flour mill for a
time, then purchased one for himself at that place, and operated it three
years. His next venture was the purchase of one hundred and twenty-six
acres of land in Ashtabula county, farmed this thirteen years, then sold
it and became the proprietor of a hotel at Springfield, Pennsylvania, which
he conducted successfully two years. Removing to Linesville, Pennsyl-
vania, he conducted a hotel there for five years, then removed to Conneaut
Lake, was the proprietor of the Alice House there for nine years, and in
1896 returned to Linesville, where he also became a hotel proprietor and
manager. In 1904 he had erected a fine frame country hotel, called The
Traveler, and of this he is yet the genial and popular proprietor. There
is no bar in this hotel. In connection with the hotel he also conducted a
livery business very successfully, but in recent years has turned the con-
duct of this over to his son, John Elliot. In political afi'airs Mr. Van Sicklin
is a Republican, and takes a deep interest in whatever concerns the welfare
of the community.
Mr. Van Sicklin married, in October, 1865, Sarah Parker, born in
Elmira, New York, January 6, 1836, died September 26, 1906, a daughter
of Whittlesey and Almira (Hicks) Parker, the former a drover, who lived
and died near Kingsville, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Van Sicklin had chil-
dren : Laura, unmarried, is the homemaker for her father ; Kittie, died at
the age of thirty-two years ; John Elliot, who has charge of the livery
business of his father, married Lillian Fish, and 'has one child, Sarah Edith,
born March 23, 1910; Sarah, died September 6, 1907; Robert, who died
January 5, 1900, aged nineteen years.
The name of Barnett has been a familiar one in this coun-
BARNETT try since the Revolutionary days, and the bearers of it have
been active in their devotion to the land which gave their
forbears shelter. Many of the name are to be found in the state of Penn-
sylvania, and they have been especially prominent in Erie county.
(I) John Barnett, who was born either in New York state or Ohio,
lived, at one time, near Conneaut, Ashtabula county, Ohio. Among his
children were : Miles, of further mention ; Thomas, Alfred, James, An-
nette, Betsey, Gilbert.
(II) Miles Barnett, a son of John Barnett, was born in Jefferson
county. New York, June 27, 1812, and died at the home of his son, George,
at Cambridge Springs, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, March 12, 1891.
At the time of his marriage he was engaged in the lumber business at
1560 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Ganaqua, Canada, and in 1840 removed to Pennsylvania, wliere he lived
on the George Smith farm, now known as the George Mitchell farm, and
one year later removed to the Amos Judson farm, just south of Waterford
borough, and there built the first judson grist and saw mill. Subsequently
he constructed a few miles of the Sunbury & Erie Railroad, and also a
number of miles of the Waterford & Erie Plank Road. In 1858 he pur-
chased the Dan Vincent Tannery, moved to town, and there bought the
Thomas Vincent house, in which he resided until 1847, when he sold it to
F. D. Bolard. He then built and operated a tannery for some years, and
when he sold this removed to Cambridge Springs, where he carried on the
same business for a number of years. Here he also disposed of his busi-
ness, and then went to the West, carrying on the tanning business at Water-
town and Berlin, Wisconsin, and then in Kansas. At the commencement
of the Civil War he owned a leather store at McGregor, Iowa, and one
of his customers was General Ulysses S. Grant, who was engaged in the
same business in Galena, Kansas. Mr. Barnett conducted one of the'^'under-
ground stations," concealing the escaping slaves in his bam and then as-
sisting them to reach another "station" further along. When the call for
volunteers came, Mr. Barnett was too old to enlist, but after the battle
of Gettysburg he went into the field and assisted in caring for the wounded
soldiers, Union and Confederate alike, and at other times took wounded
soldiers to his home instead of allowing them to go to the hospitals, and
cared for them until they were sufficiently recovered to travel. On the
day that John Brown was executed, Mr. Barnett locked himself in the
Methodist church, and tolled the bell for an hour. By this act he incurred
the enmity of the Secessionists, of whom there were quite a number in the
town, and they tried to break down the church door and threatened tcv
shoot him. He was a member of the Methodist church for many years,
was a class leader, held other official positions, and was always active in
its interests. Mr. Barnett married, at Ganaqua, Canada, November 2, 1832,
Lydia Ann Legg. They had children: i. Maria, married (first) William
King, and had children: William, Lizzie and Anna; she married (second)
A. L. Hazelton, and had c:hildren: Ormond and Anna. 2. Ambrose, of
further mention. 3. Abigail, died at the age of two years. 4. Helen, mar-
ried James Johnson, died March 27, 1907. 5. Alfred, was a member of
Company C, Eighty-third Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, was
wounded twice at the battle of Bull Run, and died December 24, 1903 ; he
had children : Miles B., a physician ; Charles ; Ena, married Bock-
way. 6. Ena, married I. C. Hayes, died March 15, 1869, leaving one son,
W. Boyd Hayes. 7. Miles, born in 1847, died in 1849. 8. Jennie, born in
1848, died in 1850. 9. George M., married Clara Fullerton, and has one
son, Ralph. 10. Clara, married Chester C. Frisbee, and has children: Miles
and Clara.
(Ill) Ambrose Barnett, son of Miles and Lydia Ann (Legg) Barnett,
was born November 10, 1834, and is the only representative of this family
left in Waterford, and with the exception of a few years has spent his
entire life in that town. At an early age he was apprenticed to learn the
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1561
trade of cabinet making, and also learned the millwright's trade, and he
was still young when he established himself in the furniture and cabinet
business in Waterford. At one time he was associated in business with
John S. King, and at another with Vincent Anderson. The lumber trade
also engaged his attention, and for a time he operated the Judson Mill
below the town, but later devoted his entire time to his trade as a mill-
wright, constructing some of the largest and most modern saw mills of his
day, among which were the mill at Glen Hazel, Pennsylvania ; Ligonier,
Pennsylvania ; Marlington, West Virginia ; and the last he erected was the
Clark Mill, west of Waterford. He was always considered one of the
best mechanics in his line of business, and kept well abreast of the times
in every detail connected with it. In political matters he has always been
a staunch supporter of Republican principles, and has worked earnestly
in the interests of the party with which he affiliated. His religious con-
nection was and is with the Waterford Methodist Episcopal Church, of
which he has been an active member for many years, and a liberal con-
tributor to its support. He responded to the first call of President Lin-
coln for volunteers and enlisted and served three years in the Erie Regiment
of Pennsylvania Volunteers. Mr. Barnett married, in 1862, Charlotte Gay,
born at Kingstown, Providence, Ontario, Canada, November 14, 1837, died
January 29, 1898. She was a devoted wife, a loving mother, a sincere
friend and a kind neighbor. Her membership in the Methodist Episcopal
church was of many years' standing, and she was a leader in the charitable
work connected with this institution, as she was in many other directions.
(IV) Edgar Melancthon Bamett, only child of Ambrose and Char-
lotte (Gay) Barnett, was born in Waterford, Erie county, Pennsylvania,
February 10, 1863. His education was a sound and practical one, and
was obtained in the public schools and the Waterford Academy. His
earlier years were spent in Waterford, and when he had completed his edu-
cation, he became an assistant to his father, and thus gained a thorough and
practical knowledge of the art of mill construction, which was of the
greatest benefit to him in his later career. Subsequently he became a builder
and a superintendent in the lumber business. Some years were spent in
thri west by Mr. Barnett, but he made W^aterford his home and head-
quarters until about 1898, when he located in West Virginia. For a period
of ten years he held the position of superintendent of the Raine-Andrews
Lumber Company, at Evenwood, Randolph county, and at the present time
he is superintendent of the Atlantic Coast Lumber Company, at George-
town, South Carolina, where he makes his home. He and his wife are
members of the Methodist Episcopal clmrch, in whose interests they are
active workers.
Mr. Barnett married, May 17, 1893, Estella, born in ^^'aterford, Penn-
sylvania, May 17, 1865, a daughter of Henry C. and Jane (Moore) Put-
nam. They have become the parents of : Claire, born October 22, 1894,
died December 14, of the same year; Helen, born January 24, 1896; Bar-
bara, born February 17, 1898, died December 31, 1913; Clinton Miles, born
August 19, 1902, a boy of remarkably bright promise for the future, far
in advance in his vears.
1562 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
The McPherson family is of Scotch origin, and has
McPHERSON been resident in Pennsylvania for a number of genera-
tions. The first settler of this family in Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, made his Mray to that section by means of an ox
cart, vk'hen the region was still a wilderness. He had a number of children,
among them being: John and Zachariah.
John McPherson, mentioned above, became the owner of a consider-
able tract of land, which he cultivated and as he cut the trees on this estate,
either converted them into lumber or utilized them about the farm for
various purposes.
Frank A. McPherson, grandson of John McPherson, was born in Leet
township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in 1876, and was educated in
the public schools of that section. He was apprenticed to learn the car-
penter's trade in Sewickley, which he followed for some years, and for
the past five years has been engaged in a general carpenter contracting
business, in which he has been very successful. He is a member of the
local Union. For the past five years he has been a member of the fire
department, has served as chief of the department for the past year, and
has been elected to the same post for the coming year. Mr. McPherson
married, in 1899, Mary H. Wharton, and they have had children: Sarah M.
and Frank S.
The name of Beringer probably had its origin in France,
BERINGER where the form was Beranger, and one of the family was
the famous poet.
Conrad Beringer was born in Prussia, Germany, and followed the oc-
cupation of farming. He and his wife were members of the Presbyterian
churc'h. He married Sophia Tomars, and had children : John, emigrated
to America and settled on a farm in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where
he died in 1912; Conrad, Catherine, Baltzer, of further mention.
Baltzer Beringer, son of Conrad and Sophia (Tomars) Beringer, was
born in Prussia, Germany, May 18, 1847. He took an active part in the
Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, but was fortunate eno*gh to escape with-
out wounds. In 1872 he emigrated to the United States, where he made his
home in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. There he purchased a farm of
fifty-five acres, on which he is still engaged in general farming. He mar-
ried, on his brother's farm, in 1881, Catherine, a daughter of George and
Elizabeth (Short) Schmeltz, who came to this country from Hessen, Ger-
many, and whose other children were: Anna, married John Coolman, and
lives in Pittsburgh ; Elizabeth, married Christian Binder, lives in Pittsburgh ;
Mary, married Ernest Dill, now deceased, and lives in Pittsburgh ; Margaret,
married William Hegmeyer, and lives in Allegheny ; George, unmarried ;
Emma, married Godfrey Dill, now deceased; William, John. Mr. and Mrs.
Beringer have had children: Amelia, born January 21, 1882, married John
Ford and has children: Irwin and Ethel; Matilda, born March 21, 1883;
Albert, born November 21, 1885; Emma, born January 10, 1888; Bertha,
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1563
born November 25, 1893 ; Oliver, born July 16, 1897. Mr. Beringer is a
staunch Republican, and his family belongs to the Lutheran church.
Among the highly successful and influential citizens of
CAUGHEY Glassport, men of character and integrity, who have made
their own way in the world, without the aid of capital or
influential friends, must appear the name of Joseph Y. Caughey, a repre-
sentative of an Irish and Scotch ancestry.
Robert H. Caughey, father of Joseph Y. Caughey, was born in county
Down, Ireland, was there educated and grew to manhood, and in company
with his brother, John Caughey, now of McKeesport, emigrated to the
United States, settling in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1852. He was a
gardener by trade, and followed the same in the vicinity of Allegheny for
five years. In February, 1865, he purchased from James H. Gamble &
Brother land, in partnership with another brotlier, William Caughey, who
came to Pittsburgh in 1850. When Robert H. Caughey arrived in Pitts-
burgh his capital consisted of twenty-five cents, but by perseverance and
imremitting toil he accumulated a competence, he and his brother William
owning one thousand acres in partnership. Robert H. Caughey continued
as a gardener until shortly prior to his death, which occurred December 15,
1899, aged sixty-seven years. He was a member of the L^nited Presbyterian
church, the Free and Accepted Masons, the Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows, and was an ardent Republican in politics. He married Marjorie Grant,
born in Scotland, died June 22, 191 1. Mr. and Mrs. Caughey were the par-
ents of five children: Joseph Y., of whom further: Elizabeth, deceased;
Maria, wife of J. A. C. Sword, of Glassport, Pennsylvania ; Anna Belle, a
resident of Glassport : Martha J., a resident of Glassport.
Joseph Y. Caughey was born near Pittsburgh. Allegheny county, Penn-
sylvania, July 2, 1854. He attended the public schools in the vicinity of his
home, the McKeesport Academy and Duff's Business College. He was in
the employ of his father and uncle until he was twenty-eight years of age,
when he went to McKeesport and engaged in the grocery business, continu-
ing' in the same between two and three years. He then established on his
own account a grocery, feed and meat market, of which he was the pro-
prietor for nine years. In 1893, after the death of his first wife, he removed
to Glassport and there erected a house for his own use. in which he resided
until the year 1914, when he erected a fine residence in close proximity to
his former residence, and there leads a retired life, free from the cares and
anxieties of business pursuits, a fitting sequel to his many years of toil and
worry. He is a stockholder in various banks, having accumulated consider-
able capital from his business enterprises, in addition to the above named
being the proprietor of a drug store in McKeesport. He is an ardent Re-
publican in politics, and for four years served in the capacity of assessor of
Glassport. He is a member of Aliquippa Lodge, No. 375, Free and Accepted
Masons, of McKeesport, and of the L^nited Presbyterian church located on
Atlantic avenue, McKeesport.
1564 WESTERN PENNSYL\^\NIA
Mr. Caughey married (first) June 24, 1884, Mary Jane McClure. Chil-
dren : Robert, professor in the Pennsylvania State College ; Frank M., a
minister of the United Presbyterian church, now in Coin, Iowa ; Martha J.,
a teacher in the schools of Glassport; John E., a graduate of Princeton Col-
lege, class of 1914. Mrs. Caughey died in May, 1893. Mr. Caughey married
(second) April 26, 1896, Catharine McFadden, of EHzabeth township, Alle-
gheny county, Pennsylvania, daughter of Thomas and Catherine B. (Mc-
Cune) McFadden. Children: Catharine B. and Marjorie J., twins.
Simon Clary, although born in the state of Ohio, is of pure
CLARY Irish blood, his parents both being natives of tliat country,
emigrating to America before the birth of Mr. Clary.
(I) Clary, grandfather of Simon Clary, was a native of county
Clare, Ireland, where he lived in the old Clary home, an ancient stone house
near Crowny Bridge, about twenty miles from the city of Ennis in that
county. The name of the hamlet near which the house stands is the typically
Irish one of Ballynacally, a little place situated on the banks of the romantic
Fergus river, near the point of its confluence with the Shannon, in the long
land-locked bay which forms their mutual mouth. The old house is still
standing after many years, and contains but three rooms, a large one and two
small ones. Old Mr. Clary kept for many years a store in his neighborhood,
and was often obliged, during famine times, to supply his neediest customers
with the necessities of life, free of charge. He married Mary Brown, also
a native of county Clare, and by her had eight children, as follows : Patrick,
who spent his entire life in Ireland and finally died there. 2. Michael, father
of Simon Clary. 3. Thomas, who lived and died in his native county, Clare.
4. John, who came to New York about the year 1850 and settled in the state
of Illinois. 5. Simon, now living in county Clare, Ireland, at the venerable
age of ninety years. 6. James, who lived and died in Ireland. 7. Bridget,
who married and still lives in Ireland, a son of her's being a priest in the
Catholic church. 8. Mary, who later became Mrs. Morressey and lived and
died in county Clare, Ireland .
(II) Michael Clary, the second son of and Mary (Brown) Clary,
was born in the year 1819, in county Clare, Ireland, the home of his family
for so many years, and there grew up, his childhood and youth being passed
on a small farm. He purchased a small piece of property in the year 1849,
where he attempted to support himself and wife, he having been married in
the same year, but the conditions in Ireland at that time being peculiarly
difficult, he soon resold it, and in 1850, the following year, emigrated to
America, his voyage being made on a sailing vessel and occupying eight
weeks. Arriving in the United States, he went to New York City, where
he remained a short time, and then removed to Ohio and settled in Jefferson
county. This location pleased both himself and his wife so greatly that they
sent to Ireland for the latter's two sisters, Bridget and Johanna Loftus, and
before long the whole Loftus family had crossed the ocean and settled in
Jefferson county. The first work which Mr. Clary and the men of the Lof-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1565
tus family, who had come to the United States at his instance, found was
with the construction gang employed on what is known as the "Panhandle,"
a part of the great Pennsylvania Railroad system. In this employment they
all prospered so that each one of them was eventually able to buy a farm
and retire upon it. Mr. Clary soon became a foreman in the work and was
further employed in the construction of the Red Bank Railroad. The nature
of his work, which he followed until the year 1870, was such that he was
obliged to change his place of abode not infrequently, but in that year he
bought a farm in Crosstree township, Jefferson county, Ohio, and there
passed the remainder of his life. Mr. Clary was a Democrat in politics, and
vitally interested in public affairs. His death occurred in September, 1891,
at the age of seventy-two years, and he was buried at Steubenville, Ohio.
He married Mary Loftus, a native of county Clare, Ireland, born in the year
1816, and who survived her husband until the year 1909, when she died
April 29, at the great age of ninety-three years. Mrs. Clary was the daugh-
ter of James and Catherine (Garry) Loftus, of county Clare. Her father
died as a young man in Ireland, but Mrs. Loftus and her children came to
the United States in 1850, and settled near Fernwood, Jefiferson county,
Ohio. To Mr. and Mrs. Clary were born seven children, as follows: i.
Margaret, who later married Patrick Clark, a railroad man of Hazlewood,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 2. John, a railroad man, of Youngstown, Ohio,
married Mary ]\IcClear. 3. Simon, of whom further. 4. Mary, later be-
came Mrs. John Holihan, of Wheeling, West Virginia. 5. Bridget, who later
married Barney McClear, a contractor of New Castle, Pennsylvania. 6. Pat-
rick, a retired grocer of Carnegie, Pennsylvania. 7. Catherine, who later
became the wife of George Rudolph, a grocer of Crafton, Pennsylvania. Mr.
and Mrs. Clary and their entire family were devout members of the Roman
Catholic church.
(Ill) Simon Clary, the third child of Michael and Mary (Loftus) Clary,
was born May 20, 1855, in Harrison county, Ohio, during a temporary resi-
dence of his parents there, and received his education at the public schools
of Jefferson county, in the same state. At the early age of nine years he
began to work, his first employment being with a railroad construction gang,
where his task consisted of carrying water for the men. He later retired
from this work and employed himself on his father's farm for a time until
his increasing age made it possible for him to secure more lucrative work
on the railroad. This he found in the year 1873, when he was but eighteen
years old, in the position of foreman for the "Panhandle" Railroad, then in
course of construction. This position he retained until the year 1891, when
he was promoted to the position of supervisor of track. Subdivision No. r,
Pennsylvania lines west of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a position which he
still holds today. In the year 1878 he removed his place of residence to what
was then known as Chartiers borough, but is now called Carnegie, Pennsyl-
vania, and there bought his present residence at 311 Fifth avenue. Mr.
Clary is an active and prominent man in his community, a Democrat in
politics, and a member of the Catholic Mutual Benefit Association.
1566 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Mr. Clary married Margaret J. Kinney, a daughter of John and Mar-
garet (Ansboro) Kinney, both natives of Ireland, who emigrated to the
United States and settled in the Temperanceville district of Pittsburgh, where
Mr. Kinney became a contractor and operated a grocery store, and where
Mrs. Clary was born. To Mr. and Mrs. Clary have been born five children,
as follows: i. Mary, died when seven years of age. 2. Ella, who later
became Mrs. John T. King, of Wineberg, Pennsylvania. 3. John, now at-
tending college at , Canada. 4. Margaret, residing at home with
her parents. 5. Michael J. Mr. and Mrs. Clary and the members of their
family are all staunch members of the Roman Catholic church, as their for-
bears have always been, and attend St. Luke's church, Carnegie, of that
denomination.
The Hartmanns of Ross township, Allegheny county,
HARTMANN Pennsylvania, descend from Henry Hartmann, of Ger-
many, whose son, Marx, came to this country, married
and founded a family of which Thomas C. Hartmann, farmer of Ross town-
ship, is representative. Henry Hartmann was a gardener and shepherd in
Germany, married and had five children ; Joseph, Marx, Frank, Lizzie and
Thomas ; Joseph and Thomas living, the others deceased.
Marx Hartmann settled first in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he
worked in a dairy located in the East End. Later he moved to a farm
on the Butler turnpike, in Franklin township, Allegheny county, becoming
the owner of one hundred and thirty-four acres there, also owning two
small tracts in Ross township. He was an elder of the Presbyterian church,
and a Republican in politics, a man much respected in his community. He
died in 1902. He married Maria Knoll, also of German descent, who died
in 1896. Children: i. Mary, married John Lipp, who died in 1907; she re-
sides in West View, the mother of nine children: Mary, John, Lizzie, Emily,
Frederick, Kelly, Albert, Clara and Kermit. 2. Marx, a farmer of Franklin
township, married Lizzie Ehlman ; children : Emily, Clara, Edward and Rose.
3. Lizzie, deceased. 4. Christopher, a farmer of Franklin township, married
Amelia Roder ; children : Helen, Edith, Frank, Albert, Olive and Herbert.
5. Jacob, married (first) Amelia Knoll, who died in 1907; children: Stella,
Maria, Ralph, Margaret and Howard; he married a second wife and has a
daughter, Ella. 6. Thomas C, of whom further.
Thomas C. Hartmann was born in Franklin township, Allegheny county,
July 24, 1866. He was educated in the public schools, and until his father's
death worked a rented farm. He then inherited from his father forty-four
acres in Ross township, on which he now resides. He is a Republican in
politics, and a member of the Lutheran church. He married Mary Hagmier,
and they had six children: Wilbur, born November 30, 1893; Otto, De-
cember 31, 1894; Edgar, October 10, 1896; Harold, February 6, 1900; Roy,
April 23, 1902; Margaret, March 14, 1903.
P.n-/a
l^>-z-</-T^^
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1567
John Renner, a son of Philip and Lydia Renner, was of Ger-
RENNER man descent. He was among the early settlers of Woodcock
township, where he followed the occupation of farming. He
was born October 26, 1826, and died August 7, 1878. He married, January
22, 1856, Elizabeth, born October 25, 1833, died March 17, 1872, a daughter
of George and Martha Henry. They had children : Peter Winslow, of fur-
ther mention; George Philip, born April i, 1859, died April 24, 1859; Cora
Bell, born April 18, i860; Lydia Maria, born August 2, 1862; Samuel Clyde, '
born May 18, 1865, died November 9, 1889; James Eugene, born September
15, 1869; Bertram Melvin, born February 28, 1872; Bertha May, born Feb-
ruary 28, 1872, twin of Bertram M., died September 21, 1872.
Peter Winslow Renner, son of John and Elizabeth (Henry) Renner,
was born in Woodcock township, September 3, 1856, and died November 16,
1903. He acquired his education in the local public schools and was gradu-
ated from the Cambridge Springs High School. Having taken a thorough
course in undertaking and embalming, he was engaged in that profession and
continued in it until his death. He was also identified with the industry of
oil production in Pennsylvania and Ohio, and devoted a large share of his
time and attention to this. Mr. Renner married, October 3, 1882, Clara, born
in Woodcock township, June 20, 1865, a daughter of Charles and Sarah
(Perkins) Cummings. Children: i. Charles Elliott, born in Woodcock
borough, October 16, 1885, was graduated from the Cambridge High School;
he took a course in the art of undertaking and became assistant to his father,
then attended Allegheny College one year; his death occurred May 23, 191 1.
2. John Gerald, born July 6, 1888, at Woodcock borough, died November
16, 1889. 3. Opal Louise, born June 18, 1893, in Woodcock borough; after
being graduated from the Cambridge Springs High School, she attended the
Milwaukee Downer College, from which she was graduated with honor,
both in literature and music, and was awarded the degree of Bachelor of
Arts; she is now a teacher of music in the Cambridge Springs High School.
4. Dorothy Elizabeth, born in Cambridge Springs, October 2, 1897, is now
in the senior class in the Cambridge Springs High School.
Charles Cummings, father of Mrs. Clara (Cummings) Renner, was born
.January 6, 1813, died August 19, 1870. He married, May 27, 1843, Sarah,
born June i, 1821, died July i, 1898, a daughter of Caleb and Hannah
(Cook) Perkins. Children: Joseph T., born March 9. 1844, died July 14,
1844; Charles Jr., born April 16, 1845, died July 31, 1849; Frederick, born
December 4, 1846, died May 29, 1857; Sarah, born July 26, 1848, died Sep-
tember 3, 1849; Ira, born February 19, 1850, died February 11, 1852; Han-
nah, born September 21, 1851, died February 25, 1852; Franklin, born
March 24, 1853; Martha Elizabeth, born April 10, 1854, died August 20,
1857; Helen, born January 24, i860, died August 15, i860; Louisa, born
September 19, 1861, died September 13, 1874; Clara, who married Mr. Ren-
ner, as stated above.
Caleb Perkins, father of Mrs. Sarah (Perkins) Cummings, was born
October 28, 1781, died at Woodcock, October 29, 1854. After his marriage
1568 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
he settled to the south of Woodcock borough, in the early days of that sec-
tion, and there owned and operated a sawmill. He married, March 25,
1810, Hannah, born June 11, 1783, died November 20, 1858, a daughter of
Samuel and Lydia (Derby) Cook. Both Mr. and Mrs. Perkins were from
Massachusetts. Children: Lyman, born at New Salem, Massachusetts, Oc-
tober 2, 1812 ; Martha Ann, born at New Salem, Massachusetts, Septem-
ber 16, 1814; Sarah, who married Charles Cummings, as mentioned above.
Samuel Cook, father of Mrs. Hannah (Cook) Perkins, was born May
31, 1751, died September 5, 1805. He married (first) Catherine Kendall,
torn August 17, 1756, died September 14, 1777. He married (second) Lydia
Derby, born at Salem, Massachusetts, November 6, 1759, died October 9,
1839. Children by first marriage: Samuel, born January 12, 1775, died
at Houlton, Maine; Betsy, born October 12, 1776, died at Linesville, Penn-
sylvania, May 5, 1867. Children by second marriage : Catherine, born De-
cember 19, 1781, died September 14, 1796; Hannah, who married Caleb
Perkins, as above stated; Lydia, born December 15, 1785, died September
9, 1849; Susan, born February 29, 1788, died August 8, 1849; Lucretia,
born April 29, 1790, died September 11, 1833; Robert, born May 5, 1797,
died August 9, 1871.
Gustav Schneider is a native of Germany and a member
SCHNEIDER of a family representative of the best type of the German
people, who have contributed to the cosmopolitan citi-
zenship of this country, a leaven of their own peculiar virtues, untiring in-
dustry, and unswerving pursuit of their objectives.
His parents were John and Clara (Barth) Schneider, both natives of
Germany, who passed their youth and were married in the "Fatherland."
Later they emigrated with their son Gustav to the United States, and upon
their arrival in this country made their way to Pennsylvania, and settled
near Creighton, about the time of the erection of the great glass works
there. The elder Schneider soon found employment in the glass house, and
there continued to work until the time of his death. Both he and his wife
died at Creighton, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, which was a rural place
at the time the Schneider family first settled there, but since that time it
has been involved in the gigantic development of Pittsburgh and the farms
which then graced the landscape have all given way to great manufactur-
ing plants and the communities of mill workers which depend upon them
and upon which they depend.
Gustav Schneider, son of John and Clara (Bartla) Schneider, was born
March 7, 1875, in Germany, but as a very young child was brought to the
United States by his parents at the time of their emigration. He was edu-
cated in the public schools of his adopted town in the "New World," Creigh-
ton, and when only thirteen years of age followed the example of his father
and secured a position in the Creighton glass house. He entered as an
apprentice, but his natural aptitude and energy soon brought him a regular
position in the works, since which time he has advanced steadily. He is
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1569
now employed by the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Factory, No. 2, in the polishing
department, and by dint of the greatest industry and economy he has be-
come very well-to-do. In the year 1882 he removed to Tarentum, Penn-
sylvania, and there built himself a double house on West Eighth street, on
property which he purchased. Here he lived until 1897, when he built the
fine residence in which he is still living, and which is also situated on West
Eighth street, Tarentum. Mr. Schneider now owns both these properties,
which are already of great value, and in view of the tremendous develop-
ment which that whole region is continually undergoing, are likely to become
much more so. Mr. Schneider is a prominent figure in the life of the com-
munity, and takes a vital part in all departments of its activity. He is a
member of several fraternities and orders, among them being the Knights
of St. George and the Eagles.
Mr. Schneider married, in 1898, Elizabeth Doeman. To them have
been born children, as follows: Joseph, Arnold, Katherine and Bernard, the
last named deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Schneider are members of the Catholic
church, as their respective families have been for many generations, and they
are rearing tlieir children in that faith. They attend the Church of the
Sacred Heart in Tarentum, and are prominent in the support of their church
and its various benevolences.
George and Henry Scheffel, brothers and natives of Ger-
SCHEFFEL many, were responsible for the introduction of this line
into Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. At the time of their
emigration George Scheffel was twenty-one years of age, and they first
settled where Sample Station now is, there being employed in a cycle fac-
tory. George Scheffel soon abandoned this work to follow his trade, that
of miller, and he was the operator of numerous mills throughout the county,
and then farmed until the death of his wife. He passed his remaining years
after his wife's death with his son Christian. He married Mary, born in
Germany, daughter of George Hill, a native of Germany and in his homeland
a soldier in the army of the Emperor, being in active service in the German
army. After coming to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he was for many years
a member of the police force of that city, and was later turnkey at the county
jail, meeting an accidental death by falling downstairs. The Hill farm was
near that of George Scheffel, and the acquaintance formed as neighbors
ripened into the romance that made Mary Hill his wife. Children of George
and Mary (Hill) Scheffel: Philip, deceased; George, deceased; Henry, Liz-
zie, Maggie, Christian, of whom further ; Philip, John, Mary.
Christian Scheffel, son of George and Mary (Hill) Scheffel, was bom
in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, April 3, 1854, and as a boy attended the
public schools. He was first employed as a charcoal burner, and for two
years operated a threshing machine. He farmed rented land for two years,
and in 1889 bought his present home at Bellevue. originally a farm of eighty-
six acres, to which he has since added eighteen acres. The buildings at the
time of purchase were in poor condition, but careful renovation and alter-
I570 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
ation have made of them substantial and attractive structures, the farm-
house a most comfortable dwelling. Mr. Scheffel has done general farming,
and here also conducts a modern dairy, a herd of excellent stock supplying
him with high grade products. He is a successful agriculturist and dairy-
man, and is well and favorably known throughout the district in which he
lives. He is a communicant of the Perrysville Lutheran church.
Mr. Scheffel married, about 1880, Anna, daughter of Frediland and
Sarah (Hair) Miller, her parents natives of Germany. The Miller farm
adjoined that of Mr. Scheffel, Frediland Miller having purchased sixty-five
acres of unimproved land, which he cultivated successfully. Children of
Christian and Anna (Miller) Scheffel: Mamie, lives in Ingram, Pennsyl-
vania; Anna, lives in Ross township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania;
George, lives at home ; Walter, lives at home.
This is an Irish family, Ireland being the country
McLaughlin whence came Frederick Patrick McLaughlin, of this
chronicle, all the previous generations of his line having
lived in the homeland. He is a son of Michael and Mary (Gormley) Mc-
Laughlin, both natives of Ireland, where they lived and died, he aged eighty-
four years, she aged forty-two years. They were the parents of : James,
Frederick Patrick, of whom further; Hugh, John, Margaret, Henry, Mary
Josephine, Bernard, and two who died in childhood.
Frederick Patrick McLaughlin, son of Michael and Mary (Gormley)
McLaughlin, was born in county Londonderry, Ireland, April 8, 1847, and
was there reared and educated, later emigrating to the United States, liv-
ing first in Philadelphia, afterward proceeding to Pittsburgh. He entered
the grocery business, learning all the details of that business and thoroughly
mastering its methods, subsequently becoming a salesman for a grocery
house, traveling in its interests in his native land. This was the line in
which he continued throughout his entire active career, amassing a com-
fortable competence, and retiring from business in 1908. In that year he
moved to Aspinwall, Pennsylvania, there erecting a house that is one of
the finest and most attractive residences of the borough, and has there since
lived. To such excellent advantage had he used the strength and vitality
of youth that as he approached middle age his business position was secure
and unassailable, and as he slipped the confining yoke of business soon after
passing three-score years it was with the realization that he had worthily
held his own in competition with his fellows. He is a communicant of the
Roman Catholic church, and in political faith a Democrat. Mr. McLaugh-
lin married, in 1880, Anna, born in county Cavan, Ireland, daughter of
Michael and Anna (Alurphy) Riley, her parents dying in Ireland. Mr. and'
Mrs. McLaughlin are the parents of : Mary Josephine, deceased ; Annie
May, Michael John, deceased ; Margaret Theresa, deceased ; John Leo.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1571
Scotland has sent her quota of citizens to this country,
PATTERSON men of force of character and integrity, who have ably
assisted in the development and progress of the com-
munities in which they resided, and numbered among these are the members
of the Patterson family, residents of McKeesport.
Peter Patterson, father of Thomas Patterson, was a native of Berwick-
shire, Scotland, born November 22, 1809, died October 18, 1887. He mar-
ried Isabel Lillico, born at Corn Hill, Northumberland, England, in 181 1,
died in August, 1886. Their children were: Joshua, deceased; Elizabeth
Wood, deceased; Peter, deceased; Thomas, of whom further; John, de-
ceased ; George.
Thomas Patterson was born in Jedburgh, Roxburyshire, Scotland,
March 5, 1845. He was reared in his native land, educated in the common
schools of the neighborhood, and in 1870, when twenty-five years of age,
emigrated to the United States, landing in New York City. His first em-
ployer was James L. Jackson, whose place of business was located at Second
avenue and Twenty-eighth street, New York. Later he went to Boston,
Massachusetts, where he was employed in the National Tube Company,
they then having only one hundred men in their employ. On June 29, 1872,
he left Boston to take up his residence in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, arriv-
ing there on July i. He there entered the employ of the National Tube
Company, and served as foreman machinist for thirty-six years, being placed
on special jobs, his work being done in the Lapp mill. His long term of
service is proof positive that he performed his duties and obligations in a
satisfactory manner, meeting the approbation of his superiors. On March
18, 1881, he purchased the property whereon in 1887 he erected a house
for the use of himself and family, this being modem in every respect and
attractive to the eye. He holds membership in the Presbyterian church,
and in politics has always been a staunch Republican.
Mr. Patterson married, February 5, 1870, Isabella Lee, born in Kendall,
Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, February 27, 1852, daughter of David
and Mary Jane (Rosethom) Lee, both natives of England, who came to
this country in 1879, settling in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, where he died
in the year 1885, she surviving until the year 1904. Air. and Mrs. Lee were
the parents of five children : Harry, deceased ; David, Mary Jane, Isabella,
Robert. Mr. and Mrs. Patterson are ,the parents of nine children: i.
Mary Jane, wife of George West, of McKeesport, Pennsylvania; children:
Walter Leonard, Thomas, Harry, deceased. 2. Isabella R. 3. Peter, mar-
ried Emma Zemmer; resides in McKeesport; children: Isabella, Jean,
Thomas, John, Charles. 4. Thomas Henry, deceased. 5. Elizabeth, wife
of Robert Wood ; children : Thomas, Agnes, John, George, Isabella and
David, twins. 6. John, a resident of McKeesport; married Elliott Cram-
mond, of Kelso, Scotland ; children : Agnes, John. 7. Jessie Thompson, wife
of Bert C. Wood, of Youngstown, Ohio ; children : Robert James, Harry
Allan. 8. David Lee, a resident of McKeesport, married Clara Campbell;
children : Clara, James, Irene. 9. George Alexander, a resident of McKees-
1572 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
port, married Sarah Downham, of Kendall, Pennsylvania; children: Dor-
othy, Eleanor.
The name of Lefever is an old and honored one in France,
LEFEVER and has been no less so since it was brought to this country.
The first of the name of whom we have record here was
Isaac Lefever, who came from France with his wife and mother-in-law,
Mrs. Ferrer, to Boston, Massachusetts, in 1708, but moved to Lancaster
county, Pennsylvania, to a better farming section.
(II) Philip Lefever, son of Isaac and (Ferrer) Lefever, married,
and among his children was George, of whom further.
(III) George, son of Philip Lefever, was a color bearer under George
Washington during the Revolutionary War. He married, and was the
father of twelve children, among whom were: John, of whom further;
Jacob, who settled where Conneautville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, is
now located ; Samuel, who settled in Cassewago township ; Adam, of Hay-
field township.
(IV) John Lefever, son of George Lefever, came to Crawford county,
Pennsylvania, in 1806, on a visit to his brother Jacob. He then purchased
land there of Conrad Cole, and made that section his home. He had been
educated by an Irish schoolmaster, and had acquired somewhat of an Irish
brogue. He could also speak German. When he first desired to buy land
from Mr. Cole, that gentleman hesitated about selling the land to a sup-
posed Irishman, but finally yielded to the persuasions of Mr. Lefever, which
were expressed in the German language. The land he purchased consisted
of two hundred and thirty acres. He lived on this farm until his death,
in March, 1849, ^nd was the first man buried in Denny Cemetery. He re-
turned to Lancaster county in 1806, and there married Betsey Line, and had
children: Abraham, of whom further; Annie and George Line. At the
time of the War of 1812 he shouldered his bear gun, walked to Erie and
enlisted.
(V) Abraham Lefever, son of John and Betsey (Line) Lefever, was
born in 1808, on the homestead farm. He removed to the western part of
the same township and there owned a farm of one hundred acres, on which
he lived until his death. He built a saw and grist mill in 1840 at Littles
Corners, and operated this a considerable length of time. All the early
Lefevers were Universalists. Abraham Lefever married Rebecca Huber,
born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Joseph and Betsey
(Wise) Huber. Joseph Huber was a German Quaker, and a millwright.
He erected many mills which he operated himself, and he would also go
into the surrounding country and erect them for others. Whenever he had
settled in any section, and it became too thickly populated for his taste,
he would sell the mill he was operating at the time, and move still farther
west, until he was well into the state of Ohio at the time of his wife's death.
Mr. and Mrs. Lefever had children : Mary E., Benjamin F., Sarah A., David
H., of whom further; George H., M. Ella, Lydia Rebecca.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1573
(VI) David H. Lefever, son of Abraham and Rebecca (Huber) Le-
fever, was educated in the common schools of Hayfield township, and com-
pleted his education in the Edinburgh State Normal School. At the age
of eighteen years he commenced to teach in Crawford county, and then be-
came associated with the Boomer & Boschert Press Company, this connec-
tion now existing for a period of thirty-six years. His position with this
concern is that of traveling salesman. He is also the owner of a fine farm
of two hundred and fifty acres, which he has cultivated for many years.
Small fruits and general farm produce are his main output. He has made
some valuable experiments in the cultivation of small fruits, which have
been profitable to all who have followed his example. Mr. Lefever married,
September 27, 1870, Alice A. Gaut, a native of Hayfield township, and
they have had one child, Qarence H., of whom further.
(VII) Dr. Clarence H. Lefever, son of David H. and Alice A. (Gaut)
Lefever, was graduated at the head of his class from the Edinburgh State
Normal School, and held a similar position when he was graduated from
the Allegheny College, and was the youngest man ever graduated from the
State Normal. While at college he held the rank of major in the college
military organization. He then became a student at the University of Penn-
sylvania, from which he was graduated in the class of 1902 with the degree
of Doctor of Medicine. For a time he taught in the Polytechnic, then was
engaged in hospital practice in New York City for one year, and finally
established himself in the practice of his profession in Erie, Pennsylvania,
where he has won the confidence of a large number of patients.
A citizen whose activities have included participation in nearly
PORTER every leading interest of his city and state, and who has ren-
dered good and notable service in every sphere with which
he has been identified — this is Henry Kirke Porter, of Pittsburgh, president
of the H. K. Porter Company, and former Congressional Representative
from the Thirty-first District of Pennsylvania. For nearly half a century
Mr. Porter has been a resident of the Iron City and is intimately associated
with her financial and educational institutions, and with her political, relig-
ious and social life.
Henry Kirke Porter was born November 24, 1840, in Concord. New
Hampshire, a son of George and Clara (Ayer) Porter. The early educa-
tion of the boy was received in public and private schools and he was pre-
pared for college at the New London (New Hampshire) Academy. In
i860 he graduated at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, and in
1861-62 studied at Newton Theological Seminary. The call to arms, how-
ever, appealed too strongly to the patriotic instincts of the young loyalist
to allow him to remain in scholastic seclusion, and he enlisted in the Forty-
fifth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers. After making an honorable rec-
ord he was mustered out in July, 1863, and during the following winter
served in the United States Christian Commission, at the close of the war
resuming his professional studies at Rochester Theological Seminary.
1574 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Time, however, wrought a change in the hfe plans of the soldier-student,
and in May, 1866, he came to Pittsburgh, engaging in the business of manu-
facturing light locomotives. In this venture he achieved a rapid success,
his products, by reason of their great excellence, finding a market in all parts
of the world. On January i, 1899, the business was incorporated as the H.
K. Porter Company, with Mr. Porter as president. American trade annals,
telling as they do of many men who have been the architects of their own
fortunes, contain no record more creditable by reason of undaunted energy,
well formulated plans and straightforward dealings than that of Henry
Kirke Porter. His untiring energy and his enthusiastic manner of forging
ahead are the envy of the younger men about him' and his employees have
always shown him a rare devotion, the result of the justice and kindness
which have marked his conduct toward them. He is a member of the
Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, and at one time was president of that
body.
Brilliant, forceful and experienced, Mr. Porter is a dominant factor in
the city's aflfairs, and any plan for civic betterment finds in him an ardent
supporter. No good work done in the name of charity or religion seeks
his co-operation in vain and he brings to bear in his work of this character
the same discrimination and thoroughness which are manifest in his busi-
ness life. From 1868 to 1887 he was president of the Young Men's Chris-
tian Association of Pittsburgh, and since 1875 has been a member of its
international committee. From 1895 to 1897 he was president of the Ameri-
can Baptist Home Mission Society, from 1901 to 1904 he held the same
office in the American Baptist Missionary Union, and since 1871 has served
on the board of trustees of the Crozer Theological Seminary. He was su-
perintendent of the First Baptist Bible School from January, 1867, to about
1900, since that honorary superintendent, and in 191 3 was given this hon-
orary position for life. He was on the original board of trustees of the
Carnegie Library when organized, and then of the Carnegie Institute from
the time of its organization. Since 1899 he has been a member of the
board of fellows of Brown University, and since 1887 has served as a
trustee of the Western Pennsylvania Institute for the Blind, having been
elected president in 1904. He is a member of the American Geographical
and Archaeological Societies and belongs to a large number of clubs and
social organizations in New York and Washington, as well as in Pitts-
burgh.
In politics Mr. Porter is identified with the Republicans, and in 1903
was elected to represent the Thirty-first Congressional District, an office
which he filled for a number of years. His record as a legislator can be best
given in the brief but forcible statement that it was honorable to himself
and satisfactory to his constituents.
The personality of Mr. Porter is that of a man possessed of remarkable
financial acumen and with marvelous knowledge of men, a director and
stockholder in numerous monetary institutions, one who has managed high
and responsible business affairs with a brilliancy that has won for him the
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1575
admiration of his fellow citizens. A fine looking, genial man, his mind is
alert, his eye piercing and his step resilient. His countenance radiates an
optimistic spirit and the briefest talk with him reveals his ability and the
versatility of his talents. Temperamentally calm, careful, considerate, cour-
teous and amiable, his personal qualities have endeared him to his asso-
ciates.
Mr. Porter married, November 23, 1875, Mrs. Annie (de Camp) Hege-
man, daughter of Abram and Anne (Perrot) de Camp, and their beautiful
home, "Oak Manor," in the East End, is a scene of much entertaining, as
is also their residence in Washington, District of Columbia. Mrs. Porter,
a woman of charming personality, is admirably fitted by mental endowments,
thorough education and innate grace and refinement for her position as one
of the potent factors of Pittsburgh society. She is a member of the Art
Society and the Civic Club.
The life of Henry Kirke Porter, true New Englander and loyal Pitts-
burgher, is one singularly well-rounded and complete. In the annals of his
city, his state and his countr)' his record stands : Business man, citizen,
legislator, soldier — honorable in all.
When this record opens the McCabes were resident in Ireland,
McCABE the family home having been made in that country because
of religious difficulties and incompatibilities in Scotland,
•where the spelling of the name had been MacCabe. Owen McCabe, great-
great-grandfather of Junius D. McCabe, was born about 1720, and was
reared to manhood in county Tyrone, Ireland, there becoming a communi-
cant of the Roman Catholic church, although prior to that time the family
religion had been Presbyterian. In young manhood he emigrated to the
colonies, following the Susquehanna river to Lancaster county, a locality
then regarded as far out on the western frontier. He there married and
a few years later he and his family were the first settlers in Sherman's Val-
ley, Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, Owen McCabe naming Tyrone town-
ship, in what is now Perry county, in remembrance of his former home.
In Pennsylvania he returned to the religion of his fathers and was a Presby-
terian until his death. He was famous for a tenor voice of extraordinary
sweetness and strength and in each generation of his descendants this trait
has persisted, several of each being singers of unusual ability, while a few
have made that art their profession. Owen McCabe married, in Lancaster
county, Catherine Sears, whose sister, Mary, married a Mr. Edmiston and
had two sons who achieved positions of considerable local importance:
Captain Samuel, gained his rank through service in the south under General
Greene in the Revolutionary War and later founded Lewistown. owning
the first brick house erected in that place ; Judge Joseph, an attorney and
judge of Lewistown. Children of Owen and Catherine (Sears) McCabe:
I. James, married a Miss Hughes, and died in young manhood. 2. William,
of whom further. 3. Mary, married Mr. Mclntyre. 4. John, died near
Dayton, Ohio, a wealthy business man, the father of a large family.
1576 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
(II) William, son of Owen and Catherine (Sears) McCabe, was born
in Cumberland county, a district now a part of Perry county, Pennsylvania,
about 1755, died in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. He grew to maturity
amid pioneer surroundings, obtained the best education possible under such
disadvantages, mostly by solitary study, and after his marriage moved with
his family to Allegheny county, where he purchased about two hundred
acres of land in what is now Collier and Robinson township. This land,
wild for the most part, he converted into arable and fertile property, which
he cultivated until his death, rearing in that place a family of nine children,
record of the following existing: i. Samuel. 2. William (2). 3. James
E., of whom further. 4. Joseph Edmiston, a carpenter and farmer, married
Margaret, sister of Major Fife, and had seven children.
(III) James E., son of William McCabe, was born October 7, 1782,
died November 16, 1850. Upon attaining man's estate he became a farmer,
an occupation in which he had been previously trained through assisting his
father on the home farm, and owned one hundred and fifty acres of land
now occupied by the city of Coraopolis. His religion was Presbyterian and
he was an elder in the Sharon church, having a reputation throughout the
locality as a man stern and upright in his ways, being more than usually
punctilious in his observance of the Sabbath and "keeping it holy" in the
strictest sense of the Commandment. He was a Whig in political belief, and
received an appointment as justice of the peace under Governor Simon
Snyder, serving in that capacity for more than fifty years. His universal
appellation was "Squire," and "Squire" McCabe was known far and wide.
In the earlier days of his life the hostility between the Indians and the white
settlers continued strong and unabated, active engagements having decreased
in frequency only because of the rapidly growing strength of the pioneers.
"Squire" McCabe on one occasion met an Indian at the public spring and
watering trough located about one-quarter of a mile from the McCabe home.
The meeting was unexpected, and although both were armed, the weapon
of neither was loaded. Retreat for either was impossible and a thrilling
race in loading rifles ensued, the "Squire'' charging his weapon first and
shooting his Indian enemy dead. James E. McCabe married three times,
(first) a Miss Watson; his second marriage was to Jane, born May 8, 1767,
died November 12, 1819, daughter of Robert Vance, the ceremony being sol-
emnized on May 20, 1813, by Rev. Law. He married (third) February
24, 1820, Margaret (White) Kiefer, daughter of John White; she was born
in Ohio township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, April 30, 1794, died Sep-
tember ID, 1879. His third wife was a cousin of his second, and after the
death of Jane Vance, Margaret (White) Kiefer, a widow, was housekeeper
for the "Squire" until their marriage. By her previous marriage, Mrs.
Kiefer was the mother of one son and one daughter : Maria, born December
7, 1812, died December 8, 1905; Jacob, born August 4, 1814, died March
21, 1849. ^y his first marriage James E. McCabe was the father of no
children. Children of his second wife: i. James Harvey, of whom further.
2-3. Twins, born March 28, 1816, died in early infancy, unnamed. 4. Robert
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1577
Vance, born September 17, 1817, died August 18, 1818. Children of his
third wife: 5. William Perry, born October 22, 1820, died April 9, 1901, a
resident of Coraopolis. 6. John White, deceased, born November 28, 1822,
a physician of Pittsburgh ; was a member of the surgical corps of the Union
army in the war of 1861-1865. 7. An infant, born August 24, 1825, died
unnamed. 8. Milton H., born April 25, 1827. 9. Samuel Jennings, born
May 28, 1830, died May 12, 1831. 10. Junius, born October 13, 1832, went
to California at the time of the gold discoveries, became a ranch-owner, re-
turned to Coraopolis and died about 1870. 11. Alfred, of whom further.
( IV) James Harvey, son of James E. and his second wife, Jane (Vance)
McCabe, was born in Moon township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, May
3, 1814, died April 30, 1891. He grew to manhood on the paternal farm in
Moon township, and being the eldest son, was entrusted with much of the
more important work in managing the estate, attending school as the oppor-
tunity presented itself. After his marriage he purchased forty acres of the
homestead and engaged in independent operations, later purchasing the in-
terests of his co-heirs in the estate and becoming the owner of one hundred
and sixteen acres, the city of Coraopolis now built thereon. River life at-
tracted him as a young man and for a few years he held the position of
mate on a steamboat plying the rivers of that locality. After the application
of the leading citizens of the town of Coraopolis for a borough charter had
been granted, Mr. McCabe was elected the first burgess, and under his care-
ful and interested administration the departments of the new government
were, in an astonishingly short time, working with great lubricity and re-
sulting high efficiency. As he took the lead in the matter of establishing
the new form of government, so it was his energetic championing of the
projected laying of the tracks of the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie through the
borough that made that enterprise possible, his active assistance in securing
rights of way being an important factor in its success. Realizing well the
need, not only of material advance, but of a corresponding forward move
in the spiritual and moral life of the town, he strenuously advocated the
establishment of a Presbyterian church, donating ground on which the sanc-
tuary should be raised, and he and his wife were among the first members
of the church organization, which was named the First Presbyterian Church
of Coraopolis. In every interest of the town, from the time of its laying
out on his farm, when it was named Henrici, in honor of the president of
the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, he was prominent, and to his de-
voted efforts in the days of its infancy, Coraopolis owes much of its present
sturdy permanence. He married Dorcas, born in Findley township. Alle-
gheny county, Pennsylvania, in 1816, died in 1886, daughter of James Reed,
a farmer, who died aged forty-six years. He was a native of Allegheny
county, of Scotch descent, his family having been early residents in that
region. Children of James Reed: i. William, deceased, an oil operator
of Oil City, Pennsylvania. 2. Mary, married a Mr. Atchison, a tailor of
Pittsburgh, where they resided. 3. Dorcas, of previous mention, married
James Harvey McCabe. Children of James Harvey and Dorcas (Reed)
1578 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
McCabe: i. Mary Jane, died aged fifteen years. 2. James H., born De-
cember 19, 1842, died April 18, 1889 ; a soap manufacturer of Pittsburgh
and East Liverpool, Ohio; married Arabella Sayre; he was a soldier in
Captain John Young's company in the Civil War. 3. Milton Dallas, died
aged twelve years. 4. William Reed, retired, unmarried, lives in Coraopolis,
Pennsylvania. 5. Margaret, married William Bailey, both deceased; he a
railroad employee, and resided in Sewickley and Coraopolis. 6. John M.,
a retired merchant of Coraopolis, where he lives ; married Mary McCoombs.
7. Virginia, died aged three years. 8. Junius D., of whom further.
(V) Junius D., youngest child of James Harvey and Dorcas (Reed)
McCabe, was born in Mioon towns'hip (Coraopolis), Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, March 15, 1858. He was first a student in the public schools,
later attending James Dickson's Academy, in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, and
Forest Grove Academy, entering, at the completion of his preparatory
course, the University of Western Pennsylvania (University of Pittsburgh).
He was graduated from this institution Ph.B. in the class of 1883, later
taking a course in civil engineering and being awarded his C.E. by the
same university. His first employment at his profession was with the
Chartiers Valley Gas Company, and when this concern was merged into
the Philadelphia Gas Company, Mr. McCabe and John McBride, the chief
engineer of the gas company, formed the firm of McBride & McCabe, their
ofiices being in the Renshaw Building in Pittsburgh. After a five years'
association Mr. McCabe bought out his partner's interest in the business
and has since continued independently, his office having been at No. 341
Fourth avenue since 1900. His first operations were along the lines of
general civil engineering, and he later specialized in laying out and platting
towns, among the largest in the Pittsburgh district that he surveyed and
laid out for builders being Jeannette, Charleroi, Ellwood City, Monessen,
and Coraopolis, while he assisted in the same work at Donora, Pennsyl-
vania. He was borough engineer of Coraopolis from its founding until
1901, and for several years he performed all of the engineering work for
the Vesta Coal Company. Mr. McCabe is a man of high repute in his
profession and has to his credit numerous difficult undertakings success-
fully completed, problems that would have taxed the knowledge and in-
genuity of the most skillful and practiced of engineers. His political faith
is placed in no party, but in the courage and uprightness of individuals,
and he and his wife are members of the First Presbyterian Church of
Coraopolis, of which he is ruling elder. Since 1892 his home has been at
No. 1310 State avenue, where he erected a comfortable and attractive house
in that year.
Mr. McCabe married, April 30, 1890, Etta L., born in West Hebron,
Washington county. New York state, daughter of William R. McKee, de-
ceased, her father a minister of the United Presbyterian faith, her mother
living in Beaver, Pennsylvania. Children of Mr. and Mrs. McCabe: i. Jamie,
died in infancy. 2. Frank R., born December 2, 1892, a student in the
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1579
University of Pittsburgli. 3. Margaretta, died aged nine months. 4. Nellie,
died aged four months. 5. Howard, died aged four months.
(IV) Alfred, son of James E. and his third wife, Margaret (White)
(Kiefer) McCabe, was born on the old homestead in Moon township, Al-
legheny county, Pennsylvania, July 26, 1836, died September 28, 1893.
The house in which he was born, originally a log structure, later weather-
boarded and enlarged, is standing to the present day at No. 15 14 State
avenue. He grew to manhood in the place of his birth, attending the public
schools, and as he reached mature years he came into full possession of a
voice of exceptional sweetness, range and power, indications of which had
been seen in the clear treble of youth. Besides the endowment of his great
talent he was also an ardent lover of the best in music, and he chose vocal
teaching as his profession, a calling for which he could not have been more
admirably fitted by nature and inclination. In some instances the gifts of
a beneficent Creator are wasted upon one who has neither the ambition nor
the desire to exercise and develop them, but of Alfred McCabe this was
far from true, for he entered into his work with interest and vigor, gaining
a worthy reputation in his profession and giving private lessons to pupils
within a radius of fifteen miles. As a teacher he was sympathetic and
skillful, inculcating, as he developed whatever of talent his pupil might
have, a love for the compositions of the greatest composers, guiding their
tastes so that, known as one who had studied under his instruction, none
might rebuke them for grossness or indelicacy in choice or selection. He
was not only in great demand as a teacher but was constantly in receipt
of requests for solo work, many of which he granted, refusing many more
for lack of time. He was a popular leader of choruses, which he fre-
quently trained for concerts and cantatas in the local churches, meeting
with general success in this branch of his profession because of his ac-
curacy in placing voices and his original effects in melody. He was the
owner of a farm adjoining the homestead, and was a member of the first
school board elected in Coraopolis, under the rule of which the first school
building in the borough was erected. A Republican in politics, he was a
member of the Presbyterian church, being leader of the choir in that or-
ganization. The plant of the Consolidated Lamp and Glass Company, of
Coraopolis, now occupies land that was originally part of his farm, which
he sold when the town was laid out.
Mr. McCabe married Margaret McDermott, born in Moon township,
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in 1845, died March 13, 1886, daughter
of John A. and Elizabeth Hannah (McDermott) Nesbit, her father a
farmer and an early settler of Allegheny county, both parents members of
the Presbyterian church. Qiildren of John A. and Elizabeth Hannah (Mc-
Dermott) Nesbit: i. John, moved to Texas and became a ranchman, since
which time no reports have been received from him. 2. Carrie, married
William Ewing and lived near Ewings Mill, Robinson township, Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania. 3. William, a farmer of Coraopolis Heights, now-
occupying his land. 4. Margaret McDermott, of previous mention, married
1580 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Alfred McCabe. Children of Alfred and Margaret McDermott (Nesbit)
McCabe : i. Elizabeth, deceased, married W. A. Phillips. 2. Frances, de-
ceased, married Harry McKelvey. 3. Alfred Detmore, of whom further.
4. William P., of whom further.
(V) Alfred Detmore, son of Alfred and Margaret McDermott (Nes-
bit) McCabe, was born in Middletown, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
June 29, 1867. He grew to mature years in Coraopolis, there attending the
public schools, later taking the dental course at Northwestern University
at Evanston, Illinois, whence he was graduated D.D.S. in the class of 1896.
Until 1905 he was a practitioner in New Castle, Pennsylvania, in that year
returning to Coraopolis, purchasing a handsome home at No. 1038 State
avenue, where he resides at the present time. Dr. McCabe holds high
position in 'his profession in that locality, is expert in all departments of
dentistry, and is patronized by a generous clientele. He holds membership
in the Odontological Society and the Pennsylvania State Dental Society.
His political belief is Republican, and he is now a member of the Coraopolis
school board, he and his wife belonging to the Presbyterian church, for
years the family faith. His fraternal order is the Masonic and he is a
member of Coraopolis Lodge, No. 674, Free and Accepted Masons.
Dr. McCabe married, June 30, 1896, Margaret, born in Findley town-
ship, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, daughter of David and Margaret
H. McCallister, both deceased, her father a farmer. Children of Dr. and
Mrs. McCabe: i. Margaret, born July 28, 1898, died June 27, 1906. 2.
Arthur L., born October 21, 1899. 3. Ruth Nesbit, born February 29, 1904.
4. Alfred, born March 2, 1907. 5. Willis Rodney, born May 9, 1910.
(V) William Perry, son of Alfred and Margaret McDermott (Nes-
bit) McCabe, was born in Coraopolis, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
January 4, 1870. In his boyhood he attended the public schools of Coraopolis
and similar institutions in the Fourth Ward of Pittsburgh, and, after a
preparatory course at the Park Institute of Pittsburgh, entered the Univer-
sity of Western Pennsylvania. Enrolling in the civil engineering course he
was graduated C.E. in the class of 1891, after which he was for two years
•employed by the Carnegie Steel Company in the structural draughting de-
partment. For the four following years he was connected with the firm of
Jones and Laughlin, in 1898 entering the service of the Rider Conley Manu-
facturing Company, performing the duties of a structural draughtsman
until 1912. In that year he became assistant to the chief engineer of the
plant, continuing so to the present time. Mr. MicCabe has made excellent
use of his professional training in the industrial world, and has there proven
himself a trustworthy and reliable employee, holding the sincere confidence
and approbation of those in authority above him. His advice is frequently
sought in council, and, regardless of personal aggrandizement, he speaks
and acts solely for the ultimate benefit of his employers. An adherent to
Republican sentiments and principles, for two terms he served Coraopolis
as city auditor, while for the past ten years he has been a trustee of the
First Presbyterian church of Coraopolis, of which he and his wife are
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1581
members. His liome is that built by his father at No. 1452 State avenue,
Coraopohs.
Mr. McCabe married, June 3, 1893, Nelhe, born at Mineral Ridge,
Trumbull county, Ohio, daughter of Leslie Mills, born January 14, 1850,
and Mary E. Jenkins, born April 17, 1851, died July 15, 1900. Her father
is a native of Minersville, Pennsylvania, a merchant, and for the past
twenty-six years has resided in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, her mother born
in Mineral Ridge, Ohio. Children of William Perry and Nellie (Jenkins)
McCabe: i. Howard Leslie, born March 8, 1904. 2. William Alfred, born
October 31, 1905. 3. Mary Eleanor, born February 27, 1908. 4. Grace
Lucile, born March 14, 1912.
Theodore L. Flood, D.D., LL.D., widely known for a number
FLOOD of years as a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church and
distinguished both as a journalist and a man of affairs, is one
of the most honored citizens of Meadville, Pennsylvania, where he has now
resided for nearly half a century.
Major John G. Flood, father of Theodore L. Flood, was a resident of
Williamsburg, Blair county, Pennsylvania. He married Jane Holmes, bom
in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Major Flood died in Williamsburg, in 1846.
Mrs. John G. Flood died in Meadville, aged seventy-seven years.
Rev. Theodore L. Flood, son of Major John G. and Jane (Holmes)
Flood, was born February 20, 1842, in Williamsburg, Blair county, Penn-
sylvania, and received his early education in the academy of his native town
and at Dickinson Seminary, but previously received instruction for two
years under a private tutor. He afterward studied theology at the Biblical
Institute, Concord, New Hampshire, now the school of theology in the
Boston University. When but eighteen years of age he was licensed as an
exhorter in the Methodist Episcopal church, and two years later was licensed
as a local preacher.
When the guns which fired upon Fort Sumter thundered the announce-
ment of the Civil War, the youthful minister enrolled himself among the
defenders of the Union, serving as orderly sergeant and afterward as lieu-
tenant in Company C, One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Pennsylvania Vol-
unteers, and proved himself a good soldier. He was in the battle of An-
tietam and at Chancellorsville.
From 1864 to 1874 Dr. Flood served as pastor of several churches in
New Hampshire, and when but thirty-two years of age was presiding elder
of the Concord district of the New Hampshire conference, and in 1874
served as president of the state Sunday school convention. In April of
that year he was transferred to the Erie conference and stationed at James-
town, New York. Thence he came to Meadville, being called to the pas-
torate of the First Methodist Episcopal Church. He also served as pastor
of Trinity Church at Oil City, Pennsylvania. In 1882. after nearly twenty
years of arduous and fruitful labor. Dr. Flood retired from the pastorate.
In 1875 I^f"- Flood associated himself with M. Bailey, of Jamestown,
15^2 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
in founding the Chautauqua Assembly Daily Herald, the official organ of
the Chautauqua meetings, and in 1880 became sole proprietor, editor and
publisher. For twenty-five years he discharged in the most efficient manner
the duties of these responsible positions, and for almost as long a period
was editor, proprietor and publisher of The Chaiitauquan, a monthly maga-
zine which he established in 1880, at Meadville, and which became the organ
of the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle. During the first year of
its publication the magazine attained a circulation of fifteen thousand and
at one time reached a circulation of seventy-five thousand. In thirteen
years Dr. Flood paid to Chautauqua as percentages the sum of two hundred
and fifteen thousand dollars. For twenty years he retained control of this
magazine, and for ten years was associated with Dr. George E. Vincent
in publishing all the books of the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle.
In 1898, on account of failing health, Dr. Flood disposed of his publication
business to Chautauqua and retired to private life, from which he has steadily
refused to emerge, the most flattering solicitations having failed to induce
him to alter his resolution. Among the high offices which he has refused
were the superintendency of the mint at Philadelphia and a consulship in
Germany.
As a citizen with exalted ideas of good government and civic virtue
Dr. Flood stands in the front rank. Fie was permanent chairman of the
Republican state convention that nominated Daniel Hastings for governor,
and a delegate-at-large from Pennsylvania to the National Republican Con-
vention at St. Louis, which nominated William McKinley for president.
Any project which, in his judgment, tends to advance the welfare of his
home city receives his hearty co-operation and support and no good work
done in the name of charity or religion appeals to him in vain. He is a
trustee of Allegheny College and for many years has been president of the
board of trustees of the Meadville Commercial College, holding the same
office for a somewhat longer period in the Pennsylvania College of Music.
He has served for a number of years as chairman of the executive com-
mittee of the Round Table, a literary association composed of eighty mem-
bers who originated many of the improvements which have made Meadville
the prosperous and flourishing city that she is to-day. Dr. Flood is also
a trustee of the Odd Fellows" Home. He belongs to the Grand Army of
the Republic and the Loyal Legion and is prominent in many fraternal so-
cieties.
In 1876 the Ohio Wesleyan University conferred upon Dr. Flood the
degree of Master of Arts, and in 1881 he received from Mount Union Col-
lege, Alliance, Ohio, the degree of Doctor of Divinity. In 1892 he was
made Doctor of Laws by Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He
is the author of several books which have attained a wide reputation, and
has delivered a number of lectures, many of which bear the stamp of a strong
individuality and a brilliant intellect combined with the type of mentality
peculiar to the advanced thinker.
Of dignified and distinguished appearance, his strong features framed
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1583
in silver hair and beard, Dr. Flood's presence carries with it the suggestion
of integrity, force of character, keen and alert comprehension of affairs,
quick decision and indomitable perseverance. He has traveled extensively
both in this country and in Europe, and has ever stood in the front rank
of the workers in all causes that tend to advance and uplift humanity. Dr.
Flood possesses a logical mind and an unusual degree of personal magnetism,
a union of qualities which invests his public utterances with a lucidity and
force which carry conviction with them. His genial nature, kindness of
heart and unvarying courtesy have surrounded him with troops of friends.
Dr. Flood married, June 20, 1862, Annie M., daughter of David Black,
of Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, and they are the parents of three
children : Harry C, born May 19, 1864, in Huntingdon county ; Ned Arden
and Rebecca M. Dr. Flood has a beautiful home in Diamond Park.
Harry C. Flood received the principal part of his education in Alle-
gheny College, and graduated in 1883 from the Albany (New York) Law
School. He immediately opened an office in Franklin, Indiana, but re-
turned the same year to Meadville and in 1885 entered upon his present work,
that of editor and proprietor of the Meadville daily and weekly Republican.
Ned Arden Flood graduated in 1890 from Johns Hopkins University
and in 1898 received the degree of Master of Arts from Allegheny College.
He read law with the Hon. John J. Henderson and was adinitted to prac-
tice at the Pennsylvania bar. From 1895 to 1898 he was lecturer on political
economy in Allegheny College and in 1898 became the director of the Uni-
versity Press of the University of Chicago with the rank of associate
professor, a position which he resigned in order to enter upon the active
duties of his profession. From 1898 to 1903 he was an aide-de-camp
on the staff of Governor William A. Stone, of Pennsylvania, with the
rank of lieutenant-colonel, being re-appointed by Governor Samuel W.
Pennypacker. He has always been an active Republican and is widely
known as a platform orator. He married, in 1892, Anna, daughter of the
late A. Stewart Davis, of Meadville, and they are the parents of one daugh-
ter, Josephine Flood.
The record of Dr. Theodore L. Flood is both a varied and a brilliant
one. As soldier, preacher, citizen and journalist he has labored for the
best interests of the commonwealth and his fellow-citizens hold him in well-
deserved honor.
Gillett as a surname from Guillot, the French surname for
GILLETT William, may have been brought into England with William
the Conqueror from Gilliste, a town in Piedmont, France.
According to Guppy in his "Homes of Family Names." 1890, the name
Gillett "is now found chiefly in Oxfordshire, Kent and Somersetshire." In
Lincolnshire it is found changed to Gilleart and Gillyett. In the thirteenth
century, in Cambridgeshire and Huntingtonshire, it is found as Gillot, Gillote
and Gilot. At various times it is found in England as Gillet, Gillett, Gillette,
Gyllot, Gilliot. Later in the United States it continued in all its English
1584 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
forms. Families nearly related vary the spelling, but Gillett, Gillette and
Gillott are the common forms.
The variations render the tracing of lines difficult, but the founder of
the early family was Jonathan Gillett, who settled at Dorchester, Massa-
chusetts, in 1630, removing about 1636 to Norwich, Connecticut. From him
sprang Isaac Gillett, born 1700, who married a Miss Stevens and was the
father of Seth Gillett. The latter married Elizabeth Campbell and had a
son, Rudolphus, born in Massachusetts in 1770. He married, August 11,
1794, Eunice Cushman, born January i, 1770. These three generations, Isaac
(III generations in America), Seth (IV generation) and Rudolphus (V
generation) were the progenitors of Harrison Phelps Gillett, of Water-
ford, Pennsylvania, of the VIII generation, the son of Harrison Gray Otis
Gillett and grandson of Sardis Gillett.
(VI) Sardis Gillett, son of Rudolphus and Eunice (Cushman) Gillett,
was born in Massachusetts, was a farmer and a man of local prominence.
He married Ursula Wright, born June 22, 1799, died October 24, 1867,
leaving issue. She was an adopted child of the Wrights.
(VII) Harrison Gray Otis Gillett, son of Sardis and Ursula (Wright)
Gillett, was born in Southwick, Massachusetts, April 12, 1830, died at Water-
ford, Pennsylvania, June 23, 1891. He was educated in Southwick Academy,
and remained at home his father's farm assistant until he was twenty years
of age. He then became traveling salesman for the American Whip Com-
pany, of Westfield, Massachusetts, and for many years he traveled Western
New York, Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio in the interest of his
company. He was a very successful and capable salesman, and became well-
known throughout his territory. For a few years he resided in Cleveland,
Ohio, where he was engaged in the wholesaling of cigars in partnership
with his brother. In 1870 he located in Waterford, Pennsylvania, where
he first engaged in the grocery business, later opened a furniture store and
undertaking establishment in partnership with his brother-in-law, Frank
Heard. This was a successful business, Mr. Gillett continuing therein until
his death. He was a good business man, and in all things measured up to
the full stature of a man. He purchased a farm of 260 acres on the Erie
and Waterford Plank Road, and also invested in Waterford real estate,
including a residence now occupied by his son, Harrison Phelps Gillett. He
was deeply lamented by a large circle of friends, his genial nature endearing
him to all.
He married, October 15, 1867, Estelle, daughter of Lucius and Roxana
(Webster) Phelps, the former a well known and prominent merchant of
Waterford. Lucius Phelps was the son of Jason Phelps, who came to Erie
county from Massachusetts in 181 5, locating a farm above Waterford, which
he cleared and cultivated until his death. Submit (Thrall) Phelps, wife
of Jason Phelps, died at the great age of ninety-four years. Lucius, their
son, was but two years of age when the family came to Erie county. Chil-
dren of Harrison Gray Otis Gillett: i. Harrison Phelps, of whom further.
2. Wright Clark, born July 12, 1873, at Waterford, Pennsylvania, died Sep-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1585
tember 7, 1907 ; married Lelah Hare ; one child, Harrison Gillett. 3.
Cornelia Estelle, born June 22, 1879, at Waterford, Pennsylvania ; married
William E. Briggs.
(VIII) Harrison Phelps Gillett, eldest son of Harrison Gray Otis
and Estelle (Phelps) Gillett, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, July 20, 1868.
He was two years of age when his parents moved to Waterford, Pennsyl-
vania, which has ever since been his home. He was educated in the public
schools and Waterford Academy, and after graduation from the latter in-
stitution engaged in teaching. For two years he taught in the township
schools, then was elected principal of the borough schools. In 1890 he
was a census enumerator and the same year purchased the Waterford
Leader and until January i, 1893, edited and published that well known
paper. On the last mentioned date he disposed of his newspaper property
and retired from journalism. He then engaged in mercantile business and
other lines of activity until 1889, when he purchased the Central Roller
Flouring Mills, one of the best equipped plants in Western Pennsylvania.
He operated the mills most successfully, continuing in business alone until
1906, when he admitted William E. Briggs, his brother-in-law, to a partner-
ship, and so contipues. He has other business interests in Waterford, owns
an interest in the Gillett block on Main street and has displayed a deep in-
terest in the welfare of the borough. He was one of the organizers and
a director of the Ensworth National Bank of Waterford, and is known as
one of the public-spirited men of his town.
He is past master of Waterford Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons,
the lodge in which he was made a Mason. He is a companion of Temple
Chapter, Royal Arch Masons ; a Knight of "IMount Olive Commandery,
Knights Templar; a Noble of Zem Zem Temple, Order of the Mystic
Shrine; and of the Erie Lodge of Perfection, Ancient Accepted Scottish
Rite. He is also an Elk and an Odd Fellow. Mr. Gillett is a Republican,
has served as borough councilman, school director and from 1897 to igoo
was chief burgess. In 1892 and again in 1906 he was delegate from Erie
county to the Republican state convention. In 1903 and 1907 he was tran-
scribing clerk of the state senate. In 1908 he was the successful candidate
for clerk of the courts of Erie county, served his term with credit and in
191 1 was re-elected. He married, at Waterford, June 18, 1902, Flora G.,
daughter of John and Sarah (Moore) Phelps.
William Thaw was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October
THAW 12, 1818; died in Paris, France, August 17, 1889, son of John
and Eliza Thomas Thaw. His great-grandfather, John Thaw,
was born in Philadelphia in 1710. The latter's son, Benjamin, born in 1753,
married Hannah Engle, a member of an old Quaker family. Their son
John, the father of our subject, removed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in
1804, having been sent there by the United States Bank of Philadelphia
to establish a branch of that institution. This was the first bank in Pitts-
burgh, and Mr. Thaw was associated with it for the remainder of his busi-
1586 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
ness life. His son William attended school in his native town and finished
his education at the Western University of Pennsylvania. At the age of
sixteen he became a clerk in his father's bank, but early in the following
year he entered the house of McKee, Clark & Company, forwarding and
commission merchants, in a similar capacity. After a short time his inde-
pendence asserted itself. He married in 1841, and within a year he and
his brother-in-law had established tliemselves as transporters and owners
of steam and canal boats. This connection, which continued until 1855,
laid the foundation of his fortune. The canal system was then the great
channel of communication between the east and the west. With the com-
pletion of the Philadelphia and Columbia road and the Allegheny Portage
road in 1834 a direct line of communication between Philadelphia and Pitts-
burgh was established, which gave a wonderful impetus to the latter city.
Transportation naturally became one of the most important lines of enter-
prise. Competition was rife, but Clarke & Thaw controlled the Pennsyl-
vania & Ohio line and held their own. Their business developed until it
comprised canal, portage railroad and steamboat lines, extending from
Philadelphia to New Orleans.
The advent of the steam railway presented a new problem to the sa-
gacity of Mr. Thaw, for it was destined soon to supersede the prevailing
method of transportation. The original Pennsylvania railroad was com-
pleted in February, 1854. By the subsequent purchase of the Philadelphia
and Columbia road from the state, its line was made continuous from
Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. With characteristic promptness Mr. Thaw set
himself to the task of disposing, with the least possible loss, of his firm's
properties, including the canal equipment and their large interests in the
great packets, which formed the daily line between Pittsburgh and Cin-
cinnati. In 1856 he rejoined his former partner, who had in the meantime
undertaken the conduct of the freight traffic of the Pennsylvania railroad
west of Pittsburgh. New as the railroad was at that time, no real system
of freight transportation had as yet been evolved. No through bills of
lading, through cars or exchange between the different lines was known,
each road working independently from the others. The transformation of
this chaotic condition, entailing tremendous expense to shippers, into the
splendid cheap freight system of the present day had no greater instru-
mentality than the genius of Mr. Thaw. In 1864 he first devised a system
of through transportation over different lines, known as the Star Union
Line, of which he had charge until 1873. Not only was he the originator
of the system, though he modestly refused to take all the credit, but to the
initiative, originality and energy of the true pioneer, which he brought to
the task, its success must be ascribed.
He was also associated with the founding of the Pennsylvania Com-
pany, which was chartered in 1870 to manage in the interest of the Penn-
sylvania Railroad Company the various ramifications of that company west
of Pittsburgh. Its control extends over the Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne & Chi-
cago, the Erie & Pittsburgh, the Cleveland & Pittsburgh and its branches.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1587
the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati & St. Louis, the Chicago, Little Miami, the St.
Louis, Vandalia & Terre Haute, the Grand Rapids & Indiana, and many
others. Mr. Thaw became second vice-president of this corporation, be-
sides holding the corresponding post in the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati & St.
Louis railroad, and a directorship in the Pennsylvania Railroad Company.
After 1873 he turned most of his attention from the transportation depart-
ment to the internal and financial affairs of the company. He remained
closely associated with the company to the end of his career, and the power
of his intellect was felt as an adviser to three successive presidents — Thomp-
son, Scott and Roberts — on all matters of projected enlargements, and the
policy of that great system. But Mr. Thaw's activity did not end there;
in connection with H. H. Houston, of Philadelphia, for the American end,
and with Messrs. Van der Becke & Marsilly, of Antwerp, for the European,
he established the first international steamship line between the United
States and Europe — The Red Star Line, to which was later added the
American Line.
Mentally Mr. Thaw was among the foremost men of his state, gifted
with a high order of intelligence, strengthened by liberal culture and years
of study and observation. His broad intellect was not devoted to business
alone. Posterity owes a great debt to him as a philanthropist and a liberal
patron of art, science and education. Endowed with great wealth, he
realized its powers for good and his benefactions covering the period of an
average lifetime recognized no distinction of race or religion.
When in 1881 Professor Samuel P. Langley organized an expedition
to the top of Mount Whitney in California, for the purpose of continuing
certain observations upon solar radiation, the expense was borne by Mr.
Thaw jointly with the United States Signal Service. Professor Langley
often declared his indebtedness to the friendship and support of this gen-
erous patron of science, as of every good work. The Allegheny Observa-
tory, one of the finest in the country, is largely indebted to his liberality
for the financial means to prosecute its work. Dr. John A. Brashear, the
noted scientist, records an incident which vividly illustrates one side of his
nature :
I shall never forget the last afternoon I spent an hour with him. It was the
afternoon of the evening of his leaving the city for his trip abroad. He had sent
for me to say good-bye. I was to stay but five minutes, but he began telling me of the
researches of Dr. Janssen. President of the French .Academy of Science, which had
been of deep interest to both of us, because it was a continuation of Prof. Langley's
special work on the selective absorption of the earth's atmosphere. Dr. Janssen's
studies had been made with the spectroscope on the powerful electric hght located
upon the Eiffel Tower, and he had demonstrated that our evidence of oxygen in the
sun was all negative, notwithstanding the opposite result obtained by Dr. Henry
Draper. I shall never forget how he began to picture our sun, burning with such
intense heat as to be capable of warming more than two billions of worlds like our
own, and yet no evidence of oxygen — an anomalous condition contrary to all our
ideas of combustion, yet one that he traced back to the origin of suns in nebulous
state. Such was the conversation for the better part of an hour — the last I was ever
permitted to enjoy with him on earth. The five minutes had grown apace, and yet I
could have wished it had been hours instead of minutes * * * The writer can
safely say that few men in this country have contributed more, during their lifetime,
for the advancement of human knowledge than William Thaw, not only in a mone-
tary way, but by words of encouragement, the best advice and counsel, making it pos-
1588 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
sible to carry on original research, and assisting in many ways institutions of learning
that would surely have failed had it not been for his helping hand and his valuable
advice and encouragement. No one l<nows this better than the writer, for when strug-
gling to bring instruments of precision up to the highest status, this great-hearted man
came unsolicited, and, appreciating the circumstances as not one man in ten thousand
would, he lent a helping hand for the benelit of science.
Mr. Thaw was a member of the Presbyterian church, and in view of his
close connection with it, a quotation from the Presbyterian Banner at the
time of death is appropriate:
Mr. Thaw was a man of muscular frame, quick in movement and capable of great
endurance. In intellect he was almost without superior. His countenance indicated
the power of thought and the strength of will with which he was endowed. Notwith-
standing his many and pressing business engagements, he was an untiring reader
* * * His memory of persons and things was something amazing * * * The
benefits of early education and habits are well illustrated in his successful career
* * * When he made anything the subject of investigation he thought most in-
tensely, not permitting any interruption, and then decided quickly.
An important characteristic of Mr. Thaw was his judgment of men, his ability
to detect sham and pretense. His reasonings, based upon convictions of right and
duty, were never degraded to the service of expediency or mendacity. Impetuous
and persistent, he was also prudent. Broad in his views, buoyant in disposition, honest,
sincere, and self-reliant, strictly upright in all his transactions, he worthily won and
held a high position in the esteem and affection of all who knew him.
In earliest manhood Mr. Thaw united with the Third Presbyterian
Qiurch under the pastorate of Rev. David Riddle, the first pastor of that
church. After the first building was destroyed by fire, in 1863, under the
supervision and largely through the generosity of Mr. Thaw there was
erected the splendid building on Sixth avenue, since razed, together with
the cathedral and other churches, in order to provide for expansion of the
downtown business district. The life of that organization is continued in a
third edifice, more beautiful than its predecessor, with a church life more
vigorous than at any time in its existence. Thus the life- of William Thaw
is continued in church, business, science and all other interests that touch
the life of humanity.
Of decidedly English origin, this family, numerous in
EDMUNDS England, had many representatives among the early col-
onists of the New World. No universal spelling of the
name has or does prevail, the diflferent branches being often traceable by
the vowel used in the final syllable, a, o, and u, being those commonly
found. Those who founded American branches in the early days of this
country's life included James, of Salem, Massachusetts, 1629 ; John, of
Charlestown, Miassachusetts, 1631 ; John, of Hartford, Connecticut, 1639;
and William, of whom further, from whom the line herein recorded de-
scends. He favored the spelling Edmonds, and used this throughout his
life, as did his son, John, but in the third generation it was changed to
Edmunds, and has since so remained.
(I) William Edmonds was born in England in 1610. died in Lynn, Massa-
chusetts, August 4, 1693. He came from England in 1630. became a freeman
May 6, 1635, and in 1638 drew land in Lynn. He also owned land ni what
later became Chelsea, "neere," according to the records, Samuel Bennett's.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1589
That he was a man of affairs and one of fortune if not affluence is shown
by the fact that he held mortgages on considerable real estate in Boston.
He was at one time the owner of a mill, which, according to the records
found in the office of the register of deeds at Salem, he sold to Edward
Tomlins. His home was in Lynn, situated in a corner of the ten-acre home-
stead farm, and, if it were standing at the present time, would occupy a
corner formed by the junction of Boston and Moulton streets. The probate
records of that town show that his eldest son John, on September 11,
1693, gave bond as surety for his administration of his father's estate ac-
cording to law. William Edmonds married (first) Mary , died April
2, 1657, (second) in September, 1658, Mrs. Ann Martin. Children, all of
his first marriage: John, of whom further; Mary; Joseph, died in 1718;
and Samuel.
(II) John, eldest of the four children of William and Mary Edmonds,
died in 1702. He was a participant in King Philip's War, and because of
the terrible losses of property and possessions many of the families whose
homes had been devastated and who had otherwise suffered from the con-
flict, petitioned the governor and general court to "grant us some good
tracts of land in the Nipmugg country, where we may find a place for a
township," John Edmonds being one of the signers of this document. The
plea of the petitioners was favorably considered and on June 3^ 1685, a
tract of land in Worcester coimty, eight miles square, was made over to
them, with the proviso that within four years thirty famiHes, accompanied
by an orthodox minister, should there settle, the land reverting to the gov-
ernment if this clause of the contract was neglected. Although John Ed-
monds" signature appears upon the papers, there is no record of his having
taken advantage of his privilege, and as late as 1688 he was constable of
Lynn, performing faithfully and well the many duties that fell to the lot
of the incumbent of that ancient office. His will is dated October 6, 1701,
made one year prior to his death. He married (first) December 16, 1662,
Sarah Hudson, died February 15, 1682, (second) Mary , who was ap-
pointed the executrix of his will. Children of John Edmonds, by first wife:
I. William, born January 16, 1664. 2. John, born February i, 1666. 3.
Jonathan, born September 30, 1668. 4. Mary, born October 14, 1671. 5.
Elizabeth, born May i, 1677. 6. Nathaniel, born April 2, 1680. Children
of the second marriage of John Edmonds: 7. Joseph, born March i, 1687.
8. Benjamin, born September 6, 1688. 9. Samuel. 10. Ebenezer, of whom
further. 1 1. Mehitabel, born in February, 1695-6. 12. Rebecca. 13. Hannah.
(HI) Ebenezer Edmunds, son of John and Mary Edmonds, was bom
in Lynn, April 5, 1693, died in Dudley, Massachusetts, about 1761.
In his father's will he is mentioned as the youngest son and minor child,
receiving as his share of the paternal estate, the homestead, which John
had received from his honored father, \\'illiam Edmonds. As a young
man he moved from Lynn to Roxbury, Massachusetts, and there became
the owner of considerable property, shown by deeds bearing his signature
and that of his wife. On May 8, 1724, he is on record as being a resident
1590 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
of Roxbury, and on July 7, of the following year, his home was in Dudley,
showing that his change of residence took place within the time included
by those dates. He and his cousin, Joseph, son of his uncle, Joseph, be-
came prominent and important members of the Dudley community, and
were active in all public affairs, taking a particular interest in church work.
It was he who inaugurated the spelling of the name now in vogue among
his descendants. He married, at West Roxbury, Massachusetts, Elizabeth,
daughter of John Jr. and Elizabeth (Casse) Griggs, a descendant of George
and his wife, Alice Griggs, who came to America in 1635 in the ship "Hope-
well," sailing from London, England. Children of Ebenezer and Elizabeth
(Griggs) Edmunds: i. John, baptized at West Roxbury, Massachusetts,
August 17, 1718. 2. Abigail, baptized in West Roxbury, May 26, 1723.
3. Ebenezer, of whom further.
(IV) Ebenezer (2), youngest of the three children of Ebenezer (i)
and Elizabeth (Griggs) Edmunds, was born in Dudley, Massachusetts, about
1725, died about 1772. He inherited a large share of his father's goods,
and to these added lands and possessions of his own acquiring, becoming
one of the prominent, wealthy, and influential citizens of Dudley. He fig-
ured in many business transactions, his bold, strong, signature being affixed
to many documents yet on record. He and his wife, Hannah, were the
parents of: Ebenezer (3), of whom further; Stephen, John, Moses, Han-
nah, Elizabeth and Jemima.
(V) Ebenezer (3), son of Ebenezer (2) and Hannah Edmunds, was
born in Dudley, Massachusetts, in 1754, died November 30, 1833. His
inheritance was two-thirds of his father's entire estate, by a decision of the
court of probate, and his- lifelong residence was on the homestead, which
was included in his patrimony. He enlisted in the American army at the
break of the war, and rose in the service until he held an officer's commis-
sion. He married Mary Gale, who died August 23, 1855, in the ninety-
eighth year of her age. Children of Ebenezer (3) and Mary (Molly)
(Gale) Edmunds: i. Ebenezer (4), died in 1806. 2-3. Daughters, who
died young. 4. Fanny, married Eli Marsh. 5. Lucy, married Chester
Bacon. 6. Luther, died February 12, 1877. 7. Walter, married and had a
family. 8. Ziba, married and had children. 9. Salem, of whom further.
10. Henry, born in 1796, lived in Mohawk, Herkimer county. New York.
11. . 12. Hosea, bom January 29, 1798, lived to more than ninety-two
years of age.
(VI) Salem, son of Ebenezer (3) and Mary (Gale) Edmunds, was
born in Dudley, Massachusetts, and died in 1885, aged ninety-one years.
He was a physician by profession, practicing the healer's art in Massachu-
setts, Vermont, Herkimer county. New York, and finally in Mill Village,
Erie county, Pennsylvania, where his death occurred. He was a master of
his profession and remained in active practice until the infirmities of old
age, which he, even with his medical skill, was unable to combat, compelled
him to lay aside his tasks and to await his call to eternal rest. This was
the most difficult task that he had ever confronted in his long, busy, and
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1591
remarkably useful career, for he was a follower or the strenuous life, and
dren : Emma, Moses S., of whom further ; Salem, Austin, Almira, Frank,
a firm believer in the gospel of labor. He married Rachel Sabin, of South-
bridge, Massachusetts, a place to which his practice had called him. Chil-
Sylvania, and a son, who died in infancy.
(VII) Moses Sabin, son of Salem and Rachel (Sabin) Edmunds, was
born in Herkimer county. New York, December i, 1820, died at Mill Vil-
lage, Erie county, Pennsylvania, March 12 1895, and is buried in the Water-
ford cemetery. He attended the common schools of that vicinity and when
a young man came to Waterford, Erie county, apprenticing himself to the
blacksmith's trade with his uncle, Nathaniel Brainard, becoming adept at
that trade. Finishing his term of preparation, he was for several years
employed in the establishment of Augustus Howe, later opening a shop near
Pollock's Bridge, on the old Meadville and Erie turnpike. In 1870 he moved
to Mill Village, and until his retirement pursued his trade. He was a man
of high standing in the community, respected for his upright conduct and his
undeviating integrity. He was a member of the Free Will Baptist church,
being active in all of its departments, and was the superintendent of the
Sunday school, one of the most flourishing of the church organizations, a
fact due in no small measure to his energetic and wise efforts to maintain
a school that would prove a true inspiration to the young people who at-
tended and a strengthening help to those whose privilege it was to teach
them. His political faith was Republican and for many years he held office
as justice of the peace. He married, October 31, 1844, Lavina Anna Lewis,
born in Sheridan, Chautauqua county, New York, July 15, 1821, died June
18, 1905. Children of Moses Sabin and Lavina Anna (Lewis) Edmunds:
I. Anna, died May 27, 1913, married William Hewett, and was the mother
of several children. 2. Byron Moses, of whom further. 3. Clark Salem,
born July 27, 1849, lives in the home of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, in Philadelphia. 4. Morris Lewis, born May 31, 1852, married
Eflfa Johnson, and have Frank, Fenno, Forest, Flossie, and Fannie. 5. Alice,
born May 26, 1857, married (first) Robert Martin, (second) a Mr. Sanders.
(VIII) Byron Moses, son of Moses Sabin and Lavina Anna (Lewis)
Edmunds, was born in Waterford. Erie county, Pennsylvania, July 18,
1847. His residence in the place of his birth was short, for when he was
three years of age his parents moved to the old Brainard homestead on the
Meadville and Erie turnpike. This was his home until he was seventeen
years of age, his youthful days being spent in attendance at the Isherwood
district school. The family home was then moved to the Matchett farm,
three miles south of Waterford, later to Pollock's Bridge, and on August
22, 1869, Mr. Edmunds came to Blacktown, being there employed for one
year as fireman and engineer in a lumber mill. In 1871 he established a
blacksmith's shop in Mill Village, having learned that trade under his
father's preceptorship, and followed that occupation until 1887. when for
three years he conducted farming operations on the Lunger homestead. He
returned to Mill Village and to his shop in 1890, and has since been there
1592 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
engaged continuously, with the exception of three years spent in the lumber
woods at North Kane, Pennsylvania, in the employ of Campbell & Springer.
He is a mechanic of the first order, and holds the generous patronage, not
only of the town's residents, but of the farmers of the nearby vicinity, his
long-established reputation being known throughout the country-side. His
political support is granted the Republican party, and as a member of that
party he has served his community as tax collector, member of the state
police, and has for many years been constable. His church is the Methodist
Episcopal, to which his wife belonged at the time of her death. He is a
member of Mill Village Lodge, No. 349, Encampment No. 3, and Union
City Canton, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr. Edmunds is one
of the most universally well-regarded citizens of Mill Village, deserving
the large share of good-will and respect that is accorded him, for his entire
career has been marked by the strictest rectitude and a lofty sense of honor.
To his family he has been a loving, devoted parent, and his union with
her whom he chose as his life partner was blessed with naught but happi-
ness and joy.
He married, August 22, 1869, Elizabeth Alice, daughter of Isaac and
Elizabeth (Burger) Lunyer, born December 30, 1859, died May 20, 1902.
Children of Byron Moses and Elizabeth Alice (Lunyer) Edmunds: i.
George Austin, born October 24, 1872, died in February, 1873. 2. Edith
Delphine, born November 2, 1874, married William Chase, and lives in
Waterford. Children: Roland Milo, Park Linford, Thelma Luella, and
Orville William. 3. Mabel Lunett, born October 26, 1876, married Alonzo
H. Hewett, and lives in Wheelertown, Pennsylvania. Children : Pearl and
Freda. 4. Luella Ada. born July 20, 1880, married Gale M. McCray, and
has one daughter, Bernice Delphine. 5. C. Park, born in Mill Village, Erie
county, Pennsylvania, February 13, 1885, died June 3, 1913. He attended
the public schools of Mill Village and the Waterford Academy, later enter-
ing Bucknell College, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, and was graduated from the
electrical engineering course of that institution. He immediately entered
the employ of the Westinghouse Electrical and Manufacturing Company,
at Pittsburgh, entering the three years' practical training class, during that
time holding a position as instructor in electricity in a night school of the
city. He was making excellent progress in his profession and had before
him a brilliant future in the service of that great concern, when he met
with an accident that caused his instant death, twenty-five thousand volts
of electricity passing through his body, death following instantaneously.
His death was tragic in that it occurred when he was little more than a
youth, and was caused by the agent of which he had become so thoroughly
master. Many loyal friends mourn his absence, and the heartfelt sympathy
of all was extended in loving remembrance to his bereaved family. He held
membership in the Methodist Episcopal church, and belonged to the Mill
Village Lodge, No. 349, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the services
at his grave being conducted according to the burial ritual of that order.
Representatives of his Bucknell fraternity, the Demosthenean, attended his
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1593
funeral, Rev. George W. Middleton, Professor W. K. Rhodes, and C. R.
Dooley, the latter the representative of the Westinghouse Company, taking
part in the services.
John Hunter and wife came to America from Ireland in the
HUNTER year 1774 and settled near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His
wife, Jane (Smith) Hunter, was a sister of James Smith,
one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. He was a success-
ful farmer and a man of great influence in the community. He was a mem-
ber of the Lutheran church. To this union were born seven children : James,
of further mention ; Mary, Jane, Isabelle, David, John and William.
;^ James Hunter and his father, John Hunter, purchased from the Holland
Land Company, October 21, 1800, a tract of land consisting of 412 acres
(strict measure), each taking 206 acres, dividing in half lengthwise of tract.
This tract is situated three miles east of Meadville in District No. 2, com-
monly called Powers Tract, being a part of tract of land called Hall's Tract.
This was surveyed the 15th day of June, 1794, in pursuance of a warrant
granted to Chasper Hall, by him conveyed to the parties of the first part,
confirmed by patent, February 16, 1799, enrolled in Rolls Office in Patent
Book No. 30, on page 40, complying in comformity to the Act of April 3,
1792, viz: "To erect or cause to be erected fit for the habitation of man
and to reside or cause a family to reside therein and to clear and fence
at least eight acres of said land, all of which the said James Hunter and
his father, John, has alleged he hath done. Identitor of Deed given by the
Holland Land Company for this tract of land one year later, December
10, 1801."
(II) James Hunter, son of John and Jane (Smith) Hunter, was bom
near Pittsburgh, in 1775, and died in Crawford county, Pennsylvania, in
1865, at the old Hunter homestead, of further mention. He was also very
successful as a farmer and business man and highly respected among his
fellow citizens as a general counselor and adviser. The farmer neighbor
friends would drive miles to hear him spin his stories. In that line he was
considered a pastmaster. James Hunter built a log cabin on this tract
within sight of the present old Hunter homestead, of further mention.
His lot was that of the majority of the old settlers, full of trouble and he
was greatly annoyed by the depredations of the Indians. In the year 1815
James Hunter was awakened from his night slumbers by his faithful watch
dogs near the barn. He went out to ascertain the cause and found his
faithful dogs had treed a horse thief and burglar in the manger. He com-
manded of them to bring out their gain. They did so and led Mr. Van Hol-
land into the house, where he was carefully guarded until daybreak by Mr.
Hunter and his wife, with his faithful rifle in hand. He discovered at
daybreak that his best horse was saddled and bridled by Van Holland,
l^pon this party's person Mr. Hunter found a paper giving names of a few
of his neighbors that were marked for robbery and death. One of these
lived within a half mile, directly west. Mr. Hunter, with this information
1594 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
at hand, piloted Mr. Van Holland up by where this frail couple lived, then
informed him if he ever made another errand of this nature out his way,
he v^^ould kill him and save the county expenses. Less than thirty days
afterwards, Mr. Van Holland was stopping over night with a settler south
of Meadville, and was infatuated with the wife. He arose in the night
and killed the settler and insisted upon the wife going with him. He was
caught, convicted and hanged in Meadville, the first execution ever taking
place in Crawford county. Mr. Hunter was a soldier in the war of 1812,
a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat at all times.
Mr. Hunter married Sarah Cunningham in 1801. Sarah Cunningham
was born in 1775, died in 1859. To this union was born eight children: 1.
John Alexander, born June 28, 1802, died November 18, 1803. 2. William
C, born June 8, 1805, died February 22, 1849. 2. Isabella, born July 28,
1807, died April i, 1864. 4. James, born August 6, 1809. 5. Mary, bom
October 12, 1812, died May 19, 1898. 6. Andrew Jackson, of further men-
tion. 7. Sarah, born November 11, 1819, died September 5, 1864. William
C. married Mary Norton, and to this union two children were born : Sey-
mour and Henry, Seymour deceased. Isabella married William Dickson,
and of this union there were nine children, among whom were : James, Wil-
liam, Mary, Isabelle, George and Perry. Mary married Ralph Ewing, and
of this union there were three children : Sarah, William and Mary. Sarah
married John Cunningham, and of this union there were five children:
Anna, William, Ja»e, Lynn and Gertrude.
(HI) Andrew Jackson Hunter, son of James and Sarah (Cunning-
ham) Hunter, was born November 11, 1815, and died January 2, 1907. He
had a farm of nearly 200 acres, a part of the old Hunter homestead, which
he cultivated during his life. He was considered a No. i good farmer. He
gave his political support to the early Whig party and remained so through
life. He married Sarah Pardee, daughter of Jesse Pardee, of East Mead
township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania. Sarah Pardee was born Decem-
ber 22, 1822, died April 7, 1889. To this union were born eleven children,
six girls and five boys, all living at this date but one. the eldest of the
family. Jesse, born September 17, 1844; Sarah E., born April 12, 1846;
Isabelle J., born March 4, 1848; Mary L., born April 9, 1850; James S.,
born January 11, 1852 ; John H., born November 6, 1854; William C, of fur-
ther mention: Emma F., born January 3, 1858; Ella F., born November 29,
i860; Perry L., born June 14, 1862; Anna, bom April 20, 1865. Jesse not
married. Sarah, married Frank Little, three children : Jesse, John anH
Ellen Belle, all living. Isabelle married Orville Maloney, ten children,
among whom were: Jesse, Gladys, Gertrude, Alfred Orville, Emma, Erma,
Goldie. Mary L., not married. James married Lena Knorr, eleven chil-
dren, nine now living, namely: Frank, Harry, William, Daisy, Jesse, Fred,
Ruba, Charles and Hazel. John married May Sackett, one child. William
C, of further mention. Emma married Alfred T. Brown, three children
born : William, Todd and Francis ; Francis deceased. Ella F. married John
Drake, no children. Perry L. married Letta Mimm, six children : Harold,
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1595
Harry, Ruth, Hall, Donald and Walter; Walter deceased. Anna married
Frank Mossinger, eight children born : Edwin, Bertha, Myrtle, Roy, Ralph
and Harold, two deceased.
(IV) William C. Hunter, son of Andrew Jackson and Sarah (Pardee)
Hunter, was born on the old Hunter homestead in West Mead township,
Crawford county, Pennsylvania, December 25, 1856. His education was
acquired in the public county school in the vicinity of his present home.
After leaving the farm in his eighteenth year, he spent five years in the oil
fields. He abandoned this line of industry and engaged in commercial trav-
eling life, 1874, carrying a shoe line, and has been steady at it for over
thirty years. Started in with Parks, Hazard & Craig, of Jamestown, New
York, remained for twelve years. With Sterns & Packard, of Boston, eight
years ; with the Hamilton-Brown Shoe Company, of St. Louis, for the past
twelve years. Mr. Hunter's record shows he has sold over $5,000,000.00
worth of goods. His territory consists of the northwestern part of Penn-
sylvania and southwestern New York. Mr. Hunter became possessor of
the old Hunter homestead, in 1910, the scene of his boyhood days of pleasure
and hard work. He immediately set to work building and remodeling the
old homestead house, built over eighty years ago, making out of it one of
the most complete old fashioned, model country homes possibly in the state
of Pennsylvania. He has been very successful in preserving the old relics
of the place and has the old timber cabin remodeled in such a manner that
the original idea has been kept intact as much as possible and its outward
appearance very much up-to-date, while the interior was left the same as it
was built. Three old wood fire-places, old relics of furniture, rope cord beds
and lounges, rocking chairs, spinning wheels, and such like, bearing dates
from seventy-five to one hundred and sixty years old. The surrounding
lands of the homestead have been cultivated and fixed in such manner as
to completely harmonize with the homestead. Three fish ponds so con-
structed that one can fish from the back porch from each three ponds, each
well stocked with fine brook trout, bass and pickerel. The entire place
is surrounded with eight feet of unclimbable fence and deer are turned loose
in this ideal spot to browse and roam at their sweet will and leisure. Mr.
Hunter has a beautiful winter home at "J-JJ Park avenue, Meadville, Penn-
sylvania. Mr. Hunter's love for simple home life largely bars him from
lodge and lodge societies. However, he is a member of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows and has several protective associations policies. His
early political affiliations were with the Republican party, of which he
strictly adheres to to this day. Mr. Hunter married Marguerite, daughter
of Svlvester Wilder. No children.
This is an ancient family of England. Scotland and Ire-
McDANNELL land, the form of the name varying slightly in dilTerent
localities. The prefix is generally Mac in Scotland and
Mc in Ireland.
(I) Daniel McDannell was a native of Scotland, born September 29,
1596 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
1772, and died February 6, 18 13. He emigrated to America and settled at
Carlisle ; later moved to Erie, Pennsylvania, where he had a tract of land
of between five and six hundred acres. He married, in 1792, Elizabeth
Jumpertz, who was born and educated in Germany. They had children:
Elizabeth, born October 6, 1794, married James A. Caldwell; Jane J., born
July 15, 1796, married Charles Walton; Daniel J., born September 4, 1799,
married Kate Ebersole Eckert ; Mary, born November 20, 1800, married
James A. Caldwell, a cousin of James A. Caldwell, who married Elizabeth;
John, of further mention.
(H) John McDannell, son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Jumpertz) Mc-
Dannell, was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, May 20, 1808. After the death
of his first wife, in Erie, Mr. McDannell removed to Milledgeville, Mercer
county, Pennsylvania, and later back to Erie, where he was a tailor. In
March, 1849, he removed to Titusville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania.
Mr. McDannell married (first) August i, 1829, Jane Mains, of Erie, Erie
county, Pennsylvania, who died about 1844. He married (second) in
Cooperstown, Pennsylvania, Mrs. Jane Foster, a widow. He died December
24, 1880, at Titusville. Children, all by the first marriage: Martha J.,
Elizabeth, Archibald, of further mention ; Barbara, John.
(HI) Archibald McDannell, son of John and Jane (Mains) McDannell,
was born at Milledgeville, Mercer county, Pennsylvania, February 26, 1837,
and was educated in the public schools. He became a contractor, his activ-
ities being confined to the oil regions of Pennsylvania, in the vicinity of
Titusville, Union City, etc. He married Charlotte, a daughter of John
May, of McKean, Pennsylvania, and had children: i. Charles, born Sep-
tember 4, 1859, lives at Wattsburg, Erie county, Pennsylvania ; he married
Jenny Bary, and has children : Clyde and Charlotte. 2. Clinton P., of fur-
ther mention. 3. James, born July 5, 1864, lives at Buffalo, New York;
he married Carry Terry, and has children : Leonard and Bessie. 4. Wil-
liam, born December 26, 1866, lives at Atlanta, Georgia; he married Julia
Fairchild, and has one child, Charles. 5. George, born February 10, 1869,
lives at Erie, Pennsylvania ; he married Josephine Sherline, and has children :
Frances, Arthur and Clarence. 6. Elizabeth, born September 9, 1871, lives
at Columbus, Indiana; she married Eugene Marsh, and has children: Harry
and Archibald.
(IV) CHnton P. McDannell, son of Archibald and Charlotte (May)
McDannell, was born in Titusville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, Novem-
ber 8, 1861. He acquired his education in the public schools, and then
learned the art of photography at LInion City, Pennsylvania, with which
he has been identified at Cambridge Springs, Crawford county, for the past
thirty years. He has taken an active interest in the public affairs of the
community, and has served as a member of the board of school directors,
and as a member of the town council. His religious affiliation is with the
Presbyterian church and he has been an elder of that church for a number
of years, and he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and
of the Masonic fraternity. Mr. McDannell married (first) in 1883, Nina
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1597
Cease, who died in 1900. He married (second) in 1902, Mrs. Delia (Sabin)
Curry, a widow, daughter of Spencer Sabin. Children, all by the first mar-
riage: Addie, died in infancy; Naomi, married G. A. Cozadd, of Sharon,
in 1914: John, a photographer in x'Mbion, Pennsylvania.
Rudolph Cease, great-grandfather of Mrs. Nina (Cease) McDannell,
was born in America, was a cooper by trade, and lived in Crawford county,
Pennsylvania. He married and had children : Jacob, David, Mary, Abigail,
Joseph, of further mention ; Samuel.
Joseph Cease, son of Rudolph Cease, was a farmer, and the owner of
a farm of two hundred acres in Hayfield township, Crawford county, Penn-
sylvania. He was an active member of the Methodist church, and gave his
political support to the Democratic party. He married Gertrude Barbara,
and they had children : John R., of further mention ; Melinda, Kate, de-
ceased ; Joseph, deceased ; David.
John R. Cease, son of Joseph and Gertrude (Barbara) Cease, was
educated in the public schools, and at the Saegerstown Academy. For
many years he has been in the grocery business at Cambridge Springs, and
his son, Nellis, is associated in business with him. Mr. Cease has been an
active worker in the interests of the Republican party, elected county treas-
urer, in 1899, for a term of three years, and has held at various times many
of the borough offices. He is a member of the Methodist church, and of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Since the death of his wife he has
made his home with his daughter, Pearl. Mr. Cease married Hannah, who
died September 16, 1908, daughter of Michael Deter. They had four chil-
dren: I. Nellis, mentioned above as in business with his father; married
(first) Ella Ames, and has had children: Dora, deceased, and Charles, who
is connected with the store; he married (second) Harriet J. Briggs. 2.
Nina, mentioned above as the wife of Clinton P. McDannell. 3. Mabel,
married Charles Hawkins, and has one child, Glenda. 4. Pearl, who has
always remained at home, taught school for a number of years, now keeping
house for her father.
Charles William Frey, who was a native of Weis Baden, Ger-
FREY many, emigrated to this country in early manhood, and settled
at Meadville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania. There he mar-
ried Delilah, daughter of Edward Stebbins. and to this marriage were born
two daughters. Marguerite Louise and Mary Adelaide Frey. the latter named
born in Meadville. Pennsylvania, becoming the wife of William H. Andrews,
and residing in Titusville, Pennsylvania. William H. Andrews was chair-
man of the state of Pennsylvania in 1886-87; a member of the legislature
two terms from Crawford county, also a member in the senate for one
term; was elected to congress in 1905 from New Mexico, then a territory,
and served three terms, and was instrumental in bringing New Mexico
in as a state during President Taft's administration. ]\Ir. and Mrs. Andrews
were the parents of two children : Marguerite Louise and William Stanley.
The daughter died when two years of age.
1598 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
The earliest record of the Stebbins family is of Count Eustac, who
was the inventor of the iron horseshoes, and frightened the Saxons away
at the battle of Hastings, October 14, 1066. Ralph Peverall, son of Jean
Peverall, married into the Ferress family and at one time owned about
half of England. They went into rebellion and did not win out, and Lady
Jane Gray knighted one of them and a town in England bears the name
of Stebbins at the present time (1915). Roland Stebbins, a descendant
of Count Eustac, accompanied by his wife, Sdrah, and their two sons,
Thomas and John, also daughter, Elizabeth, left Ipswich, England, on the
ship "Francis," November 20, 1634, and landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts,
at the beginning of the year 1635. There were one hundred and nine sol-
diers of this name in the Revolutionary War, and many held official rank
up to that of colonel. The great-grandfather of Edward Stebbins, men-
tioned above, was the only person to escape uninjured at the time of the
massacre of Bloody Brook. Many of the others were killed, and some
were carried into captivity, which they suffered fourteen years. The Steb-
bins family is related to three presidents of the United States : John Adams,
John Quincy Adams and Grover Cleveland.
Edward Stebbins was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, and when a
young man removed to Meadville, Pennsylvania. He married (first) Delilah
Ellis, who died a few months after marriage. He married (second) Sallie,
daughter of the Hon. Thomas Atkinson, who learned the trade of printer
under the personal instruction of Benjamin Franklin. Mr. Atkinson, mater-
nal grandfather of Mrs. Andrews, removed from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania,
to Meadville, in 1804, and there established the Crazvford Messenger,
at that time the only paper published in the state of Pennsylvania west of
the Allegheny mountains. He continued this publication for thirty years,
then retired to his country place at Woodcock township. He was twice a
member of the legislature, representing Crawford county, and filled many
minor offices. His death occurred at the age of fifty-five years.
Among the distinguished divines of the Keystone state, whose
COWAN work has made them of national reputation, is Rev. Edward
P. Cowan, D. D., corresponding secretary of the Board of
Missions for the Freedmen of the United States of America. His busy
life has been full of achievements, and today he is held in genuine admira-
tion by the people of America. He needs no eulogy, for the simple record
of his career tells its own story.
Edward P. Cowan was born at Potosi, Missouri, March 31, 1840, son
of Rev. John F. and Mary (English) Cowan. Dr. Cowan's family is of
Scotch-Irish ancestry, and all its members have been Presbyterians. The
great-grandfather was Hugh Cowan, of Chester county, Pennsylvania, who'
lived to be eighty years of age. His son, Adam Cowan, who died at the
age of forty years, was a soldier in the Revolution. The Rev. John F.
Cowan, who was born in Chester county, in 1801, graduated from Jefferson
College, Washington county, and in 1828 from Princeton Theological Semi-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1599
nary. In 1829 he was ordained to the Presbyterian ministry, and went as
home missionary to Missouri, where he spent the rest of his life engaged
in his sacred calhng, a period of thirty-three years. In connection with his
last pastorate, at Carondelet, St. Louis, he was commissioned by President
Lincoln as post chaplain to the House of Refuge Hospital; and he was army
chaplain at the time of his death in 1862. His wife Mary was a daughter
of James R. and Alice (Conover) English, and a descendant of the family
that settled in Englishtown, New Jersey. Mr. English was a staunch Pres-
byterian and an elder in the old Tenant church. When a boy he was cap-
tured by the British, and was threatened with hanging if he would not tell
where the Americans were keeping their powder. Though but sixteen years
old at the time, he allowed his captors to string him up without flinching.
He was afterward set free, and the British were no wiser for having met
him. Of his family of nine children, Mary was next to the youngest. Hav-
ing survived her husband twenty-five years, she died in 1887 at Pittsburgh,
being then eighty-one years old. She had five children, namely: James, of
St. Louis, Missouri ; John F. Cowan, D. D., who is professor of modern lan-
guages in Westminster College, Missouri ; Alice, deceased ; William, de-
ceased ; Edward P., see forward.
Edward P. Cowan the youngest of his parents' children, attended West-
minster College, in Missouri, and graduated there with honors in i860, tak-
ing the degree of Bachelor of Arts. After teaching school for a year he
entered Princeton Theological Seminary, from which he graduated in 1864.
He was shortly afterward ordained by the Presbytery of St. Louis, and be-
gan his first pastorate at Washington, Missouri, in one of the churches which
his father had formerly served. He remained at Washington for three years,
and subsequently preached for a year at St. Joseph, Missouri, and for a year
and a half in St. Louis. He was then called to the pastorate of Market
Square Presbyterian church, at Germantown, Pennsylvania, and remained
there for more than twelve years. In 1882 he was invited to preach in the
Third Church in Pittsburgh, with the prospect of a call to a probable vacancy
in its pulpit; and on September 13, 1882, the night on which the previous
pastoral relations were dissolved, he was unanimously called to that church.
He remained pastor of the Third Church for ten years. He is a man who
possesses in no small degree that mysterious and magnetic charm which,
intangible as the spirit of life itself, yet manifests itself with dynamic force
in all human relations, to dififerentiate its possessors from the commonplace.
Dr. Cowan was a trustee of the University of Pittsburgh ; of Pennsylvania
College for Women for many years ; a director and secretary of the direc-
tors of the Western Theological Seminary, and a trustee of the Pittsburgh
Presbytery, an incorporated body. He is also a member of the board of col-
portage and of the executive committee. While Dr. Cowan was pastor of
the Third Church, an average of ten members was added to the church
at each communion, giving a total of over four hundred; and the annual
amount of contributions increased from $23,625 in 1882-83, to $54,383 in
1891-92. During this time Dr. Cowan had become a member of the Freed-
i6oo WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
men's Board and had been for four years its president. In this work he was
the man of afifairs, with an easy, simple manner which did not at once sug-
gest the strength and tenacity of character whch a closer acquaintance with
him reveals. His most marked characteristics are great industry, the prac-
tical bent of his mind, a very clear sense of values, the power of organiza-
tion and good business judgment, and it was his possession of these quali-
ties that brought about his election to the position of corresponding secretary
of the Freedmen's Board, in 1892, upon the death of Dr. Allen, the former
corresponding secretary. Upon assuming the duties of this position. Dr.
Cowan resigned his pastorate, in order to devote himself wholly to his new
work. At the next annual meeting of the Third Church congregation the
following resolutions were adopted :
Whereas, the Rev. E. P. Cowan, D. D., our beloved pastor, has tendered his
resignation, and has asked the congregation to join with him in consenting that the
Presbytery shall dissolve the pastoral relations now existing, and, having heard and
considered his reasons for this request, and believing that our Lord is leading the way.
Therefore, Resolved, that, expressing our affection for and confidence in our
pastor, and in gratitude for his faithful labors in the congregation and his tender
pastoral care for us individually, we consent to his request that the pastoral relations
may be dissolved by the Presbytery, to take effect January i, 1893.
Commendatory resolutions were also passed by the Presbytery. Since
ceasing his official relations with the Third Church, Dr. Cowan has given
his whole time to his work for the Freedmen, being also treasurer of the
board since 1903. He has the oversight of three hundred and ninety-eight
churches, two hundred and forty ministers, and one hundred and thirty-one
schools, twenty of which are boarding schools, including Biddle University
at Charlotte, North Carolina. A man of impressive personality and aggres-
sive character, he has throughout his life displayed such courage, self-asser-
tion, and mental as well as moral force as are seldom met with in any call-
ing.
On .August 7, 1872, Dr. Cowan married Miss Anna M., daughter of
George D. and Emmeline (Fisher) Baldwin, of New York City. Mrs.
Cowan's family settled originally in Milford, Connecticut, in 1639, and all
its descendants have been staunch Presbyterians. Her great-grandfather
was a prominent member of the church at Connecticut Farms, New Jersey.
Her grandfather was a member of the First Church at Newark, and her
father. George D., was a Presbyterian elder for forty years in New York
City. George D. Baldwin had one other child, Joseph T., of New York City.
Mrs. Cowan's maternal great-grandfather was Colonel David Chambers,
who served throughout the whole of the Revolutionary War, and who
fought with Washington at Trenton and Monmouth. Mrs. Cowan was a
woman of thorough education, tactful and charming in manner, the ideal
helpmate for Dr. Cowan in his work, and her death, which occurred July
24, 1896, was the cause of much sorrow to her almost numberless friends.
Children of Dr. and Mrs. Cowan : Emelie, Elaine and Irene.
Dr. Cowan's industry and energy, his courage and fidelity to principle,
are illustrated in his career, and brief and imperfect as this sketch necessarily
is, it falls far short of justice to him, if it fails to excite regret that there
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1601
are not more citizens like to liim in virtue and ability, and gratitude that
there are some so worthy of honor and of imitation. Such men are the
glory of America.
In 1681 three brothers named Daubenspeck left Hes-
DAUBEN SPECK sen, Germany, came to America and settled in what
is now within the city limits of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, and their desecendants scattered over Northumberland, Lu-
zerne and Schuylkill counties. In 1796, Jacob Daubenspeck moved to the
western part of the state and settled near Bruin, Pennsylvania. He brought
with him his wife and five sons and three daughters, all grown to manhood
and womanhood. The daughters were all married; one to a Mr. Hilliard,
one to a Mr. Millison and one to a Mr. Smathers. Jacob Daubenspeck lost
his wife and she was buried on the farm near Bruin. Then he sold his
farm to his two youngest sons, George Daubenspeck and Philip Daubenspeck,
who divided the homestead between them. The other brothers mOved across
the Allegheny river and settled, two, Lewis Daubenspeck and John Dauben-
speck, on Redbank creek, and Henry Daubenspeck on Mahoning creek. The
father, Jacob Daubenspeck, moved to Indiana county, Pennsylvania, re-
married, and had one son, who died at the age of eighteen years. When the
father died he was buried at Squirrel Hill, Clarion county. Pennsylvania.
The George Daubenspeck who remained on the old homestead near
Bruin married Margaret Meals, and they brought up a family of six sons
and four daughters. The sons were: Jacob, John, George Jr., Samuel, Lewis
and William. The daughters were: Mrs. Mary Hoover, Lydia Emerick, Mrs.
John Millison, and Margaret, who never married.
Samuel Daubenspeck, the fourth son, married Susannah Parker, and
they had twelve children, of vvdiom nine reached maturity and three died
in infancy. The eldest, Sarah J. Daubenspeck, lives in Butler, Pennsylvania ;
Dr. C. F. Daubenspeck, of Butler ; Lynn B. Daubenspeck, lives in Sugar
Creek township, Armstrong county, Pennsylvania ; Harriet M. Slaughen-
haupt, of Cleveland, Ohio ; Myron P. Daubenspeck, of Snow Hill, Arm-
strong county, Pennsylvania : S. S. Daubenspeck, of Masontown, Pennsyl-
vania ; Mrs. S. R. Cunningham, of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania ; Heber J.
Daubenspeck, of Kaylor, Pennsylvania, and Alice A. Yearick, of Phoenix,
Arizona.
Dr. C. F. Daubenspeck, of Butler, the eldest of the sons of Samuel
Daubenspeck and wife, was born January 24, 1850. He grew to manhood
on his father's farm near North Washington, Butler county, Pennsylvania.
Studied medicine and graduated from Cleveland Medical College in spring
of 1877. Commenced to practice in Shannondale, Clarion county, Penn-
sylvania, then after eighteen months moved to Mercer county, Pennsylvania,
where he practiced for thirteen years ; then took post graduate in New York
and resumed practice in Cochranton, Pennsylvania, where he practiced for
seventeen years. Then moved to Butler, Pennsylvania, where he is now
practicing.
i6o2 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Dr. C. F. Daubenspeck jnarried Miss Mary C. Pontions, September
26, 1876. They had three sons, two dying in infancy, and the youngest,
Charles V. Daubenspeck, is now living; by profession a mining engineer.
He married Miss Elsie Slack, and now they are residing at Westonfield,
Pennsylvania. We know of some Daubenspecks in Germany. Jacob Dau-
benspeck, of Berlin, and Fritz Daubenspeck, of the village of Dauben-
speck-on-the-Rhine, Hessen, Germany. Fritz Daubenspeck visited in Amer-
ica, in 1909, visiting W. S. Daubenspeck, of Los Angeles, California, and
H. S. Daubenspeck, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The American ancestor of this family is supposed to be Henry
RUST Rust, who came from Hingham, Norfolk county, England, be-
tween the years 1G33 and 1635, and made his home at Hingham,
Massachusetts, being the first of the name to settle in America. In 1661
he was of Boston, where he purchased the property later known as the
"Seven Star Inn." In 1677 he is mentioned in Boston records as ''deponent."
He died in 1684 or 1685. From the fact that his only daughter was named
Hannah, it is inferred that that was the name of his wife, and he also was
the father of four sons. Now the name is to be found in various sections
of the country, and always with honorable mention.
(I) Henry Rust was one of the first settlers in Woodcock township,
and at the time of his death was the owner of about six hundred acres of
land, a large part of which he had cleared. He married, and had children:
Henry, Barbara, Daniel, of further mention ; Polly, Samuel, Jacob, Jona-
than.
(II) Daniel Rust, son of Henry Rust, was born in Woodcock township,
January 10, 1823, and was a farmer all the active years of his life. He
was a Democrat politically, and a member of the Presbyterian church. He
married Elnora Smith, born May 4, 1827. Children: i. Charles, born
January 9, 1848, was killed by the explosion at an oil well ; he married
Belle Mclntyre, and lived at Bradford, Pennsylvania. 2. Morgan L., born
January 28, 1850, died in infancy. 3. George Dewey, born April 9, 1852,
is living at Okmulgee, Oklahoma ; he married Mary Driscol, and has had
children : Frank, Gertrude, deceased ; Ella, George, Bert, Zella, Hattie. 4.
Daniel Franklin, born July 3, 1855, lives at Ontario, California ; he married
Olive Wyncoop, and had children : Nellie. Harriet, Herbert, Jean, Arthur.
5. Peter A., of further mention. 6. Addie, born October 13, 1859, died in
1895, unmarried. 7. Robert S., born September 4, 1867, died in Toledo,
Ohio, February 29, 1912; married Fanny Light.
(III) Peter A. Rust, son of Daniel and Elnora (Smith) Rust, was born
May 9, 1857, died July 25. 1906. He was educated in the public schools in
the vicinity of his home, and at the age of seventeen years left that section
and went into the oil fields of Ohio near Gibsonburg. In association with
his brother, Daniel Franklin, he drilled the first oil well in that region.
Subsequently he went to Petoskey, Michigan, in order to drill for oil, and
while thus engaged discovered a wonderful artesian well, around which a
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1603
park has since been built. Later he returned to Gibsonburg, Ohio, where
he purchased considerable land in the oil region. At the time of the death
of his father he sold out his oil interests, and purchased the old homestead
at Woodcock borough, Pennsylvania, and removed to it. He erected a fine
dwelling on the place, in which he resided. At one time he was a member
of the Pennsylvania State Guard, from which body he received an honorable
discharge. The farm consists of one hundred and eighty acres, and is cul-
tivated for general produce and dairy farming. Mr. Rust married Mary
Alice Ramage, born April 26, 1864, now living on the homestead, and they
have had children: Florence Elizabeth, born November 21, 1890; Charles
Allison, born April 11, 1892; DeWitt Clinton, born August 6, 1893; Ray-
mond Peter, born April 10, 1895 : Lorena, born April 24, 1897; Leon Custer,
born February 18, 1899: Elnora Christina, born November i, 1901 ; Theodore
Roosevelt, born June 22, 1904.
Abner Ramage, grandfather of Mary Alice (Ramage) Rust, married
Sarah Custer, a full cousin of the famous General Custer. They had chil-
dren : James, of further mention ; George, a physician at Jennings, Louisi-
ana ; John, at one time auditor of Delaware county, Ohio ; William, deceased ;
Sarah, deceased; Elizabeth, died young; Henry H., Delilah, deceased; Mary,
deceased ; Lydia, deceased.
James Ramage, son of Abner and Sarah (Custer) Ramage, was born
January 6, 1825, and died June 16. 1905. He lived at Holmes county, Ohio,
and at the time of the Civil War sold his farm there, and entered the grocery
business. Later he followed the occupation of carpentering. While living
at Gibsonburg, Ohio, he served two terms as postmaster of the town. He
was a member of the Methodist church, and of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, a lodge of this organization being named in his honor. He
was also a member of the Masonic fraternity. Mr. Ramage married, Sep-
tember 17, 1848, Christine Mills, who was bom in July, 1832, died February
27, 1886. Qiildren: Sarah Elizabeth, born May 14, 1852, married Samuel
Bennington, died in 1899; Abner M., born July 26, 1854, died March 16,
1855; Susan Josephine, born January 26, 1856. died September 13, i860;
Ida May, born December 13, 1858, died January 29, 1862; Elmer Ellsworth,
born January 14, i860, died Alarch 7, i860; John Howard, born May 2,
1862, died in 1912; ]\Iary Alice, born April 26, 1864, who married Mr. Rust
(see Rust III); Hattie Mabel, born July i, 1866, died March 11, 1886;
Lorena, born July 2, 1868, died in September, 1904.
The history of the .Carr or Kerr family is as old in England
CARR as the Norman Conquest. The earliest known ancestor, accom-
panying the conqueror, settled in the northern portion of Eng-
land, from which locality succeeding generations spread to Scotland and Ire-
land, and in later years to America.
(I) The immigrant Carr ancestor was born in Ireland, and settled in
Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, where he followed the occupation
of farming. His wife was also a native of Ireland. They were Presby-
terians.
i6o4 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
(II) William Carr, son of the preceding, was born in Northumberland
county, Pennsylvania, in 1808, and died in 1865. His farm was located at
Sunbury. He was a raftsman and a lumberman, and the owner of large
tracts of land. He assisted in the building of the First Methodist Episcopal
Church, of Sunbury. He married Nancy Metier, born in Northumberland
county, Pennsylvania, in 1818, died June 18, 1902, who was descended from
a well-known Pennsylvania Dutch family of the county. She married (sec-
ond ) George Beckley, who died at the age of seventy years. Mr. and Mrs.
Carr had children: William M., an oil producer, living in Zanesville, Ohio;
Charles, deceased, was a canal boatman, and lived in Sunbury ; Bartley, de-
ceased, was a railroad engineer, and lived in Sunbury ; George P. B., of
further mention; Edward, a real estate agent, lives in Philadelphia; Alfred,
deceased, lived in. Cleveland, Ohio ; Frank, deceased, was an oil producer,
and lived in Zanesville, Ohio.
(III) George P. B., son of William and Nancy (Metier) Carr, was
born in Sunbury, Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, May 28, 1850, and
died February 23, 1914. He was educated in the public schools of his
native town, and then worked there in the machine shops for a time. In
1870 he came to Titusville, Pennsylvania, and there entered into a partner-
ship with his brother, William M., in the grocery business, their store being
located on South Franklin street. They conducted this very successfully
for a period of eight years, until Mr. Carr, who had been gradually drifting
into the enterprise of oil production, decided to devote his entire time to
this field of activity. He became a "wild-catter," and, following the course
of the oil fields, became the owner of wells at Sistersville, West Virginia,
being one of the men who opened the field there. He was very successful,
and also had wells in Indiana and Illinois, and was a partner of the meat
packer, Mr. Cudahy. He was a strong Republican, and took a deep in-
terest in local public affairs. His fraternal relations were with the Order
of the Maccabees and the Free and Accepted Masons. He and his family
belonged to the Methodist church, and he had a fine home at No. 114 North
Perry street, where his widow is residing at the present time. Mr. Carr
married, September 20, 1874, Catherine Tarr, born in Cherry Tree town-
ship, Venango county, Pennsylvania. They had children : William Howard,
who died in 1902 ; George B., is unmarried and lives in Titusville ; Annette B.
Jacob Tarr, grandfather of Mrs. Catherine (Tarr) Carr, was born in
Eastern Pennsylvania, and settled in Venango county, Pennsylvania, about
1830, where he was a farmer. He married Barbara Noel. Both were of
German descent, and made use of the German language in their social and
business intercourse.
George A. W., son of Jacob and Barbara (Noel) Tarr, was born in
Venango county, Pennsylvania, in 1828, and died in Titusville, Pennsylvania,
March 14, 1900. He was the owner of a farm in Venango county, and re-
tired from business in 1870, and removed to Titusville, which was his home
from that time. In earlier years he and his wife belonged to the United
Brethren church, but later they joined the Methodist Episcopal church. He
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1605
married Nancy, born July 17, 1834, and still living in the enjoyment of ex-
cellent health, a daughter of Peter and Catherine Bennehoff, both born near
New Berlin, Union county, Pennsylvania. In 1836 a colony of Germans
from eastern Pennsylvania settled in Venango county, in the same state,
and among them were two brothers, Peter and John BennehofT, who came
from New Berlin. They were what is known as Pennsylvania Dutch, whose
families had been in America several generations. They bought large farms
in Cherry Tree township, Venango county, and became prosperous farmers.
During the subsequent oil excitement and exploitation it was found that
their farms lay in the richest oil fields, and they became immensely wealthy.
John Bennehoff, a brother of Nancy (Bennehoff) Tarr, was the victim of
the "Great Bennehoff Robbery," which was famous in Venango county. In
1866 oil was selling at ten dollars a barrel, and his income was thousands
of dollars per day. The banks in the vicinity were being robbed and he no
longer placed confidence in them. He therefore placed his money in a
safe in his own home, and had half a million in cash in it, when it was
stolen by three men. This was the largest cash robbery ever recorded in
the state of Pennsylvania. The robbers, who were never apprehended, in
their haste to leave, left seventy-five thousand dollars in cash lying on the
floor, where they had overlooked it, but they managed to escape safely with
the half million. George A. W. and Nancy (Bennehoff) Tarr had chil-
dren : Matilda, married John Whalen, a mechanic, and lives in Olean, New
York; Eli, a retired gentleman, who takes care of his inherited interests,
married Mary Branburg, and lives in Titusville; Catherine, who married
Mr. Carr, as stated above; Annette, married William Fibbs, (second) Wil-
liam Hosack, a real estate man of Titusville, Pennsylvania ; Mary, unmar-
ried, lives with her mother ; Peter, an alderman, lives in Titusville, married
Elizabeth Kerr; Goldie, unmarried.
James McClurg Guffey, a leading operator in the oil and gas
GUFFEY fields of western Pennsylvania, and promoter of kindred in-
dustries having their rise from the development of the great
natural resources of the state, was born in Sewickley township, Westmore-
land county, January 19, 1839, is recognized as the largest individual oil
producer in America, and the largest individual oil, gas and coal land owner
in the world. He is a son of Alexander Guffey.
James McClurg Guffey attended the public schools, then pursued a
course in a commercial school, and at the age of eighteen years accepted a
clerical position in the office of superintendent of the Louisville & Nashville
railroad, at Louisville, Kentucky, where he remained for several years. He
next filled a responsible position with the Adams Express Company, at
Nashville, Tennessee, and in 1872 returned to Pennsylvania. Locating in
the oil regions, he engaged in the production of petroleum, of which industry
he has since been one of the most active and successful representatives. He
became probably the largest individual producer and operator in America,
interested in all the fields of northwestern Pennsylvania and through the
i6o6 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
district extending to Pittsburgh. The famous Mathews well was drilled,
and most of the phenomenal McDonald field was owned by him and a few
others. In addition to the production of oil he also extended his labors to
the development of the natural gas resources of the state, and with his
associates he developed the enormous gas fields of Westmoreland and
Allegheny counties, and became largely interested in the transportation of
natural gas. He became the vice-president of the Westmoreland and Cam-
bria Natural Gas Company, which supplies Johnstown, Pennsylvania ; is
president of the Southwest Natural Gas Company, which supplies the Con-
nellsville coke region; vice-president of the Wheeling (West Virginia) Nat-
ural Gas Company, and president of the United Fuel Gas Company, whose
pipe lines extend from Washington county, Pennsylvania, to Pittsburgh.
He is an indefatigable and resourceful business man, and has made it his
plan to give personal supervision and executive ability to his large con-
cerns.
I\Ir. Gufifey's investments are also represented by vast coal properties in
Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and by gold and silver mine interests in
Idaho. He is the president of the Trade Dollar Mining and Milling Com-
pany, at Silver City, Idaho, and is one of the principal owners and an
officer of the Florida Mountain Mining and Milling Company of the same
locality. The town of Guffey, thirty miles from Cripple Creek, was named
in his honor. He is likewise interested in the production of petroleum in
four states, and is connected with the financial circles of Pittsburgh as a
director of the Columbia National Bank.
Mr. Gufley gives his political support to the Democracy, and has ever
been active in politics, recognized for many years as the leader of his party
in Pennsylvania, serving as representative from his state on the Democratic
National Committee. He is a prominent member of the Duquesne Club of
Pittsburgh, a trustee of Washington and Jefferson College, a member of
the Manhattan Club of New York, and of other organizations.
Authorities on nomenclature state that the name of Gilson or
GILSON Gillson is derived from Gill or Giles. In his book on words,
Archbishop Trench states concerning the name Gilson that
some pronounced the G hard and others soft; he accounts for it by saying
that those who pronounce their name with the G hard are descendants of
Gilbert, and the other class of Giles. Jelson and Jillson are other forms of
the same name.
(I) William Gilson, a native of England, was an American soldier in
the war of the American Revolution. He settled with his family in Oil
Creek township, Crawford couMty, Pennsylvania, where his death occurred
in 1807. He married Alice Shirley, who died in 1844 in her ninety-sixth
year, and they had nine children.
(II) John, son of William and Alice (Shirley) Gilson, was born in
Maryland, and raised in Bedford county, Pennsylvania. In 1799 he started
from Bedford county for the lake region on foot, reached Oil Creek in
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1607
December, and was crippled while felling a tree in order to enable him to
cross the swollen stream near Centerville. He was unable to proceed any
farther during that winter, and this fact determined his future course. He
returned to Bedford county in the spring, and, after marrying, came with
his wife on foot to Crawford county, Pennsylvania, and settled there per-
manently in 1800. They took up six tracts of land, retaining one of four
hundred acres for their own use, and were among the most highly esteemed
pioneers of that region. Mr. Gilson married Anna Bell, and they had chil-
dren: Agnes, born June 27, 1801, died October 16, 1842, married •
Titus ; William, born May 3, 1803, lived in Oil Creek township, married
Susan Sloan; Alice, born January 5, 1805; Charles B., born March 29,
1807, was a millwright and farmer in Oil Creek Town, and married Mari-
etta Moore: Dorcas, born July 17, 1809; Thomas, born July 11, 181 1, mar-
ried McLaughlin, lived in Oil Creek township ; Richard B., of further
mention; Elizabeth Jane, born November 8, 1816, married James Early and
lived to be over eighty years of age; Martha, born March 20, 1819, married
Jacob Barr, and lived in Oil Creek township; Anna, born June 3, 1821,
married Christopher Navy, and lived in Steuben township ; Sarah and Mar-
garet, twins, born April 29, 1824, died young; John B., born September 6,
1825, lived on the old homestead, and married Nancy Early.
(Ill) Richard B., son of John and Anna (Bell) Gilson, was born at
Tidioute, Warren county, Pennsylvania, September 16, 1813, and died Au-
gust 28, 1893. He was an infant when his parents removed to Crawford
county, Pennsylvania, locating on a farm in Oil Creek township. Later his
father had an old-fashioned water-power sawmill in Rome township, and also
a farm. He was engaged in farming and lumbering, and died on his farm
at the age of eighty years. He was a Democrat in politics, and of a quiet,
retiring disposition. He married Betsey Harrison, born near Manchester,
England, in 1828, died in 1906. They had children: John, lives on the old
homestead in Rome township; Benjamin H., of further mention: Chris-
topher, lives in Warren county, Pennsylvania; Nancy, lives on a farm near
Centerville, Crawford county; Theodore, a farmer and oil producer in
Crawford county, died in 1913; George, a farmer and oil operator, lives in
Warren county, Pennsylvania ; William, a carpenter and millwright, owns
the homestead in Rome township, and lives in Titusville, Pennsylvania.
Benjamin Harrison, father of Mrs. Betsey (Harrison) Gilson, was
born in Lancashire, England, and died in the state of Pennsylvania when
about eighty years of age. He emigrated to the United States with his fam-
ily about 1830, and made his home in New Jersey for some years. Then he
removed to Rome township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, where he
bought a comfortable farm, and was engaged in the buying and selling of
stock. In England he had been a butcher, and he followed this calling to a
certain extent after taking up his residence here. He was a member of the
United Presbyterian church. Mr. Harrison married (first) in England, and
his wife came to this country with him. He married (second) Mrs.
Edmunds, a widow, and their only child, George, is now a carpenter and
i6o8 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
oil producer in Warren county, Pennsylvania. Children by the first mar-
riage : Benjamin, lived on a farm in Rome township ; John, lived on a
farm in Rome township ; Sarah, married William liarrison, a distant cousin,
and lived on a farm in Rome township; Betsey, who married Mr. Gilson,
as above stated ; Richard, a farmer in Rome township ; Edward, a farmer
in Rome township ; Ellen, married Edward Morris, lived in Rome township.
(IV) Benjamin H., son of Richard B. and Betsey (Harrison) Gilson,
was born on Gilson Ridge, a half mile north of Hydetown, Crawford county,
Pennsylvania, September lo, 1849. His early years were spent on the farm
of his father, whom he assisted as soon as his strength enabled him to do so.
His opportunities for acquiring an education at this time were very limited,
but he overcame this deficiency in later years by judicious and earnest read-
ing and study, and the best use of his keen power of observation and as-
similation. He made a specialty of reading along legal lines, and in many
cases which have gone to court he is considered as much of an authority as
those who have been admitted to the bar. He commenced working in the
sawmill owned by his father at the age of twelve years, and learned the
operation of this and the lumber business from the very beginning and in
the most thorough and practical manner. He also assisted in the cultivation
of the farm, and in very early manhood became engaged in local oil oper-
ations, and then became an oil producer at Maxburg, Ohio, for a period of
four years. Returning to Rome township, Crawford county, he became
identified with the lumber business, and was the owner of two portable
sawmills. Both of these were kept in operation the greater part of the time,
and he moved them all over that section of the country. In 1904 he moved
one of his mills to Hydetown, and then erected a permanent mill there, and
has been engaged in the lumbering and sawmill business there since that
time. Before locating here permanently he had been for the most part
engaged in contract work. He has always been a loyal Democrat in political
aflfairs, and has served as school director and in several other offices in
Hydetown. In Rome township he was elected, and served, as justice of the
peace for a period of ten years, and in Hyde'own he has served seven years
and is still in office. He is known by all as "Squire" Gilson, and his coun-
sel is sought by all and highly esteemed.
Mr. Gilson married, June 5, 1877, Ida, born in Warren county, Penn-
sylvania, a daughter of David and Anne Ash, both now deceased, the former
a farmer, a Civil War veteran and a veterinary surgeon. Children: I.
Bertha, born in 1878, is unmarried, and lives in South Bend, Indiana. 2.
Earl, is a machinist, and now conducts an automobile business in Buflfalo,
New York. He married (first) Ida Wilman, (second) Burns, and
has children : Cecil and .
The Hayes family has been on record in this country since the
HAYES early colonial days, and many of the name have earned dis-
tinction in the various walks of life.
(I) Heman Hayes was born in Rutland county, Vermont, March 19,
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1609
1806, and in his early boyhood removed with his parents to Genesee county.
New York, from whence he went to Springfield, Ohio, and was there engaged
in teaching school for several years. After his marriage he removed to
Cherry Hill, Pennsylvania, where he managed a flour mill. In 1835 he took
his family and all their possessions, these consisting of an ox team, six
sheep and the clothing and household effects, and followed the blazed trail
into Cussewago township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, where he felled
trees, erected a log house and barn, and cleared a farm. There he reared
his family and spent the remainder of his life. He was an Abolitionist and
a Republican. He married, June 30, 1831, Mary Ann Hogle, and they had
children : William, Vina, Mandred, Ira, John, Perry, Charles M., of fur-
ther mention ; Hiram, Lucinda, Almeda, Esther, Amanda.
(II) Charles M., son of Heman and Mary Ann (Hogle) Hayes, was
born in Cussewago township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, September
19, 1857. For many years he was a farmer on the homestead farm in Cusse-
wago township, removing to Albion, Erie county, Pennsylvania, in 191 1.
Politically he was a strong Republican, and he was a member of the Meth-
odist church. He married, January 31, 1877, Julia A., born in Shenango
township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, February 15, 1859, a daughter
of George W. and Sarah Shellito, both natives of Shenango township, the
former born in 1821. Mr. and Mrs. Hayes had children: George L., of fur-
ther mention; Claude C, born November 28, 1880; Lois M., born May 23,
1883; Archie, born May 23, 1885, died in infancy; Arthur L., born March
30, 1888; Keith C, born June 22, 1899; Harold H., born December 26, 1901.
(III) George Le Roy, son of Charles M. and Julia A. (Shellito) Hayes,
was born in Cussewago township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, Novem-
ber 4, 1877. His education was a most comprehensive one, and was in
detail as follows : Public schools of Cussewago township ; high school at
Edinboro, Pennsylvania ; Northwestern State Normal School ; Lincoln Jef-
ferson L'niversity, Department of Law; Ohio Northern University; Cornell
University. He was awarded the degrees of Master of Education, Bachelor
of Philosophy and Bachelor of Laws. He taught in the public schools of
Crawford county for a period of four years ; was superintendent of schools
in Pierpont, Ohio, six years ; supervising principal of schools in Harmons-
burg, Pennsylvania, three years ; supervising principal of schools in Girard,
Pennsylvania, three years ; principal of the schools of Waterford, Penn-
sylvania, at the present time. While Mr. Hayes follows closely the public
questions of the day, and gives his support to the Republican party in
political affairs, he has never had any desire to hold public office, feeling
that he was working for the best interests of the community in faithfully
performing the duties of his responsible position and devoting all his time
to the cause of education. He was a member of Relief Lodge. No. 284,
Free and Accepted Masons, and was demitted to Pine Lodge. No. 498,
Linesville, Pennsylvania. He passed all the chairs in Pine Lodge, and is
secretary of Relief Lodge in Pierpont, Ohio. He is a member of the
University Club of Erie, and of the Presbyterian church.
i6io WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Mir. Hayes married, at Linesville, December 25, 1899, Helena A.
Lewis, whose family line will be found forward. She was born in Cus-
sewago township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, January 15, 1880, and
educated in the Summit township high school, the Linesville high school
and the Ohio Northern L^niversity Art School. Mr. and Mrs. Hayes have
had children : Kenneth Charles, born June 30, 1902, died at the age of
four months; Lois Jeannette, born April 26, 1904; Merlin Lewis, born June
24, 1908.
(The Lewis Line.)
(I) George Lewis, the American progenitor of this family, was born
in Wales. He emigrated to America, located in the state of Maryland, and
there spent the remainder of his life.
(II) Eber, son of George Lewis, was born in Maryland. In later
years he came to Crawford county, Pennsylvania, where he was a farmer
until his death. He was in active service in the army during the War of
1812. He married Elizabeth Gibson, born in Ireland, and among their
children: George; John, of further mention; Augustus; Josiah ; Nathaniel.
(III) John, son of Eber and Ehzabeth (Gibson) Lewis, was born in
Cussewago township. May 23, 1821, and was a farmer in that township
during all the active years of his life. He married Sarah, born in Lehigh
county, Pennsylvania, August 6, 1825, a daughter of Jacob Frack, who
held a commission as captain during the War of 1812. They had children:
Nancy L. ; Eber, see forward ; Jacob F. ; Silas and Jedediah, twins ; Martin.
(IV) Eber, son of John and Sarah (Frack) Lewis, was born in Cus-
sewago township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, September 20, 1846.
He was educated in the public schools and the Edinboro State Normal
School. He was a farmer in Cussewago and Summit townships, and at the
present time is living in Linesville, Crawford county. In political matters
he is Republican, and has served as school director, and in other township
offices. June 28, 1863, Mr. Lewis enlisted in Company B, Fifty-sixth Regi-
ment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, he being but sixteen years of age
at this time. He was honorably discharged, August 13, 1863. Re-enlisted
February 22, 1864, for three years or for the duration of the war, in Com-
pany D, Eighty-third Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and was
discharged from Company F of the same regiment with the rank of cor-
poral, June 28, 1865. He was a member of Edinboro Lodge, Free and Ac-
cepted Masons ; Linesville Post, Grand Army of the Republic ; and Lines-
ville Grange, Patrons of Husbandry. Mr. Lewis married Marilla, born in
Cussewago township, December 10, 1847, a daughter of Gideon and Letitia
(Heard) Harned, and they had children: Ida J., George W. ; Helene A.,
who married George L. Hayes ; John D. ; Homer C.
The members of this family were probably ar-
KLINGENSMITH morers in ancient days, as the meaning of the name
would indicate — Klingen, meaning blades.
(I) William Klingensmith was born in Germany, and emigrated to
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1611
America in the year 1823. He settled at Sharon, Pennsylvania, where he
was a farmer and cattle dealer. Later he removed to Crawford county,
Pennsylvania, where he followed the same occupations. At the expiration
of two years he removed to Mercer county, and there was an active member
of the Baptist church. His political affiliation was with the Republican
party. He married (first) Mary Bohman ; (second) Margarete Hazon ;
(third) Sarah, a daughter of William Palm. The only child of the first
marriage was: William, who was killed at the battle of Gettysburg. Chil-
dren by the second marriage: Daniel, who went to Iowa at the age of
twenty-one years and is now the owner of a large ranch; Harrison, de-
ceased, lived in Greenwood township and married Helen Pearson; Millie,
married William Sheppard, now deceased, and lived in Greenwood town-
ship ; Mary, married Aaron Vonriper, and is living at Noble, Pennsylvania ;
Julia, deceased, married Hal Curtis, now living at Franklin, Pennsylvania.
Children by the third marriage : Jennie, married William Baily and is
living at Bradford, Pennsylvania; David D., of further mention; Elmer E.,
deceased ; R M., married Ida Schwitzer, and is living in Los Angeles,
California ; Harmon, superintendent of the Chartiers Oil Company at Pitts-
burgh, married Margaret Catling, and is living in Bradford, Pennsylvania;
Grant, living at Greenville, Pennsylvania, married Mollie Thompson.
(II) David D., son of William and Sarah (Palm) Klingensmith,
was born in Crawford county, Pennsylvania, November 22, 1858. He ac-
quired a substantial education in the public schools, and when he had at-
tained manhood settled in Mercer county, Pennsylvania. Later he removed
to Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where he is now living. He is a prac-
tical farmer, cultivating his farm along scientific lines, and is also engaged
in the real estate business, of which he is making a decided success. At one
time he was an active worker in the interests of the Chartiers Oil and Coal
Company of Pittsburgh, but now gives more of his time and attention to
the Bell Telephone Company of North Pittsburgh. At one time he was
president of this company. His farm consists of one hundred and nine
acres of well cultivated land, cultivated for general products. He has lived
on this farm near Warrendale for the past ten years. He has been a mem-
ber of the L'nited Presbyterian church for the past thirty years, and gives
his political support to the Republican party. Mr. Klingensmith married
Vinna Glass, of Mercer county, and they have one child, Dolly June, now
eleven years of age.
The Putnam family of Western Pennsylvania descend from
PLTTNAM old English stock, the original name having been De Putten-
ham. The ancestry of the line is probably as advanced by
the family genealogist, Eben Putnam, Danish-Saxon-Celtic, and the earliest
record containing the name is "Domesday Book," compiled at the behest of
William the Conqueror. Puttenham, county Herts, England, was the first
known seat of the family, and is mentioned in the great survey ordered by
King William. The "De" was dropped from the name in the thirteenth
i6i2 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
century, and Puttenham became Putnam in the fifteenth century. The
former estate and home of the family in the parish of Puttenham and Aston
Abbotts is now owned and occupied by the Earl of Roseberry. The coat-
of-arms that has long been borne by the family is: "Sable, crusilly fitchee,
argent, a stork of the last. Crest, a wolf's head gules." This distinguishing
mark was first granted to Sir George Puttenham, of Sherfield, and to Nich-
olas Putnam, of Penne, and is described in the Visitations of Bucks, by
Harvey, in 1566 and 1634, and in the Visitations of Hampshire in the latter
year.
The immigrant ancestor of the line here under consideration was John
Putnam, son of Nicholas Putnam. John Putnam was baptized at Win-
grave, Bucks county, England, January 17, 1579, and died in Salem Village,
now Danvers, December 30, 1662. He probably resided in Stewkley with
his parents until the death of his father, when he inherited the estates ar
Aston Abbotts, and lived there until he came to New England. He was
called husbandman in 1614. He married, in 161 1 or 1612, Priscilla Deacon.
According to family tradition he came to Salem, Massachusetts, in 1634, but
the first record of him is March 21, 1640-41, when his wife was admitted to
the church, and in the same year he received a grant of land. He was ad-
mitted to the church, April 4, 1647. He was a farmer by occupation, and
one of the wealthy men of his section. His handwriting indicates that he
must have possessed a good education. Prior to his death he gave his sons,
John and Nathaniel, and probably others, a farm each. He was the father
of seven children.
(I) Levi Putnam, a lineal descendant of John and Priscilla (Deacon)
Putnam, was born in Summit township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania,
September 17, 1757, and died in 1812. He was a cousin to General Israel
Putnam, the military hero. He married Hannah and their children were :
Phineas, of whom further; Mary, born May 25, 1794; Lois, December 25,
1795; Stillman, February 5, 1798; Fatima, May 13, 1799; Levi, January
23, 1801 ; Hannah, February 20, 1803; Lydia, July 24, 1804; Prentice B.,
April 26, 1807.
(II) Phineas Putnam, son of Levi and Hannah Putnam, was born in
Vermont, February 24, 1792, and died on the Putnam homestead, west of
Harmonsburg, Pennsylvania. He was a Democrat and a Methodist. He
married Jane McFadden, born February 4, 1799, daughter of William Mc^
Fadden, one of the oldest settlers of Summit township, in which he was
the teacher of the first school in that section. Children of Mr. and Mrs.
Putnam: i. William, of whom further. 2. Warren, born February 8, 1821 ;
married (first) Sylvania McCary, children: Ella, became the wife of
Lemuel Spalding; Lura, became the wife of J. D. McMichael, and resides
in Meadville ; he married (second) Sarah Kerr, widow of Marshal,
and had two children : Clarence H., manager of the Messenger ofifice busi-
ness ; Maud, deceased. 3. Eleanor, born June 3, 1823, died unmarried. 4.
Hannah, born May 3, 1825, died unmarried. 5. Fatima, born June 11, 1827;
became the wife of Ira McCray; children: Alton, Phineas, Effie, Frank,
. £,(Jl^
(Km^\^
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1613
William, Ernest, the only one living, resides in Santiago, California. 6.
Levi, born May 18, 1830, died June 20, 1896; married Elizabeth Whiting.
7. Mary, born August 19, 183 1, died unmarried. 8. John Stillman, born
March 4, 1834; unmarried, and resides on the old homestead. 9. Cynthia,
born February 22, 1836, died unmarried in 1914. 10. James, born May 16,
1838; unmarried, and also resides on the homestead.
(III) William Putnam, son of Phineas and Jane (McFadden) Put-
nam, was born in Summit township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, Sep-
tember 28, 1819, and died there in March, 1892. He was reared in the
locality of his birth and there passed his entire life, inheriting a portion of
the homestead and acquiring by purchase the interests of his co-heirs, his
possessions amounting to about one hundred acres. This land he farmed
and prospered materially. For fifty years he held the office of justice of
the peace, and performed considerably more than the ordinary routine work
of that position, his fellows frequently consulting with him on matters of
legal importance. When first he became active in political affairs it was
as the champion of the Republican party, but in later years he changed his
allegiance and was until his death a loyal Democrat, a constant worker in
the ranks of that party. Mr. Putnam was not identified as a member with
any religious sect or denomination, but there was never a more eloquent
or forceful argument for manliness and uprightness than his life, which was
ordered along lines of temperance, industry and honor. Clean in morals,
action and speech, his relations to his fellows was in friendly, open inter-
course, and the strict rectitude of conduct that he unfailingly observed won
from them admiration, respect and regard.
Mr. Putnam married Elizabeth Fetterman, born near Conneautville,
Crawford county, Pennsylvania, died in October, 1889; she was a
member of a family long resident in that locality, her father known
throughout the region because of his unusual physical strength. Children
of Mr. and Mrs. Putnam: i. Charles E., of whom further. 2. Ella, became
the wife of Frank Gibson, and resides on a farm in Summit township,
Crawford county, Pennsylvania. 3. Wilbur P., a dry goods merchant of
Harmonsburg, Pennsylvania ; for twenty years was justice of the peace of
Crawford county; married (first) Effie Haynes, now deceased; married
(second) Mrs. Alice Van Liew ; two children: Reba, became the wife of
Professor Kingsley, and Kirk. 4. Edgar, unmarried, resides on the family
homestead in Summit township.
(IV) Charles E. Putnam, son of William and Elizabeth (Fettermant
Putnam, was born in Summit township, Crawford county. Pennsylvania.
April 23, 1838. Completing his studies in the public schools of his native
township, he attended the high school in Harmonsburg, and after com-
pleting his course in this institution remained on the home farm for several
years. He was then for four years employed by the Travelers' Insurance
Company, of Hartford, Connecticut, covering western territory, and at the
expiration of that period of time he made his home at Conneaut Lake,
Pennsylvania, accepting a position as publicity manager of the Conneaut
i6i4 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Lake Company, which was organized in 1889. Exposition Park, at Con-
neaut Lake, is the property of this company, which is capitahzed at three
hundred thousand dollars, and under its management hotels, restaurants
and all kinds of amusement are maintained. The business the company con-
ducts in catering to the public convenience and pleasure is a large one, and
the importance of Mr. Putnam's part in its wonderful growth and develop-
ment cannot be too strongly emphasized, inasmuch as institutions desiring
public patronage depend almost entirely for their success upon the manner
in which their attractions are brought to general notice. At no time has
advertising, as an art and as a business necessity, received the regardful
attention of men in all lines of business that is bestowed upon it in the
present day, and those who have been intimately connected with the man-
agement of the Conneaut Lake Company unhesitatingly and in generous
terms praise his work in connection therewith. Mr. Putnam is at the pres-
ent time connected in this same capacity with the company, and is tendered
the high esteem of his business associates, to whom the value of his services
is fully known.
In 1913 Mr. Putnam was appointed postmaster of Linesville, Penn-
sylvania, and is now in the midst of his term in that office. Prior to his
appointment to his position in the employ of the National government, he
was for ten years justice of the peace at Linesville, his service in that office
placing to the credit of the family a record of eighty consecutive years in its
incumbency, William Putnam, his father, holding it for fifty years, Wilbur
P. Putnam, his brother, thus serving for twenty years. In all political action
Mr. Putnam is a staunch Democrat, for fifteen years filling a place upon
the Democratic county committee and taking prominent part in the councils
of the organization. He is a member of the Royal Arcanum, and secretary
of the local lodge. Mr. Putnam is a leading citizen of Linesville, influential
in a successful business record, his reputation and standing the result of a
lifetime of useful endeavor and along lines of honor and fair dealing.
Mr. Putnam married, December 27, 1912, Catherine B. Glenn, born in
Pine township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, daughter of Thomas and
Belle (Thompson) Glenn, both natives of Pine township, both deceased, the
family resident in that township since 181 2.
Conneaut Lake, known as the "Queen of Inland Lakes," is located in
the northwest corner of Pennsylvania, is the largest lake in the state, being
three and a half miles in length and one and a half miles in width. Over
one hundred and fifty feet of water can be found in various places, and the
average depth is about thirty feet. During the summer months it is fed
entirely by springs, and the water is not contaminated in any way what-
soever. It is four hundred and ninety-seven feet above Lake Erie, ten hun-
dred and seventy feet above the ocean, and at the very apex of the "Divide."
The Indian name for the lake was "Konne-yaut," meaning the lake among
the hills, or the snow lake, this name being given to it by the Iroquois tribe
on account of its high altitude and the fact that the snow lay on the ice in
the spring long after it had gone from the hills.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1615
There is considerable evidence that the Mound Builder Hved on the
shores of this lake in the olden time, as there are a number of monuments
made of earth still to be seen, especially around the big Pymatuning Swamp
on the west, enclosing relics of his rude art. They were succeeded by the
Indians, who devoted their time to hunting and fishing, and upward of two
centuries ago a band of over four hundred Iroquois Indians, the most sav-
age, crafty and treacherous of them all, camped on the east shore near
where the Iroquois Club House now stands, they being the last band of
Indians of any numbers to camp there. Small parties of the Delaware and
Seneca tribes made war on the early white settlers for many years after-
wards, being seen there as late as the year 1812.
Wolf Island, which lies close to the west shore midway down the lake,
is perhaps the most beautiful point around the lake, as it is in its natural
state, no changes having been made to mar the handiwork of the Creator.
It derived its name from the fact that the Indians drove the wolves onto
the island, then into the lake, where it was an easy matter to kill them.
Large numbers of pleasure seekers, within a radius of hundreds of
miles, seek enjoyment and recreation at this beautiful summer resort, which
is easily reached by railroads and traction lines. Beautiful cottages and
well appointed hotels are found at every point around the lake, affording
the traveler every means of securing comfort and refreshment for body
and mind. A large fleet of steamers, which have a record of never hurting
or disabling a passenger or costing any one their life, plow its waters all
day long and far into the night, and in addition to these may be seen large
numbers of motor power and sail yachts, also row boats and canoes. The
lake is well stocked with pike, lunge, the many members of the fresh water
bass family, salmon, blue gills", catfish and perch, thus affording pleasure
and rela.xation for many disciples of Isaac Walton. A spacious and hand-
some dancing pavilion adds to the attractiveness of the resort, the best of
music being furnished for the enjoyment of the devotees of this art, and in
addition to this there is a midway where popular amusements may be found,
none of which are the least questionable.
Tradition has it that this name is of Welsh origin, where
SIRDEVAN it was probably spelled Surdival or Surdiville, and this
was gradually changed until it assumed its present form.
In Ireland, also, it is spelled in various ways.
(I) William Sirdevan was born in county Mayo, Ireland, and there
followed the occupation of farming. Because of the famine in that country,
he removed with his family, in 1855, to Ashton, near Manchester, England,
and there his death occurred. Those members of the family who were able
to do so worked in the cotton mills during their residence in England. After
the death of Mr. Sirdevan, his wife came to America with her children, and
settled in Titusville, Pennsylvania, in 1872. They were all of the Roman
Catholic faith. Mr. Sirdevan had married Anna Gannon, also born in
county Mayo, Ireland. The Sirdevan family had lived in county Mayo many
i6i6 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
generations. Mr. and Mrs. Sirdevan had children: Michael, of further
mention; David, is a retired bricklayer, unmarried, and lives in Titusville,
whither he came in 1870; John, died in infancy; Anna, unmarried, lives in
Titusville; David, died September 15, 1914; Mary, married James O'Brien,
an acid boiler, and lives in Titusville, Pennsylvania.
(II) Michael Sirdevan, son of William and Anna (Gannon) Sirdevan,
was born at Belcara, county Mayo, Ireland, October 3, 1841, and died No-
vember 14, 1907. He was about fourteen years of age when he removed
with the other members of his family from Ireland to England, and there
he worked in the cotton mills of Manchester until 1869. In that year he
emigrated to the United States, having decided that better opportunities
awaited him there. He settled in Titusville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania,
and here worked for a time as a stone mason. Later he became an acid
boiler in the acid works of Titusville. During the last ten years of his
life he lived retired. He was a devout member of the Roman Catholic
church, as were all the members of his family. He married Catherine
O'Reagan, born in the town of Belcara, county Mayo, Ireland, in 1846,
died August 16, 1904. She was a daughter of Patrick and Margaret (De
Coursey) O'Reagan, both born in county Mayo, Ireland. In 1848 the
entire family removed to Manchester, England, because of the famine in
Ireland, and they worked in the cotton mills. Mr. O'Reagan died in Ire-
land, and his widow married (second) a Mr. Magraw, who died in England.
In 1871 Mrs. (O'Reagan) Magraw emigrated to America, where she made
her home in Titusville, Pennsylvania, and resided there until her death in
1898 at the age of eighty-six years. The family belonged to the Roman
Catholic church. By her first marriage she had five children, but the only
one to attain maturity was Catherine, who married Mr. Sirdevan, as above
stated. Mr. and Mrs. Sirdevan had children : David Francis, is a chemist,
and lives at Bay Point, California ; Michael J., a blacksmith, lives in Titus-
ville; Mary A., conducts a fine millinery establishment in Titusville; Wil-
liam Joseph, of further mention ; Margaret, twin of William Joseph, is
teaching school, and lives in Titusville.
(III) William Joseph Sirdevan, son of Michael and Catherine (O'Rea-
gan) Sirdevan, was born three miles south of Titusville, in Cherry Tree
township, Venango county, Pennsylvania, March 22, 1878. The public
schools of Titusville furnished his earlier education, and he then matricu-
lated at Cornell LTniversity, from the law department of which institution
he was graduated in the class of 1900 with the degree of Bachelor of Laws.
He at once established himself in the further study of his profession in
Buiifalo, New York, with the firm of Lockwood, Hoyt & Green, remained
with them two years, and was then admitted to practice at the bar of New
York. He located at Niagara Falls, New York, where he practiced for a
period of five years. In the spring of 1909 he located at Titusville. Penn-
sylvania, and was admitted, May 10, 1909, to the bar of Crawford county,
where he has been engaged in legal practice up to the present time. He is a
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1617
strong supporter of the Democratic party, and takes an active part in
public affairs. He is a member of St. Titus Roman Catholic Qiurch at
Titusville, and of fraternal organizations as follows: Knights of Columbus
and Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Mr. Sirdevan is not mar-
ried.
William Henry Brooks was born in the North of Ireland, and
BROOKS came to this country about 1800 when a young lad with
his parents. At first they settled in Erie county, Pennsyl-
vania, then removed to Greenwood township, Crawford county, Pennsyl-
vania, where they made their home about two miles west of the present
location of Geneva. William Henry Brooks acquired a farm there and
died on it when over eighty years of age. For a period of more than forty
years he was in office as justice of the peace, and he was everywhere known
as "Squire Brooks." He married Sallie , a native of Pennsylvania,
and they had children: i. John, a farmer of Greenwood township, died in
1912. 2. Port, a farmer, and a veteran of the Civil Wa.T, lives in Randolph.
Wisconsin. 3. David, deceased, was a farmer and a veteran of the Civil
War ; lived in Greenwood township ; married Susanna Westscott. 4. Rob-
ert, of further mention. 5. Elizabeth, married John Loafer, now deceased,
and lived in Greenwood township. 6. Sarah, deceased. 7. Marietta, mar-
ried Washington Schmock, both deceased. 7. Nancy Ann, married Peter
Schmock, both deceased. 8. George, deceased, was a veteran of the Civil
War; lived in the western part of the United States. 9. Quentin, deceased;
was a farmer and a veteran of the Civil War; lived in Conneautville, Penn-
sylvania. 10. Henry, lives on the old homestead in Greenwood township.
(II) Robert Brooks, son of William Henry and Sallie Brooks, was
born in Greenwood township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, in 1835, and
died in 1901. He purchased a farm south of Geneva, Greenwood township,
and lived there all his life. Politically he was a Democrat, and served in
the offices of constable, school director and township auditor. He was of
short, stocky build, being five feet four and a half inches in height. Upon
the outbreak of the Civil War Mr. Brooks enlisted in Company C, One
Hundred and Fiftieth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and
served two years. He fought at the second battle of Bull Run, Gettysburg,
Wilderness, and other engagements in which the Army of the Potomac
participated, and lost an arm in the battle of the Wilderness. Mr. Brooks
married Elizabeth Taylor, born in Greenwood township, May 19, 1839,
a daughter of John and Sallie Taylor, early settlers and farmers in Green-
wood township, and devout members of the Baptist church. She had
brothers and sisters as follows: i. John, deceased; lived in Kansas. 2.
Ann, married Richard Peterson; lived in Greenwood township. 3. Mar-
garet, married (first) Abraham Williams, (second) Jacob Rath; lived in
Greenwood township. 4. Nancy, married Mark Grinnell : lives in Geneva,
Pennsylvania. 5. Zachariah, deceased : was a farmer in Kansas. Mr. and
Mrs. Brooks had children: r. Sarah Elizabeth, married J. H. Smoch, lives
i6i8 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
on a farm in Greenwood township. 2. Quentin, was drowned in a reser-
voir at the age of nineteen years. 3. Margaret, married A. N. Amazon;
Hves in Jefferson county, Ohio. 4. Nancy Jane, married James Martin ; lives
on a farm in Greenwood township. 5. CorneHa, married G. W. Hall ; lives on
a farm in Greenwood township. 6. Sophia, married Peter Rabb;
lives at Conneaut, Ohio. 7. Edith, married E. M. Studden, now de-
ceased ; lives in Greenwood township. 8. Susan, married Ora Studman ;
lives in Erie, Pennsylvania. 9. Selden, of further mention. 10. Winnie,
married J. P. Hall ; lives on a farm in Greenwood township.
(HI) Selden Brooks, son of Robert and Elizabeth (Taylor) Brooks,
was born in Greenwood township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, October
12, 1872. He grew to manhood on the homestead farm, and acquired his
education in Grinnell's District School. After his marriage he purchased
a farm of one hundred acres in Greenwood township, and farmed this suc-
cessfully for a period of fifteen years. In 1908 he bought a house and a
hardware store in Geneva, Pennsylvania, and took as a business partner
a Mr. Hood, the business being conducted under the firm name of Brooks
& Hood. This partnership has remained uninterrupted up to the present time
(1915), and they carry a full line of everything even remotely connected
with the hardware business. In political matters Mr. Brooks is a Democrat,
and he has served as a school director for the past twenty years. He is a
member of the Patrons of Husbandry and the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows.
Mr. Brooks married, November 8, 1892, Mary Armor, born at Canton,
Ohio, whose only brother, Allie, is a farmer near Sheakleyville, Mercer
county, Pennsylvania. She is a daughter of Alton Armor, born in November,
1844, a retired farmer of Sheakleyville. He married (first) Sallie ,
who died in 1876 at the age of thirty-six years; he married (second) Abbie
Phiels, but had no children by the second marriage. When Mrs. Brooks
was an infant she was taken by John Portner, and reared at his home as his
child. Mr. Portner is still living in Greenwood township at the advanced
age of ninety years. Mr. and Mrs. Brooks have children : Sadie May, born
July 22, 1894; Robert Eldridge, born April 27, 1902; Ebbie Elizabeth, bom
March 27, 1908; Elmer Leroy, born March 17, 1910; Selden Kenneth, born
March 16, 19 12.
The name of McNulty is an old and honored one in Ireland,
McNULTY where owners of it have been identified with agricultural
pursuits for many generations, and it has become no less
honored in this country.
Hugh McNulty, who was born in county Down, Ireland, came to this
country shortly after his marriage, about the year 1840, and settled in Erie
county, Pennsylvania, where he acquired a farm of seventy-five acres. Prior
to purchasing this farm he had worked as a foreman on the old canal at
Erie while this was in course of construction, and he was joined by his wife
and family in 1846. They cleared and improved this land, and resided on
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1619
it the remainder of their Hves, the death of Mr. McNuUy occurring in 1865.
He married, in Ireland, Ahce Lavery, also born in county Down, Ireland, and
the entire family affiliated with the Roman Catholic church. They had
children: i. Mary, a widow, having no children, lives with her sister, Mrs.
William Lee. 2. Agnes, deceased. 3. Catherine, married Michael Kilfoil,
now deceased, and had children : Mary, Catherine, Nellie, Emma, Alice
and James. 4. Margaret, married James Kelly, lives in Erie county, Penn-
sylvania, and has children : Joseph and Alice. 5. Michael, a resident of
Erie county, Pennsylvania, married Flora Steinbrook, and has children : Guy,
George and Hugh C. 6. James J., of further mention. 7. Hugh, living in
California. 8. Rose, living in Erie county, Pennsylvania, married William
Lee, and has children : Benjamin, employed on the railroad ; Qiarles, Frank,
Leo, Lewis, Anna, Alice. 9. Philamena, living in Erie county, Pennsylvania,
married Peter Patterson, and has children : John, Charles, Peter, Samuel,
Catherine and Alice. 10. Patrick, deceased. 11. Peter, deceased. 12. John,
living on the homestead, which he still cultivates, operates a steam threshing
machine in the fall, in addition to his personal farm labors ; he married,
1883, Emma McGraw, of Titusville, Pennsylvania, and has had children:
Alice, married Seth Cook, of Erie, and has : Cassius and Marjorie, Winifred,
Marguerite, Emma, Irene, Dorothy, John, James, Rosa, Catherine, Beatrice,
Bernice.
James J. McNulty, son of Hugh and Alice (Lavery) McNulty, was
born in Erie county, Pennsylvania, July 24, 1849. He received an excellent
education in the parochial schools, and was brought up in the Roman Cath-
olic faith. During the earlier years of his business life he was active in
and around the oil fields at Monroeville and Oil City, Pennsylvania, having
more than twelve digging machines of his own in operation. About 1882
he sold his interests in the oil business, and purchased a farm of two hun-
dred and seventy-nine acres in Summer Hill township, Crawford county,
Pennsylvania, on which he resided until his death. He was a strong sup-
porter of the Democratic party, and was active in local political aflfairs.
Mr. McNulty married, in February, 1877, Katherine, a daughter of Thomas
Barry, also of Erie county, Pennsylvania. They had children: i. Edith,
born August 3, i88t, married J. L. Atkinson; they live in Pittsburgh, and
have children : Evelyn and Harold. 2. Morris, deceased. 3. Grover, born
October 14, 1888, resides on the farm with his mother.
Thomas Barry, father of Mrs. Katherine (Barry) McNulty, was born
in Ireland, and came to America with friends when he was twelve years of
age. He became the owner of a farm of seventy-five acres in Erie county,
Pennsylvania, on which he lived until his death in 1896, and on which his
widow is still residing. He was a Democrat, and a member of the Roman
Catholic church. He married Anstrus, a daughter of Cyril Drown, of New
Hampshire, and they had children: i. Edward, unmarried, lives in Erie
county, Pennsylvania. 2. Katherine, who married Mr. McNulty, as above
mentioned. 3. Rose, deceased. 4. Cyril, unmarried, lives in Woodsfield,
Ohio. 5. Julia, deceased. 6. Jennie, living in Erie county, Pennsylvania,
i62o WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
married Charles McDonald, and has children: Clyde and Charlotte. 7.
Hannah, lives in Green township, married Christian Yagle, and has chil-
dren : Reed, Thomas, Wallace, Jessie and Bonnie. 8. Mary, married Jack
Gabler, and has children : Alice, Helen, Gladys and Harrison. 9. Frederick,
married Anna Wisks, has children: Gertrude, Isabella, Laura, Rose and
Edward.
The first American ancestor of Thomas W. Phillips was
PHILLIPS Rev. George Phillips, the first minister of Watertown,
Massachusetts, and the founder of the Congregational
church in America. Rev. George Phillips was the son of Christopher
Phillips of Rainham, district of Gallow, county of Norfolk, England. Wen-
dell Phillips is authority for the statement that this family could be traced
back to the twelfth century in England. Rev. George Phillips was born in
1593, and was seventeen years of age when he entered Gonville and Caius
College, Cambridge, April 20, 1610, graduated B.A. 1613, and M.A. 1617.
He early gave indications of deep piety, and was distinguished at the Uni-
versity for his remarkable progress in learning. He was settled in the min-
istry at Boxford, Suffolk county, but his strong attachment to the prin-
ciples of the old non-conformists soon brought him into difficulty, and as
the storm of persecution grew more dark and threatening he decided to cast
his lot with the Puritans who were about to depart for the new world. On
April 12, 1630, he, with his wife, daughter of Richard Sergent, and their
two children, Samuel and Elizabeth, embarked for America in the "Ar-
bella" as fellow-passengers with Governor Winthrop, Sir Richard Saltonstall
and other assistants of the Massachusetts Company, arriving at Salem on
June 12, 1630, where his wife very soon died. He proceeded up the Charles
river, and with others founded the settlement called Watertown. He con-
tinued to be the minister of the Watertown church, greatly respected and
beloved, for fourteen years, until the time of his death, July i, 1644. Rev.
George Phillips was independent and conscientious in forming and main-
taining his opinions and distinguished for his learning in the original lan-
guages of the Scriptures and in theological doctrines. His hearers counted
him "The Irrefragable Doctor," and his contemporaries testified that he
was a man of exceedingly high scholarship, "mighty in the scriptures and
very diligent to search out the mind of Qirist therein contained." Rev.
George Phillips entertained more enlightened views of civil and religious
liberty or had a more just appreciation of it than that which prevailed among
the other planters of Massachusetts Bay, and had repeated theological con-
troversies in which he was characterized by candor and Christian urbanity.
Rev. George Phillips lived during the formative period of our history, was
the earliest advocate of the Congregational order and discipline in which he
was, says Hubbard, "deeply versed and very skillful," and with his ruling
elder, Mr. Richard Browne, stood almost unaided and alone until the ar-
rival of Mr. John Cotton in firmly maintaining what was and still is the
Congregationalism of New England. He took a most prominent part in
WF.STERN PENNSYLVANIA 1621
civic affairs, even having been put in jail by Governor Winthrop for advo-
cating a plan of government which afterwards became what is known as
Representative Government, that is, a form of government where the official
is nominated and elected not directly by the populace but by their representa-
tives, and this country is indebted more to him than to any other man for
our form of Representative Government. The tendency to-day to do away
entirely with the form of Representative Government advocated by Rev.
George Phillips and substitute therefor both nominations and elections for
all officers by the direct vote of the populace is fraught with grave perils,
for it opens the way for mob rule, making it possible for the demagogue
to first rule then ruin this Republic, and bring upon it the common fate of
all the preceding Republics.
From Rev. George Phillips is descended a line that in the brilliance of
its achievements and the worth of its members has few equals and, it may
with assurance be stated, has never been surpassed. He and his numerous
progeny have had a remarkable influence on the religious, educational and
political developments of our country. Owning him as ancestor is a long list
of ministers, educators, philanthropists, lawyers, jurists, statesmen, soldiers
and men of affairs — "a sterling race, temperate, just and high minded."
Samuel, the eldest son of Rev. George, was also a minister and officiated
repeatedly at the great public anniversaries which put in requisition the
abilities of the first men in the New England colonies. Descendants of
Rev. Samuel Phillips include Rev. Samuel (born at Salem, 1689, died at
Andover, 1771), who was pastor of the Andover church without inter-
mission from the date of his ordination, October 17, 171 1, to the day of his
death, June 5, 1771, an unbroken ministry at one church for almost sixty
years, and who left more published discourses and tracts than any of his
predecessors and contemporaries ; Honorable Samuel and Judge Samuel
Phillips, father and son, founders of Phillips Academy, Andover, Massa-
chusetts ; Honorable John Phillips, who joined with his brother and nephew
in founding Phillips Academy, was the sole founder of Phillips Exeter
Academy, Exeter, New Hampshire, and through his bequests was instru-
mental in the founding of Andover Theological Seminary ; Lieutenant-Gov-
ernor William Phillips, of Boston, of whom it was said at the time of his
death, in 1827, that "no man of wealth lived and died in this country who
has, in proportion to his ability, done so much for the cause of charity" ;
Wendell Phillips, the great orator of the Abolitionist cause ; and Phillips
Brooks, the distinguished bishop of the Episcopal church and renowned
lecturer. In the great halls of the Andover and Exeter academies and in
Memorial Hall at Harvard may be seen hanging upon the walls portraits
of one and another man and woman of this family, which belong among
the untitled nobility of New England, representing the best element of life
there, not that which always dwells in the brightest glare of publicity, but
• that which directs and shapes the current of public opinion.
As before stated, the first wife of Rev. George Phillips died at Salem
very soon after landing. His second wife was Elizabeth Weldon, and their
i622 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
children were: Zerobabel, born at Watertown, Massachusetts, April 6, 1632,
died at Southampton, Long Island, subsequent to 1689, of whom further;
Jonathan, born November 16, 1633, a magistrate of Watertown, lived on the
homestead with his mother, died 1704, leaving numerous children; The-
ophilus, born May 28, 1636, lived at Watertown, and had more than a dozen
children; Annabel, buried April 11, 1638, aged four months; Ephraim, born
and died June, 1641 ; Obadiah, buried April 5, 164 — ; Abigail, birth not
recorded, married, October 8, 1666, James Barnard, no issue.
It will thus be seen that there were four sons surviving the Rev. George
Phillips, to wit: Samuel, Zerobabel, Jonathan and Theophilus. Some of
Samuel's descendants have been herein above mentioned. Jonathan's line
is fully accounted for in local histories of Massachusetts, and Theophilus's
line is fully given in a book written in 1885 by Albert M. Phillips, one of his
descendants.
Zerobabel Phillips, above mentioned, the eldest son of Rev. George and
Elizabeth (Weldon) Phillips, was born 1632, and when sixteen years of age,
four years after his father's death, moved to Southampton, Long Island,
where he died subsequent to 1689. He was married three times; the name
of his first wife is unknown, as there are no marriage records of Southamp-
ton extant at that time, but by this marriage he had a son Theophilus, of
whom further.
Zerobabel was the progenitor of the Maidenhead, New Jersey, Phillips
family. The old town book of Maidenhead shows that this family was
more numerous than any other family in Maidenhead from its settlement
down as far as the book runs. At one period Maidenhead was entitled to
three freeholders and the book shows on one occasion that all three of these
freeholders were members of this family. This family has from generation
to generation contained men of notable physical development, of great will
power, of independent and conscientious inclination in forming and main-
taining their opinions, and of exceptional tenacity of purpose. The Maiden-
head Phillips family enjoys the distinction of having the best military record
of any family in the state of New Jersey.
In the Colonial period this branch of the family was represented by
Major Philip Phillips, and Theophilus Phillips ; and in the Revolutionary
War by : Captain John Phillips, First New Jersey, Hunterdon County
Troop; Colonel Joseph PhilHps, First New Jersey, Hunterdon County
Troop; Captain Philip Phillips, First New Jersey, Hunterdon County Troop;
Captain and Major Henry Phillips, First New Jersey, Hunterdon County
Troop, in whose regiment were Edmund, Andrew and Lott Phillips ; Cap-
tain Jonathan Phillips, Fourth New Jersey, Hunterdon County Troop;
Adjutant Elias Phillips, First New Jersey, Hunterdon County Troop; Cap-
tain and Major John Phillips ; Samuel, Asher and Ralph Phillips, Samuel
and Asher being younger brothers of Captain Jonathan, Adjutant Elias and
Major John. Descendants of the Maidenhead branch of the Phillips family
are now located in various parts of the country — in Pittsburgh, Pennsyl-
vania, and other localities in Western Pennsylvania ; in the state of Ohio,
in the West and in the South.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1623
Theophilus Phillips, above mentioned, son of Zerobabel Phillips, was
born in Southampton, Long Island, in 1653, died at Newtown, Long Island.
He married, in 1671, Ann, daughter of Ralph Hunt, a descendant of Thomas
Hunt, a colonel of Cromwell's army, and had children.
Theophilus Phillips, son of Theophilus and Ann Hunt Phillips, was born
at Newtown, Long Island, May 15, 1672, died in Maidenhead, New Jersey,
in 1709, (Maidenhead — both village and township were changed to Lawrence-
ville and Lawrence, respectively, by an Act of the Legislature, January 24,
1816). In the year 1694 Theophilus Phillips and his cousin Ralph Hunt,
jointly purchased land at Maidenhead (the richest agricultural section in
New Jersey) and were the founders of Maidenhead. Quickly following
them came their kinsfolk Philip Phillips, younger brother of Theophilus and
Samuel and Edward Hunt, brothers of Ralph Hunt. In 1697 the settlers
had become sufficiently numerous to form a new township and by 1698 re-
ligious worship was maintained. Theophilus by his wife Frances had
children, as follows: Theophilus, John, William, Joseph, Philip, Francis
and three daughters.
Judge Theophilus Phillips, son of Theophilus and Frances Phillips, was
born in Maidenhead, about 1695, died there in 1762. He was burgess of
Trenton under King George's charter, and judge of the Hunterdon county
courts from 1723 to 1749. His first wife was Elizabeth Betts, and his second
wife was her sister, Abigail Betts. The Betts family were from Newtown,
Long Island, and were very prominent in the early history of Long
Island. His children were : John, William, Richard, Joseph, Frances (who
married Edmund Bainbridge), and Keziah, who married Captain John
Moore).
Captain John Phillips, eldest son of Judge Theophilus and Elizabeth
(Betts) Phillips, was born at Maidenhead, New Jersey, about 1721. In
1760 he married Abigail Tindall, and had the following children : Thomas,
Joseph, John, Theophilus and William. He was an officer in the Con-
tinental line, and captain of the First Regiment, Hunterdon County Militia,
Revolutionary War, and was guide to Washington at the battle of Trenton.
This regiment was in the brigade of General Dickinson, and participated in
the battles of Trenton, Assanpink, Princeton, Germantown, Springfield and
Monmouth.
Thomas Phillips, eldest son of Capt^n John and Abigail (Tindall)
Phillips, was born at Maidenhead, on a 300 acre homestead deeded February
3, 1752, to his father and uncle by their father, which homestead is still
owned by a Phillips. He married Catherine Phillips (not a relative), and
moved to Hopewell township, Hunterdon county, New Jersey. His chil-
dren were: William, John, Elijah, Ephraim, Enoch, and Sarah (who ma;r-
ried Joseph Moore).
Ephraim Phillips, born September 20. 1795, died December 20. 1833,
, fourth son of Thomas and Catherine (Phillips) Phillips, married Ann New-
ton of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who was born May 11, 1797, and died
June 14, 1867. Ann Newton's parents were Ferdinand (born in England)
i624 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
and Ann Maria Tarpine Newton, (born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Ann
Newton had three brothers and one sister, as follows : Joseph, Ebenezer,
Isaac and Sarah. In 1818, Ephraim with his wife Ann Newton Phillips
and their babe Catherine, moved from New Jersey to Western Pennsyl-
vania, settling on the site of Old Enon, then Beaver county, now Lawrence
county, where he erected a fulling mill and a saw mill. Ten years later
the family moved to a farm of one hundred acres near Mt. Jackson, a few
miles north of Enon, where in 1835 Ephraim Phillips died, survived by his
widow and eight children, as follows: Catherine, born May 30, 1817; Isaac
N., born July 19, 1820; Sarah M., born February 28, 1822; Ephraim, born
February 23, 1824; John, born January 6, 1826; Mary Ann, born October
6, 1830; Charles M., born January i, 1833; and Thomas W., born February
23, 1835, who was at the time of his father's death a babe only ten months
old. Mrs. Ann Ne"wton Phillips was a woman of exceptionally forceful
character, who, holding the strictest ideas of honesty, taught her children that
it was wrong to take even a pin that did not belong to them. Her homely
virtues and the philosophical manner in which she faced problems and per-
plexities made an indelible impression upon her son Thomas. Both the
mother and father of Thomas W. Phillips were intensely though sanely
religious, and early became identified with the great Restoration movement
inaugurated about the year 1809 by Thomas and Alexander Campbell, which
has changed the course of religious thought and given to the world a broader,
fuller, and more rational conception of the Word of God.
Thomas W. Phillips, son of Ephraim and Ann (Newton) Phil-
lips, was born in Lawrence county, Pennsylvania, February 23, 1835, died at
Newcastle, Pennsylvania, July 21, 1912. The home atmosphere in which
he was reared was earnestly religious, and with the strict Christian training
Thomas W. Phillips received from his mother there was taught another
lesson, whose influence upon his career was no less marked, the dignity of
honest labor. With the burden of eight children and the additional load of
a debt-ridden farm, the widowed mother was compelled to circumscribe
the education and scholastic training of her sons, and Thomas W. Phillips
enjoyed few of the advantages in this line that are the blessing of
many. Part of his inheritance, however, from a race of leaders of their
fellows through superior talents, was an aptitude and desire for learning,
and he supplemented such teaching as he obtained at the district schools
and under private instruction by diligent independent study. The fact that
his opportunities were of his own making and not granted by favorable-
fortune gave him a keener appreciation of their value, and so assiduously
and persistently did he apply himself to study that from the student the
scholar rapidly developed. His native taste was excellent, and though to a
large degree his studies were undirected, his choice was remarkably fine,
and while a lad he was exceptionally well read in history, biography and
scientific literature. The meetings of the Mount Jackson Literary Society
knew him as a regular attendant, and he was conspicuously able in the
debates that were frequently a part of the program of that organization,.
^,Vv,.5l-jiii^
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1625,
displaying keen reasoning powers and an orig;'n ility of attack that gained
for him the reputation of the leading speaker of the society. His early
intention was entrance of the ministry of the Christian church, an ambition
that was thwarted by an injury to his lungs, which necessitated out-of-door
employment, although afterward he preached at intervals and until his death
remained in the truest sense a minister of the gospel.
It is an interesting fact that his youthful study of the Bible was closely
connected with his choice of a career. There is a passage in the book of
Job, "and the rock poured me out rivers of oil," upon which he could place
no satisfactory construction, and when, in 1859, Drake struck rock oil or
petroleum in Western Pennsylvania, curiosity led him to investigate the
matter. Strongly attracted by the oil industry, he and his brothers in 1861
began oil operations, the firm of Phillips Brothers being composed of Isaac,
John, Charles and Thomas W., and in this business, through success and
failure, through struggle and disappointment to final triumph, he remained
until his death, his the longest term of service known to the oil industry.
The new firm at once entered upon a career of unprecedented success,
and within a few years their holdings were among the largest in the oil
country and amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars in value. The
course pursued by the brothers when on the flood tide of fortune was one
that reflected the greatest of credit upon them, as upon the parents who
taught them the love of mankind and the responsibilities of the strong
toward the weak. With the larger share of their profits they built churches,
endowed colleges, paid teachers, and founded charitable institutions, a pro-
ceeding as unusual as it was noble. At the height of their prosperity the
country was overtaken by the Jay Cook panic and at the same time vast
deposits of oil were discovered, the price of petroleum dropping from four
dollars and fifty-five cents to sixty-five cents per barrel. When the tidal
wave of financial ruin had subsided, the firm of Phillips Brothers found
itself one-half of a million dollars in debt. Many of the claims composing
this vast debt were of so doubtful a nature that they would have been left
unsustained by any court, and the remainder could have been discharged at
a very small rate on the dollar, but recourse to such a method was far from
the thoughts of Thomas W. Phillips. For fourteen years he labored to
retrieve his lost fortune and to free himself from the incubus of that
encumbering debt, which, with interest, finally amounted to eight hundred
thousand dollars, and at the end of that time the entire indebtedness was
dissipated, and Mr. Phillips had finished his self-imposed and Herculean
task. To such a work he was impelled by the dictates of an immovable
conscience, supported by indomitable courage, unimpeachable honor, and a
will before which a way must needs appear. Before the claims of his many
creditors had been satisfied, his eldest brother, Isaac, died, the dissolution
of the firm occurring soon afterward. For a number of years thereafter
Mr. Phillips remained in the oil industry independently, conducting opera-
tions on a large scale and he successfully repaired his broken fortunes. In
1896 he organized the Phillips Gas Company, the name of which in 1904
i626 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
was changed to the T. W. Phillips Gas and Oil Company, its capitalization
being increased, and, in addition to assuming the holdings of T. W. Phillips,
Sons & Company, a co-partnership, it purchased all of the stock of, and
merged with, the Home Natural Gas Company, of Butler, the Enterprise
Natural Gas Company, of Freeport, and the Mahoning and Citizens' Natural
Gas Companies, of Punxsutawney.
One remains well within the bounds of the closest veracity in stating
that from the efforts of no other man has the oil industry in Pennsylvania
benefited more than from those of Thomas W. Phillips. He led in every
movement for its protection and development. In 1866 he was directly
responsible for the removal of the direct internal tax on oil of one dollar
per barrel, and he was at the head of the committee formed in 1879 to
oppose a direct tax on oil well rigs of one thousand dollars or the alternative
tax of ten cents per barrel proposed in the Pennsylvania legislature. He was
instrumental in the defeat of the two last-named measures, and when the
movement to restrict production was made he refused to curtail his opera-
tions until satisfactory provision was made to compensate and to protect
the laborers employed in the fields.
His political career was brilliant and its influence far reaching. He
first came into prominent political notice in 1880. General Garfield was
probably his most intimate personal friend and when Garfield was nomi-
nated for president, Mr. Phillips laid aside his business and devoted his
entire time to the canvass. He conceived, planned and assisted in bringing
out the Republican Text-Book used so extensively in that campaign, the
first campaign text-book ever published, but which has since become a
prominent feature in the campaigns of both parties. He was given credit
for the organization of the party in Indiana which carried the state for the
Republican nominee for governor and for General Garfield. His name was
repeatedly mentioned and voted for in the Pennsylvania legislature for the
United States senatorship, and while he was not elected, he was instrumental
in securing the election of a senator favorable to the Garfield administration.
In 1890 he was nominated for congress but was defeated, owing to the
presence of two Republican candidates in the field. However, in 1892 he
was elected to congress by a very substantial plurality and in 1894 was
re-elected by a plurality of nearly 12.000, larger than that ever before re-
ceived by any candidate in the Twenty-fifth Pennsylvania district. As soon
as he was elected to congress he planned to be appointed on the committee
on labor, a committee at that time of comparatively little importance, but
was the committee on which he believed he could render the greatest service.
He introduced into the fifty-third congress an important bill authorizing the
creation of a non-partisan industrial commission, but was unable to secure
its passage, as many congressmen thought it was designed to intermeddle
with their prerogatives, while the head of the powerful and notorious sen-
atorial clique which represented special interests frankly told Mr. Phillips
that it was presumptuous for him, a new member, to expect to have such an
important measure enacted into law, that members who remained in congress
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1627
many terms rarely succeed in passing any important or far reaching measure.
Mr. Phillips again introduced his bill, this time in the fifty-fourth congress,
and was successful in securing its passage through the senate during the
closing hours of the final session. President Cleveland refused to sign the
bill, stating that its provisions would demand careful examination on his
part and that it would create important offices for his successor to fill. Mr.
Phillips had spent too much time and energy on his pet measure to accept
this as a final defeat. Although he was no longer a member of congress,
he still had many influential friends in both the house and senate and had
through labor organizations and otherwise created a public sentiment
strongly favorable to his bill and therefore requested a member of congress,
who had previously served with him, to introduce the bill for the third time,
but even its final passage was due largely to his own influence and personal
effort. The scope of the work to be undertaken by this commission can best
be appreciated by quoting the first three paragraphs of the act, approved
June 18, 1898, which created the commission :
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States
of America in Congress assembled. That a commission is hereby created, to be
called the Industrial Commission, to be composed as follows: Five members of the
Senate, to be appointed by the presiding officer thereof; five members of the House
of Representatives, to be appointed by the Speaker, and nine other persons, who shall
fairly represent the dififerent industries and employments, to be appointed by the
President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
Sec. 2. That it shall be the duty of this commission to investigate questions
pertaining to immigration, to labor, to agriculture, to manufacturing, and to business,
and to report to Congress and to suggest such legislation as it may deem best upon
these subjects.
Sec. 3. That it shall furnish such information and suggest such laws as may
be made a basis for uniform legislation by the varfous States of the Union, in order
to harmonize conflicting interests and to be equitable to the laborer, the employer,
the producer, and the consumer.
President McKinley appointed Mr. Phillips a member of the commis-
sion which his bill had created, and he was chosen vice-chairman and pre-
sided at most of its meetings. His four years' work on this commission
represents some of the hardest, most painstaking and most unselfish work of
his life. He was largely instrumental in holding the commission to the
work for which it was created and he successfully opposed those who
desired to make it a junketing commission. In order to more properly get
'his bearings for the great work he had undertaken, Mr. Phillips not only
consulted an eminent authority on constitutional law, but at his own ex-
pense employed a competent attorney to aid him in his work. The sinister
and potent influence exerted by the great monopolies and by the proteges of
special privilege made his task most disagreeable and would have driven a
less courageous and determined man off the commission. He thoroughly
believed, however, that the work he had undertaken or a similar work by
someone else was absolutely necessary for the well being atid perpetuity of
the nation, that our republic could not continue to exist unless proper
steps were taken to prevent the gulf between the classes and masses from
becoming wider and wider indefinitely. The final report of the commission
was printed in nineteen volumes and contains valuable and useful informa-
i628 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
tion which has been used extensively in formulating both state and national
laws. In addition to the report of the commission in which he joined, Mr.
Phillips filed and had printed in the nineteenth volume of the report a sup-
plemental report which attracted more attention than the balance of the
report of the commission. From his recommendations finally came the
bureau of corporations and the United States department of commerce and
labor, strong and essential arms of the government.
Few men since the establishment of our government have accomplished
more along the lines of constructive legislation than Mr. Phillips accom-
plished directly and indirectly during the four years he served in congress
and the four years he served on the industrial commission. To-day there is
no laborer, farmer or independent business man within the confines of the
United States who is not in some measure indebted to Mr. Phillips. The
forces he set in motion will become more and more important and potent
as the years, the decades and the centuries roll away.
It would seem that with the above-enumerated interests and activities
that Mr. Phillips bore more than his due share of responsibility, but there yet
remains to be mentioned that phase of his life whichi he held most dear and
to which he devoted himself with sincere and serious purpose, his philan-
thropic, educational and religious work. This was the absorbing motive of
his life, and so diverse were the channels through which his wise and
benevolent philanthropy found its outlet that memory fails in recounting
them, for his life was one long act of charity and uplift. With tongue, pen,
brain, energy and purse he worked continually for the relief of the needy,
the comforting of the afflicted, the lifting-up of the down-trodden, the
guidance of the wandering, and the promotion of the best welfare, spiritual
and temporal, of all those with whom he came into contact. With his
brothers he built the First Christian Church, of Newcastle, Pennsylvania,
deeding it complete and unencumbered to the trustees of the church. The
state and national work of the Young Men's Christian Association and of the
Young Women's Christian Association was substantially helped by his
generous contributions, both of money and of service, and many young men
were educated for the ministry at his expense in Bethany, Drake and Hiram
colleges, and at Eugene Bible College, in Oregon. Among the numerous
colleges and schools to which he donated largely was Bethany College,
Bethany, West Virginia, where he built Phillips Hall, for young ladies, and
without his generous support in making up deficits, in all probability this
college would have closed its doors or passed into other hands more than a
generation ago. He established ministeria4 loan funds at Bethany. Hiram,
Drake, Christian, Phillips and Eugene, which have enabled hundreds to
preach the unsearchable riches of Christ and to carry the gospel tidings to
the uttermost parts of the earth, who otherwise could not have attained
their worthy ambitions. The Foreign, American, State, District, Church
Extension, Ministerial Relief and Benevolent societies of the Christian
church were all special objects of his bounty. Home missionary work in
his native state had in him a firm friend, and he supported a missionary.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1629
William F. Cowden, his intimate friend, in the Nurtlnvest, also aiding the
societies engaged in such work. When the territory of Oklahoma was
admitted to statehood, Mr. Phillips submitted the following proposition to
E. V. Zollars, former president of Hiram College, Hiram, Ohio, and a
gentleman of Christian worth and characteristics : "If you will go out into
that new country and undertake the establishment of a school I will support
you in the undertaking." As a direct result of President Zollars' labors,
made possible only by the financial backing of Mr. Phillips, the Oklahoma
Christian University was founded at Enid, Oklahoma. Soon after the
death of Mr. Phillips the trustees changed the name of the institution to
Phillips University, thus giving recognition and honor to the father of the
university.
Mr. Phillips, throughout his entire life, was a deep thinker, and all of
his plans for improving the condition of his fellows were evolved from deep
and prayerful meditation. During the latter years of his life the conviction
grew upon him that there was most urgent need of "an institution that
would take care of all who desire to equip themselves for definite Christian
service, regardless of their previous educational advantages." A few months
before his death his action upon this conviction found completion and his
long cherished hopes realization in the Phillips Bible Institute, located at
Canton, Ohio, "an institution whose supreme business it would be to
instruct its students from the practical side," and which threw open its
doors for its world-wide work within two months after its founder had
fulfilled his long, varied, and blessedly eventful life. It was his belief that
this institute was destined, of all of his works, to bear the greatest fruit.
During his entire life Mr. Phillips occupied advanced positions on all
the great questions of his day, and while in some respects he was so far in
advance of the prevailing notions that he appeared almost visionary, yet
business ethics, social justice and religious dogma are steadily progressing
towards the principles that always directed and dominated his life. His
position on any important point of issue was usually well nigh unassail-
able, because he had cultivated the faculty of considering questions thorough-
ly and from a disinterested view point. With him no legal right could
justify a moral wrong. Robbery within the law was just as dastardly and
far more cowardly than burglary. To him civilization was the art of
living together peaceably, harmoniously, considerately in human society.
Needless to say, he considered the present age more barbarous than civilized.
Religious organizations and educational institutions should, he thought,
adopt a policy at least abreast of that forced by public sentiment upon
political parties, otherwise they would be deaf alike to the spirit of the age
and the spirit of Giristianity, and he could conceive of no financial or
other exigency whereby any officer or board would be justified in betraying
a trust, violating a principle or swerving from a course of strictest probity.
While Thomas W. Phillips was not a man of one idea, his success was
due in a large measure to his ability to concentrate all his thought and
energy on one line of work until his object was accomplished, whether it
1630 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
took one day or a series of years, when, as he often said, "he was ready for
something else next." He was soHcitous for the welfare of the young and
the old, for those near and those afar, for people now living and the
generations that will follow them. He endeavored to place his benefactions
where they would "do the greatest good to the greatest number for the
longest time." Surely his was a life rich in useful service, spotless in
integrity and most valuable in achievement.
The scholarly qualities that he had cultivated in his youth came to the
fore in his authorship of a work entitled "The Church of Christ," which
was published in June, 1905, by Funk & Wagnalls Company, the author
concealing his identity by attributing its authorship to "A Layman" in
order that it might be read without prejudice and judged solely upon its
merits. Under the caption, "The Church of Christ, by a Layman," four-
teen editions comprising a total of more than 52,000 volumes were pub-
lished, and after the death of the author his family purchased the copy-
rights and plates and arranged to have it re-published. "The Church of
Christ" is used as a text book in several colleges ; it has been translated into
the Chinese, the Japanese and the Hindu languages, and is now (1915)
being translated into the Russian language. Hundreds of commendations
were received from editors, professors, missionaries and clergymen who
differed widely in their religious beliefs, which clearly indicates that the
author has handled his subject in a logical and convincing manner, having
built upon the plain and unequivocal statements contained in God's Holy and
Eternal Word.
While still a young man and long before the modern innovation came
in vogue, to use his own expression, "of teaching the Bible by the 'hop,
step, skip and jump' method," Thomas W. Phillips taught in the Bible
school through the entire New Testament twice consecutively. During this
teaching he made copious notes, which were filed away together with a few
carefully prepared sermons which he preached when a boy or a very young
man. After he had retired from politics and largely from business also, he
collected all his old notes and manuscripts that he could find and used
them as a basis in the preparation of this epoch-making volume.- It was on
February 23, 1905, his seventieth birthday, that he took his manuscript,
just completed, and arranged for its publication. Subsequent to this date
he prepared and had published two articles which will be reprinted in the
new edition of "The Church of Christ," one entitled "The Lord's Prayer,"
the other "The Lord's Supper," and his last illness came upon him when
he was engaged in preparing an article on "The Resurrection."
No eulogy is here needed, now that the recital of the life and works of
Thomas W. Phillips is completed. He departed this life at New Castle,
Pennsylvania, July 21, 1912, to join Him whose faithful servant he had
been, and now rests with Him in glory.
Thomas W. Phillips married (first) in 1862, Clarinda, daughter of
David W. and Nancy Rebecca (Arter) Hardman, who died in 1866. He
married (second) in 1870, Pamphila, a younger sister of his first wife.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1631
Children of his first marriage: Herbert C, born in 1864, died 1912; Nor-
man A., born 1865, died 1903. Children of his second marriage: Victor K.,
born 1872, died 1901 ; Thomas W., Jr., of whom further; Clarinda Grace,
born 1877; Benjamin Dwight, born 1885.
Among the tributes paid to the life and work of Hon. Thomas W. Phillips are
the following:
From William F. Cow'den, his lifelong companion and confidant:
The Tribute of a Friend — In the death of Thomas W. Phillips a truly great
man has passed away. I knew him well and therefore loved him much. In youth
he was my favorite comrade; in manhood, my closest friend: and in the serious
business of mature life, my wisest counselor. During my long ministry in New
Castle he was my most intimate companion. We spent many hours together in con-
ference, sometimes concerning the affairs of the church, sometimes in the critical
study of the Word of God, and often in heart-to-heart talks concerning the greatness
of the mystery of godliness and the joys of the great salvation. In these never-to-
be-forgotten interviews, it was a rare privilege to travel with him into the realms
of profound and sublime thought where his wonderful mind was prone to revel in
search for hidden treasures of truth.
As a thinker he was exact, profound, always serious, conscientious and devout,
whether the problem was scientific, commercial, social or religious. To him all
truth was divine, emanating from God and leading up to him. He was profoundly
religious. The secret of the Lord was with him and he had the mind of Christ.
This, together with his wonderful natural endowments, his untiring industry, his
invincible will, his unswerving integrity, his unbounded philanthropy and his lofty
ideals, e.xplains his remarkable career.
He was converted early in life and promptly chose the ministry for his life-work.
But God had ordained it otherwise. Very early in his ministry he met with an
almost fatal accident, in which one of his lungs was pierced by a broken buggy-
shaft, leaving him with health so imperiled and voice enfeebled that he was forced to
abandon both study and pulpit. I have heard him many times refer to this as
the most bitter disappointment of his whole life, for in his heart of hearts he
believed the gospel to he the power of God to save men, and to proclaim it to be
the supreme business of the church and the highest calling in the gift of God to man.
This explains the deep interest he has always taken in the training of men
for the Christian ministry and in the support of evangelists and missionaries every-
where. But this gifted young man, wounded in body and broken in spirit, was not
forgotten. God had ordained for him a wider field and a larger service than he
himself had chosen. Opening up before him resources of great wealth, he thrust
him suddenly into the midst of a most strenuous secular life, where evil men, mad
with lust for gain and power, were fighting fiercely for the mastery. He seems to
have chosen this innocent, inexperienced young man to teach the frenzied world
that the power of a godly life, the moral precepts of Jesus Christ are not only com-
patible with, but necessary to, the largest and truest success in the secular enterprises.
Thus Mr. Phillips, utterly inexperienced in the ways of the world and untaught
in business science, guided alone by his intuitive sense of right, and his unbounded
faith in God and his word, began his remarkable career. But God was wnth him.
He guided him with heavenly wisdom. He prospered his business ventures, increased
his wealth, gave him honor and favor with men, opened for him doors of promo-
tion, and set him upon the high places of the world's industries. Here he lived
in the eyes of the world, and his path was as the path of the just, shining brighter
and brighter unto the perfect day. In his business relations with men he was dis-
tinguished chiefly for the integrity of his methods. In his dealings he _was not only
just, but generous: his honesty was proverbial and unchallenged, and his given word
was acceptable currency on the Exchange.
It was soon discovered that his eager pursuit of wealth was inspired not by
his love for monev, but by his inordinate love for men. He ascribed to money
moral and religious values,' and sought to stamp his own coin with the image and
superscription of his Lord. He was the famous "square deal," incarnate and alive.
He hated and avoided tainted money. He did not locate his office on Wall street
in the fetid atmosphere of the "bullpen,'' where wealthy thieves and gamblers with
frantic frenzy fought to steal other men's money, but far out in the fragrant fields
of honest industry, creating wealth not for self alone, but for other men as well.
He was an enthtisiastic leader in all great moral reforms, and political as well.
As a Christian statesman in Congress he inaugurated a winning war for righteous
laws and clean courts, the end of which is not yet.
He was everywhere God's power for good in the world, and his life sang into
I
1632 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
the ears and hearts of men, the divine love song of the angels, "Glory to God in
highest, and on earth peace and good will to men." He loved the church supremely,
and its care was ever on his heart. He gave to its service the very best he had.
He loved the house of God, and its holy ordinances and solemn worship were his
chief delight. He was a clear-eyed, far-sighted prophet and teacher of God's word,
a royal priest at his altar and a skilled workman in every department of his service.
The motto of his life read, "Diligent in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord."
Notwithstanding the fearful strain and stress of his most strenuous secular
life, he took time, not only to worship God and be holy himself, but to teach others
to be holy and to worship God. His entire life, both in the church and out, was a
conclusive demonstration that he loved God supremely and his neighbor as himself.
Like one of his most eminent predecessors, he fought a good fight, he kept the
faith, he finished his course, and his King has crowned him in glory. Nearly two
thousand years ago an inspired apostle read his epitaph in his heavenly vision, and
his memory is deeply engraved on the hearts of his brethren.
His tired body rests in a sanctified tomb, but his tireless soul still lives among
men, a powerful force for righteousness in the world, an inspiration in the hearts
and lives of God's people and a large and perpetual factor in all the benevolent
and evangelistic agencies of God's church in the world. He has made the world
better and the church stronger by his life, the noblest work of man and his highest
eulog\-.
Tacoma, Wash.
From E. V. Zollars, President of Phillips University:
A Great Man Gone — A truly great man has gone to his reward. On Sunday
morning, July 21, T. W. Phillips passed away after several years of declining health
and a somewhat acute illness running through several months. He had thoroughly
put his house in order. His large business, under the management of his sons, will
run on without being disturbed in any way by the passing of its founder, and his
benevolent plans and purposes will be carried out in letter and spirit. His sons,
having been long associated with him in the business, are qualified by years of ex-
perience to look after all the intricate details of his varied business operations, and
they thoroughly understand his plans and purposes and are in complete sympathy
with them.
Owing to the long distance I had to travel, I did not reach New Castle until
a few hours after the funeral services were over, but I was much impressed with
the description given me by one who was present. The body lay in state in the
great Christian Church of New Castle for an hour or more before the funeral
services, during which time fully eight thousand of his neighbors and friends passed
through to gaze upon the features of the one they tenderly loved. Few men have
been held in such high esteem by their own townsmen as was T. W. Phillips. The
newspapers announced his death in great headlines, stating that the first citizen of
the city had passed away. Many from a distance who had known and loved him
were present at the funeral to do donor to his memory. There were no symbols
of mourning displayed. The family appeared in the habiliments of any ordinary
church service, as if to say, "Our loved one is not lost to us. Why should we
mourn ? His great work will move forward without interruption, and his plans will
be carried out with the same fidelity as if executed by his own hand." Death, after
all, is a mere punctuation mark in the story of the true Christian man, and T. W.
Phillips deserved the title of "true Oiristian" if any man ever did. This, I feel sure,
is the judgment of those who knew him best.
The pioneers in our great religious movement have passed away and but few
of the second generation linger with us, but in the death of T. W. Phillips we have
witnessed the passing of one of the grandest men our great Restoration movement
■ever produced. He had few equals and perhaps no superiors among us as a people,
all things considered. Some may have excelled him in one particular field of en-
deavor. We have produced great preachers, great teachers, great writers, great
statesmen, great financiers, but he, as no other man among us, rose to a high level
in all these fields of endeavor.
In his early days it was his ardent desire to become a preacher, and he entered
tipon this work and showed marked pulpit power until compelled by physical neces-
sity to leave the pulpit. He then entered upon a business career which shows a
record of continuous success of marked dimensions. His methods were char-
acterized by the most rigid honesty and integrity. No tainted dollars ever soiled
his hands and he was the implacable foe of those dishonest practices that have
enabled some of the great corporations to reap immense profits by legalized forms
of robbery or by dishonest processes in evasion of the law. He was one of the
few independent oil producers that succeeded in a large way, and his great fortune
was built up, not at the expense of or upon the ruin of his competitors or by the
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1633
sale of stocks of fictitious values, but by the production and sale of oil and gas,
sometimes, however, being compelled to pay immense tribute to exacting and un-
scrupulous monopoly. T. W. Phillips presents a striking example of the successful
Christian business man. As measured by results, he is one of the half-dozen most
successful business men that have appeared among us in the entire history of the
movement.
Notwithstanding his immense business enterprises, he always took a deep interest
in politics, and especially in all questions that affected the welfare of the laboring
classes. In all his history as a business man and a politician he has manifested the
deepest interest in the fortunes of the workingman. Having certain measures in
mind that he believed would be of great economic benefit to the country and especially
to the laboring classes, he ran for Congress, was elected and served, if my memory
is not at fault, two terms in the lower house. In the fifty-third Congress he intro-
duced what is known as the United States Industrial Bill, which was enacted into
.law, and in the fifty-fourth Congress he was appointed Chairman of the Labor Com-
mittee. After his bill became a law and the Industrial Commission was formed,
Mr. Phillips at the solicitation of President McKinley, became a member of the
commission and acted as its vice-chairman. For three and a half years the committee
made searching inquii^y concerning corporations and trusts, labor and agriculture,
which led to the creation of the Department of Commerce and Labor. Mr. Phillips,
in addition to the voluminous report of the committee, made a supplementary report,
radical and far-reaching in its nature, concerning publicity and examination of cor-
porations and his suggestions resulted in the formation of the Bureau of Corpora-
tions. James R. Garfield became the head of the bureau. It will be seen that the
political career of T. W. Phillips, although comparatively brief, resulted in great
achievement. He was never a figure head in anything with which he was associated
but was always an active force of vital importance. In the Garfield campaign he
took a prominent part, especially in Indiana, and to him is due, perhaps more than
to any other one man, the election of Mr. Garfield.
It is a remarkable fact that as busy a man as T. W. Phillips should achieve
marked success as a writer, but such is the fact. His articles, principally upon
religious topics, are marked by strength, clearness, originality and Scripturalness.
He was a master of good English, his sentences abounding in words of Anglo-Saxon
origin which added much to the forcefulness of his style. His great book, "The
Church of Christ, by a Layman," is characterized by its very clean presentation
of the church of Christ as presented in the New Testament, and constitutes the most
valuable work on that subject outside of the inspired records. It is now used as
a text-book in several colleges, and the time is not distant when no ministerial course
in any of our schools will be considered complete that does not embrace this work.
It has been translated into Chinese, Japanese, Hindu and, if I mistake not, into
French and Spanish.
As a benevolent giver T. W. Phillips was a model. As a man of broad sym-
pathies, as a lover of men, aside from any and all adventitious circumstances, no
cause that had for its object the good of men appealed to him in vain. In his
last illness, wdien really too sick to think seriously of an\-thing, one would suppose,
he expressed a desire (unsolicited) to help in the creation of play grounds for the
children of his own city that they might have a happy and healthy outdoor life.
T. W. Phillips was peculiarly active as a friend of education. He appreciated
the value of our colleges as few men did. He was one of the largest early bene-
factors of Bethany College, and one of his latest benefactions was a libera! gift to
Bethany, amountiiig, if I am correctly informed, to $40,000. Many of our colleges
have enjoyed the benefits of his generous donations in the form of loan funds and
gifts for endowment and building purposes. To Bethany and Hiram in particular
his hand has been open in times of financial stress.
T. W. Phillips was the virtual founder of Oklahoma Christian University.
In June, 1906, the writer met him at Hiram, O., during the Commencement season.
He recognized the importance and the needs of the great and growing middle
Southwest. Quick to discern crisis periods, he saw that the opportune moment
had come for the planting of a Christian school in a region destined to be the
most densely populated of any in the LTnited States. The enabling act granting
Statehood to Oklahoma was passed the very day we had our conversation, and he
said to me, "Go out to the new State and talk to the people about the establishment
of a school, and I will stand behind you." This made the enterprise possible ;_ this
stimulated the people to attempt what otherwise they would not have had the vision
or courage to undertake. This called out gifts from the city of Enid and from
individuals that have given us a plant worth $150,000. and have enabled us to support
a growing school through five years of successful history. More than a year ago
Bro. Phillips informed me that he had left $25,000 to the school in his will, which
he made operative by paying us a sum equivalent to the interest on the bequest since
i634 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
September last. He also has given us a loan fund of $5,ooo. His last act was to
establish at Canton, O., the Phillips Bible Institute for the teaching of normal methods
in the Sunday-school and church work and the training of "lay preachers." TTiis
work is in connection with the great church to which P. H. Welshimer ministers, and
is under the immediate supervision of M. L. Pierce, formerly associated with Ashley
Johnson at Kimberlin Heights, Tenn. It is to be hoped that this work will realize
the vision of its great benefactor.
If I were called upon to give the keynote in the life of T. W. Phillips, I would
say: Unselfish love for universal humanity, regardless of all caste or class dis-
tinctions, begotten by the love and inspired by the principles of the Master he served.
His passing seems to leave a large empty place in our hearts, but we are rich in the
splendid legacy of service which he has left us.
Enid, Okla.
From David T. Jonas, City Editor of the "Pittsburgh Leader :"
An Honest Man — Thomas W. Phillips is dead — his monument need not be of
marble or bronze.
The good men do. does live after them, despite the contrary view of the pessimist.
Thomas W. Phillips' memory will be made enduring in the lives of young men
helped on in their battle for education, in the lives redeemed by these men as they
broadened into God's ministry.
His memory will live in the children of men who died on battlefields, to whose
mothers he was protector and provider during the days of darkness and civil strife.
He will live in the memory of parents, the lives of whose children he saved by
his unstinted philanthropy.
So long as the hospital at New Castle remains a haven for the sick and injured,
so long as the Y. M. C. A. stands as a Christian educator, the unostentatious man of
God must be remembered.
So long as honest statesmen and students of political economy plead for the
equality of man, this noble man will not be forgotten as one of the first to begin the
battle.
He will be remembered as the millionaire who stood in Congress and in one
of the most remarkable speeches in the history of the House pleaded for the rights
of the masses.
He must be remembered as the king of oil producers who refused to profit by
a shutdown movement unless the men — the workers — were given their share of the
profits.
."^bove all he will be remembered and referred to as an honest man — the noblest
work of God.
There need be no shaft erected to the memory of Thomas W. Phillips. He
lives and will live in the hearts and minds of future generations — the impress of
his sturdy character, his rugged honesty, his kindly nature, his genuine philanthropy
is indelibly fixed upon the community he so signally honored, but which I have often
felt failed as signally to do him the honor due him.
New Castle does well to mourn his death. He was her foremost citizen. The
State does well to mourn his taking off. He was one of the first to demand better
things of its servants and he was just beginning to see the fruits of his labors
when he closed his eyes in eternal sleep. The nation does well to mourn its loss;
he was an example of what can be wrought by one born in poverty, but who has
ever before him the right at any cost.
Gone ! yes, but to the mansion prepared for him and assured of the "Well done,
thou good and faithful servant !" promised by the Master he loved, the Master
whose life on earth he sought to emulate, whose teachings were his rule of action
and in whom he had the sublimest faith.
David T. Jonas, Pittsburgh, Pa.
From T. E. Cramblet, President of Bethany College :
Our First Great Giver — Thomas W. Phillips was one of the very greatest men
our brotherhood has produced. His greatness of mind and soul manifested itself
in all the activities of his useful life. Denied the joy of realizing the dream of his
youth, to become a preacher of the Word, he devoted his efforts toward helping
others to prepare themselves for this high calling. How well he succeeded in this,
hundreds of our consecrated young ministers can bear witness. He believed in his
fellow-men, and especially in the power of the individual life when consecrated'
and trained by painstaking education. Often the writer has heard him declare that
he found it more to his liking to invest his money in men, both in preparing them
for service and in supporting them for work in advancing the interest of the kingdom,
than in brick and mortar. .\nd yet he did not turn a deaf ear to these calls for
material things, as the beautiful church edifice in his city, and the commodious"
Phillips Hall, the home of young ladies at Bethany College, abundantly testify.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1635
For more than forty years Bro. Phillips was a faithful trustee of Bethany
College, and he loved the institution and its work with a devotion characteristic ol
his great mind and heart. His total gifts to the college can not be told, but they
are known to exceed $120,000. Almost half of this amount was given during the
writer's administration and at his personal solicitations. He did not give in response
to every appeal, but he did always give respectful hearing to every good cause.
The last time I saw him in the flesh was in May, when he attended a meeting of the
Executive Committee of our Board of Trustees in Pittsburgh. At that time he gave
$700 to assist in a special fund we were raising. At the last commencement season,
when we were needing an addition to our Phillips Loan Fund, he sent us $550.
This fund, established by him to assist worthy young men in their preparation for
the ministry, was very dear to his heart. He gave to it something over $10,000.
Nearly three hundred young men at Bethany have received loans from this fund
during the past twenty years, and it is safe to say that many of these young men
would have been compelled to give up their preparation had it not been for the
timelj' assistance this fund offered. Money is loaned from the Phillips Loan Fund
to worthy \-oung ministerial students, and does not become due until one or two
years after the student leaves college. No interest is charged until the student com-
pletes his education.
One of Bro. Phillips' recent and timely gifts to Bethany was $30,000 for the
endowment of the Thomas W. Phillips Bible Chair. This gift was made on New
Year's Day, 1910. This money was accepted by the trustees of the college on condi-
tion that no one should ever be permitted to occupy the chair who disbelieves in
either the miraculous birth, the divinity or the resurrection of Jesus. This Chair
is now ably filled by Prof. A. P. Finley, who is a graduate and a post graduate of
Transylvania Lfniversity and the College of the Bible. Professor Finley also graduated
from the Divinity School of Harvard University, and later practically completed his
work for the Ph.D. degree at Clark University.
As already stated, Phillips Hall, the comfortable home for young ladies at
Bethany, is also a gift from Bro. Phillips. This is a building with forty rooms, and
was built twenty-one years ago at a cost of $20,000. It is perhaps not too much to
say that Bethany owes her very life to the beneficence of this good man. He was
the first "princely giver" among us. In recent years he has been joined by Oglebay,
Cochran, Oliver, Main, Long and others, and the institution which he so often and
so generously assisted, and over which he watched with such solicitous love and
care, has at last come into her own. The writer counted Bro. Phillips among his
truest and best friends. With profound gratitude he remembers the wise counsel,
the generous assistance and the unwearied attention which this prince among men
was always ready to give to the claims of Bethany College.
Bethany, W. Va.
From E. B. Wakefield. Professor of Hiram College:
T. W. Phillips — We are gathered to pay tribute to a large man. Thomas W.
Phillips was great in business. He began life empty-handed. He gained wealth not
by trickery or accident, though chance is something of an element in all business.
He studied conditions, he was a good thinker, he had unusually good judgment. And
he had courage: he dared to do things.
He was great in misfortune. Weak men give up and never rise from disaster.
But men who climb high mountains find that sometimes they must go down into
deep valleys; and the men who reach the top are those who have the courage to go
down and still go on. Bro. Phillips went on ; and in his day of success he met old
obligations so fairly and honorably that he made us proud.
He was great in politics. He once told me that Garfield got him into politics —
as he undoubtedly did. His love for the general and his great desire for his success
first called him to this field. But here, as everywhere, his judgment was good: and
no man was more trusted by Garfield than the man whose form lies sleeping here.
'His political life was never his main life, but his influence told for good to the nation.
He stood for things that were open and honest. He helped to establish safeguards
in the interest of the defenseless weak against the rapacious strong, and made a large
contribution to the larger liberty and equality of our people.
He was greatest as a Christian. He was born to a Christian home, and he never
got away from it. His fidelity was splendid. .-\mid all his cares he never forgot
the church. Amid all his varied associates I could name preachers who stood as his
closets and choicest friends. His heart and his hand always went out to the work
of Christian education. He was truly philanthropic, and he felt that the best, and,
in fact, the only way to get sin and sorrow out of the heart of the world was to
get the gospel of Christ home to it. So he greatly desired that preachers, real
preachers, should be trained and sent forth to work. But he wanted them to be
men of faith. He was no bigot ; he was really broad of view, but he held fast to
1636 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
the message in the Book. He believed in something positive. Once he remarked to
me that we couldn't afford to have our hopes of immortality rest upon statements
that were made vague and uncertain.
So he stood, and lived, and died. He served his day and generation well. But
more — he set in motion such influences that, long after his grave is green, and his
memory may be forgotten, he will still be living in the world, and serving generations
yet unborn.
Hiram, Ohio.
From David Jamison, Cashier of The Citizen's National Bank of New Castle:
I knew the Hon. Thomas W. Phillips as few men know others. He had more
force and determination, more justness and generosity and more gentlemanly kind-
ness than any man I have ever known. His knowledge of commercial conditions was
such, and his mastery of the forces of business such, that making money seemed
easy to him. I believe he was absolutely honest, not honest because honesty is the
best policy, not honest because of hope of reward here or hereafter, for being so,
or fear of punishment if not so, but so honest as neither to need nor tolerate reason
or motive for his conduct. Every just debt to him was a debt of honor. If all men
were like him. the statute of limitations might as well never have been passed. At
one time in his life it offered to absolve him from many thousands of debts, but he
declined the offer, and paid the outlawed debts, many of them debts on which he
was only surety. In his dealings with men, no man ever went hence with a clearer
score. Surely this is what counts.
He loved others, and was loved by them, few men more. He enjoyed his work
and his life as successful men may. I think his greatest regret was that he could
not make the many known and unknown to him as comfortable as he was. He did
more than any man I have known to bring about that end.
From P. H. Welshimer, President of Phillips Bible Institute:
A Face That Inspired — Thirty years ago my mother clipped from the Christian
Standard a picture of Hon. T. W. Phillips, which she placed in the scrap-book. As
a child, in looking over that book, I frequently gazed on that picture. Then I did
not k-now I would ever have the pleasure of looking into his kindly face and hearing
his gentle voice. To slip into his home and sit at his feet was like treading on holy
ground to me.
In London an old bookseller who led a most beautiful life, was asked by a
visitor why he was so happy. The bookseller took his visitor into a room containing
3 picture of Fredk. Robertson, and said that when troubles or storms threatened he
always gazed on that kindly face and then took another grip. .A. great many have
done the same with the kindly face of Thomas W. Phillips. He has taught people
how to live. He has also taught men how to die. He loved the gospel and all of its
teachings.
Canton, Ohio.
From M. L. Pierce, Chancellor of Phillips Bible Institute :
Phillips Bible Institute — Thos. W. Phillips was the greatest friend of Christian
education that has ever been identified with the disciples of Christ. He believed in
the colleges. During our conferences at New Castle, he seemed more gratified with
the aid he had given them than with any of his other enterprises. He, however, had
seen for several years that there was a great unoccupied field in our educational
system. There were hundreds of young men and women who desired to prepare
themselves for Christian service, for whom a college training was an impossibility.
Furthermore, there were hundreds of church officers and Bible school workers who
were anxious to get assistance for their work, but did not know which way to turn
to find aid — it was not to be found.
Phillips Bible Institute was founded on the definite plan that Bro. Phillips had
worked out. Our announcement, for which we have received so many splendid com-
mendations, is but a mirror reflecting his thoughts and ideas. For every man that
graduates from our colleges, there are three or four churchs waiting for his ministry —
churches that give good financial support and positions of influence. The rural and
village churches, even when they pay as well, are not to be supplied. Bro. Phillips
saw this. His thought was to establish an institute that will quickly and adequately
prepare men to go to these fields. We do not need less college graduates, but more;
yet, even allowing that the present number be doubled, it will still be only a small
per cent, of what we need — yes, must have, if w'e as a people are to go forward
or to keep the churches manned that we have already established.
Again, Bro. Phillips had in mind the establishing of an institution in which
the literature of our owai people should have a pre-eminent position. We have a
message for the Christian world. It has been set forth in a series of timely volumes.
These were to be the text and reference books for the various courses. According
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1637
to his thought, the world could not be attracted to our plea unless there were an
army of people to give the world an intelligent conception of it. We all know that
the drift away from these things has been unusually persistent during the past ten
or hfteen years. One of the best known preachers in Ohio prides himself on the
fact that he knows nothmg of our history or plea. Another minister recently told
us that the only message in the New Testament worth while was the social message,
while still another said that he cared nothing about the doctrine of the church. No
man among us knew these conditions better than Thos. W. Phillips.
Bro. Phillips considered the launching of this institute the greatest spiritual
accomplishment of his life. The hundreds of commendations that came from his
brethren were read to him by his family. Chalmers McPhcrson summed up this
response in these words: "The big heart of a big brotherhood is with you." The
knowledge of this fact brought joy and satisfaction to him during the closing hours
of his life.
Bro. Phillips didn't want to die. He said there yet remained so much that he
wanted to do, but a man with a heart and mind so occupied with the advancement
of the Kingdom, would never have been ready to die. He would never have found
the end of his good work. He died with the knowledge that his good works were not
to end with his life, for in all his various enterprises he has had the advice and
co-operation of his famil.v, and they shall perpetuate the work he has begun.
Canton, Ohio.
From S. W. Dana. Attorney, of New Castle. Pa. :
I knew him intimately for fifty years. I doubt whether there is now living here
anyone that had so much knowledge of the greatness of his character. He was a
very extraordinary man. however one may regard him. He appeared best to me in
the evening rides I often had with him. when, in conversations on all conceivable
subjects, he showed the fullness of his intelligence, and gave me deeper views of
his mind and heart. It was his goodness and not his greatness that most appealed
and most charmed me. Though at the age when most men retire, he was still young
and in the midst of his activities and usefulness. He has gone to his reward; and
we are deeply sensible of our loss. But the many and great influences of his life
here will go on.
Resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors of the Citizens National
Bank of New Castle, Pa. :
Business Associates Praise Character of Thos. W. Phillips — At a regular meeting
of the board of directors of the Citizens National Bank of New 'Castle, held July
22, 1912, the death of the Hon. Thomas W. Phillips, president of the bank, on
Sunday. July 21, 1912, was announced, whereupon the following minute was adopted:
Deatli. even though expected, is an event for which we are never prepared. It
now comes to remove the most conspicuous member of our board, him who first pro-
posed the organization of the institution, who was the largest subscriber to its stock,
and who. from the organization of the bank up to now. has been its president.
Mr. Phillips was a splendid specimen of the American type of self-made man.
Born in this county upon a farm owned by him at the time of his death, he rose
to be not only one of the most promient persons in the communities in which he
lived, but a conspicuous figure in the nation. He made an impression that will no
doubt be permanent upon the thought of his time. He was an important factor in
a great change in the current of our national life. While a member of the National
Congress, he introduced the bill, and later procured the passage of the law creating
the industrial commission. During nearly all of the sessions of this remarkable
body, he was its presiding officer. .At the conclusion of the work of the commission,
the opinions and conclusions of Mr. Phillips were then somewhat more advanced
and radical than those of many of his associates, but are today approved by an
undoubted majority of his countrymen.
In political and social problems and in business affairs, Mr. Phillips was endowed
with, or had developed through application wonderful foresight, his great energy
and his profound faith in his preconceptions made almost inevitable the working
out of the prophecies of his vision. A high sense of honor dominated all other
motives in the varied activities of his life. Many times he demonstrated that worldly
advancement and preferment were as nothing to him compared to the sanction of
his sense of honor and the approval of his fellowmen.
Possibly the quality in our president which most afifected the community in which
he lived and the institutions with which he was identified was his generosity and
liberality. Probably he has given away as much money and property as all the rest
who have lived in New Castle. His nature and his conception of duty were such
that he did not do this grudgingly. He did it gladly. He knew the joy of giving.
The large fortune which the ability and energy of the farmer boy accumulated he
1638 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
regarded somewhat as a trust, and during the later years of his life, the unheralded
contributions made by him to college endowments alone must have amounted to
the substantial part of his estate. His personal helps to individuals were numberless.
Like all rich men who try to be just and generous, he was occasionally imposed
upon. Whenever he discovered that he had been, his only comment would be,
that he preferred to err, if err he did, on that side. If a charity needed support,
if a hospital was to be established, if a church was to be built, his name like that
of him, "who loved his fellowmen," led all the rest. An instance which will ex-
emplify the benevolent nature of this sympathetic man was furnished during one of
the severe winters when his affairs kept him out of New Castle much of the time.
Many of the mills were idle, and an organization had been formed with the purpose of
buying coal for those who were unable to buy it for themselves. A public subscription
had been taken up but the funds raised were not sufficient to last more than through
the first month of the winter. Before leaving the city, Mr. Phillips went to the
then executive officer of the bank and directed that funds from his account should
be transferred to the coal fund. His order, was, that the coal fund should never be
permitted to become empty, and that order was obeyed. The writer of these lines
well recalls that when he returned to New Castle, his first inquiry was not as to the
prosperity of the institution in which he was so largely interested. His first question
was ,"Have you kept plenty of money in that coal fund?" He could not think of
suffering in others without feeling a sense of pain. His practical methods of thought
brought the question of relief home to him as a personal duty. In his head was
a will of steel. In his breast was the heart of a child. A great combination, — the
s>Tnpathy to feel, the determination to act.
In our relations with Mr. Phillips as directors of this bank, most of us for
upwards of twenty years, we came to value his good advice upon all business matters ;
but men do not, for such a time, associate with such a man without the development
of sentiments which at a time like this, make the sense of personal loss outweigh all
other considerations. We shall lose his wise counsel; but we will miss most his
genial companionship, his hearty handclasp, his unfailing courtesy, and his uniform
good will and kindliness.
The bank has lost its founder and its head, the city has lost its most notable
citizen, charity has lost its most bountiful giver, the poor their best friend. We,
the companionship of, and the association with, a real gentleman — a genial, kindly,
generous, loving and lovable man. We shall cherish his memorj' while life endures
for us. Let us also in some measure try to emulate his splendid example.
(X) Thomas W. (2) Phillips, son of Thomas W. (i) and Pamphila
(Hardman) Phillips, was born in New Castle, Pennsylvania, November 21,
1874. He prepared at Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts, for Yale
University, graduating from the scientific department of the latter insti-
tution in 1897. He at once entered business with his father, and has since
been engaged in gas and oil operations, and as president of the T. W.
Phillips Gas and Oil Company is the head of one of the oldest and largest
natural gas and oil producers in Western Pennsylvania. His brother
Benjamin D. has been associated with him in the gas and oil business during
the last ten years. The magnitude of the operations of this company
is apparent when it is stated that it owns more than eight hundred gas
wells, one hundred and eighty oil wells, and nine hundred miles of
gas lines, employs, on an average, five hundred men, and has more
than one hundred and fifty thousand acres of land under lease for oil and
gas purposes in the counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Clarion,
Indiana, Jefferson and Westmoreland. The principal offices of the
corporation are in Butler, with branch offices in Punxsutawney, Kittan-
ning, Freeport, Tarentum and New Kensington. Mr. Phillip's other
business interests are as a director of the Pure Oil Company, of Phila-
delphia, and of its subsidiary and affiliated companies, and he serves the
Citizens' National Bank, of New Castle, Pennsylvania, in the same capacity.
^ ^/T^^f^^^-.^
/ (
-^.Jy-trr^ 3^ Ch£^C^-^^~^-^
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1639
His fraternity is the Masonic, and while at college his Greek letter fraternity
was the Chi Phi. He is a member of the Butler Country Club and Butler
University Club, and in political inclinations is a Republican. With his wife
he belongs to the Christian church.
Mr. Phillips married, May 28, 1908, Alma, born in Titusville, Penn-
sylvania, daughter of Roger and Alma (Seymour) Sherman. His children:
Janet, Katherine, Alma, who died in infancy, and Margaret.
This surname is more commonly spelled Fellowes in Eng-
FELLOWS land, where the family has lived many centuries. The
branch of this family at Ramsey Abbey, county Huntingdon,
and at Haverland Hall, Norfolk, has this coat-of-arms : Azure a fesse dan-
cette ermine between three lions' heads erased or, murally crowned argent.
Crest : A lion's head erased and crowned as in the arms, charged with a
fesse dancette ermine. Motto: Patientia et perseverantia cum magnani-
mitate. Most of the family bear these arms. Another branch has: Azure
a fess nebulee ermine between three lions' heads erased or, out of a cloud a
dexter hand holding a club all proper. Besides its more proper meaning of
companion, the word Fellow, from which this surname is derived, is used
in some dialects to signify a young, unmarried man, or a servant engaged in
husbandry. Chaucer uses the expression, "a proper felawe," to denote a
well-formed young man. The surname dates back to the Hundred Rolls
in the twelfth century, spelled Le Felawe, Le Felawes and Feliawe.
George Washington Fellows was born at Draketown, Erie county, Penn-
sylvania, in 1837. As his parents died when he was a very young lad, he
was early thrown upon his own resources, and obliged to make his way in
life by his own unaided efiforts. The fact that he accumulated a fortune of
about twenty thousand dollars is certain proof of the successful methods he
employed. In the spring of 1876 he came to Cambridge Springs, Crawford
county, Pennsylvania, and there established himself in the grocery business.
He associated with himself A. W. Hays, the firm name being Fellows &
Hays, and their business became a very flourishing one. About 1884 they
■erected a brick block, known as the Fellows Block, now occupied by the
Post Office, and in this way started in the general merchandise business.
This also was a success, until they were burned out, at which time Mr.
Hays lost his life. Mr. Fellows rebuilt the place in 1897, but then retired
from business. Prior to starting in the grocery business, he had been en-
gaged, in association with a Mr. Sherwood, in the manufacture of barrel
staves at Drakes Mills, removing from there to Corry, and then to Watts-
burg, in each of which places he continued this business. Mr. Fellows mar-
ried, in 1 861, Sarah Jane Orr, of Drakesville, but of English parentage. Her
parents came from England at an early date, and settled in- Pennsylvania.
Harry Jackson Fellows, only child of George Washington and Sarah
Jane (Orr) Fellows, was born in a log house at Drakes Mills, Crawford
county, Pennsylvania, July 12, 1863, and died at Dayton, Ohio, February 8,
1912, while en route on one of his concert tours. He received an excellent
1640 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
musical education, and was gifted with a very fine tenor voice. His voice
was trained in New York, Boston and London, while his literary education
was acquired at Chautauqua. In his professional capacity he traveled a great
deal with other eminent singers and musicians, at one time being on a tour
of six weeks' duration with Victor Herbert, the well-known composer and
musical director. From 1895 to IQOI, inclusive, Mr. Fellows was the tenor
soloist at the Chautauqua meetings, at Chautauqua, New York. He was
also director of a large choir in a Brooklyn church. New York, for a period
of three years. His fraternal afSliation was with the Order of Free and
Accepted Masons, in which he had attained the thirty-second degree. He
was a man of very domestic tastes, devoted to his wife and children, and the
beautiful house now occupied by his widow, into which he moved in 1904,
and the lovely cottage at Chautauqua Lake, New York, were noted for their
cordial hospitality.
Mr. Fellows married, March 27, 1889, Florrie Adella Long, who was
born at Cambridge Springs. She was a daughter of Aaron T. and Lucretia
(Rockwell) Long, and a niece of Abner Rockwell, whose sketch also appears
in this work. Aaron T. Long was a farmer, and later in the provision busi-
ness at Cambridge Springs, where he was a member of the Presbyterian
church. He and his wife were born at Cambridge Springs. Mr. and Mrs.
Fellows' children : Marguerite, born January 23, 1893, is an accomplished
pianist, and accompanied her father on his concert tours ; she was born at
Cambridge Springs ; Jeannette, born at Buffalo, New York, May 24, 1906.
The exact origin of this branch of the Hess family cannot be
HESS traced with certainty. They may be descended from Peter Hess,
who was born in Hesse-Cassel, Germany, in 1757, and his wife,
Susanna, in 1758. They emigrated to America shortly after their marriage,
in company with an elder brother, and at first settled in Lancaster county,
Pennsylvania, where the brother remained, while Peter and his wife crossed
the Allegheny mountains to Fayette county, ?nd took up land on Dunlap's
creek. They had four sons : Peter, John, Joseph and George. Another
origin may be the following: In the year 1712 a Swiss colony came to
America, and among them was Samuel Hess. Family tradition says he was
of German parentage, and this is probably correct in this instance. He set-
tled at Pequea, Pennsylvania. In 1734 one of his sons, Jacob Hess, took up
a tract of two hundred acres in what is now Warwick township, Lancaster
county, Pennsylvania.
(I) Henry Hess was born in Maryland, and was a carpet weaver by
trade. He removed to Cambria county, Pennsylvania, with his wife and
children, and there continued to ply his trade successfully. He married
Modira, and had children : David, John, William, Jacob, Thomas, George
N., of further mention.
(II) George N. Hess, son of Henry and (Modira) Hess, was born
in Cambria county, Pennsylvania, and became a man of much influence
in his community. In his earlier years he spent some time in teaching school.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1641
then became identified with the pubHc Hfe of the section, and achieved ex-
cellent results in this direction. He was an ardent supporter of the Re-
publican party, was a school director many years, and served a number of
terms as judge of elections. He served one year as a soldier during the Civil
War, but escaped without being wounded. His religious affiliations were
with the Methodist church. Mr. Hess married Caroline Shoeman, of Indi-
ana county, Pennsylvania, and they became the parents of children as fol-
lows: Emma, John, deceased; William, deceased; Frank, Harley, Jacob, of
further mention ; George, deceased ; Anna, deceased ; Caroline.
(Ill) Jacob Hess, son of George N. and Caroline (Shoeman) Hess,
was born in Cambria county, Pennsylvania, April i, 1864. His education
was obtained in the public schools in the vicinity of his home, and he was a
very young lad when he commenced working in the McKeesport (Penn-
sylvania) Steel Works, and remained with this concern in various capacities
for a period of fourteen years. At the end of this time he accepted a position
with the Malleable Iron Company of McKeesport and was at work in this
plant until he purchased a fine farm of two hundred acres in Crawford
county, Pennsylvania. Since that time he has been engaged in the cultiva-
tion of his farm, being successfully engaged in raising general products. Mr.
Hess married Anna, a daughter of Thomas Cherry, of McKeesport, and
they have had children: Thomas, now deceased, was a resident of Cleve-
land ; Stanley, a farmer in Minnesota ; Bertha, married Edward Poha, and
lives on a farm near Meadville, Pennsylvania ; Blanch, married T. J. Snyder,
lives in Woodcock township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, and has one
child, Ruby ; Irma, attends school.
The independent and adventurous spirit of the men of this
HARMON name is evidenced by the fact of their being very early set-
tlers in the wilderness of New England. They have ever been
men of enterprise and courage, leaders in business and brave soldiers in
war. Not all, however, who came to this country bearing the name of Har-
mon came from England. Whether bearers of the name wandered into
Germany, or whether the reverse is the case, certain it is that some of this
name came to America from Germany direct and have always carefully
fulfilled their duties as good citizens on whom the country could depend in
time of need and trouble.
(I) Philip Harmon was born in Germany, and there acquired a good
education. Shortly after his marriage, while he was still a young man, he
emigrated to America, and settled in Crawford county, Pennsylvania, where
his death occurred in 188 1. He had served three years in the German army,
but was never in active service. In this country he was a farmer. He
married — — , who died in 1859, and they were the parents of children
as follows: i. Philip, who worked in Harper's planing mill in Meadville,
Crawford county; married Mary Baker, of Norris. 2. Lottie, married
(first) John Ross, who was killed in the Civil War, and (second) David
Carr. 3. Lizzie, who died at the age of thirty years, had married Martin
1642 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Buzzard. 4. Charles, of further mention. 5. Lewis, a carpenter in Saegers-
town, married Ellie Spittler.
(II) Charles Harmon, son of Philip Harmon, was born in Vernon town-
ship, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, September 2, 1855. He was educated
in the public schools, and has always followed the occupation of farming,
in which he has achieved very satisfactory results. He is a member of the
local Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, and a communicant of the Reformed
Lutheran church. He married, in 1877, Anna Buzzard, and has had chil-
dren: I. William, a builder and contractor, residing in Cleveland, Ohio;
he married Mrs. Genevieve (George) Harrison, a widow. 2. Charles Jr.,
a wealthy farmer of Woodcock township, the owner of a fine farm of one
hundred and fifty acres on Meadville pike ; he married Lillian Riddle, who
died December 8, 1910, and they had children: Raymond and Lelia. 3.
Bradie H., wag graduated from the Saegerstown High School in the class
of 1907; he then attended the Meadville Business College, from which he
was graduated two years later; upon his entry into business life he formed
a connection with the Los Angeles Investment Company, in California, and
has been with them for some years in the oil and real estate business ; he
is now about twenty-five years of age, and of a studious and earnest disposi-
tion.
Henry Buzzard, father of Mrs. Anna (Buzzard) Harmon, married
Mary Fleckinger, and had children: i. George, deceased. 2. Anna, who
married Mr. Harmon, as above stated. 3. Sadie, married Bert Gehr, lives
in Hay field township, Crawford county, and has one child, William. 4.
William, deceased. 5. Addie, married Dow Luce, lives in Venango borough,
and has children: Ethel, Clementine, Emmons and Milton. 6. Catherine,
married John Gerdon, a farmer of Richland township, and has children:
Tracy and Lettie. 7. Rose, married M. E. Bertrand, a carpenter and con-
tractor of Cleveland, Ohio, and has one child, Ruth.
The surname Caldwell dates back to the beginning of the
CALDWELL use of surnames in England and Scotland. It is a place-
name, meaning simply "cold well," and localities bearing
the name are found in various counties of the United Kingdom. The family
is found and has achieved some prominence in the counties of Stafford,
Berks, Gloucester, in England, in Meath, Ireland, and in London. It is
Tiumerously represented in Scotland, where the family history dates back to
before 1300 in Renfrewshire and Ayrshire. The coat-of-arms of the Cald-
well family of Caldwell, Scotland, is as follows: Argent three piles issuing
from the chief sable and in base four bars waved gules and vert.
Robert Caldwell, of Scotch descent, became a resident of Penn town-
ship in 1848, and in 1850 he purchased three farms. Between these two
years he built the mill and a residence at Milltown and operated the mill
until his death, March 13, 1871. He married Catherine Klingsmith, of Ger-
man descent, and they had children: i. Sarah Jane, now deceased, married
Rev. Jacob Zimmermann. 2. Samuel, deceased, was employed in the United
States Pension Office. 3. Margaret, married Thomas Irwin. 4. Washing-
ton, of further mention.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1643
Washington Caldwell, son of Robert and Catherine (Klingsmith) Cald-
well, was born near Manor Station, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania,
March 11, 1842. He acquired a substantial education, which was com-
menced in the Ninth Ward public school of Pittsburgh, and completed at the
Leechburg Academy. In early years he learned the carpenter's trade, and at
the early age for such an undertaking, of twenty-two years, he engaged in
business independently as a contractor and builder, and regularly employed
from four to eight men. He erected almost all the frame houses of Penn
and Plum townships. The Lutheran and Hebron churches in Penn township
were also built by him. He has been very successful in his business enter-
prises, and owns two farms in Penn township, and practically all of the
town of North Bessemer, having laid out three hundred and twenty lots
there. Many years ago he commenced to speculate in gas and coal, at first
leasing the land, later taking coal options on seven thousand two hundred
acres of land. He lives in a beautiful home on his farm in Penn township,
and spends his winters in Florida, where he also owns a small farm. He is
a staunch supporter of the Republican party, and has served twenty-five
years as justice of the peace, to which office he was elected five times. His
religious affiliation is with the United Presbyterian church.
Mr. Caldwell married, in 1868, Emma Jane, daughter of John and
Mary Jane (Jackson) Longdon, and sister of; Lucy, Mary, Alice, Catherine,
Edward, William and Harriet, the last named deceased. Mr. and Mrs.
Caldwell have had children: i. Anna Elizabeth, married A. D. Snively,
deceased. 2. William John, lives in St. Louis, Missouri. 3. Harry E., a
contractor and carpenter ; married Daisy Gregg, and has children : Gladys,
Gordon, Evelyn and Richard. 4. Howard, died at the age of twenty years.
5. Clifford, married Sidonia A. McLaughlin. 6. May, married Rev. C. E.
Duffield, and has one child, Dorothea. 7. Margaret, married Clifford Trees,
superintendent of the Pipe Line, and lives in Melvern, Kansas.
There have been many distinguished men of this name both
HARPER in this country and in England, Ireland and Scotland. The
majority of those who came to this country have come here
from Ireland.
(I) David Harper was probably a native of Ireland, and was brought
here at a very early age by his parents. It is known that he came to Crawford
county, Pennsylvania, about 1800, and located at Watson Run. There he
purchased a tract of land, which he cleared and cultivated to excellent ad-
vantage. He married, and had five sons and five or six daughters.
(II) John Harper, son of David Harper, was born near Watson Run,
Crawford county, Pennsylvania, and was there educated in the public schools.
He was a very bright lad, and at one time received an interest in the ]\Iead-
ville Library, as a reward for learning five hundred verses in the Bible.
He was a farmer all his life, and the owner of a farm of three hundred
acres. He married Mary Shellito, bom near Conneaut Lake. Crawford
county, and they had children : William, took part in the Civil War ; George,
i644 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
David, also a soldier in the Civil War; Ferdinand C, of further mention;
Rachel, Selina and Celestia, twins ; James. All are now deceased except
Ferdinand C.
George Shellito, father of Mrs. Harper, was born in Ireland, and came
to this country as a poor lad, with fifty cents in his pocket. At the time of
his death he was the owner of four farms in Crawford county, Pennsylvania,
settling there about 1800. He was active in the public life of the com-
munity, and assisted in amending the constitution of the state. He was also
one of the influential delegates at the convention held at Conneaut Lake
borough to improve the United Presbyterian church. He married Dorcas
Sharpt, and had children : James S., George, William, Mary, who married
Mr. Harper.
(Ill) Ferdinand C. Harper, son of John and Mary (Shellito) Harper,
was born in Sadsbury township, on a farm, August 3, 1844. He was edu-
cated in local public schools, and at Meadville Academy. At the outbreak
of the Civil War he enlisted in Company E, One Hundred and Eleventh
Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and served through the war.
At its conclusion he returned to his farm, where he has resided since that
time. Mr. Harper married, September 10, 1873, Mary Ann Richard, and
had children : Nancy Celina, Mary Levina and Emma Eliza. Mary Levina
married Percy Schryber, of Poughkeepsie, New York, who was a soldier in
the Spanish- American War, served nine months in the Philippines, and died
of fever contracted there; he left an only child, Lewis G., who is now a
student at Girard College, Philadelphia.
William W. Richard, father of Mrs. Harper, was born in county An-
trim, Ireland, August 12, 1804, and died at the age of eighty-eight years.
He was the son of James and Elizabeth (Boreland) Rkhard, both of
Scotch birth, who went to Ireland because of religious persecution. He
was a farmer. They had eleven children. William W. Richard located in
Nova Scotia when he came to America, as the vessel on which he had
sailed had sprung a leak, and was obliged to land its passengers at St. John's
Harbor. He remained there five years, working as a lumberman, then went
to Crawford county, Pennsylvania, where he bought a farm in Vernon town-
ship, within two miles of Meadville. Returning to Nova Scotia, he remained
there two years, and upon his return to Crawford county, again located on
a farm near Meadville. He was engaged in floating lumber to Pittsburgh.
He owned about one hundred and thirty-nine acres of land, in addition to
property in Meadville. Mr. Richard married (first), about 1842, Eliza, born
in Ireland, a cousin of Mary (Shellito) Harper, mentioned above, and a
daughter of Samuel and Catherine Shellito, who came to America about
1822, and located in North Shenango township. Samuel Shellito had three
brothers, who also located in Crawford county. Mr. Richard married (sec-
ond) Elizabeth Davidson, born in Ireland, who was a child when brought
to this country by her parents, who settled in Mercer county, Pennsylvania.
Only child by the first marriage : Sarah ; children by second marriage :
Mary Ann, who married Mr. Harper, as above stated ; Margaret Jane.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1645
The Palm family is an ancient one of Germany, the first of
PALM whom we have record being Matthias Palm, who was born in
Heilsbronn, near Nuremburg, Bavaria, Germany, where he was
a millwright. He married Sybilla .
(II) Dr. John Palm was the son of Matthias and Sybilla Palm. He
was born in Heilsbronn, Germany, July 25, 171 8.
(III) John (2) Palm, son of Dr. John (i) Palm, married Hannah
Flick (?). They had eleven children, all of whom, with the exception of
Peter, lived in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, and Trumbull county, Ohio.
(IV) William Palm, son of John (2) and Hannah (Flick) Palm, was
born at Austintown, Ohio, in 1825, and died October 10, 1888. In his youth
he had learned the carpenter's trade, and occasionally did some building,
but he devoted the greater part of his life to agricultural work. In political
opinion he was a Democrat, and he served as school director and road su-
pervisor. In 1847 he purchased a farm in Sandy Creek township. He mar-
ried, in 1847, Catherine White, born in Ohio in 1824. James White, her
grandfather, came from Ireland, and settled near Youngstown, Ohio, be-
tween 1760 and 1770. His son, William White, father of Mrs. Palm, came
from Ohio and settled in Sandy Creek township in 1837, and died in 1858 ;
he married Eleanor Farrel, who died in 1882. Mr. and Mrs. Palm had
children : Andrew Jackson, of further mention ; Milton, bom December
29, 1849, died March 21, i88i ; Fanny Emma, born October 2, 1851 ; William
Jeflferson, born August 8, 1853; Myrta Ellen, born March 6, 1861.
(V) Andrew Jackson Palm, son of William and Catherine (White)
Palm, was born in Sandy Creek township, Mercer county, Pennsylvania,
June 21, 1848. His education was a liberal and comprehensive one, and was
obtained at the public schools near his home, the Sheakleyville Academy.
Jamestown Seminary, New Lebanon Academy, and the Edinboro State Nor-
mal School, from which he was graduated in the class of June, 1871. His
connection with schools, as a teacher and in other capacities, is as follows:
Taught two years in the public schools of Pymatuning township, Penn-
sylvania ; served as principal of town schools at Cooperstown, Pennsylvania,
1871-72, 1872-73; New Lebanon Academy, Pennsylvania, 1873-75; Academy
and public schools, West Middlesex, Pennsylvania. 1875-77; was elected
county superintendent of Mercer county schools in May, 1878, and served
until June, 1884.
Mr. Palm was the owner and editor of The Western Press, in Mercer
county, Pennsylvania, from 1884 to 1890, when he removed to Meadville,
Pennsylvania. During this time he had written a book, entitled, "The Death
Penalty," an argument against capital punishment, which was published by
the Putnams, and which has found a place in all the leading libraries of the
country. In 1909 he commenced the publication of The American Journal
of Politics, a monthly journal in New York. Two years later the name was
changed to that of The American Magazine of Civics, and in 1896 it was
merged with The Arena, of Boston. For a number of years he has now
edited the Meadville Messenger, and is the treasurer-editor of the Meadville
1646 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Messenger Printing Company. Mr. Palm was elected a member of the Penn-
sylvania house of representatives in 1898, for a term of two years, and was
re-elected in 1900, although the county was strongly Republican. He was
nominated by acclamation as the Democratic candidate for the office of
state treasurer in 1901, but resigned in order to effect a fusion with Inde-
pendent Republicans. In 1908 he was nominated as the Democratic candi-
date for congress in the Twenty-fifth Pennsylvania district, although he
had never made any solicitation for this honor, but was defeated at the
election. In 1902 he was nominated for the state senate in the Fiftieth
Pennsylvania district, but was also defeated. On March 13, 1915, he was
appointed postmaster of the city of Meadville by President Wilson. He
has served about twelve years as one of the board of school controllers of
Meadville, is a member of the board of directors of the Meadville Chamber
of Commerce, and served about twelve years as secretary of the Meadville
Commercial College. He has never had any military service, as he has for
many years been a member of the Universal Peace Union, in which he has
been one of the vice-presidents for the past quarter of a century. His fra-
ternal affiliation is with the Woodmen of the World, the Home Circle, and
the Grand Fraternity. He is also a member of "The Round Table," a Mead-
ville institution which was founded twenty-five years ago, the object being the
furtherance of literature in every direction, and whose membership is lim-
ited to one hundred. He is not a member of any church, but the members
of his family are communicants of the Presbyterian church.
Mr. Palm married, at New Lebanon, Pennsylvania, October i, 1875,
Lena Counselman, born in French Creek township in October, 1857. She
is a daughter of Joel Counselman, a farmer, who died in 1892. He married
Sarah dinger, and their other children were : Rachel, married A. R. Moore,
of Franklin, Pennsylvania; Elizabeth, married James Sterling, of Franklin,
Pennsylvania; Priscilla, now deceased, married James N. Dilley, of Brazil,
Indiana ; Peter S., married Mary Bell, and is a resident of Franklin, Penn-
sylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Palm have had children: i. Charles J., born in
West Middlesex, Pennsylvania, April 19, 1876; married in 1907, Francis
Fisher. 2. Bessie, born in West Middlesex, Pennsylvania, May 22, 1878;
married, March 12, 1904, Victor S. Arnold, and lives at Wilkinsburg, Penn-
sylvania ; children : Robert Victor and Elizabeth Palm. 3. Ada Belle, bom
in Mercer, Pennsylvania, June 7, 1880. 4. Lorena Gladys, born in Mercer,
Pennsylvania, June 10, 1884; married the Rev. Louis W. Sherwin, minister
of the First Presbyterian Church at Indianapolis, Indiana.
Before the general adoption of surnames in Great Britain the
DAVIS Welsh people were accustomed to distinguish those bearing the
same Christian name from one another by adding the father's
name with a possessive, as "Harry's," "David's," and these were in time
shortened and slightly varied, thus forming the very frequently occurring
names of Williams, Jones, Harris and Davis.
Isaac Davis, who was a farmer, was an active participant in the war
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1647
of 1812, and after this struggle settled on a farm at Youngsville, Warren
county, Pennsylvania, which he cleared and cultivated until his death. He
lived to be almost ninety-eight years of age. He married Margaret An-
drews, of Warren, Pennsylvania.
John A. Davis, son of Isaac and Margaret (Andrews) Davis, was born
at Youngsville, Warren county, Pennsylvania, October 26, 1818, and died
in Meadville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, in May, 1908. He acquired
his education in the district school in the vicinity of his boyhood home, and
was then apprenticed to learn the trade of shoemaking, with which he was
identified until 1861. In that year he engaged in the oil producing business
at Tidioute, Warren county, followed this three years, then purchased a
farm of thirty acres east of Meadville, where he lived for a number of
years, and finally made his home in Meadville. Mr. Davis married Emily
Wright, born in Norwich, Massachusetts, March 26, 1823, died March 25,
1897. She was a daughter of Horatio and Hannah (Eels) Wright, both
of Norwich, Massachusetts, who removed to Mead township, Crawford
county, Pennsylvania, at an early date, cleared the land there, and there
spent the remainder of their lives. Mr. and Mrs. Davis had children: i.
Mary Agnes, born August 29, 1850, at Youngsville, Pennsylvania; married
January i, 1874, L. M. Carpenter, and resides in Meadville; children: Otis
R., married Emma Hood, and has children : Robert, Otis Jr., and Herbert.
Harry L. married Maud Rist, of Vanderbilt, Pennsylvania, and has children.
Rist, James and Patty Agnes ; Harley D. ; and Albert W. married Josephine
Maybee, and has one child, Virginia M. 2. De Forest, born May 10, 1852,
at Youngsville, Pennsylvania ; married March 20, 1894, Mary Beatty, and has
children: Seldon and Theodore. 3. Flavia, born October 21, 1858, at
Youngsville, Pennsylvania; married, August i, 1889, John Porter, of Mead-
ville, Pennsylvania.
The name of McComb has been closely connected with the
McCOMB interests of the state of Pennsylvania for a number of gener-
ations, and the various bearers of it have amply testified their
devotion to the country and all matters which affected its welfare.
(I) James H. McComb was born in Blairsville, Indiana county, Penn-
sylvania, and grew to manhood in that section of the country. At the time
of the breaking out of the Civil War he was engaged in the hotel business
at Kittanning, and was also the owner of a stage line from that city to
Smicksburg, Blairsville and Dayton. He was also under contract to the
government to carry the mail between these places, and when war was de-
clared, he obtained a contract for carrying volunteers from these towns to
Kittanning. Toward the close of the war he left Kittanning and engaged
in the oil producing business. This he carried on at Rouseville. Rynd Farm,
and other towns in that section, and served there several terms as school
director. He was a candidate for the legislature, but was defeated. He
was the proprietor of the Lawrence Hotel at Oil City, this being the first
hotel in that town, and was the proprietor of the McComb house at Kittan-
1648 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
ning. He was one of the organizers of the Union News Company, and had
charge of this enterprise between Oil City and Porters Landing. He owned
the wells on Steel Farm, on which "Coal Oil Johnnie'' made his millions,
and was himself at one time a millionaire. Another of the enterprises in
which he was largely interested was the steamboat and barge business,
operating a steamboat line between Pittsburgh and Oil City prior to the rail-
road. He was at one time a partner of Marcus Hulings and Thomas Phil-
lips. Mr. McComb married , and had children: George Alex-
ander, of further mention; Floda, wife of R. M. Kelly; Lottie, wife of
George Orr; Margaret, wife of Alfred Dodd ; Laura, wife of William
Hannam.
(H) George Alexander McComb, son of James H. McComb, was born
in Blairsville, Indiana county, Pennsylvania, May 18, 1838, and his boyhood
years were passed near Kittanning. During the Civil War he served in
Company B, Ninth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He was
leader of the cornet band of Kittanning when the war broke out, and at first
call his band led the first regiment to leave Lawrence county, Pennsylvania,
and reaching Pittsburgh he sent his cornet home, enlisted in the regiment
and went on to the front. In later life he was a member of Hays Post,
No. 3, Grand Army of the Republic. In the early fifties he drove a stage
coach and also went on horseback, often being chased by wolves, carrying
the mail for his father, and entered the mail service for himself under the
United States government in 1868. He was assigned to the Oil City-Pitts-
burgh route, and was injured in a railroad accident in May, 1892. He was
then assigned superintendent of railway mail service in the Pittsburgh
Post Office. Prior to this accident he held the position of chief railway
mail agent between Pittsburgh and Buffalo, and he stood second in all his
examinations while in the mail service. Mr. McComb married Ella Smith,
and they had children: i. William C, of Warren, Ohio, married Lizzie
McGregor, and has children: Anna and Laura. 2. Lawrence Melvin,
prominent promoter of automobile and flying machines, a machinist and
does much work for the Lubin Film Company ; resident of Philadelphia ;
married Belle Brisan, of Sharon, Pennsylvania, and they had six children.
3. James Forest, of further mention. 4. Francis Albert, of Los Angeles,
California, married Lillie Small, and had children: Mabel, Richard, Bessie
and Clarence. 5. Ora, married Reno Guisewitt, of Oil City, and had chil-
dren: Raymond, Lee, Thelma and Reno. 6. Margaret, married C. G. IflFt,
of Pittsburgh. 7. George Edward, of East End, Pittsburgh, married and
had children: Edward, Catherine and Elizabeth. 8. Minta, married John
Wragg, and has children : Margaret, Ruth and George.
(Ill) James Forest McComb, son of George Alexander and Ella
(Smith) McComb, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, November 29,
1868. Mr. McComb is associated with the Standard Oil Company as oil
ganger. He is interested in all things for the good of the community and
his influence is felt throughout the entire valley. In public matters is a Re-
publican and served Leetsdale as member of the borough council, serving
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1649
on the finance committee, and was largely instrumental in getting the varied
improvements in the borough, his progressive spirit proving a boon to the
welfare of the borough. Privately he has been a promoter and has had ex-
tensive operations along that line. He is a member of the Free and Ac-
cepted Masons, also Heptasophs. He married, July 17, 1893, Sarah L.
Vandevort, and has had children : William Harold, George Bennett, Elma
Louise and James Forest Jr.
Thomas Birchard, the American progenitor of this family,
BIRCHARD was born in Roxbury, England, in 1595. With his wife
and children he left England in the ship "Truelove," and
landed at Boston, September 16, 1635. He was a man of considerable
wealth, and exerted influence in the colony. He married Mary , bom
in 1597, and their children were: Elizabeth, born in 1622; Mary, born in
1623; Sarah, born in 1626; Susan, born in 1627; John, of further mention.
(H) John Birchard, son of Thomas and Mary Birchard, was born in
1628, and died in 1702. He was one of the proprietors of Norwich, and
served as clerk, recorder and justice of the peace. A patent issued by the
governor of the colony of Connecticut at the general assembly. May 25,
1685, confirmed the title of Mr. John Birchard and others of the town of
Norwich, and this was signed by Robert Treat, governor, and John Allen,
secretary. May 30, 1687. John Birchard was appointed county clerk of
New London in 1692, and held this office seven years. His death occurred
m Lebanon, Connecticut, where he owned a large tract of land. He married
(first) July 22, 1653, Christina Andrews; he married (second) Jane, a
daughter of Samuel Hyde. Of his fourteen children six died in infancy,
the others being: Samuel, born in 1663; James, of further mention; Abigail,
born in November, 1667; Thomas, January, 1669; John, February, 1671 ;
Joseph, February, 1677; Mary, June, 1679; Daniel, November, 1680.
(HI) James Birchard, son of John Birchard, was born in July, 1665.
He married, March 17, 1696, Elizabeth Beckwith, and had children : Eliza-
beth, born in September, 1697; James, of further mention; Sarah, born in
July, 1701 ; Matthew, December, 1702; John A., April 12, 1704; Phebe,
October, 1705; Sarah, October, 1707; Jonah, 1709; Rebecca, October, 1717;
Daniel, May, 1718.
(IV) James (2) Birchard, son of James (i) and Elizabeth (Beckwith)
Birchard, was born in May, 1699, and died July 21, 1782. In 1755 he re-
moved with his family from Norwich, Connecticut, to Beckett, Berkshire
county, Massachusetts. He married, October i, 1723, Deborah Marks, who
died in 1768. They had children: James, of further mention; Matthew,
born in 1732, died in 1785; Beulah, born in 1745, died in 1775.
(V) Lieutenant James (3) Birchard, son of James (2) and Deborah
(Marks) Birchard, was born in 1730, and died July 27, 1820. He was ap-
pointed first lieutenant in the English army by King George III. When
the War of the Revolution broke out it was his desire to fight with the Con-
tinental army, but because of his oath to the Crown was not permitted to do
1650 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
this, and sent a substitute to fight for him. He married Abigail King, born
in 1732, died July 5, 1794, a daughter of David and Lydia King. Children:
Lydia, born in 1757, married Abel Dewey, of Beckett, Massachusetts; De-
borah, born in 1760, married John Messenger, of Beckett, Massachusetts;
Abigail, born in 1762, married Asa Baird, of Beckett, Massachusetts; Phebe,
born in 1764, married Stephen Nicholas, of Beckett, Massachusetts; James,
of further mention; Sarah, born in 1768, married Ebenezer Balch ; Betsey,
born in 1772, married Walter Cook, of Beckett, Massachusetts.
(VI) James (4) Birchard, son of Lieutenant James (3) and Abigail
(King) Birchard, was born August 17, 1766, and died August i, 1852. He
lived with his father on the homestead at Beckett, Massachusetts, until 181 1,
when he and his family, with one horse and wagon, made the trip to Mead-
ville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania. He secured one thousand five hundred
acres of land in one tract ten miles north of Meadville, on the ridge east of
French Creek Valley. He was a member of the Presbyterian church. He
married, March 11, 1788, Lucy Gillette, of Southwick, Massachusetts. Chil-
dren: , born May 25, died July 15, 1789; , born June 6, 1790, died
July 15, 1790; , born July 21, died August 12, 1791 ; , born August
29, 1792, died October 2, 1792; James King, born September 8, 1793, died
April 20, 1844; Virgil, born March 3, 1795, died in November, 1874; Lucy,
born April 30, 1797, died in 1874; Hannorah, born January 17, 1799, died in
1874; Worthy, born November 24, 1800, died July 24, 1888; Lydia Ophelia,
born November 29, 1802, died in May, 1883 ; Darius Dewey, born Septem-
ber 21, 1804, died March 29, 1871 ; Cyrus, born April 13, 1807, died Novem-
ber 21, 1900; Levi Gillette, of further mention; Adeline F., born July 22,
181 1, died November 11, 1838.
(VII) Levi Gillette Birchard, son of James (4) and Lucy (Gillette)
Birchard, was born August 21, 1809, and died November 4, 1907. He was
an active and influential man in the township, giving his political support
to the Republican party, and was a member of the Presbyterian church. He
married (first) October 23, 1834, Elizabeth Grass, born August 13, 1814,
died in May, 1880. He married (second) November 29, 1882, Mary Kelso,
born March 7, 1817, died September 22, 1898. Children: Alonzo Dewey,
born February 28, 1836, died February 23, 1910; Andrew Y., born October
8, 1837; Mary Adeline, born January 11, 1840; Nancy A., bom January
15, 1842, died April 18, 1908; Lucy Ophelia, born December 6, 1845, died
December 22, 1912; Quitelia, born December 6, 1845; Delroy G., of further
mention; Irene A., born December 12, 1850, died June 25, 1896.
(VIII) Delroy G. Birchard, son of Levi Gillette and Elizabeth (Grass)
Birchard, was born in Cambridge township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania,
August 19, 1848, on the Birchard homestead. For a time Mr. Birchard lived
in North Dakota, where he purchased a section of land, but after farming
this for a time he sold it and returned to Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania,
and there bought one hundred and eighty acres of the old homestead, and is
now living on this farm. He is engaged in general and dairy farming, and
has devoted considerable time to the raising of Holstein cattle and Chester
White hogs, in which enterprises he has been very successful. He has taken
an active part in the councils of the Republican party, and has served as
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1651
supervisor of roads, town clerk and township treasurer. He is a member
of the local Grange, Patrons of Husbandry. He and his wife are members
of the Presbyterian church at Cambridge Springs. Mr. Birchard married,
January 29, 1879, a daughter of Charles Hewley, of Sherman, New York.
Child: Edith E., was graduated from Allegheny College in the class of 1910,
is a member of Alpha Chi Omega Sorority, and is now assistant principal
of the Cambridge Springs High School.
The Hunter family is of Scotch-Irish ancestry, a race in yK^
HUNTER which the Scotch stability, shrewdness, mental vigor, physical
energy and endurance blended with the geniality, the warm-
heartedness and the versatility of the Irish blood, has given us a people
whose physical, mental and moral qualities have made them leaders and
powerful promoters in every industry and in every profession, and has
enriched our history with an almost endless roll of distinguished men. At
the time when the first Hunters came to western Pennsylvania that part of
the country was an almost unbroken wilderness, but it was a region which
was attracting the attention of a large portion of the Scotch-Irish emigrants.
Very many of these had settled in Pittsburgh, some of them coming there
in times prior to the Revolutionary War. A large number of settlements
were being made at this time in the valleys of the streams which unite at
Pittsburgh, for to these hardy, energetic, ambitious people the obstacles
which nature presented to the pioneer and settler were but an attraction and
a stimulus. They saw the wealth hidden in the mountains, and growing
upon the hillsides, and accepted the challenge which nature appeared to
throw down to those who had the nerve, the brawn and the brain to come
and take it. So these Irish emigrants, the Hunters, the Gilsons, the Broad-
foots and the Hendersons left their families behind them for a time, and
came into the wilderness in search of homes.
(I) David Hunter was bom in Crawford county, Pennsylvania. He
was educated in the district schools near his home, and followed the occu-
pation of farming all his life. He resided on what is known as the Hunter
tract, in Woodcock township, Crawford county, which is now in the pos-
session of two of his grandsons, William and Robert G. Davison. This is
an extensive piece of land, well cultivated for general products. Mr. Hun-
ter married Catherine, a daughter of Griffith Carr, a farmer and distiller,
who was one of the early settlers in Woodcock township. They had children :
Mary, married Davison ; Wilson G., of further mention ; Samuel, Rob-
ert, Griffith, Eliza, John, several who died in infancy.
(II) Wilson G. Hunter, son of David and Catherine (Carr) Hunter,
was bom in Woodcock township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, September
29, 1824. He was educated in the public schools near his home, and at the
age of fifteen years was apprenticed to leam the trade of cabinetmaking
and undertaking with his uncle, John Carr. of Meadville, Crawford county.
He followed this business in Saegerstown from about 1849 to 1904. and was
very successful, having at the time of his death the largest establishment of
1652 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
this kind in the state of Pennsylvania. He was also the owner of two fine
farms. He was prominent in the public affairs of the township, and at
various times held all the public offices in the gift of the township. Mr.
Hunter married Ellen Emery, born in Philadelphia, who was very young
when she was brought to Woodcock township by her parents, who located
on a farm about three-quarters of a mile from the Hunter farm. Mr. and
Mrs. Hunter had children : Charles, Kearney, Kate, who married E. David,
and has a son, Charles W. ; Jennie, married E. Benner ; Minnie, Aaron, Ella,
Leon, Frank, Martha, married Flaugh ; a child, who died in infancy.
John Emery, father of Mrs. Ellen (Emery) Hunter, was a teacher in Phila-
delphia, and came overland to Woodcock township. He taught German in
the Meadville schools. He married Mary Aaron, whose brother, Samuel
Aaron, was a Baptist minister and a teacher in Philadelphia. They had chil-
dren : Mrs. Martha David, John, Charles, Samuel, Mrs. Isabel Braymer,
Mrs. Eliza Brown, Jackson, Mrs. Ellen Hunter, Mary, who died in infancy.
Charles and Samuel Emery were soldiers in the Civil War. Samuel was a
prisoner for a time, was exchanged, and died at Chicago, while en route for
his home. Charles lived until recently, when his death occurred at the Sol-
diers' Home in Bath, New York.
The ancestry of this Bole family, not a common one in the United
BOLE States, is probably French, those who introduced the name in Ire-
land, whence it came to the United States, being known as French
Huguenots. The Boles family have been associated with Bellevue, Pennsyl-
vania, almost since its founding, only a few families antedating it in settle-
ment. In Ireland members of the family followed agricultural pursuits, the
American line having been established by Hugh M. Bole, who settled in
Pennsylvania. He was educated in the national schools of Ireland, and
came to the United States in 1845, learning the trade of machinist in the
Fort Pitt Foundry. In 1854 he established independently on Liberty street,
Allegheny (Pittsburgh, North Side), later moving to Pike street, Pittsburgh,
subsequently becoming owner of a large machine shop at "The Point." This
establishment was in active operation for thirty years, the greater part of
which time it was his personal property. Circumstances were most propi-
tious at the time he opened his works at "The Point," the beginning of the
oil excitement creating a market for specially designed machinery and the
Civil War placing the government in need of all the cannon that could be
manufactured at short notice. In addition to supplying a large share of these
needs he was one of the few manufacturers who gave special attention tq
the requirements of steamboat builders, and received large orders for the
machinery used therein. His connection with Bellevue began in 1868 and
ended with his death in 1900 in the house he had built in that place. He was
active in securing a borough charter for Bellevue in 1870, when the town
boasted of less than three hundred inhabitants, and assisted materially in
the perfection of the civil organization. During the Civil War he served on
the council of the city of Pittsburgh. Mr. Bole, not a student in the com-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1653
monly accepted sense of the word, had by wide reading, close observation,
and independent thinking acquired an education far surpassing that of many
whose opportunities for instruction and study were more numerous. Busi-
ness acumen was not the only indication of his strong mentality, but so
diligently did he pursue his peculiar methods of education that discourse
with him was a pleasure and, if one knew that he was not a university man,
a continual surprise. In the work of the United Presbyterian church he was
a participant throughout all of his mature years and he was a charter member
of the organization of that denomination in Bellevue. To a man of his
standing and popularity political office would have been an easy attainment,
but it was his preference to leave the honor of such election to others, he
doing all that lay in his power as a private citizen to further the welfare
of his city and to advance its interests.
Mr. Bole married Mary Ann, daughter of Francis Hare, born in Pitts-
burgh, Pennsylvania. Francis Hare and his wife were natives of county
Antrim, Ireland, and came to the United States, the ship on which they
engaged passage consuming three months in making the voyage. They
settled in West Deer township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where Fran-
cis Hare purchased land and farmed until his death. One of his sons, John,
was a soldier in Company K, Sixty-first Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer
Infantry, in the Civil War, and was wounded at the battle of Fair Oaks,
dying from his wounds at Portsmouth, Virginia. Children of Hugh M. and
Mary Ann (Hare) Bole: i. John. 2. Frank H., of whom further. 3.
Elizabeth J., married Rev. H. H. Houston, of Struthers, Ohio. 4, 5, 6 and 7
all died in infancy. 8. William A., manager of the Westinghouse Machine
Company. 9. George M., lives retired at Avalon, Pennsylvania.
Frank H. Bole, son of Hugh M. and Mary Ann (Hare) Bole, was born
in Pittsburgh, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, October 6, 1850. He at-
tended the Pittsburgh public schools, obtaining instruction in high school
subjects. Leaving school he learned the patternmaker's trade, working in
his father's establishment and as the employee of various other Pittsburgh
firms until 1877. In that year he moved to the town now known as Knox,
Clarion county, Pennsylvania, later to Edenburg. The oil excitement was
then at full height, and he and his brother John formed a partnership for
the manufacture of oil well machinery, which prospered, after which he
moved to AIcKean county, Pennsylvania, there continuing in the same busi-
ness. The next eighteen years were spent in Butler, where he followed the
same calling, and in 1903 Mr. Bole slipped the noose of business care and
retired to Bellevue. His retirement has not been complete, for he has ac-
quired large real estate holdings and is interested in a West Virginia concern
manufacturing blocks for glass tanks, also having coal interests in that state.
As to politics, Mr. Bole is a Republican, and although he has been a valued
addition to the party councils he has shown his father's indifiference for
office, only serving as a member of the school board. His church is the
United Presbyterian. INIr. Bole is of the opinion that his life has been passed
in a half century of the greatest advancement that has ever taken place in a
i6S4 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
like period of time in the world's history, and he rejoices that his path was
placed therein. He takes pleasure in recalling Civil War events, which he
vividly remembers, and considers that struggle the birth throes of the golden
fifty years referred to above. There is none of the duties of good citizen-
ship that he omits, and all projects of civic, moral or intellectual uplift have
numbered him among their firmest backers.
Mr. Bole married, in 1878, Esther Munn. They were the parents of
four children : Their eldest born child died in infancy ; Thomas M., a
graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, a civil engineer in charge of the
elevation of the Pennsylvania Railroad tracks in Chicago, Illinois ; Hugh R.,
an employee of the Crucible Steel Company, resides at home; Francis H.,
resides at home.
The McPherson family is one of the oldest in the western
McPHERSON part of the state of Pennsylvania. The immigrant an-
cestor came from Scotland and made his home in Alle-
gheny county, Pennsylvania, when that section was practically virgin forest.
Among his children were: Charles, of further mention; Lemuel, who took
part in the Civil War and lived in Chicago, Illinois, after it was ended.
(II) Charles McPherson, son of the preceding, was born in Alle-
gheny county within ten miles of Edgeworth. He became a prosperous
farmer, and owned about five thousand acres of land. He cleared a por-
tion of this land, built a log cabin upon it, and spent the remainder of his
life there. He married Elizabeth Flowers, also a native of Allegheny county.
(HI) Zachariah, son of Charles and Elizabeth (Flowers) McPherson,
was born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in 1825, and died in Septem-
ber, 1909. He was a brick contractor throughout his business life. He
lived at Edgeworth two years. He was twice married, his second wife
being Alice McGall, who was born in Ireland and came to this country with
her parents when she was six years of age ; her parents later returned to
Ireland, where they died. Children by the first marriage: Lydia, mar-
ried Morgan; William F., a member of the firm of McPherson
Brothers. Children by the second marriage: Olive, married — Simon;
Margaret, married John Dolan ; George, Frank, James E., H. G. and W.
K., members of the firm.
(IV) James E., son of Zachariah and Alice (McGall) McPherson,
was born at Edgeworth, Pennsylvania, February 8, 1879. At the usual
age he was sent to the public schools in the vicinity of his home, and there
acquired a sound, practical education. Upon leaving school he became con-
nected with the business of general contracting, with which he has been
identified since that time. The firm of McPherson Brothers was estab-
lished in the spring of 1903, and has always been a most flourishing con-
cern. A large share of their work is railway grading and other work of that
nature.
1
V, CQ/^ C^:.<^(AM.A-Vj
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1655
The name of Quinby is one which has now been in this
QUINBY country for a number of generations, and it has never been
mentioned other than in an honorable connection. For the
most part those bearing it have devoted themselves to agricultural pursuits,
but there has been a fair sprinkling of professional men among its mem-
bers. The Quinby family is an old one of New York state, the founder,
John Quinby, having received a large grant of land from the King of Eng-
land.
(I) Amos Clark Quinby was born in 1808 in Troy, New York, and
educated in that part of the country. He lived there for some time after
his marriage, then removed to Albion, Erie county, Pennsylvania, where
he settled on a farm. He again changed his place of residence, removing
to Shadeland, Spring township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, and sub-
sequently made another change, locating at Springboro, in the same county,
and there his death occurred. Mr. Quinby married Caroline Newton, and
they had children: i. Amos Clark, of further mention. 2. Lewis H., born
in New York, and removed to Pennsylvania with his parents ; he was a
fruit tree salesman; married Amanda Sheldon, of Springboro, Pennsyl-
vania ; children : Clarence B., Nettie B., Bernice, Frederick and Francis,
twins. 3. D. Marshall, deceased, was a fruit tree salesman. 4. George,
now a resident of Providence, Rhode Island. 5. Caroline, died young.
(II) Amos Clark (2) Quinby, son of Amos Clark (i) and Caroline
(Newton) Quinby, was born in Troy, New York, June i, 1833, and died
May 9, 1894. He was educated and grew to manhood in his native city
and there engaged in the nursery business. During the oil excitement of
1855, Mr. Quinby came to Titusville, Pennsylvania, and it was in that
town that his death occurred. For a time he was interested in oil produc-
tion, then conducted a livery and sales stable for some time, and finally en-
gaged in farming in Springboro, Crawford county, Pennsylvania. His
religious affiliation was with the Presbyterian church. He married, in
Springfield, Pennsylvania, Elizabeth Anna Mclntyre, born in Troy, New
York, October i, 1837, a daughter of Robert and Margaret (Miller) Mc-
lntyre, and they had children: Edgar C, of further mention; Emma, who
married Dr. Kenyon, and lived in Providence, Rhode Island ; George Emer-
son, who died in infancy ; Minnie, died at the age of two years ; Guy Burton,
died at the age of five years ; Elizabeth, also died at the age of five years.
(III) Dr. Edgar C. Quinby, son of Amos Clark (2) and Elizabeth
Anna (Mclntyre) Quinby, was born at Springboro, Crawford county, Penn-
sylvania, October 31, 1856, and died January 22, 1913. He attended the
public schools of his native town, and upon the completion of this portion
of his education, taught school for a period of several years. He then
matriculated at the Medical College, in Cleveland, Ohio, worked his way
through this institution, and was graduated with high honors, in the class
of 1881, the degree of Doctor of Medicine being conferred upon him. Im-
mediately after his graduation he established himself in Titusville, Penn-
sylvania, in which town he continued in successful practice until his death.
1656 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
His practice was a general one, but he was especially noted for his surgical
skill, and was a member of the medical staff of the Titusville Hospital. He
lived in a beautiful house at No. 134 West Main street, the residence in
which his widow is still living. In political matters he held Democratic
opinions, but he never allowed himself to be bound by partisan ties, but
cast his vote for the candidate whom he considered best fitted for the office
to be filled. He was reared in the faith of the Christian church, but as
there was no church of that denomination in Titusville, he joined the Pres-
byterian church in that town. During the last year of his life he became
a convert to the Roman Catholic faith, and joined the St. Titus Roman
Catholic Church, remaining an adherent of this until the day of his death.
Dr. Quinby married, June 21, 1898, Mary Lillian Seep, born in Green-
dale, Fayette county, Kentucky. She was educated at St. Joseph's Academy
in Titusville, then completed her education at the Visitation Academy, at
Georgetown, near Washington, District of Columbia, and is a very talented
and distinguished woman. Children of Dr. and Mrs. Quinby: Marian
Eleanor, born May 2, 1901 ; Joseph Edgar, born September 24, 1904, died
in October of the same year; Catherine Elizabeth, born November 21, 1908.
Joseph Seep, father of Mrs. Mary Lillian (Seep) Quinby, was born
in Voerden, Hanover, Germany, May 7, 1838, and attended the common
schools there until the age of eleven years. At that time his parents emi-
grated with their family to America, made their home in Richmond, Indiana,
where his father died of Asiatic cholera in less than half a year. Mrs.
Seep then removed with her five children to Cincinnati, where young Joseph
completed his education and learned the trade of manufacturing cigars.
Upon attaining his majority he went to Lexington, Kentucky, where he was
in the grain and hemp business as an employee of Jabez A. Bostwick. At
the close of the Civil War Mr. Seep returned to Cincinnati, where he was
in the cotton commission and forwarding business. Mr. Seep removed to
Titusville, Pennsylvania, in 1869, and there associated himself with his
old friend, Mr. Bostwick, of New York, and they engaged in the oil pro-
duction business, the firm name being Bostwick & Tilford. When this firm'
became connected with the Standard Oil Company, in 1871, Mr. Seep
entered the employ of that corporation, and became the buyer of all the
crude oil handled by the concern. Mr. Seep still retains this position and
has more than thirty buying offices in the various oil producing states. He
has handled more oil, and disbursed more money for the product, than any
one man, living or dead. His annual disbursements amount to almost one
hundred millions of dollars. He is interested in several banks throughout
the South and West, and holds official position in numerous corporations.
Among these may be mentioned : President of the Oil City Trust Com-
pany ; charter member and a director in the Seaboard National Bank in
New Y'ork; one of the organizers and president of the Central Kentucky
and Natural Gas Company, which furnished natural gas to Lexington, Ken-
tucky, Winchester and Mount Sterling. He has a large financial interest
in the United Hardware and Supply Company, and the Specialty Manufac-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1657-
turing Company, both of Titusville, and the Modern Tool Company of
Erie. In 1891 he acquired a large interest in the Mine and Smelter Supply
Company of Denver, Colorado, and he became sole owner in 1894. It is
the largest mining machinery and mining supply concern in the world, being
capitalized at one million two hundred thousand dollars, and has branch
houses in Salt Lake, Utah; El Paso, Texas; the City of Mexico and New-
York. He purchased a tract of land near Hydetown, Pennsylvania, in
1899, on it laid out St. Catherine's Cemetery, and presented it to the con-
gregation of St. Titus Church, after having spent about fifty thousand dol-
lars in improvements. At its entrance there is a fine statue of St. Cath-
erine, which he had erected there, at a cost of eight thousand dollars, in
honor of his wife. Some years ago Mr. Seep had a fine residence erected
for his own use, and this is considered one of the handsomest in Western
Pennsylvania. He is a stockholder in the Second National and the Com-
mercial banks of Titusville, and is a director in the last mentioned institu-
tion. He has the welfare of the city deeply at heart, and some years ago
subscribed ten thousand dollars to the Industrial Fund Association.
Mr. Seep married, in January, 1866, Kate, youngest daughter of
Francis X. Hillenmeyer, one of the prominent citizens of Fayette county,
Kentucky. They had children: Mary Lillian, who married Dr. Quinby,
as above mentioned; Eugene E., Arthur F., Albert H., William J., May C,
George R., Alice E., Herbert B., Alma E., Catherine, died at the age of two
years.
The Rankin family is an old one in this country, coming to
RANKIN it originally from Ireland, the land which has produced so
many heroes of romance and of real life. They are to be
found now in all states of the Union, and are highly esteemed in the various
communities.
(I) Archibald Rankin was born in Mifflin township, Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, his parents having been among the earliest settlers in that
section. He was extensively engaged in farming in Mifflin township on
land which had been patended by William Penn to Van Swearingen,
and from him to the Rankin ancestors. He married Brewster. Both
were members of the Presbyterian church, and strict observers of their re-
ligion.
(II) William Rankin, son of Archibald and (Brewster) Rankin,
was born in Mifflin township, Allegheny county. Pennsylvania, February
17, 1836, and died May 31, 1904. Until he was forty-eight years of age
he lived on the Rankin homestead in Mifflin township, then removed to
McKeesport, where he lived retired the remainder of his life. He was a
staunch supporter of Democratic principles, and served as school controller
for several terms. He and his wife were members of the Mifflin United
Presbyterian Church. He married Afary Ann McClure, born in Mifflin
township, December 25, 1837. died May 6, 1896. They had children: t.
Howard, deceased ; was a mill worker in McKeesport. 2. William A., was a
1658 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
teamster in lvI,cKeesport, and died unmarried. 3. Rebecca, died at the
age of four years. 4. Frank, a teamster in McKeesport, died at the age
of twenty-five years. 5. Fannie, died at the age of two and a half years.
6. Mary, married S. P. Meyers, a dentist, living in Pittsburgh. 7. Charles
Austin, of further mention.
Judge Francis McClure, grandfather of Mrs. Mary Ann (McClure)
Rankin, was born in county Down, Ireland, in 1742, and died in 1845, at
the advanced age of one hundred and three years. He received an ex-
cellent education, and emigrated to America about 1770, settling in Lan-
caster county, Pennsylvania. He then removed to Wheeling, Virginia,
where he served as postmaster several years, and about the year 1788 came
to Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where he took up about five hundred
acres of land in "Buttermilk Hollow," in Mifflin township. There he built
a stone house which was in use many years but is now gone. He became
associate judge in Allegheny county, and was a man of great influence
in his day. He was possessed of a considerable fortune, kept fox hounds,
hunters, etc., and his house was beautifully furnished with mahogany fur-
niture. Like all of his family he was a strict observer of the United
Presbyterian faith, and he was a very determined adherent of the. prin-
ciples of the Whig party. He had a brother. Dr. Richard McClure, who
was a prominent physician in Belfast, Ireland, where his death occurred.
Judge McClure married Margaret McClure, not a member of his branch
of the McClure family, who was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania,
October 10, 1762, and they had children: i. Ann, who died unmarried at
an advanced age. 2. Francis, of further mention. 3. Andrew, was a farmer
in Mifilin township.
Francis (2) McClure, son of Judge Francis (i) and Margaret (Mc-
Clure) McClure, was born on the McClure homestead in Mifflin township,
and lived all his life on it, his death occurring in 1874 at the age of eighty
years. He was a prominent farmer in his day, a member of the Presby-
terian church, and a Republican in politics. He married Rebecca Criswell,
born in county Mayo, Ireland, who came to this country at the age of
thirteen years, with her parents. They had children: i. Ann, died at the
age of five years. 2. Catherine, married Robert Day, lived in New Wilming-
ton, Pennsylvania, both deceased. 3. Richard, born February 15, 1823,
died in March, 1912; was a retired farmer; married Anna M. Read. 4.
Margaret, married Francis McClure, who was a farmer in Versailles town-
ship, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. 5. Sarah, now living in McKees-
port; married David Rhodes, a riverman, who was drowned. 6. Mary
Ann, who married Mr. Rankin, as above mentioned. 7. Fannie, married
George Fulmer, a contractor and builder, living in Pittsburgh. 8. Francis,
died in infancy.
(Ill) Dr. Charles Austin Rankin, son of William and Mary Ann (Mc-
Clure) Rankin, was born in Mifflin township, Allegheny county, Pennsyl-
vania, November 25. 1873. For a period of five years he attended the public
school near his home, then, the family having removed to McKeesport in
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1659
1883, he attended the schools there and was graduated from the hig-h school
in 1892. Having matriculated at the West Penn Medical College in Pitts-
burgh, he pursued his studies there and was graduated from this institu-
tion in the class of 1896, the degree of Doctor of Medicine being conferred
upon him. He at once opened offices in McKeesport for the practice of his
profession, and has continued uninterruptedly up to the present time. He
has now been a member of the medical staff of the McKeesport Hospital
for nine years, and a member of the surgical staff of the same institution for
two years. He is a member of the McKeesport Academy of Medicine, the
Allegheny County Medical Society and the Pennsylvania State Medical
Association. He and his wife are members of the First Methodist Church
of McKeesport, and he is an Independent in his political views. His fra-
ternal connections are as follows : Aliquippa Lodge, No. 375, Free and Ac-
cepted Masons; Duquesne Chapter, No. 193, Royal Arch Masons; McKees-
port Commandery, No. 86, Knights Templar; Pittsburgh Consistory, Scot-
tish Rite; Syria Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine; Eastern Star, of which his wife is also a member; Foresters of
America ; Improved Order of Maccabees. In 1894 Dr. Rankin built a
beautiful house at No. 1016 Walnut street, in which he is still residing.
He married, April 12, 1899, Belle Allen, born at Coal Valley, Pennsylvania,
a daughter of David and Helen Allen, the former, who was a pit boss in
the coal mines, now deceased. They have had children : Mary McClure,
born December 12, 1902; Margaret Allen, born April 15, 1906, on Easter
Sunday.
James Shaughnessy, a native of county Mayo, Ire-
SHAUGHNESSY land, emigrated to America about 1869, at which
time he had attained young manhood. For a time
he was in the employ of others until he had acquired a thorough knowledge
of the methods of transacting business in this country, and he then estab-
lished himself in business independently. For a long time he was the pro-
prietor, and personally conducted, a large grocery store on Washington
street, near Union Station, but now lives in retirement from business re-
sponsibilities on Squirrel Hill. He still gives his support to the Demo-
cratic party, in whose interests he was an active worker in former years,
and he is a devout member of the Roman Catholic church, to whose support
he is a generous contributor. He married Elizabeth Shaughnessy, also born
in county Mayo, Ireland, who came to America at about the same time
that he did, and they were married in Pittsburgh. They have had eight
children : Annie, Mary, Elizabeth, John R., of further mention ; Eleanor,
James, Catherine, and an infant, which died.
(II) John R. Shaughnessy, son of James and Elizabeth (Shaugh-
nessy) Shaughnessy, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, September 17,
1884. His early education was acquired in public and private schools, this
including the study of the French and Italian languages, and he then com-
menced reading law. For a time he was in the office of J. Scott Ferguson,
i66o WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
deceased, of Pittsburgh; then head stenographer with Reed, Smith, Shaw
& Beal, one of the largest law firms in Pennsylvania. He filled a position
as court stenographer very successfully, and in 1913 opened an evening
school for the study of stenography on Diamond Square, Meadville, which
he continues at the present writing (1915). He has had practical ex-
perience as a general reporter, having reported numerous technical, educa-
tional and religious conventions ; is a member of the Meadville Chamber
of Commerce ; of the Pennsylvania State Reporters' Association ; of the
National Reporters' Association ; of the Benevolent and Protective Order
of Elks; the Knights of Columbus; the Taylor Hose Company, a local or-
ganization ; and is secretary of the Palmer-McCormick Creasy League, of
Crawford county. He is actively engaged in furthering the interests of the
Progressive Democratic party, and is a consistent member of the Roman
Catholic church.
Mr. Shaughnessy married, July 19, 1910, Beatrice, one of the twelve
children of James Burns, a well-known oil operator, of Washington, Penn-
sylvania. They have children : Robert Burns and Mary.
George Washington \\'asson is a member of a family part
WASSON Irish and part Scotch, representative of the best elements of
both peoples, which have brought to the cosmopolitan citi-
zenship of this country a leaven of hardy enterprise and virtue. His father
was James Wasson, a native of Ireland, who met and married in Scotland,
Isabel Walker Wishert, a native of that country, and after the marriage,
brought his bride across the Atlantic to the United States. The young
couple went directly to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and there made their
home, in the year 1859. He soon found employment in the steel mills and
became what is technically known as a "puddler." He was killed, however,
in an accident in the year 1879 while working in the Oliver Mill. He was
survived by his wife, whose death occurred in July, 1903. To them were
born six children, as follows : Grace, born in Scotland ; George Washing-
ton, deceased ; James, deceased ; Mary, deceased ; Peter, deceased ; and Mar-
garet, deceased.
George Washington Wasson, second child of James and Isabel Walker
(Wishert) Wasson, was born December 3, i860, in the city of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. There he passed his childhood and was educated in the
public schools of the city, and later in Iron City College. Upon completing
his studies he found employment in the Oliver Steel Mill, the same in which
his father lost his life. Here his work was of a high order and he was
rapidly promoted to the position of "roller boss." Mr. Wasson was a mem-
ber of the Republican party and keenly alive to all questions of politics,
whether of local or general interest. He also took an active part in the
social life of the community and was a member of a number of orders and
fraternal organizations. He was a member of Bellevue Lodge, No. 530,
Free and Accepted Masons, the Bellevue Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, the
Allegheny Commandery, No. 35, Knights Templar and the Pittsburgh Con-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1661
sistory. He also belonged to Lodge No. 366, Allegheny, Knights of Pythias,
the Royal Arcanum, and the Knights of the Maccabees. Mr. Wasson re-
moved from Pittsburgh in 1902 and made his home in Bellevue thereafter
until the time of his death in 1906, September 28.
Mr. Wasson was married, March 30, 1882, to Mary Ann Bupp, a native
of Allegheny, Pennsylvania, where she was born March 17, 1863. Mrs.
Wasson was a daughter of Jacob and C. Elizabeth (Huey) Bupp. Mr.
Bupp was a native of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, where he was born
in 1824, and where he married Miss Huey, who had been born in France
in the year 1828. Together they came to Pittsburgh in the early days and
settled, Mr. Bupp plying his trade of rope maker, and making, it is said, no
less than one hundred and one hangman's ropes. He was a member of the
Democratic party, and of the Improved Order of Red Men. He and Mrs.
Bupp were members of the German Lutheran church. They were the
parents of nine children : William, John, Emma, Elizabeth, Catherine,
Mary Ann, John, Charles and Alice. To ]\Ir. and Mrs. Wasson were born
seven children, a short account of whom follows: i. Caroline (Wasson)
Taylor, born February 12, 1883, in Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania, and educated
in the local public schools and Iron City College; she is now the wife of
Mr. Samuel Guy Taylor ; they are the parents of one child, a son, Howard
Wasson Taylor, born January 18, 1909. 2. James W^asson, born September
29, 1884, and died in infancy. 3. Mary Ann (Wasson) Eraser, born August
12, 1885, and educated in the public schools of Pittsburgh, the Bellevue
High School and Call's College ; she married Mr. Alexander Dickson Fraser.
4. George Jacob Wasson, born January 19, 18S8, in Pittsburgh; he was
educated in the Allegheny public schools, the Bellevue High School and
Pitts Academy ; Mr. Wasson now holds a clerical position ; he is a member
of the Superior Lodge, No. 366, Allegheny, Kiiights of Pythias, of the
Knights of the Maccabees ; he and Mrs. \^'asson are members of the First
Presbyterian Church of Bellevue, Pennsylvania ; he was married, August 8,
1912, to Isabel Allison Humphrey, of Bellevue. 5. Emma Irene, bom April
7, 1890, in Pittsburgh, and educated in the grammar school and High
School of Bellevue, and in Call's College. 6. Alice C, born September zi,
1892, in Pittsburgh, and educated in the Bellevue grammar schools and
High School. 7. Essie Myrtle, born October 27, 1894, in Pittsburgh and
educated in the grammar schools of Bellevue, the Bellevue High School
and Call's College. Mr. and Mrs. George \\'ashington Wasson were mem-
bers of the Presbyterian church and in this persuasion reared their children.
Frank H. Symes is a member of an English family represen-
SYMES tative of the sturdy stock which in the early days of American
colonization formed the large preponderance of the colonial
population, and which, to this day, forms the base upon which the whole
superstructure of our cosmopolitan nationality is built up.
His father was John Symes, who was born in England and passed the
whole of the early part of his life in that country. He was married in
i662 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
England, in 1853, and the following year brought his little family across the
ocean to the United States, and settled in Glenosborne, Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania. Here he engaged in gardening, finding at the same tftne em-
ployment as night watchman on a railroad. He was drowned in the Ohio
river, January 27, 1862, when but forty-seven years of age, and left a wife
and family. His wife, Hannah (Hardeman) Symes, a native of England,
born in the year 1818, died in Pennsylvania, March 5, 1889, at the age of
seventy-one years. She was the daughter of Samuel and Hannah Harde-
man, who passed the whole of their lives in England and died there in
1864 and 1875, respectively. To Mr. and Mrs. Symes were born in all
thirteen children, seven of whom attained maturity. These were: i. Wil-
liam, born December 6, 1843, i" England, died in Allegheny county, Penn-
sylvania, September 24, 1888. 2. Anna, born September 21, 1845, in Eng-
land, died in 1907. 3. Sarah, born August 3, 1852, in England, and is now
Mrs. W. D. Lee, of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. 4. Mary Elizabeth, born
January 10, 1856, in Glenosborne, Pennsylvania, and is now Mrs. Phillip
Seibert, her husband being a son of John Seibert, a sketch of whom appears
elsewhere in this work. 5. Eliza, born October 25, 1857, and is now Mrs.
Charles Myer, of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. 6. Frank H., of whom further.
7. Joseph, born December 24, i860, died in 1902; married Ida Cooper, whO'
died in January, 1905.
Frank H. Symes, the sixth son of John and Hannah (Hardeman)
Symes, was born June 7, 1859, at Glenosborne, Allegheny county, Penn-
sylvania, on the old family homestead, which is in his possession at the
present time. Here he was reared, receiving his education in the local public
schools. In the year 1876, after completing his studies, he secured a posi-
tion with the Pennsylvania Railroad and has remained in the employ of that
concern ever since. His first employment was as brakeman, and now for
over twenty years, or from 1893, he has held the position of baggagemaster.
Mr. Symes is a IJepublican, and is keenly interested in the conduct of local
affairs and in politics generally. His parents were Episcopalians, but Mr.
Symes and his wife are members of tlie Presbyterian church.
Mr. Symes married, August 5, 1888, Clara May Heckert, a native of
Oil City, Venango county, Pennsylvania, born August 3, 1862. Mrs. Symes
is a daughter of Jonathan and Nancy (McCauley) Heckert. Mr. Heckert
was a native of Eastern Pennsylvania, and his wife of Allegheny county.
In the latter place they resided after their marriage for a considerable
period. They lived for a time at Oil City, and it was during this stay that
Mrs. Symes was born. The family returned to Allegheny county event-
ually, and here both of her parents died in the year 1898, the father in May
and the mother in October. Mr. and Mrs. Heckert were the parents of
nine children, as follows: i. George, deceased. 2. Elizabeth, died in 1912.
3. William, now a resident of Allegheny, Pennsylvania. 4. Margaret, now
the widow of Robert McKinney, of Allegheny, Pennsylvania. 5. Matilda,
deceased. 6. Rhoda C, now Mrs. Ames Luster, of Glenosborne, Penn-
sylvania. 7. Clara May, above mentioned. 8. Eva, now Mrs. John Means.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1663
9. Frank E., a resident of Los Angeles, California, where he is engaged
in farming. To Mr. and Mrs. Symes have been born five children, as
follows: I. Harry Russell, born May 5, 1890, now a professional baseball
player. 2. Eva May, born in 1892, now Mrs. Albert Miller, of Uniontown,
Pennsylvania. 3. Frank, born October 31, 1894, and now a high school
student. 4. James, born July 8, 1896, also a student in the high school. 5.
Edward, born December 22, 1904.
The name of Williams is very ancient and probably ex-
WILLIAMS tends throughout the civilized world. Most of the orig-
inal members of the family were doubtless of Welsh
extraction. They form a large part of the principality of Wales in Eng-
land, somewhat like the O's in Ireland and the Mac's in Scotland. Burke's
Peerage says of Sir Robert Williams, the ninth baronet of the house of
A\'illiams of Penrhyn, that "His family is lineally descended from Mar-
chudel of Cynn, Lord of Abergelen in Denbighshire, of one of the fifteen
tribes of North Wales, who lived in the time of Roderic Mann (Roderic
the Great), King of the Britons, about the year 849. From him was de-
scended the royal House of Tudor. The lineage of Marchudel is traced
from Brutus, the first king of the Britons." The family is a very notable
one, more than forty families of the name having settled in New England
prior to 1700, and from there spread to other parts of the country. How-
ever, all the Williams in this country at the present time do not descend
from these New England settlers, as many of the name came to America at
a much later date and founded families.
(I) John Williams was a resident of Port Byron, Cayuga county. New
York, where he followed his trade as a carpenter.
(II) John R. Williams, son of John Williams, was born in Auburn,
Cayuga county. New York, and died at Titusville, Crawford county, Penn-
sylvania, in 1903. He was educated in the public schools, and being of an
ambitious and energetic nature he was still very young wr-hen he had ac-
quired a half interest in a canal bl)at on the Erie canal. He managed this
until he removed to the oil country, and took up his residence in Titusville
in 1862. There he was the owner of a string of teams, and was identified
with the occupation of teaming until his death. He and his family attended
the Baptist church. He married Ann, a daughter of Jerome Williams, of
Port Byron, New York, and they had children : Caroline and W^illis. died in
infancy ; A. M., of further mention ; Roland, a resident of Oil City, Penn-
sylvania.
(HI) A. M. Williams, son of John R. and Ann (Williams) Williams,
was bom in Titusville, Crawford county. Pennsylvania, in 1866. The pub-
lic elementary and high schools which he attended furnished him with a
substantial education, and upon its completion he filtered the employ of
the T. C. Joy Radiator Company, learning the detail of foundry work
thoroughly. He was then with the Titusville Iron Company, purchased an
interest in it, and in April, 1910, became manager of the Titusville Works of
i664 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
the American Radiator Company, having previously been foundry foreman.
From the time of his entrance into the foundry business Mr. Williams
has practically been with the same concern, the name only of the company
having undergone changes from time to time. He is a member of the
Episcopal church. Mr. Williams married, in 1889, Jennie Taylor, of Titus-
ville, and they have one child, Elsie.
The late John C. Noble, of Tarentum, was a man who
NOBLE measured up to the modern requirements, and in whose
death the community lost not only a successful man, but a
most worthy and honored citizen, and he left to posterity that priceless
heritage, an honored name.
Robert Noble, father of John C. Noble, was an early settler of Arm-
strong county, Pennsylvania, where he devoted his attention to agricultural
pursuits, winning a certain degree of success. Li 1879 he removed with his
family to Ellsworth, Kansas, but returned to Pennsylvania in 1882. Sub-
sequently he returned to the state of Kansas, locating in Bartlett, where he
was a drover, having an extensive cattle ranch, and there spent the re-
mainder of his days, his widow residing there at the present time. He
"was a man of influence in the community, honored and esteemed by all who
knew him. He married Mary Preston, who bore him five children : John
C, of whom further ; James, Merle, William, Margaret, deceased.
John C. Noble was born near Worthington, Armstrong county, Penn-
sylvania, December 17, i860, died January 19, 1900. He was reared on
a farm, and his education was acquired by attendance at the common
schools and an academy. He accompanied his parents to Ellsworth, Kansas,
returned with them to Pennsylvania, but upon their return to Kansas did
not accompany them, remaining in his native state. Prior to his marriage
he located in Tarentum, Pennsylvania, and there resided until his death.
He engaged in the meat business there, which proved highly remunerative,
his patronage increasing year by year as the direct result of straightfor-
ward dealings with his customers, and by supplying them with the best the
markets afforded. He accumulated sufficient capital to purchase not only
his place of business, but a good residence, which he fitted up with every-
thing needful for the comfort of his family, in which his widow now re-
sides. He gave his allegiance to the candidates of the Republican party,
and he was honored by his townsmen to election as a member of the com-
mon council, which office he was filling at the time of his demise. He was
reared a Presbyterian, and that always remained the church of his choice.
He held membership in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He was
ever active in community affairs, promoting to the best of his ability all
measures proposed for the public good. Mr. Noble married, June 18, 1891,
Elizabeth Prager, born in Freeport, Armstrong county, Pennsylvania
daughter of John and Elizabeth Prager, and the children by this union are :
Allene Gertrude, born July 5, 1892, married Roy Samuel Riblett, of
Youngstown, Ohio; Mary Martha, born November 11, 1897, now living
at home.
^■T^o-t^
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1665
This is one of the most common of English names,
THOMPSON naturally to be taken as meaning son of Thomas, al-
though it is possible that it may in some instances be of
local origin. In the United States it is also a common name in some sec-
tions. Undoubtedly there were several families of this name who came
to America in the early days who were not at all related to each other.
They became conspicuous in the Provincial and the Revolutionary periods
of Pennsylvania history, in civil and miltary services, in Lancaster and
Cumberland counties, and in the Juniata Valley. From the Thompsons
of Lancaster county came three colonels in the Revolutionary War. We
find the name varies in spelling, as : Tompson, Tomson, Thomson and
Thompson. The Thompson arms are: Or, on a fesse dancette azure,
three etoiles argent on a canton of the second, the sun in glory proper.
Crest : An arm erect, vested gules cuff argent holding in the hand proper
five ears of wheat or. Motto: In litmine luce. The branch of the family
under discussion here came to Pennsylvania from New Jersey.
(I) Joel Thompson was one of the earliest settlers in Union City,
Erie county, Pennsylvania, and there his death occurred, and he is interred
in the Thompson Burying Ground. He held the degree of Bachelor of
Sciences, and was a soldier under Perry. He was twice married, having
an only daughter by his first marriage. By his second marriage he had
children: i. William, who was a wheelwright by occupation, was the in-
ventor of the turbine water wheel, which was a great improvement on the
old-fashioned water wheel, and was on exhibition at the Centennial Ex-
position. 2. Samuel. 3. Caleb, who lost his life, was probably drugged
and robbed, while going to get his brother Charles home. 4. John W., of
further mention. 5. Charles, a soldier during the Civil War. 6. Hatton.
7. Jane. 8. Lucilla.
(II) John W. Thompson, son of Joel Thompson, served nine months
in the Civil War, and escaped unwounded. He was in Company H,
One Hundred and Sixty-eighth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He and
his brothers were carpenters and millwrights, and worked in the old Red
Mill at Meadville, Crawford county. Later he became a farmer near
Union City, and in March, 1871, purchased the farm of one hundred and
fifty acres, on which his son, Abraham Lincoln, is now residing. He lived
in Union City until the fall of 1882, when he removed to Frewsburg, New
York, and there built a large brick house, and managed a farm of one
hundred and twenty-five acres, which he later increased to one hundred
and eighty acres. The original one hundred and twenty-five acres had be-
longed to the family of his wife. Mr. Thompson married Mary J., a
daughter of Jabez and Mary Toby, of New England. Some members of
this family fought at the battle of Bunker Hill. Jabez Toby migrated to
the state of New York, where he acquired extensive lands, was one of the
prosperous farmers of his section, and ran a cider mill. Mr. and Mrs.
Thompson had children : Dudley ; Mary ; Frederick B. ; Abraham Lincoln,
of further mention ; Gertrude N. ; Glenn S. ; William, died young ; Cassius
J., resides on the old Toby homestead, at Frewsburg. New York.
i666 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
(III) Abraham Lincoln Thompson, son of John W. and Mary J.
(Toby) Thompson, was born at Union City, Erie county, Pennsylvania,
August 4, 1864. He acquired his education, which was a sound, practical
one, in the public schools of Venango township, and then commenced to
assist his father in the latter's varied occupations. He devoted himself
chiefly to farming, and later bought out the interests of the other heirs
to the place and is now in sole possession. In 1906 he erected an excellent
house, and he and his wife have been living there for twenty-seven years.
He has made numerous improvements on the place, among them being the
removal of the barns to their present favorable location. He is a member
of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Edinboro. While he takes a deep
interest in whatever concerns the welfare of the community, he has always
consistently refused public office. Mr. Thompson married, August 4, 1887,
Jennie B. Amidon, who was graduated from the Edinboro Normal School,
and taught school eight years prior to her marriage. She was a resident
of Spring township, her grandfather having migrated to this section from
the eastern part of Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson have had
children: i. Mildred F., married J. Harold Osborn, and lives in Chilhowee,
Missouri. 2. Leslie L., was graduated from the Edinboro Normal School
and is now in the employ of the Spirella Corset Company, at Niagara Falls;
married Catherine Ingols, one child, Faustina May. 3. Mabel E., was
graduated from the Normal School, and is now a teacher near Corry, Penn-
sylvania. 4. Bessie, was also graduated from the Edinboro High School,
and also has a position with the Spirella Corset Company at Niagara Falls.
5. Lena B., is now a student at the Edinboro High School.
Prominent among the highly successful business men and re-
ELSTE presentative citizens of Bellevue, Allegheny county, Pennsl-
vania, is Clarence C. Elste, a direct descendant of a German
ancestry, he having inherited many of the excellent characteristics of that
worthy race of people.
Charles Elste, father of Clarence C. Elste, was born in Germany, De-
cember 22, 1853, son of Christian and Minnie (Kunze) Elste, whose births
also occurred in the Fatherland. Charles Elste was reared and edu-
cated in his native land, remaining there until fourteen years
of age, when he accompanied his parents to the United States,
they locating in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in which section of the
state the family has since resided. In due course of time he became the
proprietor of a cigar factory in Allegheny, which he successfully operated
for a quarter of a century, at the expiration of which time he removed to
Bellevue and shortly afterward established a grocery and meat business
under the name of the Bellevue Market, located in his own brick block
called "The Elste", from which he derived a goodly competence, conduct-
ing it in a thoroughly up-to-date manner, carrying a full line of the choicest
products which he disposed of at reasonable rates. Subsequently he re-
tired from active pursuits, and is now reaping the reward of years of per-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1667
sistent toil and unremitting effort, residing in a comfortable home in Belle-
vue, where he enjoys the respect and confidence of all with whom he has
been brought in contact, either in business or social life. He married Sarah
Neiman, born near Manchester, Pennsylvania, daughter of John C. and
Nancy (Zern) Neiman, numbered among the old settlers of Eastern Penn-
sylvania. They were the parents of nine children, six of whom are living
at the present time (1914) : Harry C, connected with the Fleischman Com-
pressed Yeast Company, of Pittsburgh ; William H., conducting a grocery
business at Ben Avon; Laura, Mary, Clarence C, of whom further; Edna.
Clarence C. Elste, was born in Allegheny, Allegheny county, Pennsyl-
vania, January 20, 1887. He obtained a practical education which thorough-
ly prepared him for the activities of life by attendance at the public schools
of his native city and at Duff's Commercial College. He gained an ex-
cellent knowledge of business by entering the employ of his father, who
was then conducting the Bellevue Market, and with whom he remained
until 1907, his services being of great value to his father in the manage-
ment of his constantly increasing business. In the latter named year he
and his brother-in-law, William H. Sample, were admitted to partnership
in the business, which they are conducting at the present time, it being
one of the leading establishments of that place, the partners being men of
enterprise, energy and perseverance, progressive in their ideas, fully com-
petent to manage a large enterprise. Mr. Elste is affiliated with the Masonic
Order, holding membership in the Lodge, Chapter and Commandery, and
is also connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He and
his wife are members of the Methodist Protestant church, in which
they take an active interest, contributing freely of their time and substance
to its welfare and growth. They are equally interested in the progress
and development of the community in which they reside, and are numbered
among its best residents. Mr. Elste married, January 25, 1910, Eleanor
Eicher, born December 22, 1888, daughter of William A. Eicher, brother
of Julius Eicher, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work. They
are the parents of a son, Charles, born June 3, 1913.
James Purdy, the first of this line of whom we have record,
PURDY was born in Ireland in 1755. At the age of twelve years he
left his native land in the company of his father and mother
and two sisters. With the exception of James the entire family died while
on the voyage to the New World, and James Purdy landed at New York
City alone. He went to an aunt who resided in Philadelphia, and was
reared in that city. The cause of American Independence aroused his
deepest sympathy, and he rose to the rank of colonel in the Continental
Army when he was but twenty-one years of age. For a time he lived in
Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, but in 1815 removed to Finley township,
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, which was then a part of Beaver county.
There he acquired a large tract of land, which he cleared for farming
purposes, and on which he died. In Philadelphia he had married Agnes
i668 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Earner, and among their children were: John, of further mention; Arthur,
who was a school teacher; Earner, who married (first) Esther Richmond,
(second) Mary Frazier.
(II) John Purdy, son of James and Agnes (Earner) Purdy, was born
in Pennsylvania, in November, 1798, and is buried in the Ohio Cemetery.
He married Jane Cavett.
(III) William Purdy, son of John and Jane (Cavett) Purdy, was
born near Clinton, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, and died on his farm
in Moon township, in the same county, April 17, 1897. He was considered
one of the most prosperous farmers in the community in which he lived,
and was for many years an elder in the Ohio Church at Scottsville. He
married Elizabeth M. Onstott, also born near Clinton, and they had child-
ren : Jeannetta, deceased ; Margaret Estella, married S. N. Pringle, de-
ceased, of Grove City; Wilbur Greenlee, of further mention; Mary A.,
for some time assistant principal of the North Braddock school of Belle
avenue, is now a teacher in the Pittsburgh schools ; Lee Burdette, of further
mention.
Peter Onstott, grandfather of Mrs. Purdy, was born in Washington
county, Pennsylvania, where he was a farmer, and married Mary Kinter.
Isaac Onstott, son of Peter and Mary (Kinter) Onstott, was born in
Moon township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in 1807, and there ac-
quired his education in the district schools. At an early age he was in
charge of a boat on the Ohio river, and later went to California, where he
was the owner of a gold mine. Returning to Allegheny county, he engaged
in the general mercantile business in Monaca, where his death occurred.
He married Margaret Greenlee, born in Finley township, Allegheny county.
She was a daughter of Thomas Wallace and Mary (Queer) Greenlee, both
of Scotch descent and born in Washington county. Thomas Wallace Green-
lee, who was born in 1777, was a son of Robert and Jean (Wallace)
Greenlee, the former of whom married (second) Pinkerton. By
his first marriage he had : Thomas Wallace, mentioned above ; Robert,
who married Bessie Wright ; Alexander, who died while still in his teens.
The father of Robert Greenlee, Sr., was the pioneer ancestor of the family,
coming to this country from Scotland, and settling as a farmer in Finley
township at an early date. He was a Republican.
(IV) Wilbur Greenlee Purdy, son of William and Elizabeth M. (On-
stott) Purdy, was born December 20, 1869. He was educated in the public
schools, an institute in Pittsburgh, and the Pittsburgh Art College. He
then engaged in the oil business, after a time turning his attention to gas
production, and finally returning to his oil interests, in which he is still en-
gaged. He married Lottie Bell Bryan, of Indiana, Pennsylvania.
(IV) Lee Burdette Purdy, son of William and Elizabeth M. (On-
stott) Purdy, was born in Moon township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
August 6, 1874. He acquired a thorough education in the public schools
of Moon township and Pittsburgh, and at Pittsburgh Academy, which he
left shortly before his graduation. He then taught school for four years
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1669
in Allegheny county, after which he accepted a position as invoice clerk
with the Westinghouse Machine Company. He next went to Sewickley,
where in 1904 he established the firm of Purdy Brothers, his partner being
his brother Wilbur Greenlee, and they carry a full line of flour, feed, etc.
In May, 191 1, they erected an elevator on the outskirts of Edgeworth, and
this is in operation at the present time. They are also dealers in coal,
and are interested in oil production. Mr. Purdy married, September 2,
1910, Lula Agnes Witherspoon, of Washington county, near Bovington.
They have children : Samuel Witherspoon and .
The Mumfords of Pennsylvania have been resident there
MUMFORD for many generations, have identified themselves closely
with the interests of the state, and have had many mem-
bers who have offered, and sacrificed, their lives in defence of the rights
of their country. The emigrant ancestor probably came to this country from
England.
;(I) David Mumford, the first of this family of whom we have de-
finite information, was resident in Connecticut, from whence he finally
made his home in Pennsylvania. During the War of the Revolution he
served as a scout, probably from New Jersey.
(II) James Mumford, son of David Mumford, served in the War of
181 2. He came to Washington county, Pennsylvania, in 1796, where he
engaged in farming, and died at the age of seventy-two years. He was a
member of the, United Presbyterian church. He married, September 16,
1808, Katherine, daughter of Aaron and Jane (Kennedy) Wright, whose
children were : Elizabeth, Annie, Katherine and George Washington.
Aaron Wright removed from York county to Venango county, at the mouth
of Big Sugar creek, in 1792. He came to Crawford county, Pennsylvania,
settling near Shermansville in 1794, and died in Fairfield township in 1816.
He was a lieutenant in the Continental anny during the Revolution, re-
signing his commission in order to become a sharpshooter or scout. His
diary is to be found in the Pension Office at Washington, District of
Columbia. While the Indian troubles were in progress his wife went for
safety to the fort at Franklin. James and Katherine (Wright) Mumford
had a number of children, among whom were : David ; Kennedy ; Aaron
Wright, see forward ; Margaret.
(III) Aaron Wright Mumford, son of James and Katherine (Wright)
Mumford, was born in West Fairfield township, Crawford county, Penn-
sylvania, September 16, 1808, and died June 7, 1899. His education was
acquired in a log cabin school house, where the desks and benches were
made of rude slabs of wood, roughly cut to suit the absolute needs. He
made his home on the homestead of his father until his marriage, at which
time he engaged in mercantile business. He was a man of undoubted business
ability and proved his worth in a variety of directions. As a surveyor his
services were in demand by the early settlers to determine the boundaries
of their farm lands. At the time of the construction of the Atlantic &
1670 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Great Western Railroad, Mr. Mumford was one of the directors of this
and also of the Franklin branch, was the general agent of the company in
their purchases of lumber and ties, and had the chief burden of securing
the right of way for this company laid upon his shoulders. He supported
the Democratic party, and was the incumbent of a number of public offices,
among which may be mentioned: County surveyor, justice of the peace
and supervisor. He was also a director in the Meadville Savings Bank
and in the old Crawford County Bank. He was active in the interests of
the United Presbyterian church, and was very liberal-minded in religious
as well as all other matters. He donated land for the Methodist Episcopal
church and cemetery, and he and his wife are buried in the Mumford
cemetery. Mr. Mumford married, January 14, 1834, Margaret, born in
Mercer county, Pennsylvania, in 181 1, died September 10, 1872, a daughter
of Hugh and Ann (Sheakley) Moore, and they had children: Sarah; Mary
Catherine ; James Moore ; Hugh Alexander, see forward ; Susan, who
married Joseph Thatcher ; Anna Margaret, married Samuel Scowden.
(IV) Hugh Alexander Mumford, son of Aaron Wright and Margaret
(Moore) Mumford, was born in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, March 19,
1843. He was a farmer in West Fairchild township, Crawford county,
Pennsylvania, having a farm of one hundred acres there on which he had
lived since his childhood. His education was the general one of a country
lad, attending school in winter, and but little else except farm work during
the remainder of the years. He was a Democrat in political matters, and
his religious faith was with the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he
was a regular attendant. He married, October 21, 1874, Sarah, born in
East Fairfield township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, February 3, 1850,
a daughter of Harrison and Mary (Minnis) Dean; granddaughter of
William and Jane (McClelland) Dean; and granddavighter of John and
Sarah (Scowden) Minnis. All the grandparents were early settlers in
East Fairfield township. Hugh Alexander and Sarah (Dean) Mumford
had children: Mary Dean, see forward; Frances Gibson, born April 15,
1880, married Grant H. Smock; James Aaron, born May 10, 1886; and
a foster daughter, Ruth Dewey.
(V) Dr. Mary Dean (Mumford) Campbell, daughter of Hugh Alexander
and Sarah (Dean) Mumford, was born in Fairfield township, Crawford coun-
ty, Pennsylvania, February 9, 1878. Her elementary education was acquired
in the township school. She was graduated from the Cochranton School
and the Meadville High School with honor. Matriculating at the Cleveland
Homeopathic Medical College, she was graduated from this institution in
the class of 1901. Upon her return to Pennsylvania she successfully passed
the examination of the State Board of Medical Examiners, and at once
opened an office in Meadville for the practice of her chosen profession. In
this endeavor she was eminently successful, and her practice was an ex-
tended and lucrative one. She is a member of the Congregational church,
of which she is a regular attendant. She married, October 21, 1914,
Charles Theodore Campbell, a native of Otisville, New York, born 1865,
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1671
son of Qiarles Henry Campbell, born 1839, and his wife, Margaret Haw-
kins (Decker) Campbell, born 1843, the former named a son of Stephen
Campbell, born 1800, and his wife, Jerusha (Sturgess) Campbell, born
1799, and grandson of David Campbell, born 1770 (from Scotland). Mrs.
Charles Henry Campbell was a daughter of David Decker, born 1801, and
his wife, Elizabeth (Hawkins) Decker, born 1802, the former named a
son of David Decker, born 1769 (from Holland) and his wife, Catherine
(Smedes) Decker, born 1761 (from Holland), and the latter named a
daughter of Oliver Hawkins, born 1760 (family from Plymouth, England)
and his wife, Elizabeth (McCormick) Hawkins, born 1761 (from Dublin,
Ireland). The Campbell family, herein recorded, are said to have been
of the same family originally as the Dukes or Argyle, Earl Campbell, etc.,
and the Decker branch came from Holland about the year 1770. Charles
Theodore Campbell was for many years a resident of New York City;
he is now manager of the Page Boiler Works of Meadville, Pennsylvania.
Three generations of the Kennedy family have resided in
KENNEDY Oakdale, Pennsylvania, the founders, George and Mar-
garet (McKay) Kennedy, coming from Ireland in 1842,
and after a short residence in New York City, coming to Oakdale. George
Kennedy was a farmer, the owner of one hundred acres of land, a portion
of which he cleared and cultivated until his death. Both he and his wife
were members of the United Presbyterian church. He is buried in the
churchyard at Robinson's Run, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. Children:
I. Hugh, a hatter, lived and died in New York City. 2. James, of whom
further. 3. Margaret, died in Oakdale, unmarried. 4. Jane, married
Oliver Sproul, and died in New York City. 5. Mary, died in Oakdale,
unmarried. 6. Ella, resides in Oakdale, unmarried. 7. Eliza, married S.
H. Sturgeon, and resides in Oakdale.
(II) James Kennedy, eldest son of George and Margaret (McKay)
Kennedy, was born in Belfast, Ireland, in 1820, died at the farm near
Oakdale, in igo6. He was twelve years of age when with his elder brother,
Hugh, he came to the United States, landing in New York, where he
obtained a good education, taught school and worked as a clerk. When
twenty years of age he located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and remained
there until 1868. He then joined his father at the home farm near Oak-
dale, and there conducted farming operations until his death in 1906. He
married Martha Clark, bom in the North of Ireland, married in Pittsburgh,
and died in 1868. Both were members of the United Presbyterian church;
he was a Democrat in politics.
(III) Frank Herman Kennedy, only child of James and Martha
(Clark) Kennedy, was bom in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. August i, 1866.
He attended the public schools, obtaining a good preparatory education,
and later entered Lafayette College, thence going to the law department
of the University of Michigan, whence he was graduated, class of 18S7.
He read law under D. D. Buice, of Pittsburgh, and in September, 1S90,
1672 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
was admitted to the Allegheny county bar. He began practice in Pitts-
burgh and is now one of the well established successful lawyers of that
city, has an office in the Berger Building, and practices in all city, state
and federal courts of the district. His home is the old Oakdale farm,
first owned by his grandfather at Oakdale, a valuable property, coal, oil
and gas bearing. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, and belongs to
the various bar associations of the city. Mr. Kennedy married, in 1891,
Caroline F. Bingey, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, daughter of George
and Emily (House) Bingey.
William A. Emich is a member of a family coming originally
EMICH from a part of the world than which there is none producing
a more capable and enterprising race in all the practical rela-
tions of life. The region referred to is that lying on the borderland of
France and Switzerland, where the population is of a highly composite
character, and where to the infinite painstaking care of the Germans is
added the brilliant aptness of the French. Mr. Emich's father, Adam
Emich, was a native of this region, and as a boy he came to the United
States in the year 1845. Upon arrival in this country he made his way
directly to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which became permanently his home.
Young as he was when he found himself an immigrant in this country,
he had already learned the trade of carpentering in his native land, and
this he at once began to practice for the purpose of earning a livelihood.
It was not long before he engaged in a contracting business, from which
time his fortunes became brighter and brighter, and he was soon doing a
large and flourishing business, and as time went on erected many important
buildings in the city of Pittsburgh. He was a man of influence and very
much of a student, and included a number of the early judges of the
Pittsburgh courts among his intimates. He was actively engaged in politics,
on the Republican side of the question, and not less so in fraternal and
social circles, holding membership in a great many organizations and
orders, among these being the Knights of Pythias and the Masonic Order.
Mr. Emich Sr. was a member of the German Lutheran church and very
active in the work in the community. He was married in Allegheny, Penn-
sylvania, to a lady from the same part of Europe as himself, Madeline
Bandy, who had come with her parents to this country as a child and with
them settled in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. To them were born five children,
four sons and a daughter.
William A. Emich, son of Adam and Madeline (Bandy) Emich, was
born in 1870 on the "North Side" of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was
educated in the schools of Allegheny, Pennsylvania. Upon completing his
studies he began his business career and while holding his first position,
it became expedient for the firm to employ an expert accountant to go over
their books, and it thus happened that Mr. Emich found an opportunity
to observe his methods, an opjwrtunity of which he was not slow to avail
himself. Under the guidance of this person he become an expert book-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1673
keeper himself. He then left the concern he had been with and became
bookkeeper for his father for a time, finally, however, severing all his
business connections and launching out for himself in a contracting business,
and from the first he prospered. In 1898 he erected the first apartment
with elevators in the city of Pittsburgh, the building still standing on
North avenue. He has been extremely active in the building world for
a long time and has put up seven hundred houses in Pittsburgh altogether.
In 1898, the same year as that in which occurred the construction of the
apartment mentioned above, Mr. Emich accepted the office of president of
the Standard Box and Manufacturing Company of Millvale, Pennsylvania.
At the time of his becoming its president the concern was but a small
one, and it is due in a large measure to Mr. Emich's intelligent efforts
and untiring energy that it has reached its present great proportions. While
Mr. Emich's largest business interest is thus situated in Millvale, Penn-
sylvania, he still continues to reside on the "North Side" of Pittsburgh,
and holds much property in the city. Mr. Emich is active in the general
life of the community, a prominent member of the Republican party, but
he does not aspire to office. He holds membership in many fraternities and
orders, is a member of the Society of American Mechanics, the Chamber
of Commerce, the Free and Accepted Masons, the Manufacturers and
Merchants Club, the Allied Dealers Association and the National Box
Association of the United States.
Mr. Emich married, in 1892, Jane May Guyton, a native of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. To Mr. and Mrs. Emich have been born three children,
two sons and a daughter, as follows: Howard William, Lawes and Made-
line A. Mr. Emich and his family are members of the Presbyterian
church.
John Ernest Roth, actively and prominently identified with
ROTH the various interests of the city of Pittsburgh, his birthplace,
is a descendant on both the paternal and maternal sides of a
German ancestry, and the excellent characteristics of that race of people
have been transmitted to him in a large degree, he being one of the re-
presentative citizens of that thriving city.
(I) Franz Roth, great-grandfather of John Ernest Roth, was a native
of Germany, in which country he spent his entire lifetime, and after com-
pleting his studies he learned the trade of miller, which occupation he
followed throughout his active years. He married and among their children
was John Dietrich, of whom further.
(II) John Dietrich Roth, son of Franz Roth, was bom in Germany,
died in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, while on a visit to the United States. He
was a blacksmith by trade, which line of work he followed for many years
in the village of Birkenfeld, where the family resided for several generations,
and he was also the owner of a flour mill, from wdiich he derived a fair in-
come. He was a member of the German Lutheran church, tliis being the re-
ligious faith of his family, and a man of influence in the community. His
i674 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
wife, Juliana (Kirsch) Roth, was also a native of Germany, where her death
occurred. They were the parents of four children: Franz Peter, resides
on his father's place in Germany, and followed the occupation of black-
smith ; Philopina, married Krist, both now deceased, he serving for
many years in the German army ; Caroline, married Christian Krist, who
is now deceased, was a tinsmith by trade, emigrated to this country, settling
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1889; she is now living in Knoxville, Penn-
sylvania; John Jacob, of whom further.
(III) John Jacob Roth, son of John Dietrich Roth, was born in the
village of Birkenfeld, Grand Duchy of Ogenburg, Germany, 1831, died in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, May 19, 1900. His education was acquired in
the schools of his native village, and he resided there until he was nineteen
years of age, when he emigrated to the United States, locating in Rochester,
New York, where he learned the trade of baker, and in 1852 removed to
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, settling on the South Side. He worked in the
city of Pittsburgh for a short period of time, and later established a bakery
on the South Side, which he conducted for a number of years. He was
also the proprietor of a hotel for many years, and invested considerable
capital in various other enterprises. He acquired a large amount of prop-
erty purchased with the savings of his labor, he being of industrious and
frugal habits. For a number of years he served as director of the German
Savings and Deposit Bank. He and his wife were members of the German
Evangelical Church on South Side. He married Elizabeth Young, born in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, January 5, 1838, died in that city, April 3, 1914,
daughter of Jacob and (Schwarm) Young. Jacob Young was born
in Germany, and after completing his studies he learned the trade of
cabinet maker; in young manhood he came to this country, settling in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he worked at his trade, and finally removed
to South Side and erected Bedford Hall, of which hotel he was proprietor
for a number of years. He and his wife were members of the Lutheran
church. After the death of his first wife, who was born in Germany,
coming to the United States in young womanhood, their marriage taking
place in Pittsburgh, he married twice, having four children by second wife
and three children by third wife. His first wife bore him three children:
John P. J., an iron merchant in Pittsburgh ; Elizabeth, aforementioned as
the wife of John Jacob Roth ; Mary F., married August Miller, now de-
ceased, who was a contractor and builder in Homestead, Pennsylvania ; she
resides in California. Of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Roth the
following two attained years of manhood and womanhood: Virginia C,
married Frederick Schuchman, now deceased, who was a merchant and
later a valve manufacturer ; she resides in Homestead, Pennsylvania ; John
Ernest, of whom further.
(IV) John Ernest Roth, son of John Jacob Roth, was born on Carson
street, twenty-eighth ward of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, November 25, 1868.
He attended the public schools of his native ward, the Pittsburgh High
School, and Trinity Hollow College at Washington, Pennsylvania. In
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1675
1886, at the age of eighteen years, he became an employee in the German
Savings and Trust Bank, located on the corner of Fourteenth street and
Carson street. South Side, Pittsburgh, his position being that of messenger.
He remained in the employ of the bank for fifteen years, during which
time he had advanced to the position of assistant cashier, this record
testifying eloquently to his faithfulness, efficiency and trustworthiness. He
tendered his resignation to the bank in order to accept the secretaryship
and treasurership of the Phillips Mine and Mill Supply Company, a posi-
tion which he is filling at the present time (1915), the company being one
of the largest manufacturing firms of its kind in the state. In 1900 he was
chosen president of the German Savings and Trust Bank of Pittsburgh,
the bank in which he started his business career as messenger, an honor
seldom accorded to any man, and is still serving in that capacity, dividing
his time between the two concerns. He is also actively interested in several
other industries of Pittsburgh and vicinity, serving as president of the
Homestead Valve Manufacturing Company, treasurer of the Munhall ^'alley
Land Company, director of the Birmingham Fire Insurance Company, and
others.
In 1889 the parents of John E. Roth moved to No. 166 Arlington
avenue, South Side, Pittsburgh, and he made his home with them until
after the death of his mother, removing in May, 1914, to his new house at
No. 6417 Bartlett street, "East End" of Pittsburgh, one of the finest re-
sidential sections of that city. He has in his possession a fine table which
was made by his grandfather' Young, who was a cabinet maker; the table
has carved legs and is a beautiful specimen of the early style of handwork.
It is highly prized by Mr. Roth, it occupying a conspicuous place in his
home. Mr. Roth is a member of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church
of Pittsburgh, and since attaining his majority has given his allegiance to
the Republican party. He has served as a member of the Central Board
of Education of the city of Pittsburgh. Mr. Roth married, September 18,
1913, Anna Margaret Rindaub, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
James P. Colter, a member of the bar of Crawford county,
COLTER Pennsylvania, is a descendant of ancestors who have been
prominent in the history of Pennsylvania for several gen-
erations.
There are many Colters named in the Pennsylvania Archives as ser\-ing
in the Revolution. The great-grandfather of James P. Colter was killed
in a battle near Philadelphia, while in that ser\-ice, leaving a family in
Philadelphia, including Thomas Colter, born April 20. 1765. This son
continued to live in Philadelphia until of age. making his home in the family
of an uncle named Brooks.
On coming of age, he went from Philadelphia to the Susquehanna \'alley,
settling a few miles southeast of Williamsport. at Sunbury, Northumberland
county. He there, in April, 1792, married Elizabeth Logue. To this mar-
riage were born three daughters, while the residence continued in the Sus-
1676 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
quehanna Valley. In 1797 he moved with his family to Crawford county,
settling in Venango township. During the time of their residence in
Crawford county, nine other children were born to these pioneer settlers,
including, on March i, 1803, Thomas Colter, father of James P. Colter.
This Thomas Colter lived during his whole lifetime in Venango town-
ship, Crawford county. He was a successful farmer and an exceptionally
forceful citizen of the county. He died September 29, 1854. Mr. Colter's
mother was Maria J. (Culbertson) Colter, a daughter of William Culbert-
son, Esq., of Edinboro, Erie county, Pennsylvania. Her father was a son
of Andrew Culbertson, of Williamsport, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania.
Andrew Culbertson, also, was a soldier in the Revolution. At the close
of the war he settled at Williamsport and became active and prominent m
business enterprises of that locality.
Culbertson's Mills, the Culbertson Road, and the historic Culbertson
mansion, now the home of the Minnequa Club of Williamsport, are inter-
esting historic features of that locality. It is said of Andrew Culbertson
that the way he came to settle at Duboistown, just across the Susquehanna
river from Williamsport, was that, as captain of a company in pursuit of
hostile Indians, the trail led to that locality. He saw the natural advantages
of that vicinity, its heavy timbers, sv/ift, clear river and fertile soil and
took up large claims of land at an early date. He continued his residence
at Williamsport the balance of his life and died there in 1797.
His son, William Culbertson, Esq., married in 1794, while living at
Williamsport. He moved thence to Edinboro, Erie county, in 1795, and
continued his residence there until his death, which occurred November 11,
1843. I^e built a mill at the outlet of Conneauttee Lake, took up land
claims and served as justice of the peace over forty continuous years. His
daughter, Maria J. Culbertson, was born November 17, 1806. In April,
1825, occurred her marriage with Thomas Colter, before mentioned, and
her residence in Venango township, Crawford county, which continued to
be her residence the balance of her life.
In the lives of these ancestors, there was much of thrilling interest of
common knowledge among the early settlers. Incidents of the war of
the Revolution, the Indian wars, of the primitive modes of travel from the
Eastern part of the state to Northwestern Pennsylvania and of the up-
buildings of new settlements — all were discussed among them as matters
of commonplace occurrence. The descendants who heard them have much
cause for regret that they did not make accurate record of such interesting
and really historic narrative. But they have, to some extent, worked into
local records, and have prominence in county histories.
From the glimpses we thus have of their lives, it is easy to understand
that such early settlers were subjects of sincere respect and even venera-
tion. They were Christian pioneers who builded better than they knew.
James P. Colter, a native of Venango township, Crawford county, and
descended from the pioneer settlers above mentioned, attended the common
schools of his native township, prepared for college at the Edinboro State
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1677
Normal School, and graduated from Allegheny College in 1868. He read
law with Derickson and Brawley, of Meadville, Pennsylvania, and was
admitted to the Crawford county bar in August, 1871. He went at once to
Armstrong county and engaged in the practice of his profession in Arm-
strong and adjoining counties for about eighteen years. In August, 1889,
he returned to Meadville and continued in active practice. In the way of
public service, he served as school controller about fifteen years, was chair-
man of the board of examiners for students at law in Crawford county for
about the same length of time, and was elected three times as city solicitor
for the city of Meadville, Pennsylvania, serving the city, in all, in that office,
eight years. In these appointments to public service he earned and was
accorded an excellent reputation as an earnest, faithful and competent
worker.
In his general law practice he is noted for the care and attention that
he gives to the interests of his clients and has attained a standing in his
profession that can only be obtained by a lawyer of ability. While an
active practitioner, he inclines to an adjustment of dififerences between
parties, so far as may be reasonably possible, without an actual court trial.
But he does not hesitate to resort to the courts, for his clients, when such
course becomes necessary. This is shown by the court records, and by
the supreme court reports. He has shown exceptionally clear judgment in
the matter of faithful attention to his regular work, rather than to the
many attractive possibilities of office seeking.
In the matter of associations, Mr. Colter is a past master in Free
Masonry, a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is a citizen of strong
public spirit, and is always ready to lend a hand in any public movement
that tends to promote the general welfare of the community. He has served
for over twenty years as a trustee of Allegheny College, is a member of
the executive committee, and secretary of the board as well as of the
executive committee.
Mr. Colter married, June 11, 1874, at Salem, Ohio, Mary E. Archbold,
who is a daughter of the Rev. Israel Archbold and Frances F. Archbold.
Mr. Archbold was for many years an active minister of the Pittsburgh
Methodist Episcopal Conference, and his wife, Frances F. Archbold, was
a daughter of William Dana, who was of the New England family of that
name. To this marriage were born Mary Culbertson Colter, now Mrs. R.
G. English, Frances Foster Colter, now I\Irs. E. A. Walton, Alice Dana
Colter, and Thomas Archbold Colter.
This name is compounded of two Norman and French
RUSSELL words — "roz" meaning castle, and "el" a synonym for
"eau" meaning water. The name was first given to a
castle in 1045 in Lower Normandy, and implied a tower or castle by the
water. Hugh, son of William Bertrand, was invested with this stronghold
and took its name, calling himself Hugh Rozel, from which came Rosel,
1678 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Rousel, and the present orthography. The Bertrand ancestry is traceable
as far back as the seventh century to the Norwegian Zarls, to Rerick, the
first King of Normandy, down through King Harold, who reigned
there in 885. William Bertrand and his sons, Roger, Hugh, Theobold and
Richard, accompanied William on his first expedition to England, and re-
ceived large grants of the public domain confiscated from the subjugated
Saxons. These were the founders of the English Russells. John Russell,
who lived in the sixteenth century, was of this descent, a son of James, in
the west of England. He rose in favor with Henry VHL, held many offices,
and was one of Henry's executors. Upon the accession of Edward VI. he
continued near the throne and distinguished himself at St. M&ry's Cyst,
and was created Earl of Bedford. The fourth Earl of Bedford was a
Georgian statesman, and Lord John Russell was premier of England in
1846 and again in 1865. William H. Russell, the famous war correspondent,
known as "Bull Run" Russell, is another of the name and lineage. In
this country we have had the Hon. John E. Russell, and William A. Russell,
Massachusetts congressmen, and Governor William E. Russell. Conspicu-
ous representatives of this family appear in all the professions, in civil
affairs and in the annals of war. The armorial bearings are as follows:
Crest: A demi lion, rampant, collared sable, studded or, holding a cross
of the shield.
Samuel Russell was born in Lancaster, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania,
September 14, 1812. For a number of years he lived in Pittsburgh, where
he followed his occupation of cabinet making, in which he was skilled.
Later he removed to Erie county, Pennsylvania. He married, September
14, 1837, Rosanna Badish, born August 30, 1818, died March 30, 1892, a
daughter of Walter Badish, who was one of the first settlers in Erie
county. Samuel Russell died January 7, 1871. Children: i. Mary, bom
October 10, 1838, died April 11, 1900: she married, March 11, 1858, A.
F. Cornell, who died in 1888; they had children:. Benjamin G., Pearl R.
and Myrtle. 2. Loren, born May 21, 1840, died June 11, 1843. 3. Maria Sus-
anna, born February 6, 1842; married, March 13, 1867, Dr. Lester Joslin,
a son of Levi Joslin, of Erie county ; no children ; Dr. Lester Joslin was
graduated from the Western Reserve University, at Cleveland, Ohio, and
from the University of Michigan ; for thirty-six years he practiced in Ionia,
Michigan, going there in 1867, and at various times was city physician
there; he was a Republican, a member of the Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks and of the Free and Accepted Masons, and was an active
worker in the interests of the M;ethodist church; he died in 1903, at the
age of sixty-six years. 4. Caroline, born August 3, 1843, died May 8,
1872 ; she married Lewis R. Amidon, and they had children : Gertrude E.,
Frank and Russell. 5. John, of whom further.
John Russell, son of Samuel and Rosanna (Badish) Russell, was bom
in Erie, Pennsylvania, July 19, 1848, died January 23, 1912. He removed
to Summer Hill township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, and there cul-
tivated a farm of one hundred and forty acres for general products. He
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1679
was a Republican in politics, and a member of the local Grange, Patrons of
Husbandry, and a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
He married, September 20, 1876, Jessie F. Rice, and had one child, Bert
Samuel, born May 21, 1878; he graduated from Erie Business College in
1896, also from the Chicago College of Dental Surgery in 1901 ; he is a
member of the Free and Accepted Masons and the Benevolent and Pro-
tective Order of Elks; he married, November 12, 1902, Charlotte E.,
daughter of Dr. Samuel Kinney, of Mineral Ridge, Ohio; children: Paul
S., bom September 23, 1903; Bernice A., born August 3, 1905; Jessie E.,
born November 19, 1907.
Henry Rice, father of !Mrs. Jessie F. (Rice) Russell, was born in
1812, and died May 29, 1888. He was a farmer, owning a fine farm of
one hundred and twenty acres, was a salesman for the Buck Eye Company,
and owned the first pepper mill in that part of the country. He was a
Republican in politics. Mr. Rice married, November 15, 1833, Martha
Moore, born October 7, 181 1, died January 5, 1899. Children : i. William, born
October 14, 1835; died May 30, 1908; he married, February 22, 1857, Cor-
nelia Ross, died March 24, 1915; they had children: Lily V., bom April
10, 1858; James H., born February 3, i860; John T., born April 13, 1863,
died April 8, 1865. 2. John F., born October 20, 1836, was killed at the
battle of Mfelvin Hill, July i, 1862; the Grand Army of the Republic Post
of Waterford, Pennsylvania, w-as named in honor of him. 3. Elizabeth,
born April 5, 1838, died October 15, 1869; she married, 1856, Louis Stem,
who died May 10, 1900; children: Curt A. Stem and Dr. H. L. Stem. 4.
Mary, born January 5, 184b, died February 22, 1907; she married, April
13, 1871, Charles H. Tififany; no children. 5. Hiram, born March 3, 1842;
he married, October 6, 1868, Henrietta Whittlesey, who died December 10,
1899; children: Edith L., Lena E., Anna, E. Rea, Katherine A. 6. Sarah,
bom August 12, 1845, died in 1909; she married, August 25, 1865, Louis
R. Corbin; no children. 7. Lydia L., born October 3, 1847; married, Feb-
ruary 13, 1873, William L. Alcorn; children: Martha E., James H. L.,
Mabel, William L., Sada May. 8. Wilson, born May 14, 1849 ; married,
April 13, 1871, Wilda Gregg; children: Lena, Mary. 9. James H., born
September 30, 1854; unmarried. 10. Jessie F., bom at Waterford, Erie
county, Pennsylvania, October 4, 1856; married, September 20, 1876, John
Russell.
Alan, first Lord High Steward of Scotland, married Margaret,
BOYD daughter of Fergus, Earl of Galloway, and had five children,
Simon, the third child, being progenitor of the Boyds. Alan
died in 1153, and Simon became the second High Steward of Scotland.
Robert Boyd, son of Simon Boyd, being of fair complexion was called
"Boidle" or "Bordel" meaning the Gaelic, Boyt or Bo — "fair or beautiful".
This became a surname. Robert Boyd "the fair" is the common ancestor
of all of the name Boyd. He died prior to 1240 A. D., and left a son,
Robert Boyd. Dean Castle, long the residence of the ancient family of
i68o WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Boyd, stood about a mile from Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, on the west coast of
Scotland. The descent to the American Boyds during the centuries has
been in many instances through younger sons, of whom no record is kept
in the register's office in Scotland. The family early appeared in the North
of Ireland, coming from Scotland, there married and bred the hardy
Scotch-Irish who in America have achieved fame and honor. Descendants
of these North of Ireland boys settled in Northern New York, New York
City and Pennsylvania, prior to the Revolution. There was also an early
settlement in Virginia. The Boyds, like all the Scotch-Irish, were hardy,
energetic, desirable citizens, and in settling in a new country usually chose
the rugged hillside, rather than the more fertile river bottoms, like the
Dutch. This was due to their early environment, as each race chose loca-
tion in accordance with its youthful surroundings. The Boyd families
in Erie county, Pennsylvania, trace to the same Scotch ancestor, Robert
"the fair", through the Irish line, the two branches in Waterford tracing
to the same ancestor in county Antrim, Ireland. William Boyd, the Ameri-
can ancestor, came from the North of Ireland in early life, and there is
little doubt that he was in Virginia and Maryland before his appearance
in Northumberland county, Pennsylvania. James Anderson, who came to
Erie county, Pennsylvania, with William Boyd, was a relative, the two
families being closely connected in Ireland.
(I) William Boyd, born in the North of Ireland in 1731, was of
Scotch Presbyterian ancestry. He came to the United States and after try-
ing his fortunes in Virginia and Maryland, came to Pennsylvania, first
settling in Northumberland county. There were other Boyds in Virginia,
part coming to Pennsylvania and part remaining in Virginia. When they
left Northumberland county, the families again separated, some crossing
the mountains to Westmoreland county. William Boyd, however, in the
winter of 1801 and 1802, in company with Captain John Tracy, and his
own sons, David, John and James Boyd, also his three daughters, with
James Anderson, the husband of Margaret Boyd (one of William's
daughters), settled in and about Waterford, Erie county, Pennsylvania.
William Boyd's wife, Sarah, born in Ireland, May 28, 1741, bore him
nine children: i. Margaret, born November 29, 1759, married James
Anderson (see Anderson family in this work). 2. Esther, born January
29, 1 761, married a Thomas and has descendants living in the West. 3.
James, born September 17, 1762, married Elizabeth Lattimore; children:
Nancy, William, Robert, David, John, James, Thomas, Flavel and Harvey.
4. William, born September 10, 1765. 5. Nancy, November 28, 1768,
married Judge John Vincent (see Vincent family). 6. John, born January
3, 1771. 7. Robert, born January, 1773. 8. David, of whom further.
9. Thomas, born October 23, 1778.
(II) David Boyd, eighth child of William and Sarah Boyd, was born
May 25, 1775, and came from Northumberland county with his father in the
winter of 1801-1802. He settled in Waterford township, became a pros-
perous farmer and left behind him an honored name. He married Jane
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1681
Gillian and left issue : Hannah, Nancy, Adam, James, Jefferson, Sallie,
Mary, Caroline, Adeline, Weldon, William Johnson, of whom further.
(III) William Johnson Boyd, son of David and Jane (Gillian) Boyd,
was born in Le Boeuf township, Erie county, Pennsylvania, February 6,
1809, died December 21, 1889. After his marriage he purchased a farm
of fifty acres on the turnpike about three miles south of Waterford, built
a log house for his bride and there both resided the remainder of their lives.
He was a Democrat, and both were members of the Methodist Episcopal
church. He was a man highly esteemed and both he and his wife were
greatly beloved. Mr. Boyd married, May 26, 1836, Parmelia Mattison, born
May 17, 1812, died September 17, 1903. Children: i. Jane J., born March
4, 1837, killed by a lightning stroke. May 30, 1849. 2. James Adam, of
whom further. 3. Martha Ann, born July 20, 1844, died October 25, 1865.
4. David Clinton, born May 25, 1849, now residing at the homestead; he
married Orpha, daughter of Gates Manross. 5. George J., born October 13,
1854, died March 2, 1855.
(IV) James Adam Boyd, eldest son of William Johnson and Parmelia
(Mattison) Boyd, was born in the log house, still standing in Le Boeuf
township, Erie county, Pennsylvania, on the old Pittsburgh and Erie Turn-
pike, three miles below Waterford, December i, 1838, died at Waterford,
February 24, 1910. He attended the public schools, spent his boyhood days
on the home farm and in early life began learning the carpenter's trade.
He became a very expert worker in wood, and all his life was engaged in
some form of carpentering, except for a few years following the Civil
War, when he was in poor health and sought other employment. After
recovering his health sufficiently, he went to the oil fields where he engaged
in teaming, but did not very long continue, returning to his trade. In 1870
he moved with his family to Waterford, but until 1889 was employed as a
pattern maker in one of the large stove manufacturing plants at Erie.
About the first of January, 1889, he purchased the furniture store and
undertaking establishment of Mr. Putnam in Waterford and for twenty
years successfully engaged in their operation. He was a good citizen, a
capable business man and one held in the highest esteem. His home on
East First street, now the home of his family, he built himself. He was a
Democrat in politics, serving at various times as school director and council-
man. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and an active
member of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Free and Accepted Masons
and the Junior Order of United American Mechanics.
His military service was in Company B, One Hundred and Second
Regiment, Pennsylvania, in which he enlisted March 6, 1865, serving until
June 23, 1865, when he was honorably discharged. He joined his regiment
in the intrenchment before Petersburg, the One Hundred and Second being
one of the attacking brigades that advanced on the enemy's works, March
25, 1865. The regiment participated in the events preceding Appomattox,
then was sent to join General Sherman. But the surrender of General
Johnston made further offensive movements unnecessary, and after a few
i682 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
weeks' delay the regiment returned to the nighborhood of Washington,
where it mustered out of service.
Mr. Boyd married in Le Boeuf township, Erie county, Pennsylvania,
Mlarch 6, 1867, Sarah Jane McLean, born October 2, 1837, daughter of
George McLean, born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and his wife,
Elizabeth (Sebring) McLean. Children of James Adam and Sarah Jane
(McLean) Boyd : i. Macie M., born March g, 1870, died April 26, 1870. 2.
George M., born in Waterford, April 18, 1872, died May 3, 1876. 3. Anna
S., born in Waterford, May 24, 1875 > was graduated from Waterford
Academy, class of 1892, and until his retirement was her father's valued
assistant; in the fall of 1909, in association with her sister, Rena M., she
purchased a grocery business of Henry Lytle, at Waterford, and as Boyd
& Boyd conducts a well-stocked grocery and china store that is a miracle
of cleanliness, order and system. 4. Rena M., born September 29, 1878, at
Waterford ; was graduated from Waterford Academy, class of 1896, was
also an able assistant in her father's establishment, is now a partner in the
grocery firm of Boyd & Boyd. The sisters are members of the Methodist
Episcopal church, as is their mother, and are members of Hive No. 108,
Ladies of the Maccabees, Rena M. being the record keeper.
(The McLean Line.)
The McLean's have every reason to be proud of their history and an-
cestry. It may be regarded as an unquestionable fact that the McLean's
are purely of Highland origin. They can trace their origin with precision
to Old Dougall of Scone, who must have flourished about the year
1 100, and has been described as an influential, just and venerable man.
Of all the clans, none is more deserving of honorable mention. For cen-
turies it held a conspicuous place for independence of bearing and dis-
interested loyalty in the history of Scotland. Rapidly grew until it reached
its zenith, at which time, during the reign of James VI., it was accounted
the most powerful of any in the Hebrides.
The lands belonging to the clan at the time of the final forfeiture of
the Lords of the Isles (1493) comprised the greater part of Mull, the
whole of Coll and Tierce, portions of Scarba, Islay, and districts in Morvem
and Knapdale.
Similar to all Highland names, that of McLean has undergone many
changes. Perhaps none other can exhibit a greater variety of more curious
fluctuations. The clan takes its name from Gilleain, known as Gilleain na
Tuaidah, who flourished about the year 1250. To this name, the word Mac,
meaning son, is added, showing the clan is composed of the sons of Gil-
leain. The official records of Scotland gave many curious spellings, which
either prove that there was no established form or that the scribes were
very indififerent as to correctness. The oldest spelling is that recorded by
Stoddart, whose Gilleain's son's name is spelled Gilleain Malsilyn.
The fifteenth century presents no less than twelve difl^erent ways of
recording the name, while in the sixteenth century there were twenty-seven
dififerent modes, and we find in 1546 McLean first spelled as the name is
written here.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1683
John S. McLean was born in Ireland, June 11, 1748. He was the son
of a rich gentleman ; was well educated ; reared in luxury and wealth ; had
black hair and brown eyes ; was a man about 5 feet 8j4 inches tall, and
good looking. Possessing a great desire to visit America he came to this
country. When the Revolutionary War broke out he enlisted in service. In
Captain Denton's company, New York Line, he became lieutenant, militia
Dutchess county, Seventh Regiment of New York, serving seven years for
his adopted country. He was heard to relate that for three days he went
without any food, having only tobacco, and after a day's hard fighting, laid
down on the battlefield, in the morning finding his hair frozen to the ground
in the blood of his slain comrades. He intended to again return to his
native land and had a great desire to do so, but on hearing of the death of
his father and that he would have nothing to return to, as the oldest son
would inherit all, the desire ceased and he remained, learning the cooper's
trade in order to make a living. On August 31, 1779, he married Sarah
Armstrong. They had lived some years in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania,
and during the latter part of the eighteenth century moved to West Ben-
ton, Yates county, New York. He was one of the first members of the
Presbyterian church there, which he helped to build. He lived to the good
old age of ninety-three years, always enjoying the blessings of good health.
Their children were: i. William, born October 23, 1780, married Elizabeth
— ', born July 25, 1791. 2. Alexander, born August 31, 1782. 3, Elizabeth, born
October 10, 1784. 4. Alexander, born January 18, 1785. 5. Mary, bom
November 15, 1787. - 6. John A., born June 22, 1790. 7. George, of whom
further. 8. Sarah, born May 17, 1795. 9. Deborah, born August 15, 1797.
George McLean, son of John S. McLean, was born March 7, 1793, in
Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. In early life he moved to West Benton,
Yates county. New York. On hearing of the great wooded country by the
glowing accounts written them by two of their sons, Daniel S. and W.
Edwin, who had come to Waterford township and built their homes, he
and his wife decided to leave the town of Pulteney, Steuben count}'. New
York, and journeyed to the far West as it then seemed to them. On Mon-
day the first of April, 1847, they bade good-bye to their friends and the old
log house which had been a shelter for their eleven children, leaving with
two wagon loads, two loads of household goods having been shipped from
Canandaigua, thirty miles distant from Pulteney. A spring wagon carried
the father, mother, Deborah, Drusilla, Ansel P. and Sarah Jane, Lewis H.
making the entire journey on foot. Sarah Jane, then only nine years old
and small of her age, having recovered from an attack of the measles and
wearing green goggles to keep the bright rays of "Old Sol" from her eyes,
often was spoken to by the people as they journeyed from village to hamlet
as the "little old grandmother". On Saturday night, after six days of
travel across country, a distance of about one hundred and seventy-five
miles, they arrived at the home of the son W. Edwin, who had located
here a year or two previous to this. They lived on the \\'ilson Moore farm
in a log house for one year, then moved to the Clemens farm on the Turn-
i684 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
pike road two and one-half miles south of Waterford. This farm comprised
three hundred and fifty-six acres, and has since been known as the
McLean farm. Here they lived the remainder of their lives, hard-working,
prosperous farmers. Here the scene of pleasant home gatherings ; here the
wanderer found rest and shelter for the night. The young people of the
neighborhood enjoyed many a delightful evening at this home; many a
winter's evening the family were gathered around the fireplace paring apples,
long strings of which are hung up to dry, after which they joined in song,
the father leading, each one carrying his own part. Here grandfather
heard the summons, "Well done, come up higher," on March 17, 1872,
and grandmother followed June 5, 1875.
He married, November 19, 1815, Elizabeth Sebring, who died June 5,
1875, daughter of Abraham and Nancy (Harris) Sebring, of Seneca county,
New York. Abraham Sebring was a son of John C. Sebring, who was the
father of two other sons, namely : Folkard, born 1759, died May 12, 1837,
buried in McNeal Cemetery, Lodi, New York, and Cornelius, born August
17, 1763, died M'arch 2, 1828, married and had a son, John C, also a grand-
son, John C, of Lodi, New York. John C. Sebring Sr. and another
man owned a fleet of ships which were captured by the French in 1800.
Abraham Sebring, the oldest son of John C. Sebring, was born
June 2^, 1758, in Bridgewater, Somerset county. New Jersey,
died April 16, 1839, buried in Le Compt Cemetery Lodi, New
York, as was also his wife. Children of Abraham and Nancy (Harris)
Sebring: i. Daniel, married Sarah ; children: Abigail and Charles. 2.
John, married and was the father of two children : Cyrus and John Nelson.
3. Catherine, became the wife of Joshua Cashun ; children: John, William,
Catherine, Hiram. 4. Mary, became the wife of James Armstrong; child-
ren: i. Charles Weller, married Orrilla Conkrite; children: Lee, Newman,
Mary, Addie. ii. William, married Hannah Mann ; children : Charles,
Henry, George, Mary, Alma. iii. David, married twice, three children by
first wife: Edward, Harvey, Sarah, and two children by second wife:
Belle and Maud. iv. Sebring, married (first) , (second) Mary Wise,
children by first wife : Charles, Mandana, Eva, Samuel, v. Amelia, be-
came the wife of Robert Squires; children: Edgar, Lee, Lilly, vi. Nancy,
became the wife of John Hardy; child, Frank, vii. Alexander, married
Louise , and had an adopted son. viii. Harrison, married Sarah Good-
ell ; children: Barnum, Emery, Emily, Harriet, ix. Dianna, became the
wife of Charles Coryell ; children : Minnie, Rollin, Bertie, Fredrick, Addie,
married Myron Coryell, x. Charles, xi. John. 5. Johannah, became the
wife of John Ross; children: John, William, Anna, Johannah. 6. Eliza-
beth, became the wife of George McLean, aforementioned. 7. Margaret,
became the wife of Peter Van Zant : children : i. Erastus, married Mary
Rice ; two children : Spence and Alfred, ii. Elizabeth, became the wife of
Thomas Nash ; one child, Merrill, iii. Nancy, became the wife of Arthur
Nash ; one child, Charles, deceased, iv. Jared, married Mary Bane ; two
daughters : Alwina, became the wife of Timothy Porter, children : Worth-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1685
ington, Capitola, Nettie, Ella, Rose, Kenira; Theresa, became the wife of
Robert Fulture; children: John, Mark, Emma. v. Harvey Lake, married
Rachel Willson; children: Charles and Margaret, vi. Charles, unmarried,
vii. Esther, became the wife of James Evans; several children. 8. Charity,
became the wife of Chandler Newman; children: Jackson, Emma, Sarah,
Dianna. 9. Dianna, became the wife of Richard Meddick ; children :
i. Augustus, born June 10, 1836. ii. Jackson, born May 26, 1838, married.
May 21, 1865, Ellen Martin; children: Nina, Frank, Harry, iii. Lucy,
born November 10, 1839, deceased, iv. Alonzo, born May 25, 1842. v.
Orrilla, born October 20, 1844. vi. Emma, born November 19, 1846, became
the wife of Oliver Monroe, June 29, 1876, one child, Grace, born April 3,
1879, became the wife of Floyd Langworthy, June 29, 1905, four children.
Children of George and Elizabeth (Sebring) McLean, born in Pulteney,
Steuben county. New York: i. Joannah, born November 6, 1816; died
March 29, 1881 ; married, January 7, 1839, George H. Whitney, who died
October 15, 1869; children: i. Elizabeth, born February 2, 1840, died Jan-
uary I, 1859; married David Stowe ; child, Mary. ii. Phebe, born October
5, 1841, died July 8, 1862; married Harrison Martin; child, George Edwin,
born June 18, 1S58. iii. Anna, born July 21, 1843. died August 26, 1872 ; mar-
ried Charlie Thompson ; children : Annette, married Bert Hare ; three chil-
dren ; George, married Emma McQuay ; Agnes, married Will Sherwood, three
children ; Chancy, married Lettie Ash ; he is deceased, iv. Charles, born
March 11, 1846; married Rachel Boyd; children: Bowman, married Blanch
Flaugh, four children ; Ray, deceased ; Glenn, v. Eliza, born February 10,
1848, died September 23, 1849. vi. Addie, born June 18, 185 1 ; married
(first) Thomas Ghere, who died December 16, 1890; married (second) Leroy
T. Burgess; children of first marriage: Ella S., born October 18, 1869; mar-
ried Charles Shearer, died December 5, 1909; three children; Harry F., born
April 22, 1873, died December 22, 1881 ; Frank P., born October 2, 1876, died
October 26, 1882 ; John Lee, born January 13, 1884, married Efifie Wade. vii.
Will, born August 31, 1853, died August i, 1913 ; married (first) January i,
1875, Mary Ett Martin, (second) Sarah Cole, (third) Mrs. Caroline Hime-
baugh; children of second wife: George, married Ella Stafford, three chil-
dren; Elsie, married Clayton Hale, three children; Dane, married Bertha
Ray ; Grace, married George Stafford, two children ; Hazel, married William
Kauiifman, one child. 2. Daniel Sebring, bom May 23, 1818, died April 3,
1886; married, October 3, 1840, Esther Gillett, died August i, 1886: chil-
dren: i. Lewis, born September 22, 1842, died November 22, 1875: married,
December 19, 1867, Carrie J. Moore, who married (second) Jerred Avery,
and died December 19, 1907; children of Mr. and Mrs. McLean: Clyde C,
born April 11, 1872, married, October 14, 1897, Gertrude M. ]\IcClung, two
children: Lois William, born May i, 1903; Dorothy, born August 4. 1904;
Madge Ella, born July 19, 1874, married. October 17, 1899. Eugene Harris,
three children : Mildred Frances, born January 28, 1901 ; Ella Marian, bom
October 7, 1903 ; Helen Marjorie, born October 7, 1903 ;. ii. Roxina, born
October 15, 1845, died December 17, 1845. iii. George, born March 19,
i686 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
1847; married, September 25, 1878, R. Delia White; children: Clinton Pel-
ton, born December 2, 1881, died July 29, 1882; Daniel Sebring, born April
8, 1883, died August 19, 1883; Vera Esther, born November 5, 1886, married^
February 10, 1906, Merle D. Wilkins, one child ; Lyle, born May 24, 1889,
died May 24, 1890; Isadore, born May 31, 1892, died September 15, 1895.
iv. Willard, born September 21, 1849, died November 10, 1910; married,
December 26, 1876, Flora M. Coover; children: Ward, born July 5, 1878,
married Grace Tracy ; Ray. v. William, born April 8, 1852, died March
27, 1899; married, January 13, 1880, Eliza Coover Merritt, who died in
1909; child, Maude, married Grant Langdon, two children, vi. Clarissa,
bom April 17, 1856; married, July 10, 1883, Mike Coover; children: Eugene,
Georgiana, married Walter Black, vii. Eugene, born August 20, 1861, died
September 3, 1880. viii. Jennie, born February 6, 1866; married, February
3, 1885, Winters Campbell; children: Esther, born February 21, 1886; mar-
ried, January 14, 1904, Harry McWilliams, six children ; Clarence, born
December 29, 1892 ; Arthur, born April 14, 1897. 3- William Edwin, born
March 11, 1820, died November 29, 1875; married, November 26, 1843,
Clarissa Gillett, died May 30, 1868; children: i. Clinton, born May 10,
1851, died September 26, 1852. ii. Elizabeth, married E. E. French; chil-
dren: Florence, married Mont Craig, two children; Georgia, married
Thomas Thornton, four children ; Edwin A., married Lois Eby De Jarnette ;
Guy B., married Leonora Octa Smith ; Daisy L., married H. M. Howard.
iii. Roxina, born 1853, died February 21, 1903; married Dr. O.
L. Abbey, died January 19, 1905; child, Fred, died September i,
1906. iv. Clark, born October 24, 1858; married Nita Smith;
children : Lynn, Edwin, Clinton, Clark, Albert, Susan, May. v.
Lynn, born 1863, died July 27, 1886. 4. George Jr., born December 14,
1821, deceased; married (first) July 16, 1845, Catherine Riley, deceased;
married (second) March 13, 1855, Mrs. Anna Wygant; children of first
wife: i. Rose, married (first) Mr. McLyn, (second) Mr. Skinner, ii. Frank,
married a Miss Van Tyle, two children: George and Kathleen, iii. Irene,
married B. J. Wright, three children: Nannie, Grace, Prescott; child of
second wife: iv. Kate. 5. Lewis Hoyt, born February 15, 1824, died No-
vember 4, 1896; married, September 16, 1847, Mary Elizabeth Lamphier,
who died April 30, 1894; children: i. Francis Edwin, born June
4, 1849, killed by cars on Pennsylvania railroad crossing, June
9, 1913; married, January 30, 1872, Lucinda Cottrell ; children:
Jessie Nellie, born November 5, 1872, died November 8, 1876; Frank
Leslie, born September 7, 1877, died August 15, 1878; Bessie Wave, born
December 30, 1880; Russel Matthew Kilgore (adopted son), born April
10, 1898. ii. Benjamin Lamphier, born January 29, 185 1, died April 4,
1851. iii. Charles Arnold, born May 29, 1853; married (first) August 25,
1874, Clemantina C. Cutshall, who died June 15, 1887; married (second)
October 19, 1887, Alma E. Herriott; children of first wife: Frank Spencer,
bom May 10, 1879, died March 28, 1893 ; Stella Fern, born August 24,
1883, died September 15, 1886; Minnie Alice, born March 4, 1886, died
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1687
March 22, 1886; children of second wife: Mary Edna, born August 9,
1888; Lewis Elmer, born October 7, 1889, died March 6, 1891 ; John
Wilham, born October 12, 1891 ; LesHe Harold, born November 20, 1893 ;
Mildred Grace, born September i, 1896; Charlie Kenneth, born September
15, 1898. iv. Mary Elizabeth, born August 27, 1854, died October 21, 1854.
V. Viola Adell, born August 30, 1856, died May 3, 1865. vi. John Chandler,
born January 6, 1861, married, May 24, 1881, Flora O. Starrett, who died
February 6, 191 1; children: Calvin Randall, born 1882, married Jessie
Thomas, one child; Roger Clififord, born 1883, died 1906, married Inez
Chapman, two children; Mabel Grace, born December, 1885, married June,
1911, Rev. Blaine Schaffner; Paul, born 1887, died 1887. vii. George Hiram,
born October 15, 1864, died July 21, 1883. 6. Deborah, born July 19,
1827, died March 10, 1912; married, January 22, 1857, George Moore,
who died October 5, 1907; children: i. May E., born December 17, 1859.
ii. Lizzie, born December 23, 1868, died March 7, i86g. iii. Gordon V.,
born May 18, 1871, died June 24, 1905. 7. Drusilla, born December 11,
1829, died March 24, 1896; married, November 12, 1849, Henry Fullerton,
who died in April, 1886; children: i. Joannah, born October 29, 1849, died
June 14, 1891 ; married Allen Laird, children : George, Maud, Gertrude,
Grace, May, Ralph, Guy. ii. Stephen, born February 5, 1851. iii. Mary,
born May 18, 1852, died 1897; married Henry Brown; children: Agnes,
Olive, Will, Belle, Robert, Reuben, Charlie, Guy. iv. William Adelbert,
"born November 15, 1853; married Estella Allen ; children: Perry F. and Or-
rin. V. Armond, born January 30, 1857; married, April 28, 1887, Sarah
Shipman. vi. Ida,- born January 7, 1861 ; married L. R. Howe; children:
Fred and Armond. vii. George, born January 3, 1862; married Beryl Hold-
«n, child, Irene F., married Fred Cottrell. viii. Pauline, born
July 4, 1863, died February 17, 1864. ix. Emma, born September
2, 1864; married Joseph Buzza ; children: Will, Minnie, Blanch,
deceased; Bessie. 8. John Sebring, born September 18, 1830, died
September 15, 1879; married, January 2, 1865, Sophia J. Boyd, who
died March 20, 1904; children: i. Rose M., born July 6, 1865; married,
July 6, 1881, Horace J. Courtright; children: Lillian M., born April 16,
1882, married, April 28, 1909, Fred Knickerbocker; Glennie, bom August
2, 1885, married, August 2, 1910, Lydia Trainer; Mabel A., born November
18, 1888, married, January 14, 1907, Gray Shelden, two children ; Clyde
M., born August 7, 1891 ; married, November 14, 1914. Lucy Bennink;
Florence H., born February 14, 1898; Lester A., born February 4, 1900;
Gerald R., born January 18, 1903. ii. Rachel C, born July 6. 1867; married,
June 6, 1900, Arthur M. Harris; children: Viola, Kenneth, Edwin, Cora,
iii. George B., born August 8, 1869 ; married, June 20, 1900, Nellie M.
Tripp; child, George B. Jr. iv. Elizabeth J., born April 25, 1872; married,
September 14, 1904, Fred D. Harris, v. James Y., born September 8. 1875;
married, July 3, 1897, Lillian E. Bunce ; children: Merle A., born April
23, 1898, was drowned at Maplewood Park, Union City, Pennsylvania,
August 12, 1913; Louis L., born May 28, 1906, died August 3, 1906; Dor-
i688 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
othy E., born June 8, 1908. vi. Elsie Mae, born April 24, 1878 ; married,
December 24, 1912, Oscar R. Mclntyre. 9. Chandler Newman, born
December 13, 1833, died July 25, 1906; married (first) December 13, 1866,
Sarah Demaris Wescott, who died in 1895; married (second) Mrs. Ellen
Waters; children of first wife: Newton C, born September 17, 1869; Inez
M., born 1873, died 1873. lO- Ansel Pelton, born January 19, 1836, died
November 26, 1891 ; married, May 3, 1871, Mary E. Stafford; children:
i. Georgiana Ethel, born July 28, 1872; married (first) June 22, 1894,
Lester Waterhouse, who died June 18, 1902; married (second) October
15, 1906, George Waterman; child of first marriage: Dorothy Waive, born
May 19, 1901 ; children of second marriage: Leon Edwin, born April 12,
1909, died April 26, 1909; Leone Agatha, born April 12, 1909, died May 17,
1909. ii. Rawle Woodside, born September 3, 1874; married Orrilla
Church ; child, Lloyd, born May, 1900. iii. Waive, born January 17, 1877,
died November 28, 1880. iv. Macie. born November 22, 1882 ; married,
April 2, 1903, George W. Coover; children: Thelma M., born October
15, 1903; Josephine Mae, born May 30, 1908; Melvin McLean, born Novem-
ber 30, 1912. II. Sarah Jane, born October 2, 1837; married, March 6,
1867, James A. Boyd, aforementioned.
John J. Cairns was born at Ayrby, Ayrshire, Scotland, Sep-
CAIRNS tember 10, 1876, a son of Bartholomew and Elizabeth Cairns,
who died when he was very young. He was still very young
when he was brought to this country, and came to the West End, Pittsburgh,
when he was about ten years of age. There he acquired a part of his
education, and, having removed to Irwin, Pennsylvania, his education was
completed in that town. In early manhood he came to Duquesne, Penn-
sylvania, where he soon established himself in the grocery business, which
he conducted successfully for a period of ten years. He then sold this and
since that time has been a traveling salesman. He is a staunch Democrat
in his political opinions, and a member of the Holy Name Catholic Qiurch.
He married, June 22, 1902, Zella B. Bovard, born near New Alexandria,
Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Charles and Melissa
(Cochran) Bovard, the former born in that county about 1810, died in
1894, the latter born in Mifilin township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
January 6, 1825, died in January, 1895. Mr. and Mrs. Cairns have had
children: Mary Catherine, born March 19, 1905; John Joseph, born
March 15, 1910.
Oiarles Bovard, father of Mrs. Cairns, later had a farm of his own
in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, on which he resided until his
death. He and all of his people were Presbyterians. He had children:
Emma, married William Paul, now deceased, and she lives near New Alex-
andria ; lea May, unmarried, lives in Washington, Pennsylvania ; Zella B.,
who married Mr. Cairns.
The Cochrans originally came to this country from Ireland, and Samuel
Cochran, grandfather of Mrs. Cairns, was probably born in Mifflin town-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1689
ship, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, and died at the age of sixty-five
years. His father, also Samuel Cochran, was one of the first settlers of
Allegheny county, taking up two hundred acres of land in Mifflin township,
and some of this property is still in the possession of the family, Mrs.
Cairns owning a part of it. He was an elder in the Presbyterian church,
and a loyal Democrat. Samuel Cochran, the second of the name, married
Grizella Neel, also born in MifHin township, died at the age of ninety-four
years. They had children : Louise, married Marshal ; Myra, died un-
married at the age of ninety-four years ; Harvey Byron, died unmarried at
an advanced age ; JNIelissa, who married Charles Bovard, as mentioned
above; Theresa, married Joseph Paine, both decased. Melissa (Cochran)
Bovard, and her brother, Harvey Byron Cochran, became converts to the
Roman Catholic faith, and were devout communicants of that church
throughout the remainder of their lives. Harvey Byron Cochran donated
the ground for the Holy Name Church and parochial school in Duquesne,
and was always a liberal supporter of these institutions. At his death his
home was inherited by Mrs. Cairns, in addition to a large quantity of other
real estate and personal property of great value. The Neels, from whom
the maternal grandmother of Mrs. Cairns is descended, were active in Rev-
olutionary times, and Mrs. Cairns is eligible to membership in the Daugh-
ters of the American Revolution, The Society of Colonial Dames, and other
similar societies.
Harmer Campbell Grubbs is descended on his father's side
GRUBBS of the house from German ancestors of that strong type
which has added so valuable an element to the complex fabric
of American citizenship, and on his mother's from that not less worthy
strain of the great Irish race which inhabits the most picturesque region
of a picturesque country, county Donegal, Ireland. His family has, how-
ever, on both sides lived for so many years in Western Pennsylvania that
it has become most closely identified with the life and associations of that
region and state.
(I) His paternal great-grandparents were among the pioneers of Al-
legheny county, and he, Andrew Grubbs by name, was a native of Germany,
and came from that country to that county, where he married Rhoda Powell.
He followed the occupation of farming in days when there was little more
than a wilderness west of the Appalachian mountains, and was of those
whose enterprise and sturdy toil laid the foundation upon which the great
subsequent development of that region has been based.
(II) George Grubbs, son of Andrew and Rhoda (Powell) Grubbs,
was born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in the pioneer days, and upon
reaching manhood started a blacksmith ship in the old town of Sharpsburg,
Pennsylvania, which is still the scene of his grandson's business. George
Grubbs married Margaret Swaney and by her had four sons : Charles,
Joseph, Daniel, and Alfred. The three brothers, Joseph, Daniel, and Alfred,
were all in the Union army and served during the Civil War, and from this
service Alfred never returned.
1690 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
(III) Charles Grubbs, son of George and Margaret (Swaney) Grubbs,
was bom in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, and there received his educa-
tion. He later succeeded his father as the Sharpsburg blacksmith. He
married Pamela Jane Mcllhaney, also a native of Allegheny county, Penn-
sylvania. She vi^as the granddaughter of William Mcllhaney, a descendant
of Irish ancestors and probably himself born in county Donegal, Ireland.
He was one of the early settlers of Western Pennsylvania. His son. Court-
land King Mcllhaney, was a farmer in Allegheny county in the early days
and was the father of Mrs. Charles Grubbs, and of Mr. Samuel Mcllhaney,
who served in the Union army during the Civil war.
(IV) Harmer Campbell Grubbs, son of Charles and Pamela Jane
(Mcllhaney) Grubbs, was born January 6, 1865, in Harmarville, Pennsyl-
vania. He was educated in the public schools of Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania,
and after completing his studies he learned the blacksmith's trade. This
was also the trade of his father and grandfather before him and Mr. Grubbs
took up his position in the same location they had occupied from the first.
There is something impressive in the consideration of the same old forge,
tended first by the grandfather, then by the father, and now by the son,
something impressive and monumental, smacking of the good days when men
were content to earn an honest living in the sweat of their brows, without
the continued thought of outdistancing one's neighbor. Mr. Grubbs took
charge of the family blacksmith shop, as it may well be called, in 1890 or
1891 and still carries on a flourishing business there. Mr. Grubbs takes an
active part in the social life of the community, and is a member of the
Royal Arcanum and the Order of Elks. Mr. Grubbs married, in 1889,
Sallie D. Taylor. To Mr. and Mrs. Grubbs have been born three children,
as follows : Raymond, deceased ; Gordon, born March 10, 1892 ; Lyle, born
April 27, 1897.
In all probability the original settlers of the Cotton family
COTTON came to this country from England, as the name is of fairly
frequent occurrence in that land. They were among the pio-
neers of Pennsylvania.
(I) Colonel John Cotton, located in Vernon township, Crawford county,
Pennsylvania, near where his great-grandson, Alfred Banks Cotton, is now
living, and he obtained his deed for this land in 1797. He purchased the
place, consisting of about two hundred acres, from the Harpers, who were
also among the early settlers. A considerable portion of this tract was
cleared by Colonel Cotton, and he spent the remainder of his life there.
He obtained his title of colonel in the Continental army, having done efficient
service during the Revolutionary war. He married Margaret Stockton, who
was probably a native of Ireland, and they had children: John; Robert;
Joseph, of further mention; Thomas; Hugh, a captain of the War of 1812;
Samuel ; William ; a daughter, who married Davis ; Margaret.
(II) Joseph Cotton, son of Colonel John and Margaret (Stockton)
Cotton, was probably born in Washington county, Pennsylvania. He was
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1691
a farmer, and spent the greater part of his Hfe on the homestead now in
the possession of his grandson, Alfred Banks Cotton. He married EHza
Beatty, a daughter of Joseph and Susanna (Lintner) Beatty, who migrated
from the Valley of the Juniata and founded the old Beatty homestead on
Watson's Run, Vernon township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, August
7, 1806. The following children were born to them : Emmeline, married
John F. Brown ; Adeline Stockton, married William Johnston ; James Beatty,
of whom further.
(III) James Beatty Cotton, son of Joseph and Eliza (Beatty) Cotton,
was born on the Cotton homestead near Meadville, Crawford county, Penn-
sylvania, and also followed the occupation of farming. He married Ellen
Rosina Harper, born on the Harper homestead in Vernon township, a
daughter of Robert and Rebecca (Quigley) Harper. They had the follow-
ing children : Walter, deceased ; Ida Elizabeth, Mrs. John G. Bennehoff, of
Anderson, Indiana; three children who died in infancy; Alfred Banks, of
whom further ; Mary Rebecca, Mrs. Qiarles Cubit.
(IV) Alfred Banks Cotton, son of James Beatty and Ellen Rosina
(Harper) Cotton, was born on the Cotton homestead, near Meadville, Craw-
ford county, Pennsylvania, June 9, 1862. He was the recipient of an ex-
cellent education, which was commenced in the public schools and completed
in a commercial college at Meadville. He then became associated with his
father in the cultivation and management of the homestead farm, and was
thus occupied until his marriage, at which time he removed to a place of
eighty-five acres below the homestead, and cultivated this for a period of
fifteen years. At the expiration of this term he returned to the homestead,
taking a portion of one hundred acres, although he still retains the other
farm, which he has increased to one hundred and fifteen acres. He is en-
gaged in general and dairy farming, and has installed many improvements,
among them being a Sharpless Milking Machine, for his fine herd of forty
Holstein cows. Pie also makes a specialty of breeding draught horses, dur-
ing the last years having a number of registered Percherons. He is a mem-
ber of the local Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, and of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows. His religious affiliation is with the reformed church.
Mr. Cotton married, October 24, 1888, Frances Jane McNutt, of North
Shenango township. They have had children: Beatrice B., a graduate of
the Meadville Commercial College and Meadville High School; Bonetta,
also a graduate from the Meadville High School, and is now engaged in
teaching; Alfred McNutt; Joseph; Ida Amelle, deceased; Emma Genevieve;
Mabel Bernadine; Frederic James and Francis Robert, twins.
David McNutt, grandfather of Mrs. Frances Jane (McNutt) Cotton,
came to Buffalo, New York, where he acquired a farm, and from there
removed to Jamestown, Pennsylvania, and then to Linesville, Crawford
county, Pennsylvania, where his descendants still live on the McNutt home-
stead which he founded. He married Elizabeth Burns, a descendant of
the famous and beloved poet, Robert Burns.
Joseph McNutt, son of David and Elizabeth (Burns) McNutt, was
1692 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
born in Ireland, and was five years of age when he was brought to this
country by his parents. He lived successively in Buffalo, New York, James-
town and Linesville, Pennsylvania, then removed to North Shenango town-
ship, where he had a farm of one hundred and fifty acres. He made a spe-
cialty of dairy farming. He married Anna J. Caldwell, who came to this
country from Ireland with friends when she was eighteen years of age,
her parents having died when she was a child. Their voyage lasted three
months. The port they were bound for was New York City, but storms
took them out of their course, so that they finally landed at Virginia. Mr.
and Mrs. McNutt had children : John B., Emma, William C, Albert E.,
Mary, Frances Jane, who married Mr. Cotton, as above mentioned.
The Greenfield family has long been identified with
GREENFIELD the interests of the United States, and members are
now to be found scattered all over the Union, where
they hold honored places in various communities.
(I) Archibald Greenfield, born in Herkimer county, New York, removed
to Crawford county, Pennsylvania, between 1838 and 1840. He was a
farmer by occupation, and cleared about one hundred and fifty acres of
unimproved land, and lived the remainder of his life there. He had fought
in the War of 1812, being present at the battle of Lundy's Lane. He and
his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and he is interred
at Conneautville. He married (first) Nichols; (second) Naomi
Bridges, also born in Herkimer county. New York. Children by first mar-
riage: Harlow, a farmer, who died in Crawford county; Caroline, married
Arnold Hallock, and died in Crawford county; . By the second mar-
riage there were: Robert M., of further mention; Dr. John W., living in
Spring borough, Crawford county; , married Dr. De Loss Walker, and
both died in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma ; , married and died in Kansas.
(II) Dr. Robert M. Greenfield, son of Archibald and Naomi (Bridges)
Greenfield, was born in Crawford county, Pennsylvania, December 3, 1840.
He received his medical education at the University of Michigan, and was
graduated in the class of i860. He at once established himself in the prac-
tice of his profession at Pennline, Crawford county, and is now one of the
oldest physicians in Northwestern Pennsylvania. His practice is a general
one, and he is a member of the Crawford County Medical Society, the Penn-
sylvania State Medical Society and the American Medical Association. His
fraternal affiliation is with the Masonic Order. At the outbreak of the
Civil War he enlisted in the One Hundred and Thirty-seventh Regiment
Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and re-enlisted in the Second Heavy
Artillery. He took part in the battles of Antietam, Chancellorsville, Spott-
sylvania Court House, the Wilderness, Petersburg, Appomattox, and others.
He is a charter member of the Conneautville Post, Grand Army of the
Republic. Dr. Greenfield married Jessie Maloney, born in Crawford county,
Pennsylvania, September 22, 1846. She is a daughter of James Maloney,
of Irish descent, who was born in Crawford county, Pennsylvania, and
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1693
later moved to a place five miles east of Meadville. He was a farmer and
became an extensive land owner. His father had come to this country as
a cabin boy on a sailing vessel, arriving here when he was thirteen years of
age. He settled in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, where he bought
his wife for one hundred pounds of tobacco. He died there, and is buried
at Meadville. James Maloney married, and had children : Orville, who
was killed at Bowling Green, Kentucky, by guerillas during the Civil War;
Alfred, a farmer in Pennline ; Hiram, died at Pennline ; Jessie, who married
Dr. Greenfield ; and two others. Dr. and Mrs. Greenfield had children :
Jessie and John C.
(HI) Dr. John C. Greenfield, son of Dr. Robert M. and Jessie (Ma-
loney) Greenfield, was born at Penn Run, Pennsylvania, December 21,
1876. He was prepared for entrance to the University at Grove City College,
then matriculated at the Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, from which
he was graduated in the class of 1901, with the degree of Doctor of Medi-
cine. One year was spent as an interne at the McKeesport Hospital, and
he then came to Clairton, Pennsylvania, and there established himself in
the general practice of his profession, in which he has achieved remarkable
success. He gives his political support to the Progressive Republican party,
has served as a member of the borough council, and five years as a member
of the board of health. His fraternal affiliation is with the Masonic Order,
and he has attained the rank of a Shriner. He is also a member of the
County and State Medical societies and the American Medical Association.
Dr. Greenfield married, July 7, 1908, Anna E. R., born in Westmoreland
county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Robert and Jane (Lemmon) Graham,
and they have one child, Jessie Roberta.
The Michel family were for many generations natives of
MICHEL Bavaria, a kingdom of South Germany, and next to Prussia
the largest state of the German Empire, with six votes in
the Federal council, since 1871, when the kingdom became one of the
states of the new German Empire. The history of Bavaria as a duchy ex-
tends almost to the beginning of the middle ages. In 788 it was part of
Charlemagne's realm and was one of the great duchies of the old German
Empire. In 1806 the Imperial Elector, who had been an ally of Napoleon
in the War of 1805, was allowed to assume the royal dignity. From this
country with its varied manufactures, three universities and fertile soil,
came George F. Michel, with his family, including Stephen Michel, then
an infant of twelve months. George F. Michel married, in Germany, Mary
Anna Schultz, and after coming to Pennsylvania engaged as a farmer in
Butler county. Children : Eva, married Joseph Deppmar ; Anna ; Stephen,
of whom further ; Frank I. ; Christian, married Elizabeth W'ills ; Elizabeth,
married (first) James Shaney, (second) Peter Landgraf; George F., died
young. The family were members of the Roman Catholic church.
Stephen Michel was born in Bavaria, Germany, December 2, 1846, died
on his farm near Wexford, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, March 31,
i694 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
1910. He was the founder of the family in Wexford, going thence from
Butler county, Pennsylvania, whither he was brought by his parents in
1847. He attended school in Butler county, and later learned the trade of
shoemaker, which occupation he followed for three years. About the year
1872 he purchased a farm of fifty acres at Wexford, Allegheny county, later
added sixty-six acres, but prior to his death sold forty- four acres. He
built the house in which his widow now resides, erected barns and was
quite prosperous. He was reared, lived and died in the faith of the Roman
Catholic church.
He married, August 31, 1869, Catherine T. Heinzer, born in Pittsburgh
East End, September 30, 1852, daughter of Joseph M. and Anna Mary
(Sailer) Heinzer, who were the parents of twelve children: Catherine;
Mary; Barbara; Joseph, died in infancy; Joseph (2); Elizabeth, died in
infancy; Elizabeth (2); Annie; Magdalene: Francis Andrew, deceased;
Martin. Children of Stephen and Catherine T. Michel: i. An infant son,
born September 7, 1871, died unnamed. 2. Mary A., born October 13, 1873;
married Ferdinand Shaller. 3. Bertha C, born June 7. 1874; married Philip
J. Richard. 4. George Francis, born December 23, 1875. 5. Clara T., born
December 24, 1875 ; married John Richards. 6. Elizabeth J., born December
24, 1875. These three were triplets, all lived and grew to healthful man-
hood and womanhood. 7. Barbara L., born September 16, 1876. 8. Theresa
P., born February 23, 1878; married Peter Milbert. 9. Stephen H., born
October 10, 1884. 10. Joseph H., born October 9, 1886. 11. Mary Mag-
dalene, born September 30, 1888. 12. Martin Anthony, born April 10,
1890. 13. Catherine F., born July 14, 1892. 14. Cecelia Anna, born July
23, 1894. 15. Francis Joseph, born July 19, 1897. Since being left a widow,
Mrs. Michel has managed the home farm, her sons cultivating its fertile
acres.
Among the prominent and representative families of Tarentum
SMITH who have been actively identified with its growth and develop-
ment along various lines, must be mentioned the Smith family,
for many years worthily represented by Jacob B. Smith, now deceased, and
at the present time by Harry T. Smith, his son.
Jacob B. Smith was born in Limburg, Germany, April 27, 1837. He
attended the common schools of his neighborhood, and in 1847, S-t the age
of ten years, came to this country and made his home in Schenectady, New
York; and in young manhood removed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where
he secured employment in the Novelty Works of that city, being a locksmith
by trade. He went to Natrona with the Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing
Company, and about the year 1857 removed to Tarentum, still holding his
connection with the Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company. He erected
a house at No. 521 Second avenue, about the year 1867, and for a number
of years prior to his death, which occurred January 22, 1901, lived retired
from active business pursuits. On August i, 1862, he enlisted in Company
F, One Hundred and Twenty-third Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer In-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1695
fantry, and served for nine months, participating in the battles of Fred-
ericksburg, Chancellorsville, Antietam. He also served in the Sixth Regi-
ment Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery for one year, in the Two Hundred and
Twelfth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, re-enlisted August 31, 1864,
and served for one year. He was a member of the Presbyterian church,
and the Indepdendent Order of Odd Fellows, and was a Republican in
politics.
Mr. Smith married, in Pittsburgh, September 4, 1858, ceremony being
performed by Rev. Robert Fulton, Anna Irwin, born in Ireland, near Bel-
fast, about the year 1837, died January 23, 1908. Children: i. Sarah Fulton,
born January 14, 1859; became the wife of Auburn E. Long and they are
the parents of two sons : Harry J. and William B. 2. Mary, born April
17, 1861, died August 13, 1880. 3. Harry T., of whom further. 4. Elizabeth
Irwin, born September 23, 1866; became the wife of John Ahrend and four
children were born to them : Anna, deceased ; Carl, deceased ; Edwin ;
Helen. 5. Anna, born May 11, 1871.
Harry T. Smith, son of Jacob B. and Anna (Irwin) Smith, was born
in Tarentum, Pennsylvania, May 17, 1864. He attended the public schools
in the vicinity of his home, acquiring a practical education, and in due course
of time served an apprenticeship at the trade of glass blower, beginning his
labors at the age of eighteen years. He accepted a position with the C. L.
Flaccus Glass Works, remaining in their employ until 1894, and from that
time to the present, a period of twenty years, has been connected with the
Fidelity Glass Company of Tarentum, this long term of service being an
eloquent testimonial to his efficiency and capability. He is an active member
of the First Presbyterian Church, of the Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows and the Heptasophs. He is a Republican in politics, but has never
sought or held public office.
Mr. Smith married, December 11, 1895, Hallie Rutter, born in Union-
town, Pennsylvania, daughter of George and Henrietta Rutter, both de-
ceased. Children: i. Russell E., born January 6, 1897, now in junior year
of High School. 2. Kenneth F., born May 7, 1899. Mrs. Smith died April
15, 1909-
The family bearing this name has been identified with the
SWART interests of Pennsylvania since Revolutionary days, when they
came to America and settled there.
(I) Jacob Swart came to this country from Germany, which has fur-
nished so many valuable citizens to the United States. He settled in Wash-
ington county, near the Greene county line. He had married in Germany,
his wife being also a native of that country.
(II) Hiram Swart, son of Jacob Swart, was born in Washington
county, Pennsylvania, in 1812, and died at Washington, in the same county,
in 1896. After his marriage he settled on a farm of three hundred and
fifty acres, in Amwell township, which he cleared, and on which he erected
a log house which is still standing (1914). He was a Republican in politics.
1696 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
and he and his wife were members of the Presbyterian church. He married
(first) , and had children: Sarah, who died young; Henry, was killed
in the Civil War. He married (second) Mary Hastings, a member of an
old Virginia family, who died in 1909, and they had five children.
(HI) William M. Swart, son of Hiram and Mary (Hastings) Swart,
was born in Tenmile township, Washington county, Pennsylvania. After
preparation in the public schools, he attended the California State Normal
School and the Bethany College. Upon the completion of his education he
went to Cleveland, Ohio, where he held a responsible position in the freight
department of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway Company
from 1892 to 1896. He then went to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he
formed a business connection with Francis L. Robins, buying coal lands for
him until 1906. Since that time he has been identified, independently and
extensively, with real estate interests. In 1908 he purchased an acre of land,
laid it out in building lots, sold these, and the town of Dormont is now
located on this site. In this manner he has been one of the first settlers of
Dormont, and his influence has been felt for good in many directions. Since
that time he has made many purchases of land, laid them out in a similar
manner, and sold them. He built a house for himself on Melrose avenue,
and is residing there at the present time. His business is transacted under the
name of The Mount Lebanon Realty Company, and it has a widespread
and well-established reputation for integrity and reliability. Mr. Swart is
independent in his political opinions, and will not allow himself to be tied
by party, casting his vote for the candidate whom he thinks best fitted to
fill the office in question. He has done some excellent work himself in the
establishment of good government. Mr. Swart has an only child, Leola,
aged three years.
This branch of the ancient Blair family of Scotland and Ireland
BLAIR was founded in the United States by Hugh Blair, who came
from the North of Ireland to Crawford county, Pennsylvania,
in 1802, settling on a tract of virgin land, later the farm of his grandson,
Hugh (2) Blair, grandfather of Professor Parr Dalton Blair, of Meadville,
Pennsylvania.
The Blairs left Scotland with many of the best people of the section
to escape religious persecution. They settled in the North of Ireland where
John Blair, father of Hugh Blair, the emigrant, died at the great age of
one hundred and one years.
Hugh Blair was born in county Antrim, Ireland, in 1741, died in Craw-
ford county, Pennsylvania, January 5, 1837, but five years younger at death
than was his venerable father. He came to the United States in 1802 and
is the American ancestor of a numerous influential family found in many
parts of the Union. He was twice married in Ireland, bringing his second
wife, Jane (Thompson) Blair, with him to the United States. His first
wife, the mother of all his children, bore him eight sons and three daughters.
One of these sons, John Blair, was the father of Hugh Blair of the third
generation in the United States.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1697
(III) Hugh (2) Blair, son of John Blair, was born in West Fallow-
field township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, at the farm located four
miles north of Hartstown, December 14, 1809, died April 2, 1886. He was a
farmer, owning in 1885 the farm first settled on by his grandfather, Hugh
Blair, the emigrant. He was a rigid Presbyterian, and in political faith a
Democrat. He married, in Mahoning county, Ohio, in 1840, Margaret
Calvin, born in Washington county, Virginia, in 1810, died July 20, 1887,
aged seventy-seven years, five months, twenty-eight days. The Calvins were
residents of New Jersey, later moving to Virginia, but the daily evidences of
the horrors of slavery to which they were opposed, finally caused them to
emigrate, in 1816, to Mahoning county, Ohio. Margaret at the time of this
removal was in her seventh year and well remembered the incidents of the
journey over the mountains. Children of Hugh (2) Blair: Samuel Calvin,
Mary Catherine, John Alexander, of whom further ; Sarah Ann, Martha
Jane.
(IV) John Alexander Blair, son of Hugh (2) and Margaret (Calvin)
Blair, was born at the home farm in Crawford county, near Hartstown,
Pennsylvania, January 19, 1846. He was educated in the public schools, and
all his life has been engaged in agriculture, although he has engaged at
times in merchandising. He is a carpenter and is the inventor of a most
valuable dairy article, a sanitary milk pail, that he patented. He now re-
sides and operates a farm of one hundred and thirty acres in Steuben town-
ship near Townville. He is a progressive Democrat and has held several
minor township offices. During the Civil War, too young to pass the re-
cruiting officers, he formed a wild plan to run away and join a cousin in
the army, but was thwarted. He is a member of Steuben Grange, Patrons
of Husbandry, and a communicant of the Baptist church. He married, at
Hartstown, Pennsylvania, October 14, 1875, Sarah Elva Hunter, born in
Woodcock township, Crawford county, near Saegerstown, December 13,
1854, daughter of Samuel E. Hunter and granddaughter of David Hunter.
The latter married Catherine Carr and had children : Mary \l., William
G., Griffith W., Nancy, Eliza Jane, Penelope, Samuel E. and John. Samuel
E. Hunter, born in Woodcock township, died in Hartstown, Pennsylvania,
in January, 1887, aged fifty-six years. He married Elizabeth Clark, born
at Watson Run, near Meadville, Pennsylvania, November 3, 1835, died
March 26, 1907. Children: Sarah Elva; William, died in infancy; Harry
Eugene; Edgar Ewing; Anna Drusilla and Bertha Dean. Children of John
Alexander Blair : Parr Dalton, of whom further ; Thomas Lloyd, Mary.
(V) Professor Parr Dalton Blair, eldest son of John Alexander and
Sarah Elva (Hunter) Blair, was born. at Hartstown, Crawford county, Penn-
sylvania, March 28, 1877. He is now superintendent of public instruction
for Crawford county, his entire professional life having been spent in the
educational service of his state. He began his education in the public schools,
and after exhausting the advantages of the township and borough schools
entered the high school of Meadville, and then entered Clarion State Normal
School, whence he was graduated in 1897, taking post-graduate courses in
1698 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
1898. He also pursued courses of study at Allegheny College at Meadville,
Pennsylvania, and Grove City College, at Grove City, Pennsylvania, the
latter institution conferring the degree of A. B. in 1905, finishing at Harvard
University. During these years of study he was employed teaching in near-
by district and borough schools. Later he was principal of Spartansburg,
and Glen Hazel high schools; he was instructor at Clarion State Normal
School, Beaver College, and principal of Irwin Public School, three years;
supervising principal of Cambridge Springs Public School three years. He
became well known as an educator and was so favorably considered by his
fellow-men that. May 2, 191 1, he was chosen superintendent of pubhc in-
struction for Crawford county for a term of three years, beginning June 5,
191 1, and was re-elected on May 6, 1914, for a term of four years. Pro-
fessor Blair occupies prominent position among the educators of his state
and is known favorably beyond its confines, although a young man. He has
ever been a student and keeps in close touch with the modern world of
education by membership in various bodies of learned men, including the
National and Pennsylvania State Educational associations. As a leader of
men he has been very successful, inspiring, encouraging and leading his
teachers of the county to a greater degree of efficiency. Courses of study
have been rendered more practical and helpful, and the entire educational
system of the county has benefitted by the energy and ability of this capable
leader.
During the Spanish-American War of 1898, Professor Blair, then a
student at Clarion State Normal School, offered his services to Captain A.
J. Davis of the Clarion Company, who was also principal of the normal
school. Captain Davis and the other recruiting officers, however, refused to
accept any 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 service
should his services be required. He is a member of Spartan Lodge, Free
and Accepted Masons, Crawford Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows,
and of the First Presbyterian Church, all of Meadville.
Professor Blair married, August 2, 1905, Allie Belle, born in Spartans-
burg, Pennsylvania, June 3, 1876, daughter of William T. and Amanda
(Holliday) Farley.
Frederick Bolard, or Bolar, son of Qiristian and Saloma
BOLARD Bolard, or Bolar, was born in Amsterdam, Holland, in 1769
or 1770, died August 28, 1836, at Dicksonburg, Crawford
county, Pennsylvania, where he was buried. He was the founder of this
family in America, coming over from Holland in 1785, when he was about
sixteen years of age, and located near Jamestown, Mercer county, Penn-
sylvania. He was a bell maker by trade, and worked as one of the black-
smiths in equipping Perry's fleet in 1812. He married (first) Margaret
North, in Jamestown; (second) Mrs. Elizabeth Nelson. Children by first
wife: Jacob; David, born January zi, 1802, died July 13, 1879; Polly
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1699
(Thompson) ; Charity (Thompson) ; Giristopher, of whom further; Cather-
ine (Parker) ; and Frederick. Children by second wife: Elizabeth
(Thompson), and Rachel.
(II) Christopher Bolard, son of Frederick and Margaret (North)
Bolard, or Bolar, was born near Conneautville, Crawford county, Penn-
sylvania, July 16, 1809, died January 7, 1872. He was a farmer, also a con-
tractor and hotelkeeper. In politics he was a Democrat, and he belonged
to the Methodist church. On September 29, 1836, he married Mary Ann
Gray, born July 29, 1813, died May 5, 1872. Children: Frederick David,
of whom further; Mary E., born February 20, 1839, died February 27,
1847; infant son, born and died October 17, 1842.
(III) Frederick David Bolard, son of Christopher and Mary Ann
(Gray) Bolard, was born November 29, 1837, in Woodcock township,
Crawford county, Pennsylvania, died at Water ford, September 10, 1904,
and was there interred. When he was still very young his parents removed
to Meadville, and there he grew up, receiving his education in the public
schools and at Allegheny College. Soon after his marriage in 1862, he
returned to the farm where he was born, near the site of McGut?entown,
and remained there until the fall of 1874; he then removed to Waterford,
at which place he became a tanner and manufacturer, continuing for about
fifteen years, when he retired from business on account of poor health.
He was one of the most prominent business men in his community and was
well known in its social and religious circles, being for many years an
active member of the Methodist church. He was one of the oldest mem-
bers of the Waterford Lodge, Ancient Order of United Workmen, in which
he was held in high esteem. On February 19, 1862, he was married to
Celia Henrietta Hayes, born February 3, 1844, died November 30, 1887
(see Hayes IV). Children: William, born March 6, 1864, died April 9,
1865; Emma, born August 23, 1865; John A., of whom further; Frank
Hayes, February 21, 1871, died December 14, 1894; Charles Frederick, o(
whom further; Clinton, September 7, 1874; Harry H., December 17, 1876;
Laura, November 4, 1878; Floyd, July 5, 1882, died December 24, 1895;
Helen Celia, February 21, 1885.
(IV) John A. Bolard, son of Frederick David and Celia Henrietta
(Hayes) Bolard, was bom October 4, 1867, on the fann in Woodcock town-
ship, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, whence he removed with his parents
to Waterford, Erie county, Pennsylvania, in October, 1874. His education
was received primarily at the Waterford borough schools, after which he
entered Waterford Academy in 1884, and was graduated in 1889. He then
entered the University of Michigan, and was graduated from the law de-
partment in 1902, with the degree of LL.B. After his graduation at the
LTniversity, Mr. Bolard was admitted to practice in the courts of Michigan
and in the Federal courts, being admitted to the bar in Erie county, Penn-
sylvania, in 1903 ; he was afterward admitted to the superior and supreme
courts, and has continued in the practice of his profession ever since. He
has been borough solicitor at Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania, for the
past ten years or more, having removed to this city in IMay, 1902.
I700 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Prior to his practice of the law, Mr. Bolard was engaged in his earher
years after having assisted his father in the tannery, in mercantile and
factory employment, spending thus some three years. He then taught
for a year, being principal of the seminary at Jamestown, Pennsylvania.
He has been in newspaper work for six years, as editor of the Waterford
Leader, gaining wide experience and influence in business as well as in the
legal profession. Mr. Bolard was one of the organizers of the First Na-
tional Bank, of Cambridge Springs, and is on the board of directors; he
is also solicitor for the bank. He is a man of considerable influence in the
community, and has taken considerable interest in educational matters, hav-
ing served as a school director for the past twelve years. This is the only
political office to which he has ever aspired, though he has been keenly
interested in politics, having formerly been a member of the Republican
party and now a Progressive. He is also a member of the Free and Ac-
cepted Masons, and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, being pop-
ular and well known in fraternal circles. Mr. Bolard is an active mem-
ber of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which his wife and children are
also members.
He married, August 4, 1894, in Waterford, Mary Jane Cowan, born
July 15, 1868, on her father's farm near Franklin, Venango county, Penn-
sylvania, daughter of Andrew Jackson and Jennie (Smith) Cowan, who
were the parents of six children, four of whom are now living. Mr. and
Mrs. Bolard have four children, all of whom are attending school: Fred-
erick Cowan, born April 10, 1896; Celia, December 4, 1897; Katherine,
July 5, 1900; George Lawrence, June 16, 1905.
( IV) Charles Frederick Bolard, son of Frederick David and Celia
Henrietta (Hayes) Bolard, was born in Woodcock township, Crawford
county, Pennsylvania, November 8, 1872. He attended the Waterford
grammar schools and Waterford Academy, graduating from the latter in
June 1890. He purchased a half interest in the Waterford Leader, Jan-
uary I, 1893, and a full interest from J. A. Bolard, January i, 1900. He
is a member of the Presbyterian church of Waterford, as is also his wife,
and he is a Republican in politics, having served as postmaster from 1898
to 1901, performing his duties in a highly commendable manner, and was
also a member of the city council. He is a member of Waterford Lodge,
Free and Accepted Masons, in which he served as treasurer for several
years, also trustee, now worshipful master ; Presque Isle Lodge of Per-
fection, of Erie, Pennsylvania ; and Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in
which he has held all principal offices. He married, October 24, 1894, in
Waterford, Pennsylvania, Jennie M., daughter of Frank M. and Emma M.
(Weston) Merritt, who were the parents of four other children, namely:
Charles Weston, died in infancy; Harry Lynn, of Waterford, Pennsylvania;
Charlotte A., married Dr. J. Lloyd Barton, of Reading, Pennsylvania; Ina
Catharine, married Fred R. Powers, of Madison, Ohio. Frank M. Merritt,
father of Jennie M. (Merritt) Bolard, was born in Brighton, Monroe
county. New York, December 14, 1848, died February 13, 1904, at Water-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1701
ford ; he was an agent for the Pennsylvania Railroad ; he married, May 10,
1871, Emma M. Weston, born in Cambridge, Crawford county, Pennsyl-
vania.
(The Hayes Line.)
(I) John Hays and his wife Jane came to this country from Ireland
in 1730, one record stating that they came from Donegal, another that they
came from Londonderry. They settled in Chester county, Pennsylvania,
where their dwelling was burned. They then removed to Ntythumberland
county, in 1732, where the)' kept a public house and store. John Hays
died November 16, 1789, aged eighty-four or eighty-five years, and was in-
terred in the burying ground connected with the Presbyterian church near
Weaversville. His wife survived him, dying at Derry, Northumberland
county, Pennsylvania, in 1806, aged about ninety- four years; her home at
the time of her death was with her son Robert. Of the five sons of John
Hays and his wife, all except William, who died young, served in the
Revolutionary War; two of them were said to have been with parties left
to keep up the camp fires at Trenton when Washington surprised the British
at Princeton. Children: i. John, born in Ireland, was two years old when
his parents arrived in this country ; at the outbreak of the Revolution, he
raised a company and marched with it as captain to Philadelphia, in Decem-
ber, 1776; he was thereafter known as Captain John; after the war he
resided in the settlement, engaged in milling, teaming, and farming, until
1790, when he was taken sick during an expedition into Crawford county,
to examine a tract of land which he wished to acquire, and died at Mead-
ville, November 3, 1796; he married (first) October 16, 1760, Barbary
King, (second) Jane Walker, having children by both wives. 2. William,
died young. 3. Robert, of whom further. 4. James, settled at Beech Creek,
Centre county; he served as lieutenant under Colonel Bonquest in the
French and Indian War, and received for his service the tract of land on
which he settled ; he raised a large family ; he was buried in the Hays grave-
yard at Beech Creek. 5. Francis, removed to Tennessee, and was not heard
from after 1808; Jack Hays, of Texas, was one of his descendants. 6. Jane,
married a Mr. Brown, removed to Virginia and returned afterwards to
Pennsylvania. 7. Isabel, married a Mr. Patton, their descendants living
in Centre county, Pennsylvania. 8. Mary, married a Mr. Gray, and after
his death a Mr. Steele. 9. Elizabeth, married Thomas Wilson.
(II) Robert Hays, son of John and Jane Hays, was born in 1742,
died in July, 1819. He was commissioned second lieutenant in the Revolu-
tionary army, on June 15, 1776. After the war he removed, in 1790, to
Northumberland county and settled near Warrior Run Church, where he
lived for nine years. He then moved to a farm a mile south of White Hall,
in Montour county, where he remained for seven years, during which time
occurred the death of his mother, in 1806. Robert Hays next moved to
a farm near Dewart, which at that time was overgrown with woods and
had only a cabin built upon it. His indomitable energy soon changed the
place into a beautiful home, which has since passed into the possession of
I702 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
his grandsons, Robert and Joseph. He became blind in his old age, and
died at the age of seventy-seven years. His descendants changed the spell-
ing of the name to "Hayes." He married Mary Allison, who died in August,
1835; she vi^as a woman highly esteemed for her Christian virtues and
amiable disposition. Children : John, of whom further ; William, born May
23, 1776; James, May 21, 1778; Jane, May 15, 1779; Joseph, August i,
1780; Mary, January 29, 1783; Sarah, or Sally, May 6, 1785; Elizabeth, or
Betsy, July 21, 1788.
(HI) John Hayes, son of Robert and Mary (Allison) Hays, was
born November 3, 1770, or 1772, died in 1803. He married Margaret Falls;
she survived him and married Bethuel Vincent, the father of William,
Daniel, John H., and Phebe Vincent. Mr. and Mrs. Hayes had two chil-
dren : A daughter, who died young ; and James, of whom further.
(IV) James Hayes, son of John and Margaret (Falls) Hayes, was
born in 1799, his father dying when he was about four years old. After
his mother married Bethuel Vincent, he lived with the Vincent family for
a short time, and then with his grandparents, after which he went to Milton,
Pennsylvania, where he learned the trade of wheelwright and chair-making.
He then located at Waterford, Erie county, where he passed the remainder
of his life, with the exception of several short residences on farms near
Waterford and a brief time that he spent in Mill Creek township at the first
toll-gate out of Erie on the Erie and Waterford turnpike. He died March
I, 1874. On December 25, 1823, he was married to Mary (or Polly) Boyd,
who died November 18, 1866. They had fourteen children: i. Lafayette
S., born September 23, 1824, died October 8, 1903 ; lived at Wright City,
Missouri; married Mariah Stewart and had two daughters, Emma, born
June 26, i860, died 1900, and Belle, born April 12, 1862, both married and
having children. 2. John V., born January 18, 1826, now deceased ; lived
at Wright City, Missouri ; married, and had three children : Ralph, James
and Madge. 3. Duncan H., born April 3, 1827, of Canyon City, Colorado;
married Lucinda Dunn and had one son, Albert, born June 29, 1856. 4.
Charles M., born July 23, 1828 ; married Margaret L. Zimmerman and had
children, Susie B. and Carl Z. 5. William P., born December 3, 1829; lived
in Erie, Pennsylvania ; married Juliet F. Justice and had five children :
Frank M., William, Joseph, C. Boyd and Edith. 6. Mary, born January 2,
1832, died October 14, 1901. 7. Sylvester M., born September 2, 1833, died
June, 1906; married Kate Thompson and had nine children : Nellie, Charles,
Robert, Fred, John, Leslie, Kitty, Roger and one other daughter. 8. Lu-
cinda B., born September 2 (or 30), 1835; married David S. Gray, lived in
Denver, Colorado, and had eleven children : Ida Jane, Ellsworth, Julia
Etta, Dwight Lincoln, Mary Lucinda, Hattie, Laura, Mabel H., David Wynn,
Robert R., and Angle. 9. Irvine C, of Waterford, born February 18,
1837, died April 9, 1904; served in the Civil War; married (first) Ena (?)
Barnet and had son, Willis, married (second) Rose Johnson and had
five children : Clarence, Alice, Jessie, Ella and Irvine. 10. Theresa A.,
born May i, 1841, died May 22, 1845. ii- Celia Henrietta, born February
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1703
3, 1844; married Frederick D. Bolard (see Bolard III). 12. Ellen I)., born
October 15, 1845; married John Holden ; lived in Chicago, and had three
children: Qinton, Fred and Lottie. 13. James, born July 22, 1848, died
November 24, 1872. 14. Joseph C, born May 14, 1852, died February 22,
1875-
The ancestral lines of descent of Mrs. Lulu Blanche
LAWRENCE (Swengel) Lawrence, wife of Edward Whiting Law-
rence, a prominent business man of Meadville, are herein
recorded. Edward Whiting Lawrence is a grandson of Charles D. Law-
rence, who was born in Flushing, New York. Later he went to Western
New York, locating (probably) in Lockport, and subsequently removed to
Michigan, in which state he was residing at the time of his death, about
the year i860, from drowning. He left four sons and one daughter, namely :
William, Edward, Alfred A., Samuel D., Harriet. Alfred A. Lawrence,
father of Edward W^hiting Lawrence, was born in New York City, De-
cember 28, 1828, died in Covington, Kentucky, December 26, 1872. He
married (first) Jane Graham, of Cincinnati, who died in 1867. She bore
him six children. He married (second) in 1868, Mary Hughes Evans, of
Covington, Kentucky, born in Machynlleth, Wales, May 4, 1842, died in
Deland, Florida, May 15, 1889. She bore him three children, one of whom
died in infancy, the others being: Alfred H. and Edward Whiting.
(The Swengel Line.)
The Swengel family trace their descent to three brothers, Michael,
Charles and Philip Schwengel (as the name was then spelled) who came to
this country in 1735, supposedly from Hanover, Germany. The name was
changed to Swengel (its present form) by law by John Schwengel and
brother. One went west, one north, and Michael Schwengel settled in
Snyder county, Pennsylvania, and among his children was a son, Michael,
bom in Berks county, Pennsylvania, moved to Union county, same state.
He married Esther Hassinger and they were the parents of the following
named children: EHzabeth, Samuel, Michael, John, Lydia, David, Melinda.
John, the third son, was born near Middleburg, and resided on the Hartley
farm. He married (first) Sarah Miller, who bore him four children:
Charles Philip, Frank, Sarah, John. He married (second) Sarah Frantz,
who bore him six children: Uriah F., Edwin, Mary Jane, Esther L., Wil-
liam A., Ada L Rev. Edwin Swengel, the second son, was born near Pax-
tonville, Snyder county, Pennsylvania, on the farm his grandfather settled
on, and there remained until he attained manhood. He attended the public
schools, also the New Berlin Seminary, conducted by the Evangelical de-
nomination, and later attended Dickinson Seminary (theological department)
and was duly ordained a minister in that church. He was a member of the
Central Pennsylvania Conference for a number of years and preached in
Pennsylvania, New York and Illinois. He is now living retired in Lewis-
burg, Pennsylvania. He married, at Sunbury, Pennsylvania, July n, 1872,
Mary Martha Diehl, Rev. U. F. Swengel officiating. Children: i. Uriah
I704 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Robert, educated in public schools and academy; a manufacturer of artistic
furniture; a Republican and a member of the Reformed church; married,
January 21, 1896, Ida V. Bartholomew. 2. Edwin Talmage, born in East
Prospect, York county, Pennsylvania, October 28, 1874, died there Novem-
ber 5, 1874. 3. Lulu Blanche, born at Leyvisberry, York county, Pennsyl-
vania; educated at Bucknell University; married, July 6, 1904, Edward
Whiting Lawrence, of Meadville, Pennsylvania, where they now reside.
4. Henry D., born near Seneca Falls, New York; a Republican and an
Episcopalian; married, October 4, 1914, Grace E. Davis, of Eureka, Cali-
fornia. 5. Derbe Hoster, twin of Henry D. ; a Republican and a Methodist.
(The Diehl Line.)
The von Diehls were of ancient German lineage and a family of high
standing. The earlier generation in America retained the von, which signifies
rank, but later it was dropped, then becoming Diehl. The first of this
branch to arrive in this country was Martin Luther von Diehl, born in
Germany, who came when a young man during the earlier period of the
Revolutionary War. He located in Northampton county, at what is now
Lehighton, purchasing land, later found to be richly underlaid with anthra-
cite coal. He cleared land on which he established his home, the prop-
erty yet being known as the Martin Diehl farm. When General Washington,
after the evacuation of Boston by the British, called on congress for ten
thousand soldiers, Northampton county responded with three hundred and
forty-seven men, among whom was Martin Luther Diehl. He enlisted in
Captain John Arnott's company, Colonel Baxter's battalion of the Flying
Camp. He saw service on Long Island and was engaged in the battle of
August 29, 1776, and was one of the body of men who escaped unharmed
and rendezvoused at Elizabethtown, New Jersey, the next day. The records
of old Zion Church, Philadelphia, contain the following entry: "Martin
Luther Diehl and Anna Catherine Zerkiebelin, both single persons from
Germany were married by the Rev. J. H. Christopher Helmuth on the 15th
day of Sept. 1785 A.D. evidence Mr. Henl-el." Martin Lutlier von Diehl
died in 1832.
Captain Peter Diehl, son of Martin Luther von Diehl, was born in
1788, died March 19, 1839. He served in the War of 1812-14, attaining
the rank of captain. He married, in 1813, Sarah Schmidt, born 1792, died
1876, daughter of Christopher Schmidt, of whom further.
Robert Carson Diehl, son of Captain Peter Diehl, was born in 1827,
died in 1885. He married, in 1849, Julianna Davis, born May 30, 1824,
died in 1902, daughter of Isaac and Julianna (Thomas) Davis, of whom
further. Their daughter, Mary Martha, was born at New Columbia, Penn-
sylvania, September 29, 1850, died at Meadville, Pennsylvania, September 3,
1903, buried at Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. She was a woman of good edu-
cation, a school teacher, and a member of the Evangelical church. She
married, at Sunbury, July 11, 1872, Rev. Edwin Swengel, aforementioned.
(The Schmidt Line.)
John Frederick Schmidt was born at Frohse near Aschersleben, in the
WESTERN PExMXSYLVANIA 1705
principality of Halberstadt, Germany, January 9, 1746, son of a prosperous
farmer. Recognizing that his son possessed an unusual talent, he gave him
every opportunity to acquire education and culture. The lad first at-
tended the "Orphan House" at Halle, then under the management of the
celebrated educator, George A. Francke. Here he made rapid progress in
his studies, continuing through the classics and sciences until he was pre-
pared for admission to the University of Halle. In 1765 he entered the
latter institution of learning, even then a noted one, and pursued a course
of uninterrupted honor as a student. He became noted for his high standing
in the Divinity class, excelling in Hebrew, Arabic and Syriac languages ; in
madiematics, astronomy and history, sacred and profane. While a student
in the University, he was also employed as an instructor at the "Orphan
House," teaching mathematics, Greek and Latin. Among his intimate
friends was Mr., after Dr. Helmuth, who in the year 1768 received an ap-
pointment as missionary to America. When young Schmidt learned that
he was to be separated from his friend, he was heartbroken. Through the
influence of Dr. Francke, permission was obtained from the church authori-
ties and from the young man's parents that he should accompany Mr. Hel-
muth to America. When all was ready, the two young men visited Mr.
Schmidt's home to take leave of his parents and relatives. Here a scene
of deep solemnity and sacrifice was witnessed, but a fervent prayer by Mr.
Helmuth quieted the sobbing circle and at its close the aged father rose
from his knees, took his son by the hand and said: "Go in the name of
the Lord Jesus." He further testified his willingness and interest in the
mission of the young men by accompanying them to Wernigerode and wit-
nessing their ordination as ministers of God, a few days later. The final
leave takings were then said and the young men proceeded to Hamburg,
where they were detained by unforseen circumstances, even after their
baggage was on shipboard. The fact was, however, the means of saving their
lives, as the ship on which they intended to sail was lost on the passage.
They proceeded to London, England, whence they sailed for America, ar-
riving in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in April, 1769. On arrival they were
warmly welcomed by Dr. Henry Melchoir Muhlenburg and for a time
enjoyed the hospitality of his home. Shortly after arrival. Rev. Schmidt
received a call from St. Michael's Lutheran Church, at Germantown, which
he accepted, serving that congregation faithfully for seventeen years with
faithfulness and great acceptability. During his pastorate in Germantown
he married Mary Barbara Schanwecker, who became the mother of his
eleven children, and preceded him to the grave.
These years also covered the Revolutionary ^^^ar period, and being
an ardent Whig, as were most of his congregation and brethren, he was
forced to flee from the neighborhood when Philadelphia was occupied by the
British troops. In 17S5 he was elected assistant to his friend. Dr. Helmuth,
at Zion Church, and the following year was the second minister, in which
relation he continued until his death. Affliction sore beset him; he lost his
wife and seven children in rapid succession, and was twice attacked by
i7o6 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
yellow fever during its ravages in 1793, having contracted the dread disease
while working with untiring zeal among the sick and dying. He died May
16, 1812, after a protracted and painful illness, aged nearly sixty-seven
years. His remains were taken to Zion Church, Fourth street and Apple-
tree alley (since burned and rebuilt at Fourth and Arch streets), where a
short sermon was delivered over his friend by Dr. Helmuth. His body
was then taken to St. Michael's Lutheran Church, Germantown, where
beside his predecessors he was laid to rest before the altar. He was one
of the most learned divines of his day and enjoyed the friendship of many
of the great men of his day, including General Washington, who, while in
Germantown, had his headquarters opposite Dr. Schmidt's church. At the
time of General Washington's death, Dr. Schmidt was second minister of
Zion Church (Fourth street) and in his church held special services in
honor of the memory of the "Father of his country." There is an old
painting of Dr. Schmidt in a class room of the Lutheran Seminary at Mount
Airy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and another in Zion Church, Fourth and
Arch streets, Philadelphia. Philip F. Mayer, in a letter written in June,
1852, said of Dr. Schmidt: "He had a highly cultivated mind and was
distinguished for his proficiency in mathematical science. In the depart-
ment of astronomy, particularly, he was much at home and for namy years
he made all the astronomical calculations for the German Almanacs that
were published in Philadelphia."
Christopher Schmidt, son of Rev. John Frederick and Mary Barbara
(Schanwecker) Schmidt, was born in Germantown (Philadelphia), Penn-
sylvania. He married Mary Hass, and among his children was Sarah,
married, in 1813, Captain Peter Diehl, aforementioned.
(The Davis Line.)
About 1660 a large number of Welsh Baptists headed by their pastor,
John Mills, left Swansea, Glamorganshire, Wales, settling in Massachu-
setts. With this colony were three brothers, Daniel, John and Jonathan
Davis. The first named was the founder of the Cumberland county. New
Jersey, Davis family. From Massachusetts John Davis went to Long Island,
thence to New Jersey, where he died in Pilesgrove township, Salem county,
aged one hundred years. His wife, Dorothea (Hogbin) Davis, was a woman
of wealth. From John Davis sprang Rev. David Davis, born in Phila-
delphia, great-grandfather of Julianna Davis, wife of Robert Carson Diehl.
The line of descent is through David Davis, third son of John Davis. He
was a justice of the peace, judge of Salem county courts, and was one of
the four Friends who organized Pilesgrove Meeting. He married Dorothea
Cousins, born in England.
Rev. David Davis, grandson of Judge David Davis, was born in Phila-
delphia. He became an early settler of Columbia county, Pennsylvania, and
his remains were interred in Michael Cemetery in Beaver township. He
was a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and a man of
•deep piety. He married a Miss Roberts, who bore him fourteen children,
including sons : John, William, Isaac ; daughters : Priscilla and Peggy.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1707
Isaac Davis, son of Rev. David Davis, was born in Philadelphia, May
29, 1792, died September 30, 1868. He married Julianna, daughter of
Samuel and Esther Thomas. Children: David, Julianna, Maria, Anthony,
Eliza Jane, John Wesley, William A., Isaac Robert, Estella Ann, Margaret
Annie.
Julianna Davis, daughter of Isaac Davis, was born May 30, 1824, died
September 30, 1902. She married, in 1849, Robert Carson Diehl, and is the
mother of Mary Martha, who married the Rev. Edwin Swengel, and grand-
mother of Lulu Blanche (Swengel) Lawrence.
This is a name distinguished in New England and in Virginia.
LEE There is a vague tradition in the family here described that it
comes of the Virginia stock, which seems to the writer to have
extremely little foundation. The probability of a removal from Virginia
to Canada is so remote as to make it practically certain that this family
comes of the ancient Connecticut stock, which is of most worthy lineage.
The immigrant ancestor of that family, John Lee, was born in county Essex,
England, probably in Colchester, in 1620, and was thirteen years of age
when he sailed for America, according to the official shipping list of pas-
sengers leaving Ipswich, England. It was the intention of his father, who
sent him with friends to America, to follow soon after, but he never came.
John Lee was under the guardianship of William Westwood, with whom
he remained a year at Cambridge, Massachusetts, before he went to Hart-
ford in 1635. He lived at Hartford, Connecticut, and when the adjoining
towm of Farmington was settled he became one of the eighty-four pro-
prietors to whom land was granted. He had just attained his majority at
this time. His home lot was on the west side of Main street, now occupied
by the famous Young Ladies' School, founded by the Misses Porter. Land
which he owned in the original grant of Farmington, which embraced a
large area, is now in possession of his descendants in Southington. Bristol
and New Britain. He died August 8, 1690, and was buried in the old ceme-
tery at Farmington. He married, in 1658, Mary, daughter of Deacon
Stephen Hart, born about 1631. Both joined the Farmington church. July
15, 1660. After John Lee's death, his widow married Jedediah, son of
Elder John Strong, of Northampton, Massachusetts, as his third wife. Their
descendants have spread over New England and nearly every section of
the United States, and presumably some of them settled in Canada.
(I) Levi Lee went with his parents to the Province of Ontario, Canada,
as early as 1824, and perhaps earlier. He was a resident of Murvale, where
he engaged in farming. His wife, whose family name was Comer, was a
native of Canada, and a sister of Jacob and William Comer, of a family
which had long been located in Canada. Their children included : Anna,
who married Martin Campbell, and resided in Jefferson county. New York;
Amanda, died unmarried ; Margaret, died young ; Sarah Jane, wife of
Charles Sewall, of Lowville, Lewis county. New York ; George, deceased ;
Israel, whose son now resides on the old homestead at Murvale, near Kings-
ton, Canada; William, of further mention.
i7o8 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
(II) William Lee, son of Levi Lee, was born October 14, 1826, on
the homestead at Murvale, and died on his farm at Waterford, Pennsyl-
vania, June 5, 1899. He was a man of more than ordinary ability, received
a fair education, and followed agriculture. When a young man he made
a tour of the world, and spent a short time in Australia, where he was a
prospector and miner in the gold fields. On his return to America he spent
some time in California, where he was again engaged in the mines. He
was absent about four years from his native home, and had many interest-
ing adventures in the course of his travels. He made his way from Cali-
fornia by way of Cape Horn to New York City, and after a few days there,
in 1861 he settled in Erie county, Pennsylvania, and purchased a tract of
land in the township of Waterford, four miles west of the village of that
name. His original purchase consisted of a quarter section, and to this
he added from time to time until his farm included two hundred and eighty-
eight acres. On this he erected substantial buildings, and engaged exten-
sively in farming and the manufacture of cheese. He became a citizen
of the United States, and his first presidential vote was cast for Abraham
Lincoln at his second election. Throughout his life he continued to sup-
port the Republican party. He served on the township board of education.
He was reared in the faith of the Methodist Episcopal church, and con-
tinued in that faith. Embracing the broad fraternal principles of the
Masonic Order, he was afifiliated with Waterford Lodge, No. 425, of that
fraternity. He married Jennette Gourlay, born July 26, 1827, died Jan-
uary 28, 1908, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Sinclair) Gourlay, and a
sister of Captain James A. Gourlay. A history of this family appears in
this work. Children: i. John L., born June 20, 1861 ; married Mary
Katherine Skinner, and had a son, George Lawrence Lee. 2. George Wash-
ington, born June 4, 1864; resides in California, unmarried. 3. Agnes M.,
born July 3, 1866; married Edwin G. Stafford, and lives in Erie, Pennsyl-
vania. 4. William Wallace, of further mention.
(III) William Wallace Lee, youngest son of William and Jennette
(Gourlay) Lee, was born August 15, 1868, in Waterford, and secured his
primary education in the public schools of the town, after which he was a
student at Waterford Academy and Clark's Business College, of Erie. In
1899 he entered the Pennsylvania State College, where he took a special
creamery course. After this he returned to the farm, where he was
enabled, through his special training, to achieve a gratifying success. After
working some time in the creamery of J. S. Lavery. in 1900 he purchased
of the other heirs their interest in the homestead farm, which consisted of
one hundred and seventy acres, to which he added fifty acres by subsequent
purchase, is now very successfully engaged in general agriculture, and has
given special attention to the culture of cabbages. During the past six
years he has conducted an extensive business in wholesaling farm products.
His farm is one of the best equipped in Erie county, and on this he erected,
in 1902, one of the finest modern barns, with a floor space of 50 x 112
feet, with an annex 28 x 36 feet. This will accommodate more than one
WESTERN PEx\T.\SYLVANIA 1709
hundred head of Hve stock, and is also equipped with a creamery. Mr. Lee
maintains a large dairy, and deals in choice cattle and creamery supplies.
He is a member of Waterford Lodge, No. 425, Free and Accepted Masons,
of which he is past master, and is active in the conduct of its afifairs. He
is also a member of Waterford Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows,
being one of the oldest members of that body. He takes an active part in
the work of Waterford Grange, of which he has long been a member. For
many years he gave loyal support to the Republican party, and is now promi-
nently identified with the Washington party. He has filled various town
offices, including those of auditor and assessor. He married, December,
1893, Emma D. Griswold, born August 21, 1872, in Washington township,
Erie county, Pennsylvania, died December 3, 1906, daughter of Lafayette
and Phebe (Fisk) Griswold, granddaughter of the late Chauncey Griswold
(see Griswold VH). Children: i. Mildred Jeannette, born December 10,
1894 ; was educated in the public schools and Edinboro State Normal School ;
resides at home with her parents. 2. William Lafayette, born November
15, 1896; is a student of the Waterford High School. 3. Harold Carlton,
born December 6, 1900; attending the public schools. 4. Emma Margarette,
born November 19, 1906, died January 31, 1907.
(The Griswold Line.)
Griswold is an ancient English surname derived from the name of a
place, like a large proportion of British patronymics. The ancient seat of
the family was at Solihull, Warwickshire, prior to the year 1400. The
ancient coat-of-arms is : Argent a fesse gules between two greyhounds
currant sable.
John Griswold about the middle of the fourteenth century came from
Kenilworth and married a daughter and heiress of Henry Hughford, of
Huddersley Hall at Solihull, and the family has been known as the Griswold s
of Kenilworth and Solihull. Solihull is on the northwest border of War-
wickshire, and Yardly in Worcestershire is on the south and west. It is
but eight miles from Kenilworth to the westward and twelve miles north-
west of Stratford-on-Avon, and was a place of importance before the Nor-
man Conquest. The two American immigrants, Edward and Mathew Gris-
wold, came to Connecticut from Kenilworth. Mathew came over in 1639
and settled at Windsor, Connecticut, died at Lyme, Connecticut, September
21, 1698, and was buried at Saybrook; assisted in the settlement of L}Tne
and was a large landowner ; was deputy to the general assembly in 1664 and
afterwards.
(I) Edward Griswold, son of George Griswold, and brother of Mathew
Griswold, was born in Warwickshire, England, about 1607. He came to
Connecticut, 1639, at the time of the second visit of George Fenwick, when
many other settlers came. He was attorney for a INIr. St. Nicholas, of War-
wickshire, who had a house built for him at Windsor and a tract of land
impaled, as had also Sir Richard Saltonstall. There were many other
prominent Puritans in Warwickshire intending to settle in the colonies, when
a change in the political conditions in England caused them to stay there.
I7IO WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Rev. Ephraim Hewitt and the Wylys family were two others from Warwick-
shire. Edward Griswold had a grant of land at Poquonock, to which he re-
moved in 1649, when his house was the outpost of the colony. It was on
the site of the Eliphalet S. Ladd house, having the Tunxis river on the
south and west. He was active in public affairs. In 1650 he helped build
the fort at Springfield for Pynchon. He was a deputy to the general court
from Windsor in 1656, and every season but one afterward until the new
charter was granted. He was a prominent settler of Homonosett or West
Saybrook, whither, about 1663, he removed with his younger children, deed-
ing to his sons George and Joseph his Windsor property, reserving a small
annuity. The settlement was organized as a town in 1667, and received the
name of his Englisli birthplace and home, Kenilworth, which became strangely
perverted in the spelling to Killingworth, and is now Clinton, Connecticut.
He was the first deputy from the town, magistrate and deputy for more than
twenty years, 1662 to 1688-89, and was succeeded in office by his son John.
The colonial records show him to have been an active and influential member
of the legislature, accomplishing much good. He had the pleasure of meeting
his own son Francis and brother Mathew in office, and there has scarcely
been a time since when the family has not been represented in the legislature
of the province and state. In 1678 he was on the committee to establish a
Latin school at New London ; he was deacon of the Killingworth church ;
died there in 1691, aged eighty-four years. He married (first) in England,
in 1630, Margaret , who died August 23, 1670. Her gravestone is the
oldest in the burial ground at Clinton, formerly Killingworth. He married
(second) 1672-73, Sarah Bemis, widow of James Bemis, of New London.
Children of first wife: Sarah, born 1631, in England; George, mentioned
below; Frances, 1635; Lydia, 1637; Sarah, 1638, married (first) November
10, 1650, Samuel Phelps, (second) July 21, 1670, Nathaniel Pomeroy; Ann,
baptized June 19, 1642, at Windsor ; Mary, baptized October i, 1644, married,
March 19, 1661, Timothy Phelps; Deborah, June 28, 1646, married Samuel
Buell ; Joseph, born and baptized March 12, 1647; Samuel, born and baptized
November 16, 1649, d'^d July 6, 1672; John, born and baptized August
16, 1652.
(II) George Griswold, eldest son of Edward and Margaret Griswold,
was born 1633, in England, died at Windsor, September 3, 1704. He re-
mained in Windsor with his brother Joseph on their father's lands when
the father went to Killingworth. He was also an extensive owner of land
bought of the Indians, was admitted freeman in 1654; an eminently respect-
able and worthy citizen. He married, October 3, 1655, Mary, daughter of
Thomas Holcomb. She died in April, 1708. Children, born in Windsor:
Daniel, mentioned below; Thomas, September 29, 1658; Edward, March
19, 1661 ; Mary, September 28, 1663; George, December 3, 1665; John,
September 17, 1668; Benjamin, August 16, 1671 ; Deborah, May 30, 1674,
married, December 12, 1695, Thomas Moore; Abigail, October 31, 1676,
died May 7, 1638; Samuel, November 5, 1681, died June i, 1682.
(III) Daniel Griswold. eldest child of George (2) and Mary (Holcomb-)
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 171 1
Griswold, was born October i, 1656, in Windsor. He married there, Feb-
ruary 3, 1680, Mindwell, eldest child of Nathaniel and Mindwell (Moore)
Bissell, born October 23, 1663, died December 31, 1728. Mindwell Moore,
born July 10, 1643, was a granddaughter of Thomas Moore, and daughter
of Deacon John Moore, who came from England in 1630, and died September
18, 1677. His wife's name was Abigail. Children of Daniel Griswold:
Daniel and Nathaniel (twins), born February 14, 1684; Pelatiah, September
13, 1689; Mary, 1692; Edward, March 8, 1696; Deborah, November 7, 1698;
David, mentioned below.
(IV) David Griswold, youngest child of Daniel and Mindwell (Bissell)
Griswold, was born August 6, 1701, and died August i, 1760. He apparently
lived on the east side of the river, as the record of his children appears in
the Westbury church records. He married, December 23, 1731, Huldah,
daughter of Deacon Cornelius and Abigail (Loomis) Brown. Qiildren :
David, died young; Ezekiel, born February 21, 1737; Huldah, baptized June
24, 1739; Sybil, born April 17, 1742; Deborah, March 15, 1745; David,
mentioned below; Asinah, September 6, 1751.
(V) David (2) Griswold, third son of David (i) and Huldah (Brown)
Griswold, was born February 15, 1748, in Windsor, and there married, July
16. 1772, Lois Higley. Children: David, born March 22, 1773: Lois, May
4, 1775; Ira, May 31, 1777; Olive, January 3, 1779; Huldah, January 8,
1782; Pliny, December 27, 1785; Chauncey, mentioned below.
(VI) Chauncey Griswold, youngest child of David (2) and Lois (Hig-
ley) Griswold, was born February 11, 1797, and was the father of Lafayette
Griswold, mentioned below.
(VII) Lafayette Griswold, son of Chauncey Griswold, was a blacksmith
and wagon maker, and carried on business in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, where
he died February 29, 1902. He was a member of the Presbyterian church,
and politically a Republican. His wife, Phebe, is a daughter of Levi Fisk,
and survives him, now residing in Edinboro. Their children were: Emma
D., who became the wife of William Wallace Lee (see Lee III) ; Ralph J.,
cashier of the Citizens Bank of Albion, Pennsylvania ; Pearl and Mearl
(twins). The last named is the wife of Dr. Arnett.
All his mature years a steel worker, Edward J. Hamilton,
HAMILTON of Duquesne, Pennsylvania, assistant superintendent of
the Duquesne plant of the Carnegie Steel Company, has
reached that position through sheer merit and thorough mastery of his busi-
ness. He is one of the few survivors to reach high position, the steel busi-
ness being one that calls for qualities of mind and body that few men pos-
sess. Among the experiences of his younger years, the Johnstown Flood
stands out in prominence, he having safely passed through the perils of that
disaster that shocked the world and caused such loss of life and property.
Edward J. Hamilton was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, September
16, 1867. He attended the public schools of Johnstown until fourteen years
of age, but shortly after entering high school was compelled to leave school
1712 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
and become a wage-earner. He worked in the Cambria steel mills with little
interruption until 1887, then obtained a more lucrative position with the
Loraine Steel Company of Johnstown, and was in the employ of that com-
pany at the time of the great flood, in which everything he possessed was
swept away. He obtained a position with the Carnegie Steel Company, after
the flood, beginning work at the Edgar Thomson works in Braddock. He
remained there until July 15, 1892, then' was transferred to the Homestead
plant of the same company. He remained there for five years and became
known as a most capable and efficient employee. In 1901 he was appointed
assistant general superintendent of the Duquesne works, a position he most
acceptably fills at this date, 1914. He has obtained a sure footing in the
world of steel, and thoroughly understands the details of manufacture, as
well as the more difficult task of operating a large plant employing thousands
of men.
He is a member of many organizations and societies, and has also at-
tained high standing in his adopted city, Duquesne. He is vice-president of
the Duquesne Trust Company, vice-president of the board of trustees of the
Carnegie Library, and belongs to the Pittsburgh Athletic Club, the Country
Club and the German Club of Pittsburgh. In political faith he is a Repub-
lican.
This name was formerly spelled Hilles, and that form is still used
HILL by a large number of the descendants bearing it. It has been.
traced to a somewhat remote period in England, having been
found almost two hundred years before the coming of the Puritans to this
country. The name has been borne by numerous prominent citizens of the
American colonies and of the United States, and is among the most widely
distributed known in the history of the country.
(I) Samuel Hill was born in Scotland, and emigrated to America with
his family in 1778. He was a farmer, and settled at Philadelphia. Later
he established himself in Clarion county, Pennsylvania, where his death oc-
curred. He was a devout member of the Presbyterian church. He mar-
ried , and had children: Jacob; Samuel, of further mention.
(II) Samuel (2) Hill, son of Samuel (i) Hill, was born in Scotland in
1766, and was about twelve years of age when he came to America with
his father. For a time he lived in Philadelphia, then in Clarion county, but
soon removed to Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, where he took up a
tract of twelve hundred acres of land on Chestnut Ridge. He cleared a por-
tion of this, erected the necessary buildings, and there spent the remainder
of his life. He married Sloan, and to them were born the following
children : George, Casper, Richard, Jacob, John B., of further mention : IMar-
garet, Abbie, who is the only one of this family now living
(III) John B. Hill, son of Samuel (2) and (Sloan) Hill, was
born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, February 17, 1819, died Oc-
tober 3, 1912. He was a farmer, owning five hundred acres of land in
Somerset county, Pennsylvania, a large portion of which he cleared. In
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1713
addition to his farming operations, he was the owner and operator of a
woolen mill from 1850 to 1910. He married Amanda Dally, who died July
15, 1910. She was a daughter of John Dally, also the owner of an extensive
woolen mill in Western Pennsylvania. Children: i. Abbie, now living at
Johnstown, Pennsylvania, married Jacob Weigle, and had children : Leonard,
Oscar and Elsie. 2. George, living in Kendall, Wisconsin, married ,
and has children : George and Silvia. 3. William, died in 1904. 4. John
Quinby, of further mention. 5. Mary, lives on a farm in Somerset county,
Pennsylvania ; she married George Keefer, and has children : Homer, Jay
and Swank. 6. Ida, lives in Somerset county, Pennsylvania ; she married
Lloyd Miller, a farmer, and they have children : Morgan, Zelda, Amanda,
Lee and Goldie. 7. Homer, died in 1913.
(IV) John Quinby Hill, son of John B. and Amanda (Dally) Hill, was
born in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, April 17, 1859. He was educated
in the public schools in the vicinity of his home, and then followed the occu-
pation of farming, with which he has been identified all his life. He re-
moved to Crawford county, Pennsylvania, in 1909, locating on a farm of one
hundred and fifteen acres, but in 1912 removed to the farm of two hundred
and thirteen acres, at Harmonsburg, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, on
which he is now residing. In his youth Mr. Hill also learned the carpenter-
ing trade, and has followed this for a period of thirty years. He is a Demo-
crat in his political opinions, and gives his religious support to the Presby-
terian denomination. Fraternally he is a member of the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, and of the Ancient Order of LInited Workmen. Mr. Hill
married, August 25, 1877, Aquilla, a daughter of Romanus Baldwin, and they
have had children: i. Ha Irene. 2. Richard. 3. Jessie, married Edward
Hinkel, one child, Chester; she died in 1912. 4. Homer, married Laura Lim-
burner, and had children: Susie, Don and Homer. 5. Morgan, who died
in 1898. 6. Earl, lives at Linesville, Pennsylvania ; married Mabel Harris,
and has one child, Morgan. 7. Sadie. 8. Hazel. 9. Marie, deceased. 10.
John.
William J. Reynolds, a member of one of the old families
REYNOLDS of Pine township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, was
born in that township on the farm he now owns and there
his father was also born. The house that now stands on the Pine township
homestead was built by John Reynolds, who first owned the farm and there
reared his family. John Reynolds married Mary McMartin. who bore him
six children : William, Thomas, of further mention ; Reuben, Hannah and
two others. John Reynolds and his wife were active working members of
the United Presbyterian church and highly regarded in the neighborhood.
(II) Thomas Reynolds was born on the Pine township homestead and
there lived all his life, owning twenty-eight acres of the original eighty-two.
He was a Republican in politics, and belonged to the United Presbyterian
church. He married Ellen Cochran and left four children: William J., of
whom further ; John, died aged twenty-one years ; Margaret, deceased, mar-
ried Frank Hill, of Valencia ; Mary, died unmarried.
I7I4 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
(III) William J. Reynolds, eldest son and now the only living child of
Thomas and Ellen (Cochran) Reynolds, was born on the farm he now owns
in Pine township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, July 26, 1863. He was
educated in public schools near his home and was his father's assistant in
his earlier years. For the past twenty-five years he has been working in the
oil fields and for the past fourteen years has been steadily employed with
the oil companies, also managing his farm. He bought fifty-four acres of
the old John Reynolds farm in 1892, added twenty-eight acres in 1902, his
latter purchase being the part owned by his father. In 1909 he bought an
adjoining twelve acres, his farm now containing ninety-six acres, which he
devotes to general farming purposes. The house on his farm was built by
his grandfather, but all other improvements have been made by the present
owner. It is a good farm and produces abundantly under Mr. Reynolds'
management.
William J. Reynolds married, April 5, 1883, Elizabeth Sarver, born June
16, 1863, daughter of Jacob and Matilda Sarver. Children: i. Myrtle, bom
February 17, 1884; married Harry Tyle ; children: Earl, born February 8,
1903; Bertha, October 25, 1904; Gladys, February 5, 1906; Harold, May 11,
1907; Glen, November i, 1908; Travers, September 22, 1910; Nellie, De-
cember 27, 1912; Mabel, July, 1914. 2. Nellie, born August 23, 1885; mar-
ried Charles McKenney; child, Lester, born March 9, 1905. 3. Grace, bom
September 4, 1887; married Harry McKinney ; children: Vivian, born De-
cember 23, 1904; Dorothy, August 7, 1905; Alice, April 7, 1906; Marie,
Ralph, Helen Blanche. 4. Iva, born July 24, 1889, died November 29, 1889.
5. Oiarles, born October 10, 1890, died December 31, 1900. 6. Walter,
born September 21, 1894, died March 4, 1895. 7. Harry, born October i,
1896. 8. Earl, born September 7, 1897, died March 25, 1912.
There are numerous families of this name scattered all over the
CURRY United States, and all appear to be of Scotch or Irish origin.
Many spell the name Currie, some Curry, and still others
Currey, and all are people who do credit ^o themselves and the countries
of their origin and adoption. Distinguisbed often by keen intellect, they
have made honorable records in the various professions as well as in in-
dustrial life.
(I) John Curry settled at Curry Hollow, near Dravosburg. Mifflin
township, Pennsylvania, after his marriage, owning a good-sized farm there.
He was a justice of the peace, and a member of the LTnited Presbyterian
church. He and his wife died of typhoid fever, and were buried at Curry
Hollow. He married Jane McRoberts, and had children: i. Mary, who
died unmarried about 1880. 2. Lizzie, who died unmarried about 1894. 3.
Martha, married William Slaymaker, a farmer, and died in 1913. 4. Belle,
widow of William Huston, lives in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. 5. John, of
further mention. 6. Samuel, a farmer, died in northwestern Illinois. 7.
Hiram, a farmer, in northwestern Illinois.
(II) John (2) Curry, son of John (i) and Jane (McRoberts) Curry,
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1715
was born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, February 22, 1841, and died
January i, 1912. After his marriage he settled in Elizabeth township, about
1869, where he was a leading and successful farmer until his death. He
erected some excellent farm buildings, which are still in good condition.
During the Civil War he served in the quartermaster's department for about
two years, having charge of the transportation and purchase of horses. A
Republican in politics, he served as school director. As secretary of the
Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company, he was connected with this or-
ganization from 1896 until his death. He was a strong supporter of Beth-
esda United Presbyterian church, of which his wife was also a member, and
abhorred pretense of all kinds. He married Sarah Wilson McConnell, born
in November, 1839, a daughter of Robert and Dinah (Boyd) McConnell, both
born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, of Scotch-Irish descent. They
settled in Forward township on a farm, which he cultivated ; he became
an extensive land-owner, and died about 1844. He was an elder in the
Associate Reformed church (Bethesda Associate Reformed Church), in
the forks of the Youghiogheny, which was the parent of several well
known churches, and later was a member of the United Presby-
terian church. They had children: i. Andrew, an elder in the United
Presbyterian church, a farmer in Poole, Nebraska. 2. John B., also an
elder in the United Presbyterian church, lived and died on the homestead
in 1912. 3. Sarah Wilson, who married Mr. Curry, as above mentioned.
4. Alice, married Samuel Reynolds, and died in Forward township in 1894.
5. Mary P., widow of James Dougherty, now lives in Elizabeth, Pennsyl-
vania. Mr. and Mrs. Curry had children: i. Jennie, married Samuel
Lewis Billick, and lives in the old home in Elizabeth township. 2. Robert
McConnell, of further mention. 3. John Alexander, born in 1874, died
August 21, 1883. 4. Mary Elizabeth, died unmarried at the age of twenty-
four years, August 21, 1904.
(Ill) Robert McConnell Curry, son of John (2) and Sarah Wilson
(McConnell) Curry, was bom at Elizabeth, Allegheny county, Pennsyl-
vania, May 19, 1868. His education has been a most comprehensive one,
and was acquired as follows : The old Harmony public school ; Elizabeth
Academy; Southwestern State Normal School, at California, Pennsylvania,
from which he was graduated in the class of 1887, after which he taught
for three years. He then matriculated at the Washington and Jefferson
College, was graduated in the class of 1894, and taught Latin and mathe-
matics for one year in the preparatory department. In the meantime he
had taken up the study of law, and upon leaving the Washington and
Jefferson College, went to Pittsburgh, where he continued his legal studies
in the office and under the auspices of E. P. Douglas, and was admitted
to the bar in December, 1896. He has been engaged in legal practice since
that time. He was a member of the Masonic Country Club at Bear Run,
and is now a member of McKeesport Lodge, No. 581, Free and Accepted
Masons : McKeesport Chapter, No. 282, Royal Arch Masons ; McKeesport
Commandery, No. 86, Knights Templar. Mr. Curry married, March 17,
iyi6 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
1897, Ada Goe, born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Rob-
ert S. and Hester Goe. They have one child, Linford, born March 18,
1902.
The name is of French origin. The family were Huguenots
. / PARDEE who fled from France at the time of the early persecutions
of the Protestants, about 1562.
(I) George Pardee, American ancestor, was born in England in 1619,
died August i, 1700. He came to America in 1644 and settled in New
Haven, Connecticut. In Atwater's "History of the New Haven Colony''
occurs the following:
The Colony School being discontinued, November 5, 1662, (thirty-nine years
before Yale College was established) the town of New Haven negotiated with
George Pardee, one of their own people, to teach the children English and to carry
them on in Latin so far as he could. The business was debated and some expressed
themselves to this purpose, that it was scarce known in any place to have a free
school for teaching English and writing, but yet showed themselves willing to have
something allowed by the public and the rest by the parents and masters of such that
went to school, and in the issue twenty pounds was propounded and put to vote and
they concluded to allow George Pardee for this year out of the town treasury, the
remainder to be paid by those that sent scholars to the school as he and they could
agree. This George Pardee agreed to make a trial of for one year. He was also
advised to be careful to instruct the youth in point of manners, there being a great
fault in that respect, as some expressed.
At the end of the year for which he was engaged, Connecticut ab-
sorbed the colony of New Haven, and the school was discontinued. Accord-
ing to an old catalogue of the Hopkins Grammar School he was elected
the second rector, being chosen as the only man in the New Haven Colony,
after the death of the first rector, who could read and teach Latin. He
held this position for a number of years. In 1665 and 1666 George Pardee
was assigned the fourth on the aisle in the Meeting House in the formal
seating arrangement.
Mr. Pardee married (first) October 20, 1650, Martha, daughter of
Richard Miles, who died in 1660, their children being: John, bom August
25, 1652, died June 28, 1653; John (2), born December 2, 1653, died
October 8, 1683; George, born January 15, 1655, married (first) M. Mercy
Ball and (second) Mary Denison, died November 22, 1723; Mary, born
February 18, 1658, married Joshua Hotchkiss ; Elizabeth, born June 10,
1660, married an Olmstead. Mr. Pardee married (second) December 29,
1662, Catherine Lane, their children being: Joseph, of whom further;
Rebecca, born April 11, 1666, married Samuel Ailing; Sarah, born July
I, 1667; Hannah, born July i, 1668, married Edward Vickers. Copied
from New Haven Town Record. George Pardee's will on same record.
(II) Joseph Pardee, son of George Pardee, the emigrant, was born
April 27, 1664. He married (first) July 31, 1688, Elizabeth Yale, daugh-
ter of first Thomas Yale. Their children were : John, born October 26,
169s, died same year; John (2), born February 6, 1698; Mary, born 1700.
He married (second) Elizabeth Payne, December 23, 1703. Their chil-
dren were: Elizabeth, born 1704; Daniel, of whom further; Rebecca, 1708;
Josiah, 1711; Ebenezer, 1714; Samuel, 1718; Sarah, 1720. East Haven
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1717
Register shows that George Pardee Sr. gave his son Joseph land in New
Haven a few days before his first marriage.
(III) Daniel Pardee, son of Joseph Pardee, was born November 28,
1706. He married Lydia Potter, December 19, 1734. In name, list and
age of inhabitants of, "Society of Southington," Hartford Library, Vol.
No. 13, says, Daniel Pardee's pews in church second right and left of
front door. And his son David's, whose age was given at forty-five, was
third pews right and left of pulpit on the left. Their children were:
Lydia, born October 27, 1736; Daniel, born December 30, 1738; David,
of whom further; Jonathan, born May 8, 1744; Stephen, born July 4, 1747.
(IV) David Pardee, son of Daniel Pardee, born May 17, 1741, died
May 31, 1821. He married Phebe Woodruff, January i, 1761. David
Pardee, of Southington, Connecticut, served as sergeant under Captain Asa
Bray, Colonel Hooker's regiment, of Southington, April 3, 1777, to May
.15' 1779- (See Connecticut Men in the Revolution, 1889.) Timlow's
Southington, published forty years ago — says (p. 520), French and Indian
War Notes : "David Pardee was w^ith Putnam when waylaid by French
and Indians on their way from Fort Ann to Fort Edward. He held the
rank of corporal." P. 210, 1760, in Connecticut Historical Society, vol. 10,
"David Pardee, 3rd Reg., ist Co., Col. W^ooster, April i, November 23."
He served in both wars.
State Librarian George S. Goddard, of Connecticut, referring to
photostats of rolls of French and Indian War, says :
A set of photostats, five in ntunber. show the various enlistments of David
Pardee, then of Southington Society of Farmington. His daughter Lois married
William Lincoln, of L^pper Houses. Lydia married Solomon Wilcox, and they re-
moved to Stockbridge, Massachusetts, in 1799. A son Daniel served in the Revolu-
tion. Two of his daughters married John Brainerd Smith and Alanson Stow. David
Pardee died May 31, 1821, aged 80 years. His wife, Phebe Woodruff, died November
30, 1822, aged 82 years. They are buried in Cromwell. Daniel Pardee married
Florinda Bray, daughter of Captain .Asa Bray, under whom his father had served in
the Revolutionary War, after having enlisted five times in the French-Indian War.
He died in 1852, aged 90 years, and is buried in Cromwell.
The children of David Pardee and Phebe (Woodruff) Pardee were:
Daniel, of whom further ; Lydia, Lois, married William Lincoln, of Crom-
well.
(V) Daniel Pardee, son of David Pardee, was born in Southington,
Society of Farmington, Connecticut, October 19, 1762, died IMarch 28,
1852, in Cromwell. He married Florinda Bray, daughter of Captain Asa
Bray, an officer of the Revolution, December 4, 1783. Captain Bray was
captain of a company of the Fifteenth Regiment of Alilitia. Daniel "Par-
dee was the father of eight children: Sallie, born May 11, 1794, married
Alanson Stowe, died IMarch 9, 1867; Fanny, born June 26, 1797, married
John Brainerd Smith, February 2t„ 1814, died March 21, 1873; Daniel,
died April 20, 1869; Jesse, of whom further: John, of whom further;
Lydia, married a Matthews; James; Bray.
I7i8 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
REVOLUTIONARY WAR iRECORDS SECTION
AW Department of the Interior,
S. F. 17615 Bureau of Pensions,
Red. Washington, D. C, Feb. 16, 1915
Mr. J. H. Pardee,
Meadville, Pa.
Sir:
In reply to your request of the 8th inst. received loth inst. for a statement of
the military history of Daniel Pardee, a soldier of the Revolutionary War, you will
find below the desired information as contained in his application for pension on
file in this Bureau.
Dates of en- Length Officers under whom service was
listmeut oi* Oi rendered
appointment Service Itanlc Captain Colonel State
July 10, 1770 6 wlis. priv. Asa Bray Phelps Conn.
June 1, 17S0 7 mths. priv. Henry Ten Byck Zebuion Butler
Herman Swift
Mar. 1781 1 yr. corpl. Matthew Smith Majors Shipman and
Humphrys
Apr. 1782 to end Nathaniel Jones
of war Engaged in service on Long Island Sound and
aided in capturing 20 vessels
Battles engaged in, two at Frog's Point. N. Y.
Residence of soldier at Enlistment, Southington, Hartford, Conn.
Date of application for pension, July 31, 1832, His claim was allowed.
Residence at date of application, Southington, Conn.
Age at date of application, born Oct. 19, 1762, Southington, Conn.
(See Connecticut Men of the Revolution, 1889, issued by the State of Connecticut.)
(VI) Jesse Pardee, son of Daniel and Florinda (Bray) Pardee, was
born in Southington, Hartford county, Connecticut, March 18, 1802, died
in Meadville, Pennsylvania, January 9, 1888. In the spring of 1820 he
came to Meadville, Pennsylvania, to join his elder brother, Daniel. The
inborn thrift of the New Englander and his untiring industry soon made
him one of the prominent men of his district. He was a man of rare judg-
ment and in all matters of importance was often sought in counsel by neigh-
bors. He took great interest in public affairs, serving as a school director,
assessor, supervisor and tax collector, holding each office several times. He
married February 7, 1822, Elizabeth Stainbrook, who died March 28,
1846. She was a daughter of Christian and Esther (Troutman) Stain-
brook. Their children were: Sarah, born December 29, 1822, married
Andrew Jackson Hunter, December 14, 1844; Susan, born August 15,
1824, married Joseph Johnson, March 20, 1845; James Christian, born
September 14, 1826, married Charlotte Barton ; Catherine, born October
29, 1828, married Emory Morse; Mary, born June 5, 1830, married Jesse
McFadden; Esther, born March 9, 1832, married John Southwick; John
Henry, of whom further; Emeline, born May 7, 1838, married Daniel
Fowler, May 6, 1856; Florinda, born May 15, 1841, married Joseph B.
Girard; Elizabeth, born March 28, 1846, married Joseph B. Girard, May 21,
^872.
(VII) John Henry Pardee, son of Jesse and Elizabeth (Stainbrook)
Pardee, was born in Mead township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, April
25, 1834. During the early oil excitement he spent several years in the
oil districts of northwestern Pennsylvania, being ftiterested in some of the
earliest productions. As he was successful in his operations there he
returned home and purchased land, part of which was the old homestead
that his grandfather, Samuel Stainbrook, bought from the Holland Com-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1719
pany in 1799. He took great pride in his hon;e and surroundings. In
politics he was a Republican and served his community in a number of
local offices. Mr. Pardee married, May 22, 1872, Julia Ann Homan, of
Cochranton, Pennsylvania, daughter of Samuel Mark and Susanna (Sny-
der) Homan. Their children were: Flora, married John Frederick
Kitchen, and their children are: Jean McPherson, bom July 26, 1903;
Martha Pardee, bom December 8, 1906; Julia Margaret, born April 26,
191 1 ; Fannie, died June 14, 1886, aged twelve years; Jesse Homan, of
whom further ; Margaret, married Albert Justin Dewey. Mr. Pardee re-
tired from active life some ten years before his death, which occurred
March 20, 1908.
(Vni) Jesse Homan Pardee, only son of John Henry and Julia Ann
(Homan) Pardee, was born December i, 1875. He married, January
28, 1914, Mary Imboden McClung, of Richmond, Virginia. He was edu-
cated in Allegheny College and Smith Bryant and Stratton Business Col-
lege. During the first years of his business life he was associated with
the Keystone View Company. Early in 1904 he assisted in founding and
establishing the Spirella Company and later in organizing and financing
the several Spirella companies of America and European countries. He
served as vice-president of the G. M. Yost Manufacturing Company and
has given valued advice and assistance in organizing several of Meadville's
successful industries. He is one of the directors of the Merchants National
Bank and a trustee of the Pennsylvania College of Music. His recreation
from business care is found in motoring, golfing, riding, his clubs, and the
Meadville Chamber of Commerce. He served the latter two terms as its
president, and in June, 1914, represented that organization in Paris at the
International Conference of Chambers of Commerce of the World. He is
a Mason and a member of the Society of Middletown Upper Houses. He
has spent much of his time abroad in continental travel.
(VI) John Pardee, younger brother of Jesse and Daniel Pardee, was
born at Southington, Connecticut, July 7, 1806, died in Randolph township,
Crawford county, Pennsylvania, March 25, 1884. He married Sarah Ann
Johnson, July 21, 1841. They were the parents of ten children, as fol-
lows: Mary, bom January 4, 1843, married James P. Daniels, May 16,
1868, died February 27, 1879; Jesse, born May 14, 1844. died February
20, 1904; Rose Ann, born November 10, 1845, married Robert B. Allen.
December 28, 1870, died October 6, 1902 ; Joseph Bray, born April 9, 1847,
married Augustine Gegon, September 20, 1876; John Thompson, born De-
cember 7, 1848, married Mrs. Elizabeth Hamill, January 10, 1891, died
May 18, 1893; James Clinton, born August 22, 1850, died October 19,
1867; Julefif Hubbard, born June 6, 1852, married Margaret Watson, Oc-
tober 3. 1881 ; Juliet, born July 14, 1854. died October 6, 1855: Alexander
Campbell, born March 17, 1856, married ]\Irs. Eva M. Stanton, July 22.
1893; Hugh Brawley, born March 11, 1838, married Mrs. Kate McLaugh-
lin, June 9, 1909.
1720 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
This is an old English name, which appears under many
ENS WORTH forms, and is often found in this country as Ainsworth.
The name comes from Chapelry, Ainsworth, commonly
called Cockeymore, which is situated in the parish of Milford, Salford
Hundred, Lancaster, England. As long ago as 1639 John Ainsworth owned
lands there, and the family had a coat-of-arms of ancient date.
(I) Texhall Ensworth (also spelled Tixall, Tixoll and Tyxhall) ap-
pears in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1681 and 1700. In the latter year he
was among the first settlers of Canterbury, Connecticut, where he pur-
chased land, and in the distribution of lands made there, April 20, 1723,
he received one and one-half shares. He died in 1727. He probably had
two wives, Lydia and Sarah, as both names appear in this connection. His
children, baptized at Hartford, were: Nathaniel, Nehemiah, Ezra, Joseph,
John, Sarah, who married Joseph Cleveland.
(II) Joseph Ensworth, fourth son of Texhall Ensworth, was born
August 21, 1694, in Hartford, was received as an inhabitant of Canter-
bury, December 8, 1791, and had one-half share in that town, April 20,
1723. He married there, October 5, 1719, Mary Cleveland, born June 14,
1696, in Canterbury, fourth daughter of Samuel and Persis (Hildreth)
Cleveland, the last named second wife of Samuel Cleveland. Mary (Cleve-
land) Ensworth died in Canterbury, March 11, 1766. Children: William,
born February 24, 1720; Lydia, died young; Jabez, mentioned below; Jo-
seph, born November 23, 1725; Lydia, born June 16, 1734.
(III) Jabez Ensworth, second son of Joseph and Mary (Cleveland)
Ensworth, was born April 12, 1723, in Canterbury, and there married, No-
vember 17, 1748, Mehitable Tracy.
(IV) Tracy Ensworth, son of Jabez and Mehitable (Tracy) Ensworth,
was born about 1755. probably lived in Canterbury.
(V) Allen Ensworth, son of Tracy Ensworth, was born February 3,
1789, and was living in Otsego county. New York, in 1824, at a village
called Maryland. In 1829 he removed with his family to Coventry, Che-
nango county. New York, and in 1836 again removed his family and be-
longings in a covered wagon to Erie county, Pennsylvania, where he lo-
cated permanently at Wattsburg, and died February 20, 1872. He was a
blacksmith by trade, a man of more than ordinary ability, was respected
in the community, and reared his family well. He married, July 10, 1814,
Lucinda Smith, born February 16, 1796, died April 13, 1851. He had a
second wife, but Lucinda was the mother of his children, namely: Loren
Allen, born April 7, 1815, died March 4, 1867; Dexter Chapin, mentioned
below; James Tracy, bom May 14, 1820, died February 26, i860; Horace
and Henry, twins, born June 18, 1823, died June 20, 1823; Porter Smith,
mentioned below; Jane Eliza, born May 11, 1833, died March 27, 1904.
(VI) Dexter Chapin Ensworth, second son of Allen and Lucinda
(Smith) Ensworth, was born July 12, 1817, and died September 29, 1900.
He acquired his father's trade of blacksmithing, at which he was occupied
for some years, and later was proprietor of a hotel at Wattsburg. In 1900
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1721
he came to reside with his son, Frank E. Ensworth, where lie died, as
above noted. He married Nancy A. Drake in 1848, and they had children:
Frank E., mentioned below ; Emory A., died at the age of ten years ; Clin-
ton Dexter, died in infancy; James Tracy.
(VII) Frank E. Ensworth, eldest child of Dexter Chapin and Nancy
A. (Drake) Ensworth, was born July 28, 1852, in Wattsburg, Pennsyl-
vania. In early life he learned the trade of tinsmith, which occupied most
of his time until his retirement, January i, 1915. He resided in his native
town until 1867, when he removed to Water ford, Erie county, Pennsyl-
vania, where he conducted a general hardware business, and has been much
interested in the welfare and upbuilding of the town. He has taken con-
siderable interest in public affairs, and is a past master of Waterford Lodge,
No. 425, Free and Accepted Masons. He has pursued the higher degrees
in this fraternity, and is a member of the Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of
the Mystic Shrine. He married, April 5, 1882, Mary A. Roberts, daughter of
(Tharles and Mary (Hill) Roberts, the latter a native of Scotland. Mr.
and Mrs. Ensworth are the parents of a daughter, Annie Gertrude, now the
wife of Rollo McCray, one of the leading merchants of Waterford, ex-
mayor of the city, and prominent in Masonic circles.
(VI) Porter Smith Ensworth, son of Allen and Lucinda (Smith)
Ensworth, was born June i, 1824, in ]\Iaryland, Otsego county. New York,
and died at the residence of his son, Frederick W. Ensworth, at Ellwood
City, Pennsylvania, January 15, 1896. In 1829 his parents removed to
Coventry, Chenango county. New York, and in 1837 to Wattsburg, Penn-
sylvania, when the son was thirteen years of age. He often reverted with
pleasure to this journey. In Wattsburg he grew to manhood, and he con-
sidered the twenty years spent in that village as the happiest of his life.
The many friendships there engendered were never forgotten. In 1859
Mr. Ensworth removed to Waterford, and bought out the store of S. M.
Hayes & Brother, whose business he developed and increased rapidly, and
after ten. busy and successful years sold out in order to engage his time
and capital in the promotion of various large enterprises. He was one
of the pioneer traveling salesmen of the country, and received the highest
salary paid in his day. He had charge of various important business enter-
prises which required an unusual degree of ability and tact, and involved
transactions in three-fourths of the states of the Union. His ambition
exceeded his strength, and about four years preceding his demise he was
obliged to retire from active labor. He enjoyed the esteem and friendship
of many people, and his death was widely mourned, especially in Water-
ford. His eulogist, a neighbor who knew him from boyhood, spoke of
him as one of the most kindhearted men. a lover of children, and beloved
by them. Soon after 1850 Mr. Ensworth became a member of Presque
Isle Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of Erie, Pennsylvania, and was
afterward transferred to Waterford Lodge, No. 425. He also became a
member of Temple Chapter, No. 315, Royal Arch Masons, of Erie. He
married, January 3, 1849, Harriet L. Aliller, youngest daughter of Dr. F.
1722 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
W. Miller, a well-known physician of Waterford, of whom forward. Chil-
dren: I. Mary Lucinda, mentioned below. 2. Frederick Winston, men-
tioned below. 3. Herbert Allen, born January 28, 1874, now general man-
ager of the Standard Oil Company in Japan and Corea, with headquarters
at Yokohama, Japan ; he married, June 22, 1890, Julia F. Miller.
(VII) Mary Lucinda Ensworth, only daughter of Porter Smith and
Harriet L. (Miller) Ensworth, was born March 22, 1851, and graduated
from Waterford Academy, of whose faculty she subsequently became a
member. During the time her brother, Frederick W. Ensworth, elsewhere
mentioned, was engaged in the private banking business, she rendered him
valuable service. She was a woman of more than ordinary ability and
much esteemed in the community. She was a member of St. Peter's Epis-
copal church of Waterford. She married, at Waterford, September 24,
1879, Isaac Lloyd Benson, born October 3, 1850, died April 23, 1896. Chil-
dren: Douglas Ensworth, born May 27, 1882, married April 13, 1905,
Reatha McClure; Porter Lloyd, born January 16, 1888, married March
12, 1913, Lillian Rupert; Frederick Winston, born November 4, 1894, died
October 12, 1895.
(VII) Frederick Winston Ensworth, senior son of Porter Smith and
Harriet L. (Miller) Ensworth, was born February 16, 1856, in Watts-
burg, and was four years old when his parents removed to Waterford.
His education was supplied by the public schools and academy of that
town, supplemented by a commercial course. For several years he was
employed as a commercial salesman, during which he transacted business
in nearly every state in the Union, and for some time was located in New
York City, where he was manager of a distributing house for a large manu-
facturing concern. Following this he was elected president of the Ellwood
Weldless Tube Company of Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, conducting this
business with great success. He was one of the organizers of the Green-
ville Tube Company of Greenville, Pennsylvania, of which he was presi-
dent. After disposing of his interest in the tube business, he returned
to his old home at Waterford, where he opened a private bank and was
successfully engaged in this business for a period of thirteen years, after
which he assisted in the organization of the Ensworth National Bank of
Waterford, of which he has been president to the present time. Early in
life he affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, and is now the oldest living
pastmaster in point of service of Waterford Lodge, No. 425, Free and
Accepted Masons. He is a member of Temple Chapter, Royal Arch Ma-
sons, and of Mount Olive Commandery, No. 30, Knights Templar, of
Erie, Pennsylvania, and past potentate of Zem Zem Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. While deeply interested in the pro-
gress of his country and in political movements, he has never aspired to
public station, and is a strong advocate of any movement for the betterment
of his home town. He married, at Saegerstown, Crawford county, Penn-
sylvania, February 10, 1876, Mary Ellen, youngest daughter of Adam and
Margaret M. (Stem) Rittmayer. Adam Rittmayer is the founder of the
WESTERN TENNSYLVANIA 1723
Rittmayer family of this country. He was born in Germany and came to
the United States, settling at once in Saegerstown, Crawford county, Penn-
sylvania, when a young man. He was reared in the Roman Catholic faith,
but after coming to this country joined the German Reformed church.
In early life he learned the trade of shoemaker, which he followed, and
achieved considerable success in Saegerstown, where he always took an
active interest in the affairs of his adopted country. He served as council-
man and tax collector of the borough of Saegerstown, and is a member of
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Saegerstown, Pennsylvania. He
married, at Easton, Pennsylvania, Margaret Madeline Stem, a daughter
of John and Anna (Keller) Stem, of German ancestry. Their first child
died unnamed ; the second, Andrew, deceased ; Samuel, deceased ; Anna,
became the wife of John Pettis, and has children: Blanche, wife of Joseph
B. Himroad; William A., of Bradford, Pennsylvania; Adah E., a clerk in
the Saegerstown post office; Mary Ellen, the wife of Frederick Winston
Ensworth, and they are the parents of one son, Arthur C.
(VIII) Arthur C. Ensworth, only son of Frederick Winston and Mary
Ellen (Rittmayer) Ensworth, was born July 23, 1881, in Waterford, and
received his education in the public schools, including the high school.
He is now cashier of the Ensworth National Bank of Waterford, which
position he has filled since its organization. He married, October 4, 1899,
Mildred G. Phelps, and they are the parents of a son, Winston Phelps
Ensworth, born July 23, 1900.
Stephen Miller, grandfather of Harriet L. (Miller) Ensworth, above
mentioned, was born in New York City, December 19, 1749, died August
28, 1838, aged eighty-eight years, eight months and nine days. He was
an active participant in the Revolutionary War, enlisting his services in
the year 1775, and serving for one year, eight months and six days as pri-
vate, appointed to the rank of sergeant, in April, 1777, and served three
years in that capacity. He was actively engaged in the battle of Trenton,
was with General Washington in the memorable siege at Valley Forge, and
received an honorable discharge from the Continental army April i, 1780.
He married, at Stephentown, New York, January 4, 1781, Jemima Winston,
born near Boston, Massachusetts, February 8, 1762, died at Conneautville,
Crawford county, Pennsylvania, October 23, 1858, aged ninety-six years,
eight months and fifteen days, daughter of a younger son of the Earl
of Winston. Among their children was Frederick Winston, of whom
further.
Dr. Frederick Winston Miller, father of Harriet L. (Aliller) Ens-
worth, was born May 15, 1795, died in Waterford, Pennsylvania. April
22, 1855. After completing his course of study in the schools of his neigh-
borhood, he took up the study of medicine in Washington, D. C, and after
receiving his degree of Doctor of Medicine, located in Waterford, Penn-
sylvania, being the third physician to practice in that city, and there resided
from the year 1827 until his death. In addition to his private practice,
which was quite extensive, as a result of his skill and ability in the diagno-
1724 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
sis and treatment of disease; he served as collector of the port at Blankeney,
Alabama, appointed in 1822; as captain of Baldwin's battalion, Ninth
Brigade, Fourth Division of Militia of Alabama, commissioned March 15,
1822, by the Governor, Israel Perkins, the state capitol being at Cahaba,
Alabama; was appointed Indian agent in 1833; was commissioned assistant
surgeon (under act approved in 1846) January 20, 1847; was commis-
sioned surgeon under same law to rank as major from March 3, 1848. He
served on the staff of Jeremiah Miller during the War of 1812, enlisting
at the age of seventeen years, and he also served through the Mexican
War, entering the City of Mexico with General Winfield Scott. He was a
personal friend of General Andrew Jackson.
Dr. Miller married, in Washington, D. C., May 15, 1815, Mary John-
son, born in Baltimore, Maryland, April i, 1795, died at Waterford, Penn-
sylvania, January 25, 1875, aged seventy-nine years, eight months and
twenty-four days. She was southern born and bred, educated in a convent,
and proved an efficient helpmeet to her husband in his profession, also a
notable housekeeper in her home, a loving and faithful wife and an affec-
tionate mother.
For many years Erasmus H. Beall was one of the leading con-
BEALL tractors and builders of Sewickley, Pennsylvania, and associ-
ated with him for many years was his son, Howard E. Beall,
now head of H. E. Beall & Company, a widely known and highly rated
firm of Sewickley.
Erasmus Howard Beall was born in western Pennsylvania, in 1849,
died in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, in February, 1910. He learned the car-
penter's trade and was an early builder of Sewickley, then moved to Beaver
county, Pennsylvania. In 1879 he returned to Sewickley and was there
engaged in building and contracting until his death, operating with marked
success. He was an active Democrat, a member of the Methodist Epis-
copal church, and a man of strong, upright, manly character. He married
Theresa Eberle, born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, died in Sewickley in
May, 1900. Children : Carrie, A. S., Howard E., Catherine, Lloyd C,
Frank J., and Marie.
Howard E. Beall, son of Erasmus Howard Beall, was born in Beaver
county, Pennsylvania, July 15, 1877. When he was two years old his
parents moved to Sewickley and in the public schools of that borough he
obtained a good education. He learned his father's trade, and until 1901
was associated with him in business. In the latter year he established
in business on his own account, continuing alone until 1909, when he be-
came head of the firm H. E. Beall & Company, a concern that ranks as a
leader in the section of which Sewickley is the center. Mr. Beall is an
Independent in politics, disregarding party ties and supporting the man
that most appeals to his sense of fitness. He married, in 1899, Philomena
Gauster, born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, daughter of John Gaus-
ter. Children : Theresa, Caroline, Walter.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1725
Charles J. Eaton is a member of a family which combines in
EATON itself many of those strains which in their union give to the
cosmopolitan citizenship of this country its peculiar strength.
On the paternal line he is of English descent, his grandfather, William
Eaton, having been a native of that country, where he was born in the
year 1804. William Eaton did not, however, remain in his native land,
but while still a young and single man, migrated to the United States and
made his home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Here he met May Petigrew,
a young Scotch girl, who had been born in that country in 1806. This
young lady he married in 1823, when she was only seventeen years of age,
he being but nineteen at the time. Of this union there were nine children,
as follows: Samuel, of whom further; Henry, Lewis, William, John,
Martha, James, Albert, and one other child. Mr. Eaton died in 1849, when
he was but forty-five years of age, during a trip to Canada, but was sur-
vived by his wife until the year 1898, when she died in Butler, Pennsyl-
vania.
(H) Samuel Eaton, eldest son of William Eaton, was born in Pitts-
burgh, Pennsylvania, April 2, 1824, but while still a very young child was
taken by his parents to Frederickstown, Columbiana county, Ohio, where
they lived for some time, his father owning a farm of over six hundred
acres in that locality. On this property Samuel was reared, receiving
his education in the local public schools. After completing his studies, and
arriving at manhood, he turned his attention to the business in which his
father had been engaged, that of miller, the elder man having erected a
large grist mill which to this day stands and is in excellent shape, a tribute
to the manner in which construction was carried on by our ancestors. Be-
sides engaging in the milling business, Samuel Eaton also learned the trade
of stone mason, and established himself in a stone contracting and building
business, in which he was highly successful, and in which he continued
until his death in 1885. He was a member of the Republican party, deeply
interested in the questions of his time, and extremely active in politics.
He married Mary Rodebaugh, a native of Carrollton, Ohio, born August
23, 1829. Mrs. Samuel Eaton was a daughter of John and Sarah (Shive-
ley) Rodebaugh, of Carroll county, Ohio. Mr. Rodebaugh was a native
of Carroll county, but his wife was a native of Germany, and a daughter
of Peter and Rebecca Shiveley, both of whom came from the "Father-
land." Mr. Rodebaugh and his wife were the parents of nine children,
as follows : Elizabeth, deceased ; Mary, above mentioned ; Barbara, Sarah,
Martha, deceased; Benjamin, died during the Civil War; John, William
and Henry. Mr. Eaton and his family were members of the Christian
church. He and Mrs. Eaton were the parents of nine children, as follows:
Eliza, William, Martha, Hugh, Josephine, John Calvin, Henry M.. Harriet,
Charles J., of whom further.
(HI) Charles J. Eaton, the youngest child of Samuel and ^L'lry
(Rodebaugh) Eaton, was bom November ig. 1871, in Frederickstown, Co-
lumbiana county, Ohio, and was there reared on the Eaton family home-
1726 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
stead until he had reached the age of twenty years. He received the ele-
mentary portion of his education in the local public schools, and later at-
tended the Ohio Valley Business College at East Liverpool, Ohio, and
graduated from the same. LIpon completing these studies he came east
to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and found employment in the post office in
Allegheny, remaining for a period of four years. In 1904 he entered the
real estate field and continued in this business in Pittsburgh for some five
years. In 1909, however, he removed to Bellevue, Pennsylvania, and there
with John Nixon the present real estate and insurance business was founded
under the firm name of Nixon & Eaton. This business has from the start
been highly successful, and has since continued in a growing and flourish-
ing condition. Mr. Eaton is, as was his father before him, a member of
the Republican party, and takes a vital interest in all political issues whether
of merely local or more general significance. He plays an active part in
the life of the community generally, and is a member of several orders
and fraternal organizations. He is a member of Avalon Lodge, No. 657,
Free and Accepted Masons, and of Bellevue Chapter, Royal Arch Masons.
Mr. Eaton married, June 12, 1900, Bertha L. Hawkins, a native of
Elkton, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Eaton have three children : Helen, Jean and
Charles Judson. Mr. and Mrs. Eaton are members of the Presbyterian
church, attending the church of that denomination in Avalon, and are
rearing their children in that persuasion.
The record of this English family begins with George Darby,
DARBY born in England, June 12, 1726, in which country his wife,
Ann, was also born, in 1735. They were the parents of:
Zador, born in 1770; Aden, 1772; Reason, 1777; Rebecca; Samuel, of
whom further ; John.
(II) Samuel Darby, son of George and Ann Darby, married and was
the father of : Walter, of whom further ; George, Reason, Asa, Rhoda,
Drusilla, Nancy.
(III) Walter Darby, son of Samuel Darby, was born in Maryland^
and married in that state Sarah Jane, daughter of Caleb and Sarah (Dane)
Penn. Caleb Penn was twice married, (first) February 4, 1781, to Sarah
Dane. Children of his first marriage: Eliza; Elizabeth, born July 28, 1783;
William Greenbury, born July 25, 1785; Sarah Jane, of previous mention,
born October 7, 1788, married Walter Darby. Children of Walter and
Sarah Jane (Penn) Darby: Martha, Jane, Elizabeth, Darius, Grafton, of
whom further.
(IV) Grafton Darby, son of Walter and Sarah Jane (Penn) Darby,
was born in Frederick, Frederick county, Maryland, and settled in Martins-
burg, Berkeley county, West Virginia. He was an engineer in calling,
and during the Civil War enlisted in the Union army. His political faith
was Republican, he a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, his wife
belonging to the Episcopal church. He married Rebecca Suter, born near
Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, and had children : William Walter, de-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1727
ceased; James H., of Baltimore, Maryland; Julius Augustus, deceased;
Charles, deceased; Harriet, married D. P. Black, and lives in Slater, Mis-
souri; Sarah, deceased; Grafton; Anna, resides in Slater, Missouri; Grant,
of whom further ; Charles D., of Aspinwall, Pennsylvania.
(V) Grant Darby, son of Grafton and Rebecca (Suter) Darby, was
born in Martinsburg, Berkeley county, West Virginia, September 2, 1863,
and was there educated, beginning business life as a bookkeeper. He
came to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, May 30, 1887, five years later moving
to Aspinwall, Pennsylvania, where he became a bookkeeper for the Alle-
gheny County Light Company, later forming an association with the Ameri-
can Bridge Company. In 1902 he established in the real estate business,
in 1909 becoming a member of the firm of Darby & Bokerman, organized
in that year, a connection that continues to the present time. This is a
firm of the highest repute, well-known in the locality, and supported by a
long list of successful dealings. He was prominent in the organization of
the First National Bank, of Aspinwall, of which he is now a director, and
also is interested in other institutions of the region. His political party
was formerly the Republican, although at the present time he owes alle-
giance to no political organization, acting independently in all such mat-
ters. Since the formation of the borough of Aspinwall he has held numer-
ous offices, among them auditor, school director, and borough treasurer,
holding the latter position for five years. His assistance is ever assured in
all afifairs pertaining to the public good or the advancement of Aspinwall,
his public spirit leading him to much valuable service. He was one of
the organizers of the First Methodist Episcopal church, to which both he
and his wife belong. He married, April 4, 1889, Mrs. Emma (Bosworth)
Scott, of Pittsburgh.
The name of Edmundson is one which is mentioned
EDMUNDSON frequently and honorably in many old records, but un-
fortunately these records have not been preserved in
their entirety, owing to various causes, and it is a matter of some difficulty,
in some cases of impossibility, to trace in an uninterrupted manner the de-
scent from the early settlers.
Joseph Edmundson was a pioneer settler in the Monongahela and
Youghiogheny valleys, his farm being located at the forks of the two rivers.
He married, and among his children were: Levi H., of further mention;
Joseph Edmundson, at present a resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ; John
F., a well known attorney of Pittsburgh, who died in 1913.
Levi H. Edmundson, son of Joseph Edmundson, was born in Lincoln
township. Otto, Pennsylvania, near the old Eleventh avenue ferry, Feb-
ruary 2, 1836, and died at his home in Monongahela avenue, in the same
town, January 10, 1915. With the exception of a few years spent in
McKeesport and Butler, Pennsylvania, Mr. Edmundson has passed his
entire life in his native town. He received what was considered a practical
education in his younger days, and having engaged in the dairy business
1728 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
he had a large patronage in McKeesport, and was very successful in this
enterprise, from which he retired some years prior to his death. Having
thrown off the burdens and responsibilities of business life, he devoted
his time and attention to other forms of activities, and among these was
the interest he took in the gathering together of the various members of the
widely spread Edmundson family. He was president of the Edmundson
Family Reunion Association, and was present at the reunion held at Home-
stead Park, July 16, 1914. Mr. Edmundson was for many years a member,
of the First Presbyterian Church, of Otto. His fraternal affiliation was
with Glassport Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He was tax
collector of Glassport and Otto for some time. Mr. Edmundson married
Mary , who survives him with their children: John F., postmaster
of Duquesne ; M. M., an attorney with offices at McKeesport and Pitts-
burgh, and Clem, living at home.
Edward Briggs, whose father was a soldier of the Revolu-
BRIGGS tionary War, was a resident of Cortland county, New York,
and removed with his family to Erie, Pennsylvania, in the
year 1824. He followed agricultural pursuits, and was a man of much in-
fluence in church and public affairs. His death occurred October 8, 1870.
He married and raised a family of ten children.
(II) Benjamin Briggs, son of Edward Briggs, was born in Cortland
county, New York, May 20, 1809, and died in Waterford township, Erie
county, Pennsylvania, February, 1903. He was fifteen years of age when
he came to Erie county, and identified himself thoroughly with its interests.
Energetic and ambitious, he worked incessantly, and by means of thrift
and industry acquired a farm oi about one hundred and fifty acres, which
he brought to a fine state of cultivation. He was a leader in the denomi-
nation of Seventh Day Adventists, and was considered the best read Bible
scholar in that section. Mr. Briggs married, March 20, 1834, Sarah Davis.
a daughter of Zopher and Lois (Porter) Davis, a history of the Davis
family appearing elsewhere in this work. Children: i. William. 2. Ma-
tilda, married (first) Armand McGill, (second) Robert Hope, died in 1913.
3. Erastus Ransom, died in 1874. 4. Almira, married John Wilson. 5.
James P., who served during the Civil War, died in 1906. 6. Lois M., mar-
ried Frank Thomas. 7. Eliza Jane, married Nathaniel B. Gardner. 8.
Edward, of further mention. 9. Harriet Josephine, married (first) Elmer
Thomas, (second) David Nellis Chase.
(III) Edward (2) Briggs, son of Benjamin and Sarah (Davis) Briggs,
was born on the homestead in Waterford township, Erie county, Pennsyl-
vania, June 28, 1853, and received his educational advantages in the com-
mon schools of the district. With the exception of a few years his entire
life has been spent on the homestead farm, which he purchased from his
father. At the age of thirty-one years he left the farm, returning five years
later, and remained four years. He then sold it to his sister, Mrs. Hope,
and removed to Harbour Creek, where he remained one year, then lived
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1729
in Mill Creek for another year, in Waterford township for two years, and
then removed to Waterford borough, where he built a beautiful residence
on High street. At the expiration of one year, he again went to Mill Creek,
and at the end of another year returned to Waterford, where he has since
lived. For a number of years he has been successfully engaged in the
painting and paperhanging business. He is also interested in fine breeds
of poultry, and has a fine flock of carefully selected stock. He was reared
in the Christian faith, and is a faithful follower of this doctrine. In
political matters he is Independent, preferring to be free from partisan
ties. He is a member of the local Grange, Patrons of Husbandry. Mr.
Briggs married, September 23, 1875, Linnie Margaret Patterson, a daugh-
ter of John and Emily (Braden) Patterson; she was born in Butler county,
Pennsylvania, February 4, 1857, and is a member of the Park Presbyterian
Church. Children: i. William Eugene, of further mention. 2. Edward
Ramson, born January 7, 1878, died September 12, I9i3;.he was a member
of the Presbyterian church, and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows ;
he married Emma Trask, daughter of James and Susan Trask, of Water-
ford, and had one child, Joseph Ramson. 3. Wave Aline, born September
2, 1888; married, April 21, 1910, Alden Vansise, and has had children:
Frederick Alden, Harold Briggs, and two daughters who died in infancy.
John Patterson, father of Mrs. Linnie Margaret (Patterson) Briggs.
was born about 1829, and died in 1892. His earlier years were spent in
Forest, Butler and Westmoreland counties, Pennsylvania, and he finally
located in Le Boeuf township, Erie county, Pennsylvania. He was engaged
in farming, and about i860 removed to Waterford borough, from whence
he enlisted for three years, served in Company F, Two Hundred and Elev-
enth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and was honorably dis-
charged. He married (first) in Le Boeuf township, Emily Braden. who
died about i860 at the age of thirty-six years; he married (second) Eliza-
beth Klacamp. He had twelve children, six by each marriage : Mary Ann ;
Linnie Margaret, mentioned above; Joseph Leander, born January 7, 1859;
Elizabeth, born in 1861 ; Jessie A., born in April, 1863; William James,
born February 11, 1868; Martha, Laura, John, Stella, Etta, Frank B.
( IV) William Eugene Briggs, son of Edward (2) and Linnie Mar-
garet (Patterson) Briggs, was born in Waterford township, Erie county,
Pennsylvania, June 22, 1876. He acquired a substantial and practical edu-
cation in the public schools of his native township, completing his education
at Waterford Academy. Until the age of nineteen years he assisted in the
labors of the farm, then spent one year in the employ of the F. W. Ens-
worth Weldless Tube Mill, at Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, of which Mr.
Ensworth is president, after which he was freight and passenger trainman
for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company until August, 1906. Having pur-
chased a half-interest in a flour and feed mill at Waterford from H. P.
Gillett, he devoted his time and attention to this, and in December, 1913.
the firm of Gillett & Briggs bought the general store, coal and builders'
supplies business at Waterford Station, from IMorrison & Company, and
X
I730 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
are now conducting this in connection with their milling business. Mr.
Briggs has been manager of the firm since 1908. He is also a stockholder
and director in the Ensworth National Bank of Waterford, has served
as a member of the town council, being at the present time (1915) a school
director, and secretary of that board. He is a member, and past master,
of Waterford Lodge, No. 425, Free and Accepted Masons ; Temple Chap-
ter, No. 215, Royal Arch Masons, of Erie; Mount Olivet Commandery,
No. 30, Knights Templar, of Erie, and of the local lodge of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, at Waterford.
Mr. Briggs married at Waterford, November 18, 1902, Cornelia Estelle
Gillett, born June 22, 1879, a daughter of Harrison Gray Otis and Estelle
(Phelps) Gillett, and a sister of Harrison Phelps Gillett, whose sketch in
this work contains the ancestral history. Children : Edward Gillett, born
November 26, 1904; Virginia Estelle, born May 30, 1906. Both are attend-
ing school in Waterford.
The Hunter family is of Scotch-Irish ancestry, a race in
HUNTER which the Scotch stability, shrewdness, mental vigor, physical
energy and endurance blended with the geniality, warm-
heartedness and versatility of the Irish blood has given us a people whose
physical, mental and moral qualities have made them leaders and powerful
promoters in every industry and in every profession, and has enriched our
history with an almost endless roll of distinguished men. At the time when
the first Hunters came to the western part of Pennsylvania, that part of
the country was an almost unbroken wilderness, but it was a region which
was attracting the attention of a large portion of the Scotch-Irish emigrants.
To these hardy, energetic, ambitious people, the obstacles which nature pre-
sented to the pioneer and settler were but an attraction and a stimulus. For
the most part they were engaged in agricultural pursuits.
The first of this line of whom we have definite record is William
Moore Hunter, born January 24, 1786, in Potters Fort, Centre county,
Pennsylvania; died April 21, 1856, in Morris township, Clearfield county,
Pennsylvania. He married in March, 1809, Sara Evans, born December 8,
1793, died September 8, 1868. They were the parents of Eleazer, men-
tioned below.
Eleazer Hunter, son of William Moore and Sara (Evans) Hunter, who
lived near Kylertown, was born in Centre county, Pennsylvania, in 1830, and
died in February, 1872. He grew up on the farm in Centre county, and in
early manhood learned the carpenter's trade, and followed this calling several
years. He then formed a partnership with Oscar Adams, in the furniture
and undertaking business, at Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania, and was connected
with this until his death. During the Civil War he was in the army for
several months near the close of the struggle, but was not in any active en-
gagement. He was a devout member of the Methodist church. Mr. Hunter
married Martha Magill, bom near McVeytown, Pennsylvania, in 1830, died
in August, 1909. Children : John, died at the age of two years ; George
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1731
L., was crushed to death at Blandburg by a pile of kiniber which sHpped
on him ; Alolhe, married Harry Forshey, a raihvay engineer, and Hves at
Osceola Mills, Pennsylvania ; James A., see forward.
James A. Hunter, son of Eleazer and Martha (Magill) Hunter, was
born in Phillipsburg, Centre county, Pennsylvania, April 26, 1868. He at-
tended the public schools of his native town until he had attained the age of
seventeen years, after which he learned the carpenter's trade with Allen
Lukens, and worked for him four years. He was then a journeyman in
Phillipsburg for a period of four years and then became a patternmaker for
the Harbison & Walker Brick Company, remaining with them four years.
He was then assistant superintendent of the plant for a period of ten months,
and then became superintendent of the plant at Woodland, Pennsylvania.
At the end of one year he was transferred to the superintendency of the
plant at Clearfield, Pennsylvania, and was there three years. His next
position was that of superintendent of the Manoun Manufacturing Company,
in Allegheny county, and he remained superintendent of this brick factory
for a period of nine years. In December, 1912, he received the appointment
of secretary, treasurer and general manager of tlie Pittsburgh Firebrick
Company, located at Large, Jefferson township, Allegheny county, a com-
pany he had assisted in organizing. The president of this corporation is
I. W. Bryson. They employ about forty men, and make a specialty of
the manufacture of firebrick, the "open hearth" brick in use for steel fur-
naces. The plant is one of the finest of its size and kind, and while Mr.
Hunter attends to the manufacturing end, Mr. Bryson takes charge of the
disposal of the output. Politically Mr. Hunter is a Democrat, and he and his
family belong to the Episcopal church at Phillipsburg. He resides in Monon-
gahela City, where he erected a fine house in 1904.
Mr. Hunter married, October 3, 1894, Mary E. Wilkinson, born in
Ackrington, Lancashire, England, who was seven years of age when she
came to this country with her parents. She is a daughter of Henry and
Bessie (Parker) Wilkinson, both now deceased, the former of whom had a
jewelry store in Phillipsburg for twenty years. Mr. and Mrs. Hunter
have no children.
The home of the family of which Wilson A. Gilleland,
GILLELAND of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, is a member has long
been in Butler county, Pennsylvania, where the name is
a common one. Those bearing the name Gilleland have there held honorable
and prominent station, several enlisting in the American army in the second
war with Great Britain from that locality. John Gilleland was born in
Butler county and was a student in the schools of that region. He became
the owner of a large tract of land, upon which he conducted genera! farm-
ing operations, in which he was most successful, and achieved prominent
position in the county. His political convictions were Republican, and he
was active in behalf of the party's interests, working to such good effect
that on one occasion it was the desire of his fellows that he strive for the
1732 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
nomination for congress, but he refused to consider the proposal, content in
the work he was then doing for his party. In all church activity he played
a leading role, his denomination the Presbyterian, his contributions of his
means and time being liberal and unselfishly bestowed, and he was an elder
in the Great Run Presbyterian Church at the time of his death. He married
Selina, daughter of William Thompson, and had children: i. Thompson,
deceased. 2. Mary Jane, married James Spraul. 3. John. 4. William. 5.
Robert, deceased; he was a soldier of the Union army in the Civil War; he
was one of the first to enlist in Company D, Eleventh Regiment Pennsyl-
vania Reserves, becoming a member of that body of troops in 1861 ; he was
wounded in the seven days' fight before Richmond, a ball entering his
right leg, and was afterward taken prisoner, only to be subsequently re-
leased ; returning to his home with the bullet in his leg, his surgeon having
failed to remove it, he there remained until General Lee's northern invasion,
when he and his brother, Wilson A., enlisted in the emergency troops raised
on that occasion for state defence, after which both became members of
Company D, Eleventh Regiment, to which Robert Gilleland had previously
belonged ; in the fighting before Petersburg, Robert Gilleland was once
more wounded in the right leg, being again taken prisoner and subsequently
discharged ; the leg that had twice received Confederate bullets had previ-
ously sustained accident in his youth through the falling of a heavy tree
limb, which had caused a white swelling that never subsided. 6. Angelina,
deceased. 7. Wilson A., of whom further.
Wilson A. Gilleland, son of John and Selina (Thompson) Gilleland,
was born in Butler county, Pennsylvania, March 24, 1845. He and a cousin
were students in Witherspoon Institute, a preparatory school of excellent
repute, and were both ready for college entrance when the Civil War began.
The cousin chose to enter college, later becoming a prominent member of
the Presbyterian clergy, while Mr. Gilleland offered his services to the
Union, becoming a soldier in Company D, Eleventh Regiment Pennsylvania
Reserves. He was taken seriously ill with typhoid fever and placed in the
hospital, wakening in the morning to find his brother Robert occupying the
next cot, having received a bullet wound in the leg, the brothers being sent
home with the same observation of time of arrival, Wilson A. arriving on
Saturday, his brother, Robert, on Sunday. At the Appomattox surrender
he was within one hundred yards of the spot where the Confederate flag
of truce was raised, his regiment having marched thirty-eight miles the
previous day to arrive at the scene of action, five lines of battle being already
arrayed when they appeared. During his war career Mr. Gilleland partici-
pated in some of the hardest fighting of the struggle, and although never
wounded, experienced the sensation of having his comrades fall to his right
and to his left, with no knowledge of what might be his last earthly moment.
When peace followed war, Mr. Gilleland returned to his home and took
a course in Duflf's Business College, whence he was graduated. He then
went to Missouri, later returned to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he was
employed as bookkeeper for the firm of Stephen Foster & Company, pro-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1733
prietors of a printing establishment. He later spent four years in Massa-
chusetts, then formed a partnership with a Mr. Osborn as Gilleland &
Osborn, their line being printers' supplies. This association continued
until 1896. Since 1903 Mr. Gilleland has been connected with the office of
the county recorder. His home, which he owns, has since 1891 been in
Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania.
He has ever been active and interested in local political affairs, al-
though the only office that he has accepted has been that of borough audi-
tor, which he held for six years. He was a faithful public servant, and
fills his fMDsition in the present county administration with much ability. Mr.
Gilleland is a member of the Improved Order of Heptasophs, the Royal
Arcanum, the Tribe of Ben Hur, Fraternal Union of Americans, the Masonic
Order, and the Grand Army of the Republic.
Wilson A. Gilleland married, November 14, 1877, Marie L., born in
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, daughter of Jacob H. and Catherine E. Bowers.
Mrs. Gilleland is a graduate of the School of Design, of Pittsburgh. Her
mother was educated in France. One of her paternal uncles was at one
time mayor of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Children of Wilson A. and
Marie L. (Bowers) Gilleland: i. Wilson, a salesman, a resident of Wilkins-
burg, Pennsylvania. 2. Catherine Louise, married Charles H. King; she
is a woman of exceptional musical talent, early evidenced, for she could
perform upon the piano when four years of age ; she was educated in Pitts-
burgh, and now devotes a great deal of her time to voice culture, being
the possessor of a voice unusually clear, sweet and strong.
This branch of the Clark family was founded in Pennsylvania
CLARK by George Clark, who came from Ireland in 1812 with his
elder brother, John, who brought with him a wife and two
small children. George Clark was born in county Antrim, Ireland, about
1790, died near Carnegie, Pennsylvania, aged sixty-five years. He grew to
manhood in his native county where he learned the blacksmith's trade. His
family were members of the Seceder church. He remained in Ireland until
about of legal age, then in 1812 came to the United States with his brother
John, as stated, the latter continuing his journey to Guernsey county, Ohio,
settling at Indian Camp, where descendants yet live. John Clark remained
in Pittsburgh, worked at his trade, and there married. He then built a shop
on an old pike, then much used but now out of existence, passing the present
borough of Carnegie about a mile to the westward. There he carried on
a successful business until his death, the locality being known as "Hudson's
Hollow." He was a member of the United Presbyterian church, and a
Democrat in politics, a man of industry and high character, a good workman,
held in respect by all.
He married, in Robinson township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,
Abigail Caldwell, born in Ireland, of a well-known Sctoch-Irish family.
She died in 1875, aged seventy-seven years. Qiildren: George, deceased,
a painter of Carnegie, residing on Washington avenue; John, of whom
1734 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
further ; Hugh, a carpenter, now residing on Beechwood avenue, Carnegie ;
Hannah, married Rev. Robert Boyd.
(H) John Clark, son of George and Abigail (Caldwell) Clark, was
born in Robinson township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, now a part of
the borough of Carnegie, in 1826, died December 6, 1896. He learned the
blacksmith's trade with his father and together they worked in the old shop
on the Noblestown Road, one mile west of Carnegie. Their business was
done principally with the farmers, from whom they received very little cash,
payment being usually taken in farm products. Their regular price for
setting a shoe was I2j^c. and other prices in proportion, but as farm pro-
ducts were also cheap they prospered. After a time John Qark moved to
Mansfield Valley where he engaged in the butcher business and kept a meat
market until he retired from active labor. He married Esther Morrison,
born in the district known as the Potato Garden in Moon township, Alle-
gheny county, Pennsylvania, in 1825, died June i, 1871, her father a farmer.
Children: i. John, residing on Third street, Carnegie; engaged in the meat
business; married Mary Burns. 2. George, resides in McKeesport, Penn-
sylvania, a railroad engineer ; married Luella Brookmyer. 3. William J.,
of whom' further. 4. Joseph, died in infancy .
(Ill) William J. Clark, third son of John and Esther (Morrison)
Clark, was born in Collier township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, Sep-
tember 25, i860. He attended the public schools in Collier township, finish-
ing his studies at a business college in Pittsburgh. At the age of twenty
he began learning the carpenter's trade under the instruction of his uncle,
Hugh Clark. He became an expert mechanic and later was admitted to a
partnership with his uncle, and under the firm name H. and W. Clark
they conducted a large and successful business for twenty-eight years. This
partnership, beginning in 1880, terminated December 31, 1908, and during
that period they erected many buildings in Carnegie, also maintaining a
house moving department. They were well known as successful, reliable
builders and held a high reputation in the building trade. After the part-
nership was dissolved, William J. Clark continued in business as contractor
and builder and is at present so engaged. He served as school director in
Collier township while living there and held the same office in Scott town-
ship where he has resided since 1904. He is a Republican in politics, a
member of the Masonic Order and of the American Mechanics. He mar-
ried, February 12, 1890, Euphemia Burkey, born in Cambria county, Penn-
sylvania, near Johnstown, daughter of Isaac Burkey. Children: Esther
Grace, born 1892; Rachel Elizabeth, born 1894; Pearl Irene, born 1896.
Three brothers of this name were responsible for the found-
HOOVER ing in this country of the Swiss family of Huber, as it was
spelled in the homeland, one making his home in Lancaster
county, Pennsylvania, another settling in Virginia, and the third, the father
of David Hand Hoover, settling in Maryland.
(I) David Hand Hoover was born in Frederick county, Maryland, in
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1735
1776, and died in that state. Farming was the occupation to which he ad-
hered all of his life; he and his family were members of the Lutheran
church, strong in their faith and uncompromising in their observances of the
regulations of conduct it imposed. He married Elizabeth, born in Washing-
ton county, Maryland, in 1803, daughter of David Zentmyer, her father a
tanner, owning a factory at the foot of South Mountain. Children of David
Hand and Elizabeth (Zentmyer) Hoover: i. David, a landowner and far-
mer near Cavetown, Wasington county, Maryland, his estate named "East-
wood." 2. John, deceased, a farmer near Cavetown, Maryland. 3. Mary,
married Peter Geiser, deceased, one of the inventors of the Geiser Thresh-
ing Machine; she resides in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. 4. Martin, a
retired farmer, lives near Smithsburg, Maryland. 5. Daniel, of whom fur-
ther. 6. Elizabeth, married Ezekiel Elden, deceased ; was a jeweler ; she
resides at Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. 7. Catherine, unmarried, lives in
Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. They were also the parents of four other
■children, all deceased.
(11) Daniel Hoover, son of David Hand and Elizabeth (Zentmyer)
Hoover, was born near Smithsburg, Washington county, Maryland, October
19, 1833, died in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, November 17, 1904. He was
reared on the home farm, attending the nearby schools in his youth, and
when twenty-two years of age left home, beginning his business career as
an agent for the Geiser Threshing Machine, invented by Peter Geiser, his
brother-in-law. The factory manufacturing these machines was at Smiths-
burg, Maryland, and Mr. Hoover, taking one of the first made, went to
Middletown, Maryland, there beginning the demonstration and sale of the
thresher, and for the next ten years was so engaged. Through his per-
sistent efforts a wide market was created for these machines, and in 1866 he
became a member of the firm of Geiser, Price & Company, continuing to
travel for the firm, and in January, 1868, he acquired one-half of the interest
of J. F. Oilers in the concern, which was then a prosperous and flourishing
one. The business was incorporated as the Geiser Manufacturing Com-
pany in January, 1869, and with the exception of one year Mr. Hoover was
a director thereof from its organization until his death. From 1879 to
1884 he was its treasurer, and from 1884 to 1890 he held the joint offices
of president and superintendent. This was the first of his many business
connections and the one in which he took the greatest pride as embodying
more of the work of his brain and industry than any of the other concerns
■with whose organization and development he was prominently identified.
When stern competition arose between the Geiser Manufacturing Company
and other companies whose products strove for favor in the same field he
directed the policy of the company in a fair and honorable course, scorning
to adopt any of the questionable practices tliat frequently creep into business
relations, and kept the company in its rightful position of leadership.
Many were the industrial and financial institutions of Waynesboro that
knew the value of his support and assistance in the first dark days of their
existence, and equally numerous were those which felt the strengthening up-
1736 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
lift of his guiding hand all along the path of their activity. He fathered many
of the local industries, having faith and courage in the ability and resources
of his town, and rejoiced in their growth to vigorous maturity, able to stand
alone and to become a credit to Waynesboro. Among his interests of this
kind, and he was a promoter only in that he worked ever for the advance-
ment of Waynesboro's welfare, was the organization in 1890 of the local
electric light company, the value of which to the community is easily seen;
the organization of the People's National Bank, of which he was president
from its formation until his death ; the Landis Tool Company, of which he
was director and vice-president from its organization until his death ; and
the Landis Machine Company, of which he was director and president for
the same length of time. It was chiefly through his instrumentality that a
branch of the Western Maryland Railroad was run to Waynesboro, a pro-
ject to which he lent financial aid as well as assistance in securing uncon-
tested right-of-way, and after the laying of this branch and its organization
he became director and treasurer thereof. The branch was known as the
Baltimore and Cumberland Valley Railroad until its absorption by the
Gould interests, when Mr. Hoover's connection ceased. Ambition for wealth
was not a passion that ever ruled in the heart of Daniel Hoover, and he
was always ready to back a worthy project, one with possibilities for benefit
to Waynesboro, to the full extent of his means. The above recital has
shown him to have been a man of accurate judgment, strong and skilled
in organization, confidence-inspiring in every business connection. Uni-
versally recognized as a leader, his qualities of leadership won him hearty
and sincere admiration, and the record of his life shows that in no way
was he unworthy of the fullest respect and the most abundant honor. His
fellows knew him as a cordial and jovial gentleman, quick in perception of
the humorous, ready to enjoy a joke or witticism at any time, his enjoyment
being rather enhanced if he were its butt. So he lived, charitable in
thought, kindly in action, a man to whom others looked and found inspiration
to careers of usefulness, passed in the pursuit of clean things and things
worth while. He and his wife held membership in the Lutheran church,
of which he was an elder and trustee, and in politics he was a Republican,
a seat in council and upon the school board being among the offices that
he filled.
Mr. Hoover married, February 8, 1866, Elizabeth Newcomer, born in
Washington county, Maryland, in 1840, died December 2, 1913, daughter
of John and Catherine (Knave) Newcomer, her parents residents of Wash-
ington county, Maryland, where they died in the Mennonite faith. Children
of John and Catherine (Knave) Hoover, all deceased: i. Fannie, married
a Mr. Freedley, and lived near Quincy, Pennsylvania. 2. John, a farmer,
lived near Ringgold, Maryland. 3. Benjamin, likewise farmed land near
Ringgold, Maryland. 4. Christian, moved to the West in 1863, after which
all record of him is lost. 5. Elizabeth, of previous mention, married Daniel
Hoover. 6. David. Children of Daniel and Elizabeth (Newcomer) Hoover:
I. Virtue, married Rev. J. Edward Byers, a minister of the Lutheran church.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1737
and lived in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. 2. Percy D., a practicing physician
of Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, married Helen Besore. 3. Ira, a grocer of
Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, married Ella Harbaugh. 4. Roy J. D., of
whom further.
(Ill) Roy J. D. Hoover, son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Newcomer)
Hoover, was born at Waynesboro, Franklin county, Pennsylvania, November
18, 1878, and when seventeen years of age was graduated from the High
School of that place, his youth having been passed in Waynesboro. Enter-
ing Pennsylvania State College he there took an electrical engineering
course, and was graduated in the class of 1900, his fraternity at that institu-
tion having been the Phi Gamma Delta, his chapter the Gamma Phi. The
year of his graduation he entered the signal department of the Indianapolis
division of the Pennsylvania Railroad, with which he is connected at the
present time as inspector of the signal department on Pennsylvania Railroad
lines west of Pittsburgh. His first duties were as a member of the con-
struction gang installing signal systems, and from February, 1903, until
July, 1905, he was signal supervisor at Bradford, Ohio, and in the latter
year he was promoted to his present position. His duties are of a most
responsible nature, and the minuteness of prefection in the apparatus under
the control of his department is the strongest plank in the platform that
the Pennsylvania Road has adopted, that which places safety to train, pas-
sengers, and crew before all other considerations. A Republican in political
faith, with his wife he holds membership in the Presbyterian church. Since
1907 the family residence has been at No. 512 Beechwood avenue, Carnegie,
Pennsylvania.
Mr. Hoover married, June 5, 1907, Gertrude Arnold, born near Brad-
ford, Miami county, Ohio, daughter of David and Mary Arnold, her mother's
death having occurred in November, 1913. David Arnold engages exten-
sively in coal and lumber dealing. Children of Roy J. D. and Gertrude
(Arnold) Hoover; i. Mary Elizabeth, born July 29, 1909, died February
9, 1910. 2. Helen Arnold, born November 22, 1910. 3. Daniel Arnold,
bom January 2, 1913.
The Rolfe family had its origin in Germany, which in early
ROLFE days was composed of a large number of small principalities,
whose rulers were constantly at war with each other. A
Rolfe was the ruler over one of these, and had a large number of retainers,
and was greatly feared by the surrounding provinces because of the unjust
oppression he exercised over those provinces weaker than himself. At last
a number of these combined their forces and conquered him, and as this
was just about the time that Williatn of Orange had become King of Eng-
land, the Rolfe gathered up what remained to him of his followers and
portable possessions, and migrated to that country, and thus established the
family there. From England a number of members of the family emigrated
to the colonies, among them being that Rolfe who became the husband of
Pocahontas, at least tradition says so. Seven brotliers by the name of
1738 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Rolfe went from England to Salem, Massachusetts, the direct ancestor of
■the family under discussion here going to Concord, New Hampshire, and
making his permanent home there.
(I) Rolfe was twice married. By his first wife he had a son,
Herman Ross, of further mention ; by his second wife he had two daughters.
He died when his son was still a young child.
(H) Herman Ross Rolfe, son of the preceding, was bom at Henniker,
New Hampshire, February 13, 1810, and died in 1883. From the age of
twelve years he made his home with an uncle and while still a young lad
suffered from a severe attack of typhoid fever which left him a partial crip-
ple. Realizing that he would never be strong enough for farm labor, he
walked to Concord, New Hampshire, and there obtained a position in a
drug store, and retained this several years. He next became a clerk in
a. hardware store, and in the course of time he combined with other clerks
and purchased the business from the owner, a Mr. Brown. It was located
on Main street, and the new firm operated under the style of Porter &
Rolfe. J. H. Sweat, a blacksmith, of Concord, who was in business in a
small way, invented a spike of superior merit in the construction of rail-
roads. In 1853 the three young men combined their forces and started a
spike factory in Pittsburgh, and an iron mill, under the firm name of Porter,
Rolfe & Sweat, on Pike street, in the old Ninth Ward. As their business
expanded, they determined to have their own rolling mill instead of pur-
chasing the rolled iron and steel, and accordingly erected a large rolling
mill on the South Side, Pittsburgh, and continued to operate it many years.
From that time Mr. Rolfe took up his residence at South Side, and lived
there until his death. He was a prominent man in public afifairs, and was
the Republican representative in the common council for a long time. He
was a member of the Baptist church in Pittsburgh, and he and his wife
Tiad attended the same church at Concord, New Hampshire, before they
were married. Mr. Rolfe married Mary A. Le Bosquet, born September
13, 1813, and still living in Munhall, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania (1914).
Her ancestral line is given forward. Mr. and Mrs. Rolfe had children: i.
Frances Ann, born in Concord, New Hampshire, June 25, 1838, died De-
cember 6, 1895 ; she married George F. Wilmarth. 2. Rebecca, born March
28, 1841 ; married, July 13, 1864, John Henry Williams, of Boston, ATassa-
chusetts, born July 21, 1839, now a retired banker living in Munhall. 3.
Clara Porter, born April 19, 1843, died October 8, 1844. 4- H. Dana, of
further mention. 5. Edward Wade, born at Concord, New Hampshire,
August 12, 1849, is now living at No. 418 St. James street, East End, Pitts-
burgh; he married, November 17, 1870, Elizabeth A. Davis.
(Ill) H. Dana Rolfe, son of Herman Ross and Mary A. (Le Bosquet)
Rolfe, was born in Concord, New Hampshire, February 12, 1845. For a
period of three years he was a pupil at the public schools of Allegheny, Penn-
sylvania, then at some in New Hampshire, after which he attended the New
London Preparatory School, for three years during the Civil War. While
at his home in Pittsburgh during one summer vacation, he and his brother-
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 173'j
in-law, J. H. Williams, were placed in charge of a brick yard near Home-
stead, his father having been compelled to take this in payment of a debt.
So successful was their management of it, 1864-65, that Mr. Rolfe never
returned to school. His business career has been a varied one, and in
brief is as follows: In the employ of his father in the office of a rolling
mill on the South Side for six years ; superintendent of this mill six years ;
treasurer in the city office four years; an official in the City Post Office
three years; in the United States Pension Office at Pittsburgh, five years;
took charge of the lumber business of his father in Elk county, Pennsyl-
vania, and while there purchased several thousand acres of timber land for
himself, and engaged in the lumber business independently, returning to
Pittsburgh at the end of four years; in the Duquesne (Pennsylvania) plant
of the Carnegie Steel Company four years ; he then became receiving teller
in the First National Bank of Homestead, an office he is filling at the pre-
sent time. In 1889 he took up his residence in Homestead, and in 1901
•erected a beautiful house at Munhall, where he is living at the present time.
Politically he is a staunch Republican, and has served four years as a
member of the Pittsburgh common council. He and his wife are members
of the First Baptist Church of Homestead, and he has been treasurer of
the church for a period of ten years. He has been a member of the Masonic
-fraternity for the past thirty years.
Mr. Rolfe married, September 13, 1866, Mary E., born in New York
State, a daughter of Reuben and Caroline E. Stewart, who lived in New
Hampshire, removed to Massachusetts, and died at Concord in that state.
He was a railroad superintendent of the Chelsea Railroad in New Hamp-
shire. Mr. and Mrs. Rolfe have had children : Dana S., is assistant super-
intendent of the Carnegie Steel Mill, at Duquesne, and lives at Munhall :
Frances J., married C. L. Davis, and lives in Munhall; Kate Le Bosquet,
now deceased, married Charles L. Duncan ; Edward C, a garage proprietor,
lives in Seneca Falls. New York; H. Dana Jr., unmarried.
(The Le Bosquet Line.)
Family tradition informs us that the ancestors of the American Le
Bosquets were Huguenots who escaped from France after the Revocation
of the Edict of Nantes, and fled to the Isle of Jersey. Certain it is that
the only bearer of this name who came to America came from this island,
and he arrived here prior to 1730, and settled at Charlestown, Massachusetts.
This was Henry Le Bosquet, and he married, November 25, 1731, Lydia,
torn August 17, 1704, a daughter of Joshua and Sarah Scotten. They had
<:hildren: John, of further mention; Henry, born October 20, 1739. died
September 26, 1741 : Lydia, bom September 6, 1741-
(II) John Le Bosquet, son of Henry and Lydia (Scotten) Le Bosquet,
was born December 20, 1737, and died February 8, 1803. He married Sarah
Brooks, born January 6, 1742, died in November, 1830, a half-sister of
John Brooks, the famous governor of Massachusetts ; she was a daughter of
■Captain Caleb and Mary (Winn) Brooks; granddaughter of Captain Eben-
■ezer and Abigail (Boylston) Brooks; great-granddaughter of Caleb and
Hannah (Atkinson) Brooks; and great-great-granddaughter of Captain
1740 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Thomas and Grace Brooks, of Concord, Massachusetts. John Le Bosquet
was noted as a singer. He lived at Haverhill, Massachusetts, the greater
part of his life and is buried there. During the Revolutionary War he served
as a private in the Middlesex county militia. Colonel Michael Jackson's regi-
ment, from 1778 to 1780. They had children : i. John, born at Charlestown,
October 15, 1761, died January 26, 1844; he was known as Captain Le Bos-
quet, was the owner and commander of merchantmen, and spent the greater
part of his life on the sea ; he owned and occupied a magnificent estate at
Medford, Massachusetts ; he married Mary Brooks, but had no children. 2.
Henry, born February 21, 1763, died unmarried in 1788. 3. Caleb B., bom
at Charlestown, July 25, 1764, died September 13, 1764. 4. Sarah, born
September 23, 1765, at Charlestown, died November 24, 1846; she married
Michael Neagles. 5. Lydia, born April 9, 1768, at Nantucket, died December
17, 1859; she married (first) John Wade, (second) Stephen Mulliken. 6.
Caleb Brooks, born at Nantucket, February 27, 1770, died June 17, 1845 ; he
was a tin and copper plate worker, and owned and occupied a beautiful man-
sion on Main street, Haverhill, Massachusetts ; he served several times as
state representative ; he married Olive Lamson. 7. Ebenezer, of further
mention. 8. James, born March 13, 1774, died June 27, 1799; he was a mate
on his brother John's vessel, and died unmarried. 9. Joseph, born February
18, 1776, died October 19, 1777. 10. Rebecca, born January 30, 1778, died
in July of the same year. 11. Joseph, the second of the name, was born
January 12, 1781, and died February 22, 1822; he came to Pittsburgh; mar-
ried Lamb. 12. Rebecca, second of the name, was born January 19,
1783, died October 24, 1872; married Joshua Griffin.
(HI) Ebenezer Le Bosquet, son of John and Sarah (Brooks) Le Bos-
quet, was born at Nantucket, Massachusetts, May 16, 1772, and died October
7, 1838. He removed to Haverhill, Massachusetts, while still young, and
lived there until about 1818, when he became a resident of Concord, New
Hampshire, and spent the remainder of his life there. He was a tin and
copper plate worker. He married (first) May 15, 1797, Harriet Moore,
who died April 30, 1798. He married (second) February 20, 1799, Sarah
Price, born October 6, 1777, died October 25, 1857. Only child by first mar-
riage: William, born in 1798, died in 1799. Children by second marriage:
I. Harriet, born June 4, i8c)0, died June 7, 1801. 2. Sarah, born August 3,
1803, died unmarried at Pittsburgh, March 29, 1877. 3. Ebenezer, born
October 7, 1805, died October 30, 1806. 4. Eliza, born September 3, 1808,
died in the Mexican war; married (first) Ebenezer Pool, (second) Moses
Scott ; she died in Florida at the age of one hundred and three years. 5.
John, born May 13, 181 1, died at Southville, Massachusetts, September 10,
1887 ; was a Congregational minister ; married Martha Pratt. 6. Mary A.,
who married Herman Ross Rolfe (see Rolfe H). 7. Rebecca, born Decem-
ber 18, 1815, died October 23, 1833. 8. A son, born March, 1817, died the
same day.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1741
Since 1845 the name Tonner has been connected with in-
TONNER dustrial, agricuhural and ecclesiastical pursuits in Western
Pennsylvania, that having been the year in which Clement
Tonner, a native of Prussia, Germany, came to the United States. He
settled first in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, being there for many years em-
ployed in various manufactories, at length purchasing a well improved farm
in Hampton township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, the necessary funds
having been acquired through his unflagging industry and saved for the
purpose by his frugal economy. He and his wife had been reared in the
Catholic faith in the homeland, and Mr. Tonner was one of the principal
founders of St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, at Sharpsburg, Allegheny
county, to whose maintenance he contributed liberally throughout many
years. He married, in Prussia, Barbara Orth, who died August 31, 1888,
aged sixty-six years, and was buried in the cemetery of St. Mary's Giurch.
Mr. and Mrs. Tonner were the parents of several children.
Rev. Adam F. Tonner, son of Clement and Barbara (Orth) Tonner,
was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 24. 1856, and was reared in
the city of his birth, there obtaining his elementary and preparatory educa-
tion. In 1873 he was enrolled in St. Vincent's Abbey and College, near La-
trobe, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and for seven years received
classical instruction, at the end of that time taking a full philosophical and
theological course at St. Vincent's and the Grand Seminary at Montreal,
Canada. He made his entrance into the priesthood on August 21, 1885,
when he was ordained at St. Vincent's Abbey by the Right Rev. Richard
Phelan, D. D., being the first to receive ordination from the newly consecrat-
ed bishop. His first charge was as assistant pastor of St. Peter's Church,
at McKeesport, Allegheny county, where he remained for two years, on
August 31, 1887, assuming charge of St. Bernard's Roman Catholic Church,
of Indiana, Pennsylvania. Here he performed a valuable work in reorgan-
izing and rebuilding the church, adding several new departments, improving
the church property, and in general, in raising the standard and aspirations
of the congregation. In 1891 Rev. Tonner became pastor of St. Mary's
Help of the Christian Church, of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, where his
endeavors have been upon so lofty a plane and so richly rewarded that a
brief sketch of the existence of the church prior to and including his pastor-
ate is in order.
At about 1840 the only Catholic churches in the vicinity of what is now
McKees Rocks were those at Bayerstown and Brownstown, neither of which
oflfered convenient places of worship to the residents owning land near the
mouth of Chartiers creek. There were living in this locality about forty-five
families of the Catholic faith, engaged chiefly in gardening, who felt the
need of and desire for an independent church organization, and accordingly
a meeting was held to consider the matter and to devise ways and means
of obtaining such a sanctuary. The first move was made on August 12, 1854,
when forty-nine perches of land on the north side of Chartiers creek in
Robinson township were purchased. During the summer of 1S33 a church
1742 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
twenty by forty feet was built, and on April 29, 1856, one acre and one
hundred and twenty perches of land adjoining the first plot was bought.
Soon afterward the church assumed its first responsibility in the education
of its children, and school was held, first in the basement of the church and
later in the parsonage, priests from St. Michael's Church at Brownstown and
St. Philomena's at Bayerstown conducting both church services and school
exercises for a short time. The first regular pastor of the church was the
Rev. Joseph Kaufman, and soon after his installation as head of the parish
Joseph Reinemann was placed in charge of the school. In the next twenty
years pastors and teachers were rapidly changed, a total of sixteen pastors
serving the congregation within that space of time. The effects of this un-
settled condition were readily seen in the loss of church strength, absence
of unity in effort, lack of influence in the community, and a general air of
decadence and instability, although in 1877 affairs, at the arrival of Rev.
John Dominick Zwickert, took a decided turn for the better. Besides being an
earnest and inspired minister, the Rev. Zwickert was a shrewd and able fin-
ancier, and not only was the spiritual life of the church revived, but a dis-
tinct improvement in its material welfare was accomplished. During his
pastorate, on October 2, 1882, the church invested in ten acres of land at
a total cost of eleven thousand dollars, and after this tract had been graded
the part bordered by Chartiers avenue was laid out in building lots and
placed on the market. The year after the purchase four thousand, four
hundred and thirty dollars were realized from the sale of lots, a collection
of six hundred and seventy dollars making the total assets in cash more
than five thousand dollars. In 1886 plans for temporary wooden buildings,
a church, school, parsonage and teachers' house were drawn up and the
edifice subsequently erected. So reliable a steward did Rev. Zwickert prove
himself that the end of his term of service found the church unencumbered
by debt and with a bank balance of sixty-three hundred and fifty dollars.
Rev. Zwickert was succeeded by the Rev. Tonner, St. Mary's present pastor,
and from his work in Indiana county he brought to this church an inspira-
tion and an incentive to further labor, the result of which is the St. Mary's
of to-day, strong, self-reliant, and a vital force in the life of McKees Rocks.
His first official act was to remodel the church and school, his next the
purchase of a cemetery. At that time McKees Rocks was a part of Stowe
township, but it was evident that the community would soon demand and
obtain municipal government. It was therefore deemed advisable to secure
a new site for the church cemetery, and after consultation with his advisers
and investigation of several available tracts, nine acres and one hundred and
twelve perches on the Middletown road, one mile from the church, was
bought. Numerous improvements were made to the land, such as enclosing
it and erecting a mortuary chapel, the entrance gate to the grounds weighing
twenty-three himdred pounds, one of the most ornamental pieces of work of
its kind in the locality. The present value of the cemetery, including its
buildings and decorations, is twenty thousand dollars. In 1893 the school
building and the teachers' residence were enlarged and repaired, and in 1899
WESTERN PEiNNSYLVANIA 1743
preliminary steps were taken toward the erection of a jjerniancnl cliurch
building, the third in which the congregation worshipped. Two lots, previ-
ously sold to Mrs. Catherine Yunker, were re-purchased at a cost of twenty-
three hundred dollars, which gave the church two whole blocks, facing on
both Church and Thompson avenue. Eight thousand cubic yards of earth
were removed from this site through the labor of members without cost to the
organization, and work progressed gradually on the buildings which now
occupy the site, the magnificient church, school and parsonage. Father
Tonner managed this undertaking with the careful skill that was necessary
for the successful consummation of an enterprise of such magnitude, and
the handsome equipment of St. Mary's will endure long as a monument to
his wise planning and forceful execution. Since Father Tonner assumed
the leadership of the church its property has increased in value from thirty-
five thousand dollars to three hundred Uiousand dollars, and although figures
are as a rule a reliable index to a church's strength, its growth is better
realized when it is stated that in the same period the number of families
connected with the church has more then trebled, being one hundred and
fifty then against five hundred at the present time. In 1891 there was one
child in the school for each family, or one hundred and fifty, while now
(1914) five hundred and fifty pupils come under the direction of the twelve
teachers engaged by the church. Rev. Tonner is assisted in the discharge of
his many duties by Leo Schringer, first assistant, and N. J. S. Tonner, his
brother, second assistant. The latter is merely a temporary office, N. J. S.
Tonner being a member of the arch-diocese of New York, having obtained
a one-year leave of absence.
The forbears of James J. Boyle, of Crafton, Pennsylvania,
BOYLE both paternal and maternal, were agriculturalists of county
Donegal, Ireland. Felix Boyle, one of three brothers, Edward,
Felix and Charles, all deceased, was born in county Donegal, in 1801, son
of an Irish farmer. He came to the United States in 1830, unmarried, set-
tled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he became a contractor of railroad
construction and of street grading and paving in city and suburbs. He em-
ployed a large number of men and teams in his operations and was a man
of considerable importance in his community. He was a Democrat in poli-
tics, and both he and his wife members of the Roman Catholic church.
He married (first) a Miss Byrne, (second) Sophia DufTy, born in
county Donegal, Ireland, in 1812, who came to this country in 1850, died
February 14, 1895. Felix Boyle died August 15, 1865. Children by first
marriage: i. Edward, died in New York City; married Susan Riley and
left sons : James and Edward ; also a daughter. 2. Bridget, died in Dayton.
Ohio; married Michael McElvy and had issue: James. Frank, deceased;
Michael, Edward, Joseph, Annie. 3. Patrick, married Elizabeth Wall, and
resides in Pittsburgh, a teaming contractor; children: Martin, deceased;
John, Thomas, Edward. 4. Catherine, married James McGuigan. and died
in Pittsburgh ; children : Margaret, James, Philip, Mary, John. 5. Philip.
1744 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
died in Pittsburgh, leaving widow, Elizabeth, and children : Jennie, Edward,
Philip, deceased; John, Elizabeth. 6. Mary, married John Harkins, whom
she survives without issue, a resident of Crafton. 7. Elizabeth, married
John Gallagher, and resides in Philadelphia; children: John, Catherine,
James, Daniel, Stella, Adelaide. 8. Sarah, married Mr. Stratton, and re-
sides near New Castle, Pennsylvania, with six children. Children of Felix
Boyle and his second wife, Sophia Duffy: 9. Dennis J., an ex-commissioner
of Allegheny county, now retired ; married Lena Stewart, and has a daugh-
ter, Sophia, Hving; Jennie May, deceased. 10, James J., of whom further.
II. Ellen M., married M. J. Maxwell, whom she survives, a resident of
Pittsburgh, North Side; children: William D., Sophia, James, Ellen, Cath-
erine, Sarah, deceased ; Margaret, deceased ; Thomas, Joseph, John.
James J. Boyle, son of Felix Boyle and his second wife, Sophia (Duffy)
Boyle, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, February i, 1858. He was
educated in parochial schools and Duff's Business College, taking in the
latter courses in bookkeeping. He began business life as a clerk and weigh-
master for Morris McHugh, then was with McKean & Company, coal oper-
ators, until absorbed by the Pittsburgh Coal Company. He continued with
the latter company for eleven years, serving that length of time as superin-
tendent. On January i, 1911, he retired from active business temporarily,
but in September of the same year again put on the harness, this time as a
merchant. He purchased the stock of the Panner Hardware Company, at
Crafton, and opened a store on Station street and there in a building 88 by
183 feet conducts a general hardware business with gratifying success. Mr.
Boyle is a Democrat in politics, has served on the Crafton board of health,
is a member of the Roman Catholic church, the Knights of Columbus, Cath-
olic Mutual Beneficial Association and the Catholic Order of Foresters.
He married, in 1884, Julia Hanley, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsyl-
vania. Children: i. Alice, married L. V. Britt, and resides in Crafton;
children: James and Lawrence. 2. Sophia, died in infancy. 3. Dennis L.,
resides at home. 4. Catherine. 5. James. 6. John. 7. Clement. 8. Aloy-
sius. 9. Regis.
The American progenitor of this family was Jacob Heid, who
HEID emigrated to the United States with his wife and children in the
early part of the nineteenth century He settled in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, where the family has been resident since that time. His oc-
cupation was that of tollgate reefer. He was a devout member of the Ger-
man Evangelical church. The name of his wife is not on record here, but
he had children : Elizabeth ; Jacob, see forward.
(H) Jacob (2) Heid, son of Jacob (i) Heid, the immigrant ancestor,
was born in Alsace-Lorraine, at that time a French possession, and received
his education in the common schools. He was a chair maker by trade, and
had his place of business on Madison avenue, Pittsburgh. In later years
he devoted his time and attention to gardening, in which he was also suc-
cessful. He gave his political support to the Democratic party, and achieved
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA I745
prominence in public life, serving in the office of tax collector, school di-
rector, and a number of others. In religious affairs he was equally active,
and was a member of the German Evangelical church. He married Caroline,
a daughter of George Sheere, and they had children : Gallic, married Ed-
ward Kephart, and lives in East Ohio street, Pittsburgh ; Jacob G., now de-
ceased, married Sadye Medsker; Katherine, married W. F. Doldy, and lives
on Montgomery avenue, Pittsburgh; Elizabeth, died at the age of six years;
Frederick, died at the age of twelve years ; Henrietta, married Monroe
Schock, and lives in Reserve township; Lorina A., married Henry Guyer,
lives at Troy Hill ; Emma H., married Frederick Younginger, lives on Eve
avenue, Pittsburgh; Oscar S., of further mention; Hugh W., died in 1906;
Flora, deceased.
(Ill) Oscar S. Heid, son of Jacob (2) and Caroline (Sheere) Heid, was
born on North Side, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, February i, 1876. He was
the recipient of an excellent public school education, and upon its conclusion
he entered upon his business career as a florist and gardener, in association
with his father, under whose supervision he thoroughly learned all the de-
tails of this business. Later he established himself in this line of industry
independently, and has had a very satisfactory amount of success on the
six acres he has under cultivation. He is a strong supporter of the Republi-
can party in all public matters, and a member of the Lutheran church, to
which he is a generous contributor. His fraternal affiliations are with the
following organizations : Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Independent
Order of American Mechanics, Sons of the American Revolution, North
Side Chamber of Commerce (Pittsburgh), Brotherhood Society of the
Church. Mr. Heid married, August 27, 1901, Amelia K. Menke, born
August 20, 1870, and has children : Edith, born July 23, 1902 : Eveline,
born February 7, 1905.
In the two wars that the .A^merican people have had with
NEWELL Great Britain, one that made them the LTnited States and
the other that preserved their sovereignty as such, mem-
bers of this line of Newell have borne an active part. He who saw duty in the
ranks of the Colonial army in the War for Independence was Josiah New-
ell, a native of France, who, upon coming to the American colonies, settled
in Massachusetts, and finding himself in the very center of the storm of
protest and indignation against British tyranny and oppression, soon fell
into sympathy with the Colonial cause and resisted that unjust dominion
with arms. His occupation was that of fanner, and he was the father of
a large family, many of his descendants living in New England at this time.
Among' his sons was Benjamin, of whom further.
(II) Benjamin Newell, son of Josiah Newell, was born in Massachu-
setts, died near Towanda, Pennsylvania. After attaining man's estate in
the state of his birth he moved to Pennsylvania, buying a farm near Tow-
anda, where he spent his remaining years. He faced the army of the nation
against which his father had fought nearly forty years before, serving
1746 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
through the War of 1812. He was twice married, his children by his first
wife, Robey, being: i. John, died in young manhood. 2. Willard, died in
young manhood. 3. Albert, of whom further. 4. Maria, married Jonas
Fenstemach, and died in Danville, Pennsylvania. Children of second mar-
riage of Benjamin Newell : 5. Eli, died in Elmira, New York, his sons now
residing in Troy, New York. 6. Mary Ann, married Benjamin Thornton,
and died near Pottsville, Pennsylvania. 7. Ann Eliza, married and lives
near White Pigeon, Michigan.
(III) Albert Newell, son of Benjamin and Robey Newell, was born
near Roaring Branch, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, died in Penfield, Clear-
field county, Pennsylvania. After his marriage he purchased a farm of fifty
acres at Penburn, Pennsylvania, which he cleared and on which he made
many improvements, moving from there about 1861 to Penfield, Clearfield
county. In this latter place he established in lumber dealing, which he con-
tinued successfully until his death, at which time he also owned a farm in
Hickory Kingdom. He married Mary Barnard, born near Towanda. Penn-
sylvania, died in Penfield, Clearfield county, Pennsylvania. Children of
Albert and Mary (Barnard) Newell: i. Jane, married William Maxwell,
and died at Grant's Station, Pennsylvania. 2. Emily, died aged two years.
3. Emily, married Albert Brown, and died at Ridgeway, Pennsylvania. 4.
Julia, married George Artz, and died at Centerville, Pennsylvania. 5. Mar-
iette, married James Woodward, and resides in Dubois, Pennsylvania. 6.
George, a farmer of Sabula, Pennsylvania. 7. Darius, lives retired in Du
Bois, Pennsylvania. 8. Mathias Du Bois, for many years a salesman, lives
in Sabula, Pennsylvania. 9. Albert Arthur, of whom further. 10. Ann
Eliza, married R. L. Jones, and lives in Penfield, Pennsylvania. 11. Vic-
toria, married Constantine Double, and resides in Tyler, Pennsylvania. 12.
Joseph R., a physician, lives near Carnegie, Pennsylvania. 13. Cora, mar-
ried Thomas Rogers, and died in Allegheny City (Pittsburgh North Side),
Pennsylvania.
(IV) Dr. Albert Arthur Newell, son of Albert and Mary (Barnard)
Newell, was born at Carpenter's Station (Penburn), Tioga county, Penn-
sylvania, February 3, 1854. He was educated in the University of Western
Pennsylvania (University of Pittsburgh), whence he was graduated in the
class of 1892, with the degree of M. D. He began the practice of the medi-
cal profession in Robinson township, Allegheny county, and was there located
for fifteen years, the demands of his large practice finally breaking down
his health. While recuperating his lost vitality he went into partial retire-
ment, residing in Pittsburgh for one year and two years in Sheridan, sub-
sequently moving to Crafton, where he made his home in a house that he
owned and had previously rented. Here his death occurred July 4, 1913,
ending a career blessed with useful activity, spent in relieving the ills and ail-
ments and suffering of his fellows. His record as a physian was a proud
one, many whom he had snatched from the valley of the shadow bearing
loving remembrance of his calm and inspiring courage in his daily fight
with the death that finally claimed him for its own, and into whose chill
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1747
embrace he surrendered himself witli such calm faith in a glorious hereafter
prepared for him through the precious assurance "Inasmuch as ye have
done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
Dr. Newell was a member of the Lutheran church, his wife holding mem-
bership in the Presbyterian, and he belonged to the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows.
He married, September 2, 189 1, Cornelia Lounsbury, born in Tioga
county. New York, daughter of Clark and Mary Jane (Rowland) Louns-
bury. Clark was a son of Lewis and Charry (Clark) Lounsbury, Lewis a
son of John Lounsbury. John Lounsbury was a native of Connecticut and
there lived and died, a farmer, owning land near Woodstock. The family
faith has been Episcopal since the early days of the family in New England.
John Lounsbury was the father of : Dorcas, Allen, Mary, John, a physician,
Lewis, of whom further, Hannah, George, Timothy, Daniel, and three others.
Lewis Lounsbury, son of John Lounsburj', was a native of Connecticut,
and after his marriage to Charry Clark, a descendant of an old Quaker
family, moved to Tioga county, New York. The journey was made by ox-
team, and he erected the first frame dwelling reared in Tioga, in which place
he is buried. He was a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, supple-
menting his slender and uncertain remuneration in that capacity by farming.
He was a leader in his community, all looking to him for counsel and guid-
ance in matters of public importance, and among his parishioners were
many who found in him a sympathetic auditor and wise adviser in private
perplexity. Children of Lewis and Charry (Clark) Lounsbury: i. Clark,
of previous mention, father of Cornelia Lounsbury, wife of Dr. Albert
Arthur Newell. 2. Lewis, a farmer, died in Tioga, New York. 3. Harvey,
deceased, a minister of the Wesleyan Methodist Episcopal church. 4. Esther,
married Joshua Grimes, and died in Great Bend, Pennsylvania, aged twenty-
nine years. 5. Mary, married Andrew Stetler, and died aged twenty-nine
years. 6. Allen, a manufacturing jeweler, died in New York city. 7.
George, a manufacturing jeweler of New York City, where he died. 8.
Sheldon, only surviving child of Lewis and Charry (Clark) Lounsbury, a
veteran of the Civil War, a prosperous farmer of Barton, New York. Chil-
dren of Dr. Albert Arthur and Cornelia (Lounsbury) Newell: i. Willis
Howland, died in infancy. 2. Eleanor, a student in Wyoming Seminary. 3.
Esther, lives at home.
This name has been long and honorably recorded in the
SNODGRASS annals of this country, and the bearers of it are scattered
throughout the entire United States.
(I) James Snodgrass was one of the earliest settlers of Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, where he purchased a tract of several hundred acres
in MifHin township, near McKeesport. at about fifty cents per acre, from
the government. He cleared a portion of this and erected suitable buildings
upon it, and there spent his life. He was one of the organizers of the old
Lebanon Church, and taught school in the building. He married, and had
one child.
1748 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
(II) William J. Snodgrass, son of James Snodgrass, was born in Miff-
lin township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in 1840, and there grew to
maturity. He engaged in the wholesale drug business on Lacock street,
Allegheny, then opened up two coal mines on the Snodgrass estate, and oper-
ated these until his death, the coal being shipped on the river to Cincinnati
and New Orleans. He had many men in his employ. In addition to this
he cultivated his farm and had a general store. He was a Republican in
political opinion. He was one of the founders of the Lebanon Presbyterian
Church, but later affiliated with the Amity Presbyterian Church, at Dravos-
burg, and was always an earnest worker in the cause of religion. His fra-
ternal association was with the Masonic Order. Mr. Snodgrass died in
1889. He married Sarah Creighton Risher, born in Allegheny county,
October 10, 1845, and they had children: Lydia, who died in early woman-
hood; Nannie, was burned to death in childhood; John Risher, lives re-
tired in Dravosburg; Albert Karcher, of further mention; William J., lives
with his mother at Dravosburg; Corinne, married Howard M. Scott, and
lives in Mifflin township, adjoining the Snodgrass homestead.
John C. Risher, father of Mrs. Snodgrass, was of German descent, his
ancestors having settled in Pennsylvania, in Allegheny county, at an early
date. He settled at Six Mile Ferry, near the Snodgrass homestead, where he
was the owner of a large estate, but later he removed to Dravosburg, and
there purchased a large tract of land, on which Dravosburg is now located.
He died at the age of about seventy years, at the time being the owner of
more than one thousand acres of land. He was also largely interested in
coal production, and owned a string of coal boats on the Ohio and Monon-
gahela rivers. He married (first) , and had children: Sarah Creighton
Risher, who married Mr. Snodgrass, as above stated; Agnes, now deceased,
married L. H. Crump. He married (second) , and had one child:
Arthur, a traveler, whose home is in California.
(HI) Albert Karcher Snodgrass, son of William J. and Sarah Creigh-
ton (Risher) Snodgrass, was born in Mifflin township, Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, January 16, 1879. His education was a very liberal one,
commencing with attendance at the public schools, then going to the Oakdale
Academy, and finishing with a course in the Department of Commerce of
Curry 'College. His business career was commenced by assisting in the
conduct of the coal works in the possession of the family, at first having
charge of the books of this concern. In 1900 he sold his interests to the
Pittsburgh Coal Company, and in association with his brother, John R., en-
gaged in the manufacture of stoves. They bought a factory on Cavan street,
and conducted this until 1904. They next bought the large establishment
owned by the Novelty Works, at Idlewood. and removed these to a better
location. The main building is four stories in height, and four hundred feet
long and there is another building, two hundred and fifty feet long. They
operated this plant until 1909, when they sold the entire business. Mr.
Snodgrass then established himself independently in the real estate business
with which he has been successfnllv identified since that time. He and his
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1749
wife are members of the Hawthorne Avenue Presbyterian Church. Mr.
Snodgrass married, in 1903, Anna Laughlin, born in Mifflin township, a
daughter of Thomas and Margaret (Moore) Scott, the last named being
almost one hundred years of age at the time of his death. They had child-
ren: Charles Albert, Alargaret Scott, Harold Blair and Ruth Alberta.
Putnam is an encient English surname, taken from the place-
PUTNAM name Puttenham. This town is mentioned in the Domesday
Book (1086) ; it was a part of the great fief known as the
Honor of Leicester. The Parish of Puttenham is situated in Hertfordshire,
near Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire. The coat-of-arms' to which all
the American descendants of this lineage are entitled is: Sable, between
eight crosses crosslet fitchee (or crusily-fitchee) argent, a stork of the last,
beaked and legged gules. Crest: A wolf's head gules.
The immigrant ancestor of this family was John Putnam, son of Nicho-
las Putnam. John Putnam was baptized at Wingrave, county of Bucks,
England, January 17, 1579, and died in Salem Village, now Danvers, De-
cember 30, 1662. He probably lived in Stewkley with his parents until the
death of his father, when he inherited the estates at Aston Abbotts, and lived
there until he came to New England. He was called husbandman in 1614.
In 161 1 or 1612 he married Priscilla Deacon. According to family tradition
he came to Salem, Massachusetts, in 1634, but the first record of him is
March 21, 1640-41, when his wife was admitted to the church, and in the
same year he received a grant of land. He was admitted to the church, April
4, 1647. He was a farmer by occupation, and one of the wealthy men of
his section. His handwriting indicates that he must have possessed a good
education. Prior to his death he gave his sons, John and Nathaniel, and
probably others, a farm each. He had seven children.
(I) Levi Putnam, a lineal descendant of John and Priscilla (Deacon)
Putnam, was born September 17, 1757, and died in 1812. He was a cousin
to General Israel Putnam, the military hero. He married Hannah ,
and had children: Phineas, of further mention; Mary, born May 25, 1794!
Loes, December 25, 1795 ; Stilman, February 5, 1798; Fatima, May 13, 1799;
Levi, January 23, 1801 ; Hannah, February 20, 1803; Lydia, July 24, 1804;
Prentis B., April 26, 1807.
(II) Phineas Putnam, son of Levi and Hannah Putnam, was born in
Vermont, February 24, 1792, and died on the Putnam homestead, west of
Harmonsburg. Pennsylvania. He was a Democrat and a Methodist. He
married Jane McFadden, born February 4, 1799, daughter of William Mc-
Fadden, one of the oldest settlers of Summit township, in which he was the
teacher of the first school in the section. Children of Mr. and Mrs. Putnam :
I. William, born September 28, 1819; was justice of the peace of Summit
township for a period of fifty years; married Elizabeth Fetterman, and they
had children: Charles E., justice of the peace and postmaster of Linesville,
Pennsylvania; Ella, became the wife of Frank Gibson, a farmer; Wilber P.,
justice of the peace at Harmonsburg: Edward. 2. Warren, bom February
I750 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
8, 1821 ; married (first) Sylvania McCray, children: Ella, became the wife
of Lemuel Spalding; Lura, became the wife of J. D. McMichael, and lives
in Meadville; he married (second) Sarah Kerr, widow of Rev. Marshal, and
had two children: Clarence H., manager of the Messenger office business;
Maud, deceased. 3. Eleanor, born June 3, 1823, died unmarried. 4. Hannah
born May 3, 1825, died unmarried. 5. Fatima, born June 11, 1827; became
the wife of Ira McCray ; children : Alton, Phineas, Effte, Frank, William,
Ernest, the only one living, resides in San Daego, California. 6. Levi, of
whom further. 7. Mary, born August 19, 183 1, died unmarried. 8. John
Stillman, born March 4, 1834; unmarried, and resides on the old homestead.
9. Cynthia, born February 22, 1836, died unmarried in 1914. 10. James,
born May 16, 1838; unmarried, and also resides on the homestead.
(III) Levi (2) Putnam, son of Phineas and Jane (McFadden) Put-
nam, was born in Summit township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, May
18, 1830, died June 20, 1896. In 1862 he purchased from his father-in-law
two hundred and fifteen acres of land on which he engaged in general farm-
ing and stock raising, both enterprises being eminently successful. He was
an active worker in the interests of the Democratic party, and held a number
of township offices. He was a school director, was elected county commis-
sioner in i8go, and was serving his second term in this office at the time of
his death. Mr. Putnam married, October 7, 1858, Elizabeth Whiting, a
writer and artist of marked ability, who died February 19, 1906. They had
children: i. Bessie L., born August 2, 1859, and has always resided on the
homestead ; she was graduated from Allegheny College at Meadville in the
class of 1888 ; taught for four years, one year of which was spent in the
seminary at Jamestown ; she was a member of the Kappa-Kappa-Gamma
Sorority while at college, andj has become noted as a writer; some of the
publications to which she has contributed are: The Scientific American,
Harper's Bazaar, Good Housekeeping, etc. ; she has also written many in-
dependent scientific papers, and for church and farm papers. 2. Xeno W.,
of whom further. The earliest known ancestor of Mrs. Elizabeth (Whit-
ing) Putnam of whom we have any record is John Whiting, Jr., her grand-
father. He was born February 12, 1747, and married Ruth Lane, born
April 19, 1752. They had children: Ruth, Sarah, Francis L., Betsey, Jon-
athan L., Lucy, John, of whom further, Elizabeth, Almon. John Whiting,
son of John Whiting. Jr., and' father of Mrs. Elizabeth (Whiting) Putnam,
was born July 15, 1788. He married Betsey Jones, born at Hampton, Mas-
sachusetts, March 5, 1786. They had children: Alonzo, Almon, Sarah,
Xenophon, Livera, Elizabeth, who married Mr. Putnam.
(IV) Xeno W. Putnam, son of Levi (2) and Elizabeth (Whiting)
Putnam, was born in Summit township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, on
the Putnam homestead, September 11, 1867. After proper preparation he
became a student at Allegheny College. While he has given the greater part
of his time to farming, he also made a name for himself in the world of litera-
ture. He has been a contributor to the publications of the Century Company
and Harper Brothers, to Leslie's Weekly, The Munsey Company, New York
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1751
World, New York Journalist, Scientific American, Popular Electricity, For-
est and Stream, Youth's Companion, Current Opinion, Cassier Engineering
Magazine, The Bystander, Printer's Ink, Newspaperdom, New York Herald,
New York Tribune, Sunday Telegraph, the Ainslee Publications, The Black
Cat, and various other literary and class publications, including agricultural
papers. One of his first books was : "The Gasoline Engine on the Farm".
He is a Democrat in his political opinions.
Mr. Putnam married, September 21, 1892, Clara S. Jenkins, born May
3, 1873, ciied February 14, 1897, daughter of David Jenkins. Children :
Irene and Arlene, twins, born February 23, 1894 ; Glenn, born February 2,
1896, has shown exceptional ability in mechanical drawing, and furnished
many drawings for a work on "Home Made Tractors", written by his
father; Clara, born February 3, 1897. The three daughters have shown
decided literary ability, and have already contributed liberally to Sunday
school literature.
The Schlosser family has been resident in this country
SCHLOSSER for a number of generations, the first of whom we have
record being George Schlosser, who was born in Bavaria,
Germany, August 20, 1785. He enlisted in the French army under Napo-
leon, served from 1806 to July, 1809, when at the battle of Wagram, one
of his legs was taken ofY by a cannon ball. This was at four o'clock in the
morning, and he lay unattended until ten o'clock at night, when assistance
came. He was taken to a hospital where a second amputation was rendered
necessary by the inflammation which had set in. At about the time of the
enlistment of George Schlosser. two of his brothers, Jacob and Charles,
came to this country, and it is thought that Schlosser Point at Bufifalo is
named for one of them. Two uncles of George Schlosser came to America
between 1772 and 1775, one of them settling in Pennsylvania, the other on
the Hudson or in New Jersey. Children of George Schlosser: i. Charles,
of further mention. 2. Henry, bom at St. Julien, Rhenish Bavaria, Ger-
many, August 8, 1830; came to the United States in 185 1 ; enlisted during
the Civil War as a private in Company F, Fiftieth Wisconsin Regiment ; died
February 26, 1906. 3. Peter, born at St. Julien, May 15, 1833; came to tlie
United States in 1851 with his brother Henry and sister Caroline, and join-
ed their brothers, Charles and Nicholas, at Syracuse, New York ; at the
breaking out of the Civil War in 1861, Peter was one of the first to volunteer
for service, answering President Lincoln's first call for seventy-five thous-
and men, and enlisted in the Thirty-eighth Regiment Illinois Infantry, re-
mained for three months, and at the expiration of this enlistment re-enlisted
in same company for three years ; he was promoted to the rank of third
sergeant, later became first sergeant, and subsequently captain. 4. Louie,
born at St. Julien. emigrated to the United States, and also served in the
Civil War. 5. Caroline, aforementioned.
(II) Charles Schlosser. son of George Schlosser. was born at St.
Julien, Rhenish Bavaria, April 19, 1825. Before he had attained his majority
1752 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
he came to the United States, and located at Durhamville, New York, in
1844, with his brother Jacob, where they worked at their trade for a period
of three years. He then went to Europe again to represent his father, who
was a pensioner on the government. Upon his return to this country he
again took up his trade of wagon building, making his home in Syracuse,
New York, with which city he was identified until his death. In his native
country he had served for a time in the German army. Here he affiliated
with the Republican party, and was the incumbent of a number of public
offices. He served three terms as supervisor ; was alderman, police commis-
sioner, and water commissioner. While holding the last mentioned office,
he was instrumental in getting the present fine water system for the city of
his adoption, and for his faithfulness in the discharge of his numerous public
duties, after his death, a city park was named in his honor. At the time of
his death he had been trustee of the Lutheran church almost half a century.
Mr. Schlosser married, about 185 1, Katharine Krebs, born in Hinz-
weiler, Rheinpfalz, Bavaria, Germany, August 21, 1827, daughter of Jacob
Krebs, who was born in Hinzweiler, Germany, and died in America. He
was a hotel keeper and tailor in Germany, but followed only the latter voca-
tion after his arrival here. He and his family attended the Lutheran church.
He married, about 1810, Margaret Ott, and had children: Charles and
Jacob, who located in Holland, and died there, leaving large and important
shipping interests; Elizabeth, who married Jacob Warner; Charlotte, who
married John Gehm; and Katherine, who married Mr. Schlosser, as above
stated. Jacob Krebs, the father, served three years in the German army.
Charles and Katherine (Krebs) Schlosser had children: i. George, born
April 8. 1852; married, in 1874, Lillie Zimmer, and had children: Louis,
married Susie Allen, and had one child, Ruth; Frederick; Albert, married
Elizabeth Tlisque, and has a son, Albert A. ; Harold ; Elsie ; Charles, Bertha,
Clara and George, deceased. 2. Jacob, of further mention. 3. Charles, died'
in Syracuse, New York, at the age of five years. 4. Peter, died in Syracuse,
at the age of four years. 5. Louis, born about i860; married, in 1878, Mary
Thousand, and had child, Charles, who married, June 12, 1913, Rhoda May
Follette. 6. Charles Henry, born about 1862; married, in 1885, Bertha
Krebstiel, and has children: Bertha May, who married William C. Haas,
September 4, 1908, and has one child, Dorothy Hess, born June 11, 1910;
Myrtle Catherine, married William Lamphere ; Henrietta Eleanor. 7. John
Peter, born about 1864; married Philipina Almang, and has children: Kath-
erine, born in June, 1888, married, October 15, 1913, Reginald Evens;
John P.
(Ill) Jacob Schlosser, son of Charles and Katherine (Krebs) Schlos-
ser, was born in Syracuse, New York, May 7, 1853. His education was ob-
tained in the German Lutheran and the public schools, and he remained un-
der the parental roof until 1866, when he became a burnisher for a short
time for the firm of Pope, Alexander & Company. In the fall of that year
he entered the employ of Qiarles Krebs, of Skaneateles, New York, where
he learned the barber's trade, and remained for two and one-quarter years.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1753
When he was about eighteen years of age he went to Syracuse, then in suc-
cession to Albany, New York; New York City; Boston and Worcester,
Massachusetts; Hartford, Connecticut; and then Binghamton, New York,
in which last mentioned place he remained three months. He then worked
two summers in the Syracuse Manufacturing Company, and in 1873 ^^^
1874 was in Canada introducing lamp globes and burners. He came to Erie,
Pennsyvania, in 1875, worked in a barber shop all summer, and then, be-
cause of impaired health, was obliged to abandon this occupation for a time.
He found employment with the Howe Sewing Machine Company, and on
May I, 1876, came to Waterford, Pennsylvania. He resumed his work as
a barber, being in the employ of others for a time, then established a first
class barber shop for himself, and later added a tobacco and cigar store, and
has conducted this dual business successfully ever since. Mr. Schlosser has
taken an eager interest in all that concerns the welfare of the town, and has
furthered its interests in every way that lay in his power. In 1887 he pur-
chased a residence on East Third street, and has remodeled this dwelling
until he has one of the finest homes in the city. In 1891 he bought his pre-
sent place of business on Main street, and is the owner of a number of
other town lots in excellent locations. In early life Mr. Schlosser joined
the Lutheran church, and has affiliated with this whenever possible, but as
there is no church of this denomination in Waterford, he attends services at
the Presbyterian church, where he is accounted one of the best Bible stud-
ents in the city. His wife is a member of St. Peter's Episcopal Church. In
political matters Mr. Schlosser gave his allegiance to the Republican party
for many years, but is now an Independent. His fraternal interests are
with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is past noble
grand, and he was a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen until
the disbandment of that organization.
Mr. Schlosser was married at the residence of the Rev. Benzie, at
Erie, Pennsylvania, October 2, 1879, to Emma Jane Hood, born in Water-
ford, Pennsylvania, May 13, 1856, daughter of William Hood (see Hood).
Mr. and Mrs. Schlosser are the parents of the following children: i.
Walter Hood, born in Waterford, February 2, 1882 ; his early education was
acquired at the public schools, and he then attended Waterford Academy,
from which he was graduated ; he taught school several years, during a part
of this time being principal of North Springfield public school ; he is an ex-
pert accountant, and at the present time (1915) is mercantile appraiser of
Erie county, Pennsylvania ; politically he is an ardent Republican, and has
served two terms as a member of the county committee ; became a member
of Waterford Lodge, No. 974, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and
has attained high rank and influence in that body. 2. Charles William, born
November 7 1883; was graduated from the Waterford High School and
then went to the west; for a period of three months he taught school at
Flasher, North Dakota, then worked there in the general store of the Ber-
rier Mercantile Company ; he started the First State Bank of Flasher, cap-
ably filled the office of cashier for seven years, and is now bookkeeper for
1754 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
The Gillett & Briggs Flouring Mills ; he is a member of the Lodge, Com-
mandery and Shrine of the Order of Free and Accepted Masons, and the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. 3. Katherine Dorcas, born in
Waterford, May 25, 1887; was graduated from the public schools, and at-
tended the high school three years; she married, October 11, 1905, George
R. Walters, a carpenter ; they have children : Emma Wilhelmina, born
April II, 1907; Charles William, born in 1909. 4. Emma Elizabeth, born in
Waterford, May 10, 1890; was a high school teacher; married William
Hoves, in business in Waterford, who holds high rank as a Mason. 5. Theo-
dore Barton, born in Waterford, October 31, 1897, died January 10, 1900.
(The Hood Line.)
The Hood family is one of the oldest in this section of Pennsylvania,
also one of the most honored, one of the chief characteristics of its mem-
bers being longevity, especially on the maternal side.
(I) William Hood, the earliest known member of the family, served
in the Revolutionary War and he received from the government for his ser-
vices a large tract of land. He located in Erie county, Pennsylvania, in
1800, and his name is found on the tax list of Waterford township in 1813.
(H) George Hood, son of William Hood, came to Waterford township
with his father, and there resided until his death in 1874. He married Han-
nah , who bore him seven children.
(HI) William (2) Hood, son of George and Hannah Hood, was born
in Waterford township, Pennsylvania, October 25, 1828, died May 16, 1896.
He owned and cultivated a farm of fifty acres near the Waterford P. & E.
Railroad station, and was well known and respected. He was a Democrat in
politics. He married Dorcas King, born in Waterford township, October
27, 1834, living at the present time, in good health, daughter of Robert King,
one of the pioneer settlers on French creek, and who served in the War of
1812, and his wife, Eliza Ann (Owen) King, born in 181 1, died January 10,
1914, daughter of James Owen Sr. Mr. and Mrs King were the parents of
ten children : Stephen W., Sallie Ann, Dorcas, Eliza Jane, James William,
Naomi, David C., Alzina, Mary, Amanda. Mrs. King married (second)
Isaac Warner; no children. "Grandmother Warner," as she was known to
all, was a renowned and popular woman, and in 1913, at the celebration of
Commodore Perry's victory on Lake Erie, the one hundredth anniversary,
Mrs. Warner was present, by invitation of the Erie Dispatch, extended by
Mrs. Charles Strong, and was made the honored guest of the city, and was
entertained at the residence of her grandson. Dr. D. Brown. Mrs. Warner
rode in an automobile in the parade and enjoyed the event greatly. She at-
tained the great age of one hundred and three years, and was in possession
of her faculties up to the time of her demise. Children of Mr. and Mrs.
Hood: Emma Jane, who became the wife of Jacob Schlosser, aforemen-
tioned ; Mary, became the wife of Charles Burns ; Hattie, became the wife of
John C. Smiley ; John, married Bernice Smiley.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1755
In 1875 there came from Germany a young ( krrnian la<J
HERMAN sixteen years of age, well educated and with a knowledge
of electroplating, then little understood in this country. He
had little else in the way of capital but he had good courage, took up the
battle of life in New York City, and is now one of the well-known, prosper-
ous inventors, electrical and mechanical engineers of Western Pennsylvania.
This lad was Reinhold Herman, of Crafton, Pennsylvania.
His parents, Michael and Marie (Herman) Herman, related only by
marriage, resided in their native land until 1880. then joined their son in
this country, where Michael Herman, a coppersmith, died in 1892, aged
sixty-five years, his widow surviving until 1908, aged eighty-four years.
Michael Herman was a veteran German soldier, serving in the Revolution
of 1848. Both he and his wife were devout Lutherans. He lived a retired
life in the United States, but in Germany had a prosperous coppersmithing
business. Qiildren : i. Charles, now residing retired in Zelienople, Penn-
sylvania, founder of the Herman Pneumatic Machine Company. 2. Max,
now a coppersmith of Pittsburgh. 3. Reinhold, of further mention. 4. Paul,
a superintendent of the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturmg Company,
of Newark, New Jersey.
Reinhold Herman, was born in West Prussia, Germany, April 18, 1859.
He was educated in the gymnasium and was there graduated in his sixteenth
year. In 1875 he came to the United States, landing and remaining for a
year in New York City. His first employment was at electroplating, an art
then but little understood in this country. After a year spent in New York
he went to New Haven, Connecticut, with the Pardee Engine Company, re-
maining one year with that concern and another year with the Mallory
Wheeler Company of the same city, as draughtsman and designer. In 1880
he came to Western Pennsylvania, locating in Pittsburgh, remaining six
months in the employ of the Jacobus and Limmick Manufacturing Company.
The plant in which he was employed was destroyed by fire, and being thus
thrown out of employment he retired to New York City, there opening an
office as a designer, draughtsman and engineer. Specimens of the work done
by Mr. Herman during this period may be seen in the artistic hardware
adorning the Art Museum and the Museum of Natural History, both in
New York City. Two years later he returned to Pittsburgh and again en-
tered the employ of Jacobus and Limmick, that company having rebuilt their
plant and resumed manufacturing. He next was connected with George
Westinghouse in the Union Switch and Signal Company and helped with
the experiments then being made with alternating electric currents. He was
with the company four years, then spent a year with the Pittsburgh Brass
Manufacturing Company. He then became associated as electrical engineer
with the North American Construction Company, then handling the electrical
output of the Westinghouse Company. The North American also organized
The Electrical Supply Company, of which Mr. Herman was superintendent
for five years. In this capacity he superintended the erection of the first
plant for extracting aluminum ever built in this country, the plant being put
1756 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
up for the Pittsburgh Reduction Company. The plant was completed and put
in operation by Mr. Herman who also made the first castings from Aluminum
therein and gave public lectures on the future of the new metal. He next
spent a year with the Allegheny County Light Company as an expert on
Central Station equipment. The Pittsburgh Electric Supply Company hav-
ing been organized, Mr. Herman secured an interest and for two years was
manager of that company. He then sold his stock and in 1900 began busi-
ness for himself as a general electrical and mechanical engineer. He located
at Crafton and is firmly established as one of the leading men of his profes-
sion. During the past fifteen years he has taken out fifteen patents on auto-
matic railway signaling devices, these being also covered by patents from
nearly all foreign countries. His devices were first installed on the Pennsyl-
vania lines West, other lines adopting them later, but in 1908 he sold all
his patent rights in them to the General Electric Company and for five years
was retained by that company as consulting engineer. Nearly every railroad
system in the United States is now equipped with Mr. Herman's signaling
devices. During this period he was also consulting engineer for the Pitts-
burgh and San Jose Railroad and Milling Company, spending six months
in San Jose, Mexico, establishing and placing their plant in good working
order. Mr. Herman is also the inventor of an electric machine for the auto-
matic making of blue prints. These he manufactures, over one thousand of
these machines now being in use. His latest invention is a new type of auto-
mobile which he has now covered with the necessary patents and is about
organizing a company for its manufacture. This car has no universal joints,
has straight line drive, engine always moving in conjunction with rear axle
only, two journals more being required in machine than for axles. There
are no strait rods, the tension effect when starting being cared for by a sub-
frame cushioned on the springs of the fore axle, thereby making it possible
to deliver 35% more power to the drivers and attain high speed with a less
powerful motor plant. In earlier years Mr. Herman brought out other im-
portant inventions, the more important being his method of distribution of
circuits of electricity in large buildings known as "The Tablet Board" ; he
was the first inventor to cover that particular field ; "An adjustable insulat-
ing joint for chandeliers lighted by both gas and electricity" ; an interlock-
ing device for "boosters," and many others to the number of eighty.
Mr. Herman is a director of the Cochocton Iron Company of Monon-
gahela City, director of the San Jose Railroad and Milling Company, and
of the Oriel Mining Company. He is a Republican in politics, was a mem-
ber of the first borough council of Crafton, serving as chairman of the light
committee and as such establishing the Tungsten system of street lighting.
This was about the first successful Tungsten system installed in the United
States and its efficiency and economy were fully demonstrated under Mr.
Herman's administration and often fully exhibited to visiting delegations
from cities seeking improvement in their several lighting systems. He is a
member of St. Alatthew's Lutheran Church, was the builder of their present
edifice and has served as trustee and elder. He is prominent in the Masonic
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1757
Order, belonging to Crafton Lodge, No. 653, Free and Accepted Masons;
Cyrus Chapter, No. 28, Royal Arch Masons; Mt. Moriah Council, No. z.
Royal and Select Masters; Chartiers Commandery, No. 78, Knights Temp-
lar; Syria Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; and to all bodes of the
Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, holding the thirty-second degree.
He married (first) in 1882, Sophia Wentz, born in Crafton, daughter
of Philip and Sophia Wentz, both born in Germany, died in Pennsylvania.
Children: i. Carl, a mechanical engineer associated with his father, a mem-
ber of all the Masonic bodies just mentioned except Syria Temple ; he mar-
ried Annetta Kerchell, and resides in Crafton. 2. Benton, died aged twenty-
three years. 3. Sophia, died in infancy. The mother of these children died
in 1887, and Mr. Herman married (second) Rose Wentz, sister of his first
wife. Children: 4. Gilmore, an employe of the Illinois Steel Company, of
Chicago. 5. Walter, engaged with his father. 6. Reinhold. 7. Dorothy.
Since his first marriage in 1882, the family residence of Mr. Herman has
been in Crafton.
Fred Wolfram, born in Germany, descends to his posterity
WOLFRAM as the American founder of his line. He left Germany
when a young man, having there attended the public
schools and also having learned the trade of brick-layer. This occupation
he followed for a time in his native land, and after immigrating to the United
States was employed in a factory until the accidental loss of an arm com-
pelled his retirement. His death occurred in 1909, when he was seventy-six
years of age. He married Annie, daughter of Shirley Waver, her death
taking place about 1899. Children of Fred and Annie (Waver) Wolfram:
John, of whom further; Elizabeth, Cunidra, Frederick, Margaret, George,
Lizetta.
(II) John Wolfram, son of Fred and Annie (Waver) Wolfram, was
born in Pennsylvania. Gardening was the calling he chose early in life and
which he has since followed, now living in Shaler township, Allegheny coun-
ty. He is a member of the Roman Catholic church, in politics, a staunch
Republican. He married (first) Catherine Neiderst, all of his children by
this marriage deceased; (second) Margaret Shoring, who died April 23,
1907, daughter of John Shoring. Children of John and Margaret (Shoring)
Wolfram: John A., of whom further; William, George, Rosia.
(III) John A. Wolfram, son of John and Margaret (Shoring) Wol-
fram, was born in Reserve township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, No-
vember 30, 1887. As a youth he attended the public schools of Ross township,
in the county of his birth, and has there since lived, being now the owner
of a four acre tract. Here he conducts gardening operations as well as con-
siderable work in floriculture, and has profited in each. He aflftliates with the
Roman Catholic church, and is identified with the Republican party. Mr.
Wolfram married, October 27, 1912, Annie, daughter of Felix and Sabina
(Pfoiif) Glass, and granddaughter of Carl Glass, who was a gardener of
Alsace-Lorraine, France, before the acquisition of that territory by Ger-
many.
1758 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
The first two generations of the McKinley family of Ire-
McKINLEY land of whom records are extant were both American
emigrants, although, strange to relate, the earliest was not
the first to make his home in America. This line begins with Thomas Mc-
Kinley, born in county Armagh, Ireland, where he married and reared a
large family. His son, William, upon attaining mature age, decided to try
his fortunes across the sea, and so well was he pleased with his new home
and so satisfied with the change of environment that he returned to the land
of his birth and brought his parents to his American home, as well as his.
brothers and sisters. Thomas McKinley and his wife were the parents of :
I. Thomas. 2. William, came to the United States from county Armagh,
purchased one hundred acres of arable land in Crawford county, Pennsyl-
vania, later sold this and moved to Le Boeuf township, near Waterford, Erie
county, Pennsylvania; the tract was known as the Frank Stout farm, and
prior to his death he moved to the Matthew Smith farm in the same locality ;
he married (first) Jane Campbell, (second) Esther (Stow) George, widow
of Cyrus George ; children of first marriage : George, Susan, James, the
latter serving in the Eighty-third Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry
and dying in the service ; children of second marriage of William McKinley :
John a soldier in the One Hundred and Eighth Regiment Ohio Volunteer
Infantry ; Jane, married George W. Buryer and has two sons, Clayton and
Reed ; Ella ; Alexander, William, lives in California ; Sarah, deceased. 3.
John. 4. Alexander. 5. Nancy, married Joseph Orr. 6. Priscilla, married
John Townley. 7. Mary, married Samuel King. 8. Anna, married Samuel
Agnew. 9. Bella, married Thomas Patten. 10. David, of whom further.
(II) David McKinley, youngest son of Thomas McKinley, was born in
county Armagh, Ireland, in 181 1, died in Erie county, Pennsylvania, in 1889.
He came to the United States with his parents in his youth, and there worked
at the hatter's trade, his first place of business being Meadville, Pennsyl-
vania. He later moved to Monroe county, Michigan, subsequently following
his trade in Buffalo, New York. Completing the circle of his wanderings
he returned to Meadville, then came to Erie county, Pennsylvania, for a
time renting the Alexander McKinley farm and finally becoming owner of
ninety-five acres of land. In this vicinity he lived until his death, and is
buried in the Waterford graveyard. He married (first) Matilda Townley,
daughter of a soldier of the War of 1812, (second) Ella Harshaw. Chil-
dren of first marriage of David McKinley: i. George, born in 1838, died
in Meadville, Pennsylvania, in 1874. 2. Robert, born in 1841, died in 1864,
while serving in the Union army in the Civil War. 3. David, of whom
further. 4. James, died in infancy. Children of second marriage of David
McKinley : Melancthon and Matilda, the latter the wife of Wallace Abbott.
(III) David (2) McKinley, son of David (i) and Matilda (Townley)
McKinley, was born in Michigan, October 4, 1845. He had just begun to-
attend the public schools in that state when his parents moved to Craw-
ford county, Pennsylvania, his education being completed in the public
schools of Meadville. His later home was in Erie county, where he grew
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1759
to manhood. All his life has been devoted to the pursuit of agriculture, his
present farm containing about ninety acres, half of it having been part of
his father's acres. Besides having attained a high state of productivity
through his skillful and careful cultivation, his land is well improved,
supporting large, well-built barns, and a comfortable dwelling, the latter
erected by Mr. McKinley. He deals to some extent in stock, buying,
fattening, and selling as the market offers favorable opportunity, thus
adding considerably to his income from his farm products. His success as
a farmer has given him prestige among his neighbors, followers of the
same occupation, who are best able to appreciate the accomplishments he
achieves year after year in the profitable harvesting of his crops. Besides
the attributes that have spurred him to commendable efforts in his life
business, he possesses qualities that have made him popular socially and
the center of a large circle of friends. His political belief is in the Repub-
lican party, and his church is the Presbyterian, to which he has belonged for
many years, having held the office of elder for the past seven years. He
married Ellen, daughter of Stoton arid (Peck) King. Children of
David (2) and Ellen (King) McKinley: i. Guy, of whom further. 2.
Lena, died aged eight years.
(IV) Guy McKinley, son of David (2) and Ellen (King) McKinley,
was born on the homestead in Erie county, Pennsylvania, August 8, 1878.
As a boy he attended the public schools and immediately became his father's
assistant on the home acres, having since lived there, he and his father
sharing the management of the farm. He has engaged extensively in teaming
and in 1913 was awarded the contract for regrading the tracks of the Erie
Railroad near Mill Village. Mr. McKinley is noted throughout the locality
for the excellent care he lavishes upon his horses that he uses in teaming,
taking pleasurable pride in keeping their heavy, massive muscles well-
groomed and sleek, and because of the healthful conditions of their stable
surroundings and his watchful supervision, he obtains the best possible
results in the labor they are able to perform. In direct contrast to his
liking for animals of the heavy draft type, he is fond of driving horses and
those of speedier build, of which he has several on his farm. Mr. McKinley
is building up a business in teaming that bids fair to surpass the value of
his agricultural possessions, his energetic application to affairs of business
assuring his successful continuance therein.
As pupil, teacher, principal and superintendent, Frank A.
McCLUNG 'McClung has been identified with the public school system of
Butler from his earliest school days. This, experience
gained at desk and platform eminently qualifies him for the important
position he now fills and is a guarantee that his term of office will expire,
seeing the schools of Butler county placed on a higher plane of efficiency
than ever before. Frank A. is a son of Charles H. and Hannah (Guinn)
McClung, both native-born to Butler county, both living at their farm near
Sunbury. His grandfather, also Charles McClung, was a farmer of
Butler county and served a term as county commissioner.
1760 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Frank A. McClung grew to youthful manhood at the home farm and
•obtained his early education in the public schools nearby. When he had
absorbed all the instruction to be had in the public school, he secured a
teacher's position and began teaching, being then eighteen years of age. He
continued teaching in the public schools three years, then entered West
Sunbury Academy. After a course there he resumed teaching and for three
years was principal of Penn township high school. He then entered Grove
City College whence he was graduated A. B., class of 1906. He was then
■elected principal of Zelienople (Butler county) public schools, continuing
in that position until the close of the schools in the spring of 191 1.
These years in a responsible position had brought him into prominence
as an educator, his success having been most pronounced. In the spring
of 191 1 he was nominated by the Butler county school directors for the
office of county superintendent of public schools and was chosen for a term
•of three years. He entered upon the duties of his offite the following June
5, and with his fine mental and practical equipment will prove of vast use-
fulness to his county.
He is a member of the State Educational Association and has won for
himself a high reputation among the members of his profession. He is a
member of the United Presbyterian Church, of which denomination his
father is an elder. He belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows
and in politics is an active Republican.
He married June 5, 1912, Mary A. Goehring, daughter of W. Alfred
and Amelia (Dumbach) Goehring of Zelienople, Butler county, Pennsyl-
vania.
The home of Superintendent McClung is at 424 West Penn street,
Butler.
Were the accumulation of wealth the only measure of success,
HAYS then Thomas Hays could be accounted a successful man. Add to
this an honorable military record and a lifetime spent in the
■cause of good government, righteous living and fair dealings, and one gains
a much broader view of his character, than can be gained from a statement
of his worldly wealth. Thomas Hays was born in Sugar Creek township,
Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, January 19, 1840, son of Robert and
Deborah (McKee) Hays. Robert was a native of county Donegal, Ireland,
emigrating in 1821, settling in Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, his home
until 1874, when he moved to Fairview township, Butler county, Pennsyl-
vania, where he died in 1877. He was a successful farmer, an active Re-
publican and greatly beloved.
His wife Deborah was a daughter of Thomas and Margaret (Blaine)
McKee and a granddaughter of Andrew McKee, a Revolutionary soldier.
Thomas McKee was a native of Cumberland county, died in Armstrong
county, Pennsylvania. His wife Margaret was a relative of James G.
Blaine, the noted statesman.
Thomas Hays was one of a family of nine children. He attended the
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1761
public school until his twentieth year and grew to manhood at the home
farm. He intended to adopt teaching as his profession and spent one term
at Adams high school, but he was thwarted in that ambition by the outbreak
of the war between the states. In September, 1861, he enlisted in Company
B, One Hundred and Third Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, which was
assigned to Casey's Division, Fourth Corps, Army of the Potomac. They
participated in the peninsular campaign, fighting at Williamsburg, Seven
Pines, Fair Oaks, Malvern Hill, and other battles of the "Seven Days."
Later the regiment was transferred to the Eighteenth Corps and stationed
at Sufifolk, Virginia.
In November, 1862, under general orders from the war department,
Mr. Hays re-enlisted in Battery L, Fourth Regiment, United States Artil-
lery and subsequently served in the siege of Suffolk at Yorktown ; the siege
of Petersburg; Cold Harbor; the battle before Richmond; receiving honor-
able discharge, November 13, 1864, after three years of hard service. Dur-
ing the height of the battle of Cold Harbor seventeen horses and eighteen
men were shot down near him within half an hour, but he escaped all the
calamities of war and returned unscathed. An incident of interest is the
history of the company flag. When the boys marched away they carried a
flag made by the young ladies of the town, including Miss Foster (later
Mrs. Hays). Their instructions were that the flag was to be guarded with
their lives. This the boys promised and bore the flag through all their bat-
tles up to the siege of Plymouth, North Carolina, where the regiment was
surrounded and captured, after hard fighting for days against greatly
superior numbers. One of the boys wrapped the flag around him under-
neath his uniform and thus it was concealed while they were confined in
Andersonville prison pen. Some of the time it was buried for safe keeping
and when one custodian died (as a number of them did) it was taken in
charge by another. When the war ended and the prisoners returned they
bore the flag in triumph, after a four years' experience such as no other
flag ever had. It is still to be seen near Freeport, Armstrong county, tattered,
torn and worn, a mute reminder of the suffering and hardship borne by
the boys in blue that "a government of the people, by the people and for
the people" should not perish from the earth.
After his discharge from the army in November, 1864, Mr. Hays re-
turned home and was employed for a time at a salary of twenty-five dollars
monthly. In 1865 he married and in 1867 located on a farm in Fairview
township, which later proved a valuable oil-producing tract. He there
began his career as an oil producer, becoming a heavy operator, both pri-
vately and in association with others. He has had a very successful business
career; is treasurer and principal owner of the Evans Manufacturing Com-
pany at Butler, Pennsylvania, manufacturing gas and gasoline engines;
director and one of the original stockholders of the Farmer's National Bank
of Butler; stockholder of the Merchants National Bank of Butler; stock-
holder and director of the Leedom and World Wholesale Grocery Company
of Butler and is the owner of a great deal of valuable real estate both in
1762 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Butler and elsewhere. He is emphatically a man of large affairs, active and
influential in all tlaat pertains to the welfare of Butler and Butler county.
In political life he has always been a Republican, earnest and true, never
seeking office, but in the summer of 1902 yielded to the persuasion of
friends and accepted his party nomination to the Pennsylvania House of
Assembly. He was elected the following November and sat as the member
from Butler county during the session of 1902-1903. He was a member of
several important committees, holding the chairmanship of military affairs
and rendering efficient service in passing needed legislation. In 1908 he was
elected state senator from the forty-first senatorial district, consisting of
Butler and Armstrong counties, for a term of four years. He was again
placed on important committees and rendered valuable service. He also
served on the board of commissioners of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Home,
located in Erie, Pennsylvania, and a similar board of the Soldier's Orphans'
Industrial Home at Scotland, Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Pres-
byterian church, which he has served for thirty-five years as elder, both in
Fairview and Butler. In Fairview he was a member of the building com-
mittee having in charge the erection of a new house of worship, later in
1902 a member of a similar committee for the Second Presbyterian Church
at Butler. He has ever been a generous contributor to church and charitable
enterprises and in every way wisely dispenses the wealth that has come to
him through industry, good management and wise foresight. His wealth
has been honestly acquired and no one but considers him justly entitled to
all the benefits it can confer. A self-made man, Mr. Hays has not been
unduly elated by his success, but is one of the most democratic and com-
panionable of men. In business, church or public life his record is one
of honor, and no stain is found to tarnish the bright page of his achieve-
ment.
He has been a member of the Masonic fraternity for nearly a quarter
of a century and is also an old time member of the Ancient Order of United
Workmen. In 1876 he erected a residence in Fairview, which was his home
until 1895, when he moved to Butler where he resides at No. 325 South
McKean street.
He married, December 21, 1865, Kizzie Foster, born March 27, 1840^
in Sugar Creek township, Armstrong county, daughter of Christopher
Foster, a farmer. She has been a true helpmate and her Mr. Hays chiefly
regards as responsible for the saving of the first thousand dollars which
was the basis of his later successful business career. She is also a devoted
Presbyterian and thoroughly interested in good works. Children : Jennie-
L., married Dr. V. F. Thomas; Christopher F. ; Robert N. ; Maude B., mar-
ried Dr. J. V. Cowden, of Butler county; Thomas H., died August 24, 1901 ;
Frederick W., died November 24, 1902.
Now aged seventy-five years, Mr. Hays gives little evidence of his years,
but conducts his private business with the same clear vision as in days of
yore. He and his wife are most highly regarded socially and are now en-
joying all that is best and truest in life; honored and respected, none holds
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1763
a more enviable position than he to whom this record is dedicated, Thomas
Hays, of Butler, Pennsylvania.
(II) James (2) Moore, son of James (i) (q. v.) and Eliza-
MOORE beth (Canning) Moore, was born February 23, 1815, died
October 7, 1897. He was one of the most energetic and pros-
perous agriculturists in the section of the state wherein he resided. During
his young manhood he worked by the month, receiving as remuneration the
sum of ten dollars, and by industry and thrift he accumulated sufificient
capital to purchase one hundred acres of land, on the Plank road, three
miles above Waterford, for which he paid the small sum of six dollars per
acre. He cleared and improved the land, erected thereon suitable buildings,
and there spent the remainder of his days, respected and honored by all who
came in contact with him. Subsequently he purchased two other farms,
from which he derived a substantial income. He was an active member of
the United Presbyterian Church, being affiliated with it from 1853 to 1897, a
period of forty-four years, and his wife was also an active worker in the
same for many years, and his children have also been interested in the
same, following in the footsteps of their parents. All the members of the
family have contributed liberally to charitable enterprises and to every
project that has for its object the welfare of the community.
Mr. Moore married, June 9, 1846, Jemima Gillespie, who died January
14, 1897. Children: i. Mary Ella, born March 11, 1847; served as school
teacher for over fifteen years. 2. Martha Jane Himrod, born November
13, 1849; she married, October 21, 1874, George W. McWilliams, who died
August II, 1900; one child, Alice, born November 21, 1875. 3. Alice Boyd,
born August 15, 1851 ; served as school teacher for over five years; she
married, November 26, 1873, William H. Trask ; children : i. George Reed,
born September 17, 1874, married, June 22, 1898, Carrie Viola Koford, and
has children : Dorothy Alice, born January 5, 1903 ; William Reed, bom
May 28, 1906; James Harold, born January 2, 1912, died April 3, 191 3. ii.
James Moore, born March 29, 1876, died December 24, 1907; married,
November 10, 1898, Emma Maud Wilson, and has children: Madeline
Frances, born November 6, 1899; Ruth Ethel, born December 17, 1902;
Mary Lavina, born June 23, 1906. 4. James Steele, born October 11, 1853;
served for several years as school teacher, and has served as elder of the
United Presbyterian church for more than a quarter of a century. 5.
George Henry, born July 30, 1855 ; served for several terms as trustee of
the United Presbyterian Church; he married, October 18, 1898, Jessie
Mahan; one child, Alice Hortense, born January 5, 1902. 6. Elizabeth
Lavina, born May 31, 1859.
Andrew Jackson StanclifT, a well known oil magnate of
STANCLIFF Western Pennsylvania, whose residence is now in Water-
ford, represents a family which has been identified with
important measures in various fields for a number of generations. They
1764 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
have always closely identified themselves with the interests of the State of
Pennsylvania, and have proven their worth, as citizens, as patriots, as
soldiers and as business men. John Stancliflf, who in early days established
the homestead in Erie county, Pennsylvania, died on it at the advanced age
of ninety-two years. He served in the War of the Revolution, as did his
brothers Lemuel, Comfort and Samuel. The family was originally from
Connecticut and Vermont, and in 1799 Lemuel, Comfort and Samuel Stan-
cliff located at McKean, Erie county, Pennsylvania. A number of other
members served in the Revolutionary War, and their descendants in the war
of 1812 and the Civil War. The names of Russell and Lemuel Stanclifif
appear on the township tax list of Waterford as early as 1813. Among
the children of John Stancliff were Thomas and Timothy.
Thomas Stancliff, son of John Stancliff, was born in Connecticut in
1797, and died near Sharp's Corners, Erie county, Pennsylvania, in May,
1848. With other members of his family he removed to Erie county. New
York, and from thence to Sharp's Corners, Erie county, Pennsylvania,
arriving at that point, February 28, 1835. The journey, which was a
dangerous and trying one, was made with the help of ox teams to transport
their household possessions, and they made their final location on land four
and a half miles west of Waterford. Their nearest neighbor was at a
distance of a mile, and the location was considered on the frontiers of
civilization. Thomas and his brother Timothy secured a tract of land one
hundred acres in extent, near Sharp's Corners, and the road which passed
the place was named in their honor. Thomas Stancliff became a man of
much importance in the community. He served as justice of the peace for
many years, did all the surveying and deeding of land in his section, was
an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and was buried in
Sharp's cemetery, which he had laid out. Mr. Stancliff married Polly Ann
Peck, who was born in 1797, and died in 1884. They became the parents
of eight children, of whom two died in infancy, the others being: Lavinia;
Alden, of further mention ; Ellsworth, who served in the Civil War ;
Thomas ; Lorinda ; Joseph, who served in the navy in the Burnside expedition
to Roanoke Island during the Civil War.
Alden Stancliff, son of Thomas and Polly Ann (Peck) Stancliff, was
born in Collins, New York, in 1823. He was very young when the family
removed to Pennsylvania, and his education was acquired at Sharp's Corners,
where one of his first teachers was David Stancliff, son of Lemuel Stancliff,
mentioned above. He was engaged in agricultural pursuits all his life,
served as a road commissioner, and as a member of the board of school
directors. He married Amelia Brooks, born April 30, 1846, died August
26, 1901, a daughter of Enoch and Hannah (Smith) Brooks, and they had
children : Emma, who married M. B. Van Sise ; George, who died in his
third year; Andrew Jackson, of further mention; Minnie, who married
H. C. Stackhouse.
Andrew Jackson Stancliff, son of Alden and Amelia (Brooks) Stan-
cliff, was born near Sharp's Corners, Erie covinty, Pennsylvania, August 9,
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1765
1853. The public schools of Waterford furnished him with educational
advantages, and he remained under the parental roof until he had attained
manhood. At the age of twenty-two years he went to Warren county.
Pennsylvania, where he gradually became identified with oil interests of more
and more importance, extending his operations to the other fields of Penn-
sylvania, as well as those of West Virginia and Ohio. He resided at various
times in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ; Sistersville, West Virginia ; and Marietta,
Ohio. Returning to his native county in 1903, he took up his residence in
Waterford, where he has since lived. Mr. Stancliff is not a man to sound
his own praises, and the results he has achieved speak so loudly for them-
selves that there is no need of such a proceeding. One may truthfully say
of him that he is one of the most highly esteemed men of his section of the
country. Charitable in the extreme, and ever ready, with word and deed,
to support any measure which promises to be for the welfare and develop-
ment of the district. He holds high rank in several organizations, and is
a member of the Marietta (Ohio) Lodge, No. 477, Benevolent and Pro-
tective Order of Elks; Waterford Lodge, No. 425, Free and Accepted
Masons.
Mr. Stanclifif married (first) in May, 1874, Jane Williams, a daughter
of Daniel and Adeline (Irons) Williams, and they had one son: Clayton,
who was graduated with honor from the Titusville high school, where he
was prepared for entrance to college. He matriculated at Cornell Univer-
sity, from which he was also graduated, the degree of Civil Engineer being
conferred upon him. He at once established himself in the practice of his
profession, becoming civil engineer for a company in Pittsburgh, and is at
present resident in Wesleyville, Pennsylvania ; he married Ida Horton, and
has children: Andrew Jackson, Margaret Elizabeth, Clayton Minon and
Robert Alden. Mr. Stanclifif married (second) Nellie Siebert, a daughter
of Henry William and Catherine Amanda (Rhoads) Siebert. There are no
children by the second marriage.
This is a Scotch name, but sometimes believed to be
ANDERSON Swedish. It is possible it is of Scandinavian origin, but
the writer doubts it very much, as the Scandinavians, in
spelling their name, Andersen and Aninsen, never used the "son" until
taking up the American custom.
The first of our line of Andersons, of whom we have true record, are
of Scotch origin, and left Scotland and went to the North of Ireland.
(I) James Anderson was born in the North of Ireland in 1747, and
with other members of his family came to America and settled in Cecil
county, Maryland. He had brothers with him, and it is believed his parents
came also. Sometime in early manhood he, with other brothers, came north
to Pennsylvania. James Anderson stopped for a time in Northumberland
county, while his brothers went on to Crawford and Westmoreland coun-
ties. In i8d2, James Anderson, with his wife and children, came to Fort
Le Boeuf, now Waterford. His name is the first one found on the tax list
1766 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
of 1813, which showed he owned property here. He died February 4, 1813,
and with his wife is buried in Waterford cemetery. He married Margaret
Boyd, born in Maryland, November 29, 1759, died August 19, 1827, daugh-
ter of William Boyd (see Boyd). Children: Samuel; Nancy, wife of Hon.
John Vincent; Polly, wife of Hugh Hamilton; Robert; Sallie, wife of John
Lytle ; James, who was father of Smith and Vincent Anderson ; William,
Lyltle ; James, who was father of Smith and Vincent Anderson ; William,
(H) William Anderson, son of James and Margaret (Boyd) Anderson,
was born in Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, March 23, 1791, died at
Waterford, Erie county, Pennsylvania, April 7, 1875. He was a wagon-
maker by trade, and followed that occupation. During the War of 1812 he
was in the service and was an ox-teamster, drawing supplies for Commodore
Oliver Hazard Perry's fleet. William Anderson married Nancy Pollock,
daughter of Captain James and Mary (Steel) Pollock; she was born Feb-
ruary 12, 1804, died February 21, 1870. Children: Charles W. S. Ander-
son, of whom further; Retton and Mary, both died young.
(HI) Charles William Steel Anderson, son of William and Nancy
(Pollock) Anderson, was born in Waterford, Erie county, Penn-
sylvania, July 20, 1827, died September 21, 1903. He was educated in
Waterford public schools and Waterford Academy. In early life he clerked
in Stanford & Cooper's store. When the war (1861) broke out, Mr.
Anderson volunteered, but on account of his health was rejected. He
served as constable for a term of twenty years, and was mercantile appraiser
for Erie county in 1863. In 1866 he was elected justice of the peace and
served for about thirty years, during which time he transacted nearly all
the legal business in this community. He was a staunch Republican, and a
supporter of St. Peter's Episcopal Church, as are nearly all members of his
family. At the time of his death all the business places in Waterford
suspended business during the hour of the funeral, as a token of respect,
showing the esteem in which he was held.
Mr. Anderson married. May 15, 1853, Maryetta Le Land, born June
8, 1830, died February 6, 1908, daughter of Benjamin and Hannah Le Land.
Seven children were born to this union: i. Virginia, deceased, wife of B. D.
McClure. 2. Charles W. S. Jr., married Grace Doss ; children : Theodore
and Phillip, twins. 3. Mary Kate, wife of Lewis B. Thompson; children:
Mabel Grace ; Charles Theodore, deceased ; Paul Le Land, married Eliza-
beth V. Millard. 4. Harry Robert, married Anna Morris; children: Vir-
ginia, married George Shields, one child, Madaline; Paul M. ; Glenn, married
Vera Holton; children: Harold and Roger; Zoe; Guy C. 5. Grace Jane. 6.
Lincoln C, of whom further. 7. Vermont, died in infancy.
(IV) Lincoln C. Anderson, born September 10, 1864, in Waterford;
married (first) October 20, 1886, Lottie Tait, bom July 4, 1867, died Jan-
uary 17, 1890; one son, Robert Lincoln, born December 13, 1889, married
Ruth Carlston and has one son, Robert Frederick. Lincoln C. Anderson
married (second) April 9, 1891, Anna B. Farley, born November 4, 1864,
at Chathams Run, Clinton county, Pennsylvania, daughter of Jacob M.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
1767
and Elizabeth E. (Smith) Farley. To this union have been born two daugh-
ters: Nellie Rew, wife of Lyons M. Mussina Jr.; Elsie Grace.
Lincoln C. Anderson is a member of St. Peter's Episcopal Church,
and like his two brothers, Charles and Harry, is a member of the Masonic
and Odd Fellows fraternities. His occupation is that of book agent.
Politically he is a staunch Republican.
ADDENDA— ERRATA
INDEX
INDEX 1771
ADDENDA— ERRATA
Blair, p. 1697, 7th line, Washington should be Hampshire; 14th line, Mary Catherine
should be Mary Catharine; iSth line, January 19 should be January 29, and after
schools should read and Hartstown Academy; 34th line, Elizabeth Clark should
be Mary Elizabeth Clark; 37th line, after Bertha Dean should be another child,
Mertie E.; 38th line, date of birth of Thomas Lloyd, February 4, 1879, and
date of birth of Mary Helen, May 24, 1887; p. 1698, 32d line. Professor Blair
is a member of the Round Table, and an elder in the First Presbyterian Church;
34th line and after should read: Daughter of William and Mary Amanda (Halla-
day) Farley. William Farley was born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, March
23, 1831, died at Spartansburg, December 28, 1910; his wife was born in Cayuga
county. New York, November 17, 1835, died at the home of her daughter, Mrs.
Blair, May 28, 1914; she was the daughter of William C. and Mary (Miller)
Halladay, the former named one of six brothers, all of whom except William C.
were ministers, and the latter named a cousin of President Andrew Jackson.
Professor and Mrs. Blair had four children: Howard Farley, born in Irwin,
May 17, 1906, died August 22, 1907; June Alathea, born in Irwin, June i, 1908;
Paul Dalton, born in Cambridge Springs, February 2, 1910; John William, born
in Meadville, January 20, 1912, died at birth.
Cricks, p. 1315, Mrs. Esther Elizabeth (Stoup) Cricks is living at the present time
(1915), not deceased, as sketch reads, and everything pertaining to her should
be in the present tense.
Curry, p. 1714, before paragraph (I) the following should appear: Robert Curry and
his wife Nancy settled on a farm in what is now Mifflin township, near Coal
Valley, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, about the time of the Revolutionary
War. Here he erected a stone dwelling house and raised his family of seven
children: Robert, John, Ebenezer, Martha, Belle, Sarah, Hiram. He was a
surveyor, being the only surveyor in that vicinity. Of his children. John,
Ebenezer, Martha, Sarah and Hiram married and settled in that vicinity, while
Belle died in young womanhood. 40th line, correct list of children: Mary J.,
died unmarried in 1872; Sarah Elizabeth, died unmarried iti 1897; Martha A.,
deceased, was wife of William Slaymaker, of Albany, Illinois; Arabella L.,
wife of William Houston, of Wilkinsburg; John, of further mention; Samuel,
deceased, of Albany, Illinois; Hiram, of Fenton, Illinois; Robert, died in infancy.
Both John Curry and his wife died of typhoid fever in 1853, he on September
12, she on October 6; p. 1715, 41st line, E. P. Douglas should be E. P. Douglass;
p. 1716, 1st line, Ada Goe should be Ada Catherine Goe; 2d line, Linford should
be Linford Goe. At end of sketch this should appear: The McConnell branch
of the family originally came from Ireland. Robert McConnell and Agnes
Wilson, of Ireland, were married there in 1770, and came to America soon
after. They had fourteen children, one of whom, Adam, married Ellen Moore
and settled in the "Forks of the Yough," now Forward township, Pennsylvania.
Ellen Moore was also of Irish parentage, the daughter of James and Mary
(McLean") Moore, and was born in Ireland. Adam and Ellen McConnell had
nine children, of whom Robert, who married Dinah Boyd in 1829. and settled
on his father's farm in Forward township. One of his five children was Sarah
Wilson McConnell, the wife of John Curry.
Forsyth, p. 1338, Albert M. should be Alvin M.
Kessler, p. 650, William A. Kessler was appointed by President Wilson. January 13,
1915, postmaster for Homestead, West Homestead and Munhall, Pennsylvania.
Holtzman, p. 1056. 40th line. Louis Holtzman married in Braddock, Pennsylvania,
instead of in his own country.
Rights, p. 534. 41st line, Mary Maude Rights is now (i9i5> studying music at the
Carnegie Institute of Technology, School of Applied Design.
Walker, p. 798, 31st line, Mr. Walker should read Dr. Walker.
INDEX
Acheson, Marcus W., 64
Ackerman, Adam, 1151,
1152
Nicholas, 1151
Adams ancestry, 21, 363,
537, 605
Abraham, 364
Benjamin, 364
Calvin, 21
George, 605
Hannah, 60S
Helen M., 538
James, 605
John, 537
Milo, 364
Robert, 363
Samuel, 364
S. Jarvis, 21
William, 364
Agnew, Daniel, 125
James, 125
Ague, John, 332
Solomon, 332, 333
Ahlborn, August, 673
Frederick H., 675
Albert ancestry, /|/|/|
Adam, 444
James A., 445
John D., 444
Aldrich ancestry, 1217
Dr. Elerton, 1217
Leon W., 1218 .
Welcome, 1217
Allen, John M., 832
Joseph, 832
Allison ancestry, 380
James, 380
James L., 380
John M., 380
Alter ancestry, 1313
Daniel, 1313
George B., 1313
Jacoto, 1313
Sa'muel C, 1313
Amrhein ancestry, 849
Andrew, 850
Francis A., 849
Frank, 849
Anderson ancestry, 237,
1040, 1467, 1765
Charles W. S., 1766
Edmond T., 241
George, 240
Isaac, 1467
Isaac W., 1467
James. 1467. 1765
John C. 237
John T.. 1040
Lincoln C, 1766
Matthew, 1040
Patrick. 1467
Robert. 237
Robert L.. 239
Samuel Y., 239
Sarah Anna. 241
William, 1766
Andrews ancestry, 1597
Mary A., 1597
William H., 1597
Armstrong ancestry, 1393
James, 1393
Joseph T., 1394
Thomas, 1393
Arters ancestry, 1539
James, 1539
Joseph, 1540
Robert B., 1540
Ash, Charles H., 1230
Thomas, 1230
Augustin, Joseph J., 596
Michael, 595
Bailie, John W., 761
Thomas S., 762
Baird ancestry, 647
Hugh, 648
John, 648
Thomas C, 649
Baker ancestry, 922, 1252,
1404
Aaron J., 923
Christopher, 922
George K., 1252, 1406
Jacob, 922
Richard, 1405
Robert, 1406
Thompson M., 1252
Balcom ancestry, 1320
Henry. 1320
Luke D., 1321
Otis. 1321
Baldridge ancestry, 731,
1286
Clarence R., 732
John, 731
Joseph. 731
Lida C, 732
Robert M., 1286
Robert S., 1286
Ball ancestry, 607. 1333
Arthur. 607, 608
John, 869. 1333
Joseph, 1333
Margaret, 1333
Thomas. 607, 869
Balles, Peter, 1062
Peter J., 1063
Barnett ancestry, 1139,
I5S9
Ambrose. 1560
Edgar M., 1561
John, 1559
Miles. 1559
William, 1139
William M., 1139
Bauer ancestry, 518
George A., 518
Martin, 518
Philip J., 518
Baugher ancestry, 1471
Henry, 1471
Jacob S., 1471
John, 1471
Bauman, Frederick, 921
William, 921
Baumgartel ancestry, 1418
Christian, 1418
John C., 1418
John F., 1418
Bayard ancestry, 53
Beall, Erasmus H., 1724
Howard E., 1724
Beatty ancestry, 1123
Cyrus B., 1123
Robert. 1 123
Samuel, 1123
Bebout ancestry, 1188
Ira C, 1 188
John, 1 188
Samuel M. H., 1188
Beck, George E., 533
John J., 533
Becker ancestry, 491
Adam, 491
Charles F., 492
Henry, 491
Beckert. George, 413
John P., 414
Bedell ancestry, 1153
Abner, 1153
Andrew, 1153
Lydia A., 1154
William, 1154
Beedle, Edward, 807
Evan. 807
Sarah A., 808
Beet, Harriet Amanda,
1315
Oliver F., 1.315
Beissinger, Michael, 1234
Stevenson C, 1234
Benson ancestry, 675, 1722-
Elijah, 675
Elisha, 676
Hubert G., 676
Isaac L., 1722
Mary L.. 1722
Benzenhoefer, Andreas,
1250
John G.. 1250
Beran. Frank, 787
John, 787
Bergman. Andrew, 210
John E.. 210
Beringer. Baltzer, 1562
Conrad. 1^62
Berner. Alois. 147
Baltasar, 146
Berryman ancestry, 92a
Percy G., 920
Thomas, 020
William T., 920
INDEX
1773
Bertsch, Augustus, 767
Frederick, 767
Best ancestry, 1254
David, 1254
David, Dr., 1254
Wesley B., 1256
Bestwick, Jacob, 1018
John H., 1019
Bethune, Abraham L., 872
Jacob H., 872
Lydia, 872
Bick ancestry, 1423
Nicholas, jr., 1423
Nicholas, Sr., 1423
Bickerton, Robert, 1028,
1030
Thomas, 1028, 1029, 1317,
1318
Thomas S.. 1319
Biddlestone ancestry, 693
Isaac, 693
Samuel, 694
William, 693
Bigham, Robert, 310
W. Glenn. 310
Birchard ancestry, 1649
Delroy G., 1650
James, 1649, 1650
John, 1649
Levi G.. 1650
Thomas, 1649
Black, Annie M., 1316
H. L., iv6
John, 884, 88s
Blair ancestry, 1696
Hugh, 1696, 1697
John A., 1697
♦Parr D., 1697
Blick. James, 172, 173
William, 174
Blind, Coniad, 415
Edward H., 415
Blockinger ancestry, 707
August. 709
Louis, 708
Peter, 708
Blose ancestry, 658
Daniel, 659
Daniel P., 660
Isaac R., 6^9
Bokermnnn, Godfreid, 1317
John H.. i^T7
Bole. Frnnk H.. 165-;
Hugh M., 1652
Bolard ancestry, 1698
Charles F., 1700
Christopher, 1699
Frederick, 1698
Frederick D., 1609
John A.. 1699
Bossert. Margaret, 814
Matthew, 813
Valentine. 814
Bourke ancestry, 289
Henry, 289
John, 290
Patrick. 289
Bowser, Sylvester F., 81
Boyce ancestry, 918
Isaac, gi8
Isaac L., 919
William, 919
Boyd ancestry, 916, 1308,
I5S3. 1679
Adam B., 1554
Anna S., 1682
George K., 917
Harry C, 917
James, 916
James A., 1681
James G., 1308
John, 1308
Rena M., 1682
Robert, 1553
Samuel, 1554
William, 1680
William J., 1681
Boyle ancestry, 603, 1272,
1743
Alexander, 1272
Andrew J., 604
Felix, 1743
Francis, 1272
James C, 1273
James J., 1744
John, 603, 1272
Robert, 603
Thomas, 1273
Brackenridge, Caroline, 775
Henry M.. 774
Hugh H., 774
Bradwell ancestry, 297
Isaac, 297
Jacob, 297
Thomas S., 298
Brandon, Washington D.,
105
Brandt. Henry, 794, 795
Philip. 795
Sophia. 795
Braun ancestry, 780, 1233
Adam, 780
Henry J., 1233
John, 1233
John A., 781
William, 781
Breading ancestry, 543
Clark.^ 544
David, 543, 544
James. 544
John C. 544
Breckenridge ancestry, 242
David, 242
William, 2^2
William B.. 242
Breining. Christian, 436
Henrv C, 437
Breitenhaugh. John J., 792
Joseph. 702
Brennan ancestry, 612
James P., 612
John. 612
Thomas, 612
Brethauer ancestry, 495
Albert C. 496
Andrew. 495
Christopher, 495
John F.. 496
Brewer, Reuben, 196
Briggs ancestry, 1190, 1728
Benjamin, 1728
Edward, 1728
James, 1190
William, 1190
William E., 1729
Brodmerkel ancestry, 1423
Anna C, 1423
George, 1422
John, 1422
Brooker ancestry, 733
Elizabeth, 733
Ignatius, 733
Joseph, 733
Brooks ancestry, 1617
Robert, 1617
Selden. 1618
William H., 1617
Brown ancestry, 881, 914,
1280, 1297, 1322, 1427
Andrew, 1322
Charles, 1428
Charles L., 1428
George F., 1282
Hugh, 91S
Hugh A., 914
James, 831
James A., 1281
James C, 915
Joseph, 1297
Josiah, 1322
Louis S.. 1298
Manley O., 1323
Margaret M., 753
Philip, 914
Theodore. 1280
William, 831. 1428
William F., gi6
William J., 832
William S.. 753
Bruckner. William, 768
William A., 768
Bubb ancestry, 140
Edward J., 140
George S., 140, 141
Job, 140
Buckley ancestry, 431
James, 431
John, 431
Nathan. 431
Bulger, Edward, 307
John E., 307
Bullion. John. 671
John J.'. 671
Bullions, Leonard, 624
Nanc}'. 625
Burchard. Cyrus, 199
James. 199
Burgunder ancestry, T189
Diebold. 1189
Remy. 1189
Sylrester. 1189
Burkhard, John C, 1148
Joseph. IT48
Burkman. Johannes, 616
John. 616
Burleigh ancestry, 69
Clarence. 70
1774
INDEX
Jonathan, 69
Thomas D., 69
Burton, Charles W., 1425
Harry C, 1425
Butler, James, 611
Richard J., 612
Byers ancestry, 117, 229
Alexander M., 117
James R., 229
John, 229
John W., 230
Byrne, Christopher, 860
Susan v., 861
Thomas, 860
Cadwallader ancestry, 48S
John, 485
Lambert, 486
Robert M., 487 /
Thomas, 485
Thomas M., 487
Cairns, John J., 1688
Zella B., 1688
Caldwell ancestry, 1283,
1642
Robert, 1642
Washington, 1643
William, 1283
William A., 1283
Calhoun ancestry, 1016
Adly, 1016
Alexander, 1017
John, 1016
Sarah, 1017
Calvin. Thomas, 1549
Campbell ancestry, 107.
1408, 1670
Alexander, 1408
Alexander M., 1409
Andrew G., 1408
Charles T., 1670
James J., 107
Joseph. 107
Mary D., 1670
Carnesjie. Andrew, 1452
William. 1452
Carr ancestry, 1603
Catherine, 1604
George P. B., 1604
William, 1604
Carson. Charles P., 1325
John. T32.S
Casey. David C, 227
Jeremiah. 226
Caughev. Joseph Y., 1563
Robert H.. 1563
Cavanaugh, Matthew, 228
Patrick, 227
Caven ancestry, 874
Cyrus, 875
Tohn. 875
William. 874
Cease ancestry, 1597
• John R., 1597
Joseph, 1597
Rudolph, 1597
Chalot ancestry, 1387
Francis, 1387
Francis X., 1388
Jacques, 1387
Challis ancestry, 381, 1327
Daniel, 381, 1327
Daniel W., 381
George, 381, 1327
Harry G., 1328
Chamberlain, Jules, lOOl
Ralph, 1002
Chantler ancestry, 193
Israel B., 193
James, 193
Thomas, 193
Chaplin ancestry, 25
Benjamin, 25
James C, 26
John H., 25
William, 25
William C, 26
Chase ancestry, 1220, 1298
Amos, 1298
George A, 1300
Joseph L., 1299
Newell, 1221
Samuel G., 1221
Chess, Goodman Y. C,
407
John, 406
Rachel, 407
Christy, James, 1262
James H., 1262
Church ancestry, 8
Samuel, 9
Samuel H., 10
William, 8, 9
Clark ancestry, 746, 1733
Charles. 748
Eliza D., 260
George, 260, 1733
John, 1734
Mary E., 748
William J., 1734
Clary. Michael, 1564
Simon, 1565
Clever ancestry, 497
Andrew P., 498
Martin. 497
Rutherford H., 499
Cochran, Harvey B., 1689
Tames. 477, 478
Robert H.. 478
Cole. John. 913
Samuel F., 013
Collins, Cornelius, lOlO
David. lOio
Robert A., ion
Colter, James P., 1676
Thomas, 1676
Colteryahn, August, 912,
913
Conn. Elizabeth. 312
Thomas J.. 312
William, 312
Connelly. Joseph A., 868
Thomas 'F., 867
Cook ancestry, 276
Adam, 267
George. 268
George W., 477
John, 477
Joseph L., 268
Cooper ancestry, 256, 410,
1323
Charles A., 257
Frederick W., 1324
Frank A., 1324
John, 256
Robert, 410
Robert W., 411
Samuel, 1324
William, 257, 411
Coover, George W., 1513
Jesse, 1512
Cope, Thomas, 911
Corbett, Joseph, 1156
Thomas, 1156
Corey ancestry, 654
Alfred, 655
Benijah, 654
James B., 656
Cornelias ancestry, 1194
Christian, 1194
Robert, 1194
Robert C, 1194
William A., 1194
Cornett, John, 1392, 1393
Cort ancestry, 1003
Daniel, 1004
John C., 1006
John Y., 1003
Lucian. 1005
Cotton ancestry, 1690
Alfred B., 1691
James B., 1691
John. 1690
Joseph, 1690
Coursin ancestry, 633
Benjamin, 633
Benjamin B., 633
Benjamin L., 634
Peter, 633
Cowan ancestry, 943, 1598
Adam, 1598
Daviid, 943
Edward P., 1598
Hugh. 1598
John F.. 1598
William, 943
William T., 944
Cox, Will J.. 910
William, 910
Craig. Thomas B., 67
William R.. 67
Craighead. Andrew, 1200
Matthew D., 1200
Cratty ancestry, 1372
Agnes. 1373
Eli G.. 1372
William, 1372
Crawford ancestry, 1328,
1494
James S., 1329, 1330
^Tatthew, 1328
Thomas, 1494
William. 1328
William A., 1495
Creese ancestry, 468
James, 469
Johannes, 468
Philip, 469
Samuel, 468
Crick, John A., 848
Robert C, 848
*Cricks, Joseph H., 1314
Levi, 1314
Croft, Mary, 1052
William G., 1052
Crooks, Henry, 717
Henry R., 717, 718
Sadie A.. 71S
Crosbie, Irvine C, 1417
Thomas, 1417
Crosby ancestry, 1411
Charles N., 1412
Elkanah, 1411
Hiram W., 141 1
Nathaniel, 14IT
Crumrine, Boyd, 1447
Hans M., 1447
Culbertson ancestry, i4og
James L., 1410
Josiah, 1409
Leland J., 1410
Cummings, Charles, 1567
Cunningham, John, 971
Robert H., 971
Curry ancestry, 393, 1238,
1714
Hiram G., 1239
John, 1714
Robert, 1238
Robert G., 1238
♦Robert M., 1715
Samuel P., 1239
William, 393
William C., 303. 394
Banner. Frederick. 1331
George, 1331
Darby ancestry, 1726
George, 1726
Grafton, 1726
Grant, 1727
Samuel, 1726
Walter, 1726
Daubenspeck ancestry,
1302, 1 60 1
C. F., Dr., 1601
George. 1303, 1601
Jacob, 1303
Philip. 1303
Samuel. 1601
Daugherty ancestry, 1334
John, 1334
W. L., 1,334
W. L.. Jr., 1335
David. Charles W., 1652
Davidson ancestrv, 1052.
1 193
Elias, 1193
John, T0.S2
Samuel, t 103
Wilson M., 1052
Davies ancestry, 749, 1231
John R.. 749
Rees T., i2-!t
Thomas. 748
Thomas R., 1231
INDEX
Davis ancestry, 909, 1295,
1646, 1706
Alva C., 129s
Basil, 909
Christopher, 1295
Clark, 1296
David, 1706
Isaac, 1646, 1707
James H., 909
John A., 1647
Martin, 1296
William W., 909
Day ancestry, 1258
Ebenczer, 1258
Edmund, 1259
Henry L., 1259
Robert, 1258
Thomas, 1258
Timothy, 1259
De Bolt, George S. T., 908
Teegarden S., 908
Dell ancestry, 625
Jacob, 626
Philip, 62s
William F., 627
De Long, Helen S., 1309
Luther, 1309
William O., 1309
Dennis, George W., 907
Samuel J.. 906
Denny, Timothy, 760
William J., 760
Densmore ancestry, 619
Harry T., 620
Hughes O., 620
Robert. 620
Sophia v.. 621
Denton, David W., 132
James T., 132
Der. John, 906
William. Q06
Dickson ancestry, 416
John, 419
Joseph N., 421
Robert, 416
Robert W., 421
William, 416
Diehl ancestry, 317, 614,
1704
Aaron, 317, 318
Aaron H., 318
Adam, 615
Peter, 614. 1704
Philippina, 615
Robert C. 1704
Dillon, Frank B., 904
Josiah, 003
Dippold, Frederick G., 905
John. 905
Donaldson ancestry, 189
David. 180. TOO
Robert, ^yg
Ulysses L., 190
Donnell. James J.. 24
Donnelly ancestry, 349
John. 349
Samuel. 350
William. 3!;o
Dorleman, David. 616
1775^
Mary, 617
Dorsey, William, 949
William J., 950
Douds, Alexander W.,
1014
James, 1013
Douglass ancestry, 980
Elisha P., 982
James, 980
Robert, 980
Thomas, 981
Downey, Andrew, 1331
Charles, 1332
Drain ancestry, 1130
James, 1130
Robert, 1 130
William H., 1131
Drennen ancestry, 1132
Thomas, 1132
Thomas H., 1133
William M., 1133
Drew. Francis, 668
Michael, 668
Drynan ancestry, 133
Andrew, 133
Andrew C, 133
Archie, 133
Jennie, 135
John P., 134
Thomas H., 134
William M., 134
Duerr. Christian F., 1398
Frederick G., 1398, 139Q
uutt ancestry. 270, mS,
1 124, 1 143. 1 155
Alexander, 1124
Alexander D., 1155
Charles H., 1156
Cyrus B.. 997
Harry, 1143
James, 997
James H.. 271
John. 270, 271, 1118,
1119. 1142, 1155
John A., 1119. 1155
Joseph M., 272
Morrow, iiig
Parry, 1124
Robert P., 1156
Samuel. 1142
Dugan. Samuel J., 353, 354
Samuel J.. Jr., 354
Dunbar ancestry, 564
James. ,^64
James G.. 565
Samuel, 564
Duncan. George. ion.
T012
William, ion
Dunham ancestrv. 1219,
1225
Benajah. 1219. 1225
David. T220. 1226
F.dmond. 1225
Edmund. 1219
Tohn. 1225
Jonathan, 1220, 1226
Lewi^. T220
Phineas, 1220. 1226
1776
INDEX
Rychert, 1219
William, 1220
Dushane ancestry, 213
Isaac, 213
Isaac N., 215
Joseph S., 213
Button ancestry, 136
Abial T., 138
Amasa, 138
Benjamin, 138, 139, 140
John, 136
Joseph, 137
Thomas, 137
William T., 136, 139
Eaton ancestry, 1725
Charles J., 1725
Samuel, 1725
William, 1725
Eckert, John A., 438
John H., 437
Edgar ancestry, 567
Isaac, 568
Isaac W.. 568
Jacob, 567
Edmonds, John, 1589
William, 1588
Edmunds ancestry, 1588
Byron M., 1591
Ebenezer, 1580, 1590
Moses S., 1591
Salem, 1590
Edmundson ancestry, 833,
1727
John F., 833
Joseph, 1727
Joseph E., 833
Levi H., 1727
Rand M., 834
Egan, John. 456
Michael. 456
Eger. Joseph, 762
Michael, 762
Egler ancestry, 903
Leopold J., 903
Wendel. 903
William. 903
Ehrhardt ancestry, 937
Adam, 937
Frederick, 938
Peter, 937
Eicher ancestry. 166. 902
Charles G., 166, 167
Henry P.. 902
John, 166, 712
Joseph, 166
Julius. 902
Elliott. James. 1336
Robert. 1336
William. 1336
Ellsworth ancestry, 1287
Ebenezer R., 1287
Henry E., 1287
. John. T287
Elste. Charles. 1666
Clarence C.. 1667
Emerick, Frederick C, 543
Henry, !;42
Henry G., 543
Emich, Adam, 1672
William A., 1672
Engel, Charles F., 153,
1 54
Henry, 153
Engelhardt, Andrew, 593
John A., 592
English ancestry, 531
Andrew B., 532
John, 531
Samuel, 531
Ensworth ancestry, 1720
Allen, 1720
Arthur C, 1723
Dexter C, 1720
Frank E., 1721
Frederick W., 1722
Jabez. 1720
Joseph, 1720
Porter S., 1721
Texhall, 1720
Tracy. 1720
Erb. Gottfried, 1336
Martin. 1336
Erdner, George, 449
Leonard, 449
Erhardt, Andrew, 1270
Bartholomew, 1270
Erwin. James B.. 219. 220
Robert M., 219, 220
Evans ancestry. 451, 1015,
1042
A. Curtin, 1043
Evan C. 1042
Evan J., 1042
George, 451
James. 1014
James W.. 452
Oliver, 1015, 1016
Thomas D., 451
Ewing ancestry. 941
Daniel. 041
James H.. 942
Moses, 941
Fagan, Charles A., 59
Thomas J., 59
Fast, Benjamin F.. 850
Fred L.. 850
Nancy E.. 850
Fawcett ancestry, 870,
1177
Charles E.. 1179
George. 1177
Tnhn W., 871
Thomas. 870. II77
William. 1177
William T., 1178
Feeney. John. 999
Patrick W., TOGO
Fehr, George B., S4I
Henry, !;4I
Fellows. Florrie A.. 1640
George W., 1639
Harrv J.. 1639
Feltwell ancestry. 218
Joseph. 218
Robinson J., 218
P. Max, 219
Fergus, Hugh, 1426
Isabella J., 1427
Thomas, 1426
Ferree ancestry, 370
Isaac, 371
Jacob, 371
Jacob F., 372
Joel, 371
John, 370
Philip, 370
William P., 371
Fife ancestry, 286
John, 286
Nathaniel, 286
William, 286
Figley ancestry, 207
William, 207
Zachariah, 207
Zachariah J.. 208
Flaccus, William, 734
Flanagan ancestry, 573
John, 573
Michael K., 573
Timothy, 573
Winifred. 574
Flood ancestry. 1581
Harry C, 1583
John G., is8i
Ned A., 1583
Theodore L., 1581
Foltz ancestry, 1116
Heister C, 1117
Henry. 11 16
Henry W.. 1116
William G., 1116
Forbes ancestry, 1228,
1549
Charles, 1549
John. 1229
Robert. 1228, 1229
Ford ancestry, 936
Charles. 936
Edward M., 936
Peter, 936
Forsyth ancestry, 1337
Adam. 1337
Adam L.. 1337
*Albert M..' 1338
Foster ancestry. 635, 1226
Alexander. 635
Alexander D., 636
Arthur. 1226
David A.. 637
John, 1226
Samuel D.. 636
Fowler ancestry. 758, 978
Henry. 078
John. 078. 979
John H.. 7=;8
Robert. 7^8
William J,. 758
Fox ancestry, 56, 321
George, 56
Henry. 321
John. q6. 322
John E., 57
Joseph, 321
Thomas G., 57
F'reed ancestry, 1179
Henry G., 1180
Jacob, 1 180
Judson B., 1 181
Peter, 1179
Freeman, Naaman, 720
Pamela, 720
French, Philo N., 100
Frey ancestry, 1 150, 1597
Charles W., 1597
Leonhardt, 1150, 1151
Michael M., 1151
Friar, John, 306
Margaret A., 306
Thomas P., 306
Frichtel, Henry, 1157
Nicholas, 1157
Friedman, Henry, 665
Friend, James W., 387
Porter R., 387
Fritchie, Charles E., 846
Fromm, John, 935
William, 935
Fruechtel. J. Fred, 1392
Nicholas J., 1392
Fry ancestry, 934, 1157
Joseph H., 1157
Mary E., 1157
Michael. 934
Philip, 934
Philip E., 934
Fulton, James A., 88l
Samuel, 880
Gahan ancestry, 1550
James, 1552
James R., 1552
John, 1551
Patrick, 1551
William, 1550
Galbraith ancestry, 155
James, 155
Matthew W., 156
William, 155
William M., 156
Gallagher. James W., 11 12
Timothy, 11 12
Galway, William, 843
Gamble ancestry, 1002,
1 160
Hezekiah D., 1003
Hiram. 1002
John, 1002, 1 160
Robert B., 1161
William J., 1160
Ganoe ancestry, 1023
Jerry. 1023
Thomas, 1023
Wilbur G., 1023
Garbart, John, 699
John G.. 700
Garlow, Christopher H.,
1150
Henry, 1149
Garraux ancestry, 946
Ferdinand, 946
Henry A., 946
Isaac, 946
Garrett ancestry, 285
Albert, 285
INDEX
Joseph, 28s
Mary R., 285
Gartner, Herman, 1201,
1202
Gealey ancestry, 1341
James, 1341
John, 1341
Thomas M., 1343
William, 1342
William R., 1342
Geibel ancestry, 1498
Barbara, 1498
Charles, 1498
Christian, 1498
Gelm, Henry J., 724
John P., 723
George ancestry, 884, 1139
Asenath M., 886
David, 1 139
Evan, 1 139
Thomas, 1 140
Thomas J., 884, 886
Gephardt, Hannah S., 559
John, 558
John G., 558
Germerodt, Matthew, 933
Nicholas, 932
Gi'bb ancestry, 424, 927
David, 424, 927
George, 928
Perry A., 929
Samuel M., 930
Walter P., 425
Washington, 424
William M., 929
Gibson ancestry, 826, 1126
Anthony, 1127
Charles, 826
Frank D., 1126, 1128
George, 1127
Robert M., 827
Thomas, 826
Giel. George, 830
John, 830, 831
Gifford. Benjamin, 1550
Rowland, 1550
Gill ancestry, 1027
Isaac N., 1028
John, 1027
Lelia C, 1028
Nathan, 1311
Samuel A., 1028
Gilleland, John, 1731
Wilson A.. 1731, 1732
Gillespie. Edgar D., 926
William B.. 926
Gillet ancestry, 294
Achille. 294
Francis H.. 294
Frank L., 295
Gillett ancestry, 1583
Harrison G. O.. 1584
Harrison P., 1585
Isaac, 1584
Jonathan. 1584
Rudolphus. 1584
Sardis, 1584
Seth. 1584
Gilmore ancestry, 1 125,
1777
1 184
Francis, 1125
James, 1185
John, 1125
John H., 1125
Gilson ancestry, 1606
Benjamin H., 1608
John, 1606
Richard B., 1G07
William, 1606
Given, David S., 406
Elizabeth J., 406
Glaser, Christian, 441
Peter, 441
Gleim, George, 245, 246
Gless, Felix, 767
John, 767
Gloeckner, Peter, 776
Peter J., 776
Goehring, Edmund, 223,
224
Frederick, 224
Goetz, Christian, 422
Harry H., 423
Goldstrohm. Barbara, 766
Conrad. 765
Conrad W., 766
Gordon ancestry, 887, 931
Harry L., 887
Luke, 931
Robert. 887
Sarah E., 887
Gorham, Johanna, 623
John H., 623
Michael. 623
Gourlay, James D., 1505
John, 1504
Gow ancestry, 442
David, 442
David B., 444
George, 443
John, 442
Graham ancestry, 273, 509,
820, 1207
Albert, 274
Allan, 1208
Harry C, 276
Harry L., 96
Hugh, 820
John, 273 •
John C, "iio, 821
John K., 821
Matthew, 1207
Oliver H. P.. 1208
Orin P., 1208
Robert, i;o9. 820
Robert F.. 822
Thomas. 96. 273
Walter L.. ',ro
William. 1208
Grassel, Charles A., 417
Maria. 418
Gray ancestry. 679, 1209
Edwin, 677
Georgt. T2I0
George E. F., 1211
Tohn S.. 678
Joseph. 6-8 "
Richard H., 1210
1778
INDEX
William, 679, 1209
Greasel ancestry, 281
Christian, 281
Eben D., 282
Johann C., 281
Greenfield ancestry, 1692
Archibald, 1692
John C, 1693
Robert M., 1692
Greenley, Albert M., 901
Greenough, James, 545
Greer ancestry, 1353
James M., 1354
Joseph S., 1354
Patrick, 1353
William, 1353
Griesler, Edward, 793, 794
Griffith, Joseph, 464
McKinstry, 464
Grinnell, Benjamin, 1404
Griswold ancestry, 1709
Chauncey, 1711
David, 1711
Edward, 1709
George, 1710
John, 1709
Lafayette, 171 1
Groom, George W., 930
Henry H., 930
Maria W., 931
Gross ancestry, 662
John, 663
Michael J., 663
Peter, 662
Grubbs ancestry. 429, 1689
Andrew, 430, 1689
Charles, 1690
Conrad, 429
George, 1689
Harmer C, 1690
Samuel H., 430
Guenther, George H., 432
Henry, 431
Guffey ancestry, 993, 1343
Alexander. 1605
James, 993. 1343
James L., 994
James M., 1605
John, 093, 1344
John D., L34S
Robert, 993
Robert C, 994
Guthrie ancestry, i4';o
George W., 1459, 1460
James V., 1459
John, 1459
John B., 1459
Haben ancestry, 861
John, 861
John F., 862
Peter, 861
Hackius. George P., 308
Philip. 308
Haeckler. Anton. 679
John B., 679. 680
Hafer. Clarence M., 1294
John. 1294
Hahn, Frederick, 135
Herbert R., 136
Hall, Henry M., 76
Robert C, 76
Hallas, Andrew, 726
Mary B., 726
William, 726
Hamal, Albert, 345
Charles, 344
Mary M., 345
HJammill, Henry, 304
Patrick, 305
Hamilton, Edward J., 1711
Handley ancestry, 291
Alexander W., 291
Charles W., 292
Marion L., 293
Samuel, 291
Hanna ancestry, 204
James, 204
John B., 205
John R., 204
Harbison ancestry, 72, 264
John L., 264
Matthew, 264
Samuel P.. 72
William M., 265
Harbusch, Christian, 1106
William. 1105
Harding, Albert J., 769
John. 769
Hardwick ancestry, 1038
Edwin, 1038
Samuel, 1038
William, 1038
Harger ancestry, 969
George, 969
Holmes, 970
Holmes E., 970
Peter, 969
Harmon, Bradie H., 1642
Charles, 1642
Philip, 1641
Harper ancestry, 1643
David. 1643
Ferdinand C., 1644
John, 1643
Mary A., 1644
Harrison ancestry, 784,
i3=;o
Benjamin, 1607
George, 1350
Tames. 785
John. 78=;. 786
Mary. 7R6
Richey C.. 1351
William H., i3=;o
Hart ancestry, 503
Eidwin. 503
Edwin A., 505
John W., 504
Hartmnnn ancestry. 1363,
IS66
Charles A., 1363
Henry. 1^66
John, 1363
Karl J.. 1364
Marx. 1566
Thomas C, 1566
Hartung. Henry 1346
Isaac, 1346, 1347
Harvey ancestry, 1552
Ami F., 1553
James, 1553
Rosie, ISS3
Silas, tS53
Haser ancestry, 1104
Frank, 1104
Henry, 1 104
Sebastian, 1105
Haverline, George, 1398
Hayes ancestry, 1608, 1701
Charles M., 1609
George L. R., 1609
Heman, 1608
James, 1702
John, 1701, 1702
Robert, 1701
Hays, Alden F., 855
Alexander, 851
Gilbert A., 855
Samuel, 851
Thomas, 1760
Hayward, George E., 1375
James B., 1375
Hazlett ancestry, 500
Addison, 501
Samuel. 500
William, 500
William R., 501
Heckman ancestry, 1236.
1292
Arthur, 1236
Henry, 1292
Jacob H., 1293
Michael, 1292
Peter, 1236
Hegner ancestry, 335
Anthony J., 336
Francis A., 336
George, 335
George H., 335
Leopold. 335
Heid. Jacob, 1744
Oscar S., 1745
Heidenkamp, Henry, 1024
Joseph, 1024
Hpilman. \rthur M., 63
James M., 63
Heintz, John. 415
Mary J., 415
Heinz ancestry, 34, 550
Frederick, 550
Henry. 34
Henrv J., 33, 34
Helb. Frederick, 502
Theodore R., S02
Heminwav ancestry, 412
John, 412
Samuel. 412, 413
Stephen. 413
Hempel, John T., 1345
Samuel. 1346
Henderson ancestry. 1352,
ISSS.
Arthur, i<;,t;7
Joseph, 1352
Mary. ISS7
Matthew, 1557
INDEX
T779
Matthew, Rev., 1555,
1556
Robert, 1353
Herbcl, Henry, 605
John G., 605
Margaret, 605
Herbst ancestry, 170, 873
Jacob, 170, 171
John, 873
John T.. 170, 872
Herman. Michael, 1755
Reinhold, 1755
Hershey ancestry, 1032
Christopher, 1032
Harry VV., 1033
John, 1032
Hervey ancestry, 1103
John, 1 103
Robert, 1103
Robert S., 1104
Hess ancestry, 1640
George N., 1640
Henry, 1640
Jacob, 1641
Hice, Henry, 123
William, 123
Hildinger ancestry, 1420
John, 1420
John A., 1421
John J., 1421
Hill ancestry, 405, 1712
David, 405, T712
John B., 1712
John Q., 1713
Samuel, 1712
William, 405
Hillen, Peter 1366. 1367
Hillgrove, Luke, 624
Himrod ancestry, 1541
Aaron. 1542
Frances S., 1543
Harry R., 1543 "
Moses, 1542
Simon L., 1541
William D., 1543
Hines, John ,S., 1401
Hissrich, Charles, 587
Emma L.. "^SS
Richard. 587
Hitzrot, Agnes. 866
Henry W.. 86i^
Hoch, Albert M., 525
Henrietta J,., 526
Martin, 52';
Hochberg, Jacob, 1141
William H., 1T41
Hodgson ancestry, 964
Anna J., ge^;
Pearson, o6i
William, o6d
Hoffmann ancestry, 1351
John, T352
John M., 1352
Michael, 1351
Hogan, An<drew S., ttoi
Andrew W.. 1 100
Hohmann ancestry. 1006
Ernest, 1007
Henry, 521, 1096
John, 521, 1096
John H., 1096
Holmes ancestry, 109, 736
George E., 736, T2,y
Hamilton, 736
Joseph L., 108, 109
Leander, 109
Holosnyay, Antonio, 609
Rev. Father, 609
*Holtzman, Louis, 1056
Louis F., 1056
Hood, George, 1754
William, 1754
Hoover ancestry, 1734
Daniel, 1735
David H., 1734
Roy J. D., 1737
Hopkins, Charles W., 340
Robert, 339
Hopper, Mary M., 825
Samuel, 824
William J., 824
Hosack ancestry, 1093
Carrie B., 1094
Henry, 1093
John F., 1094
John P., 1003
Housholder ancestry, 1171
Henry, 1171
John, 1171
John A., 1 171
Joseph M.. T171
Howell ancestry, 1145
Elisha P., 1 146
Philip, 1T44
Robert C, 1145
Hubbard, Harvey, 893
Henry D., 893
Minnie E., 893
Huch, Caroline, 727
Gerhardt D., 726
John H., 727
Hughes ancestry, 1161
Edward, 1161
Joseph A., T162
'Thomas, 1162
Hugo, Jacob, 825
John, 825
Sarah, 825
Humes ancestry. 459, 1546
Archibald. 7546
Felix N., 459, 460
George. 1547
Harry K., 461
James, 460
Robert, 1547
Robert I., I5;.i6
Thomas P., 1546
Humohreys. George D., 61
William Y.. (>■>,
Hunt ancestry, 94, 555
Azor R., 94
Horace. 94
John, =;?5
John H.. 5S5. 556
Hunter ancestry, 1500,
1503. l6c;i. 1730
Andrew T.. 1594")
David, 1651 -'
Eleazcr, 1730
James, 1593
James A., 1731
James R., 1502
Jared, 1501
John, i5'93
Poland, 1501
Robert, 1501
William, 1501
William C., 1595
William M., 17-50
Wilson G., 1651
Hutchison ancestry, 1301
James G., 1301
James W., 1302
Thomas, 1301
William, 1301
Immekus ancestry, 1094
Frederick W., 1095
Matthias J., 1094
Peter L, 1094
Inks ancestry, 372
Elisha, 372
Francis M., 373
Thomas, 372
Inskeep ancestry, 666
Alonzo, 667
James F., 666
John, 665
Ireland ancestry, 1136
James, 1137
James B., 1137
Wallace, 1136
Irvin ancestry, 1221
Edmond L., 1222
Mary, 1222, 1225
William, 1221
Jackson ancestry, 1227
Andrew, 1227
Hazzard S., 1227
Stephen. 1227
Jameson ancestry, 1303
George B., 1304
Hugh, 1304
James, 1303
William H„ 1304
Jenkins, William H., 1368
William M., 1368
Johns ancestry, 361
Herbert A., 363
John, 361
Leonard E., 362
Leonard S.. 361
Nicholas. 361
Johnson ancestry, IQ7
Cvrus v.. tq8
Eleazer. 197
Henry J., 197
Shepherd. 197
William M., 198
Johnston ancestry, 540,
895. 1 163. 1236, 136.S
Agnes. 1236
Andrew, 540
' Andrew A., 1236
Archibald, 1365
Beni-imin H., 894, 895
Charles. 894
1780
INDEX
James, 1365
John, 894, 1 164
John H., 1 164
Marshall, 1365
Mary W., 1366
Robert, 1164
William R., 540, I164
Jones ancestry, 556, 975,
1240
James W., 975
John, 974
John T., SS6
Nathan, 1241
Thomas O., 556, 557
William, 1240
Jordan ancestry, 745, 1444
Frederick, 1444
John, 1444
John W., 1444, 144s
Sebastian, 745
William L. J., 745
Kammerer, John, 535
Mary, 536
Kapteina ancestry, 1022
Charles, 1022
Jack, 1022
John, 1022
Katz ancestry, 1131
Peter, 1131
Presley, 1131
Presley G., 1132
Kearney, Edward C, 1012,
1373, 1374
William S., 1013
Keefer ancestry, 1359
B. O., 1359
Clifton v., 1360
Daniel, 1359
Keil ancestry, 1031, 1089,
1360
August, 1089, 1090
Elizabeth, 1090
George, 1360
Henry E., 1031
Jacob, 1361
John, 1030, 1031
John A., 1089
Laurence H., 1363
Peter, 1361
Keister pncestry, 202
Aber D., 203
Daniel, 202
David, 202
George P., 202
Keitz. Ernest R., 1092
Joseph M., logo, 1091
Keitzer, Conrad, 704
George. 705
Mary J.. 70S
Kelley ancestry, 713, 1360
Andrew, 1360
John J., 714
May, 1360
Morris L., 714
William N., 713
Kelly ancestry, 404, 1285
Tames, 738
Mary, 1285
Nicholas, 738
Oliver, 1285
Patrick F., 404
Sarah A., 405
Torrence, 404
William, 1285
Kennedy ancestry, 396,
1064, 1315, 1671
David S., 600
Edward, 396
Frank H., 1671
George, 1671
James. 600. 1671
Joseph, 1064, 131S
Joseph S., 1316
Reid, 601
Thomas, 396
William H., 1064
Kenny ancestry, 754
Anthony H., 755
Charles, 754
Thomas J., 754
Keown. John. 743
Thomas. 742
Kerr ancestry, 447, 890
John, 447
Matilda E., 448
Nathaniel, 891
Nathaniel P.. 891
Robert P., 448
Samuel. 447
Thomas G., 891
Thomas R., 892
Walter, 8qo
William. 8qo
Kessler. William. 650
*William A.. 650
Kestner. Bernhard, 1047,
1048
Theodore. 1047
Kidd. Edwin. 455
William. 455
Kiehl. August. 784
August. Jr.. 784
Kifer ancestry. 1039
Henrv. 1039
Joseph, 1039
Logan M.. 1039
Kilcullin, John, 1375
Mary. 1374
Kim ancestry. 1370
Joseph. T371
Joseph H.. 1370, 1371
Sebastian. 1370
Kincaid ancestry, 895
Tohn. 89=;. 896
John S., 897
William, 807
William W.. 898
King ancestry. 65. 559,
I04S
Cvrus B.. 65
George B., 559, 560
Jacob. 1045
John. 1^59. 1045
John R.. I04';. 1046
Samuel M.. 66
Kinesley ancestry, 1265
Albert A., 1266
Albert E., 1266
Erastus, 1266
Isaiah, 1266
James, 1266
John, 1265
Seth P., 1266
Kinlough, Catharine J.,
843
Martin, 842
Michael, 842
Klein, Jdhn C, 939, 940
William C, 939
Klingelhofer, George, 408
William L., 408
Klingensmith, David D.,
1611
William. i6to
Klussmann ancestry, 489
Frederick, 489
Frederick C., 489
H. F., 489
Knell, Louis, 535
Knoedler. Henry, 414
John, 414
Knox ancestry, 582
David S.. 584
James, 583
William. 583
William F.. 584
Koch, Charles. 1186
Edward, 1186
Koegler. John M.. 1359
William F„ 1358
Kohary. Andrew, 771
Matthias, 771
Kort ancestry. 180
Daniel, 181
John, 180
John Y., 180
Koughan ancestry, 585
Charles J., 587
Joseph J., 586
Martin, 581;
William, 585
William H., 586
Kretzer. Charles H., 823
Christian, 822, 823
Krill, John A., 1253
Joseph L., 1253
Krone. Christian, 1355
William, 1355
Kuehn. Carl. 1115
Ludwig. 1115
Kuhn ancestry. 925, 1369
Andrew. 925
Arthur J., 925
George. 1369
Tames C 1369
Kummer. Frnnk H., 1088
Henry. 1088
Lageman ancestry, 782
August G.. 782
Garrett H., 782
William J.. 783
Laird. Charles P., 976, 977
Dominick. 976
T^ake. Hiram, 334
Lam.bing ancestry. 1457
Andrew A., 1457
INDEX
1781
Christopher, 1457
Matthew, 1457
Michael A., 1457
Larndis ancestry, 1069
Harrj', 1069
John, 1069
Uriah, 1069
Langfitt ancestry, 473
George W., 474
Philip, 473
Rose, 475
William, 473
William J., 474
Lapsley ancestry. 1413
George, 1413
Jo4in A., 1414
Thomas, 1413
Laughner, Samuel, 351
William E., 351
Law ancestry, 866
Alexander, 866
Samuel, 866
Solomon, 866
Lawrence, Edward W.,
1703
Lulu B., 1703
Lawson, George A.. 820
James, 819
Leard ancestry, 566
Meek K., 566
John, 566
Zachariah, 566
Learn ancestry, 816
Andrew, 817
Andrew C.. 818
George, 816
Harry J.. 818
John, 816
Leax, John, 1 1 17, 1 118
William, 1117, 1118
Leberman ancestry, 215
Arthur V., 217
Jacob, 215
Luther A., 216
Le Bosquet ancestry, 1739
Ebenezer, 1740
Henry. 1739
John. 1739
Lee ancestry, 778. 1707
James. 778
Levi, 1707
William, 778, 1708
William W., 1708
Leezer ancestry, 759
Charles A., 759
Daniel, 759
Jacob G., 759
Lefever ancestry, 1572
Abraham, 1572
Clarence H., 1573
David H.. 1573
George. 1572
John, 1572
John. 1572
Philip. T572
Lehncr. Charles. 1376
Joseph. 1376
Lessig ancestry. 1415
Clark S., 1416
Simon, 141S
Simon P., 1415
Lewis ancestry, 875, 967,
1610
Alfred, 967
David N., 876
Eber, 1610
Francis, 875
George, 1610
Harry, 968
James A., 876
John, 1610
Samuel, 052
Thomas, 967
Thomas W., 967
William, 967
Lightner, Agnes, 590
Daniel, 590
Lindberg, Anders, 1046
Carl G., 1047
Linke, Emilie M. F., 442
Frederick, 442
Linn ancestry, 324
Daniel D., 324. 325
Hugh, 324, 328
Mary V., 329
William M., 328, 329
Lippert, George, 606
Michael, 606
Little, Isaac, 1087, 1088
Lloyd ancestry, 972
David, 972
John, 972
Thomas, 973
Logan ancestry, 438
Frederick F., 439
John, 439
William J.. 438
Logue, William. 661
■ William B.. 661
Long ancestry, 1 126
John, IT26
Matthew. 1126
Samuel M.. 1126
Longmore, James, 574
William J.. 575
Lorch ancestrv, 1053
Albert T.. 1054
Carl P.. 1053
Gustav, 1053
Lougeay ancestry, 1212
John, I2T2
Robert P., 1212
William A., 1212
Lovett, John. 616
Joseph, 616
Nancy, 616
Lowman ancestry. 1244
Alexander. 1244
Thomas, 1244
William S., 1245
Ludwig. John. 1232
Lutton ancestry, 546
Albert, ';47
Benjamin. 546
Tames, 546
Lillie. 547
Lutz ancestry, 267, 640, 710
John, 266. 710
Joseph, 266, 640
Joseph A., 641
Joseph H., 267
Lyne, Wickliffe C, 130
William, 130
Lyon ancestry, 78
Alexander P., 79
George A., 79
John, 78
John D., 80
William, 78
Lytle ancestry, 1215
Isaac, 1215
James P., 1217
Joseph, 1216
Perry A., 1215
Robert, 1215
McBride ancestry, 956
Edward F., 957
Michael, 956
Patrick, 957
William J., 958
McBroom, William D., 725
McCabe ancestry, 1575
Alfred, 1579
Alfred D., 1580
James E., 1576
James H., 1577
Junius D., 1578
Owen, 157s
William, 1576
William P., 1580
McCague ancestry, 369, 815
Edward, 815
James E., 369
James J.. 816
John, 369, 815
John E., 369
Ralph L., 370
McCall ancestry, 527
Tames, 527
Rachel. 528
Robert. 527
Robert S. P., 527
McClellan ancestry, 389
James, 389
James D., 390
Joseph, 389
Joseph P., 390
Laird, 3S9
McClelland ancestry, 480,
1174
Arthur H., 1174
James H., 480
Tames H.. Dr.. 482
Robert W.. 483
^^^illiam. 1174
William H., T174, 1175
McClintock. Oliver, 86, 87
Washington, 87
McCloskey. John. 105T
McClung ancestry, 28, 97,
1759
Frank A., 1759
Samuel A., 28
Samuel M.. 28. 97
William H., 97
1782
INDEX
McClure ancestry, 1389
Andrew, 1389
Judge, 1389
Samuel A., 1389
McCIuskey, Anna E., 386
Henry, 386
McCom.b ancestry, 1140,
1647
George A., 1648
Harry, 1140
Henry, 1141
James F., 1648
James H., 1648
Thomas, 1141
William, 1141
McCombs ancestry, 571
George, 571
William M,, 571
William P., 572
McConville ancestry, 729
Arthur, 730
Edward, 729
Michael, 729
McCoy, John, 523
Thomas, 523, 524
McCullough, Alexander,
395
Frederick, 395
McCutcheon ancestry, 384,
1386
Alexander, 385
Andrew, 1386
Anna E., 385
Claudius, 384
James M.. 385
William, 1386
William P.. 1387
McDanncll ancestry, 1595
Archibald. 1596
Clinton P., 1596
Daniel, 1595
John, T596
McDonald ancestry, 1385
David. 138s
Matthias W., 1385
Samuel M., 1385
McElheny ancestry, 1382
John, 1382
John A.. 1382
Roy, 1383
McElravy ancestry, 506
Hugh, 506
Robert B., 507
William, 507
William A., 508
McElroy ancestry, 1186
Robert, T186
Robert D., 1187
Robert G., 1187
McEIwain ancestry, 341
Alexander, 341
Anna N. S., 342
John, 341
McFadden. Augustus, 1395
John, 1395
McFarland ancestry, 338
Robert. 338
Samuel, 338
Sidney Y., 339
McGeary ancestry, 423,
1041
Henry S., 423
John, 1042
Loyal E., 1041, 1042
Margaret, 424
William, 1042
McGinley, David, 1429
Frank C., 1430
McGinnis ancestry, 1192
John, 1 192
John C, 1192
Roderick, 1192
McGovern, Michael, 1071
Thomas, 1071
McGreevy, Catherine, 589
John, 588
McGuire ancestry, 1288
Cymanthia A., 1289
Philip, 1288
Sylvester, 1289
Thomas. 1288
McHugh ancestry, 629
Henry. Rev.. 630
Matthew, 629
Michael, 629
Patrick, 629
Mclntyre ancestry, 877
James, 878
William, 877
William W., 878
Mcjunkin ancestry, 642,
1380
Alexander, 642
James, 1381, 1382
James M.. 644
Robert, 1380
William. 642, 1380, 1381
William P., 643
McKay ancestry, 1080,
1506
Henry, 1080
John. 1506
Joseph L., 1507
Michael, 1080
Neal. 1506
William, 1509
McKelvy ancestry, 92
James, 92
James P., 93
John S., 93
McKinley ancestry, 1134,
1758
Andrew, 1134
David. 1758
George, 1134
Guy. 1759
Thomas, 1738
McKinney ancestry, 383,
991, 1035
James. 991, 1036
James W., 1035, 1037
John. 992. 993
Joseph, 384
Matthew. 091
Robert. 1037
■ William, 383
William A., 384
McKrell ancestry, 942
James L., 942
Joseph, 942
Joseph E., 943
Mary A., 943
McLane, Joseph, 1263
L. O., 1264
McLaughlin ancestry, 390,
123s, 1433. 1570
Edward, 1235, 1433
Frederick P., 1570
Jeremiah W., 1433-
John, 390
John G., 391
Michael, 1570
Peter, 390
Robert, 1235
McLay ancestry, 985
George, 987
James, 98=;
William, 985. 986
McLean, George, 1683
John S., 1683
McMillen ancestry, 251,
1098
Andrew, 251, 252
Andrew W., 253
Charles. 1098
Edward D., 1098
Frederick J., 1099
John, 252, 1098
Thomas, 252
McMurray ancestry, 684,
1 122
Edward. 1122
John, 684
Joseph, 684
Thomas, 1122
Ulysses G.. 685
McNeilly ancestry, 689
Andrew. 690
George F., 6S9, 693
Joseph, 690
McNiilty. James J., 1619
Katlierine, 1619
McPherson ancestry, 509,
1213, 1562, 1654
Charles. 1654
Frank A., 1562
H. R., 1214
James E., 1654
John, 1213, 1562
Joseph B:, 509
Nathan. 509
Robert L., 509
Samuel, 509
William F., 1654
Zachariah, 1654
McQuaid. Tames F., 179
Joseph R., 179
McRoberts ancestry, 1169
James, 1169
John. IT69
William. 1170
McWhinney ancestry. 1084
Andrew, 1084
Tames, T084
John W., 1085
McWilliams ancestry, 575,
1438
Alexander, 575
Francis, 1438
Francis J., 1438
Jeremiah, 1438
John P., 57S, 576
Macbeth ancestry, 49
Alexander, 50
George A., 49, 50
James R., 50
Madden, Edward, 966
Thomas, 966
Magill, John, 1021
William R., 1021
Maier, George, 1416
Harry A., 1416
Malloy, John H., 1041
Patrick, 1041
Manross ancestry, 1528
Asa, 1528
Daniel R., 1530
George, 1528
John W., 1529
Marlatt ancestry, 465
James W., 466
Joseph, 465
Walter S., 466
Marshall ancestry, 513
David, 514
Samuel, 513
William N., 513, SU
Martin ancestry, 1 136,
1383
Emma P., 1384
Gilbert, 1383
Homer O., 1384
John, 1136
Thomas, 1383
Mason ancestry, 19
Harrison D., 85
Henry L., 19
Joseph, 1070
William, 1070
Mathewson ancestry, 631
Albert, 631
David. 631
Elijah, 631
Franklin W., 632
Matlack, James M., 753
Thomas, 753
Maurhnff ancestry, 567
Charles H., 567
Emil. =567
Emi! E., 567
May ancestry, 709
John, 710
Margaret, 710
Peter, 709
Mavpr, John, 617
William, 617
Meanor ancestry, 209
David C. 2og
Harold H., 209
Sajmuel, 209
Means ancestry, 1431
Tohn, 1431
John T.. T432
Joseph M., 1431
Meek. Bazalecl, 259
Joshua, 250
INDEX
Mehrlich, Henry, 1390
Mellon ancestry, 42
Andrew, 42
Archibald, 42
Thomas, 43
Metcalf ancestry, 46
Armah, 47
Michael, 47
Orlando, 48
William, 48
Metzger, Conrad, 434
John, 434.. 435
Mevey, Benjamin, 719
Samuel P., 719
Meyer ancestry, 398, 1251
Amanda H., 1251
Barnetena, 399
Ernst, 1251
Louis, 398
William, 398
Michael ancestry, 1198
Franklin F., 1198
George, 1198
Harry N., 1199
Nathan, 1199
Michel, Stephen. 1693
Stephen H., 1694
Mikaloft ancestry, 764
Ferdinand, 764
John P.. 764
Ulrich M., 764
Miller ancestry, 83, 4S4.
984. 1164. 1723
Frederick W., 1723
George. 983, 984
Horace G., 984
Jacob, 984
John A., 453
Joseph, 1 164
Joseph H., 1165
Reuben. 83
Stephen, 1723
William H., 454
Milligan ancestry, 1241
David, 1241
John W., 1243
Robert, 1242
Samuel, 1241
Mills, Isaac, 706
Mary E., 707
Stephen, 706, 1168
Minich ancestry, 1259
Abraham, 1259
Henry A., 1260
John C., 1260
Mitesser. Frank, 757
John. 756. 757
Mitzel ancestry, 963
Albert, 964
Charles, 963
William G., 963
Moore ancestry, 432, 789,
ooS, 1 514. 1763
Albert L.. 1521
Alpheus W., 999
George. 432
Harry L., 1520
Tames. 1514. 1763
James S., 1763
1783
John, 789
John A,, 790
John S., 791
Robert A., 791
Samuel, 998
Samuel D., 789
Thomas, 1521
William H. C, 432
Wilson, 1520
Moorhead ancestry, 1432
Samuel L., 1432
William, 1432
William L., 1432
Morgan, John, 590
Lewis N., 591
Morris ancestry, 413, 1212
John, 413
Leander M., 1213
Mary E., 563
Mary J., 1213
Robert, 561
Thomas, 413
Walter, 561, 562
William, 1212
Morrison, Evangeline, 1307
Joseph E., 1307
Morrow ancestry, 382
David G., 383
Lot L., 383
Richard, 382
Samuel W,, 382
William, 382
Mowry, Howard G., 995,
996
John N., 995
Moyes ancestry, 800
Andrew, 800
Henry, 800
William E., 801
Mumford ancestry, 1669
Aaron W.. 1669
David, 1669
Hugh A.. 1670
James. 1669
Murphy ancestry. 231
Andrew. 233
George M.. 235
James R., 234
Michael. 231
Michael L.. 232
Thomas. 231
Virginia H.. 236
Murray ancestry. 313. 686
Charles S.. 314
George. 686
Grant S.. 688
James F.. 687
James G., 686
John. 313
Robert J.. 313
William, 686
W^illiam G.. 31;
Mvers ancestry, 315, 828
Earl W., 316
Harry H.. 315, 316
Herman J., 827, 829
John, 828
Levi C. 316
Peter, 828
1784
INDEX
Mytinger ancestry, 1379
George L., 1379
Hugh H., 1380
John J., 1379
Natale, D. A., 346
Joseph, 346
Nauman ancestry, 1433
Charles C, 1434
Conrad, 1433
Michael, 397, 1434
Nauniann, Charles, 1055
Naylor ancestry, 1397
George F., 1397
Nelson W., 1397
Orran P., 1397
Neel ancestry, 1107
Harry C, 1109
James, 1107
James H., 1108
John, 1107
John F., 1 108
Neely, John, 337
William, 337, 338
Negley ancestry, 1347
Alexander, 1348
Edgar H., 1349
Jacob, 1348
John, 1348
John H., 1349
Neison ancestry, 247
James T., 249
John, 247
William J., 248
Nelson ancestry, 249, 1247
Andrew P., 1247
Hans, 1247
James, 250
John, 250
Nesbit ancestry, 206
David E., 206
Frank R., 207
John, 206
William E., 206
Nettleton ancestry, 162
De Witt B., 163
Isaac, 162
Lewis J., 162
Neuf ancestry, 515
Conrad, 515
Conrad, Jr., 515
Michael, 515
Nevin ancestry, 771
Abraham S., 773
James, 772
James M., 771, 773
John, 771
Newell ancestry, 1745
Albert, 1746
Albert A., 1746
Benjamin, 1745
Cornelia L., 1747
Josiah, 1745
Newlin ancestry, 1049
David, 1049
Jacob, 1049
James H., 1049
Thornton, 1049
Nichol ancestry, 519
Hugh, 519
James M., 520
John, 519
Nicholas, David J., 1435
William, 1434
Nicholls, James, 989
John B., 990 '
Nicols, Elizabeth, 479
Pars'hall D., 478
Nixon, Samuel, 403
Thomas, 403
Noah, Jacob, 551
Lewis W., 551, 552
Noble ancestry, 627, 859,
1664
Clement, 859
Elizabeth, 628, 1664
John, 627
John C, 1664
Joseph, 859
Lewis H., 860
Richard, 859
Robert, 1664
William, 627
William C, 628
Nock, Charles, 862, 863
Johannes, 862
Noss ancestry, 120
Curtis C, 121
Jacob, 120
Jacob J., 120
Ober ancestry, 1119
Charles F., 1121
Frank L., 1120
George, 1119
Peter, 1119
Ochse, Henry. 701
Henry W., 701
Oliver ancestry, 401
David, 401
Elizabeth, 402
John H., 402
John L., 402
Richard, 694
Robert, 695
William L., 401
O'Neil ancestry, 961
Denny, 987
Elizabeth B., 989
Harriet R., 962
John, 917
John N., 961
William W., 988
O'Neill, John. 1165
John G., 1165
Owens ancestry, 1106
Brice R., 1107
Hugh, 1 106
John, 1106
Pace. Lemuel, 296
William, 296
Packer. Albert C, 1230
William H., 1230
Palm ancestry. 1645
Andrew J., 1645
John, 164s
William, 1645
Pangburn ancestry, 1166
Elmer E., 1168
Isaac, 1 1 67
Stephen, 1166, 1167
William, 1166
Pardee ancestry, 1716
Daniel, 1717
David, 1717
George, 1716
Jesse, 1718
Jesse H., 1719
John, 1719
John H., 1718
Joseph, 1716
Park, David, 1437
William B., 1437
Parmalee, Lyman, 1509
Timothy J., 1510
Parsons ancestry, 1306
Edgar C, 1306
Hiram G., 1306
Lenore, 1308
Luther, 1306
Page W., 1307
Patterson ancestry, 261,
1181, 1571
Emma J., 1183
James, 1182
James P. B., 1183
Livingston B., 1182
Nathaniel, 1 181
Peter, 1571
Samuel, 262
Samuel H., 263
Thomas, 1571
William, 261
Patton ancestry, 425, 1 195
Albert, 1197
David, 1 195
John, 425
Matthew, 1196
Robert, 1195
Walter E., 426
Perry, John T., 1044
Thomas, 1044
Pershing ancestry, iiii
Daniel, mi
Frank S., nil
Frederick, nil
Peterman ancestry, 1129
Jacob. 1 129
John H.. 1 129
Michael, 1 129
Peters ancestry. 879, 1535
Edward E.. 879
Jacob. 153s
Levi, 1536
Preston L., 1536
Roy S., 1537
William, 879
Pfirrmann, Jacob, 728
John A., 728
Phillips ancestry, 392, 747^
1007. 1620
David. 742
Ephraim. 1623
George. Rev.. 1620
Gilbert B., 11 14
INDEX
1785
John, 1007, 1623
John B., 392
Jonathan, 392
Joseph, 747
Josiah, 747
Samuel, 11 13, 1621
Theophilus, 1623
Thomas, 1623
Thomas W., 1624
William, 392
William P., 1008
Zerobabel, 1622
Pickford, Joseph, 1138
William, 1138
Pierce ancestry, 840
Amos, 840
Amos M., 841
James M., 840
Lewis, 840
Poellot ancestry, 211
George W., 212
J. Henry, 211
John, 211
Poole ancestry, 470
Henry, 470
Henry H., 471
Samuel, 471
Thomas, 471
Porter ancestry, 568, 1573
Flavia, 1647
George, 1573
Henry K., 1573
John, 568, 1647
Moses B., 568
Robert B., 569
Portman, Edward F., 1054,
1055
Potter, Frederick S., 1143,
1 144
Levi G., 1 143
Potts ancestry, 102
Jonas, 102
Jonathan, 103
Samuel L., 103
William O., 103
William W., 104
Powers ancestry, 376, 923
Esley, 376
James T., 924
Joseph O.. 376
Michael, 923
Oliver P., Z77
William W., 924
Price, Mark. 770
William P., 770
Przybylski. Ladislaus T.,
799
Thomas, 798
Pschirer, Frank, 1435, 1436
John, 1435
Purdy ancestry, 1667
Tames, 1667
John, 1668
Lee B., 1668
Wilbur G., 1668
William. t668
Purvis, William B.. 62
Putnam ancestry, 1611,
1749
Charles E., 1613
John, 1612, 1749
Levi, 1612, 1749, 1750
Phineas, 1612, 1749
William, 1613
Xeno W., 1750
Quay ancestry, 1282
Archibald, 1283
Frank, 1282
Robert, 1283
Samuel, 1282
Quinby, Amos C, 1655
Edgar C., 1655
Mary L., 1656
Quinn ancestry, 681
Hugh, 681
John, 681
William J., 682
Rabell, Anthony, 1274
Michael, 1274, 1275
Rafter, Patrick, 1374
Rainbow, Frederick L., 192
John, 191
Ramage ancestry, 1080,
1603
Abner, 1603
Benjamin, 1080
Harry E., 1081
James, 1603
John, 1081
Rankin ancestry, 1657
Archibald, i6s7
Charles A., 1658
William, 1657
Ratteldorfer, George J.,
858
Rattigan, John J„ 835
Michael, 834
Ray, Cooper, 412
Raymer, Henry, 97
William, 99
Redman, John, 1092
William J., 1092
Redpath ancestry, 812
Baxter S., 813
Tohn, 812
Robert, 812
Reed ancestry, 1078, 1204
Blanche, 1205
Frank M., 1206 ,
Isaac M., 1079
Israel B., T079
John, 1078
John C., 1207
Matthew, 1204
Samuel. 1204
William, 1204
William E., 1206
Rehner ancestry, 1246
Aucrust, 1247
E. C. 1247
Frederick, T246
Reiber ancestry, 1339
Edward, 1340
George, 1339
Jacob, T330
Martin j., 1339
Reichenbach, Charles N.,
722
Ernest F., 721
Reiger, Jacob, 1340
Valentine, 1340
Reilly ancestry, 1440
Bryant, 1440
Edward, 1440
Patrick J,, 1440
Reiter ancestry, 1137
George C, 1137
Henry, 1 137
Robert, 11 37
Reitze, Conrad, 1278
Henry M., 1278
Renner ancestry, 1567
Clara, 1567
John, 1567
Peter W., 1567
Philip, 1567
Reppert ancestry, 277
Charles K., 276, 280
George L., 277
Jacob, 278
John G., 280
Reutzel, Christian, 739
Conrad, 739, 740
Reynolds ancestry, 512,
1223, 1713
Alice, 513
Edward A,, 1224
John, 1223
Joseph H., 512
Thomas, 1713
William, 1223
William J., 1713, 1714
Rhodes ancestry, 1260
Jonathan, 1261
Young J., 1262
Zachary, 1260
Zadock, 1261
Richard ancestry, 1310
Charles A,, 1310 _
James, 1310
William, 1310
Richards ancestry, 857,
1 102
Evan R., 857
Harry E., 1 102
Reese, 857
William, 1102
Richmond ancestry, 365,
. 1256, 1407
Almond B., 1256, 1407
Almond G., 368
Hiram L., 367
Hiram 1\L. 1407
John, 365
Lawton. 366, 1256
Lewis L., 1257
!Mara:aret, 1407
William, 366
Rights. Lawrence, 534
♦Martha, 534
Simon, 534
Rilev ancestry. 811
William H.' H., 811
John, 811
Walter W., 811
1786
INDEX
Ringeisen, Andrew C, 961
Michael, 961
Risher ancestry, 1202
Daniel, 1202
Elmira P., 1203
John C., 1202
Levi, 1203
Ritchey ancestry, 194
Abraham, 194
Andrew J. G., 194
Reynolds D., 196
Robert J., 195
Sylvester C, 195
William, 194
Ritenour ancestry, 1076
Alfred, 1076
Carey C, 1078
Cyrus F., 1077
George, 1076
Riter, Joseph, 38
Thomas B., 38
Roberts ancestry, 1073,
1 547
Enoch, IS47
Hugh, 1073
James D., 1548
Joseph, 1073
Nathan, 1547
William, 1073
William H., 1075
Robertson ancestry, 1531
George, 1531
George C, 1532
Philip, 1532
Robinson, James, 1072
William, 1072, 1073
Rockwell ancestry, 1268
Abner O., 1269
Ephraim, 1269
Samuel, 1268
William, T268
Zerah, 1269
Rodenbaugh, Ida, 1069
John, 1069
Rodgers, James, 530
Mary. 530
William A., 530
Roland ancestry, 144, 1530
Charles M., 144, 145
David, 1530
Jesse, 1530
John H., 144
Rolfe, H. Dana, 1738
Herman R., 1738
Rommel, Henry, 882
John H., 883
Root. Sylvester, 1291
Timothy T., 1291
Rose, Charles. 622
Thomas. 622
Rosensteel. Andrew, 716
Jacob. 716
■Ross ancestry. 174
Mansfield A.. 178
Moses A.. 176
Robert, 174, 175;
Roth ancestry, 1673
Franz. 1673
John D., 1673
John E., 1674
John J., 1674
Rothrauff ancestry, 589
Jacoto, 589
Samuel, 589
Thomas, 589
Rouser ancestry, 225
Alexander, 225
Charles D., 226
William A., 225
Rowse, Edwin F., 960
Thomas, 959
Rucker, Frederick, 810, 811
Rudisill ancestry, 222
George F., 222
George H., 223
Michael, 222
Ruehl ancestry, 433
Henry, 433
Henry G., 434
John, 433
Ruffing, Michael, 1034,
I03S-
Russell ancestry, 881, 1677
James B., 881
Jessie F., 1679
John, 1678
Rosella, 882
Samuel. 1678
Thomas. 881
Rust ancestry, 1602
Daniel, 1602
Henry. 1602
Mary A., 1603
Peter A., 1602
Sackett, Harry O., 330, 331
Saint, Josiah S., 539
Kate C, 539
Salyards. Dennis E., 1159
Merle D.. 1158. 1159
Sample ancestry, 447, 795
James, 796
John, 795
Robert A., 796
Silas. 796
William E., 447
William H., 447
Sampson ancestry, 1495
Arthur M., 1497
George. 1496
John, 1495. 1496
John E., 1497
Thomas, 1496, 1497
Sankey ancestry, 374
Francis, 374
Francis M., 375
John, 374
Scatchard. Edwand H., 191
Joseph B., 191
Schafer, Charles, 1474
George N., 1473
Schano. Frederick, 1026
Scheffel ancestry, 1569
Christian. 1569
George, 1569
Henry, 1569
Schilling ancestry, 1475
Francis, 1475
Frederick, 1475
Mary, 1475
Schlicht, Joseph, 1396
Joseph A., 1396
Schmidt, Christopher, 1706
John F., 1704
Schmitt, Jacob, 734, 735
Schlosser ancestry, 1751
Charles, 1751
George, 1751
Jacob, 1752
Schneider, Gustav, 1568
John, 1568
Schramm, John, 358
John E., 359
Schran, Ludwig, 1246
John M. H., 1246
Schulz, Gustav, 953
Schutrum, John, 1553
Peter, 1553
Schwer ancestry, 1472
Joseph, 1472
Martin, 1472
Theodore R., 1473
Schwindman ancestry, 744
David, 745
Philip, 744
Wendel, 744
Scott ancestry, 68, 471
Abram, 471
Hugh, 471
James S., 472
John, 68
Josiah, 471
Robert P., 68
William W., 472
Seaman ancestry, 90, 183
Elias, 91, 185
Johan L., 90
John, 91, 183, 184
Joseph S., 91
William H., 185
Seavy, Josiah, 1362
William L., 1362
Seibert, John, 1443
Peter, 1444
Semple anrestry, no, 445
David, 445
James, 446
John B., no
William, no. 445
Serena ancestry. 683
Earl F., 684
Jacob, 683
T. Frank. 683
John. 685
Seville ancestry, 522
David W., 522
John, 522
John F., 522
Sevin, George V., 186
Joseph C, 186
Shallenberger ancestry,
127
Aaron T., 129
Abraham 127
John, 127
Ulrich, 127
INDEX
1787
Shaffer ancestry, 1469
Daniel, 1469
George P., 1469
Wilbur D. H., 1470
Shanor ancestry, 475
Adam, 475
Charles K., 476
Daniel, 476
Henry K., 476
Jacob, 475
Shaughnessy, James, i6S9
John R., 1659
Shaw ancestry, 131 1
Charles L., 1312
James, 1312
Robert, 1311, 1312
Robert L., 1312
Shenot ancestry, 744
August N., 744
Charles P., 744
Christian, 744
Shephard, Henry A., 1472
John, 1471
Sherwin, John, 613
Martha, 614
William, 613
Shields ancestry, 954
David, 954
James, 953
Thomas L., 954
Shipley, Joseph N., 856
Shoop ancestry, 221
Jacob, 221
Sherman T., 221
Simon, 221
Singer ancestry, 60
Georse, 60
Joseph A., 349
Louis. 348
Simon, 60
William H., 61
Sinn, John, 1008
Ludwig, 1009
Sirdevan ancestry, 1615
Michael, 1616
William. 1615
William J.. 1616
Skiff au'cestry. 1510
George B., 1512
Ira, 1511
James, 1510. 1511
Nathan, 1510
Prince, 1511
Skiles ancestry, 493. 741
Andrew, 741
Guy M., 493
Henry, 493, 742
James. A"-' 741
Slater ancestry, 1477
Albert H., 1477
Frank M.. 1477
Hiram. 1477
Sleeth, Robert. 40
Small. Christian, 1291
George, 1291
Smith ancestry, 152. 255.
536. 663, 749, 956. 1068.
1442, 1476, 1544, 1694
Adam, 956
Alexander, 1068
Alphons W., 956
Anna, 1695
David, 664
Duncan, 1069
Emma, 537
Finley, iot>8
Frederick, 1476
George, 750
Harry T., 1695
Jacob B., 1694
James, 1443
James A., 665
John, 152, 536
John H., 152
John P., 255
John T., 254
Joseph, 955
Mary A., 1068
Michael, 1442
Nicholas, 1544
Samuel, 750
Thomas, 1476
Walter H.. 536
William, 663, 1476
William A., 255
William H., 751
William J., 1545
Snitger, Frederick, 703
Joseph B., 704
Snodgrass ancestry, 1356,
1747
Albert K., 1748
David G., 1357
James, 1747
James M., 1357
Robert, 1356
William J., 1748
Snyder ancestry, 553
Cyrus J., 553
Peter. 553
William J. K., 553
Soose. George, 757. 758
Godlip. 757
Sossong ancestry, 164
Jacob, 164
John. 164
William F.. 165
Spaulding ancestry, 200
Alonzo W.. 202
Andrew, 2O0
Edward, 200
John, 201
Jonathan. 201
Joseph. 201
Samson. 201
Speer ancestry.. 320, 598,
809. 1065
Alice M.. 598
Andrew. T065
Andrew B., 1066
Elvader K.. 809
Howard L.. 320
James. 320. 808. 809.
. 1065. 1066. 1067
John, 508. 809
Willi.im H., 598
Spicer ancestry, 1532
Clarence E.. 1535
Jabcz, 1533
Nathan, 1533, 1534
Peter, 1532
William, 1534
Spillnian, Charles O., 597
Frederick, 597
Stanclitf ancestry, 1763
Alden, 1764
Andrew J., 1763, 1764
John, 17O4
Thomas, 1764
Steaidman ancestry, 1401
Dow, 1403
James, 1402
John G., 1402
Stebbins, Edward, 1598
Roland, 1598
Steedle ancestry, 168
Charles F., 168
Jacob, 168
Joseph G., 168, 169
Stein, Jacob, 1499
J. C. A., 1500
Stephenson, Edith M., 951
James, 951
William W., 951
Sterner, Cyrus, 983
John, 982
Sterrett, John, 407
Robert, 407
Steuler, Christian, 490
John, 490
Stevenson ancestry, 187
Charles H., 187, 188
John, 187
Levi, 187
Stewart ancestry, 1441
Daniel, 1441
John, 1441
John A., 1442
Stilz, August J., 427, 428
Henry, 427
Stinson, James, 357
James M., 357, 358
Stoops, Thomas D., 1059,
1061, 1062
William. 1060
Stotler ancestry, 1279
Andrew, 1279
Henry. 1279
John S.. 1279
Straw ancestry, 548, 1267
Christian, 1267
Frank P., 1268
John.. 1267
Richard. 548
Walter H.. 549
Strong ancestry. 1522
Francis D.. 1523
George V.. 1524
Jacob, 1522
John. 1522
IMargaret. 1524
Martin. 1523
Richard, 1522
Timothy. 1523
Stuckslager. Charles, mo
Cyrus R.. mo
Eleanor F., mo
INDEX
Sumney ancestry, 645
David, 646
Frank F., 647
Isaac, 645, 646
Jacob, 645
Sutton ancestry, 399, 844
Edward L., 844, 845
Hannah A., 401
Henry, 399
Jacob B., 844
William H., 399
Swart ancestry, 1695
Hiram, 1695
Jacob, 1695
William M., 1696
Swearingen ancestry, 160
Basil, 160
Basil D., 161
Duncan, 161
Duncan L., 162
Gerret, 159
John, 160
Samuel, 160
Thomas, 160
Swedborg, Andrew, 1419
Frank O., 1419
Sweitzer, George A., 594
Henry, 594
Swengel ancestry, 1703
Edwin, 1703
John, 1703
Michael, 1703
Symes, Frank H., 1661,
1662
John, 1661
Tarr ancestry, 1135, 1480,
1604
Casper, 1480
Daniel J., 1135
George A. W., 1604
Henry, 1480
Jacob, 113=;. 1604
John P.. 1481
Nettie, IT35
Tatnall, William, 439
William Jr., 440
Taylor ancestry. 30, 75,
331. 550. 1478
Charles L., 30
David, 550
Edward, 75, 763
Edward J., 75
Elmer H., 1478
Isaac, 763
James H., 550
John, 331
John D., 30
Rebecca, 764
Rose H., 5SI
Thomas, 332
William, 1478
Teemer. John, 1025
Sylvester L.. 1026
Telford, John H.. 122
Tepe ancestry, 1481
Aloysius F., 1482
Christopher, 1481
Frederick, 1481
Joseph, 1481
William O., 1481
Teuteberg ancestry, 554
Frederick, 555
George, 554
William, 554
Thaw ancestry, 1585
Benjamin, 1585
John, 1585
William, 1585
Theobald, Nicholas, 1305
Peter, 1305
Thomas ancestry, 409, 947,
1086
Ephraim, 1086
Evan, 947
Irvin J., 1087
Jacob, 1086
Jesse, 409
John, 947
Martha M. C., 410, 412
Solomon, 409
William, 409, 1057
William H., 1057
Thompson ancestry, 72,
loi, 735, 1083, 1483,
166s
Abraham L., 1666
Drusilla, 1483
James, 736, 1482, 1483
J. Edgar, 1084
James, 736
Joel, 1665
John, loi
John H., loi
John N., 1083
John W., 1665
Josiah M., loi
Mary E., 735, 736
Raymond A., 72
Robert, 735
Stephen, 72
William, 1083
Tibby ancestry, 457
James, 457
J. R. W., 458
Matthew, 457
Tilbrook, Oscar T., 1479
William, 1479
Todd, Harry B.. 847
James R., 847
Tonner, Adam F., 1741
Clement, 1741
Topley, James, 688
Samuel J., 689
Trace}', John T., 337
Thomas, 336
Trees ancestry, 529
John F., 529
Joseph, 529
Levi, 529
Treser. Anton. 1147
George, 1147
Trimble, James H.. 839
Tucker, John. 948
Marv A., 049
Michael F., 948
Tully ancestry, 792
Garvin, 792
George H., 792
Herman H., 792, 793
Ure, Robert, 494
Walter, 494
Vandergrift ancestry, 621
Benjamin, 621
Jacob, 621
William K., 621
Van Kirk ancestry, 637
Joseph, 637
Samuel W., 639
William K., 638
Van Sicklin, John A., 1558
Veith, Joseph, 1082
Philip, 1082
Viehmier, Caroline, 734
Henry, 734
Vogeley, Conrad, 711
Samuel, 711, 712
Sarah E,, 712
Volz, Daniel, 672
Louis, 672
Vincent ancestry, 1525
Bethuel, 1527
Cornelius, 1526
John, 1525
John P., 1528
Levi, 1525
William, 1527
Wagner ancestry, 580, 61 1
Alice, 582
Henry C., 611
Henry J., 611
John H., 696
Peter C, 580, 581
Peter J., 695
Walker ancestry, 243, 342,
797, 1378, 1490, 1492
Andrew, 360
Emma A., 245
Ewing, 343
Frank M., 1491
Gabriel, 1490
Harvey. 1378
Herman H., 1379
Isaac, 342, 343
James, 1493
James N., 1378
John, 243
Joseph, 1493
Judson, 1494
Margaret M., 360
Nathaniel F., 797
Reason, 1490
Robert, 243, 1492
Robert L., 244
Samuel E., 344
Thomas, 599
Timothy. 1492
*Wil!iam E., 798
Zechariah, 1492
Wall ancestry, i486
Isaac, 1487
Maxwell, 1487
Walter, 1487
INDEX
1789
Walsh ancestry, 157
Arthur F., 158
John, 157
Richard E., 157
Walter ancestry, 462, 805
David, 80s
George L., 462
Labanna H., 806
Peter, 462
Philip, 80s
Walther, Frederick P., 517
Karl, 516
Walton, Joseph D., 768
Utrick, 768
Warner ancestry, 1489
Alexander S., 1489
Hiram, 1489
John, 1489
Warren ancestry, 1487
David, 1488
Samuel H., 1488
Thomas, 1487
Wasson, George J., 1661
George W., 1660
James, 1660
Watenpool, Jacob, 741
Way ancestry, 283. 467
Alexander M., 283
Caleb, 467
George W., 283
John, 467
Nicholas, 467
Robert, 467
William, 467
William H., 284
Weaver ancestry, 148s
Edwin J., T486
Joseph, 148s
"Michael. T485
Weber, Frederick, 1391
John, 1391
Weddell ancestry, 863
George W., 864
Isaac I.. 864
Peter. 863
Weilersbacher ancestry,
298, 326
Caspar. .326
John, 298. 300
Peter. 326
Peter G.. 327
W^eiss. Joseph. 1484
Sebastian, 148s
Welch ancestrv. 803
Abel, 803
Harry J.. 804
James H.. 803
Wellinger. John C, 1238
John G.. 1237
Werner ancestrv. 669, 697
Joseph, 669. 697
Joseph A., 670
Joseph T.. 698
Joseph M.. 699
Westinghou^e. George, I
Wetzel, Levi, 777
AVhigham ancestry, 888
Hamilton. 888
John H., 889
Thomas, 888
Whiston ancestry, 450
Charles P., 4S0
Mary A., 451
Nathaniel, 450
Nathaniel R.. 450
White ancestry, S77
David, 577
John, 577, 578
Whitehead, Cortlandt, 17
Whitehill ancestry, 52
James, 52
Joseph, 52
Roibert, 52, S3
Whiting ancestry, 149
Alonzo. 150
Elizabeth C, 151
Hiram F., iso
John. 149, 150
Nathan, 149
Nathaniel, 148, 149
Wightman ancestry, 1175
Henry B., 1176
William, 117s
William H., 117s
Wigman, John H., 618
William, 618
Wilhelm ancestry, 788
August C, 789
Christian. 788
Paul, 788
Wilkinson, Samuel, 1537,
1538
William J., IS38
Williams ancestry. S4. 702,
1275. 1503, 1663
Alfred D.. 702
A, M.. 1663
Andrew G. 54
Billy. 1276
Charles O., IS03
Ephraim. 1503
George H.. 1277
John, 1663
John B.. 1503
John G., 54
John R., 1663
Joseph. 1276
Samuel, 1276
William C, 702
Wilson ancestry, 112, 301,
1 1 72
Aaron, 1172
Alexander. 301. 1172
Hugh. 1 12
James S., it6
John H.. 116
John M.. 1 173
John P.. 1 172
Marv O., ,302
Stephen. 301
Thomas. 112, 113, 114
William H., 302
Winter. Henry. 802
John. 801
Winterberger. Andrew J.,
7S6
Nicholas. 756
Wise ancestry, 1081
Daniel, 1081
George B., 1081
Harry B., 1082
Isaac, 1081
Wolf, Anton H., 1 149
Wolfram ancestry, 1757
Fred, 1757
John, 1757
John A., I7S7
Woodford ancestry, 779
George B., 780
Richard, 779
William, 779
Woolrich, Samuel, 722
Work ancestry, 1429
Aaron, 1429
John, 1429
John C. 1429
Wright, Joseph, 287
Mary A., 288
Wiiller ancestry, 1364
John, 1364
John H., 1364
Mary, 136s
Wunderlich, Carl p., 1050
Fredericka P., 1050
Wylie ancestry, 1019
Bryce E., 1020
James, 1020
Samuel, loig
Yaggi ancestry, 142
Christian, 142
Fred, 143
George, 142
Young ancestry, 1325
Edmund R., 132s. 1326
Edmund R. Jr., 1327
Peter, 132s
Younkins ancestry, 1248,
1289
Daniel, 1249
John. 1290
Michael, 1248, 1289
William. 1248, 1289
Yunker. John, 347
Magdalena, 348
Peter, 347
Zeigler ancestry, 945
Adam. 94s
Charles W.. 945
Henry. 945
Zeller ancestry, 836
Albert, 837
Albert T.. 837
Magnus P., 836
Zimmer. Charles. 1491
Christopher. 1491
Zimmerman. Barbara, 752
Philip. 751
Zinkhan ancestry, I0s8
Tohn. iO';7
j. Ray. 1058
William. 1058
Zischkau. George, looo
Philip G. TOoi
Zwierzynski. Daniel, 356
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