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HISTORY
OF
CAMBRIA COUNTY
PENNSYLVANIA
BY
HENRY WILSON STORED:" vr'. ^
WITH ' .1 ,' i %■> "
GENEALOGICAL MEMOIRS
ILLUSTRATED.
VOLUIME III.
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
NEW YORK CHICAGO
1907
THE jMEV/ YORK
PUBLIC LIBRARY
456247
ASTOn, UENOX AN©
TILDEN FOUNDATIOIO.
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Copyright 1907
BY
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
History of Cambria County.
GENERAL JACOB MILLER CAMPBELL, during- a loug and
peculiarly active career, was recognized as one of the most important
ligures in the business, military and political life of Cambria and ad-
joining counties. He was prominently identified with the establishment
of the mammoth Cambria Iron Works, and with various other large in-
dustrial and financial enterprises; he rendered valiant service to his
country during the Civil war period, rising to high rank; and for sev-
eral terms in congress acquitted himself with such distinguished ability
and pure patriotism as to earn respect and admiration as a statesman.
He was born in Allegheny township, Somerset county, Pennsylvania,
XovemlxT 20, 1821. His parents were John and Mary (Weyand)
Campbell, the father being a native of Scotland, who emigrated to the
United States in 1817, while his mother was a native of Somerset county.
In 18*26 the parents removed to Allegheny City, where the son was
reared' and educated in the public schools. In 1835, at the age of six-
teen young Campbell returned to the village of Somerset, where he en-
tered the office of the Somerset ^yhig, and there mastered so much of
"the art preservative of all arts" as, was possible in a country printing
office, and incidentally, by careful reading, adding largely to his fund
of knowledge. In 1840 he entered the office of the Literary Examiner,
a monthly magazine published in Pittsburg, as a compositor, and after a
iew months relinquished his position to go to Xew Orleans, Louisiana,
where he worked for some months in leading newspaper offices. It may
not be amiss here to remark (and the writer of this narrative speaks
_ upon his own personal knowledge and experience), that in that day the
young printer deemed such travel a necessary sequence to his appren-
ticeship, and, to one of industrious and ambitious disposition, such proved
a broad education in itself. In 1841 Mr. Campbell, then in his twen-
tieth year, engaged in steamboatiug on the lower Mississippi and its
most important tributaries, and during several years following filled the
positions of mate, clerk and part o^^^ler of a vessel. In April, 1817, he
married, and abandoned the river, locating in Brady's Bend, Pennsyl-
vania, Avhere he engaged in business in the Great Western Iron Works.
Jn 1851 he went to California, but within a year returned and again en-
tered the iron works. In 1853 he removed to Johnstown, Pennsylvania,
with wdiich city he was thereafter identified during the remainder of
bis life. His first engagement there was to assist in the construction
of the iron works of the Cambria Iron Company, a iiiainiiiDtli under-
taking in that day, and he acquitted himself so creditably tbat he was
retained in the service of the company, at all times in imjjortant and
responsible positions, until the breaking out of the Civil war, when his
patriotic spirit would not permit him to rest in civil pursuits, and he
resigned at the first call for troops by President Lincoln. He aided in
recruiting the first company from Cambria county for the three months'
5 Vol. Ill— 1
6 HISTORY OF CAM BUT A COUNTY.
service in April, 1861, immediately after the firing upon Fort Sumter,
and was elected and commissioned lieutenant. The compan}^ ren-
dezvoused at Harrisburg early on the morning of April 18th, being the
first military organization to occupy Camp Curtin. Upon the organiza-
tion of regiments, it became Company G, Third Kegiment Pennsylvania
Volunteers. Lieutenant Campbell was appointed regimental quarter-
master April 20th. He served with his command as a part of the Second
Brigade, Second Division, under General Patterson, in the campaign on
the upper Potomac, in the vicinity of the mouth of the Shenandoah
Valley, until the expiration of its term of service, when it returned to
Harrisburg and was mustered out, July 28, 1861.
Lieutenant Campljell was at once commissioned colonel by Gov-
ernor Curtin, and authorized to recruit a regiment for three years' serv-
ice, and mainly through his effort was organized and brought into serv-
ice the famous Fifty-fourth Begiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, which
as soon as prepared for the field was ordered to Washington City. It
there remained until March 29, 1862, when Colonel Campbell was or-
dered to report with his command to General Miles, commanding at
Harper's Ferry, Virginia, who directed him to occupy the line of the
Baltimore & Ohio Eailroad from Xorth ^Mountain Station to the south
branch of the Potomac river, a distance of fifty-six miles, it being his
mission to fortify and hold the most important points, in order to af-
ford security to the passage of trains conveying troops and military
stores. In September the forces under General Miles were driven into
Harper's Ferry and captured by the Confederate forces under General
"Stonewall" Jackson, with the single exception of the Fifty-fourth
Pennsylvania Eegiment, Colonel Campbell succeeding in holding his po-
sition, the only regiment left south of the Potomac, between Cumberland
and the defenses at "Washing-ton. After the battle of Antietam, Colonel
Campbell's regiment was temporailv attached to General Franklin's
(Sixth) Corps.
On March 6, 1863, Colonel Campbell's regiment was ordered to
Eomney, and he was there assigned to the command of the Fourth
Brigade, First Division, Eighth Army Corps, and with this force he
proceeded to occupy the various mountain passes in that region, making
his headquarters at Mechanicsburg Gap, his troops being in almost daily
conflict with detachments of the Confederate army and the guerrilla
forces infesting that region. June 14, Colonel Campbell with his brigade
was ordered to Xew Creek to aid in its defense against a threatened
attack. July 5th his command formed part of a cohlmn under General
Kelly, which marched to Fairview, Maryland, to prevent General Lee's
forces from gaining possession of the fortifications at Cherry Run and
points further west on the Potomac. July 16th he crossed the Potomac
at Cherry Eun and marched to Hedgeville, driving the enemv from that
place. August 2d Colonel Campbell, with his brigade, was ordered to
I'eturn to his former stations among the Hampshire mountains. He was
there actively engaged until Xovember 6th, when he was ordered to
Springfield, West Virginia, and to the command of all the troops along
the railroad from Cherry Eun to Xew Creek, a distance of ninety miles,
in addition to his own Ijrigade, equivalent to the command of a major-
general. On January 4, 1864, he was ordered Avith his brigade to Cum-
berland, then threatened by the forces of Eosser and Fitzhugh Lee, and
here remained until General Sigel took command of the Department
of West Virginia. In April, in the re-organization of troops prepara-
tory to the contemplated movement up the valley of the Shenandoah,
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 7
Colonel Campbell was at his own request relieved from the command
of his brigade and returned to his regiment. At the battle of New
Market, May loth, his regiment occupied the extreme left of the line,
and suffered severely, losing two hundred and eighty-four killed and
wounded. After the battle. General Sigel fell back to Cedar Creek,
where he was relieved of his command by General Hunter, who resumed
the march up the valley, meeting the enemy at Piedmont, June 5, 18G4.
In this engagement Colonel Campbell again occupied the left of the line,
flanking the enemy's right, and making a rear attack, capturing a force
twice the numerical strength of his own. For gallant conduct and su-
perior skill displayed in this battle. Colonel Campbell was brevetted
brigadier-general, a promotion doul^ly earned by his long and efficient
service as a brigade commander. Three days after the battle, when the
forces under General Crook joined those of General Hunter at Staunton,
Virginia, General Campbell was assigned to the command of the Third
Brigade, Second Division, and as a special favor his old regiment was
transferred thereto, that it might remain under its old commander. In
all the engagements under General Hunter, while on the notable
"Lynchburg Eaid,"' General Campbell took a prominent part, and on the
return covered the retreat. On July 24th he took part m the battle of
Winchester, under General Crook, and when General Mulligan fell as-
sumed command of the division, and participated in all the subsequent
battles under General Crook while the latter was in command, and, after
General Sheridan came to the command of the department, he took part
in all the engagements in the Shenandoah Valley under that brilliant
commander.
General Campbell was absent from his command but three weeks
when, in Fcbruarv, 1864, he was detailed bv the Secretary of War to
serve upon a court of inquiry at Wheeling, West Virginia, and with that
single exception was with his command in every engagement in which
his regiment or brigade took part, from the beginning of his service until
he was honorabh' mustered out, September 3, 1864, leaving upon the
annals of the War Department a record of brilliant soldiership and un-
sullied patriotism.
Eeturning to civil pursuits, General Campbell entered upon a career
of most useful and creditable public service. On August ITth, 1865, he
was nominated by the Eepu))lican state convention of Pennsylvania for
the office of surveyor-general (now secretary of interior affairs), and was
elected for a three years' term, being re-elected in 1868, and serving with
entire satisfaction to the people, and credit to himself. Declining a
nomination for a third term, he gave his attention to mechanical and
other industrial pursuits until the fall of 1876, when he was again called
to public life. Xominated for congressman from the Seventeenth Con-
gressional District, comprising the counties of Bedford, Blair, Cambria
and Somerset, his popularity was attested by his election by a plurality
of 520 over Hon. John Eiley, Democrat, who at the previous election
had carried the district by a plurality of 1,147. In 1878 he was re-
nominated, Ijut through defection to the Greenback party he was de-
feated by a plurality of 305 votes. In 1880 he was again a candidate and
was elected by a plurality of 1,436 over his former competitor. Hon. A.
H. Coffroth, whom he again defeated in 1882, and in 1884 was again
elected by a plurality of 3,564 votes over Dr. Americus Enfield. He was
recognized as one of the most industrious and capable members of the
various congresses in which he sat, and was a notal)ly useful member of
the committees on education, labor, railways, canals, and others of a
8 HISTORY OF CAM Bill A COUNTY.
special character. In the Forty-seventh Congress he served as chair-
man of the committee on manufactures, called to that important place
by reason of his broad knowledge along industrial lines and earnest ad-
vocacy of the principles of protection to all branches of American in-
dustr}^ and his opposition to demoralizing competition, as witnessed by
his efforts for the restriction of Chinese emigration to this country. He
was uncompromising in his support of sound financial principles, earn-
estly advocating the resumption of specie payment and stoutly opposing
the free and unlimited coinage of silver as being morally dishonest. He
advocated the repeal of the bankrupt law, holding that its repeal was
essential to the restoration of financial and commercial prosperity and
stability. He favored all measures looking to the enlargement of our
foreign commerce, the establishment of proper harbor and coast de-
fenses, the building of an efficient navy, reform in the civil service, and
kindred measures.
General Campbell Avas a delegate to tlie first Eepublican national con-
vention, in 1856, and aided in the nomination of the first presidential
candidate of the party, John C. Fremont, and he was ever afterward
an ardent advocate of its principles and a supporter of its candidates,
both local and national, and a potent factor in many conventional bodies.
His last public service was as chairman of the Eepul)lican state conven-
tion in 1887, and, though visibly failing in health, he proved, as in all
former similar occasions, his remarkable ability as a presiding officer.
So excellent was the impression made by his able and dignified conduct
that, coupled with his previous brilliant political and nwlitary record,
and coming, as he did, from a section of the state whose claims had long
Ijeen unrecognized, he was spoken of by many as a suitable successor to
Governor James A. Beaver, and, had his physical vigor remained ade-
quate, it is highly prol)al)le that he would have received the guber-
natorial nomination.
In his own community General Campbell was no less esteemed for
his activity in business affairs than he was honored for his public life,
and his lofty character made his name a tower of strength in
ciuy enterprise. Prominent among the corporations .with which he was
connected, and in all of whicli he served as a director, were the First
National Bank, the Savings Bank, the Electric Light Company, and the
gas and water companies. He was a charter member of Alma Lodge
and William F. Packer Encampment, Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows, and for thirty years took a lively interest ifi those bodies, in which
he was called to the principal offices. He was also a charter member
of Johnstown Lodge, Xo. 538, Free and Accepted Masons. Bv his
former comrades in arms, among whom he Avas affectionately known as
''Uncle Jake," he was loved and honored for his sterling qualities both
as a man and soldier. To the hour of his death he Avas a prominent and
enthnsiatic member of Emory Fisher Post, Xo. 36, Grand Army of the
Eepublic, and some of his happiest hours were those AA'hich he passed
at its encampments. In 1887, iipon the organization of the Society of
the Fifty-fourth Pennsylvania Eegiment, he Avas enthuiastically elected
to the presidency, and held the position imtil his death.
After retiring from ]mblic life General Campbell sought the quiet
seclusion of his home and the care of his private interests. Biit the
rest so Avell earned after a long and useful life he was not destined to
long enjoy. He was AAdiolly exempt from physical ailments until 1883,
AA'hen, in his sixty-second year, he experienced a scA'cre attack of ])neu-
monia Avbicli seriously undermined his health. He Avas ])rostrafed bv
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUXTY. 9
the same disease a second and a third time, last in May, 1888. His
strong constitution and hahitually temperate life enahled him to re-
cover in each instance, although his strength was visibly impaired by
each succeeding attaclc. When apparently recovering from his last at-
tack he was stricken with |)aralysis, and, although his life was then des-
paired of, he conquered through his indomitable will, and recovered
sufficient strength to leave his bed and go about as usual. About two
months before his death he experienced symptoms of heart failure, and
the sad end came September 27, 1888, being directly due to acute in-
flammation of the brain.
A summing up of his character reveals General Campbell as a
imic|ue figure. Under a plain and unassuming exterior he concealed
ability of a high order, and a rare degree of manly virtue, unselfishness
and a sincere regard for the welfare of others, even before his own per-
sonal interests, being among his most striking characteristics. His
traits of character were feelingly dwelt upon by his neighbors, all of
whom felt in his death a keen sense of personal loss. "As a soldier,"
said one who was familiar with his entire career, through close associa-
tion, "he was brave and noble, and his heroism was never questioned."
As a state official he was above suspicion, and although he instituted
many important reforms which met Avith strenuous opposition, no one,
even in midst of the intensest political excitement, ever impeached his
integrity. As a national legislator he was untiring in his Avork and a
faitlifui agent of his constituents, never failing to discharge a duty ex-
acted of him, not even neglecting to Avrite a letter asking for informa-
tion. His personal life in midst of his friends and in his home was
l)eautiful. He treated the youngest of his children with the same manly
and gentle consideration that he extended to the most revered of his fel-
lows," while the strength of affection for her who so nolily shared his
trials and sacrifices, who held night vigil for him during the long years
when his life Avas in constant jeopardy during the dreary marches, the
long night Avatches, and the field of carnage, Avho participated and joyed^
in the triumphs and honors of his later years, Avas one of the loA^eliest
traits of his noble character. His Avas a life's Avork Avell done; his is
a name historical in the annals of the state, a record of duty conscient-
iouslv discharged in every Avalk of life.
On Aprir^O, 1847, General Campbell Avas married to Mary Eankin
Campbell, who was born May 13, 1827, in Pittsburg, about on the site
of the present court house, came, like himself, from a Scotch fin-
cestry, and doubtless from the same family, one of the most distin-
guished in all Scotland. Her parents, James and Mary (Wylie) Camp-
i)ell, came from Kirkcudln-ightshire. Scotland, wliere they Avere married in
178G, sailing for the United States the next day. After a short stay
in the city of New York, then a village to AAdiat it is noAV, they drove
in a "prairie schooner" over the mountains through Pennsylvania to
Pittslnirg and thence to Allegheny, Avhere tlie yonng husl)and engaged
in iron 'manufacturing, Avhere he lived a successful life, and Avhere he
died. His Avidow died in 1869 in JohnstoAvn, at the Cami)l)ell home-
stead on Walnut street. This old brick edifice is one of tlie historic struc-
tures of the city. The first scAving machine ever brought to .TohnstoAvn
Avas to be seen there, a rare curiosity of its time. From its ])eak AA-as
unfurled in 1861 the first flag in the city to notify the people that war
Avas on, and that the nation called its sons to its support. Perhaps no
other building in Pennsylvania, the executive mansion excepted, has
sheltered as manv o-overnors of the commouAvealth. During tlie memor-
10 HISTORY OF CAjIEHIA COUNTY.
able flood of 1889, forty-five people found refuge upon its roof. When
the government was in jeopardy, during the Civil war, and money was
needed, General Campbell took $30,000 worth of government bonds, which
again shows his patriotism and confidence and love for his country.
James and Mary (Wylie) Campbell were parents of children: 1.
Margaret, married Captain Thomas Lapsley, and later moved to Brad-
dock, Pennsylvania. 2. Xancy, married Hon. John McDonough, of
Woodburn, Iowa, where she still resides. 3. Sarah, married Captain
Jacob B. Dunlap, of Johnstown, later moved to Braddock, Pennsylvania;
she is now deceased, -i. Alexander, who removed to Braddock, where he
died. He married Mary Stoddard, of Allegheny. All the sons-in-law
were active in building the now famous Cambria Steel "Works.
General and Mrs. Campbell were the parents of children as fol-
lows: 1. Mary, married John T. Kinne}', deceased; she resides in
Johnstown. 2. " Curtis G., see sketch. 3. Lotiis D., attorney at law,
residing in Tacoma, Washington ; he married Emma Elliott, of Detroit,
Michigan, -i. Ida Kankin Campbell, died aged five years. 5. James
A. resides in Braddock, where he is connected with the Carnegie Steel
Company; he married Sarah Soles. 6. Eva A., married Dr. Charles
L. Putter (deceased), of Chicago, Illinois. 7. Frank M., a contractor,
died at Granite City, Illinois; he married Annie Madden, of St. Louis,
Missouri. 8. William B., died in Mexico. 9. Dr. Ralph P., a prac-
ticing physician, located in Chicago, Illinois; he married Isabel 'Mc-
Arthnr (deceased), of same place. 10. John B., connected with the
Lorain Steel Company, Johnstown; resides at home. 11. Brvice H.,
attorney, of Johnstown; see sketch.
Mrs. General Campbell has been a lifelong Presbyterian. She still
resides at the old Campbell homestead in Johnstown, remarkably well
preserved, and greatly beloved by not only her immediate family, but by
the whole communit}-.
EDAYAPD B. EXTWISLE, for many years intimately connected
with the business interests of Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsylvania,
is of an .old and honored family of England.
(I) Abraham Entwisle, the great-great-grandfather of Edward B.
Entwisle, lived in England and was a farmer by occupation. Among
his children was a son, Isaac.
(II) Isaac Entwisle, son of Abraham Entwisle (1), was born in
1767 and died in 1837. He married Sarah Greenhalgh, born in 11 10.
died January 23, 1843. Their children were: 1. Joseph. 2. John. 3.
Isaac. 4. Abraham. 5. James. 6. Thomas. 7. Betty. 8. Mary. 9.
Anna. 10. Margaret. 11. Sarah. 12. Alice. 13. Catharine.
(III) Joseph Entwisle, eldest child of Isaac (2) and Sarah
(Greenhalgh) Entwisle. was born January 10, 1803, and died September
1, 1875. He married ]\Lary Lee, born December 18, 1802, died Jime 27,
1889. Their children were: 1. Thomas, of whom later. 2. Isaac. 3.
Jolin.
(TV) Thomas Entwisle, eldest child of Joseph (3) and Mary (Lee)
Entwisle, was born in Bolton, England, February 18, 1822, and died
February 25, 1892. He was by occupation a cabinetmaker, and followed
that business for twenty years; he was then engaged for another twenty
year? in the bakery and confectionery Ijusiness. He was a member of
the Episcopal church of Chester, and also served as vestryman and choir
leader. He married Anna Bleasdale, born February 19, 1825, now liv-
ing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of Pichard
BISTOKY OF CAMBBIA COUNTY. 11
and Sarah (Kay) Bleasclale, the former a carpenter and son of Thomas
and Ann (Eobinson) Bleasdale. Richard Bleasdale was one of ten
chihiren: 1. Ann. 2. Henry. 3. Joseph. 4. William. 5. Richard. 6.
Edmund. 7. Michael. 8. James. 9. Janett. 10. Margaret. ]ktrs.
Thomas Entwisle was one of eight children: 1. Thomas, born October
25, 1818, deceased. 2. John, Xovember 11, 1820. 3. A child died in
infancy, -i. Elizabeth, February 26, 1823. 5. Anna. 6. John, October
18, 1827. 7. Alice, January 29, 1830. 8. Jane, Septeml)er 20, 1832.
The children of Thomas and Anna (Bleasdale) Entwisle were: 1. Jo-
seph, married Clementina Weslcr. 2. Richard, married Mary Bell. 3.
Mary, married Frank P. Blair. 4. Edward B., the subject of this sketch.
5. Thomas, married Anna Xewlan. 6. Albert, married Kate Wilkinson.
7. Sara, married Dr. M. H. Fussell. 8. Frank, married May Lilly. 9.
Howard, married Ethel Pennypacker. 10. A child died in infancy.
(V) Edward B. Entwisle, fourth child and third son of Thomas
(4) and Anna (Bleasdale) Entwisle, was born in Chester, Delaware
county, Penns3dvania, August 22, 1851. He received a good common
school education, and about 1866 was made an apprentice in the draft-
ing department of the Phoenix Iron Company, Phoenixville, Pennsyl-
vania. He was employed there for fifteen consecutive years and then ac-
cepted a position as draftsman for the Cambria Iron Company, which
he held for five years. He then went to the Lorain Steel Company as
shop manager, in which position his executive ability and general excel-
lent management were of the greatest possible benefit to the company.
He acted in this capacity for five years and is at present (1906) cliief
engineer of the Lorain Steel Company and one of the directors of the
company. In politics he is a Republican, and has been a school director
for one te«-m. He is a member of the Board of Fire Commissioners of
Johnstown for two years, appointed in 1906. Also a member of the
executive board of the Conemaugh Valley Memorial Hospital, and has
been for a number of years ; and is one of the incorporators of the Grand
View Cemetery Association. He is a member and vestryman of the
St. ^Mark's Protestant Episcopal church.
He married, September 3, 1874, Annie W. Fussell, daughter of Mil-
ton and Tamar J. (Haldeman) Fussell. (See Fussell genealogy (YII)
in Bruce Hall Campbell sketch.) Their children are: 1. Elizabeth F.,
born January 2, 1875 ; married, November 3, 1904, B. H. Thompson,
of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. 2. Mabel F., married Bruce H. Campl^ell.
(See his sketch.) 3. Edward F., August 1, 1882, was graduated from
Cornell College as mechanical engineer, class 1906. 4. Robert M., May
7, 1887, student Princeton College.
BRUCE HALL CAMPBELL, son of General Jacob M. and :\Iary
Rankin (Campbell) Cam^Jbell, was boi;n in Johnstown, Cambria county,
Pennsylvania, August 7, 1874. He enjoyed the advantages of an ex-
cellent education, attending the common schools of his native town, then
the Kiskiminitas Springs Preparatory School, later the Phillips Exeter
Academy, and finally Dickinson College and Dickinson Law School,
from which last named institution he graduated in the class of 1896.
He then Avent to Chicago, Illinois, and Avas admitted the same year to
practice in all the courts in the state of Illinois. He served as assistant
corporation counsellor in Chicago for one year. He then returned to
Johnstown in 1899, registered in the office of John H. BroAvn, and com-
menced the practice of law. In the course of the same year he organized
the Bruce H. Campbell Brick Company. His law offices are located in
12 HISTOliY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
the Dibert building, where he has worked up a large and lucrative prac-
tice. He is considered one of the rising 3'oung men of Johnstown, and a
brilliant future is predicted for him. His political affiliations are Re-
publican, and he is a regular attendant at the Presbyterian church. He
is a member of the order of Free and Accepted Masons; of the Knights
of Pythias; and of the Greek letter college fraternity. Phi Kappa Psi..
He married, October 23, 1901, at Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Mabel
Fussell Entwisle, a sketch of whose family follows. She received her
education in the public schools of Johnstown and in the Walnnt Lane
School, at Germantown. The children of Mr. and ]\Irs. Bruce H. Camp-
bell are: 1. Bruce H., junior, horn August 11, 1!)0'2. 2. Edward Ent-
wisle, August 25, 1905.
FOULKE FAMILY. The Foulke family is one of the most an-
cient that settled in America. They trace their descent as far back as
the early British kings.
(I) Edward Foulke, son of Foulke Thomas, was born May 3, 1651.
He emigrated for Meriowethshire, Wales, July IT, 1698, with his wife
and nine children, and settled at Gwynedd, Montgomery county, Penn-
sylvania. He married Eleanor, daughter of Hugh, who was the son of
Cadwallader, and they had nine children : Thomas ; Hugh, of whom
later; Cadwallader; Evan; Gwen; Grace; Jane; Catharine; Margaret.
(II) Hugh, second son and child of Edward (1) and Eleanor
Foulke, was born 1685, died 1760. He married Ann Williams, born
1693, died 1773. Their ten children were: Mary; Martha;' Samuel;
Eleanor; John, of whom later; Thomas; Theophilus; William; Edward;
.lane.
(III) John Foulke, second son and fifth child of Hugh, (2) and
Ann (Williams) Foulke, was born 1722, died 1787. He married Mary,
daughter of Edward and Mary Eoberts. Mary (Roberts) Foulke died
in 1787. The children of ]\Ir. and Mrs. John and Mary (Roberts)
Foulke were: 1. Edward, of whom later. 2. Ann, born 1760, married
Israel Roberts, son of Thomas and Letitia Roberts. 3. Martha, 1763,
married first, James Green ; married second, Daniel Walton. 1. . Evan,
married Sarah Xixon. 5. Margaret, married Thomas Gi1)Son. 6. Aquilla.
married Amelia Roberts. 7. Lydia, married Xathan Edwards.
(lY) Edward Foulke, eldest child of John and Mary (Roberts)
Foulke, was born j^ovember 16, 1758, and died I^ovember 22, 1839. He
married, 1781, Elizabeth Roberts, daughter of Thomas and Letitia (Ray)
Roberts, and granddaughter of Thomas and Alice Roberts, who with his
son Thomas emigrated from England, near the Welsh l^order. He mar-
ried second, Ann Roberts, a sister of his deceased wife. His children
M-ere: 1. Jane, of whom 'later. 2. Rowland, born December 29, 1783,
married Eliza Mauss, died October 12, 1811. 3. Agnes, August 27,
1785, died. May 16, 1828. 4. Ma^v, September 29, 1787, died Septem-
ber 19, 1847. 5. John, October 28, 1789, died January 20, 1863. 6.
Edward, May 26, 1792, married Matilda Green, died February 2, 1859.
(Y) Janc Foulke, eldest child of Edward (4) and Elizabeth
(Rol)erts) Foulke, was horn August 20, 1782, and died. May 9, 1857.
She married William Fussell. (See Fussell sketch following.)
FUSSELL FAMILY. (I) William Fussell, the earliest mem-
ber of the family of whom we have any record, lived in Yorkshire, Eng-
land, with his wife, Eliza1)eth. They had two children: Solomon, of
whom later; and Benjamin, who emigrated to America manv vears later
HISrOEY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 13
than his brother Solomon, and one day, while walking in the streets
of Philadelphia, saw the sign over the store of his brother, entered, and
i'ouiul his brother. Benjamin later went to the south.
(II) Solomon Fussell, eldest son of William (1) and Elizabeth
Fussell, was born in Yorkshire, England, 1704. He emigrated to Penn-
sylvania in 1731 and settled in Philadelphia. He was a chairmaker by
trade. He married first, Susannah Coney, daughter of Jacob and Bar-
bara Coney, and granddaughter of William Clinkenbeard. Their chil-
dren were: 1. Elizabeth, born 1727; married Benjamin Dawson, 1711;
died September 8, 1792. 2. William, of whom later. 3. Barbara, mar-
ried John Burrows. 1. Susannah, married Thomas Crispin. 5. Jacob,
married Esther McCullough. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Children who died in child-
hood. He married second, Eachel Wilson, widow with ten children, and
they had one child: Sarah, born October 12, 1751, married Benjamin
Longstreth.
(III) William Fussell, second child and eldest son of Solomon
(2) and Susannah (Coney) Fussell, was born in 1728 and died Feb-
ruary 5, 1801. He and his wife are buried at Pikeland Friends' grave-
yard. He lived at Phoenixville, and married Sarah Longstreth, born
1728 or 1729, died in 1800. She was the daughter of Bartholomew and
Ann (Dawson) Longstreth. The children of William and Sarah (Long-
streth) Fussell were: 1. Susannah, born January 29, 1753; married
Aaron Dunkin, September 11, 1775; died July 26, 1819. 2. Bartholo-
mew, of whom later. 3. Solomon, born December 20, 1755 ; died ()c-
tol)er 20, 1793.
(lA") Bartholomew Fussell, second child and eldest son of Will-
iam (3) and Sarah (Longstreth) Fussell, born September 28, 1751;
dit'd, October 17, 1838. He married Eebecca Bond, l)()rn October 9,
1751, died March 4, 1851, daughter of Joseph' and Esther (Jeanes)
Bond. Their children were: 1. Esther, born March 18, 1782; died
February 8, 1818. 2. William, of whom later. 3. Sarah, September 10,
1781; died August 11, 1860. 4. Joseph, April 26, 1787; died October
15, 1855. 5. Solomon, June 28, 1789; died March 1, 1849. 6. Jacob,
February 7, 1792; died x\ugust 7, 1855. 7. Bartholomew, January 9,
1794; died February 14, 1871. 8. Eebecca, April 21, 1796; died July
8, 1882.
(V) William Fussell, second child and eldest son of Bartholomew
(4) and Eebecca (Bond) Fussell, was born June 30, 1783; died June
4, 1856. He married, September 28, 1809, Jane Foulke, born August
20, 1782; died May 9, 1857. (See Foulke sketch.) Their children
were: 1. Elizabeth E., born July 31, 1810; died -June 10, 1888. 2.
Edwin, June 14, 1813; died March 10, 1882. 3. Esther Ann, February
22, 1818; married Charles Pennell Jacobs, died about 1902. 4. Joseph,
l)orn August 7, 1820. 5. Milton, see forward.
(VI) Milton Fussell, third son and fifth and youngest child of
William (5) and Jane (Foulke) Fussell, was born June 11, 1823, -And
died A'ovember 17, 1902. He married Tamar J. Haldeman, October 31,
1818, daughter of Henry and Tamar Haldeman. Airs. Fussell died in
Narbcrth (formerly Elm), Pennsylvania, January 26, 1895. Their
children were: 1. William Henry, Jaorn January 18, 1850; died Novem-
l)er 26, 1901. 2. Annie W., of whom later. 3. Milton Howard, Novem-
ber 21, 1855. 4. Elizabeth IL, June 22, 1864.
(VII) Annie W. Fussell, second child and eldest daughter of Md-
ton (6) and Tamar J. (Haldeman) Fussell, was born July 16, 1852.
She married, September a, 1874, Edward B. Entwisle, born August 22,
14 HISTOEY OF CAMBh'TA COUNTY.
1851. They reside in Moxham, Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Their chil-
dren are: 1. Elizabeth F., born June 20, 1875. 2. Mabel F., of whom
later. 3. Edward F., August 21, 1882. 4. Eobert Morgan, May 7, 1887.
(YIII) Mabel Fussell, second child and daughter of Annie (7)
and Edward B. Entwisle, was born November 17, 1880. She married,
October 23, 1901, Bruce Hall Campbell, as above stated.
JOHX FULTON, A. M., E. M., a valued citizen of Johnstown,
Cambria county, Pennsylvania, prominently identified with many and
varied interests of the state, vrith a reputation throughout the United
States and Canada as a mining and civil engineer, is of Scotch-Irish
descent, his ancestors having emigrated from Scotland to Ireland after
the reign of James VI. This migration was due to English persecution,
and later many of the refugees, who had settled principally in the
province of Ulster, sought more religious freedom in the new world. Some
of the Fultons emis^rated to the American colonies in the middle of the
seventeenth century, and bore their share bravely in defence of the coun-
try which they considered their home. The paternal ancestors of Mr.
Fulton came originally from the Lowlands of Scotland, and his maternal
from the Highlands.
Eev. Thomas Fulton, father of John Fulton, was born in Laiighey,
county Tyrone, Ireland, 1796. He was an excellent man, with many
sterling virtues, but not practical in a worldly sense, and despite hard
work and extreme frugality he found it a difficult matter to make both
ends meet, with a large and growing family to support. He removed to
the town of Dungannon, Ireland, and seven years were spent at ]\Iill-
town, a suburb of the city. He was occasionally engaged in surveying
and later held a position as clerk at the Gortmerron Lime Works, man-
aged by James Mackay. His circumstances, however, becoming more
straitened, he determined to emigrate to America, and in 1848 sold
his possessions, and in October of that year sailed from Liverpool in the
sailing vessel "Sarah Siddons," Captain Cobb commanding, and landed
at New York in November. He remained in that city about one year
and then removed to Public Works in the Beechwoods, Pennsylvania,
and on the completion of the North Branch canal, settled on a farm in
Lebanon township in 1852. After the Civil war he removed to a plan-
tation in Virginia, called Buena Vista, where he remained with a part
of his family until his death, which occurred June 24, 1890. He mar-
ried J\Iaria McKeown, who died on the Wayne county farm, November
17, 18G4. She was an exemplary, consistent Christian woman, carrying
the teachings of her religion into everyday practice, and a devoted :ind
loving wife and mother. The children of this union were: 1. John,
see forward. 2. Thomas. 3. AYilliam James, who for some time after
the arrival of the family in this countr}' Avorked in a grocery store. 4.
Sophia, who obtained employment as a dressmaker. 5. Adam. 6. Al-
fred. 7. Edmund.
John Fulton, A. M., M. E., eldest child of Eev. Thomas and ^laria
(McKeown) Fulton, was born at Drumard Cross, county Tyrone, LTlster,
Ireland, October 16, 1826. His youth was spent on the farm of his
father, and his elementary education was obtained at McKenna's school.
He was then sent to the Ardtrea Classical School, under the supervision
of Professor Kidd. He next attended the Erasmus school, perfecting
himself in the study of higher matliematics, under Andrew Beatty. He
made the acquaintance of Thomas S. Irwin, a civil engineer engaged in
the survey of a large tract of land near Omagh, .about 1845, and this
HISTORY OF CAM BUI A. COUNTY. 15
was of great advantage to him. He was called to Dublin to assist in
the survey of the Great Western Kailway, across Ireland between Dub-
lin and Galway, and "was assigned as chainman to a corps of employes
managed by Butler and Forteseue. He was later promoted to the otiice
ni Dublin in the department of Jonas Stowell. Two years later he was
appointed to assist a Mr. Nevin on the English Government Belief
AA'orks, in the county of Westmeath, Ireland. The following year he
came to America with his parents, and the departure from Ireland, the
land which he dearly loved, was a great grief to him, as well as to the
remainder of the family. When they arrived here, they found it diffi-
cult to get work that paid properly, a laborer's wages being fifty-six
cents per day, and even such a position. Avas not easy to procure. John
could obtain no employment in the engineering line, so he concluded to
go to Wayne county, Pennsylvania, where he had a friend, Francis Blair,
engaged in contracting on Public work. With a five dollar gold piece in
his pocket and a small parcel of clothing he left New York to seek a
betterment of conditions elsewhere. He spent a few days in Kileyville,
Wayne county, Avhere he met some friends and obtained work on a
small canal near Honesdale, in the same county, Avhich paid seventy-
five cents per day, without board, and winter now having set in he be-
gan the real Avork of his life with pick, drill and axe. The following
spring he Avas advanced to the position of boss, and shortly afterward was
further advanced to the position of Avalking boss and had control of all
the other bosses. He sent for his parents and the remainder of the
family and they settled in a shanty, and during the summer all Arorked
on a railroad bed, the father acting as boss. In the fall of this year
the unfinished North Branch canal was put under contract for com-
pletion, and Mr. Blair secured two sections near Tunkhannock, and the
entire Fulton family moved to that region. John continued to be the
Avalking boss and A^'as the general manager of the Avorks and store. When
these sections Avere finished ncAV Avork Avas obtained in the same locality,
and the father and some of the family moved to a small farm in Wayne
county, as previously stated. John Fulton continued manager
at the Tunkhannock acjueduct, and the assistant engineer, T. T. Wier-
man, hearing that he had some engineering training and that be Avas a
good draftsman, engaged him to Avork in his corps. He Avorked from
1852 until 1855 on the Junction canal connecting the Pennsylvania
and NeAV York systems, at Elmira, Ncav York. He Avas connected Avith
this canal Avork until its completion and had in charge the filling of the
canal Avith Avater. He Avas next employed in the construction of the Bar-
clay railroad, and later accepted the position of resident and mining
engineer in connection Avith mining for the Broad Top ]\Iountain Rail-
road and Coal Company. He continued Avith this company from 1857
until 1ST3, having charge of the railroad and the opening of the coal
mines. His next appointment Avas that of chief engineer of the Bed-
ford and Bridgeport Railroad, connecting Mount Dallas Avith Cumber-
land, Maryland. This Avas for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company and
ended in 1874. Hon. D. J. Morrell general manager of the Cambria Iron
Works sent for him, during that year, and offered him the position of gen-
eral mining engineer in that company. This he accepted and at once or-
ganized a corps of men for making surveys of the large mines of the
company. His duties embraced the management of the coal mines and
the coke Avorks situated in Pennsylvania, and the iron ore mines sit-
uated in the Menominee region in northern ]\Iichigan. During the years
he occupied this position he enjoyed the confidence and friendship of
16 HISrOIiY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
Hon. D. J. Morrell, the general manager, and of E. Y. Townsend, the
president of the conipan}'. He was advanced to the position of general
superintendent of the steel works, under C. E. Chaplin, in 1887, and in
the following year was given the important olllce of general manager
of the Cambria Iron Company. This office he filled to the entire satis-
faction of those most interested in the affairs of the company until 1893,
when a severe attack of the grip and other causes induced him to retire
from the exhausting labors.
About three years later he associated himself in partnership with
Mr. Isaac Taylor in the purchase of some coal lands and the establish-
ing of coke works named "Mount Hope" near Uniontown, Fayette
county, Pennsylvania, and this has proved a very practical and profital)le
investment. He also opened an office in Johnstown, Cambria county,
Pennsylvania, and resumed his practice of mine engineering and the ex-
amination of the geological and economical conditions of properties.
These varied occupations and interests have made him one of the busi-
est men of his time. He has been assistant state geologist during the
second geological survey of the state, and reported and mapped Cambria
and Somerset counties. He has crossed the continent twice, visiting
British Columbia, Vancouver Island, Xova Scotia and Newfoundland.
His work has been over a large portion of the United States and Canada,
and he has a wide-spread reputation as a coke expert. He is the author
of a number of j)apers on scientific subjects, among them being a trea-
tise on the "Manufacture of Coke and the Saving of Bi-Products," which
contains three hundred and forty pages, well illustrated. He is con-
nected with many societies and organizations, some of which are here
mentioned: The Philosophical Society of Philadelphia; president of
the Young Men's Christian Association; president of the Park Commis-
sion ; president of Grand View Cemetery ; has been president and civil
engineer of the Board of Health; is a member of the State Forestry
Commission ; is a director of the Union National Bank ; president of
the Buena Vista Iron Ore Company of Virginia : is a mendjer of the
American Institute of Mining Engineers. The Lafayette College, at
Easton, Pennsylvania, in 1870, conferred on him the degree of ]\Iaster
of Arts. He has also been awarded a number of testimonials and medals,
among them being: Two from the judges at the St. Louis Exposition of
1904, one diploma and medal being in special recognition of "Active
interest and efficient co-operation in the Universal Exposition of 190-1,"'
and the other for "developing the coke industry in the United States."
His political affiliations are with the Republican party, l)ut he has never
sought or held ])ublic office. His church connections Avere with the
Presbyterian church in Saxton, -and when he removed to Johnstown he
and his family became members of the First Presbyterian Church in
that city, and having held the office of ruling elder in the Saxton churcli,
he was tendered a similar office in his new home in the Johnstown
church. He instructed a Bible class of adults for more that -forty years,
and was justly renowned for the excellence of his teachings. ]\ir. Ful-
ton is a man of strong personality, keen observation, practical and meth-
odical. His executive ability, which he can put into play without a
moment's hesitation, is simply remarkable. His grasp of detail is won-
derful, and his conclusions are formed rapidly and yet systematically.
He is the ideal man at the head of a commission to enforce laws whicli
are necessary to the masses, yet irksome to a few. The main factors in
the success which he has attained have been his strong will power and
his confidence in himself. He has had as his guide the old but true
niSTOL'Y OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 17
saying, "First be sure that you are right, then go ahead." There is
no worrying after he has arrived at a decision; the matter has been well
considered froui all points of view, before one step is taken to carry
it out, and when once begun there is no need for hesitation. He is a
man of sound judgment and practical common >sense.
Mr. Fulton married, in 1855, in Arthur, Canada, Anne Mackay,
daughter of James Mackay, of Scotland, who emigrated to Upi^r
Canada. He was a botanist of scientific attainments, "and had extensive
nurseries in Ulster, Ireland, prior to his emigration. Mrs. Fulton was
educated in Dungannon, Ireland, at a private seminary for females. The
children of John and Anne (Mackay) Fulton were:" 1. Marie, married
John D. Ligon, in 1889. He is a proofreader in the Patent Office in
Washington, District of Columbia, where they reside, and have one son
and one daughter. 2. James Edmund, was educated partly at the state
college and partly at the Hills' School, below Heading. He studied min-
ing, and at the time of his death, January 18, 1885, was superintendent
of the large coal mines of the Cambria Iron Company, located in tne
city of Johnstown. He had also had considerable experience in explor-
ing for iron ore in the Adirondacks, in the state of New A'ork, and m
opening mines in Morrell in the Connellsville region. He is buried in
the Fulton Circle in Grand View Cemetery. 3. Thomas Wierman, re-
ceived the same education as his In-other, and in addition attended the
Columbia School of Mines in Xew York, in 1881. He died Septeniber
20, 1881, before his graduation. 1. Nannie West, the youngest child of
the family, is still at home.
PRICE FAMILY. The surname Price in each succeedino- oenera-
tion of descendants of its American ancestor has been known in Pennsyl-
vania history from the time of the founding of the Colony by William
Penn and his folloAvers in 1682. Beyond that time little is known of
the family life and history in European countries, except that on all
sides the ancestors in Enghind, Wales, North of Ireland ;ind G-ermany,
Avere members of the religious Society of Friends.
The founder of that branch of the Price family in Pennsylvania of
which this sketch is intended particularly to treat was Phili]) Price, who
is mentioned in Colonial records as having come "with the first Welsh
settlers, but in old age." He was of that colony of settlers of whom
Proud in his "History of Pennsylvania," in treating of the period which
included the last quarter of the seventeenth century, makes ]iarticular
allusion in these words:
"Among those adveiiturers and settlers who arrived about this time
(1682) were also many from Wales, of those who are called Ancient
Britons, and mostly Quakers, divers of whom were of the original or
early stock of that Society there. They had early purcliased of the pro-
prietary in England forty thousand acres of land. 'I'hosc wlio came
at present took up so much of it on the west side of Schuylkill river as
made the three townships of Merion, Haverford and Radnor; and in a
few years afterward theii' number was so augmented as to settle the
three other townships of Newton, Goshen and lT\vchlan(L After this
they continued, still increasing, and became a numerous and (louishing
people." * * , * "Divers of these early Welsh s<;ttlers were jjcrsons
of worthy and excellent character; and several of good education, family
and estate, chiefly Quakers; and many of them either eminent jn-eachers
in that society, and otherwise well cjualified and disposed to do good, in
various capacities, both in religious and civil, in public and private life."
18' niSTOh'Y OF CAllBBJA COUNTY.
Pliilip rrice brono-ht with liim to America his first Avife, and set-
iled in Haverford, near where the Bnck Tavern afterward stood, on the
old Lancaster road, about six miles from .Philadelphia. On the (ith of
the 8th montli, 1697, as appears by a deed now extant, he purchased
from Francis RaAvIe, for the price of one hundred and thirty-five pounds
in silver currency, one thousand acres of land in Plymouth township,
then in Philadelphia county, but now IMontgomery county. In a deed
from Philip Price dated the 5th day of August, 1703, he descril)es him-
self as of Upper Merion, "Welsh Tract. His" will, dated the 11th day of
13th month, 1719, which was probated at Philadelphia, 11th month,
22d day, 1720, describes him as yeoman of the township of Merion, county
of Philadelphia, and makes provision in legacies to his various children
and grandchildren, among the latter being the name of Isaac Price. Unto
his second and youthful Avife, Margaret Price, whose maiden name was
Morgan, and wliom he married at his age of eighty-five years and lived
with aliout twelve years, making his own age ninety-seven years, he de-
vised his "house and plantation, where we now dwell." Margaret Price
lived until 1774.
Isaac Price, son of the first Philip Price, was married on the 4th
day of the 1st month, 1696, to Susanna Shoemaker. This marriage is
duly certified on the books of the Abingdon Monthly Meeting under that
date, with the lawfully recjuired names of twelve Friends as witnesses
following. Susanna Shoemaker was one of the German Friends from
Cresheim, in the Palatinate, on the right bank of the Ehine, below
Heidelberg, having come to America with her mother, Sarah Shoemaker,
and several other children in the ship "Jeffries," Arnold, master, from
London, 8th month, 12, 1685. Susanna Shoemaker then was thirteen
years old. This Isaac Price died before his father, in 1707. His will is
dated 4th dav, 7th month, 1706, and was proved in the register's office
in Philadelphia, on the 1st day of March, 1707.
Isaac Price, son of Isaac and Susanna (Shoemaker) Price, was
placed as an apprentice with Griffith Jones and Elizabeth, his wife, of
Germantown, on the 7th of October, 1720, with several salutary restrain-
ing stipulations in the indenture for his good conduct, with the con-
sent of his mother, who then was Susanna Courten, wife of William
Courten. In Avitnessing his marriage she signed her name as Kourton.
Isaac Price married, on the 10th day of the 4th month, 1729, Margaret
Lewis, Avhose father, Henry LoAvis, came from Narbeth, in Pembroke,
Wales, and settled in Haverford in 1682. He had been a pecuniary suf-
ferer in Wales on account of his religion, and being otherAvise persecuted
he left that country and came to P'enn's colony in America, Avhere he
Avas a man of consequence among the people. He held the office of peace-
maker for the county of Philadelphia, and according to Dr. Smith's
"History of Delaware County"' he Avas foreman of the first grand jury
of that county. Henry LeAvis enjoyed the close friendship of William
Penn, the proprietor, as is shoAvn by a letter Avritten by Penn in Lon-
don to Thomas Lloyd in America, dated 1st month, 16, 1684-5, in Avhich
he requests to be clearly saluted to his "dear friends in their meetings,
and particularly to dear John Simcock and seventeen others by name, in-
cluding Henry LeAvis and the rest of the Welsh Friends." Henry Lewis
died in 1688, leaving his Avife and three children — Henry, Samuel and
Elizabeth — all of Avhom Avere born in Wales. Henry married Maiy
Taylor, daughter of Eobert Taylor of Springfield, and Avho had <-'ome
from Cheshire. In speaking of this Henry LeAvis, Dr. Smith's history
says : "The second Henry became a man of considerable note : Avas a
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 19
member of the Assembly in 1715 and 1718, and was employed in other
public trusts. His descendants are numerous, and many of them have
been remarkable for intellectual superiority. The most"^ noted was tlie
late Enoch Lewis, the mathematician." Eobert Taylor and Mary his
wife arrived in the ship "Endeavor," of London, on the 29th of 7th
month, 1683. Henry Lewis, the second, and Mary Taylor were married
at a meeting held at the house of Bartholmew Coppock, in Springfield,
on the 20th of the 12th month, 1G92. Their daughter Margaret, who
afterward married Isaac Price (2d) was born 9th. month, 17th, 1700.
The office of peacemaker, held by the first Henry Lewis, was cre-
ated by an Act of Assembly at the second session in the Province; and
■the Chester court, Avhich appointed three persons to the office of peace-
maker, ordered them to meet on the first fourth day in each moatli;
hence their meeting came to be called the monthly court. The duty of
peacemaker was to determine all matters in litigation, subject to appeal
to the higher court, and, as the name implies, to exercise an advisory
power in the reconciliation of persons in dispute and in all ways to dis-
courage litigation among the settlers. Penn himself in a letter w^ritten
in 1683 to the Society of Free Traders, says: "To prevent lawsuits there
are three Peacemakers chosen by every County Court, in the nature of
common arbitrators, to hear and end differences betwixt man and man."
Isaac Price (2d) and his wife ]\Iargaret were the parents of Philip
Price (2d). He was born in Plymouth on the 5th of the 11th month,
1730, and afterward lived in Kingsessing, l)oth in Philadelphia county, but
in his advanced age he lived in Barby, in Delaware county. Philip Price,
son of Isaac and Margaret, married Hannah Bonsall, by meeting at
Darby, on the 13th day of the 5th month, 1752. She was a daughter
of Benjamin and Martha Bonsall, of Kingsessing. Under the date of
3d month, 14th day, 1809, Philip Price, by the hand of his son, Philip
Price (3d), sets forth that he and his male children are then the only
living descendants of the name of Price of the original Philip Price, his
great-grandfather.
The American ancestors of Hannah Bonsall, wife of Philip Price
(2d), were her grandparents, Eichard and Mary Bonsall, of whom
Proud, the historian, has written as follows: "In the year 1682 they
(the Quakers) had a religious meeting fixed at Darby. Among the first
and early settlers of the Society at or near this place are mentioned
(among several names) Eichard Bonsall, who all came from Derbyshire
in England." The birth of a son Benjamin to Eichard and Mary Bon-
sall is recorded in the Friends' Meeting Book at Darby as on the 3d day
of the 11th month, 1687. Eichard Bonsall died on the 13th day of the
7th month, 1699, his wife having died in the previous year. In his will
he bequeathed legacies to his daughters and devised lands to his sons.
On the 7th day of the 11th month, 1714, his sons partitioned among
themselves the lands left by their father, and Jacob and Enoch Bon-
sall conveyed to their brother Benjamin his allotment of one hundred
and four acres. On this tract Hannah Bonsall was born, as also was
her son, Philip Price (3d). Benjamin Bonsall married Martha ,
her family name and the date of her marriage not being found in the
record.
Benjamin and Martha Bonsall were the parents of several children,
of whom Hannah, who married Philip Price (2d), was born on the 10th
of the 11th month, 1730. Martha, wife of Benjamin Bonsall, died some
time after 1728, and in 1737 he took to wife Elizabeth Home. He died
20 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
on the Gth of the 1st inonth, 1752, well possessed hoth in h\nd< and
goods.
During the years of the Eevolutionary War Philip Price (2d) was
a farmer and grazier on the Bonsall acres in Kingsessing. He made a
record, nnder the date of 12th month. 22d day, IT?:, that General
Howe, commander of the British army, took up his quarters at his
house and remained there until the 28tli. He also made a written state-
ment of his losses by reason of the British occupancy of his possessions
and of the property he was compelled to yield to the invading forces:
200 panels fence on meadows £ 3T 10
700 panels good cedar posts and rails 126 00
200 panels oak, worth Is 6d lo 00
AVood 20 00
Oxen, cattle, horses and sheep 98 10
24 cattle taken by the commissary at il ;>."), worth twice
that '. '. 135 00
i452 05
This forcible occupation and appropriation of property took place
when the British forces were in possession of Philadelphia following the
battle of Brandywine; and tradition says that the sons of Philip Price
annoyed and amused, as they happened to take it, the British officers by
refusing to "hurrah" for King George, ))ut persistently "hurrahed" for
General Washington.
Hannah Bonsall, wife of Philip Price, was l)uried on the 10th day of
the 5th month, 1802, in the burying-ground of the Old Hill meeting
house in Darljy. Her husljand survived her nine years, and died on the
17th of the 9th month, 1811, and was buried beside her.
Philip Price (3d), son of Philip and Hannah (Bonsall) Price, was
born on the 1st day of the 8th month, 176-4. He was a farmer with his
father in Kingsessing until three years after his marriage, and then
lived for four years on a farm in East Xantmeal, in Chester county. In
1791 he purchased the plantation lying between West Chester and the
Brandywine. At that time, in common with much of the land in the
region, the plantation was in a low condition, exhausted, unproductive;
its areas washed into gullies and stripped of verdure and partly over-
grown with poverty grass, briars and alders. Such was the condition
of the estate to which Philip Price removed with his family in 1791 ;
but he was a skilled farmer, patient, tireless and determined. ^lore
than that, he held progressive ideas and theories on the question of prac-
tical farming, and here came the opportunity to put them into effect.
He was one of the leaders of new and advanced thought in matters per-
taining to agricultural pursuits, and after consulting men of his kind
he began a systematic course of manuring, rotation of crops, etc., that
soon showed surprising results, and his lands became fertile and
productive under his careful management. He brought lime from the
valley, gypsum and plaster from tidewater, and spread l)oth freely with
good judgment over his broad acres; and in their turn these once al-
most abandoned lands yielded to his treatment and gave back into his
graneries an abundant harvest. Of Philip Price's practical methods and
their result. Judge Peters wrote: "1 have heard of none who have been
more remarkably successful in tlie plaster system than ]\Ir. West and
Mr. Price. They have brought old worn-out lands to an astonishing
degree of fertility and profit by combining the plaster with other
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 21
manures."' This careful husbandry transformed the exhausted hills of
the Brandywine into beautiful and productive areas and made them the
garden place of Pennsylvania, as they are known even to the present
day; and the part in this which Philip Price took more than one hun-
dred years ago brought wealth to him and the appreciation and grati-
tude of many men whose congratulations countect for much and were
more than mere empty honors; and his work was in a measure recog-
nized by his neighbors when on its organization the Chester County Agri-
cultural Society elected him its first president.
On the 20th day of the 10th month, 1784, Philip Price married
Eachel Kirk, in accordance with the ceremonial of the Society of
Friends, of which both were devout members. Their two eldest children
were born at the Kingsessing home near the "Old Swede Church," and
the next two at the plantation at ISTantmeal; the other children were
born in the old homestead at East Bradford, in Chester coimty. Here
they lived until 1818, and then removed to take charge of the West Town
Boarding School as superintendents, remaining there until 1830, when
they opened their West Chester Boarding School for Girls. In that
house Philip Price died on the 26th day of the 2d month, 1837, and his
widow, Eachel Kirk Price, on the 6th day of the 8th month, 1847. Both
are buried at Birmingham. They were foremost in the daily and de-
votional life of the Society of Friends, and early in life Eachel Price
became convinced that it was her duty to make a public appearance as a
minister of the Society. This conviction was the occasion of much deep
thought in her own mind, and distressed her not a little because of a
sense of the responsibility of the duties she was about to undertake.
About the year 1792 she first appeared as a minister, and afterward con-
tinued to appear in that capacity with every devotion throughout the
remaining 5'ears of her noble life; and in what she undertook and in
what she accomplished she always had the encouragement and support of
her husband and family.
In 1795 Philip Price was appointed one of the committee in charge
of the work of construction, opening and subsequent supervision of the
Friends' Boarding School at West Town. In the capacity of superin-
tendent he devoted much of his time to the work of the school until
1830, and was identified v/ith the institution in some capacity for thirty-
five years. For twelve years beginning in 1818 he and his wife were
superintendents of the school, and all of their children were educated
there.
Eachel Kirk, wife of Philip Price (3d), was a daughter of William
Kirk, and granddaughter of Alphonsus Kirk, the latter having been the
founder of the familv in America and its ancestor. He was a son of
Eoger and Elizabeth Kirk of Lurgan, province of Ulster, Ireland. He
sailed from Belfast and landed at Jamestown, Virginia, on the 12th of
the 1st month, 1689, after a voyage of fifty-two days; and arrived in
i'ennsylvania on the 29th of the 3d month following. Alphonsus Kirk
was a young man when he came to Pennsylvania. Proud mentions him
with the Friends who arrived in 1682 and settled on Brandywine creek
and about Center, which is west of the Brandywine, but family docu-
ments indicate that his arrival was a few years later than 1682. On
the 23d of the 12th month, 1692-3, he married Abigail Sharpley, a
Friend, daughter of Adam Sharpley, at the house of her father, on Shil-
pot creek. Proud's narrative mentions Adam Sharpley's arrival under
the date of 1682 and places him among the settlers on the east side of
Brandywine creek in New Castle county.
Vol. Ill — 2
22 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
The tenth child born to Alphonsus and Abigail (Sharpley) Kirk
was William Kirk, born 1st month, 4th day, 1708. He married twice,
his second wife being Sibilla Davis, who was born 1st month, 1st day,
1726. They were married 3d month, 27th day, 1754. Eachel Kirk was
their sixth child, and was born on the 18th day of the 4th month, 1763.
John Davis, father of Sibilla, came from Wales in 1715. His wife was
Elizabeth Harris, daughter of Daniel and Sibyl ■ (Price) Harris, both
of whom were born in Wales.
It will be seen from what has been narrated in preceding para-
graphs that the ancestry of the present generation of the Price family
in Pennsylvania traces in all its several branches to the time of the
Colony, and that the nationalities there represented are about evenly
divided between the Welsh and the English, with a fair sprinkling of
Scotch-Irish and German. As showing the characteristics of the Welsh,
it is interesting in this connection to note the petition which those set-
tl(;rs on the forty thousand acre tract presented to the governor and
council on the 13th day of the 10th month, 1690, to the end that they be
constituted a distinct barony, with power to govern themselves and their
jurisdiction, being somewhat jealous of their own nationality and de-
sirous to preserve its established habits and customs. In the petition
they say:
"We, the inhabitants of the Welsh tract, in the Province of Penn-
S3dvania, in America, being descended of the Ancient Britons, who al-
ways in the land of our nativity, under the Crown of England, had en-
joyed that liberty and privileges as to have our bounds and limits by
ourselves, within the which all causes, quarrels, crimes and titles were
tried and wholly determined by officers, magistrates, and juries of our
own language, which were our equals: Having our faces towards these
countries, made the motion to our Governor that we might enjoy the
same here, which thing was soon granted by him before he or we came
to these parts, and when he came over he gave forth his warrant to lay
out forty thousand acres of land, to the intent that we might live to-
gether, and enjoy our liberty and devotion in our own language as afore
in our own country," etc. In this, however, they were disappointed through
having spread over too much territory and other settlers having obtained
portions of the lands allotted to their people.
The historian of the Price Family concludes his record with the fol-
lowing pertinent observations: "In the review of our ancestry' we may
here state, I think with a just satisfaction, that but few of them, on any
side, appear to have held public office, or to have sat in a legislative
body. They all belonged to the industrial classes, as all must in a new
country; all maintained their families and their own independence by
their intelligence and honest industry and thrift; and happily so for
themselves and for us, for thereby they acquired and preserved health,
and left to us good constitutions. We inherited from them no taint,
physical or moral, except the general liability to temptation and sin,
common to all the children of Adam. They generally remained in the
dignified position of private life ; risked not all their character or peace
by the inordinate pursuit of gain ; nor sullied their honor by political
arts or unscrupulous ambition. They and their associate colonists and
Quakers lived and died Hhe noblest work of God,' honest men and hon-
est women, with the virtues that characterize a religious society, who
were as pure as the purest Pviritans, but possessed much greater amen-
ity of manners, much more Christian charity, and cherished the ten-
derest sentiments of humanity."
HISTOEY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 23
The following are the children of Philip and Eachel (Kirk) Price:
1. Martha Price, born November 3, 1785 ; married Nathan H. Sharp-
less; died September 11, 1852. 2. Hannah Price, born March 26, 1787;
married David Jones Davis; died January 10, 1861. 3. William Price,
born September 17, 1788; married Hannah Fisher; died Jannarv 27,
1860. 4. Sibbilla Price, born February 19, 1790; married John W.
Townsend; died August 6, 1853. 5. Margaret Price, born April 19,
1792; married Jonathan Paxson; died . 6. Benjamin Price, born
December 17, 1793; married Jane Paxson; died. 7. Sarah Price, born
November 6, 1795, married Caleb Carmalt; died. 8. Eli I\. Price, born
July 20, 1797; married Anna Embree; died. 9. Isaac Price, born No-
vember 30, 1799; married Susanna Payne; died August 25, 1825. 10.
Philip M. Price, born July 7, 1802; married Matilda Greentree. 11.
Eachel Price, born July 10, 1808; died September 25, 1808.
William Price, eldest son of the parents above mentioned, was a
graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, and by profession was a
physician and surgeon. He made several sea voyages, spent three years
in Paris attending medical lectures and courses, and on his return set-
tled for practice in the city of Philadelphia. Later he removed to Ohio,
where at one time he was a member of the state legislature. He prac-
ticed medicine and surgery in Cincinnati and lived in that city until
his death.
Benjamin Price, the second son^, remained on the farm and spent
his life there.
Eli K. Price, the third son, early entered mercantile pursuits,
which he eventually forsook for the law. In practice he was particular-
ly identified with real estate litigation and land titles, touching which
he at one time published a professional work. He was elected to the
Pennsylvania senate from Philadelphia in 1853. He wrote a memorial
of his father and mother, which, with the assistance of his brother Philip,
was printed and circulated; and he also wrote other works of a genea-
logical and personal character of the Price family, and was author of
various miscellaneous works. His w^as decidedly a literary mind and he
employed himself well in work of that character.
Isaac Price, the fourth son, lived at home on the farm until his
death, which came before he had attained his twenty-sixth year of life.
Philip M. Price, tenth child and youngest son of Philip, and Each-
el (Kirk) Price, was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, on the 7th
of July, 1802. His young life was spent in his native county, and he
was educated chiefly in the school at West Town, which was conducted
by his parents. Later on he took up the study of medicine Avith his
friend. Dr. John D. Goodman, and also attended upon the courses of
the Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania, where he
was graduated and came to the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Through-
out the period of his life he always retained his interest in the science of
medicine, but the practice of the profession proved distasteful to him
and he abandoned it for more congenial pursuits. As a temporary oc-
cupation he accepted a position as civil engineer for that part of the
present city of Philadelphia which then was known as the District of
Spring Garden. It was a growing suburb, and Mr. Price soon became
deeply interested in his work in the development of the municipality and
also in all public enterprises; and his fellow citizens were quick to dis-
cover that by reason of his energy, business ability, integrity, good
sense and general breadth of view his counsel and assistance were inval-
uable in shaping the future of the District. The result was that the
24 HISTORY OF CAMBBIA COUNTY.
office he had previously accepted as a convenient employment for a lim-
ited period became a jDcrmanency. He remained there thirty years and
his name is to be found in the record of every important enterprise begun
or completed in the community during that time. During his incum-
bency of office he laid out the streets and made the plans for the whole
District.
After the consolidation, in 1854, of all the districts and townships
of Philadelphia county into the one great mimicipality of the city of
Philadelphia, Mr. Price was continued in his office as city engineer for
the wards formed from the old District of Spring Garden, but afterward
he took less interest in local affairs than before the consolidation was
effected. His mind had already been occupied for some time with the
question of railroad connection between Philadelphia and Lake Erie,
and now he turned all his energies toward the solution of that question
by the construction of the Sunbury & Erie railroad, and its feeder, the
Bald Eagle Valley railroad. He served as treasurer of the first and as
jjresident of the latter company, and bitterly opposed their ultimate ab-
sorj)tion by the great Pennsylvania system, although he had been one of
the original promoters of that enterprise. He was intimately associated
with Mr. Thomas Scott and other prominent railroad men in the work
of railway jjlaiining and construction, and it is fairly within the truth to
say that without Mr. Price and his persistent efforts the building of the
old Simbury & Erie road would have been long delayed, although doubt-
less sure to be accomplished in the end.
While engaged in this Avork Mr. Price visited Lock Haven, Penn-
sylvania, and becoming much impressed with the possibilities of the
place and its locality and the natural beauties of the region, soon began
to purchase land there until he had acquired several hundred acres. On
this he laid out that part of the city of Lock Haven known as Price's Ad-
dition, opened and fenced streets and planted the hundreds of foliage
trees which now are the pride and beauty of that section. About 1860
Mr. Price removed with his family from Philadelphia to Lock Haven,
and lived there until the time of his death in 1870. His wife died there
in 1864. Her name before marriage was Matilda Greentree. They had
six children: Helen F. Price, Hannah P. Price, Mary Price, Anna Price,
Philip M. Price, Jr., and Charles S. Price.
Philip M. Price, Jr., elder of the two sons, was educated at the
United States ]\Iilitary Academy at AVest Point, New York, and at the
time of his death (1894) had attained the rank of captain in the engi-
neer corps, and his last public service was that of engineer-secretary of
the Light-House Board in Washington, D. C. He also had served as as-
sistant professor of mathematics and instructor of practical military en-
gineering in West Point Academy, and had been engaged in geographical
explorations and surveys of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi river.
Philip M. Price, the senior, ahvays w^as interested in the buying and
selling of real estate, and in this his remarkable judgment and foresight
made him very successful. By means of it he gained a competencv, and
ha;d he so desired he could have accumulated a large fortune; but it was
a part of his creed, and he steadfastly adhered to it, that whatever a
man gains beyond the needs of his physical, intellectual and domestic
comfort and welfare he holds in trust for the good of his fellow men.
He lost no opportunity to aid in the cause of education, whether through
public instruction or by direct assistance to deserving individuals. Dur-
ing the last half of his sixty-eight years of life hardly a year passed in
vfhich he did not assist at least one young man or woman, not of hi&
HISTORY OF CAMBBIA COUNTY. 25
own family, through a college course, and in some years the number of
his beneficiaries was two or three. When the project for securing one of
the state normal schools for Lock Haven was proposed he promptly do-
nated the necessary amount of land (ten acres) for that purpose and
thus enabled the projectors of the institution to go before the legisla-
ture fully prepared to comply with all the requirements of the law. This
donation of land was subsequently increased to eighteen acres. Among
his numerous benefactions to Lock Haven institutions should be men-
tioned the lots on which now stand the Eoman Catholic church, the
Methodist Episcopal church, St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal church,
lots for the Eoman Catholic cemetery, twenty-five acres for Highland
cemetery and also ground for two schools.
Always an earnest advocate of the abolition of slavery, his home,
then a few miles out of the city of Philadelphia, became one of the
safest stations on the famous "Underground Eailroad," where many es-
caping slaves were provided with rest and comfort, and ultimately were
furnished with the means to carry them to sure refuge farther north
and in Canada. Philanthropy in its true sense — the love of mankind —
was the moving principle of Mr. Price's life. In his early life he had
been interested in the promulgation of socialistic doctrines and in found-
ing a socialistic colony which was to expound them; and he suffered no
loss of faith when that community was, like all others of its kind, final-
ly abandoned. Afterward, however, he relied more on individual effort
in accomplishing his purposes.
Charles S. Price, general manager of the Cambria Steel Company,
whose mammoth works may be well considered the very soul of indus-
trial Johnstown, was born at West Chester, Pennsylvania, on the 27th
day of August, 1853. He acquired his early and preparatory education
in private schools, then entered Cornell University and was graduated
with the class of 1872, with the degree of Bachelor of Civil Engineer-
ing. During his college days he assisted in organizing and was a charter
member of Xi Chapter of Chi Phi Fraternity. After graduation from
college his first employment was with the Detroit Bridge & Iron Works
at Detroit, Michigan, as draughtsman, and after a short service in that
position he was elected city engineer of Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, serv-
ing in that capacity three years. In June, 1876, he secured employment
as draughtsman with the Cambria Iron Company in its engineering de-
partment at the works in Johnstown. When the Cambria Company be-
gan the erection of its first open hearth steel plant, Mr. Price was de-
tailed for duty in connection with that work and supervised the details
of construction for the engineering department; and upon the comple-
tion of the open hearth plant he v/as appointed foreman of one turn in
the work of the new department, and thus began his connection with the
operation of the vast enterprise which now is under his personal man-
agement. From the comparatively unimportant position of foreman in
a single department of the company's works Mr. Price has been ad-
vanced, in accordance with the "Cambria policy," steadily and surely to
the highest working position in its service. After three years' service as
foreman, in which capacity he worked alternate weeks, day and night, he
was made superintendent of the open hearth works, and filled that po-
sition from July, 1881, to May, 1884, when he was advanced to the more
responsible position of superintendent of the Bessemer steel open hearth
and blooming department. In January, 1886, the metallurgical depart-
ment was organized, combining the Bessemer and open hearth steel
26 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COVXTY.
works, the blast furnaces and rolling mills, and Mr. Price was placed
in charge.
During his incumbency of the position of superintendent of the met-
allurgical department occurred the "Great Flood"' of 1889, which may-
well be said to have been the period which "tried out" every Cambria
official. So well, however, did Mr. Price succeed in the work of bringing
order' out of chaos in his own department and placing it in condition
for successful operation, that when a vacancy occurred in the general
superintendency, his name was the only one that suggested itself to the
principal officers of the company in connection with the position; and
in October, 1890, he was made general superintendent of manufacture,
his duties covering all processes of steel production and manufacture.
And again, -n-hen there came a vacancy in the office of general manager,
a position which imposed duties far beyond those usually accompanying
such a position elsewhere, there was no question of choice among the
company officers in the selection of a new incumbent, and Mr. Price was
chosen to that position in the month of March, 1892 ; and since that time
he has been the head of the works of the great Cambria Steel Company,
1;he sole responsible head of its local operations. ^Mien he first assumed
the duties of general manager the total number of men employed under
his direction was seven thousand six hundred and sixteen. Some idea
of the subsequent growth of the plant and the added responsibilities of
the managing officer may be gathered when it is said that at the present
time the Cambria pay rolls provide for fifteen thousand eight hundred
and thirty-six men.
It is not merely as the finished executive skilled in the technique
and minute detail of iron and steel manufacture, daily determining mat-
ters that call for the expenditure of large sums of money and the plac-
ing of almost an army of men, that Mr. Price is known in the city of
Johnstown. With a wide reputation for executive and managerial abil-
ity and an almost perfect knowledge of the iron and steel trade extend-
ing" throughout all its ramifications, his recognized business acumen has
made him available in other lines. In 1896 he was elected president of
the Johnstown Water Company and the Johnstovrn (now Consumers')
-Gas Compan}', and he has exercised supervisory control of the operation
of these corporations. He assisted in the organization of the Johnstown
Trust Company and served as its president for one year; seiwed several
years as president of the Conemaugh Valley Hospital Association, and
now is president of the Citizens' Electric Light, Heat & Power Com-
pany. He also is president and a director of the Manufacturers' Wa-
_ter Company and of several corporations subsidiary to the Cambria
Steel Company, as well as having been a director of the parent organ-
ization since 1897.
Mr. Price is an attendant at the services of St. Mark's Protestant
Episcopal church, and in political preference is a Republican; but he
has steadily refused to consider any suggestion of political advancement,
although he has served the borough of Westmont as councilman and also
as school controller. His chief personal characteristics are grasp of de-
tail and determination. A patient listener, he has a remarkable faculty
of quickly solving a given business problem and is equally quick in an-
nouncing his decision. He is a strict disciplinarian, but always cour-
teous to those with whom he is in association and to his subordinates,
and it is a great compliment to the man that his methods and manner
"are imconsciously copied in the conduct of other men throughout the
length and breadth of the Cambria works. '
I'
THE
NEW YORK
PUBLIC library!
■^Msr, Lenox and Tlldifl ,
Foi/ndaflonj.
-v.. 1909
~CFaa-uj>Ay^
',A
HISrORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 27
On the Tth day of June, 1883, Charles S. Price married Sarah
Haws, daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Andrew J. Haws. Of this mar-
riage three children have been born, two of whom are still living: Philip
Price, a student at Cornell, class of '07, and Helen Price, a little daugh-
ter, the life and the light of the Price. home at Edgehill Drive, West-
mont.
GEOKGE WASHINGTON WAGONER, of Johnstown, widely
known for his large capabilities as a physician and surgeon, and for pub-
lic services of great value, both personally and in the line of his profes-
sion, is a representative of an old and honored Pennsylvania family of
German origin, whose members for several generations have been men of
unusual intelligence and force of character.
His paternal great-grandfather, George Wagoner (or Von Wagner,
the original form of the family name), was a native of the province of
Wurtemberg, Germany. He was highly endowed with mental gifts, lib-
erally educated, and was a preacher of independent thought and action.
Becoming dissatisfied ^^■it]l the dogmas and doctrines of the established
church, he dissented therefrom ^vith all the energy of his nature and
,with scholarly ability, and his strictures brought upon him a veritable
martyrdom — he was thrown into prison, and the incarceration resulted
in his death.
George Wagoner, son of him whose fate has been narrated, deter-
mined to escape like persecution and to secure for himself the blessings
of the greater religious liberty afforded in the United States, became a
self-elected "Redemptioner," selling his time to a ship company in order
to procure transportation to these shores. Arrived in Philadelphia, he
was placed with a Quaker with whom he remained until his obligation
was discharged. In such kind hands he found not only humane treat-
ment, but was afforded opportunity for securing an education, an oppor-
tunity of which he made such excellent use that when, a few years later,
he removed to ihe western part of the state, his mental qualifications
were superior to those of the majority of the young men, "native and to
the manner born," with whom he found his lot cast. So well equipped
had he become that in Madison, Westmoreland county, where he took
employment in a pottery works, he was engaged as a school teacher dur-
ing the winter months, and served most creditably in that capacity. He
inherited his father's deep religious zeal, engaged actively in the religious
life of the coinnumity, was ordained a minister of the United Brethren
church, and for many years labored earnestly and with much success for
the cause of Christianity. A man of strong individuality, a deep think-
er, eloquent speaker and forceful writer, with voice and pen he moulded
public opinion along various new lines, an instance being found in his
intense effort in behalf of anti-slavery views, in which field he was num-
bered among the earliest and most aggressive pioneers. In another
cause he anticipated advanced thouglit by three-quarters of a century,
publishing as early as 1835 a volume entitled "A Plan for Abolishing
AVar,-"' and which" embodied many of the principles and plans formu-
lated by the Peace Commission at its sessions in Washington City a few
years ago. In 1850 he determined to pass the remainder of his life in
Iowa, and died while on his journey to that state.
His son, Rev. George Wagoner, was of the same spirit as his sire and
grandsire, and, like them, gave his life to the service of the Master, al-
though he did not uninterruptedly labor in the ministry. He was born
in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, in 1826. He received a common
28 HISTOFY OF CAMBJUA COUNTY.
school education, but his higher mental training and bent of character
came from his honored father. When twenty years of age he was li-
censed as a preacher in the United Bretliren church, to which he de-
voted the best years of his life, serving it in every capacity. In 1850 he
located in Johnstown, which he- thereafter deemed his home, although his
ministerial work required repeated brief removals. He was, however, a
continuous resident of that city after 1869. Unremitting application
to his work as a preacher ultimately impaired his health, and he desisted
from its constant practice in 1860. Having mastered dentistry, he prac-
ticed that iDrofession, in addition to performing much ministerial work
and serving a mission church in Kernville. He was the oldest minister
in length of service in the Allegheny Conference. He was distinguished
for courageous maintenance of the right, and for his readiness to uphold
the weak and deserving. Atfectionate, congenial and lovable in his per-
sonal relations, his was a truly model household. He married Mary L.
Heurie.
George Washington Wagoner, son of Eev. George Wagoner, was
born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, February 22, 1856. He obtained his
early education in the public schools of Johnstown. He subsequently
learned the printers trade, serving for two years in the office of the
Johnstown Tribune. His aptitude for this calling was manifested when
at the age of seventeen he began the publication of The Literary Record,
an amateur weekly newspaper thirteen by twenty-six inches, wliieh he
published for one year, carrying on in connection therewith a general
job printing business. In this venture he displayed abilities which
pointed to a large degree of success in the field of journalism had he per-
sisted in it, but he was predisposed to the medical profession, and in
1875, at the age of nineteen, began a course of study in the office of Dr.
A. N. Wakefield, of Johnstown. He completed his professional studies
in the Medical Department of the Western Eeserve University, Cleve-
land, Ohio, and was graduated from that institution in the class of 1878,
when twenty-two years old. He at once entered upon practice in Johns-
town, Pennsylvania, and steadily arose in his profession, soon coming
to be regarded as one of the safest and most amply equipped practition-
ers in the valley. His standing in his profession is attested by the nu-
merous responsible positions he has occupied from time to time. He
was secretary of the Cambria County Medical Society from 1887 to
1889; its president from 1890 to 1891, and is now and has been for three
years past treasurer of the Medical Society of the State of Pennsylvania.
He is also a member of the American Medical Association. Under the
administration of President Cleveland (1884-89) he was secretary of the
local United States Pension Examining Board. When occurred the great
Johnstown Flood, signal recognition of his professional and executive
abilities came in his appointment as deputy medical inspector for the
Pennsylvania State Board of Health, and the committal to him of the
direction of sanitary operations in a large section of the flooded district,
covered with all manner of disease-bearing debris, and an almost house-
less population of thirty-five hundred souls, and that a great epidemic
at that time was averted was largely due .to his ceaseless vigilance and
unremitting industry. He was one of the organizers of the Conemaugh
Valley Memorial Hospital and its Hospital Director from 1892 to 1896,
when he resigned on account of pressing civic duties then devolving upon
him, retaining, however, his seat in the directorate. From 1889 until he
resigned he was secretary of the board, and subsequently resumed that
position, which he still holds. He has contributed a number of scien-
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 29
tific papers to the medical journals of the country, and in 1905, bv
special appointment, read the "Address on Hygiene "and State Medicine"
before the Medical Society of the State of Pennsylvania.
While thus active in his profession. Dr. Wagoner has at the same
time been a prominent and useful factor in civic affairs. As a Democrat
he has always taken an active part in the counsels of his party, and has
frequently sat as a delegate in its conventions and other deliberative
bodies. For a number of years he served as ward committeeman, was a
delegate in the state conventions of 1884 and 1889 ; was a member of the
state central committee, and an alternate delegate to the national con-
vention at Chicago in 1884. In 1896 he was elected mayor of Johns-
town, and his administration of municipal affairs was characterized by a
lofty public spirit and progressiveness which resulted in marked ad-
vancement of the material interests of the city, and stamped him as a
highly competent executive officer. On April 24, 1906, he was appointed
a member of the Board of Fire Commissioners of the city of Johnstown,
charged with the organization and control of a paid fire department.
Wlien the commissioners met for organization he was elected president
of the Board.
Dr. Wagoner has taken high rank in the Masonic fraternitv, being
affiliated with Cambria Lodge No. 278, F. and A. M. ; Portage Chapter
No. 195, E. A. M.: Oriental Commandery No. 61, K. T. ; and is a Noble
of Syria Temple, Mystic Shrine, and a member of the Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks, and the Knights of Pythias.
HON. LUCIAN D. WOODEUFF, former mayor of Johnstown,
Cambria county, Pennsylvania, and who has held many positions of
trust and responsibility in the county, is a descendant of one of the old-
est English families of Connecticut, many members of which have made
fine records in military, professional and commercial circles. The
Woodruff family which settled in Connecticut was descended from Puri-
tan ancestors Avho came to the Massachusetts Bay settlement in the early
days of the colonial history. Philip Woodruff, the great-great-grand-
father of Hon. Lucian D. Woodruff, settled in Waterbury, Connecticut,
and his grandson Philip was the grandfather of Hon. Lucian D. Wood-
ruff.
Captain Henry D. Woodruff, son of the last-named Philip, was born
in Waterbury, Connecticut, September 24, 1825. His boyhood days were
spent in Windsor, New York, and at the age of eighteen years he removed
to Perry county, Pennsylvania, where he was engaged in teaching until
the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. In April of that year he recruit-
ed Company D, Second Eegiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, three months'
troops, at New Bloomfield, and when it was mustered into service Mr.
Woodruff was appointed captain. This company was assigned to the Sec-
ond Eegiment, April 20, 1861, under the command of General Eobert
Patterson. At the expiration of the three months Captain Woodruff
raised Company D of the Forty-seventh Eegiment, and was mustered in
September 20, 1861. This regiment was in some of the most important
engagements of the war — the defense of the city of Washington, and was
stationed at Key West, Florida ; and took part in the l)attles of Poco-
taligo. South Carolina ; Pleasant Hill and Sabine Cross Eoads, under
Banks, and Opequon and Cedar Creek under Sheridan. The Forty-sev-
enth was the only Pennsylvania regiment in the Eed Eiver expedition.
It saw service in seven different southern states, rharched over twelve hun-
dred miles, and made twelve voyages. Company D, under Captain Woodruff,
30 HISTOKY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
performed its 'full share in siege, battle, march and voyage, and returned
to its home with a well-deserved reputation for bravery and efficiency,
due in a great measure to the gallant example set by its captain. At the
conclusion of the war Captain Woodruff settled in Johnstown, where he
was engaged with his son, Hon. Lucian D., in the conduct of the Demo-
crat, from 1864: to 187 G. He then retired to private life in Blairsville,
Indiana county, Pennsylvania, where he died. He married Elizabeth
Harper, born in Juniata county, Pennsylvania. Captain Henry D. and
Elizabeth (Harper) Woodruff had children: Lucian D., see forward;
Mrs. Ada Tittle, Edward C. ; and four died in youth.
Hon. Lucian D. Woodruff, first surviving son and child of Captain
Henry D. and Elizabeth (Harper) Woodruff, was born at Landisburg,
Perry county, Pennsylvania, January 8, 1845. He received an excellent
education at"^ the New Bloomfield Academy and then followed the profes-
sion of teaching for one term. He learned the trade of printing in the
office of the Perry County Democrat. He removed to Johnstown in 1864
and became associate editor and proprietor of the Johnsto-s^ai Democrat,
and after the retirement of his father in 1876 he was the sole editor and
proprietor until 1893, when he disposed of the entire plant. The follow-
ing year he was appointed postmaster of Johnstown by President Cleve-
land, a position which he filled very creditably. He served in the house
of representatives of Pennsylvania from 1879 until 1882. He was a del-
egate representing the Congressional district composed of the counties of
Blair, Bedford, Cambria and Somerset in the national Democratic con-
vention that met in Chicago in 1884, which nominated Grover Cleveland
for President ; and was named as one of the presidential electors from the
Twenty-first Pennsylvania Congressional district in 1904.
After Johnstown was organized as a city, he served for several terms
on the school board, and in 1899 he was elected mayor. During his term
of office he made many improvements and introduced innovations by
Avhich the city was greatly benefited. He has always had the public wel-
fare at heart, and his time, labor and money have been given freely in its
service. His unvarying courtesy and pleasant demeanor have won for
him many friends in all ranks of life. He married (first) December 26,
1865, Maggie W. Lynch, born in New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania, and
they had children : Jessie, who married Anderson H. Walters ; Harry D. ;
Lucian D. ; and two who died in infancy. He married (second), Jan-
uary 24, 1894, Maria A. Dick, daughter of George Dick, of Baltimore,
Maryland.
CHARLES EDMUXD H ANN AX, M. D., surgeon to the Cone-
maugh Valley ]\Ieniorial Hospital at Johnstown, Cambria county, Penn-
sylvania, is descended from a family of Irish lineage which was founded
in the ITnited States in the first half of the nineteenth century.
Martin Hannan, grandfather of Dr. Hannan, and the founder of
the Hannan family in America, was born in county Longford, Ireland,
in 1809. He came to America in 1830 and settled in the city of New
York, where he remained for some years. He removed to Johnstown,
Cambria coimty, Pennsylvania, in 1840, and died there in 1860. During
all these years he had followed the business of contracting and building.
He married Ellen O'Eouke, who was born in county Cavan, Ireland, in
1817, and came to New York with her parents in 1832. Their children
were : James ; John, of whom later ; Margaret ; Mary ; and Jane. All but
John are now deceased.
Hon. John Hannan, second son and child of Martin and Ellen
^..^.^^Ti^A^ ,^y--
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 31
(O'Kouke) Hannaii;, was born in the city of New York, December 18,
1836. He was educated in St. Francis College, in Loretto, Pennsylvania,
and after leaving school was apprenticed to learn the trade of moulding,
at which he worked until 1866. He then went into- the mercantile busi-
ness, establishing himself in Franklin street, Johnstown, where he con-
tinued until 1878. He then started a foundry in Centre street and op-
erated this until the great flood of May 31, 1889, when he lost his entire
property. Two of his children — Mary Ellen and Eugene — also perished
at that time. At this time Mr. Hannan was made chairman of the
committee of inquiry concerning the flood, a very thankless piece of work.
Two years later, when he had finished the work connected with this try-
ing position, he again went into the foundry business, but was obliged to
abandon it at the end of two years on account of failing health. He then
purchased the hardware stock of Waeldin & Whittaker and established
jiimself in this business. The Hannan block was destroyed by fire March
•i, 1896, but it has since been rebuilt, and Frank, one of Mr. Hannan's
sons, carries on a drug store there. Mr. Hannan, who is a strong Demo-
crat, has been a member of the town council, and of the state legislature.
He married, August 29, 1859, Agnes P. ^Matthews, daughter of John
]Matthews, of Summit, Pennsylvania. The children of Hon. John and .
Agnes P. (Matthews) Hannan were: Jennie, deceased; Martin E.;
James; Mary Ellen, deceased; John Y., deceased; Charles E., of whom
later ; Harry J. ; Frank, a druggist in Johnstown ; Eugene, deceased ; and
Leo, died in infancy.
Charles Edmund Hannan, M. D., fourth son and sixth child of
Hon. John and Agnes P. (Matthews) Hannan, was born in Johnstown,
Cambria county, Pennsylvania, December 15, 1869. He was educated in
the public and private schools of his native town, and thus prepared for
entrance into St. Yincent's College, of Westmoreland county, Pennsyl-
vania, where he completed his literary education. His professional train-
ing was received in Jefferson Medical College, and the degree of Doctor
of Medicine was conferred upon him in 1892. He was appointed to the
position of interne in Jefferson Hospital, but resigned this in order to
enter upon the private practice of medicine in Johnstown, Pennsylvania,
where he has since remained. He has been lecturer in antiseptic surgery
and aufesthesia in the Training School for Xurses, and is at present
(1906) surgeon to the Conemaugh Yalley Memorial Hospital in Johns-
town. He was appointed a member of the first staff of that institution
and has since been connected therewith in official capacity. He is a mem-
ber of the American Medical Association, of the Cambria (Pennsylvan-
ia) Medical Society, and the Pennsylvania State Medical Society. He
is also interested in public affairs pertaining to the welfare and progress
of his community, and is now serving as a member of the common coun-
cil of Johnstown. He takes a very active and helpful interest in poli-
tics as a supporter of the Democratic party, and is chairman of the cour
ty Democratic committee of Cambria county. His social relations aT
with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and the Amicus CI -—
of Johnstown, Pennsvlvania.
He married, October 26, 1898, Susanna McMillan Eosensteel, of
Johnstown, who died in July, 1899.
AVILLIAM E. MATTHEWS, M. D. Were a list of physicians com-
piled who are ever ready to sacrifice personal comfort and safety to the
demands of their profession, the name of Dr. William E. Matthews, since
1889 state medical inspector of Cambria coimty, Pennsylvania, and a
t-
32 HISTORY OF CAMBBIA COUNTY.
valued practitioner of Johnstown in that county, Trould rank high. His
paternal ancestors have been settled in this country for a number of
generations; through his maternal ancestr}' he traces his family to Ire-
land.
Samuel Matthews, great-grandfather of "William E. ]\Iatthews, M.
D., and the pioneer ancestor of the Matthews family in America, emi-
grated to this country about 1790 and settled in the Ligonier valley,
Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. His occupation was that of farm-
ing. He married, and among his children was a son named Archibald
Matthews.
Archibald Matthews, son of Samuel Matthews, was born in 1784:
and came to America Avith his parents in 1790. He was at one time a
prominent merchant and shipper in East Wheatfield township, Indiana
county, Pennsylvania, and owned and oi^erated a large woolen mill. The
last few years of his life were spent on the farm at East Wheatfield, now
known as Cramer. He married, in 1802, Elizabeth Findley, born in Ha-
gerstown, Maryland, January 28, 1784, died April 22, 1881, in her
ninety-eighth year. She was the daughter of George and Elizabeth (Gal-
braith) Findley. Mr. and Mrs. Matthews had children: Jane, Martha,
Eliza, Isabella, George F., "William, James, Archibald, see forward;
Mary Ann, Sarah and two others.
Archibald Matthews, son of Archibald and Elizabeth (Findley)
Matthews, was bom in East "Wlieatfield township, Pennsylvania, Febru-
ary 1, 1828. He was a successful farmer and stock raiser in Indiana
county, Pennsylvania, and he and his wife and youngest daughter are
now (1906) living in Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsylvania. He
married, February 15, 1859, Matilda J. Mitchell, born at Pittsburg,
Pennsylvania, J^ovember 27, 1841, sixth child of Hugh and Xancy
(Lehmer) Mitchell, who were the parents of the following children:
Amanda, born December 25, 1831 ; William W. and Samuel Lyons
(twins), bom September 24, 1833; James E., born April 24, 183G;
Mary Elizabeth, bom January 13, 1840; Matilda, mentioned above;
Emma Y., bom January 10, 1844; and Elisha B., born August 24, 1846.
Hugh Mitchell was born November 8, 1808, son of Samuel and Mary
(Lyons) Mitchell, came from Ireland and settled in Westmoreland
oountv, Pennsylvania, and died Januarv 24, 1849. His wife^ Xancy
(Lehmer) Mitchell, was born January 24, 1814, died May 4, 1887. The
children of Archibald and Matilda J. (Mitchell) IMatthews were: Will-
iam E., see forward; Emma M., bom August 8, 1861; James M., Decem-
ber 26, 1863; Xancy E., Februarv 8, 1866: Alice A., June 25, 1867;
Louis A., December 31, 1869; Charles A., Januarv 22, 1871: Marv A.,
August 4, 1873; Harrv F., October 21, 1875; and Bennett M., May 2,
187"8.
William E. Matthews, M. D., eldest child of Archibald and Matilda
J. (Mitchell) Matthews, was bom in East Wheatfield township, Indiana
[county, Pennsylvania, January 11, 1860. He received an excellent com-
lon school education in his native county, and early showed his inclina-
tion for study. Later he attended the State Xormal School, from which
he was graduated in 1884. He became a student at the Jefferson ]\Ied-
ical College of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was graduated from that
institution in 1887. Then followed one year of practice at St. Joseph's
Hosptial in Beading, and one year and a half at the Philadelphia Hos-
pital, after which, in 1889, he came to Johnstown, Cambria county,
Pennsylvania, intending to make that town his future home. He com-
menced the practice of his profession April 1, 1889, and in the flood
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 33
which devastated Johnstown in Ma}- of the same year he lost all his pos-
sessions with the exception of a shaving mug, which he prizes highly as
a relic of that terrible disaster. After the flood he again took np his
practice, which has since developed into a very lucrative one. He Avas
appointed state medical inspector for Cambria county in 1889, by the
iiealth commission of the state, and has filled this office very acceptably
since that period.
Aside from his profession he is very prominent in many other fields
of activity and usefulness. He is one of the directors of the First Na-
tional Bank of Johnstown, which institution is the successor of the Cam-
bria National Bank. Dr. ]\Iatthews was a director of the last named in-
stitution, and upon its merger into the present First National Bank of
Johnstown, was re-elected as director. He is vice-president and a di-
rector of the Johnstown Sanitary Dairy; director of the Johnstown Ice
and Cold Storage Company; president of the Johnstown and Cramer
Turn]nke Company, which controls a highway running through the
mountains into Indiana county, a distance of six miles, and is of great
practical value to the citizens and farmers of this section of the state of
Pennsylvania; and a director of the JohnstoA\Ti Young Men's Christian
Association. He has been for a number of years one of the ruling elders
of the First Presbyterian church of Johnstown. Although he is classed
as a Democrat he has not voted the straight ticket for that party for a
number of years, believing, as he once remarked in a public address,
"Men should be above party politics, and vote for principle."
He has money invested in many business enterprises in the city of
Johnstown. He is greatly interested in the raising of blooded stock,
and upon his farm of two hundred acres (the old Matthews homestead),
in Indiana county, Pennsylvania, which is located ten miles from Johns-
town, may be seen the finest herd of Holstein Frisian cattle in the coun-
ty, many of them being registered and of great value. During the past
season he brought a carload of blooded cattle from the state of New
York. The farm is known as "Oakhill farm," and Dr. Matthews has in-
vested much money there in various directions. He has a summer home
built there where his family may enjoy in quiet the beauties of the sur-
lounding country, and wliere he frequently goes to obtain a much needed
rest from the multifarious duties Avhich his extensive practice entails.
He has also had a sanitary barn erected on this place, which is a_ model
of its kind and is equipped Avith every improvement and labor saving de-
vice. The JohnstoAvn and Cramer turnpike, mentioned above, connects
this farm with the city of JohnstoAvn. Dr. MatthcAvs has beautiful and
commodious offices on Lincoln street, and is one of the most enterprising,
progressive and respected citizens of that busy toAvn. He is indefatigable
in his labors; CA-er ready to respond to the call of the sick and suffering,
and is well knoAvn for his many acts of charity, the needs of the poor al-
Avays receiving his prompt attention. In spite of the manifold demands
upon his time, he is well read in all the best literature of the day, and
especially in that pertaining to his profession, to which he is devoted. He
is a member of the folloAvlng fraternal and other organizations: Johns-
town Lodge No. 538, Free and Accepted Masons; Portage Chapter No.
195; Oriental Commandery No. 61; Williamsport Consistory; Jaffa
Temple, Altoona ; JohnstoA\'n Lodge No. 157, Knights of Pythias; Cam-
bria Countv Medical Society; Pennsylvania State Medical Society;
American Medical Association; American Public Health Association.
He married, April 9, 1891. Cora B. Green, daughter of Wesley and
Elizabeth (Eogers) Green, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this
34 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
work, and their children are: Elizabeth R., born February 15, 1892;
Ruth M., December 8, 1894; Edgar W. and Mary H. (twins), December
o, 189G; and Robert A., March 31, 1903.
CHARLES ARCHIBALD ]kL\TTHEWS, D. D. S., whose dental
parlors are in the Cohen block, in Johnstown, was born in Cramer, In-
diana county, Pennsylvania, January 22, 1871, son of Archibald and Ma-
tilda J. (Mitchell) Matthews. (See sketch of family elsewhere in this
work. )
Charles A. Matthews resided in Indiana county until sixteen years
of age, when he came to Johnstown, where he entered the Normal Insti-
tute and for two years pursued a course of study in chemistry. At the
<ige of eighteen he became connected with the chemical laboratory of the
Cambria Steel Company, and retained his connection therewith for two
years. He then entered the dental department of the University of
Maryland, graduating therefrom with the class of 1894, and immediate-
ly began the practice of dentistry at Johnstown, where he now has one of
the largest practices in the city. He is proficient in all branches of his
profession, but makes a specialty of crown and Ijridge work. For the
past eleven years his office has been in the Cohen Block on Main street.
Dr. ^latthews holds membership in Lodge No. 538, Free and Accepted
Masons; Portage Chapter No. 195, Royal Arch Masons; Cambria Coun-
cil No. 32; Oriental Commandery, No. 61, Knights Templar, in which
he is eminent commander; Penn. Consistory, thirty-second degree, Scot-
tish Rite, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; Syria Temple, Ancient Arabic Or-
der of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine ; Johnstown Lodge, No. 175, Benevo-
lent and Protective Order of Elks; Linton Lodge, No. 451, Knights of
Pythias, in which he is past chancellor. He is a member of the Presby-
terian church. He comes from old Democratic stock, but is an independ-
ent voter himself.
Dr. Matthews married. June 9, 1897, at New 'Florence, Pennsyl-
vania, Mary L., daughter of Rev. J. M. Hamilton, of New Florence. The
children of this imion are: Donald, Julia and Kenneth.
Mrs. Dr. Matthews is a direct descendant of John and Priscilla
(Mullen) Alden, the former a "Mayflower" pilgrim, and for fifty years
magistrate of Plymouth, and through them of Joseph and Mary (Sim-
mons) Alden, Benjamin and Elizabeth (Alden) Snow, Joseph and Eliz-
abeth (Snow) Carver, Luke and Experience (Carver) Loomis, Simeon
and Elizabeth (Foster) Loomis, Robert and Jane (McCurdy) Loomis,
Rev. John Milton and Julia (Loomis) Hamilton, her parents. The
great-grandfather of Mrs. Dr. Matthews was William Hamilton, a de-
scendant of a Scotch-Irish ancestry, who came from Ireland, accom-
panied by his wife. Their son, Hanson Hamilton, a resident of Wash-
ington county, Pennsylvania, married Sarah Davis, of same county.
They moved to Ohio in 1817 and settled in the woods six miles from any
habitation, in Ashland county. His death occurred in 1871, and his
wife passed away in 1889, aged ninety-six years. Their son, Rev. John
Milton Hamilton, father of Mrs. Dr. Matthews, was born in Ashland
county, Ohio, May 16, 1842. He resided on the farm until eighteen
years of age, in the meantime attending the district schools. He then
entered the Hayesville Academy at Hayesville, and in 1865 entered
Washington and Jefferson College, graduating therefrom with the class
of 1866. In the fall of that year he entered the Western Theological
College at Allegheny City, graduating therefrom in the spring of 1869.
He settled in his first charge at Corsica, Jefferson county, Penns^dvania,
HISTORY OF CA31BRIA COUNTY. 35
Presbyterian denomination, and was ordained and installed in that place
by the church, June, 1869, remaining three years. He then went to Plum
Creek, Blairsville Presbytery (district), where he remained for sixteen
years. He then settled in ]N"ew Florence, Westmoreland county, where
he was pastor of the Presbyterian church until 1896, when he retired
from the ministry, and is now leading a retired life. Eev. John Milton
Hamilton married, September 30, 1869, Julia A. Loomis, of Allegheny
City% daughter of Kobert C. and Jane (McCurdy) Loomis, and four
children were the issue of this marriage, namely: Mary Loomis, wife of
Dr. Charles, A. Matthews, as aforestated; Kobert Loomis, of New Flor-
ence, Pennsylvania; Sarah Jane, married Rev. Henry D. Ewing and re-
sides at West Elizabeth, Pennsylvania ; Estelle, married J. Craig Craw-
ford, of Norristown, Pennsylvania. Tlie mother of these children died
April 24, 1904. Robert C. Loomis, father of Julia A. (Loomis) Ham-
ilton, is a direct descendant of Joseph Loomis, who left Braintree, Eng-
land, and settled in Windsor, Connecticut, with the early emigrants,
erecting a building in 1640, which still stands, the oldest homestead in
America.
COLONEL JOHN PARK LINTON. Any work dealing with the
history of Cambria county, Pennsylvania, would be incomplete were men-
tion omitted of the name which heads this sketch. Colonel John P.
Linton, a descendant of Scotch-Irish ancestry, has a record which is in-
deed an enviable one. Brave as a soldier, brilliant at the bar, promi-
nent in politics, the story of his life is a supremely interesting one.
John Linton, paternal grandfather of Colonel John P. Linton, and
founder of the Linton family in America, was born in county Derry,
Ireland, in 1773. His father, William Linton, was a farmer, and of
Scotch-Irish descent. He Avas educated in McGilligan College, and
while a student there became involved in the revolutionary plots which
led to the outbreak of 1798. He was obliged to leave his native land,
and embarked for America, probably in 1795. He landed at Baltimore,
Maryland, where his first employment was in the capacity of clerk. Aft-
er a short time he removed to Greencastle, Franklin county, Pennsyl-
vania, and opened a general store, removing this, in 1806, to Franks-
town. He again removed, this time to Johnstown, in 1809, and here he
spent the remainder of his life. He opened the first hotel in the town,
an old-fashioned country inn, but spent the greater part of his time in
surveying and conveyancing. He was the postmaster of Johnstown for a
short time, also sen-ed as countv commissioner of Cambria county, from
1811 to 1814, and from 1815 to July 25, 1818, the day of his decease.
He was a man of considerable prominence in his day, and a most valua-
ble citizen. He was a consistent Christian and a member of the Presby-
terian church.
In 1801 he married Ann Park, born in Belfast, Ireland, in 1780-81,
daughter of Robert and Jane (Bailey) Park, the former of Scotch de-
scent, the latter a native of Ireland. Robert Park emigrated to America
in 1794, bringing his family with him, landing and locating in Phila-
delphia, Pennsylvania, where he became a teacher of mathematics. He
died shortly after his arrival in this country, and his widow married
Colonel James Johnston, who resided near G-reencastle. It was at the
home of Colonel Johnston that John Linton and Ann Park were mar-
ried. Ann (Park) Linton was a charter member of the First Presby-
terian church of Johnstown, and was actively concerned in its organiza-
tion. After the death of her husband, she continued to conduct the ho-
36 HISTORY OF CAMBIUA COUNTY.
tel at the corner of Main and Franklin streets, and subsequently pur-
chased property at the corner of Main and Market streets, where she per-
sonally conducted the business until a short time prior to her demise,
April 2, 1835. The children of John and Ann (Park) Linton were:
Mar}', married John ]\Iathews; Eobert Park, of whom later; Jane, mar-
ried Joseph Chamberlain; John; Eliza, married Dr. Charles G. Pythian;
and Louisa, married S. Moylan Fox.
Eobert Park Linton, first son and second child of John and Ann
(Park) Linton, was born in Greencastle, Pennsylvania, July 8, 1804.
He received a good education in the local "pay schools" of the day, and
at an early age commenced to assist his mother in the conduct and man-
agement of the hotel business. Later he was engaged in the iron busi-
ness for a number of years, being a member of the firm of lAnton & Gal-
braith, who operated a furnace which was located near the present site
of the Pennsylvania railroad depot. He opened a store at East Cone-
maugh, and later owned and managed the "Mountain House"' at Ebens-
burg, for a number of years. In politics he was a prominent and active
member of the Democratic party, serving as sheriff three terms — 1831-
37-58. "Was a member of the Presbyterian church.
He married (first) Phebe Levergood, born 1812, daughter of Peter
Levergood. She was of German descent and a Lutheran. (See sketcli of
Edward E. Levergood.) Their children were: 1. Colonel John P., of
whom later. 2. William, who was captain in Company M, Twelfth
Cavalry, Pennsylvania Volunteers. Served one term as deputy sheriff
and one term as county treasurer. Married Eliza Meyers. Died in 1890.
3. Susan, married John H. Clark, died in 1893. She had two children:
Charles, who died in infancy, and Jessie, who married John Williard
Gore, deceased, and has one child, Susan Clark Gore. 4. Peter, married
Elizabeth Hutchinson, and died many years ago. His children were:
Charles C, assistant district attorney of Cambria county; Minnie, who
was drowned in the great flood of May 31, 1889 ; and Edward, who is a
practicing physician in Ohio. Eobert Park Linton married (second)
Euth Buchanan, and had children : Charlotte, married Charles B.
Moore, and was drowned in the flood of May 31, 1889; Clara, died in in-
fancy; and Gussie A., assistant librarian in Cambria Library. Mr. Lin-
ton died in March, 18T9.
Colonel John P. Linton, eldest child of Eobert Park and Phebe
(Levergood) Linton, was born in Johnstown, Cambria county, Penn-
sylvania, January, 26, 1833. His early education was acquired in the
local schools of Johnstown and Ebensburg, and his close application to
his studies was the subject of comment among his instructors. He then
attended Jefferson College at Canonsburg for one term. His legal stud-
ies were commenced at the age of eighteen years, when he entered the
law office of Cyrus L. Pershing, later judge of the courts of Schuylkill
county. He was admitted to the bar June 6, 1854, shortly after he was
twenty-one years of age, and a few months later he associated himself
in partnership with Mr. Pershing, a relation which existed for some
years. ^lore than forty-five years ago, he opened an office for himself
in a building situated on what is now known as "the bank corner," in
rooms in which he transacted all his business during the remainder of
his life. He immediately attracted attention as a reliable and brilliant
pleader, and acc[uired an extensive practice, which he retained until he
was no longer capable of giving it attention. During bis long years of
practice he never missed attendance at a regular term of court. He was
engaged, either on one side or the other, in all the most important cases
HISTORY OF CAMBFIA COUXTY. 37
wliieli eaniL' u}» in the county durin-;- his thirty-eight years of practice.
His services were also frequently in demand in the sujirenie court and
in the courts of the adjoining counties. He was an active member of
the Bar Association, serving it in .various officials ca])acities. He was con-
tinuously engaged in the practice of his ]n'ofession from the time of his
admission to the bar until his death, with the exception of the time he
served in the Union army during the progress of the Civil war.
At the first hint of the trouble between the north and the south.
Colonel Linton at once forsook his practice for the profession of arms.
His military record covers the entire ])eriod of the war. He entered the
service for three months, April 20, 18G1, as captain of Company F, Third
Eegiment. Pennsylvania Volunteers. This company and nine volunteer
organizations had existed prior to the l)reaking out of the war, and were
joined to form the Third Eegiment at Camp Curtin, Harrisl)urg. The
company was among the first to arrive at Camp Curtin, and left it on
the evening of April 20, 1861, for Baltimore. At Cockevsville, Maryland,
they were halted by a destroyed bridge, and after two days the regiment
returned to York and went into camp. They went to Chambers-
burg, May 27, and encamped there, and on June 7, proceeded by rail to
Hagerstown, and the same day marched to Funkstown, where three weeks
were spent. July 1, 1861, they proceeded to Williamsport, Maryland, and
the following day crossed the Potomac. The regiment arrived in ]Mar-
tinsburg, July 3, and after a few days in camp was ordered back to
Williamsport to guard the wagon trains. There it remained until July
26, when, the time of enlistment having expired, it was ordered back to
Harrisburg and mustered out of service July 29. Colonel Linton assist-
ed, in August and September, 1861, in forming the Fifty-fourth Eegi-
ment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, at Camp Curtin, of which organization
he was major. This regiment was ordered to Washington, February 27,
1862, and there went into camp. It departed for Harper's Ferry, March
29, and reported to Colonel Miles, the various companies being assigned
to guard dutv along fiftv-six miles of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad.
The country was full of guerrillas, and almost daily conflicts were the out-
come. Colonel Campbell received orders on the night of May 25 to con-
centrate his command and to prepare for the advance of "Stonewall"
Jackson, at ]\Iartinsburg, and this was done with considerable difficulty.
There was but one bridge left by the rebels after their occupancy of this
district the previous summer, a substantial iron bridge, and this Avas
guarded by two companies under command of IMajor Linton. The com-
panies returned to their old posts on June 1, Jackson having been driven
from the valley, but his roving bands continued to Avander about the
country, pillaging friend and foe alike, and the Fifty-fourth was kept
continually in action. ^Vlien Colonel Campbell proceeded to jSTorth
Mountain, Major Linton was left with a small detachment at Back
Creek. Two days later the enemy made a second attack on Back
Creek, and Colonel Campbell Avith several companies came to the assist-
ance of Major Linton. The skirmishing AA^as kept up until the 21st, when
an overAvhelming force obliged ]\Iajor Linton to withdraAv Avith his com-
mand. After the battle of Antietam the Fifty-fourth Avas attached to
the command of General Franklin, and later to that of General ]\rorrell,
and Avas placed in defence of the LT'pper Potomac. U])on the organization
of the Eighth Corpus it was assigned to the command of General Kelly.
On October 10, 1862, it was the vigilance and promptness of Colonel
Linton Avhich gave the first information to the Avar department at Wash-
ington and 'to General ]\IcClellan, near Antietam, on the north side of
Vol. Ill— 3
38 HISTOEY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
the Potomac, of the sudden crossing of General J. E. B. Stuart's cavalry
at McCoy's Ford, on that river, in his invasion of Pennsylvania.
The command was removed to Eomney, January 6, 1863, where it
remained until spring. Lieutenant-Colonel McDermitt resigned on July
29, and Major Linton was appointed to succeed him. The Fifty-fourth
was now attached to the Fourth Brigade, First Division, Department of
"West Virginia, Colonel Campbell in command of the brigade, and Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Linton, of the regiment. Another reorganization took
place on Xovember 6, the Fifty-fourth being assigned to the First Bri-
gade, Second Division, Colonel Campbell in command. The ])attle of
JSTew Market was fought ^May 15, 186-1, and Lieutenant-Colonel Linton
was among the severely wounded. Colonel Campbell reported to the
Avar department that notwithstanding the wound, he remained on the
"field rallying and encouraging the men until the battle closed, rendering
most valuable and effective service." On account of the injury he was
absent from his regiment until July 14. At Staunton the Fifty-fourth
was transferred to Crook's command. Third Brigade, Second Division,
and on the 11th of July the command moved to ]\Iartinsburg, where
Lieutenant-Colonel Linton resumed command of the regiment. At
Snicker's Gap. July 18, he was again wounded.
In the battle of Kearnstown, near "Winchester, on July 21, he com-
manded the Second Brigade of the Third Division (commanded by Gen-
eral J. A. ]\Iulligan, who was killed) in the Army of the Kanawha, un-
der tlie command of General George Crook. He was again injured while
in action, his horse falliug, causing the breaking of his collar bone
He was also in the engagement at Berryville, Virginia, September 3,
when he commanded the same brigade, the commander tlien being Major-
General P. H. Sheridan. Aa^ain he was seriouslv wounded in the arm.
In the battle on the Opequon, Winchester, September 19, 1861, he
was again seriously wounded, and Avas still in the hospital, as a result
of this last wound, when his term of eulistment .expired. He was mus-
tered our February 3, 1865. Colonel Linton's record of service in the
army was highly honorable. His In-avery was attested in every battle in
which he participated, and they were many and important. He was once
heard to remark that he had been struck in everv enffaaement in which
he took part, but only three of his wounds were serious.
After his return from the armv and his recoverv from the effects of
his wound. Colonel Linton resumed his practice of the law, and also his in-
terest in political affairs. He rendered valuable service to the Democrat-
ic party, being a most effective and enthusiastic stump speaker. He
served his party and his country in various political capacities, among
which may be mentioned the following : Clerk of the council ; member of
the council; secretary of the Agricultural Society; vice-president of the
Citizens' Xational Bank; member of the board of trustees and one of
the prime movers in the Citizens'* Cemetery Association; after the great
flood of May, 1889, member of the local relief committee of the Masons.
Knights of Pythias, Odd Fellows, and Knights of the Mvstic Chain; can-
didate for surveyor general of Pennsylvania in 1865 ; candidate for con-
gress in 1868; delegate to numberless national and state conventions;
and in 1884 an elector on the presidential ticket for Grover Cleveland;
candidate for president-judge of Cambria comity in 1891 ; and member
of the Legislature in 1866 and 1867. Colonel Linton was also promi-
nently identified with several secret societies, being a member . of the
Masons, Knight Templars, Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Knights of
the Mystic Chain, Grand Army of the Eepublic. Lnion Veteran Legion.
HISTOBY OF CAMBIUA COUNTY. 39
From 1882 to 1884 he served as supreme chancellor of the Knights of
Pythias; in 1885 as supreme commander of the Knights of the Mystic
Chain.
At the time of the flood. Colonel Linton and his family "were living
in a handsome brick dwelling at the corner of Main and Union streets.
The waters drove them to the roof of the house, and though the building
was partially ruined, the roof did not fall, and they were afterward as-
sisted to the high school building by "Warren C. Potts, and there spent
the night. Shortly afterward Colonel Linton built the house at Osborne
street, and there he resided at the time of his death. In his family rela-
tions he Avas very affectionate and kind, and he was greatly beloved and
]iighly respected by all with whom he came in contact, whether socially
or in business affairs.
Colonel Linton married, April 16, 1857, Annie E. King, born Feb-
ruary 3, 1837, daughter of George S. and Eliza (McDowell) King. (See
sketch of George S. King.) The marriage was solemnized at the King
home by Eev. David Swope, pastor of tlie First Ijutheran church, of
whicli ilrs. Linton was a member. Their children: Phebe. George
King, married Lizzie Fahcnstock, and had children: Margie and Euth.
Eeuben McDowell, deceased. Elva, deceased. Eobert Park, married
Laura Barley, and had children : Florence and John Park. Finetta, de-
ceased. Ivan E. Daisy, deceased. x\.nnie, married John E. ]\IcLain, and
liad children: Katherine, John Linton and Will McLain McLain. Kate.
Selah Loy. Colonel Linton died August 30, 1892, at Johnstown.
HAY FAi\riLY. The Hay family is one of the oldest of Johnstown,
and descended from an old Scotch ancestry who received the name of
Hay Avith an earldom and as much land in the Carse of Gowrie as a fal-
con should fly over before it settled, for timely assistance rendered the
Scotch king in a battle Avith the Danish invaders. The land thus granted
Avas afterAvard called Erroll.
(I) The first John Hay to locate in America Avas a son of John
Hay, a Scotch soldier and a lineal descendant of William Hay, Earl
of Erroll. He left Scotland on account of religious persecutions and
fled to the province of Alsace (then in Germany), subsequently coming
to America in 1750, and Avith his four sons settled in Virginia. Later
three sons, John and his tAvo brothers, settled in A'ork, Northampton,
and Philadelphia counties respectively. Adam remained in Virginia,
he Avas the great-grandfather of the late Hon. John Hay, secretary
of state.
(II) Lieutenant-Colonel John Hay, son of John Hay (I). Avas
born in the province of Alsace in 1733. settled in York county, Penn-
syh^ania, in 1751, and Avas naturalized April 11, 1760. He Avas among
the first settlers in York county, and Avas prominent in public affairs.
December 16, 1774, at a meeting of the freeholders and inhabitants of
York county, held in the court house for the purpose of forming an
independent goA^ernment, he was chosen one of the judges, entitling
him to vote for a member of the assembly: Avas elected a member of
the committee of safety, and the folloAving day Avas elected its treasurer.
In that capacity he sent tAA^o hundred and sixty pounds "to their hon-
ored friends and countrymen, the Boston Committee of Safety." He
Avas one of the signers of a letter to the committee of safety of the
province of Pennsylvania, September 14, 1775, giving an account of
the number of Associators (3349) and a list of their officers. John
Hav Avas one of the provincial magistrates; a commissioner of the county
40 HISTORY OF CAMBIUA COUNTY.
from 1772 to 1775; a member of the committee of correspondence to
send aid to the people of Boston in 1774; of the provincial convention,
June 2;3rd, 1775; in Colonel James Smith's Batallion of Associators,
December, 1775; was first lieutenant in Captain Irwin's company; in
1776 a lieutenant in the company of Captain William Baily, which
company marched to eastern New Jersey as a part of the Flying Camp ;
member of the provincial conference which met at Carpenter's Hail,
January 23 to 28, June 18 to 25, and of the convention of July 15 to 27,
1776, called by that body, the latter convention framing the first state
constitution of Pennsylvania. He was appointed sub-lieutenant of the
county ]March 12, 1777, re'^if-nin'r In Rcsent tie ( ffice of treasurer in
1778, filling that position almost uninterruptedly until 1801. He rep-
resented York county in the assembly in 1779, 1783, 1784. On April
25, 1798, he was chosen at a mass meeting as one of a connnittee to
draft an address to President Adams commending his course in ref-
erence to the troubles with France. He was constituted the resident
military officer of York for three years during the Revolution, with
the rank of lieutenant-colonel. Letters now in the possession of his
descendants show that he was in the confidence of Washington ; had
charge of the prisoners of war in York county; and was entrusted with
other important missions during those stirring times. He was active
and prominent in promoting the cause of American Independence. He
was the owner of a large tract of land in the immediate vicinity of
York, part of which subsequently became incorporated into the town,
and known as "Hay's Addition." Some of it is yet owned by his
descendants. His son Jacob was a corporal in Moylan's cavalry regi-
ment in the Revolution. (See "Pennsylvania Magazine of History and
Biography," vol. 3, p. 440. by Dr. W.'H. Egie.)
John Hay was married September 24, 1752, to Christina Dorothea
Eichelberger, widow of George Eichelberger. She died ]March 24,
1757. There were no children by this marriage. His second wife Avas
Juliana Maul. The children born of this marriage were : Elizabeth,
born November 22, 1761 ; Jacob, born October 27, 1763 ; George, born
Februarv 21, 1766, died :\Iarch 26, 1832; Rosina, born December 17,
1770; John, born I\Iarch 23, 1774, died 1866; Elizabeth, born June 3,
1776 ; Catherine, born August 24, 1777 : Susanna, born 1779, died Feb-
ruary 24, 1818 ; and Michael, born I\Iarch 18. 1780.
Lieutenant-Colonel John Hay died in 1810, his wife surviving him
but a short time, having died before May 5, 1810, on which date deeds
for the division of the estate show that five children survived the
parents. These children married as follows : Jacob to Mary Rudisill ;
Catherine to John Barnitz : George married first Seaba Fahnestock ;
John married to Susan Schineiser; Susanna married to General Jacob
Spangler.
(Ill) Colonel George Hay, son of Lieutenant-Colonel John Hay
and Julianua Qlaul) Hay, was born February 21, 1766. He was
prominent in military circles as was his father. In 1791 he was captain
of the Independent Light Infantry Company of York, which company
became a part of the 113th Regiment. When President George Wash-
ington made his visit to York, July 6, 1791, it was this company, com-
manded by Captain George Hay. that attended him. In 1801 he was
adjutant in the 113th Regiment of York, commanded by Lieutenant-
Colonel Spangler, and in'^ 1810-1811-1812 he connnanded the 113th
Regiment with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. In 1813 George Hay
ranked as colonel and commanded this regiment which was then com-
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 41
posed of companies from York county, Pennsylvania. After the war
of 1812-14 he became interested in the hotel business in York, and was
entrusted wuth the settlement of many estates. He died March 26,
1832. Colonel George Hay married first Seaba Fahnestock, who was
born June 18, 1775, and died October 19, 1800. To them was born
one child, Michael. (See Spangler's Historical Sketches, p. 471-486.)
(IV) Dr. Michael Hay, son of Colonel George Hay and Seaba
(Fahnestock) Hay, was born March 21, 1795. His earlier life was
spent in York. In 1816-17, he was paymaster in the 94th Regiment,
Fifth Division, Pennsylvania Militia. He read medicine with Dr.
Thomas Jameson, of York, for three years, receiving from him his
certificate, and in 1820-21 attended the University of Pennsylvania.
He also attended the practice of physicians and surgeons in the Phila-
delphia Alms-house and Hospital (now known as Blockly), and January
22, 1822, received from it his diploma, which is still in the possession
of the family. Returning to York the same year, he commenced the
practice of his profession. On INIay 11, 1823, he was married to
Margaret Worley, of York, Pennsylvania, and in November, 1836, located
in Johnstown, where he resided until his death. He made his first pur-
chase of land in Conemaugh township, Cambria county, of three hun-
dred and twenty-three acres on November 9, 1829, subsequent purchases
being made in Johnstown property in 1845 and 1852.
Dr. Michael Hay was recognized as one of the foremost of his
profession, and successfully practiced medicine and surgery for a
period of forty ja^ars. He was a man of marked public spirit, and
during his long residence in Johnstown was actively engaged and con-
cerned with every movement for the advancement of the moral and
material interests of the city. He was a leading member and official
in the English Lutheran church. He died INIarch 21, 1861. At the time
of his death a local journal referred to him as follows: "Dr. IMichael
Hay was universally respected for his honesty, sound judgment, and
dignified but unpretending manners. Ail men hailed him as their friend,
and all knew that he was a Christian. He was pul)lic spirited and
took great interest in politics. His love for the Union almost amounted
to a passion, and no man could feel prouder of his birthright, of being
a free-born citizen. His feeling of nationality was intense. He would
not sacrifice principle for the expediency of the hour, and when the
American party united with the Republican party he refused to unite
with it. As a physician he was eminently successful, and held a de-
servedly high rank in his profession. He exhibited much charity,
often acting the good Samaritan when hope of fee or reward was not
to be thought of. In his death the poor lost a friend. His domestic
qualities were largely developed; he loved his home and delighted to
make happy all who dwelt within its hallowed precincts."
To Dr. Michael Hay and his wife Margaret (Worley) Hay were
born the following children ; 1, Frank Worley, born September 13, 1824,
died October 8, 1894; married July 11, 1848, to Eliza Ann Jack, born
November 30, 1823, died September 14, 1901, whose children are Harry
M., Ida Margaret and Frank Roberts. 2. Eliza, born August 5, 1826,
died March 19, 1898, married October 26, 1853, to Captain John H.
Reed, born December 16, 1816, died October 22, 1906. 3. Ann Amelia,
unmarried, born January 6, 1828. 4. Charlotte Josepha, born August
8, 1830, died April 24, 1898, married October 18, 1860, to Rev. Henry
Welty Kuhns D. D., deceased, the pioneer missionary of the Evangeli-
cal Lutheran church in Nebraska and the Northwest; their children are
42 HISTORY OF CAMBIUA COUNTY.
Luther :\r., Paiil AV., and John Hay. 5. George Michael, unmarried, born
March 23, 1833. died February 13, 1902. 6. Margaret, born February 27,
1836, died August 11, 1838. ' 7. Sarah :\Iargaret, born March 4, 1839,
married October 2, 1867, to Kev. Charles G. Fisher of Philadelphia,
manager and publisher of the Keformed Publication Board and Re-
formed ]\Iessenger, respectively, died February 26, 1896 ; their children
are ^Margaret Hay, Samuel Karl, Samuel Reed, Eleanor May and Charles
"Worley. 8. John Barnitz, whose sketch appears below.
Margaret (AVorley) Hay, wife of Dr. Michael Hay, was born No-
vember 30, 1798; died June 6, 1870. Her ancestral line appears herein-
after.
(V) John Barnitz Hay, son of Dr. ^Michael Hay and Margaret
CWorley) Hay, was born ]\Iarch 25, 1842, in Johnstown. Pennsylvania.
He was educated at the Gymnasium, a private institution later known
as the Johnstown Academy. In 1856 he became a clerk in the store
of his brother, Frank W. Hay, subsequently accepting a position in the
'Store of Wood, Morrell & Co., and later was promoted to cashier in
1861. When the Civil war opened, impelled by patriotism, and witli
the ardor which characterized him, he determined to otfer his services
to his country. He was one of the original members of the Johnstown
Zouave Cadets, and drilled with them Aveekly until they were called
into service, a few days after the firing upon Fort Sumter. Personal
friends in the company prevailed upon him to remain at home with
his mother and sisters, who were grievously distressed on account of the
recent death of the husband and father. This he reluctantly did.
In 1862, when Lincoln called for ' ' Three Hundred Thousand ]\Iore, ' '
his patriotism asserted itself. It is shown by the official records that
Jolm B. Hay was enrolled July 31, 1862, at Johnstown, and was
mustered into service August 5, 1862, as sergeant in Company A, One
Hundred and Thirty-third regiment Pennsylvania Infantry Volunteers,
to serve nine months. On the 20th this regiment was despatched to
Virginia, where it became a part of Humphrey's Division, Fifth Army
Corps, Army of the Potomac. August 21, 1862, Sergeant Hay was
promoted to second lieutenant. On the 30th, the division marched to-
ward Bull Run, but being too late for battle was halted at Fort Ward,
where it constructed earthworks and performed picket duty until Sep-
tember 12, when it was ordered to AVashington, D. C, where its obsolete
arms were exchanged for Springfield rities, heavy camp equipage was
turned in, and shelter tents received. September 14, the command
marched to meet the enemy in ^Maryland, but was held in reserve in
General Porter's Fifth Army Corps at the battle of Antietam, and
took part in the pursuit of the enemy to Warrenton and Fredricksburg.
December 13, 1862, at the battle of Fredricksburg, when a part of
Humprey's Division charged with unloaded guns against the impreg-
nable position on ]\Iarye's Heights, Lieutenant Hay as commander of
his company participated in that disastrous charge. AVhen within
fifty yards of the stone wall, where men were mowed dovra with fear-
ful carnage, the charging columns were shattered and Lieutenant Hay
was disabled by a bursting shell. He was carried off the field by his
men as dead, but revived and Avas taken to a hospital in Washington,
D. C, where his brother Frank attended him. His injuries, however,
would not permit of his return to duty, and on ]May 24, 1863, he was
mustered out with his company.
During his convalescence from the effects of the wound received at
Fredricksburg he experienced one of those thrilling and dansrerous
'W'.T.E other, ii-i'^
^^^^/^C^
^C^C--^^
HISTORY OF CAMBKIA COUNTY. 43
perils incident to a soldier's career. General Lee witli the Army of
Northern Virginia had begun the invasion of the North. At this time
Lieutenant Hay was visiting relatives at Chambersburg, when General
Early's troops entered the town; they learned, that a Union officer was
there, and Lieutenant Hay only by skillful strategy barely escaped
capture by eluding them.
The records further shoAv that he re-enlisted and was mustered in-
to service September 10, 1864, as first lieutenant in Battery D, Fifth
Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery (201:th Pennsylvania Volunteers) to
serve one year, the regiment rendezvousing at Camp Reynolds near
Pittsburgh. Soon after its organization the regiment was ordered to '
Washington and was assigned to duty in the forts north of the capital.
September 28, the regiment was sent out to cover the construction
trains engaged in opening the ^Manassas Gap railroad, and was posted
by battalion along the line. The government proposed to make it the
line of supply for Sheridan's army. The first battalion was in the rear
of the other two, and while at Salem was suddenly attacked at noon of
the 8th of October by a superior force of ^losby's connuand, consisting
of cavalry and artillery. The enemy opened with artillery, and under
this fire the first battalion retired slowly towards Rectortown. ]\Iosby
followed closely. In the progress of this movement Lieutenants Hay
and ^liltenberger with twenty men were cut ofl: and captured at Berker-
to^^•u, Virginia. (See Bates' ''Pennsylvania Volunteers," vol. 5, page
603. j He was taken to Li.bby Prison, Richmond, Virginia, and confined
from October 9, 1864, to about October 17, 1864. Lieutenant Hay was
finally exchanged, and rejoined his regiment in the latter part of Decem-
ber, 1864. and was mustered out with his company and honorably dis-
charged, June oOtli, 1865, the war being over. It was said of him by
comrades, some of whom are yet living, that he was ever high spirited
and hopeful, and that his bouyancy was a constant stimulus and in-
spiration.
At the close of the war ]\Ir. Hay engaged in the tin, stove and hard-
Avare business in Johnstown with his brother, George M. Hay. In 1872
he formed a partnership with his father-in-law, Conrad Suppes, in the
wholesale grocery business on ]\Iain street. In 1876 he went to Brad-
dock, Pennsylvania, accepting a clerical position with the Edgar Thomp-
son Steel works, and later Avas promoted to superintendent of special
steel under Captain William R. Jones. In 1879, against the counsel
of his employers at Braddock, he returned to Johnstown to enter a
partnership with his brother, Frank AV. Hay, in the tin, stove and hard-
Avare business on AVashington street, in Avhich he continued until his
death in 1883.
John B. Hay Avas a Republicaji in politics, took much interest in
public affairs, and Avas for many years one of the most influential mem-
bers of the school board. He Avas of the Lutheran faith; Avas a charter
member of the old Assistance Fire Company of JohnstoAvn, and a promi-
nent Alason.
Mr. Hay died November 28, 1883. His death brought sorroAV to
the entire community. The funeral Avas conducted by Oriental Com-
mandery No. 6L Knights Templar, of AA'hich the deceased Avas a charter
member. As a mark of respect to his memory the school board closed
the schools from the time of his death until after the burial. In re-
ferring thereto the Johnstoioi Tribune said: "We cannot say farcAA^ell
to John B. Hay Avithout bearing testimony to the goodness of his heart,
to his high standing as a citizen and as a man, to his faithfulness and
44 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
loving kindness as a husband and a father, and to the steadfastness with
which he maintained his friendships. He will be missed more than most
men of equal prominence, for he made his p-eiiial presence felt wher-
ever he Avent, and was the life of every gathering which he attended.
Though cut doAvn while" in the prinle of his life and in the fulness of
his vigor, he did not live in vain, and the influence of his beter nature,
always uppermost, will be felt for many years to come."
On May 11, 1871. at the Suppes home, Johnstown, Pennsylvania,
John B. Hay was married to Anna Margaret Suppes, the Rev. R. A.
Fink. D. D., officiating. ]\Irs. Hay is the daughter of Conrad and Alice
(Andrews) Suppes. She was born jNfay 14, 1851, educated at the
public schools of Johnstown; at Mrs. Mary L. Keemle's select school;
and later at the Lutherviile Female Seminary, Lutherville, ^Maryland
(now ]\Iaryland College). She is a member of Lutheran church. On
September 14, 1866, ]\Ir. and Mrs. Hay both sustained injuries by the
falling of the Pennsylvania Railroad station platform, when President
Andrew Johnson and other government officials visited the city.
I\Irs. Hay and her son Dr. George Hay are survivors of the great
Johnstown flood of May 31, 1889, ^nd reside in their home on a part
of the Conrad Suppes estate, which is now incorporated in the city of
Johnstown. Her ancestral line appears in the Suppes sketch of this
work.
Mr. and ]\Irs Hay are the parents of three children : 1. John Suppes;
2. George Bolton, born in Johnstown, January 12, 1875, died August
4, 1877, in Braddock, Pennsylvania ; 3. George.
(VI) John Suppes Hay, eldest son of John B. Hay and Anna
^Margaret (Suppes) Hay, was born in Johnstown April 14, 1872. Upon
completing his studies in the schools of Johnstown, at the age of sixteen,
his guardian, Captain AVilliam R. Jones, manager of the Edgar Thomp-
son Steel Works at Braddock. induced him to begin work in the draft-
ing department of these works, and he was soon advanced to a position
in the machine shop, afterward going to Homestead, Pennsylvania,
where he held a position in the chemical laboratory, and was also en-
gaged in original investigations and scientiflc work. Subsecpiently he
resigned his position to enter his present profession of metallurgist.
He was married to Alice Mary ]\Iills December 20, 1895, at Trinity
Church, Pittsburg; the Rev. Alfred Arundel officiating. She is a daugh-
ter of Isaac and Mary (Nichols) ■Mills, and was born at Braddock,
Pennsylvania. October 9, 1873. The children born of this union are :
1. John Barnitz, born July 1. 1897, at Homestead: 2. Alice ]Mills, born
March 17, 1900, at Homestead. Pennsylvania ; 3. George Andrews, born
November 11, 1905, at AYoodl>Ti, Pennsylvania.
(VI) Dr. George Hay, son of John B. and Anna jMargaret
(Suppes) Hay, was born April 6, 1880, at Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
He received his education in the schools of his native city, and in 1899,
entered the Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia, from which he
graduated with the degree of Doctor of JMedicine in May, 1903 ; enter-
ing upon the practice of his profession in October of that year in Johns-
town, Pennsylvania. He is a member of the surgical staff of the Cone-
maugh Valley Memorial Hospital. He was elected, February 1, 1906,
city physician and health officer for a term of three years, and is also
physician-in-charge of the Alunieipal Hospital for Contagious Diseases.
He is a member of the Cambria County ]\Iedical Society (1903) ; of the
Pennsylvania State Medical Society and the American ^Medical Associa-
tion (1904) ; is also a member of the Philadelphia Society for the Studv
HISTORY OF CAMBFJA COUNTY. 45
and Prevention of Social Diseases ; of the Phi Alpha Sigma Fraternity
(Delta Chapter) of Jefl'erson Medical College, and an Alumnus member
of other medical societies connected with that institution. Dr. Hay
belongs to Philadelphia Lodge No. ■1;^2, F. & A. M. He is of the Luth-
eran faith ; in politics he is a Republican. He is a member of the Coun-
try and Amicus clubs.
Concerning the genealogy of Dr. ^Michael Hay's wife, Margaret
(Worley) Hay, it may be stated:
(I) Francis Worley came to this country from England in 1699,
with William Penn. By occupation he was a surveyor. In 1701 he
became the owner of 2,500 acres of land in the province of Pennsylvania.
In 1722 the Indians consented to convey to Governor Keith a large tract
of land on the west side of the Susquehanna for the use of Springett
Penn, the grandson of William Penn. Francis Worley was one of three
surveyors sent across the Susquehanna by Governor Keith to make the
survey, this being the first survey made of that section of country;
it contained 75,520 acres, and is well knoAvn as Springettsbury ]\Ianor.
In 1722 he was one of His Majesty's justices of the peace for the county
of Chester at Conestoga. He removed from Lancaster county in 1742,
purchasing 750 acres of land about one mile Northwest of York. In
the year 1700, Francis Worley married ]\Iary Brassey, daughter of
Thomas Brassey. They had five sons : Jacob, Daniel, Nathan, James
and Francis.
■ (II) Francis Worley, son of Francis and ^lary (Brassey) Worley,
was born in York coimty, Pennsylvania. He married Ruth Collins, of
■ Chester county, Pennsylvania, from which union five children were
born: George, Joseph, Francis, Rebecca and Lydia. The parents were
both members of the Society of Friends, or Quakers.
(III) George Worley, son of Francis and Ruth (Collins) Worley,
was born in York county, Pennsylvania, June 23, 1768, and died May
6, 1850. He married Elizabeth Welsh, of York county, born July 25,
1773, died December 22, 1811. To them were born the following ten
children: Francis, John, Joseph, George, Susan, Margaret, Ruth, Eliza,
Mary and Charlotte.
(IV) Margaret Worley, daughter of George and Elizabeth (AVelsh)
Worley, was born November 30. 1798, in York. On ^lay 11, 1823, she
married Dr. ]\Iichael Hay; in November, 1836, they removed to Johns-
town, where she lived until her death, which occurred June 6, 1870.
(See "Pennsylvania INIagazine of History," vol. 5, p. 478; Rupp's
"History of York county," p. 531-2.)
SUPPES FAMILY. Conrad Suppes. deceased, was born June 2,
1821, in Landenhausen, near Fulda, in the Grand Duchy of Hessen,
Germany. He came to America in 1846 with his parents, one sister
Sophia and three brothers, George, Charles and Theodore — the latter was
drowned many j^ears ago. Another sister, Elizabeth, remained in
Germany, having married Johannes Kiihl. whose son is now biirger-
meister (mayor) of Landenhausen, and has been for twenty-five years.
■ The family first settled in Johnstown ; in 1848, with the exception
of Conrad, they all moved to Cameron, Ohio. It may be stated here,
the above family were all born in the Grand Duchy of Hessen, Germany.
The father, Theodore Suppes, was born January 2, 1798 ; after lo-
cating in Cameron he conducted a prosperous milling business for many
years: he was killed September 4, 1877, by the bursting of an Ohio
river steamboat boiler while on a business trip. He married ]\Iargaret
46 HISTOKY OF CAMBBIA COUNTY.
Glitch, born Janiiarv 2-4, 1798: died October 19, 1851, in Cameron,
Ohio. ' -
Of the children born to them, the following came to this country:
1. Conrad, subject of this sketch: 2. Sophia, born January 24,
1823; died February 22, 1872; married George Schwing, of Claring-
ton; 3. George, born December 26, 1830; located in Cameron, Ohio,
where he engaged in the merchandising business, and was also an ex-
tensive dealer in tobacco ; he was very successful in his business en-
terprises. He died in that place, December, 1901; he was married to
:\Iary J. Wyley, January 1, 1852; she died September 27, 1899; 4.
Charles, born in 1840. On August 14, 1861, he was married to Nancy
Davis, in Cameron, Ohio : she v^'as born January 20, 1842. ]\Ir. Suppes
enlisted in 1862 to serve three years in Company C, 116th Ohio In-
fantry Volunteers. He was taken prisoner by ^losby's troops near Hall-
town, West Virginia, September 4, 1864, and confined in Libby Prison
for two months ; then transferred to Danville, where he was imprisoned
until ]March, when he vras exchanged and sent to the hospital. He
was honorably discharged at Columbus, Ohio, ^lay 29, 1865. While
in prison he sutiPered untold hardships by reason of which he was debil-
itated for a number of years. He still resides in Cameron.
Conrad Suppes inuuediately after coming to JohnstOAvn in 1846,
engaged in the general merchandising business on ]\lain street. About
1855 he erected a three and one-half story brick building, on Clinton
street, which at that time was considered a great enterprise. This
building was afterward converted into the Hulbert House, of which he
retained ownership. He disposed of his general merchandising store to
engage exclusively in the dry goods business on Clinton street. At the
same time that he conducted this business, he started on ]\Iain street
the first exclusive boot and shoe store in the city; and soon after he
opened the first notion store in Johnstown, in the Zimmerman Building.
He retired from the mercantile business in 1868, and removed to his
farm near the city in Yoder township. This farm he had previously
purchased from George W. Osborne. He made extensive improvements
on it, and erected a cottage for his garduer, who superintended it for
him. He brought it to a high state of productiveness, and took such pride
in it that all offers for its purchase were declined. In connection with
this he Avas also engaged in the ice business, which his son Charles H.,
established in 1866. He became interested in the Valley Pike, and con-
sented to have it laid through his farm. He was for many years a
principal factor in the business affairs of Johnstown ; was one of the
incorporators of the Johnstown Water Works, in 1866 ; a leading mem-
ber and stockholder in the Valley Pike Company; an incorporator in the
original Electric Light Company, in 1885; one of the incorporators of
the Johnstown Savings Bank in 1870, and had numerous other business
interests. In politics. ]\Ir. Suppes was a Eepublican, and in his religious
faith a Lutheran, having been a leading member of the German Luth-
eran church. He was one of the oldest members of the Masonic frat-
ernity in Johnstown, haAnng taken his degrees at Hollidaysburg, then
the only ]\Iasonic lodge in all this region of country. In February,
1854, he became a member of Cambria Lodge, No. 278, which was organ-
ized at Johnstown in December, 1853, and his name was the eighteenth
on the roll of membership. In 1876 he joined Johnstown Lodge, No.
538, demitting from Camljria Ijodge on November 8, 1859. He was a
man of strict integrity, almost boundless energy, open-hearted and
charitable, the friend of all. He was noted for his great hospitality,
EISTOET OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 47
and was never so happy as when entertaining his friends. In his death,
wliieh occurred February 23. 1889, the city lost one of its best citizens. *
The Johnstoivn Tribune said editorally: "In the death of Mr. Conrad
Suppes, Johnstown loses one of its oldest, wealthiest and best citizens.
Ho was a man foremost in all worthy enterprises; a kind genial com-
panion w^ho will long be missed and mourned in business and social
circles."
Conrad Suppes was thrice married : first to Alice Andrews, at Johns-
town, Pennsylvania, on ]March 2, 1848, by the Rev. T. Shaw. She was
born in Plymouth, England, September 8, 1826 ; died in Johnstown,
January 31, 1873. By this marriage were born the following children :
1. Charles H., see sketch. 2. Anna Margaret, see sketch of Hay family.
3. Theodore William, born Xovember 22, 1853 ; died August 25, 1855.
4. Max ]\I., born February 18, 1856 ; is now manager of the
National Tube Companv's plants at T^orain. Ohio. He married Anna
E. Mark :\[cConihe, of Troy, New York, July 12, 1882; their children
are: Floi^ence Andrews, ]\[ax ]\[., Clara Rogers," Arthur Scott and
Chester A. 5. George Plitt, born January 1, 1859; married Sarah
Ellen Osborne, of Johnstown, June 3, 1879, and their children are :
George Osborne. INIargaret Alice, Conrad Theodore, Francis Agnes and
Chauncey Osborne. The father is the proprietor of the Suppes Forge
and Foundry Company; proprietor and manager of the Rowena Stone
and Sand Companv, of Rowena, Pennsylvania. 6. Conrad Theodore, born
July 4. 3861; died November 24. 1861. 7. Elizabeth King, married
John S. linger, April 28, 1892, and their children are : AYilliam Suppes
and Alice Suppes. ]\Ir. Unger is assistant general manager of the
Homestead Steel AVorks, Howard Axle Works and the Carrie Blast
Furnaces of the Carnegie Steel Company. 8. Alice May, see John H.
Waters sketch. 9. Gertrude Fritz, see Dr. George AV. Wagoner sketch.
For his second wife, Conrad Suppes married at Johnstown, July
21, 1874, Caroline Kress, born in the Grand Duchy of Hessen, Germany,
October 29, 1831; died October 19, 1877, without issue; Rev. R. A.
Fink, D. D., performing their marriage ceremony.
For his third Avife, Air. Suppes married in New York City, Septem-
ber 9, 1878, Frieda Fildebrand, of Stolp, in Pomern, Germany. By
this marriage one child Avas born, Frieda Bertha, born September 5,
1879 ; she married John Price Jones, of New York Citv, December 5,
1905.
Concerning the geneaology of Air. Suppes ' first wife, Alice AndrcAvs,
it maA' be stated that on the paternal side :
(I) Richard AndrcAvs Avas born in England, January 18, 1757;
died December 11, 1833. He married Grace , Avho AA^as born
in England, January 18, 1758, died February 4, 1832. Their eleven
children Avere all born in England as folloAvs: 1. Grace, born September
14. 1778; 2. Richard, born August 14, 1781; 3. George, born June 8,
1783; 4. John, born April 10, 1785; died Januarv 1, 1806; 5. Elizabeth,
born April 20, 1787; 6. Edmund, born April 9. 1789; died July 8, 1843;
7. Alice, born Alarch 27, 1791; died January 1, 1826; 8. Samuel,
born Alarch 2, 1793; 9. Alarv, born November 11, 1794; 10. Henry, born
August 24, 1796 ; 11. Florence, born Alarch 22, 1800.
(II) Samuel AndreAA^s, son of Richard and Grace AndrcAA-s, Avas
born in England, Alarch 2, 1793, and died NoA^ember 20, 1857, at Johns-
tOAvn, Pennsylvania. He came to the United States in 1830. In England
he married Ann King, born in England, 1803, and died February 17,
1845, in JohnstOAvn, Pennsylvania. They Avere the parents of the fol-
48 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
lowino- children: 1. Samuel, born October 10, 1822, deceased; 2. Ann,
born September 10, 1824, married Washineton Edwards, of Creekside,
Indiana county, Pennsylvania; 3, Alice, born September 8, 1826, at
Plymouth, England ; died January 31, 1873, at Johnstown ; 4. George,
born September 16, 1829. deceased; 5. Edmund, born ]\Iay 13, 1832,
deceased; 6. James Richard King, born August 29, 1834; died May
4, 1838; 7. William Allison, born March 6, 1837, deceased; 8. Elizabeth
King, born September 22, 1839, married Captain William B. Bonacker,
and resides in Lakeland. Polk county, Florida : 9. Richard, born Octo-
ber 11, 1841, unmarried and resides at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania ; 10.
Charles, born November 2. 1843; died May 26, 1844. Of this family,
Samuel, Ann, Alice and George were born in England and the remainder
in America.
The maternal line of ]\Irs. Alice (Andrews) Suppes, is as follows:
(I) James King, of England, married Elizabeth Wyatt in that
country, and among other children born of this union was Ann King.
(II) Ann King, born in England. 1803, married Samuel Andrews
of England.
(III) Alice Andrews, third child of Samuel and Ann (King)
Andrews, married Conrad Suppes, of this sketch, at elohnstown, Penn-
sylvania.
CHARLES H. SUPPES, son of Conrad and Alice (Andrews)
Suppes, was born November 30, 1848, in the city of Johnstown, Penn-
sylvania, at the residence of his parents on Main street. Here he spent
his boyhood days, and attended the public schools, also Professor Trea-
bert's German school, and Nazareth Hall at Nazareth, Pennsylvania,
completing his education at the latter named institution.
He then went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and there spent some
time learning the confectionery trade. From there he went to Pitts-
burg, Pennsylvania, and engaged in the wholesale commission business
continuing for a short period. He then returned to Johnstown and
opened up a wholesale grocery, which he later sold to his father, Conrad
Suppes, and brother-in-law, John B. Hay. About this time he was
also engaged in a retail ice business with his father, but shortly after-
ward purchased his father's interest and conducted the business alone
for many years, selling out to W. K. and Evan jM. du Pont, in 1899.
Subsequently he established and can-ied on an extensive wholesale ice
business, which he sold to parties in Greensburg, Jennette and other
towns. Since 1899 Mr. Suppes has given his entire attention to his large
real estate interests. He is one of the heaviest property OAvners in the
city. He is a Democrat, and is identified with the German Lutheran
church.
Mr. Suppes married, November 6, 1873, Rebecca Elizabeth 'Jackson,
daughter of Cornelius Hendry and Mary (Stokes) Jackson. ]\Irs.
Suppes attended the public schools of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a school
in Salem, Ohio, and graduated from the Steubenville (Ohio) Female
Seminary. Mr. and ]\Irs. Suppes reside in a beautiful home in the
Eighth ward, erected by Charles H. Suppes in 1900, on property which
was a part of the originial farm of his father, Conrad Suppes. ]Mr.
and Mrs. Suppes had children : Alice Lee, Charles Hulbert, Jr., ]\Iary
Stokes, Kate R., Elizabeth Jackson, Clara Troemner. Nancy jNEoore,
Walter R., Richard Andrew. William Jackson and Frederick Stokes.
Cornelius Henry Jackson, father of ]\Irs. Suppes, a descendant of
an Irish ancestry, was born in Erie county, Pennsylvania, May 13, 1820,
THE
Ajtsf, Lenox and rildan
focni'jtlont.
JOHN DIBERT
mSTOUY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 49
died in Canton, Ohio, February 8, 1906. He was a son of Abner Jack-
son, who was born on a farm in Genesee county. New York, a son of
Lyman Jackson, who was a pensioner of the Revolutionary War. Abner
Jackson married Phosa Hendry, born in Genesee county, New York.
Cornelius H. Jackson was a graduate of Allegheny College, at Mead-
viDe, Pennsylvania, Avas a IMethodist minister, and was instrumental
in building the IMethodist church in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, of which
he was pastor from 1861 to 1865, in the latter named year giving up
the ministry and removing to Canton, Ohio. He married Mary Stokes,
daughter of Joseph and Rebecca (Starr) Stokes. Joseph Stokes came
from Stokes-on-Trent, P'ngland. The Starr family is one of the* old and
very prominent New England families.' Cornelius H. and Mary (Stokes)
Jackson were the parents of the following children : Infant ; Cora,
married Alvin C. Kauneberg; Rebecca Elizabeth, wife of Charles H.
Suppes; Kate, married Walter E. Rukenbrod ; William A., died un-
married.
JOHN DIBERT. The family of which the late John Dibert, for
many years prominently identified with important business interests of
th(^ city of Johnstown, was a representative, was of French origin, the
original form of the name being De Bert. This was changed to Dybird
when the family took refuge in Holland in order to escape the persecu-
tions inflicted on the Huguenots in the early days of the history of
France. The family was transplanted from the Old to the New World
by the great-grandfather of John Dibert, whose name was supposed to
have been David, who settled first in New York, from Avhence he re-
moved to Chester county, Pennsylvania, and the name then took the
present form of Dibert.
David Dibert, son of the immigrant ancestor, resided in Adams
county, Pennsylvania, from whence he removed to Bedford county at
a very early day, and subsequently to Cambria county. He followed the
occupation of fanning, was highly respected and honored in the com-
munity, and discharged every duty in a way that reflected credit upon
himself. His wife. Elizabeth Dibert, bore him several children, among
whom was John Dibert.
John Dibert, son of David and Elizabeth Dibert, resided at Dibert-
ville, Somerset county, which was named in honor of him, its oldest and
most prominent citizen, and there gave his attention to farming and the
ojierating of a mill of which he was the owner, also to the pursuits of
tanning and distilling. About 1816 he removed to Johnstown, where he
purchased a farm upon Avhich is now located the Sixth ward of the
city. Here he bnilt the Dibert homestead at the corner of Franklin
and Dibert streets, and this building Avould have been destroyed by the
great flood of 1889 had it not been so strongly b^iilt. It Avas raised by
the Avaters to tlie tops of the trees and carried away about one hundred
feet from its foundation. He engaged in the hotel and mercantile
business, invested largely in real estate, and became one of the most
Avealthy and prominent citizens of the city. He married Rachel Blaugh,
Avho bore him eight children: David, Avhose history appears in the
sketch of Scott Dibert, his son, elscAvhere in this Avork; Jacob, died 1849;
John, see forward: Sarah, AA'idoAV of Dr. Henry Yeagley, resides in
Lancaster, Pennsylvania ; Mary, married Rev. John D. Knox, a Metho-
dist clergyman, resides in Topeka, Kansas; Samuel, died retired, in
JohnstoAvn. July 1. 1904; Elizabeth, married Mahlon W. Keim, resides
in Johnstown; Charles A:, a retired citizen of Oakland, California.
50 HISTORY OF CAM BET A COUNTY.
John Dibert, the father of the family, died in 1849, aged forty-five
years, in the full prime of manhood ; he was a member of the Lutheran
church. His wife survived him many years, passing away alxuit the
year 1878 : she was a member of the Methodist church.
John Dibert, son of John and Rachel (Blaugh) Dibert, was born
in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, ]\lay 12, 1831. He started out in his
business career about 1848, after obtaining a practical education, as
a clerk in his father's dry goods store, the firm trading as Dibert &
Osboi-n at the corner of Franklin and ^Nlain streets, under the old !Man-
sion House, now (1906) the present site of the shoe store of Scott Dibert.
Abov^t a year later, at the time of the death of his father, John Dibert,
Jr., went into business for himself a few doors further up ]\lain street,
dealing in general merchandise, which business continued until about
1870, a period of about twenty years, Avhen the firm of Dibert, Wayne
& Company was formed to deal exclusively in hardware, which business
superseded the old business of general merchandise. About 1875 this
firm was dissolved and ^Ir. Dibert continued in the hardware business
alone under the name of John Dibert to the time of his death. May 31,
1889, in the great flood that almost completely devastated the city of
Johnstown. He was one of the organizers of the First National Bank,
in which he held the position of director for a number of years. About
1874 he started a private banking business at the corner of Franklin
and Main streets, opposite his father's old business corner, under the
firm name of John Dibert & Co., his partners being his eldest son, John
H. Diljert and John D. Eoberts. Mr. Dibert was actively connected with
the First Presbyterian church, and was one of its largest contributors.
In politics he was a strong Republican of the old fashioned kind, and
was active in INIasonry and a Knight Templar. He was a man of sterl-
ing qualities, of the real robust honesty, one who had the confidence
of all his business acquaintances, and among friends their respect and
admiration, and with his family he was a very kindly and affectionate
nature, generous almost to a fault. To describe his character can best
be done by quoting the words of a friend of his used after his death:
"eJohn Dibert was one of nature's noblemen."
Mr. Dibert married, July 4, 1850, ]Martha G. McLain, daughter of
George McLain, a larg^ real estate owner and dealer of Johnstown.
The children of this marriage were : John H. Dibert, George W. Dibert,
William B. Dibert, Frank G. Dibert, I\Iary D. Snowden, Rachel D. Ellis
and Susan D. Weaver,
SCOTT DIBERT, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a leading manu-
facturer, and prominently identified with other important business
interests, is a representative of an old French family, the original
form of the name being De Bert. Huguenots in religion, at the time
of the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, in order to escape persecution,
they voluntarily expatriated themselves, taking refuge in Holland,
where the family name took the form of Dybird. The ancestor of the
American branch of the family (which here became known as Dibert)
came from Amsterdam and settled in New York, thence removing to
Chester county, Pennsylvania, his descendants dispersing to the west
and central portions of that province. His christian name was probably
David, and has been retained throughout several generations. His son
David lived in Adams county, whence he removed to Bedford and then
to Cambria county: he was a farmer. He married Elizabeth
John, son of David and Elizabeth Dibert, was a farmer and mill
HISTORY OF CAMBBIA COUNTY. 51
owner in Somerset conntv, residing at Dibertsville, which was named for
him. and was probahlr place of his birth. He removed to Johnstown,
where he bought a farm npon whieli is now located the Sixth ward of
the city. Here he built the Dibert homestead at the corner of Frank-
lin and Dibert streets, and where subsequently lived David Dibert.
The building would have been destroyed by the great flood of 1889,
had it not been so strongly built. It Avas raised by the waters to the
tops of the trees and carried away about one hundred feet from its
foundation. John Dibert married Sachel Blaugh, and they reared a
family of eight children: 1. David, of whom further. 2. Jacob, died
1849. 3. John, a banker, of Johnstown ; drowned in the flood of 1889.
4. Sarah, widoAV of Dr. Henry Yeagley; resides in Lancaster, Penn-
sylvania. 5. Mary, married Rev. John D. Knox, a ^Methodist clergy-
man ; reside in Topeka, Kansas. 6. Samuel, died retired, in Johnstown,
July 1, 1904. 7. Elizabeth married W. ]\[ahlon Keini; resides in Johns-
town. 8.. Charles A., resides in Oakland, California, retired. The
father of this family died in 1849, a comparatively young man ; the
mother survived him many years, and died, about 1878. She was a
Methodist in religion, and her husband was a Lutheran.
David Dibert, eldest child of John and Rachel (Blaugh) Dibert,
was born in Dibertsville, Somerset county, Pennsylvania, September
24, 1826. He was reared upon the paternal farm, and educated in the
district schools. On attaining his majority he married and carried on
the tanning business in Shade, Pennsylvania, where he lived about
three years, and about 1851 removed to Johnstown. There his large
abilities found a fruitful held, and he entered upon a career of honor
and auspicious usefulness, to the community at large as well as to him-
self. For the first few years he conducted a tannery in the Fifth ward
and later opened a general store at the corner of Franklin and Somerset
streets, and still later a similar establishment at the corner of Frank-
lin and ]Main streets, where Scott Dibert 's shoe store is now located,
and where the brick block. was built in 1889, the year of his death. He
was one of the organizers and original trustees of the Johnstown Sav-
ings Bank of which his son Frank was the first cashier, and in various
other business and financial enterprises. He was owner of three product-
ive farms in the vicinity of Johnstown, and owned considerable prop-
erty in Greenwood county, Kansas. He took a deep and intelligent inter-
est in educational affairs, and served usefully upon the school board
foj- several years. He was one of the charter members of the Grand-
view cemetery. With his family he was a member of the IVIethodist
Episcopal church, and Avas a member of the board of trustees for many
years, and of the committee having in charge the erection of the new
church edifice. In politics he was a Republican, but never an aspirant
to official station. He passed his later years in pleasant retirement,
but never ceased the activities which lay outside his business, and which
were ever near his heart efforts of splendid christian manhood and
ideal citizenship. He gave liberally of his time, influence and means
to church work, and was unstinting in his benefactions, which he be-
stowed with a silence and modesty which was one of the principal char-
acteristics of his retiring nature. INIany a poor widow held him in rev-
erent regard for his tender sympathy and aid, and many a young
man owed his beginning in business and home-making to his counsel and
substantial assistance.
Mr. Dibert married Lydia Griffith, born at Jenner Cross Roads,
July 24, 1830, daughter of Allen Connelly and ]\Iary Rhoades (Shaffer)
52 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
Griffith. She was of AVelsh ancestry, and aecordin": to family tradition
was descended from those Griffiths who sat on the throne of AYales.
Members of the family resided in Liverpool and Chester, England, and
one, AVilliam Eliot Griffith, loaned to the English government the
money for building the first bridge across the river Thames. His
nephew William, founder of the American branch of the Griffith family,
came with "William Penn, and, although Friends in reliuion, some of
their descendants took part in the Revolutionary war. His son Jesse,
residing in Somerset county. Pennsvlvania, married Lydia Connelly,
and they were the parents of Allen Connelly Griffith, born in the same
county.
David and Lydia ( Griffith "i Dibert were the parents of ten chil-
dren: 1. Frank, connected with the Pennsylvania Developing Com-
pany, also treasurer of the above and the Santa Fe Central Railroad,
resides in Santa Fe, New ^Mexico; married Anna M. Amnion, of Pitts-
burg, Pennsylvania ; four children. 2. Scott, of whom further. 3. John
AA^alter, deceased, buried in Johnstown; married Clara C. Bolsinger;
two children. 4. Bertha, widow of Francis Huber Torrens: resides in
Johnstown; no children. 5. Alary Rachel, married Francis J. Tor-
rance ; resides in Allegheny, Pennsylvania ; one child. 6. Florence Alay,
at home; unmarried. 7-8. Grant and Sheridan, twins; Grant married
Nannie Eva Armstrong; reside in Pittsburg; three children; Sheridan
died at age of two and a half years. 9. Anna June, married AVilliam
J. Bates; reside in Pittsburg; three children. 10. David, married Lucy
Julia AA'ilson; reside in Pittsburg; one child. The father of this family
died in Ridgeview Park, Pennsylvania, August 29, 1889, and the mother
died December 23, 1901 ; both are buried in Grandview cemetery,
Johnstown.
Scott Dibert, second child of David and Lydia (Griffith) Dibert,
was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, November 1. 1852. His educa-
tion was received in the excellent public schools of Johnstown, followed
by a year's course at Duff's Business College at Pittsburg. Having de-
cided to engage in the shoe trade he went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
where he spent one year in the shoe factory of Knott, Roney & Dibert,
the second largest makers of shoes in that city, his uncle, A. C. Dibert,
being a member of the firm. In April, 1871, he returned to Johnstown,
opening a retail shoe store at No. 215 Alain street, which location he
held until the great flood of 1889. The same year he completed the
unfinished work of his father in erecting the fine structure at the corner
of Alain and Franklin streets, which is owned by the Dibert family,
and is occupied by Scott Dibert. where he has built for himself a large
and growing business in the sale of fine grade of shoes. Besides the
shoe business. ATr. Dibert is largely interested in numerous other op-
erations, including that of banking. He is a stockholder and director
and was one of the orsranizers of the United States National Bank ; owner
of the Park Palace livery; is the president and sole owner of the Alt.
Union Silica Brick Comnany of Alt. Union, Pa.. Avhich has a capacity of
fifty thousand silica brick per day, and is also the president of" the
Savage Fire Brick Company, with Avorks at Keystone Junction and
AVilliams, Somerset county, and at Hyndman, Bedford county. He is
one of the directors of the Johnstown Light, Heat and Power Company,
and is the sole owner of the Alt. Union Liyht and Power Company, as
well as a large realty owner. In politics he is a Republican, and has
served his city for four years as councilman from the seventeenth Avard.
He Avas married, January 31. 1879, to Annie Rcsensteel, daughter
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 53
of William H. and Elizabeth Ligget (Kobinet) Rosensteel, of Johns-
town, by Avhom were born three danohters: Marian, and Elizabeth
Lydia, at home; Annie Rosensteel, wife of Herman E. Banmer, an at-
torney of Johnstown, and thev are the parents of two children — Her-
man Dibert and Scott Dibert.
WAKEFIELD FAMILY. The snrname Wakefield, under the
various spellings of the times, appears frequently in very early Eng-
lish history ; as Wacansf el, a. town in county Berks, under grant of
King Athelbard: the towns of Wacarfeld and Wackarfield; in "Dooms-
day Book," A. D. 1086. as AA^achefeld and Wachefelt; Thomas de Wake-
field, chancellor and sub-dean of York, 1301 ; Henry de Wakefield, arch-
deacon of Canterbury, lord treasurer of England, 1375, and many
others.
Of the Wakefields who settled in Pennsylvania, New York and
New Jersey nearly if not quite all immigrated direct from Ireland, and
are descendants of a common ancestor who came from England before
the middle of the seventeenth century. This ancestor was John Wake-
field, an officer of the English army stationed in Ireland for the pur-
pose of protecting a forcibly established colony there. Tradition says
he shared with this colony a division of land, and that trouble was
encountered in holding the granted estate until the complete sub.juga-
tion of Ireland by Cromwell in 1649-1650.
A John AA^akefield is mentioned officially first in 1637 ; again, John
Wakefield is enrolled among the 1,649 commissioned officers who served
Charles I before the 5th of June, 1649, in the various wars of Ireland.
The official records therefore confirm the assumption that this John
Wakefield was the original progenitor of this branch of the family; and
it is also a fair assumption that he was one of two brothers (the other
being "Alderman Thomas Wakefield, Ulster's Office, Dublin, buried in
St. Werburgh's Church, February 19, 1658"), mentioned in "Burke's
General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales." The
armorial bearings clearly indicate his descent from the Wakefields of
Pomfret, Kingston-on-Hull and Seassey, Yorkshire, England.
It is believed that this John Wakefield was the father of Dr. Albert
Wakefield, a surgeon of the staff of William of Orange. On the Irish
invasion of the latter, William was severely wounded at the battle of
the BoAnie, July 1, 1690. Dr. Albert Wakefield dressed the wound so
skillfully and so won his confidence and good will that on the comple-
tion of the conquest at the battle of Aughrim, July 12, 1691, by Wil-
liam's request an estate comprising the site of the battleground was
granted him and is now the property of the male line of descendants.
A lineal descendant still possesses a piece of the waistcoat worn by
William on the memorable occasion referred to.
Dr. Albert AVakefield had an only son, Robert, Avho in turn had,
possibly among other children, three sons — Robert, Matthew and An-
drew AYakefield. Robert (2) lived on the family estate on the road
between Aughrim and Ballinsloe, Galway county, Connaught, Ireland,
where he died. His eldest son, David Wakefield, born on the estate,
married Mary Jane Wade, daughter of Jeremiah Wade, a wealthy
landed proprietor of that region.
David Wakefield immiarated to America between 1768 and 1773.
With his brothers he had been implicated in the plot against Catholic
rule in Ireland, and when detected David was concealed by his wife in
a hogshead of clothes with which she embarked on an American bound
Vol. Ill— 4
54 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
vessel, and was three days out at sea before the captain of the ship
knew that he was on board. Of his brothers who were concerned with
•David in this atfair, Robert was beheaded, Gilbert imprisoned for life,
and Samuel escaped to Scotland.
On his arrival in this country David Wakefield first settled in Path
Valley, between the Tuscarora and Conecocheag:ue mountains, in Perry
(then Cumberland) county, Pennsylvania, where some of his younger
children were born. After living there about fifteen years he settled
on the north of the Conemaugh. opposite Squirrel Hill, then in Cumber-
land county, but now^ Indiana county, and where now stands the village
of Centerville, Pennsylvania. Two years later, finding his title to the
land defective, he moved five miles northwest to near the head of the
west branch of Richard's Run, in Wheatfield township, somewhere be-
tween the years 1788 and 1794. There David died and is buried. After
his death his widow removed to Mercer county to live with a daughter,
and died there.
Thomas Wakefield, eldest son of David and IMary Jane (Wade)
Wakefield married Elizabeth IMorton, niece of John ]Morton, one of
the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Thomas AA^akefield en-
listed from Chester county in the Continental army under General
Washington, and among other services he spent the terrible winter
that so tried men's souls at Valley Forge. Children of Thomas and
Elizabeth (Morton) Wakefield: 1. Robert Wakefield, married his aunt,
Mary Wakefield. 2. James Wakefield, born April 25, 1787; married
first, Martha Moore ; married second, Susan Sanderson ; died August 31,
1846, near Allegheny City. 3. John Wakefield, married first, Mary
Bracken; married second, •— : removed to High Prairie, Illinois, and
died there. 4. Thomas Wakefield, married Elizabeth Haymaker. 5.
David Wade Wakefield, born February 3, 1796 ; married first, Susanna
Wilson; married second, August 25, 1818, Mrs. Kate Conrad. He was
a farmer, millwright and contractor, and died in Indiana county, Penn-
sylvania, December 18, 1878. 6. Samuel Wakefield born :\Iarch 6, 1799,
died September 13, 1895. 7. INlary Wakefield, married Dill Sanderson.
Their son. Colonel Thomas Sanderson, is a prominent lawyer of
Youngstown, Ohio. 8. Elizabeth Wakefield, married John INIcNutt, and
died in Indiana county, Pennsylvania. 9. Catherine Wakefield, born,
June 1, 1810, died April 17, 1899, at Rock Island, Illinois: married Dr.
John Farrell.
Rev. Dr. Samuel Wakefield, sixth son and child of Thomas and
Elizabeth (Morton) Wakefield, a distinguished clergyman of the Meth-
odist Episcopal Church for more than half a century, a scholar of
eminent abilities and an author of wide repute, was born in Huntingdon
county, Pennsylvania. March 6, 1799. Wlien he was one year old his
parents removed to Westmoreland county and located three miles from
Armagh, a small Irish village; and still later moved farther west in
the state and made a home for himself and his family in a wilderness
region. When very young Samuel was put to work, and at the age of
seven years he assisted in cultivating the land. In that wild country
the opportunities for acquiring even a rudimentary education were
almost wholly lacking, and on that account the boy was compelled to
rely entirely on his own efforts to obtain instruction in the primary
branches ; but he was determined to gain an education at some cost, and
fortunately possessed the native force of character to accomplish that
difficult task. The particular occasion which determined him in this
direction was that on which he and several other lads were sent to the
HISTOHY OF CAM BETA COUNTY. 55
mill with grain for grinding. While waiting for their work to be
done, the other boys amused themselves with reading the handbills
posted near the mill, much to the chagrin of young Samuel, for he
could not read a single w^ord : and that day he carried home a determina-
tion to acquire an education. In such an undertaking, under similar
conditions^ no one was ever more successful than Samuel Wakefield, for
without tutors and almost without assistance of any kind he estab-
lished for himself a systematic course of study, adhered to it nobly,
and continued it into the higher collegiate branches. In 1813, then
being fourteen years old, he enlisted as a drummer boy in a company
serving at Black Rock, near Erie, in this state, in the second war with
Great Britain. At seventeen he established and successfully conducted
a subscription school in the Ligonier Valley, near Fort Palmer, and at
eighteen he was licensed as a local preacher by the quarterly conference
of the ]\Iethodist Episcopal church; and in that capacity he taught and
preached for fourteen years. In 183-4 he .joined the Pittsburgh confer-
ence and served in the regular ministry until 1880, when he was placed
on the superannuated list. West Newton, Pennsylvania, was his last
regular appointment, and he afterward lived in that town until his
death. His honorary degree of Divinitatis Doctor was conferred by
Allegheny College in 1854, and that of Legum Doctor by the same in-
stitution in 1856.
Dr. Wakefield Mas the founder of a large number of ]\Iethodist
Episcopal churches througbout western and southwestern Pennsyl-
vania, and was one of the most zealous, determined and self-sacrificing
workers for the promotion of the doctrines of that church this state ever
has produced. After being licensed to preach his first location was at
West Newton, and notwithstanding the opposition and coldness with
which he was received by those of other denominations, he continued his
labors at 1hat place until he had established a flourishing society of
Methodists there, and had wOn the friendship of many persons who at
the time of his settlement had not given him a warm Christian welcome.
He was a good Hebrew, Greek and Latin scholar, and his attainments
in systematic theology were of high order. He was author of "Wake-
field's Systematic Theology," which was first published about the time
of the end of the late Civil war. That work is still recognized through-
out the Methodist church as an excellent authority, and is used as a
text-book in several theological seminaries of that denomination and
various others as well. He also abridged and prepared for publication
''Watson's Theological Institutes," which was done at the request of a
committee of the Methodist Episcopal publishing house in New York
city; but the committee on learning that Dr. Wakefield was preparing
his own work on that subject did not publish the revision. In September,
1893, at the ripe old age of ninety-three years, he prepared for the
press and published a volume of sermons entitled "Gospel Tidings."
He also wrote a work on moral philosophy, but it was not published
during his lifetime. More than this, he was author of an English gram-
mar which bore his name and was pronounced by competent judges a
work of decided merit, and which later was adopted as a text-book by
many schools.
Dr. Wakefield's musical talents and tastes were of the finest quality
and early showed him the need of improvement in this important part
of church service. To this end he was author in 1828 of "AVakefield's
Sacred Music, ' ' and he wrote and published in all seven different works
on that subject: "Ecclesiastical Harmony," "American Repository of
56 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
Sacred Music," "Western Harp," "Christian Harp," "Minstrel of
Ziou," "Sacred Choral" (in German \ and "Select Melodies." For
more tlian half a century these works have been universally and de-
servedly popular in Methodist Episcopal churches of the United States.
And in addition to his literary and musical ability Dr. Wakefield pos-
sessed considerable mechanical genius, which he also devoted to his
church. He constructed with his own hands the first pipe organ ever
used west of the Allegheny mountains. At an early day also he in-
vented and patented a system of tailoring.
On August 21, 1821, Dr. Samuel Wakefield married Elizabeth
Hough, daughter of Paul and Catherine fWeigle) Hough, of Westmore-
land county. She died September 29. 1894, being then in her ninety-
second year; Dr. Wakefield died September 13, 1895, in his ninety-
seventh year. On the occasion of the celebration of the golden wedding
of David H. Wakefield, eldest son of Dr. Wakefield, the New York
World said of his father :
"Rev. Samuel Wakefield is one of the most wonderful men of the
present century. His entire life has been one of activity. He has been
minister, author, tailor, farmer, and representative of his district in
the Legislature during the Civil war. * * * Dr. Edward Everett
Hale years ago recognized Dr. Wakefield's ability and commented upon
it in one of his works. Dr. Wakefield was the earliest expounder of the
theology of the INIethodist church in North America, as Wesley was in
England. * * * All his clothing was the product of his own skillful
hands after he had reached the fourth score milestone of life's journey.
At seventy years he shod his own carriage horses. He has made several
violins and other musical instruments of excellent workmanship, which
are now treasured as relics by various members of his family. In the early
part of this (the nineteenth) century Dr. AVakefield preached on a
circuit of three hundred miles. There were no railroad trains, and stage
coaches did not pass except at long intervals through the country which
he had to cover, and which he did well cover. He rode to and fro
on horseback, preaching every day in the week at different log cabins
to which the faithful for miles around Avould flock on foot, on horse-
back, and in Conestoga wagons."
Children of Rev. Dr. Samuel and Elizabeth (Hough) Wakefield:
1. David Hough, born August 16, 1822; married Mary Covert; was a
teacher and farmer, county commissioner, and justice of the peace
forty years. 2. Rev. John S., born August 6, 1824; married. May 27,
1845, Martha Boyd, of Fayette county, Pennsylvania; he was a clergy-
man of the ]\Iethodist Episcopal church from 1852 until his death at
East End, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, July 28, 1901. 3. INIariah. born
January 29, 1827; married Martin Overholt. She died at Irwin, Penn-
sylvania, and he at East Liberty, Pennsylvania. 4. Kate, widow of
John Coulson; now livintr at Pawnee City. Nebraska. 5. Samuel C,
married first, Clara Mc]\Iaster: married second, Carrie Bowman; a
farmer living at Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania. 6. Elizabeth, widow
of David Hassler: lives at Indianapolis, Indiana. 7. Ella, born June
21, 1839; married John Brown, of West Newton, Pennsylvania; died
in 1905. 8. Dr. Alfred N., see forward. 9. Mary Emma, born June 21,
1845 ; married Bela W. Sheplar ; lives in Golden City, Missouri. 10.
Dr. James Byron, born October 29, 1847 ; married Jennie Singer, lives
in Jeanette, Pennsylvania.
Alfred Newlon Wakefield, physician and surgeon of Johnstown,
and the pioneer physician of that part of the city in which he now
THE \,
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Lenox an<i Tllden
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HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 57
lives, Avas born on his father's farm near Mt. Pleasant, in Westmore-
land county, December 7, 1S42. At the age of six years he removed
with his parents to Pittsburg, where they lived two years and during
that period he attended public school in an old two story frame building
on Marbury street, now known as Duquesne way. The family then re-
turned to the farm, which was soon sold, and another was purchased
in Rostraver township, near West Newton, to which place he was
taken when about ten years old. Here he attended public school dur-
ing the winter, and at other times worked on the farm until he was
about seventeen, when he became a student at W^est Newton Academy
and pursued the regular course of study of that school for three years.
In 1861 he began the study of medicine under the direction of
Dr. David Porter, an old and distinguished practitioner of Rostraver,
but after two years of continuous reading in his office he w^as com-
pelled to change his preceptor on account of Dr. Porter's retirement
from practice and his removal from the county. However, he finished
the prescribed course of preliminary study with Dr. H. S. Lindley, of
Ligonier, and in 1865 went to Philadelphia and became a special stu-
dent of anatomy under Professor Forbes, a distiuguished practitioner
of medicine and teacher of anatomy of that city, and for many years
a member of the faculty of the Jefferson IMeclical College. In the fall
of 1866 he matriculated at the AVestern Reserve University Medical
Department at Cleveland, Ohio, took two courses in that institution,
and was graduated with the degree of M. D. March 4, 1868.
Having come to the degree in medicine. Dr. Wakefield returned
to his native county and began his professional career by purchasing
the practice and good will of Dr. D. W. IMcConaughy, of Madison, in
which place he lived four years. In 1872 he sold out, in accordance
with the custom of that period, and removed to Johnstown, where he
has since lived, and where he has been recognized for many years as
one of the leading men of his profession in Cambria county. He Avas
the pioneer physician in that part of the city which is known as the
South Side, and for seven years was the only medical practitioner on
that side of the river, where now besides himself are eight others. In
the flood of 1889 his residence with all household and office furniture
were w^ashed away or ruined, but with his family he escaped to the hills,
where he at once began the work of relief for those less fortunate than
himself. He established the first dispensary opened during that disas-
trous period, and it was the last one to be closed.
Dr. Wakefield became a member of the Cambria County Medical
Society soon after its reorganization, and was its president in 1889.
By direction of the society he received and disbursed to twenty-seven
physicians relief money to the amount of .$6,967.60. He is one of the
directors of Conemaugh Valley Memorial Hospital, member of its sur-
gical staff and chairman of its executive committee, a permanent mem-
ber of the Pennsylvania State JNIedical Society, and a member of the
American Medical Association. On the 1st day of July, 1894, the
board of trustees of the Medico-Chirurgical College of Philadelphia
elected him a censor of that institution, with all the privileges and
honors of that office. For several years he was physician to the out-
door poor of the vicinity of J(^hnstown. and it is doulitful if there is
any professional man in all Cambria county who has given more serv-
ice in answer to the calls of charity than has Dr. Wakefield. He was
for four years United States Examining Surgeon for Pensions, and was
the first president of the Johnstown Board of Health on its organiza-
58 HISTORY OF CAMBBTA COUXTY.
tion in 1890. During his second term in that office and imder his per-
sonal supervision the IMunicipal Hospital was planned and erected.
Dr. Wakefield has heen married twice. In October, 1865, he mar-
ried ^Missouri B. JNIatthews, of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, by whom he
had two children— Carl AA^akefield and Morrison AVakefield, the latter
of whom died in infancy. Carl Wakefield is a graduate of the Western
Pennsylvania College of Pharmacy, class of 1906. ^Missouri B. ^Matthews
Wakefield died in 1873, and on January 21, 1875, Dr. Wakefield mar-
ried Clara AVagoner, daughter of Rev. George AVagoner and Alary
Henri, his wife, and a sister of Dr. George AV. AVagoner, of Johnstown,
of whom mention will be found elsewhere in this work. Three chil-
dren Avere born of the second inarriage— Earl, Alary and Jessie AA^ake-
field. Earl Wakefield is a civil engineer with the Pennsylvania Coal
Company, and is now at Cresson, Pennsylvania : Alary married Fletcher
P. Hartshorn, head book-keeper of the Canton Hardware Company of
Canton, Ohio, of which company he is a member ; and Jessie, the
youngest child, died in infancy.
ANDERSON H. AV ALTERS, editor of the Johnstown Daily and
Weekly Tribune, and President of the Tribune Publishing Company,
is the son of Dr. W. W. and Eliza (Jones) Walters. He was born at
Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Alay 18. 1862. For a history of the family,
the reader is referred to a sketch of the AA^alters family in this work.
Anderson H. Walters was educated in the public schools of Johns-
town, Pennsylvania, being a graduate of the high school in 1878. He
then had two years service with the Pennsylvania Railroad Company,
as a telegraph operator and clerk in the freight office. The next twenty-
one years of his career was spent with the Johnstown AA^ater Company
and the Johnstown Gas Company. He held positions successively as
meter inspector, clerk, collector, assistant superintendent, superinten-
dent and secretary. In April, 1902, he purchased the printing and
publishing business, with the plant, of the Johnstown Trihuue from
George T. Swank and organized the Johnstown Tribune Publishing
Comi)any, of which he is the president and treasurer, and the editor
of the Daily and AA^'eekly Tribune . The Daily was established in 1873,
the oldest daily paper in the city; it is also the only evening paper of
Johnstown. The AVeekly Tribune was established in 1853, the leading
weekly in western Pennsylvania.
Air. AA^alters is a Republican, and Avas made borough auditor when
but twenty-one years of age. AA^as member of the common council,
1898-1902. In 1900-03 was a member of the state Republican commit-
tee and the chairman of the Republican city committee in 1896-99.
He is an attendant of the Presbyterian church, and a member of the
AFasonic fraternity. Knights of Pythias, Benevolent Protective Order
of Elks, and Heptasophs. He is Avholly a Johnstown man, having been
born, reared and educated in that city, where he has ever devoted his
time and best talents toAvard the upbuilding of the place, including
its schools and other public institutions.
October 20, 1887, Air. AValters was united in marriage to Jessie
Octavia AA^oodruff, who was educated in the public schools. Her par-
ents were Hon. L. D. and AI. AI. 'W. AVoodruff. Her father was a mem-
ber of the Pennsylvania state legislature and Avas the mayor of Johns-
toAvn from 1899 to 1902. Airs. AA^alters is a descendant on the maternal
side from Thomas Lynch, one of the signers of the Declaration of In-
dependence.
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 59
DANIEL J. JONES, who was so closely connected with the early-
day Welsh settlement in Cambria county, Pennsylvania, very befit-
tingly finds a prominent place in this connection. As a preface to this
memoir the following-, an autobiography of him, will be given :
"Daniel J. Jones, the son of John and Elizabeth Jones, born
March 9, 1806, at the farm called "Moelifor," in the parish of Llan-
arth, county of Cardigan, South Wales, Great Britian. Baptized in
my infancy in the parish church of lianarth by Rev. Hughs, rector;
joined the Welsh Presbyterian Church in 1821, in the fifteenth year of
my age, at 'Ffoesffin Church.' My father and mother were members
of" the Wesleyan connection in a church called 'Chapel Vicar,' in the
parish of Llanarth. I was a blacksmith by trade. I came to this coun-
try (America) in 1837. Left behind me my wife and four children
in Wales. The reason why I left them behind was if I should not like
the country, I could return to my native land. But I did like the new
country well and I am thankful to my Heavenly Father that I was
inclined to come to it. In 1839, I sent for my family. They came to
Pittsburg in August, all alive and well. Great sickness was in the
ship they came over in; fifteen children were buried in the ocean. In
April, 1840, we moved from Pittsburg to the town of Ebensburg,
Cambria countv, Pennsylvania, where I and my wife are now, De-
cember 16, 1869."
Daniel Jones and Mary Davis were married February 17, 1830,
in the parish of "Ilenfynwy," county of Cardigan, South Wales, Great
Britain. According to his own account, Daniel Jones was a son of
John, ap (meaning son of) Daniel, ap John, ap Evan, ap John, ap
Evan, having his record for six generations. His father, Jones Jones,
was a maker of ships anchors, and had an interest in ship carrying
merchandise along the coast. A sister died in infancy. His brother,
Joseph Jones, became a minister of the Gospel, and resided in Aber-
aeron all his life. Michael Jones, another brother, was a ship cap-
tain, and was lost at sea on a voyage between Liverpool and Quebec.
Michael Jones, the founder and president of Bale College, was an uncle,
and the sons and grandsons of this IMichael Jones were the founders of
the famous "Welsh Colony" in Patagonia, South America.
Daniel J. Jones attended Dr. Thomas Phillips' Academy at New-
addlwyd, where the advantages were very good for that period. Dr.
Phillips took particular interest in him, both because he was very
bright, and because the wife of Dr. Phillips was a cousin of Daniel's
mother. He learned the trade of blacksmith, and after his marriage
settled by the sea at Aberaeron, where four children were born. The
shop was built near the house, and in 1890 was still standing, but the
encroachments of the sea had rendered it uninhabitable.
He came to America in June, 1837, and in August, 1839, his family
came, joining him at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. On account of hard
times ship irons were not in demand at Pittsburg and he decided to
go to Ebensburg, which he christened "Dolau Aeron," after his old
home in AVales. "Dolau" meaning "the banks," and "Aeron," a
river in AVales. In 1818, the family returned to the town, for a few
years, and later moved back to the farm where Mr. Jones lived the re-
mainder of his days. He was loved and respected by his family, the
church and the whole community. In December, 1877, his first wife
having died about two years before, he married Betsey Jones, living
on an adjoining farm, where he lived for a short time. Mrs. Jones died
some years prior to her husband's death.
60 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
Daniel J. Jones was identified with every movement for the edu-
cation and good of all the common people. He was one of those Welsh-
men who bore a prominent part in the pioneer movement among the
wilds of early-day Cambria county, and helped to develop the land and
create an influence for good, which has been felt all over the county.
He was one of the organizers of the Calvanistic church in Pittsburg;
organized and helped to build the Calvanistic church at Ebensburg.
He became an elder and a leader in all church affairs. His advice was
sought and his judgment adhered to on many an occasion. His com-
fortable home was the centre of church interest and delight of all visit-
ing ministers, who ever found a royal welcome. Many wayfarers and
unfortunates he befriended in the days when was in existence the "old
Pike." When at home in Wales, he drank the home-brewed ale, and
his good quart mug is in existence yet, but when the Father Mathew's
temperance movement swept the country, he became a total abstainer,
and ever afterward this mug was used solely for an ornament.
Strong in body and erect in stature was Daniel J. Jones, Avith light
hair and blue eyes. At work at his forge and making the sparks fly,
the picture called to the mind the "Village Blacksmith" of our Long-
fellow. He was elected a justice of the peace, but did not find it prof-
itable, as he discouraged litigation. He was essentially a man of peace,
being often called upon to decide some matter of disagreement between
parties, preferring to do this rather than see them go to law. Upon
the history of the people and the happenings of the new country, he
was so well informed that many appeals were made to him to decide
matters of land and law; and his sterling integrity was so well ac-
knowledged that his decisions were always accepted as final, both in
civil and religious matters. His honest, upright life was an example to
be followed by his descendants. He died on the farm, September 20,
1894, and was buried two days later, in Lloyd's cemetery, Ebensburg.
His pall bearers were his two sons and four grandsons.
His children were: 1. David, J., born at Aberaeron, Wales, April
30, 1831, connected with various mercantile institutions in Ebensburg
and Johnstown, Pennsylvania, at present is assistant treasurer of the
Cambria Steel Company. January 17, 1854, he married Prudence
Amanda Wherry, born in Ebensburg, July 20, 1830; by this union
were born— William Jackson, May 23, 1865, died in infancy; Caroline,
born April 27, 1856, died aged three years; Amelia Thompson, born
July 24, 1858, married John H. Crouse, lives in Johnstown; Leighton
Wherry, born October 12, 1860, married Elizabeth Kilpatrick, a physi-
cian of Johnstown ; Florintine, born December 26, 1862 ; married Ella
Nora Myers, lives at Ebensburg; AA^innie, born November 26, 1865,
lives in Johnstown; Nannie, born February 20, 1868, married William
M. Reed, lives in Johnstown; Henry Martin, born January 22, 1870,
lives in Johnstown. 2. John P., born in Aberaeron, June 21, 1832.
On April 21, 1855. he married Hannah E. Rodgers, of Ebensburg, re-
moved to Terra Alta, AVest Virginia, where she died. In November,
1895, he married Mrs. Anna Albright, who survives him. He was a
prominent business man; he died September 20, 1900. Issue by the
first marriage was : Harriet Belinda, born June 3, 1856, a prominent
physician of West Virginia ; Scott Thomas, born May 10, 1858, now the
cashier of the Garret National Bank, Oakland, Maryland; he married
Rheua Posten; Adaline, born June 14, 1860, married AV. T. AVhite,
lives at Terra Alta, West Virginia ; Evaline, born December 19, 1889 ;
Cora Clemintine, born May 27, 1868, married Charles A. Renard, lives
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 61
in Kentland, Indiana. 3. Thomas, twin of John P., died in infancy.
•4. Eliza, mentioned hereafter. 5. Thomas, born January 17, 1836, died
May, 1837. 6. Daniel, born January 11, 1838, enlisted in the Eleventh
Regiment, Pennsylvania Reserve Corps, and later joined Company A,
Cambria Guards. He was captured at the battle of Gaines Mills; was
in Libby prison for six weeks ; severely wounded at the battle of Bull
Run and at Gettysburg. He was final! 3^ killed at the battle of the
Wilderness, May 5, 1864, having been promoted to the captaincy of
Company A. Mr. Jones married Ann Pryee, of Iowa City, Iowa, Feb-
ruary 13, 1864. 7. Thomas D., born May 5, 1841, captured at Gaines
Mills; was at Libby prison for six weeks; wounded at the battle of
Bull Run, recovered and served his three years out. He then re-enlisted
and was captured on Weldon Roads and imprisoned five months at
Saulsbury, North Carolina. He married Mrs. Jane E. Davis, by whom
were born Earnest Dean, December 28, 1871 ; IMelvin Daniel, born June
24, 1874, deceased; Vernon D., March 10, 1876; Roscoe, died in in-
fancy 8. Mary P., born March 1, 1843, married Benjamin Jones, of
Ebensburg, Pennsylvania, at which place they still reside.
Mary Davis, the first wife of Daniel J. Jones, was born INIay 28,
1801, Flynonddewe Farm, in the parish of Henfynwy, county of Car-
digan, South Wales. Her educational advantages were very limited, con-
sisting of a few months at the church school, called "Chapel Atoel,"
taught by the rector, but she was a diligent student and became a
great reader of both Welsh and English. AVhen fifteen years of age,
she united with the Welsh Calvanistic. or Presbyterian, church, of
which she remained a member all her life. She was a devoted student
of the Bible, and so familiar with it, that she was considered as exact
as a concordance. She was keen and critical regarding the sermons
she read and heard, and if the minister departed from the orthodox
views of the times, was not slow to inform him of it, in a quiet manner.
She was very strict in all of her religious observances, even of the
austere and exact church requirements of the last century ; living a
consistent Christian life, she was beloved by her children, grandchil-
dren and the community.- She died August 2, 1875, and is buried at
Lloyds cemetery, Ebensburg. Pennsylvania.
Eliza Jones, eldest daughter of Daniel J. and Mary (Davis) Jones,
was born at Aberaeron-by-the-Sea. Cardiganshire, South AVales, March
13, 1834. She was four years old Avhen she came with the family to
America. She attended the subscription schools at Ebensburg, but
was obliged to leave on account of the illness of her mother. She re-
sided at home until her marriage with Dr. W. W. Walters, February
12. 1857. They were married on the farm and conveyed to Wilmore by
stage, from there taking the train to Johnstown, where Dr. Walters
was then practicing.
Dr. Walter AAHnston Walters was born in the town of Brecon,
South Wales, January 11, 1824. His father, Rev. John Walters, was
a minister of the Welsh Calvanistic Methodist church. Dr. AValters
came to this country in 1843, locating at Catasauqua, Pennsylvania,
where he was employed at the blast furnaces of the Crane iron works,
under the direction of the famous David Thomas, the great iron-mas-
ter. The privileges for securing an education having been limited in
his native land, the young man seized every opportunity for self -im-
provement and his efforts secured for him a prominent place in the
class of 1853, of the medical department of the Pennsylvania College,
at Philadelphia. He always referred, with pleasure, to the encourage-
62 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
ment and sympathy he received from David Thomas and other friends
in his strugo'les to realize his ambition to become a physician. Promi-
nent among' those early and dearly loved friends were the late James
Williams, Isaac E. Chandler, and Captain AYilliam R. Jones, between
whom the friendship of early manhood never failed.
Soon after his graduation Dr. Walters began the practice of his
profession at Catasauqna, and there remained for two years. The suc-
cessful operation of the Cambria Iron AVorks at Johnstown, commenc-
ing about 1854, induced him to remove thither in 1855, since which
time, with the exception of two years, 1859-60, he has passed in Johns-
town. He enjoyed a large practice, but found time to take an active
interest in public affairs, and his early struggles for an education him-
self, gave him a peculiar interest in the public schools. He served as
school director of Johnstown borough from 1866 to 1881, fifteen years,,
and for fourteen years acted as the secretary of the board. The es-
tablishment of the high school was one of the first results of his work
in this connection. His interest in the school system never flagged,
even after his retirement from active duty in their government. Among^
his younger friends he never ceased urging the attainment of a liberal
education, and his encouragement and advice have been the means of
many a poor boy rising froin the difficulties in his way and entering'
the learned professions. In medical circles Dr. Walters was honored
by the warm friendship of every practitioner with whom he came in
contact. He took an active interest in medical societies and was promi-
nent in the Cambria County Medical Society, organized in 1868. At
the re-organization of this society in 1882, he presided, and became its
president in 1886.
From his youth he was a member of the Welsh Calvanistic church
and had, since his residence in Johnstown, been the leading member of
the local church. His broad views, however, made him a sympathizer
with all denominations of the Christian religion, and his aid and sup-
port were cheerfully given to the various churches. In politics he was
an ardent Republican, having originally been an Abolitionist. He was
present at the organization of the Republican party of Cambria county,
and was nominated as coroner for the first ticket nominated. His
political principles, well grounded as they were, were never obtruded
upon his many friends in other parties, and he ever earnestly depre-
ciated personalities in politics.
He assisted in the organization of the Johnstown Savings Bank,
having been one of its trustees since its incorporation in 1870, and vice-
president since 1893. He took a great interest in this institution, and
invariably found time to attend its meetings, where his advice and
judgment were greatly respected. He assisted in the organization of
the Citizens' Cemetery Association, being one of its incorporators.
Thus prominent in public affairs, known and esteemed by the business
community, yet it was the practice of his well loved profession in the
homes and at the bedside of suffering humanity that Dr. AValters was
best loved and respected. His kindly manner, genial presence, and
warm-hearted sympathy will ever be remembered among the many
families in Johnstown, where his duties called him. When in active
practice, no day or night, neither weather nor his own failing health,
found him unresponsive to the many calls for his services.
In the great flood of 1889, Dr. Walters' home was badly wrecked,
and was entirely destroyed by fire the July following, together with his
extensive librar^y and mineralogical collections. The dav after the awful
THE
II NEW YORK
PUBLIC LIBRARyI
A»i»r, Lenox and TIUm) ,
founJsfljfli,
1909
c^c^^^e/C^^^Wy
HJSTORY OF CAMBRTA COUNTY. 63
flood, he attached himself to the temporary hospital, established in the
old "Hansmann Hall," on Bedford street. He remained on dnty eon-
tinuonsly, giving his services to the detriment of his health. When
urged by family and friends to take a vacation, his invariable reply
was that his services were needed at home in the crisis. He took a great
interest in the various hospitals, and was one of the first managers of
the Conemaugh Valley IMemorial Hospital. Dr. Walters was connected
with the ]\Iasonic fraternitv from 1868, being a member of Cambria
Lodge, No. 278, F. and A. M. He died July 23, 1896. His wife still
lives at the old Vine street home, Avhich was rebuilt the year after its
destruction by fire.
Their children were: 1. Margaret Winfred, mentioned hereafter.
2. Gomer John, born January 29, 1860, married Sarah Elizabeth
Young; he is a partner in the firm of Ogle & Walters, real estate and
insurance, at Johnstown. 3. Anderson Howel, whose sketch will be
found elsewhere. 4. INIary Eva, born December 31, 1864, married Will-
iam F. Saltmarsh. with the Dupont Powder Co., of AVilmington, Dela-
ware. 5. Cromwell Philip, born INIarch 8, 1868 ; unmarried, resides at
home, is of the firm of Walters & Decker, plumbers. (See sketch.)
6. Carrie (Caroline), born November 16, 1871, married James G. Ellis.
(See sketch.) 7. Ivy June, born June 6, 1874, married Fred AV. AVat-
erman, the chief engineer for the United States Steel Corporation works
at Elyria, Ohio. 8. Myrtle Alay, born June 6, 1874— twin of Ivy June
— residing at home.
Margaret AVinfred AValters was born November 19, 1857, at Johns-
town, Pennsylvania. After attending school at Johnstown and several
term^ at Indiana Normal School, she taught a number of terms as
kindergarten and primary teacher in her home town. Alay 8, 1888, she
married Fred Krebs, by whom the issue was : Frederick, born July
19, 1889, six weeks after the flood, now a student in the high school ;
Alargaret Eliza, born January 30, 1892, attending public school ; AA^alter
AA^inston, born jMarch 8, 1894, attending public school; AVinfried Louise,
born October 5, 1897, at home. v
S. DEAN CANAN, one of the oldest residents of Johnstown, Cam-
bria county, Pennsylvania, and at one time one of the best known
business men of that city, is now (1906) living retired from active busi-
ness cares and responsibilities. He is a descendant of one of the old
pioneer families of the state, who came originally from Ireland.
(I) -John Canan, grandfather of S. Dean Canan and son of
Aloses and Hannah Canan, was born in Ireland in October. 1746. He
emigrated to America prior to the Revolutionary war, and for many
years held important offices in his adopted country. He was a mem-
ber of the general assembly from Bedford county in 1786 and 1787.
At the lime of the organization of Huntingdon county in 1787 he re-
sided in Oneida township, and was elected a member of the supreme
executive council, in which office he served two years. Under the con-
stitution of 1790 he was appointed an associate judge, but served oiily
a short time, having been elected a member of the house of representa-
tives, which position he fllled from 1791 to 1794. He represented the
districts of Huntingdon and Bedford in the state senate from 1795
to 1799. He was a man of prominence and influence, and closely
identified with the early history of Huntingdon county. During the
war of the Revolution, in 1777, he was second lieutenant of the Second
Pennsylvania Regiment. He also served as deputy surveyor of the
64 fJTSTORY- OF CAMBEIA COUNTY.
county for eisfliteen years. He died in October, 1831, in the eiglity-
sixth year of his age.' He married, in 1775, Margery Dean, born 1760.
died 1815, daughter of James and Catherine Dean, both natives of
Ireland, and married after their arrival in America. The children of
John and Margery (Dean) Canan were: 1. Hannah, born July 5, 1778,
married James Gray. 2. Sarah, who died at the age of two years. 3.
Catharine, both Angnst 1. 1871: married (first) Rev. Alexander Mcll-
M^ain: married (second) Thomas Jackson. 4. Moses, see forward. 5.
James, born July 25, 1786. 6. Henry, born May 1, 1790. 7. John, born
August 25, 1792. 8. Robert, born February 25, 1795. 9. Samuel, born
May 10, 1801.
(II) Moses Canan, eldest son of John (1) and Margery (Dean)
Canan, was born in a log cabin in Hartslog valley, in Bedford (now
Huntingdon) county, Pennsylvania, IMarch 1, 1784. In his early boy-
hood he attended school uncler different teachers and made good prog-
ress considering the paucity of school books at that period. Dilworth's
Spelling Book and Arithmetic and the Bible were the only books then
in use commonly in the schools. At the age of ten years he commenced
the study of Latin and Greek under the tuition of Rev. John Johnston,
who was the head of a Latin school in the town of Huntingdon. Rev.
Johnston was an excellent linguist and young Canan made rapid prog-
ress under his instruction. He went to Carlisle, March, 1800, and be-
came a student at Dickinson College, then under the presidency of Rev.
Charles Nesbit, D. D. Rev. Robert Davidson was vice-president; Will-
iam Thompson, professor of languages; and James McCormick, pro-
fessor of mathematics. These were all able and competent teachers and
their pupils profited greatly by their instruction. After studying at
this institution for four years Mr. Canan commenced the study of law
under the preceptorship of Jonathan Henderson, Esq., an eminent at-
torney of Huntingdon. He remained with him for some time and
then went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and continued to study in
the law office of Judge Rawle, of the firm of Sergeant & Rawle. and
was admitted to the bar in December. 1807. He moved to Rockview
Farm, on the Juniata, in the spring of 1811, and in September of the
following year went to Buffalo, New York, in command of the Juniata
Volunteers in the war of 1812, and was honorably discharged Decem-
ber 31 of the same year. The regiment was under Colonel Jeremiah
Snider, and a part of the brigade under the command of Brigadier
General Adamson Tannehill. While with this brigade Mr. Canan acted
as brigade ,iudge advocate. After the war he received in addition to
his monthly pay two warrants under the laws of the United States —
one for forty acres of land, the other for one hundred and twenty
acres. He sold his farm to John Neff in May, 1818, and removed to
Ebensburg, Cambria county, Pennsjdvania. He Avas among the earliest
settlers and first lawyers in this county, and was subsequently elected
major of a battalion of volunteers. He removed to Johnstown, in the
same county, in 1837, and resided there until his death, which occurred
September -30, 1863. The year following his location in Johnstown he
united with the Presbyterian church, then under the care of Rev. S.
H. Terry, and was soon after elected and ordained elder, in which ca-
pacity he served until his death. He had been a resident of Johnstown
for thirty years when he received his commission from Governor Pol-
lock as associate .judge of the county. Much of his time during his en-
tire life w^as devoted to the cause of education, and many of the im-
provements in the school system of the county are directly due to his
ETF!TOEY OF CAMBRTA COUNTY. 65
instrumentality. In his manner he was a gentleman of the "old
school." and few men of his time had a larger circle of friends. As
a patriot his devotion to his country was ardent and his loyalty was
unquestionable; as a Christian his piety was humble and his conduct
exemplary; as a father and husband he Avas kind and affectionate, gen-
tle and forbearing; and as a citizen he was law abiding and peace
loving.
Judge Canan married (first), September 8, 1807, INIary Hender-
son, born in 1784, died in December. 1833, daughter of Major William
Henderson, who was a captain in the Bevolutionary army, and acted
as captain of the Guards who surrounded Independence Hall while
the Declaration was being signed by the fifty-six immortal heroes. July
4, 1776. The children of Judge INIoses and Mary (Henderson) Canan
were: 1. Maro-aret AA^lkin, born June 16, 1808; died July 31, 1829.
2. Marv Catharine, born June 30, 1810; died November 26. 1882. 3.
John James, born April 24, 1813; died September 2, 1903. 4. William
Henderson, born August 3. 1815 ; died June 16th, 1873. 5. Margery
Dean, born November 28, 1817; died March 31, 1820. 6. Moses An-
drew, born June 19, 1820; died October 6, 1845. 7. Robert Henry,
born October 31. 1822; died July 5, 1873. 8. Charlotte Lucretia, born
November 17, 1824, married Rev. Israel C. Pershing. 9. Samuel Dean,
see forward. Judge Canan married (second). January 6, 1845, Eliza-
beth Rudesill. daughter of Frederick and Catharine Sharretts, who
survived him. They had three sons — F. E. Canan, T. C. Caiian and W.
5. Canan. F. E. and AV. S. Canan live in Kansas, and T. C. Canan
in Ohio.
(Ill) S. Dean Canan. youngest child of Judge Moses and Mary
(Henderson) Canan, was born at Ebensburg, Cambria county. Penn-
sylvania, February 16, 1827. He received a good education in the com-
mon schools of the districts in which he lived, and when he was ten
years of age he removed with his parents to Johnstown. TTpon the
completion of his school days he was employed for several years as
clerk, and in 1846, associated with his two brothers, William H. and
Robert H., he established himself in the wholesale and retail grocery
business, which they carried on Yery successfully until 1862. In con-
nection with this business they were extensively engaged in shipping
on the Portage canal and railroad, and had the exclusive handling of
all freight shipments made by the Pennsylvania Railroad during the
first year of its existence from 1851 to 1852, under Thomas A. Scott,
then dispatcher, afterwards president of the road.
S. Dean Canan taught school during the winter months from 1853
until 1861. He enlisted for nine months. August 23, 1862, in Com-
pany K, One Hundred and Thirty-sixth Infantry, Pennsylvania Vol-
unteers, under Captain J. K. Hite. and was mustered out May 29, 1863.
At the conclusion of the war he accepted a position as traveling sales-
man in the meat and grocery lines, and this he held very successfully
for forty years. He is now living in retirement, enjoying the fruits of
a well spent life. His cheery demeanor and unfailing kindliness and
readiness to assist those less fortunate than himself have won for him
a host of sincere friends. Mr. Canan is one of the charter members of
the Royal Arcanum, No 401, of Johnstown; was elected treasurer at
the first meeting in October. 1879, and has been treasurer ever since.
He is also a member of Emery Fisher Post No. 30, G. A. R., was elected
commander and served as such during the year of 1898, and is now
chaplain. He joined the Methodist Episcopal Church during the pas-
66 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
torate of the late Rev. William Lynch, and has been a member of its
official board for over forty years. In 1873 a bell Avas purchased for
the ]\Iethodist Episcopal Church of Johnstown and the names of the
nine trustees were cast on the inside of the bell, this being done with-
out the knowledge of the officers thus honored. Out of the nine trus-
tees Mv. Canan is the only one living.
He married, February 16, 1851, Mary Elizabeth Davis, born April
2, 1831, daughter of Amos B. and IMartha (AA^akefield) Davis, and
their children were: 1. ]\Iartha I., married Samuel ]\I. Miller. 2.
Charles M., died in infancy. 3. Moses H., married Frances Custer. 4.
AVilliam D., married Sarah Oppy. 5. Mary C, unmarried.
DAVID D. BLAUCH a resident for many years of Johnstown,
Cambria county, Pennsylvania, and prominently identified with the
commercial, civic and military interests of that section of the state of
Pennsylvania, represents a respected family of that state which traces
its descent to Swiss ancestry.
Christian Blanch (]), the great-grandfather of D. D. Blanch, with
John (Hans) Blauch, his brother, and their families, came from the
canton of Berne, Switzerland, to this country, landing at Philadelphia,
November 3, 1750. He settled in Lancaster county, and in 1761,
bought a farm in Lebanon township of the same county from the Penn
brothers. Two sons of Christian, Christian and Jacob, who were born
in Switzerland and came to America with their father, located in Som-
erset county, Pennsylvania, between 1765 and 1790.
Christian (2). the elder son. was one of the first settlers in the
county and located near Berlin. His farm has remained in the family
and is now owned by J. J. Blauch, a great-great-grandson. Christian
(2) died in 1777, aged thirty-four, and left eight children.
Jacob, a younger son of Christian (1). came to Somerset county
with his family in 1790, locating near the junction of the Quemahon-
ing and Stonycreek. He had nine children, namely: Jacob, Christian,
Henry, John, Elizabeth, who married John Saylor; IMary, who married
Henry Hershberger; Anna. Avho married Samuel Kline; Veronica, who
married ]\Ir. Berkey and moved to Canada ; and David.
A story is related that when Jacob was a young man in Berks
county, during the Revolution, the British made an eff^ort to impress
hi?n into the service. He hid in a hay-mow, and at times the points of
their bayonets touched him, but he remained concealed till they had gone.
It may be mentioned here that the early Blauchs were Mennonites, and
although thev are like the Quakers, opposed to fighting, two Blauchs,
John and Abraham, took part in the Revolution, belonging to the Lan-
caster county militia. Later on Jacob's daughter, Veronica, who had
moved to Canada before the war of 1812, was forced during that war to
cook for British soldiers, on account of her sympathy with the states.
Jacob (2) was the first bishop of the ^Nlennonite church in the
Johnstown district, and was the head of a family which has always
been prominent in religious circles. He was a very powerful speaker
as well as being very powerful physically. Christian, his brother, was
the grandfather of Mrs. Rachel Dibert, one of the pioneers of Johns-
town.
David Blauch. the youngest son, father of D. D. Blauch, was born
in Berks county, July 8. 1789, and died in Somerset county, ^March 21.
1872. He worked in Johnstown while the old state canal was being
built, but subsequently located on a farm near Foustwell, Somerset
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 67
county, where D. D. Blauch was born. He was married four times.
His first wife was IMattie Ijeliman. bv whom he had children as fol-
lows: Jacob, Marie, who married Rev. Tobias Blauch, a descendantof
Christian of Berlin; Anna, married Peter Speicher; Martha, married
John Rummell. His second wife was INIattie ]\rishler. and had chil-
dren : 1. Franie, born August 19. 1823. married John Thomas. 2.
Katrina, born November 27, 1825, deceased. 3. Rachel, born ]May 23,
1828, married John 0. Griffith. His third wife was Barbara Livings-
ton, and had children: 1 and 2. John and Joseph (twins), born July
23. 1834; the former married Rachel Berkey, the latter died in infancy.
3. Eve, born October 25, 1836, married Joseph ]Myers. 4. Barbara,
born January ]7, 1839, married Samuel Blauch. 5. Susanne, born
February 27, 1842, married Harrison Lohr. His fourth wife was Mrs.
Barbara Fyock Replogle. She was a daughter of John Fyock, born
about 1770, died 1852, who is said to have been the first settler in Paint
township, Somerset county, Pennsylvania, and a granddaughter of
Jacob Fyock or Veock, who came from Swabia to America in 1726, and
settled near Holsopple, Pennsylvania. John Fyock married Susanna
Messerbaugh, and had children: Catherine, Elizabeth (Growden),
Frances (Shoemaker), John. Peter. Mary, Barbara (Blauch), Samuel,
Daniel, Jacob, David, and Sally (died young).
Jacob Fyock, John's father, was a young man when he came to
America, and married after he came here. He had children: John,
David, Elizabeth, married to Berger, Catherine, married to Charles
Hoke, Susan, single.
Barbara was first married to John Replogle. and had children:
Susan, born 1828, married John Lehman ; Jacob, born 1830 ; ^lary, born
1832, married Jacob Spangler; Elizabeth, born 1834, died while young;
Daniel, born 1836: John, born 1840. Jacob is the only survivor of this
family. He lives at Hawthorne, Florida, and was a former resident
of Johnstown. Daniel died during service in Civil war. Barbara was
born in Paint township, July 5, 1808, and died in Johnstown, October
1, 1884. She and David Blauch were married March 10, 1845, and had
two children: Hannah, born October 12, 1846, single; D. D. Blauch,
born June 11. 1849. Of David Blanch's children only Frani, Henry,
Hannah, and David D. survive.
David D. Blauch was born in Paint township, Somerset county,
Pennsylvania, June 11, 1849. His education was acquired in the com-
mon schools of Paint township, and he came to Johnstown at the age
of sixteen and engaged as a clerk in the store of Replogle & Howard,
but later became an apprentice of Jacob Fyock and learned the car-
penter trade. At the time, puddling being a very good paying trade,
he engaged as a helper in the Cambria puddling mill, and worked with
George Studeny, but owing to an injury became incapacitated from
following this line of work. He worked at odd jobs after a long siege
of illness, and finally drifted into Indiana county and bought a saw
mill, but being unable to follow the work on account of his injury he
again came to Johnstown, where he entered the employ of the Cambria
Steel Company as an engineer, in which capacity he was employed for
a number of years, until he entered the roofing department, where he
was employed as a driller, riveter, etc., until he took charge of the
time-keeping and clerical department. At the time of the Johnstown
flood he was in the employ of the Cambria Iron and Steel Company
as time keeper and department clerk of the roofing department. In
68 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
1890 he left the roofinsr department, and engaged in contracting with
J. W. Mack and J. D. McCrory.
In 1894 he entered the real estate firm of Jacob Replogle and Co.,
becoming the junior member of said firm. He subsequently bought out
the interests of Jacob Replogle. the senior member, and the firm was
changed to Fearl & Blauch. Upon the retiring of T. J. Fearl he be-
came the sole owner of the real estate firm and continued in the name
of D. D. Blauch until July, 1906, when the present firm of Blauch &
Benshof!^ was formed by the taking in of Harry ]M. Benshoft' as the
junior member. Up to this time the business was exclusively real es-
tate, but has since taken up fire insurance along with it.
]\Ir. Blauch became first connected wath secret societies in 1875,
when he became a charter member of Independent Castle No. 57, A.
0. K., of the M. C. He was an officer in this order for nearly twenty
years, and became a past commander, and for a number of years was
an active member of the Select Castle of Pennsylvania, having filled
the position of select marshal one year, and was presented with a gold
medal for organizing the largest number of castles in Pennsylvania in
1885. In 1885 he organized Pride of Cambria Castle No. 52, Knights
of the Golden Eagle, and was appointed D. G. C. of Cambria county,
by G. C. George W. Couch, and in this capacity he served in the grand
castle of Pennsylvania, till 1889. when he was elected grand sir herald,
and became the grand chief of Pennsylvania in 1891, and represented
the state of Pennsylvania in the supreme castle in 1893, since which
time he has held his membership in the supreme castle, having been
on several occasions a representative from this state. During his serv-
ice as D. G. C. he instituted perhaps more new castles than any other
member of the order in the western part of the state, having had the
honor of introducing the first castles in six counties, beside many others.
During his term as grand chief he instituted thirty-nine new castles,
and increased the membership in the state one thousand, eight hundred
and seventy-two. He became connected Avith the military branch of
the order, and served as captain of Eagle Commandery No. 34, of Johns-
town, when he was promoted to the rank of colonel, by lieutenant-
General James P. O'Neill, which position he held for a number of years
under General O'Neill, General Stiltz. and General Reinecke. He was
elected and had charge of the Seventh regiment for three years, and
Avas colonel of the Sixth regiment for two years. In the spring of
1906 he was elected brigadier-general of the First Brigade of Pennsyl-
vania, Avhich position he still holds.
J\Ir. Blauch is also a past chancellor of Johnstown Lodge, K. of
P., of which he was a charter member, and past commander of Agla
Commandery No. 2l8, K. of ]\I., of which he was a charter member,
and its first commander.
He became a member of Johnstown Lodge No. 538, Ancient and
Accepted Masons: Portage Chapter No. 195, R. A. M. ; Cambria Coun-
cil No. 32, R. and S. M. ; : Oriental Commandery No. 61, K. T. ; Penn-
sylvania Consistory S. P. P. S., 32° ; Syria Temple A. A. 0. N. M. S.
of Pittsburg. He is also a member and P. C. in Monarch Temple No.
2, L. of K. G. E. of Washington, D. C, and P. C. of Progressive Castle
No. 15, A. 0. K. of M. C, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.
Politically Mr. Blauch is a staunch Republican, but an indepen-
dent voter. He served his Avard in the common council for tAvo years.
He has been a life-long member of the Methodist church.
]\[r. Blauch Avas married, November 10, 1874, to Emily Campbell
n[ST07?Y OF CAVBRIA COUNTY. 69
of near Armaoh, Pennsvlvania. Two children were born: Jessie ^lay,
born June 23^ 1876, died January 11, 1879; and Eva B., born June
12, 1881, at home.
. xMrs. Blanch was born IMay 10, 18-48, and died June 1-4, 1906. She
was a daua'hter of Christopher Campbell and Jane (^ilurphy) Camp-
bell.
Christopher Campbell was a son of James Campbell, who died
January 29, 1829, and Jane (Barr) Campbell, who died January 80,
1882. He was born in Baliynahinch, Ireland, in 1798, and came to
America with his parents three years later, settlinii- on a farm near
Armao'h. He died November 16, 1878. He married Jane Murphy,
a daughter of John ]\[urphy and "Slary (Armitaoe) ]\Iurphy. She
died August 9, 1878. They had children : ]\Iary Jane, born June 20,
1880, married David McCrory, died May 11, 1901; Elizabeth, bcrn
March 5, 1882, married Joshua jMeCracken, died March 2, 1883 ; Annie,
born February 15, 1834. married William Walker; James M., born
September 9, 1836, died November 26, 1861 ; Margaret, born September
29, 1888, died September 19, 1861; John M., born October 1, 1840,
married Martha ]\tack, died in Salisbury prison November 5. 1864 (was
captured by Confederates, and died of fever). Lettica, born August
25, 1842, died in infancy; Christopher J., born iMarch 16, 1846, mar-
ried Emma Lynn, died April 7, 1886 ; Emily, born May 10, 1848, mar-
ried D. D. Blauch, died June 14, 1906; William, born September 29,
1850, married Anzonetta Wilson.
John ]\Iurphy, grandfather of l\Irs. Blauch, was the son of James
INIurphy of Belfast, ^Ireland. He died March 17, 1837, and buried in
America. His wife Mary Armitage, who died ]\Iarch 7, 1860, was a
daughter of John (or Geor.) Armitage of Huntingdon, Pennsylvania,
and (Davis) Armitage.
JACOB BLAUCH. Bishop Jacob Blauch married Catherine Sav-
ior; he died in 1849, aged seventy-five years. He had ten children:
Kev. Jacob Blauch, who Avas born in ]86l, died 1879, Avas married to
Sarah Blauch. and was the father of Rev. Henry Blauch; Rev. Jonas
Blauch, who died a short time ago; Abram of this city, and Jacob the
father of Mr. Blauch, the Pittsburg correspondent and base-ball sec-
retary; Joseph, who died some years ago in Johnstown; and two
unmarried daughters.
John Blauch, the second son of Rev. Jacob, was married to Frani
Blanch. They had nine children; nearly all dying young, except Sam-
uel Blauch, who was married to Susan Lehman. He became a promi-
nent minister and was made a bishop ; he died some years ago. He was
the father of seven children: John and Henry, of Krings Station;
Elias, of Johnstown, and Mrs. Daniel Crawford; the rest of the chil-
dren are all living in Cambria and Somerset counties.
The other children of Rev. Jacob's were: Henry, who marj'ied
Frani Hershberger, and they had eight children, among- them being
'Christian, who married Polly Ream and they had twelve children;.
Abi-aham T^lauch married Sarah Lehman and had a number of children;
Peter of this city, and Rev. Levi of Somerset county.
Christian Blauch, the second son of Jacob, the first better known
as "Big Christ," married Susan Cable, they had nine children: first,
Jacob, who married Kate Bowman, and had eleven children; Benjamin,
who married ]\Iartha Baker, they had twelve children, two of whom are
still living, namely, Abram of Iowa, and Mrs. Noah Short, of Somerset
Vol. Ill— 5
70 HISTORY OF CAMBIilA COUNTY.
county. The descendants of Christian are very numerous throughout
the west.
The third, John, married Frani Short; they had nine children,
among them being Christian of Friedens, aged eighty-two, who is still
living.
Joseph, the fourth son of Big Christ, married Sarah Barnhart,
and they had three children: Henry, the father of Dr. Blanch of Chi-
cago, Illinois; Mrs. George Gordon, and Mrs. Dr. Beechley, of Iowa.
The daughters of Big Christ were JMrs. George Specht, jMrs. David
Kupp, Mrs. John Zimmerman, J\Irs. Soloman Horner, Mrs. David Specht,
and jNIrs. John Dibert, the mother of David, John, and Samuel Dibert,
prominent in the history of Johnstown.
John, the third son of Jacob the first, died young, leaving one
child, a daughter.
Henry, the fourth son of Jacob the first, married and had two
daughters: Mrs. Jonas AVeaver, and Mrs. Eash. He lived to the ripe
age of ninety-four, and is buried at Bethel.
The daughters of Jacob (1) were Annie, who married Samuel
Kline ; Elizabeth, who married John Saylor ; Mary, who married Henry
Hershberger, and Franica, who married Berkey, and moved to
Canada in 1806, where there are now over five hundred descendants
of hers.
David, the youngest son of Jacob, married Mattie Lehman, she
died young, and was the mother of three children. He married a sec-
ond time to ]\Iattie Mishler, and to this union there were born three
children.
His third wife was Barbara Livingston, and she was the mother
of five children: John, who died a short time ago at Holsopple, being
a twin. His twin brother died at the age of twenty-two.
His fourth wife was Barbara Fyock Replogle, the mother of D.
D. Blanch.
MARLIN BINGHAM STEPHENS, a prominent member of the
Cambria county bar, practicing in the city of Johnstown, Pennsylvania,
was born on his father's farm in the village of Dilltown, Indiana
county, Pennsylvania, May 10, 1860. He is a lineal descendant of a
sturdy and pioneer stock that established itself firmly in America be-
fore the Revolutionary war, and is a great-grandson of Benjamin
Stephens, who was a native of England and emigrated tQ America
about the year 1756, and who was a soldier in the French and Indian
war. serving in the campaign against the French posts on the Canadian
border and was present at the capitulation of Montreal on September
8, 1760, after which he retired to his home in what is now the state
of Maryland, near the town of St. Mary's, where his son, Samuel
Stephens, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch was born, Feb-
ruary, 1761.
During the Revolutionary war Benjainin Stephens and three of
his sons served loyally in the struggle for American Independence,
father and three sons John. Thomas and Samuel being at one time
members of the same company, serving under Colonel John E. Howard,
of the Maryland Line, and also with Captain Daniel Morgan's Virginia
riflemen.
Samuel Stephens, shortly after the close of the Revolutionary war,
was imbued, like many others of that period, with the spirit of adven-
ture, and having learned of the productive soil in the valleys of the
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 71
western slope of the Alleghenies and the abundance of game on its
vast monntain ranges, set out to seek a home for himself in the wilds
of western Pennsylvania. He was familiar with the country, although
but a boy in years, having accompanied his older brothers, who trav-
eled through the same on one of the military expeditions during the
Revolutionary period to the headwaters of the Allegheny river and the
Great Lakes. Samuel Stephens was accompanied to his new home by
his brothers, John and Thomas, bringing with them their cattle and
such household goods as were necessary and in connnon use at that
time in a new country, and finally located in what is now Brush Valley
township, Indiana county, Pennsylvania, near the present site of
Meehanicsburg. John and Thomas remained with their brother Samuel
for some time, assisting him to clear some land and erect his cabin
house, when they returned to their homes. Thomas had lost an arm
as a result of a gunshot wound in the Revolutionary war. Samuel
Stephens resided for a number of years on this farm, when he re-
moved to the Black Lick creek and located upon the farm now owned
by William S. Conrad, about a mile northwest of the village of Dill-
town, Indiana county, Pennsylvania, about 1810, where he resided for
about twenty .years, when again longing for new fields of adventure
and encouraged by the reports of the rich lands and great agricultural
advantages of what was then called the "Far West," he removed
to and located in what is now Rush county, Indiana, near the town of
Rushville, where he spent the remainder of his days on his farm, and
died in 1843 at the age of eighty-two years.
William S. Stephens, the father of the subject of this sketch,
was born November 30, 1808, on the paternal farm near the present
village of ^Meehanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and removed with his father's
family to the Black Lick creek about 1810, where he resided until he
was upwards of seventeen years of age, when in company with his
brothers Abednego and Joseph he went to work at the old charcoal
furnaces east of the mountain, and resided in the vicinity of Warrior's
]\lark, Huntingdon county, until 1835, when he returned to Indiana
county and located and opened up a farm and erected mills upon the
present site of the village of Dilltown. where he conducted his farm
and operated his flour and saw mills until the time of his death, Feb-
ruary 28, 1888, aged eighty years.
The mother of IMarlin IB. Stephens is Sarah Ann Stephens (nee
Sidles). She is the great-granddaughter of James Skiles, who emigrated
from the North of Ireland to the United States and located in Cumber-
land county, Pennsylvania, in 1780, and in 1800, in company with
Ephraim Wallace, also a native of Ireland, removed to the Conemaugh
valley in Indiana county. There his son, John Skiles, married Sarah
Wallace, a daughter of Ephraim Wallace, to which union was born
a son, Ephraim Skiles, who married JMary Rodgers, a daughter of
Robert Rodgers, who also came from Ireland to America at an early
date and settled on the Conemaugh river near the present site of the
old village known as Nineveh. Ephraim Skiles shortly after his mar-
riage settled on a farm near the present town of Wehrum, in East
Wheatfield township, Indiana county, where he resided the remainder
of his life and reared a large family. One of his daughters, Sarah
Ann Skiles, born February 2, 1825, married AVilliam S. Stephens, and
to this union were born Marlin B. Stephens, subject of this sketch;
Olive F. Stephens, wife of Dr. L. II. j\Iayer, of Johnstown, and John
H. Stephens, Esq., also of the city of Johnstown. Mrs. Sarah Ann
72 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
Stephens resides on the old homestead at Dilltown, Pennsylvania, and
being blessed with good health and a peaceful and contented disposition,
is enjoying that happiness which is only known to those whose whole
life has been one eontinous ronnd of good, and whose highest ?iiibi-
tion and greatest realization of happiness was in being a loving wife
and a kind and affectionate mother, who loved her home and enjoyed
the society of her husband and children, and now at the ripe old age
of nearly eighty-tAvo years, is overjoyed by the return of her sons and
daughter to greet her at the old homestead at Dilltown, Pennsylvania.
Marlin B. Stephens was reared on his father's farm until the
proper age, when, like many other young men similarly situated, and
desiring to enter one of the learned professions, he attended the normal
and select schools of his native county and prepared himself for teach-
ing in the public schools. After teaching for several years and being
encouraged by his success in that lino, he determined to press on in
his efforts to secure an education and to finally realize the dreams of
his youth and ambition of young manhood, and become a member of the
legal profession, which was to his mind an eminent and distinguished
position in the line of literary attainn^ents, as well as to enable him
to enter a profession the study and practice of which is peculiarly in-
teresting in the necessary research and fascinating in the practical
application of the same. In order that his ambitions might be realized
he became a student at the Classical and Scientific Institute of Mount
Pleasant, Pennsylvania, where he prepared himself for the study of
laAV. Soon after the completion of his studies at this institution he
entered the law department of the University of INIiehigan at Ann
Arbor, October 1, ]884, and from which he was graduated with the law
class of June, 1886, wdth the degree of LL. B.
Mr. Stephens was admitted to the bar and licensed to practice
law in the several courts of the state of IMichigan on May 5, 1886,
upon his application and examination in the Twenty-second Judicial
District of that state. He then returned to his native state and was
admitted to the bar of AVyoming county, on April 12, 1887, before Hon.
John A. Sittser, president judge. He was also admitted to the Luzerne
county bar, at Wilkes-Barre, May 16, 1887, before Hon. Stanley Wood-
ward, president judge, where he opened an office and practiced his i)ro-
fession for a short time. He then removed to and located in the city
of Johnstown, and was admitted to the bar of Cambria county before
Plon. Eobert L. Johnston, on motion of Hon. W. Horace Eose, Esq.,
March 12, 1888, where he has since practiced his profession. He was
also admitted to practice in his native county (Indiana) on motion
of Hon. J. Wood Clark, before Hon. Harry White, president judge,
and to the supreme court of Pennsylvania in the western district of
Pittsburg, October 13, 1890, on motion of F. A. Shoemaker, Esq., and
to the district court of the United States before Hon. Joseph Buffing-
ton, judge of the western district of Pennsvlvania on motion of Harry
S. Lydick, Esq., September 25, 1900.
Mr. Stephens has since his admission to the bar confined himself to
his chosen profession, but at the same time has always taken an active
interest in public affairs, and has held several important political and
appointive offices, all of which, however, have been of such a character
as to be in the line of his professional work. He was selected by the city
council as solicitor of the city of Johnstown in April, 1896. for a term
of two years, and Avas again elected to the same position in April, 1898,
and was serving in this capacity as the legal advisor of the city when
WTi
y/r^ jdy/t^^^A^^^^^^/^^:^
J.U^r.i.
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. T3
in November, 1898, he was elected to the office of district attorney for
Cambria county. Mr. Stephens was elected as the candidate of the
Republican party, in the principles of which he has always been a firm
believer, and in him its policies have ever found a staunch and active
supporter. After serving a tei'm of three years, he was re-elected for
the same ofMce in November, 1901, and served until January, 1905.
Mr. Stephens has his office in Alma Hall, on Main street, in the city
of Johnstown, Avhere he first located in November, 1888, and has
associated with him in the general practice of the law his brother,
John H. Stephens, Esq.. since 1896.
HON. JAMES I\r. SHTBIAKER, superintendent of public grounds
and buildings at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, president of the Dollar
Deposit Bank of Johnstown, and former sheriff of Cambria county,
Pennsylvania, is a native of Fairfield county, Ohio, and was born July
8, 1851, son of Simon and ]\Iary Bower Shumaker. He comes of one .
of the oldest German families of Berks county, Pennsylvania, a county
always strong in its German population, and to whom it is almost
wlioDy indebted for its remarkable wealth of resources and the sub-
stantial character of its people.
John Shumaker, the founder of the family of that surname in this
country, was the great-grandfather of James M. Shumaker, of Johns-
tOAvn, and immigrated to America in 1742. He settled first at Philadel-
phia and removed tlience to Berks county, where he was a pioneer.
His son, John Shumaker, was born in that county, married there, and
had a large family of seventeen children, among whom was Simon
Shumaker, father of him of whom this sketch is intended to treat.
Simon Shvimaker was born March 10, 1810. AVhen a young man
he worked in the woolen mills of the locality in which he lived, later
engaged in the work of construction of the Erie canal from Williams-
port, Pennsylvania, to Havre de Grace, INEaryland, and still later be-
came a manufacturer of woolen goods and carried on business on his
own account. In 1846 he removed to Fairfield county, Ohio, lived
there until 1854 and then returned to Pennsylvania, where he died
May 30, 1880, at Muncy Valley. Simon Shumaker was twice married.
His first wife was Mary Walton, and his second wife was Elizabeth
Bowers, daughter of Peter Bowers, of Lj^coming county, Pennsylvania,
and who was born in that county in 1824. Six children were born of
this marriage : Annie Shumaker, who married John Ramsey, of Clin-
ton county, and is now dead; Thomas J. Shumaker of Williamsport,
a veteran of the war of 1861-1865, whose service covered a period of
three years and six months and included twenty-seven battles; Emily
Shumaker, wife of John Shoemaker, of Clarkstown, Pennsylvania;
Rebecca Shumaker, wife of Peter Marshall, of Hebron, Lycoming
county, Pennsylvania; and James M. Shumaker, of Johnstown and
John S. Shumaker, of Muncy, Lycoming county.
As a boy James M. Shumaker was sent to school during the winter
terms, but in the warm months of the year it was necessary that he work
to help support the family. He learned the trade of a woolen worker.
At the age of sixteen years he started out to nuike his own way in life
and in 1874 found employment in the woolen mills of Wood, Morrell
& Co., as foreman of the spinning room, where he worked eight years.
In 1882 he had saved enough of his wages to purchase and become
proprietor of a store in Johnstown, at the corner of Washington and
Clinton streets, where he carried on a successful business until the
74 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
disastrous flood of May 31, 1889, which swept away his property, made
complete wreck of all that he had gained by previous years of hard
work, and even cost him the life of a devoted wife and four children,
leaving him a widower, childless, and without a home. After the awful
disaster Mr. Shumaker was active in the work of relief, and was sec-
retary of the committee of reinterment of the unknown dead; and
largely through his efforts a plot was purchased in Grand View cem-
etery, and there the unidentified bodies of unfortunate victims vere
finally laid at rest. In the performance of this duty jMr. Shumalver was
in part actuated with a desire to discover in some manner the remains
of his wife, but without success, and to this day he is in ignorance of
her burial place. He also was a member of the committee that pur-
chased tombstones to mark the graves of those who perished and were
not identified.
Since attaining his majority ]Mr. Shumaker has been a strong
Republican, although his most active participation in politics has been
within the last twenty years. At the general election in November,
1891, he was .the Republican candidate for the offlce of sheriff of Cambria
county, and was elected at the polls by the decisive majority of nearly
five hundred votes although at that time the county was strongly Demo-
cratic. He has since become a well known figure in political circles
in his own county and frequently is seen in the higher councils of his
party in the state. He served in the session of the state legislature of
Cambria county, in 1891. After the expiration of his term of office
as sheriff he took a prominent part in the development of the interests
and resources of the new municipality of Johnstown, and became
president of the Dollar Deposit Bank, which position he still holds;
and as loyal Republican of known quality and integrity he was ap-
pointed to his present position of superintendent of public grounds
and buildings at Harrisburg. He is a director of the Johnstown
Trust Companj^ a trustee of the Johnstown Savings Bank, a trustee
of the Conemaugh Valley Memorial Hospital, president of the Con-
sumers' Ice Company and a charter member of the Grand View Cem-
etery Association.
On the 28th of June, 1877, James M. Shumaker married Lena
Streum, who bore him five children : John S. Shumaker ; James G.
Shumaker, who died- in 1885; Edith May Shumaker; Irene G. Shu-
maker and Walter S. Shumaker, all of whom, except the second, with
their mother, were victims of the flood of 1889. On the 12th of No-
vember, 1891, Mr. Shumaker married Antonia Lambert, by whom he
has six children — Mabel, Warren, Donald E., Esther Shumaker, Roy
A. and Harold Raymond.
WEBSTER BODINE LOWMAN, M. D., deceased, of Johnstown,
Pennsylvania, was during a long and unusually active career not only
widely recognized as one of the foremost physicians and surgeons in
the state, and by virtue of his great ability called to important official
positions in the line of his profession, but was a potent factor in the
origination and development of various large enterprises which were
prominent in bringing the city of Johnstown to a foremost place among
the municipalities of Pennsylvania. His eft'orts were ever directed to
the amelioration of suffering, the promotion of good and useful purpixses,
and the maintenance of lofty principles in personal and public life.
He was born in Indiana, Pennsylvania, ^larch 25, 1841, and came
of a sturdy Dutch ancestry, the American branch of his family having
HISTORY OF GAMBBIA COUNTY. 75
been planted by his paternal great-grandfather, an immigrant from
Holland. From him descended Andrew Lowman, who was born in
Greencastle, Franklin county, Pennsylvania, where he followed the
trade of tanner. About 1834 he removed to Indiana county, where he
died, after successfully conducting for many years a large milling and
distilling business.
John Lowman. son of Andrew Lowman, was born in Greencastle,
Pennsylvania, February 13, 1817, and received his early education in
his native village. He was seventeen years old when his parents re-
moved to Indiana county, where he was apprenticed to a carpenter. He
had an inclination, however, for a more distinguished career, and in order
to prepare himself therefor he entered an academy at Indiana, and
after completing a liberal academical course engaged in the .study of
medicine under the office preceptorship of Dr. Stewart, of that village.
In 184-4 he entered Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, and after
completing a course was graduated in 18-17 with the doctor's degree.
He at once located in Johnstown, and for the unusual period of forty-
seven years, ending with his death, June 16, 189-1, practiced his pro-
fession with such ability and success as to earn well deserved fame.
He made a specialty of surgery, being for a number of years t]ie only
surgeon in the Valley, and was the first surgeon ever appointed by the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company, and discharged his duties so credit-
ably that he was retained in the position until his death. From 1861
to 1872 he was United States pension examining surgeon for the city
of Johnstown. He was a member of the American Medical Association,
Pennsylvania State Medical Society, and the Cambria County Medical
Society, of which he was the first president. While industriously oc-
cupied in his profession, he was at the same time active in promoting
local interests. He was one of the incorporators of the Johnstown
Water Company and the Johnstown Gas Company, and at the tune of
his death was a director in the former and president of the latter. He
was also one of the organizers and charter members of the Johnstown
Savings Bank, of which he was vice-president for several years and
until his death. He was a communicant of the Protestant Episcopal
church, and one of its most active supporters. In politics he was
originally a Whig, but his antipathy to slavery led him to connect
himself with the Republican party at its organization, and he supported
its principles with all the vigor of his nature ever thereafter. He was
affiliated with various Masonic bodies. He married ]\Iargaret Ann
Bodine, a native of New Jersey, whose ancestors were French Hugue-
nots, and of this union was born one child, Webster B. Lowman.
Webster Bodine Lowman inherited the paternal tastes and
abilities, and proved his most worthy successor. After beginning his
education in the common schools, he pursued preparatory studies in
Burlington (New Jersey) College, and in 1865 entered upon a course of
medical reading under his father, subsequently taking lecture courses
in Jefferson ]\Iedical College, his father's alma mater, and from which
institution he was graduated in 1867. He at once entered upon practice,
and was engaged therein until his death, December 6, 1904, a period
of thirty-seven years, excepting the time covered by his military service
during the Civil war. In April. 1861, under the very first call of Presi-
dent Lincoln for troops to suppress the rebellion, he patriotically of-
fered his services, and enlisted as a private in Company K, Third
Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, from which position he Avas hon-
orably discharged in June, by reason of physicial disability. Having
76 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
recovered his health, in 1862 he re-eulisted, and was mustered into
service as first sergeant of Company K, One Hundred and Thirty-
sixth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, in December of same >' ear v as
promoted to first lieutenant, and subsequently to captain, honorably
mustered out of service at the expiration of his term, on September 10,
1864, he re-entered the army as captain commanding Battery D, Fifth
Regiment Pennsylvania Artillery, and remained therewith until the
end of the war. He participated in the most momentous campaigns
and many of the most desperate battles which mark the splendid annals
of the Army of the Potomac, and made a most creditable record. Re-
turning to civil life. Dr. Lowman applied himself industriously to his
profession, and in addition to a large personal practice discharged the
onerous duties of surgeon of the Cambria Iron Companj^ of the Penn-
sylvania Railroad Company and of the Johnson Steel Company. From
1873 to 1893 he was United States pension examining surgeon. His
monumental work, and one which Avill ever preserve his name, was the
origination, organization and building of the Cambria Hospital — the
first industrial hospital in the United States, and of which, after he
had fully established it, he was surgecn in charge from 1884 until his
death. His success in this great humanitarian enterprise was so marked
that he was called upon to design and oversee the construction of several
similiar institutions in various parts of the country. He was senior
surgeon on the staff of the Conemaugh Valley IMemorial Hospital from
1891 until his death. He was a member of the American ^Medical
Association; the Pennsylvania State ]Medical Society, of which he was
vice-|)resident in 1866 and later president ; and . the Cambria County
]\Iedical Society, of which he was president in 1893. He was a frequent
contributor to medical journals, and an acknowledged authority on
industrial hospital establishment and management.
His personal career was as honorable and useful as was his pro-
fessional. He was actively identified with many of the most important
interests of the city of Johnstown, serving as director in the Citizen's
National Bank, trustee of the Johnstown Savings Bank since 1886 ;
director in the Johnstown AVater Company and the Johnstown Gas
Company from 1893 until his death: director of the Johnstown Tele-
phone Company, and trustee of the Grandview Cemetery Association.
He was an honored companion in the ^iMilitary Order of the Loyal
Legion, an association of commissioned officers who saw service during
the Civil war. He was a man of great kindness of heart, intense human
sympathy, liberal but unostentatious charity, and a ready aider of
every purpose looking to the welfare of his fellow-man and of the
community. He died full of honors, held in admiration for his pro-
fessional abilities and labors, and in genuine affection for those cpal-
ities of head and heart which endear one to his fellows and marks
him as well serving God by serving well His creatures.
Dr. Lowman married, in 1870, Susan Morrell Stackhouse, of Edge-
mont, Delaware, and to them was born one child, John B., who, like
his sire and grandsire, has taken up medicine as his life work.
DR. JOHN BODINE LOWINIAN, who has practiced medicine and
surgery in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, for more than ten years and whose
practice, while general, inclines strongly to cases in surgery, is a native
of Johnstown, and was born November 19, 1874, son of Dr. AVilliam
and Susan Morrell (Stackhouse) Bodine. His earlier education was
acquired in a private school and his academic education at Chelten-
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 77
ham JMilitarj^ Academy, Ogontz, Pennsylvania. He was educated in
medicine at the Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia, where he
matriculated in 1892 and was graduated with the degree of ]M. D.,
in 1895. Since he came to the degree in medicine Dr. Lowman has
practiced in Johnstown, and while his practice is general to the pro-
fession he has attained an excellent standing as a surgeon. In connec-
tion with his practice Dr. Lowman is professionally identified with
several important institutions of Johnstown : Surgeon in charge to
Cambria Steel Company Hospital : surgeon to Cambria Steel Company
and Lorain Steel Company, surgeon, trustee and member of the execu-
tive committee of the ^Memorial Hospital ; ]\Iedical Director of Windber
Hospital. He is a member of the American INIedical Association,
American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Association,
Pennsylvania State Medical Society, and member and ex-president
of the Cambria County JNIedical Society. In 1900 he was a delegate
to the International ^Medical Congress held at Paris, France.
That his interests and associations are not entirely confined to
those of a strictly professional character it may be mentioned that
Dr. Lowman is a member of the Johnstown Park Commission, a director
of the Citizens' National Bank. Johnstown Telephone Company and
the Consumers Gas Company. He also is a Mason, member of Cambria
Lodge No. 278, F. and A. M., and of Johnstown Lodge of Elks. In
politics he is a Republican, but has not yet found time or inclination to
indulge in that particular field of action. During the Spanish-American
war he was regimental surgeon to the hospital train of the Ninth
Pennsylvania Volunteers, accompanying that command from Pittsburg
to AYilkes-Barre, and also of the Fifth Regiment hospital train from
Pittsburg to Johnstown.
- t5
LEVI JAIMISON FOUST, the present postmaster at Johnstown,
was born in West Wheatfield township, Indiana county, Pennsylvania,
March 25, 1872, son of \Yilliam and Lovinia (Lehman) Foust. The
Foust family are of German origin. The subject's great-grandfather,
on the paternal side, was Frederick Foust.
Frederick Foust was born in 1794, in York county, Pennsylvania.
His father was born in the same section of the state, but his father
was born in Germany. Frederick Foust was a miller by trade and
operated mills in York, Somerset and Cambria counties, Pennsylvania.
He died in Indiana county on one of the farms which he owned; the
date of his death was 1860, when he was sixty-six years of age. In
politics he was a Republican, and in ehui'ch faith a Lutheran. He was
twice married: The first marriage resulted in the birth of three children;
John, Henry and Tena, all of whom lived to maturity but now
deceased. For his second wife he married Mary Klinefelter, of Y^ork
county, Pennsylvania, by whom were born the following childi'en ;
1, Jesse, 2. Jacob,_ 3. Elizabeth, 1. Anna, 5. Frederick, 6. Susanna,
7. Levi, 8. Daniel, 9. Bolsom, who died in infancy. The mother of this
family survived her husband about eight years and died in Y'ork
county, Pennsylvania. The only members of this family now living
are Levi (subject's grandfather), and Daniel, who lives at Blairs-
ville, Pennsylvania, with his children, his wife being deceased. Daniel
followed brick making and coal mining for many years. He served
seventeen months during the Civil war, from Westmoreland county,
Pennsvlvania, as a member of tbe One Hundred and Eightv-sixth
Pennsvlvania Regiment Infantry Volunteers.
78 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
Levi Foust, seventh son of Frederick and Mary (Klinefelter)
Foust, was born January 21, 1826, in Somerset county, Pennsylvania,
at i^'oust's ]\Ii]ls. Mlien but a small child his parents removed to Kring's
Mill, on Stony creek, four miles from Johnstown. He attended the
public schools and learned the trade of miller under his father. His
entire life up to within a few years has been devoted to milling, ex-
cept the eighteen years during which time he followed farming,
beginning in 1858 and continuing until 1876. He operated Foust 's
j\Iill on Black Lick creek for twenty-seven years, besides mills
at other points. He owned a good farm in Indiana county and was
successful in the same. Mr. Foust is a member of the jMethodist Episco-
pal church, and in his political views was a Republican up to a few
years ago, since which time he has affiliated with the Prohibition party.
Aside from having served as supervisor, he has never held public
office. He was united in marriage in September, 1849, to Catherine
St. Clair, of Indiana county, Pennsylvania, who was born February
6, 1832, and died July 19, 1902, in Indiana county. The children born
of this union were fourteen, jive of whom died in childhood. Their
names are as follows : 1. William, born June 26, 1850 ; 2. Polly Jane,
born November 25, 1851; 3. Rebecca, born July 12, 1853, died October
24, 1853; 4. Frederick F., born September 18, 1854, deceased; 5. Cather-
ine Ann, born August 24, 1855, died Februarv 28, 1857 ; 6. Isaiah, born
November 9, 1857- 7. Samuel A., born July '2, I860; 8. James Taylor,
born August 11, 1862; 9. Amanda Alice, born November 2, 1864; 10.
Susan Elizabeth, born November 17, 1867; 11. Laura Svlvina, born
September 19, 1869; 12. Ella May, born July 30, 1871, died September
14, 1871^ 13. John Riley, born June 30, 1873, died March 12, 1874;
14. Milton Levi, born February 25, 1875. Levi Foust, the
father, enlisted in Company D, One Hundred and Eighty-sixth
Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, in February, 1864, serving as a
soldier in the Civil war, and continued until the war closed. He was
on provost duty most of the time, looking after recruits and prisoners,
and stationed some time at Philadelphia, from which a large portion
of the regiment was made up. He however went from Indiana county,
and served under Captain Moran. His term of service was nineteen
months.
William Foust, the subject's father, and the eldest child of Levi
Foust and wife, was born June 26, 1850, in West Wheatfield township,
Indiana county, Pennsylvania. He was educated in the common schools
of Indiana and Somerset counties, after which he learned the car-
penter's trade, which he followed in Ohio for a time. Upon his return
from the west he" engaged in the milling business, and later followed
the butchering business at Johnstown, and still later engaged in the
laundry business, at the same city. At present, he is engaged at the
car repair shops at Johnstown. Politically he is a supporter of the
Republican party, and is one of the present members of the select
council of Sixth ward of Johnstown. In church faith he is a Metho-
dist Episcopal. July 4, 1871, he married Lovina Lehman, of Somer-
set county. By this union were born the following children: 1. Levi
Jamison, the subject of this notice, born March 25, 1872; 2. Susanna,
born March 5, 1874, married II. L. Wagner-, 3. Junietta, born February
28, 1879, married Clair R. Craig; 4. Katie May, born May 15, 1881;
married F. F. ]Miller.
Levi J. Foust, the subject, was educated in the public schools of
Johnstown, having accompanied his parents from Indiana county when
THf
EI ST DRY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. ' 79
he was but six months of aoe. He first eugag-ed in the butchering busi-
ness, conducting a market until 1896. when he changed to the laundry
business, operating the Palace laundry, on Franklin street until De-
cember 7, 1904, when he was connnissioned postmaster at Johnstown
by President Roosevelt for a term of four years. Mr. Foust is an
active Republican, and resigned the position of member on the 'select
council when appointed postmaster. He is one of four generatiods of
the Foust family residing in the Sixth ward of his city at this time.
In church relations he is a member of the ^Methodist Episcopal church.
He is a thirty-second degree Mason, belonging to Johnstovv'n Locige,
No. 538, Free and Accepted Masons and is past master of his lodge;
belongs to Portage Chapter No. 195, Royal Arch ^Masons; Cambi-ia
Council ; past eminent commander of Oriental Commandery. Xo. (jl ;
Syria Temple of Mystic Shrine; Pittsburg Consistory. He is also con-
nected with Lodge No. 175. Benevolent and Protective Order of Elk'-;;
and Knights of Pythias Lodge No. 157.
He was married October 15, 1891, to Alice C. Henderson, daughter
of Robert and Rebecca (Ennis) Henderson: the mother died in 1880
and the father in 1904. ^Irs. Foust was educated at the Johnstown
public schools. ]\lr. and ]Mrs. Foust are the parents of the following
children: W. Ralph, born November 27, 1892, died January 25, 1899;
George Henderson, born May 3, 1901; Dwight L., born September 8,
1903"^ Richard James, who died' :May 6. 1906.
HON. FRANCIS JOSEPH O'CONNOR, one of the best known
and most prominent of the many able attorneys at the bar of Cambria
county, Pennsylvania, whose commodious offices in Franklin street,
Johnstown, are frequently the scene of some of the most important
conferences held in this section of the country, owes the greater part
of his success to his natural force of character, ambition and per-
severance. He traces his paternal ancestry to Ireland, the first mem-
ber of this family having come to this country in the early part of the
nineteenth century. Some of his maternal ancestors "vvere of either
Scotch or German origin.
Francis O'Connor, grandfather of Judge Francis Joseph O'Connor,
was born in Ireland, and emigrated to the United States about the
year 1812. He was a man of great determination and business acu-
men, and succeeded in obtaining a contract for the construction of a
large section of the Harrisburg and Pittsburg pike. His work was per-
formed in a most satisfactory manner, and upon its completion he was
awarded a further contract for the purpose of keeping a large part of
the pike in constant repair. He was a resident of Jenner township,
Somerset county. Pennsylvania, until his death, which occurred in 1847.
He married, shortly after his arrival in this country, j\Iargaret
Josephine MeNulty, and among his children was a son named James.
James O'Connor, son of Francis and ]\Iargaret Josephine (Me-
Nulty) O'Connor, Avas born in Jenner township, Somerset county, Penn-
sylvania, November 5, 1820. His education, which was good for those
days, was acquired in the public schools of the township. When the
"gold fever" became epidemic in this land, young O'Connor was not
exempt. He made what was at that time (1850) a long and perilous
journey to California, remaining but a short time, however, and re-
turned to Somerset county. He there began the study of law under
the preceptorship, of Hon. Edward Scull, of the town of Somerset, and
Avas admitted to the bar in 1854. For a number of years he practiced
80 ■ HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
law at Somerset, but later removed to Jenner township and associated
himself in partnership with Samuel Gaither, Esq., this partnership
being later dissolved, and he entered into another with General Coffroth,
for the general practice of law. While thus busily engaged he never-
theless found time to attend to the cultivation of his fine farm in Jenner
township, and also dealt considerably in real estate and live stock.
During the later years of his life he retired from the active practice
of his profession and lived in retirement with his wife on the old
homestead in Somerset county, A^'here, surrounded by his wife • and
children, he died October 5, 1896. It had been his request. that his body
should be laid to rest in the little country graveyard near his early
home, and this request was complied with. He married, August 7,
1851, Elizabeth Croyle. born July 27, 1833, daughter of John and
Catherine (]\Iiltenberger) Croyle, the former dying at the age of seven-
ty-four years, the latter, who was of Scotch or German descent, dying
aged sixty-one years. John Croyle was the son of Philip and ]\[ary
(French) Croyle. The children of James and Elizabeth (Croyle)
O'Connor were: 1. John A., deceased; 2. Margaret, deceased; 3. James
B., attorney, at law, in Johnstown. Pennsylvania: 4. Hon. Francis
Joseph, concerning whom see forward ; 5. Peter J., principal in the
Pittsburg schools. ; 6. Philip, a prominent and successful resident of
Hartford, Connecticut; 7. Bertha ^L, married P. J. Little, a leading
attorney of Cambria county.
Hon. Francis Joseph O'Connor, third son and fourth child of James
and Elizabeth (Croyle) O'Connor, was born at Avhat was then called For-
wardstown, Somerset county, Pennsylvania. August 11, 1860. His
preliminary education was acquired at the public schools of Somerset
county, and at the special schools known as "normal schools," these
being subscription schools for the preparation of teachers, and usually
the instructors were those whose education and experience had fitted
them for a professorship in the state normal schools. He was still a
mere boy in years when he commenced teaching, and he taught several
terms in the common schools and five terms in the normal school of his
native county. In this field of labor he Avas very successful, but this was
iiOl the end and aim of his ambition. He sought a wider scope for the
excellent talents he possessed, and accordingly entered the law de-
partment of the University of Michigan and made such good use of
his time in that institution that he was graduated in the spring of
1884 with the degree of Bachelor of Laws, and was admitted to practice
before the supreme and circuit courts of the state of ^Michigan. He
then returned to Somerset county, Pennsylvania, taught school for
another year, and having passed the examination for admission to the
bar of his native county on ]\Iay 8, 1884, he commenced the practice
of laAv at Somerset on May 4, 1885. He was admitted to practice at
the bar of Cambria county, Pennsylvania, November 9, 1886, came to
Johnstown, and opened a law office in Franklin street, opposite the old
post office building. Later he formed a partnership with his brother,
James B. O'Connor, and the firm of O'Connor Brothers had more than
a merely local reputation and enjoyed a most lucrative practice This
continued until 1889, when Hon. Francis Joseph Avas elected to the
office of district attorney of the county. He was elected in 1894 to the
office of city solicitor by the councils of the city of Johnstown, and faith-
fully and efficiently performed the duties of that office for the terra
of two years. In politics Judge O'Connor is a stanch Democrat, and is
one of the acknowledged leaders of the party in that section of the
HIS70RY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 81
country. During the campaiiin of 1894 lie became involved in a con-
troversy with General Hastings, then a candidate for the office of gov-
ernor of the state. This grew out of the administration of affairs of
General Hastings after the great tlood in Johnstown, ]May 31, 1889,
and was commented upon by the press throughout the United States.
It finally resulted in a suit at law, which was settled by an agreement
in the court of common pleas at Ebensburg, June 20, 1895, Avhieh in
a way was eminently satisfactory to Judge O'Connor and his friends.
Subsequently Judge O'Connor received the unanimous endorsement
of the Democratic county convention for member of congress, but when
he was tendered the office by the district Congressional conference,
he declined in favor of K. C. McNamara of Bedford county. He was
elected president judge of the several courts of Cambi'ia county, No-
vember 3, 1901, to hold office for a term of ten years, taking his seat
the first Monday of January, 1902. In this election he defeated Judge
A. V. Barker, of Ebensburg, the Republican nominee, in a county which
is strongly Republican, by overcoming three thousand votes, having
received a majority of seventy-four votes. This testifies eloquently
both as to his popularity and the respect and esteem in which he
is held by the community. The manner in which he is executing the
duties wiiich this high office entails reflects the greatest credit upon
the holder. He is deeply interested in everything tending to the develop-
ment and welfare of Johnstown and Cambria county, and notwithstand-
ing the demands upon his time caused by his official position he visits
his early home in Somerset county, where his aged mother still resides
and with whom he spends much of his spare time. He is a great believer
in the benefits of an outdoor life, and every fall spends a few weeks
in the wilds of ^Nlaine or Canada, hunting deer. The religious affilia-
tions of Judge O'Connor are with St. John's Catholic church, and he
is a member of the Knights of Columbus. He has the happy faculty
of being able to adapt himself to his surroundings, and Avins the friend-
ship and respect of those with whom he associales. He is a avnial,
kind-hearted man, and his friends are to be found in all classes of
society. He is a fluent, elocpient speaker, presenting his aro-uraents in
a clear, convincing manner, and his earnest words and fine presence
ahvays make a strong impression. His personality is pleasing, and he
has a strong, robust ph>"sique.
He married, October 28, 1891, INIargaret Bailey, daughter of S.
C. and Annie (Gleason) Bailey, of Johnstown.
JOHN D. ROBERTS, vice-president of Johnstown Trus1^ Com-
pany and a well known figure in banking circles in that city for the
last forty years, was born near Ebensburg, Pennsylvania, July 13, 18-t->,
son of Evan H. and j\Iargaret (Hughes) Roberts, and is of pure Welsh
descent.
Hugh Roberts, the American ancestor of that branch of the family
here considered, was born in Wales, 1753, and came to this coimtry
in 1796-97, with the first AYelsh colony that settled at Ebensburg. The
second house within the limits of that town was built by him. Later
on he moved to a farm about two miles east of the settlement and there
passed the remaining years of his life. He was a man of good principle
and enjoyed a local reputation by reason of his poetical abilities.
Several of his effusions in the AVelsh language lived long after he
had passed from life's stage, and were noticeable for purity and sweet-
ness of sentiment. He was one of the organizers of the Welsh Con-
82 HIST BY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
gregational church at Ebensburg-, in 1797, and a member until^ his
death. He Avas blind during the last ten years of his life. In Wales
Jiis trade was that of a tailor, but in Pennsylvania he always Avas a
farmer. He lived to attain the ripe old age of eighty-nine j-ears. and
died at his home near Ebensburg. August 13. 1812. Soon after com-
ing to America Hugh Roberts married Elizabeth Roderick, who with
her brother Robert was of the Welsh colonists who founded the settle-
ment at Ebensburg and who came over in the same ship. The children
of this marriage vrere Robert, born 1798; David H., born 1800; and
Mary, Elizabeth, Prudence, Evan H., the latter the father of John D.
Roberts, of Johnstown.
Evan H. Roberts was born near Ebensburg, Pennsylvania, 1810,
and spent his whole life on the old home farm. For many years he
managed the farm for his parents, and at their death the property
WdS devised to him: he died there August 7, 1851. His wife Avas INIarga-
ret Hughes, daughter of Hugh and ^largaret Hughes, AA^hose farm ad-
joined that of the Roberts family.
John D. Roberts, the banker of JohnstOAvn, Avas born on tne old
home farm Avhere his grandfather had settled more than a century ago
He Avas brought up to fainii Avork, and attended the common schools
of that neighborhood until he Avas about nineteen years old, Avhen he
went to Pittsburg and took a business course at a commercial college
in that city. His first business emploAmient began September 1, 1864,
as bookkeeper in the stores of Wood, ]Morreil & Co., and continued until
August 1, 1865, Avhen he Avas appointed to a similar position in the
First National Bank of Johnstown, AA^here he remained four years. On
August 2, 1869, the banking house of John Dibert & Co., Avas organized
witii ^Ir. Roberts as an active partner in the concern. The business
was continued AA'ith good success until the flood of ]\Iay 31, 1889, at
which time the head of the institution— John Dibert— AA^as droA\'ned.
Soon after this unfortunate event the firm AA'ent into voluntary liquida-
tion. HoAA-ever, about that time ]\Ir. Roberts Avas elected cashier of the
First National Bank of Johnstown and served in that capacity until
January, 1902, AA'hen he became vice-president of Johnstown 1'rust
Company, his present office.
Besides the responsibilities of personal interests ^Ir. RobiM'ts has
taken a commendable part in nublic afi^airs, and for elcA^en years,
1879-90, represented the First AA^ard of JohnstoAA'n in ihe borough
council. He also has serA'ed as director of A'arious corporations in Avhich
he has been financially interested. In 1862, during the prou-ress of the
Civil Avar, he served tAVO enlistments in the state militia m the defense
of the CommonAvealth against Confederate iuA'asion, and in June and
July, 1863, he served in the emergency militia in The Gettysburg
campaign. For more than forty years he has been a intmber of the
Presbyterian church, frequently one of its officiary and for seA^eral
years was superintendent of the Sunday school. Since 1S71 he has been
a member of Cambria Lodge No. 278, F. and A. ]M., and since 1875
a member of Portage Chapter, No. 195, R. A. IM., having held the princi-
pal offices in each and noAv is treasurer of both bodies.
At JohnstoAA-n, October 5. 1869. John D. Roberts married Mary
C. Kinter, daughter of Samuel and ]\Iary Ann Kinter, both of AA-hom
AA'ere of old JohnstoAvn families. ]\rr. Kinter for many years av?s a
mechanic in the employ of the Cambria Iron Company. Children of
John D., and Mary C (Kinter) Roberts: 1. Frank H., born June 8,
1871, educated in the public schools of JohnstoAvn and Duff's Com-
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 83
mercial College, Pittsburg, employed in the First National Bank of
Johnstown from June, 1889, to January, 1902, and then resigned on
account of impaired health. Since that time he has travelled exten-
sively; 2. Ella Fritz, born August 29, 1875, graduated from Johnstown
public school in 1892 and from Wells College, Aurora, New York, in
1897; married, November, 1903, Harrison W. Latta and now lives in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; 3. John Kinter, born July 8, 1878, edu-
cated in the Johnstown public schools and Kiskeminetas Springs school
at Saltsburg, Pennsylvania : was employed for several years in the
First National Bank of Johnstown, and now is connected with an
engineering corps at Annapolis, Maryland.
DR. GEORGE E. CONRAD. Among the many eminent medical
practitioners of the city of Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsylvania,
the name of Dr. George E. Conrad deserves a conspicuous place. He
traces his descent to German and Irish ancestry, members of his family
having come from Germany and Ireland a few generations previously.
Henry Conrad, the grandfather of Dr. George E. Conrad, and the
founder of the Conrad family in America, was born in Hesse-Darm-
stadt, Germany, and emigrated to this country about 1826, accompanied
by his family, and settled in Indiana county, Pennsylvania. He married
Anna Gertrude Fobel. and had children: 1. Henry; 2. George, of
whom later; 3. Catherine, married Adam Shrader: 4. Ann, married Dr.
Ferdinand Bingle; 5. Caroline, married George Englebaugh; 6. John,
a prominent attorney in Brookville, Pennsylvania.
George Conrad, second child of Henry and Anna G., (Fobel)
Conrad, was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, about 1818. He was
about eight years of age when his parents' came to the United States,
and grew to manhood in Indiana county, Pennsylvania. He moved to
Somerset county, Pennsylvania, in 181:7, and soon after to Scalp Level,
where he was a prosperous merchant for nearly half a century. He
married, Jane Gahegan, who had sisters and brothers, as follows: Sarah,
Crockett '^girl), Jacob. Thomas and John. ]Mrs. Conrad was the
granddaughter of Thomas Gahegan, who was a native of Ireland, emi-
grated to America, and settled in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, but later
moved to Somerset county, where he purchased a furnace and began
the manufacture of charcoal for the iron works in the district. He
operated this successfully until 1837, when the great panic of that
year ruined the iron industry for the time being. He was a prominent
member of the order of Free and Accepted Masons. The children of
Mr. and IMrs. George Conrad are: George E., see forward; Henry W.,
deceased, married Amanda Oster. Ida L., mai-ried Edward L. Owens.
Carrie, married Charles Foust. Alice, deceased, married Dr. H. M.
Griffith, Jennie, married Albert Straub, Henry and Alice, deceased.
George E. Conrad, M. D., son of George and Jane (Gahegan) Con-
rad, was born at Scalp Level, seven miles southeast of Johnstown, Cam-
bria county, Pennsylvania. January 3, 1854. His preliminary education
was acquired in the public schools of his district, but when still very
young he was sent to St. Vincent's Collese, Westmoreland county, Penn-
sylvania. From there he went to the iMillerville normal school and then
taught school for eight years. He then commenced the study of law
in the otSce of his uncle. John Conrad, a prominent lawyer in Brook-
ville, Pennsylvania. The legal profession, however, did not appeal to
him, and he began the study of medicine in 1873 under the preceptor-
ship of Drs. Yeagly, of Johnstown. He then attended lectures at the
84 HISTORY OF CAMBKLA COUNTY.
Eclectic ^Medical College of Cincinnati, Ohio, and gTadnated from that
institution in the class of 1877. He immediately began the practice
of his profession in New Baltimore, Pennsylvania. He removed to
Johnstown in 1883, Avhere he has since resided and where he has ob-
tained a large and lucrative practice. Although his practice makes
great demands upon his time. Dr. Conrad manages to keep well in-
formed as to the literature of his profession and his opinion is higlily
valued by his brother practitioners. His political affiliations are Dem-
ocratic, and he has been an influential member in the councils of his
party. He has recently built and now occupies one of the finest resi-
dences in the city, located on Franklin street, in the Fifth ward. He
is a member of the following organizations: Portage Chapter, R. A.
]\I. ; Oriental Commandery. K. T., of ^Yilliamsport•, Syria Temple. An-
cient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.
He married, 1879, Kate S. Keyser, daughter of William and Sarah
Keyser, and they have eight children : 1. George W., a graduate of the
class of 1905 of the Eclectic Medical College, of Cincinnati, Ohio: mar-
ried ]\Iimiie Schwing. 2. Earl K., graduate of the class of 1906 of the
Eclectic Medical College, Cincinnati, Ohio; married Amelia Lewis,
daughter of W. C. Lewis, of Johnstown. 3. Lee F. Graduate in class
of 1906, in School of Pharmacy. 4. John H., graduate of class of
1906, in School of Dentistry, in Pittsburg. 5. Nellie, at home. 6.
Marion, at home. 7. Jennie, at home. 8. Florence, at home. Mrs. Con-
rad is one of a family of eight sisters and brothers : 1. Silas, married
Jennie Colvin. 2. Maggie, married Thomas Beegle. 3. Minnie, mar-
ried John Cessna. 4. Susan, married William Boor. 5. Elmira, mar-
ried J. C. Barnhart. 6. Lovina married Solomon Richey. 7. Marcy,
married ^lamie Chrissman. 8. Kate, married Dr. George E. Conrad, as
above stated.
JOSEPH :M0RGAN. Among- the able, energetic and skilful ar-
tisans of Johnstown is Joseph ^Morgan, whose business and official ca-
reer has been more than ordinary. For more than a ouarter of a cen-
tury he has been connected with the great Cambria Iron Works of
Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where he has ever been counted among the
best and most praiseworthy of citizens and enterprising business fac-
tors. He Avas born Julv 27, 1842, on Eighth street, above Green street,
in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Joseph and Sarah
(Phipps) Morgan. The genealogical line through which he has de-
scended is as follows:
(I) James jMorgan and his wife Jane emigrated to this country
from Radnorshire, Wales, in 1691. He died November 14, 1691, and
his wife died on board ship, September 9, 1691, and was buried at the
head of Bohemia Bay. Chesapeake. ]Maryland. The husband was a
Welsh Quaker, from Nantmeal parish, Radnorshire, Wales. Richard
Davis, of Clcdion Cochion. a celebrated minister among the Quakers,
was a patentee of five thousand acres of land from William Penn.
This large tract was divided among the Welsh emigrants, among whom
were John and James ]\Iorgan, who had five hnndred acres.
(II) John Morgan, son of the Welsh emigrant James Morgan,
was born November 22, 1669. and died September 12, 1744. at Radnor,
Pennsylvania. He emigrated with his father and the other children.
He owned three estates, Bryn Sion. now the site of Villa Nova Cgllege,
Nantmeal and Vainor. all near Radnor. Vainor is still in the hanrfs
of a descendant, Miss INTartha Brown. John IMorgan married Sarah Jones,
//
THE
IMEV-' YORK
PUBLIC Ll&RARY'
niSTOEY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 85
daughter of John Evans, gentleman of Nantmeal, Radnorshire, Wales,
born 1640, died November 1707, at Radnor, Pennsylvania ; emigrated to
this countrv about 1683 ; he was also one of the purchasers in the
Welsh Tract. (See "Merion in the Welsh Tract.")
(Ill) Mordecai ]\Iorgan, son of John and Sarah (Jones Evans)
]Morgan, was born at Radnor, Pennsylvania. July 12, 1713, and died
December 29. 1782. He married, June 17, '49, Mary Pugh, daughter of
David and Catherine Pugh, of Great Valley, Tredyffrin township, Ches-
ter county, Pennsylvania.
{TV) ]\Iordecai ]\Iorgan, Jr., son of IMordecai and Mary (Pugh)
Morgan, Avas born at Radnor, Pennsylvania, June 19, 1750, and died
August 9, 1794, at the home of his son John, near Phoenixville, Penn-
sylvania. Mordecai, Jr., was an officer in the Pennsylvania militia,
appointed July 15, 1776, in the Revolutionary army; he served at the
battle of Brandywine. The following letter was written by him to his
sister :
"Mud Fort On the Delaware,
"Headquarters, Billingsport, August 15, 1777.
"Dear Sister: I expected to have met you in Philadelphia tomor-
row morning, but I am Captain of the Guard today, which will stop me
from being up in time to see you. I shant be relieved until nine o'clock
tomorrow. The tide dont make till ten and I cant be up till twelve and
am not certain whether I can come at all or not.
"There are various reports about our destination. The row-gal-
lies are up today, some say to take us down the river, others say up
to Fort Island, but no certainty, but orders to be ready to march at
a minute's warning. There has been firing down the river this day or
two, but we have no account what the occasion of it is. The enemy can
not be far off our capes and the wind is fair. And it is expected by
the best politicans among us, that we shall have a fight shortly. Order
for no more work to be done. Our small fleet has sailed down the
river. The English plumbed the mouth of the river and ijet up buoys
whereas it is suitable for their shipping to enter, and guard them with
frigates, v.^hich the fleet has gone to destroy if possible. No more, only
my love to you all. God bless you. I am in middling good health, not
very hearty, but mending, I hope every day. Our men are in high
spirits.
"Your affectionate brother till death,
"Mordecai Morgan.
"P. S. If possible I will be up to Philadelphia about tv/elve or
one o'clock."
He married Mary Davis, daughter of James Davis, Jr., born No-
vember 15, 1718, died March 8, 1802. Among the children born to
them was John Morgan, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch.
Mordecai ]\Iorgan, the third son of Mordecai, Jr., was a surgeon
in the United States navy in December, 1818, and died while in the
service at Pensacola, Florida.
(V) John ]\[organ, son of Mordecai Morgan, Jr., and his wife
Mary Davis, was born at Radnor, Pennsylvania, November 26, 1784,
and died at Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, September 5, 1871. In 1808
he removed to Charleston, Chester county, Pennsylvania, and built the
General Pike hotel. In 1818 he bought a farm including a large part
of the present town of Phoenixville. He was a man of standing, and
Vol. Ill— 6
86 HISTORY OF CAMBItTJ COUNTY.
served as a member of the Pennsylvania legislature. May 9, 1811, he
married Mary Biickwalter, daughter of Jacob and Mary M. (Aker)
Buckwalter ; the former born June 4, 1754, died February 9, 1818 ; the
latter, born March 6, 1760, died November 1, 1853. The Buckwalters
descended from Francis Buckwalter, who was a Protestant refugee
from Germany. He bought six hundred and fifty acres at Manavon,
now Phoenixville, in 1713, from David Lloyd. (See Pennypacker's
"History of Phoenixville.")
(VI) Joseph Morgan, son of John and Mary (Buckwalter) Mor-
gan, was born at Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, February 25, 1813, died
at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 19, 1895. He was a dry goods
merchant. He was a Kepublican after the war. He was married Oc-
tober 13, 1841, by Mayor Swift, of Philadelphia, to Sarah Phipps, boi-n
in Philadelphia, July 14, 1821, and died in the same city, January 20,
1901. She was the daughter of Thomas Phipps, born November 17,
1771, died July 17, 1832. The mother was Eebecca (Robinson) Phipps,
born April 3, 1777, died October 23, 1830. The parents of Thomas
Phipps were Stephen and Deborah Phipps. Thomas Phipps was treas-
urer of the city of Philadelphia in 1830.
(VII) Joseph Morgan, Jr., son of Joseph and Sarah (Phipps)
Morgan, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 27, 1842. He
was educated at Central High School, Philadelphia, standing at all
times among the first three in the class, which ranged in numbers from
one hundred the first year to thirty in the fourth year. He paid special
attention to mathematics, physics, chemistrj^ and drawing, so far as
taught in the course. He was thereby enabled, with additional home
study in specialties, to pass examination and enter the steam engineer-
ing corps of the United States navy in the fourth year of his course.
He entered active service as third assistant engineer in October, 1861,
at nineteen years of age. He was mentioned in official reports for
having done faithful service, on the sloop-of-war "Brooklyn," in the
New Orleans engagements under Farragut, in April, 1862. He received
the degree of Master of Arts, and had previously been made (1862)
Bachelor of Arts by vote of the Philadelphia High School faculty. In
1863 he was examined and promoted to second assistant engineer. He
resigned from the United States navy in January, 1866, when the Civil
War was over, after having served four years. He then entered the
service of the Phoenix Iron Company, at Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, as
draftsman ; was chief draftsman there in 1868 ; was ten years with the
Edgemoor Iron Company as their chief engineer. As such he served
on a board of engineering experts to report to the board of directors
of what is now the Manhattan Elevated Railroad, upon the character
of structures to be built in accordance with their charter; associated
with civil engineers J. Linville, T. C. Clarke and others. March 1,
1879, Mr. Morgan Avent to the Cambria Iron Works at Johnstown,
Pennsylvania, as draftsman, and was made chief engineer in 1881. No-
vember 1, 1906, he was made consulting engineer of the Cainl)ria. Steel
Company, and was relieved of the more active duties of chief engineer,
after twenty-five years' service m that capacity. He has designed and
superintended the building of various parts of these works, including
six blast furnaces, new Bessemer works of largest class; new blooming
mill, open hearth plant, rail mills, and various large mills of the Gau-
tier plant, involving the expenditure of millions of dollars and quad-
rupling the productive capacity of the works.
Mr. Morgan went abroad in 1884 to examine gun and armor forg-
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 87
ing, and visited the principal cities of England and the continent,
where such works were located. Possibly, in consequence of this ex-
amination, he was appointed a member of the Endicott, or United
States Fortification Board, in 1887, and aided in making reports.
Other members were Secretary of War Endicott, Generals Newton,
Benet and Abbott, and Captain Smith, of the army; Captains Samp-
son and Goodrich, of the navy, and Erastns Corning of New York. Mr.
Morgan has written several valuable papers to aid in forming correct pub-
lic opinion on the subject as well as for the information of Congress,
and upon them was based great confidence for the future development
of steel guns and armor manufacture then in their infancy, and which
has been am]3ly verified by the results since obtained. He has now
had forty-six years of professional experience in engineering, and has
been connected with iron Avorks forty-two years and with large plants
for over a quarter of a century, where has been produced finished ma-
terial, from the ore up, and has been in charge of responsible depart-
ments in these works. He is familiar with the art of steel-making, its
progress and history, from the date of the inception of the Bessemer
process to the present time. Aside from his i^rofessional duties, he is
interested in various financial enterprises, including the Consumers'
Gas Company of Johnstown, the Johnstown Water Company, and the
City Electric Light Company, of which he is a stockholder and mem-
ber of the board of directors.
He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers,
American Institute of Mining Engineers, United States Naval Insti-
tute, the Military Order of the Loyal Legion, and the Grand Army of
the Republic.
Politically, Mr. Morgan is a stanch supporter of the Republican
party. In religious faith he and family are LTnitarians, but usually
attend the Episcopal church, as the church of their choice is not rep-
resented in Johnstown. He is identified with the Masonic fraternity,
being a member of Phoenix Lodge No. 75, of Phoenixville ; F. and A.
M., of which he is past master; and also belongs to the Knights Temp-
lar Commandery at Johnstown.
Since he began his active career, the country has met with vast
political and civic changes. Tie entered its military service before the
abolition of slavery, and has kept pace with all of the material changes
and strides of development. As a family relic and unique memento of
the days of the Rebellion, the following letter written by him in 1862
is here reproduced :
''Mississippi River, Natchez, May 14, 1862.
"Dear Father:
■'My last letter was from the head of the passes. We lay there
until April 16, when the tomb flotilla and the gunboats having gone
up, we ascended with rather anxious feelings as to our success.
"The first morning that broke on us in our new position we were
startled by the cry of 'fire ships coming down,' and as we scrambled on
deck to see the monster, it appeared rather alarming. Far up the river,
coming around the point, we could see a dark mass from which shot
up tongues of fire like the fangs of a thousand serpents coming to de-
stroy. Finally, finding it was more horrible in appearance than in
reality, all the boats were called away, and they grappled hold of the
fiery mass and managed to tow it ashore, where Mississippi water was
applied in sufficient quantities to put it out.
88 niSTOEY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
''April 18 we commenced the bombardment of Forts Jackson and
St. Philip. In the morning, the mortar fleet being so under cover of
the woods on the point below Fort Jackson that they conld not be seen,
although they were in range as shot fell beyond them; the bombers
du]'ing the tiring of their pieces stood on -their tiptoe, arms thrown
above" their heads and mouths wide open, to prevent injury from the
shock. The gunboats banged away in turn, their duty being to pro-
tect the bombers and prevent Secesh steamers from officiously peering
around the point.
"April 24, at two o'clock in the morning, we got under way in
obedience to signals from the flag officer to make the grand attack.
Some of the fastest steamers Avere selected to go flrst, their duty being
to run by the forts as quickly as possible and cut off what vessels they
could. The Varuna and Oneida were among these. The intention was
that the Hartford, Brooklyn and Richmond were to fight Fort Jackscm ;
the Mississippi, Pensacola and Iroquois were to fight Fort St. Phillip.
Grape and canister at close quarters was the order of the day. We
soon cleared the point and experienced being fired at. Still wc stood
in expectation at our posts. Silence reigned, nothing to be heard but
the rustling of the waters as they were parted by our prow, and the
murmuring of the signals far below. Our decks were wet and sanded.
Lockstrings in hand the gunners stood fast. Again the distant rum-
bling, more whistling messengers, and now I could hear the shot strike
around us in the water, one throwing the spray over me. At last Ave
opened at the lines of fire AAdiich we knew were the batteries of the
forts. The thunder of our own guns drowned from my ears that of
the enemy. One shot came crashing in a port, killing and wounding
nine of the gun crcAV. The roar of our own cannon inspired us Avith a
feelnig of iudift'erence, and the hoAvling of the grape through the air
was SAveet music. While aa^c were under fire, and not returning, I felt
very much as if I had rather have been anyAvhere else. I am thankful
I Avas able to do my duty Avithout flinching from it. Soon after Ave
passed the forts Ave encountered the celebrated ram ^Manassas, Avhich
true to her old propensity, butted into us, making a little hole. Back-
ing oft: she came into us again, breaking or only fracturing several of
our ribs to a serious extent. She finally got off from us, got a good
helping from the Hartford, ran at the Mississippi, but Avas put to her
stumps Avhen the latter also exhibited butting propensities. On thun-
dered the Mississippi, and on came the ram — a mountain and a mole
hill. The ram began to think it Avas time for them to back out. Either
she would be run doAvn, or the ]\tississippi, and taking everything into
consideration, it Avould most probably be she; so nose into the mud
she stuck, out poiu'ed her crcAV from the hatch, and aAvay they ran.
She Avas boarded by the IMississippi's crcAV. but Avas found on fire and
sinking. She floated doAvn the river burning, and finally blcAV up.
"We lost seven killed and twenty-one Avounded. One young mid-
shipman named Anderson, a fine felloAV, Avas carried overboard by the
shot Avhich killed him. As Ave came to anchor, eight Confederate
steamers Avere burning in sight. One of our vessels Avas run down by
two Secesh vessels and sunk.
"On the 25th, at tAvo P. M., aa'c anchored off Ncav Orleans. We
passed on our Avay up seven or eight ships loaded Avith cotton in flames.
At Chalmette, just below Ncav Orleans, Ave had a brisk engagement
with the rebels, but Avhipped them in fifteen minutes. Some dozen
thirty-two pound guns, quantities of shot, shell, powder, etc., Avere taken.
HISTORY OF CAM Bill A COUNTY. 89
At New Orleans a new ram was found sunk, another nearly done was
burned, and there were several gunboats in various stages of comple-
tion, when our appearance stopped progression. The destruction of
property by the Secesh was immense. I think the plantations on the
river below New Orleans are the most manificent estates I ever saw.
Sugar is the crop, and the darkies could be seen dropping their hoes
and saluting us as we passed; they bowed respectfully. I believe the
whole lot of them had an idea they were to be freed by us, for they
evinced such frantic joy. Nearly all the large plantations have beau-
tiful residences on them, well shaded by large trees. Some distance off
are the negro quarters, several rows of nice looking whitewashed build-
ings. A big sugar mill with stabling completes the buildings."
"(Signed) Joseph Morgan, Jr."
Mr. Morgan was united in marriage, June 14, 1871, by Dr. Alex-
ander Shiras, at St. Andrews Protestant Episcopal church, AVilming-
ton, Delaware, to Frances Augustine Eyre, daughter of Manuel and
Eliza (Painter) Eyre, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was edu-
cated at St. Joseph's Academy. Emmetsburg, Maryland, and the Con-
vent of Notre Dame, Philadelphia. Her ancestral line appears here-
inafter. Several of her ancestors fought in the Revolutionary War on
the American side. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Morgan are as
follows : 1. John Eyre, born April 11, 1872 ; married Helen Dure, of
Wilmington, Delaware, October 20, 1903. He is now assistant super-
intendent of the gas works at Savannah, Georgia. 2. Robert Church-
man, born October 10, 1873 ; married Alberta Schimmel, of Philadelphia,
October 1, 1894; he is now an electrical engineer at Philadelphia, Penn-
sylvania ; both John and Robert were born at Edge Moor, Delaware,
and attended school at Chelten Hills and the University of Pennsyl-
vania, graduating from the former in 1889 and from the latter in
1903. 3. Ellen Eyre, born November 25, 1877, at Wilmington, Delaware,
educated at Chelten Hills school and afterwards in music, and is now
a professional musician; she married Stewart M. Marshall, of Johns-
town, June 20, 1906. 4. Frances Augustine, born February 24, 1881,
at Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was educated at Chelten Hills school and
Mount Holyoke College.
The subjoined is the ancestral record of the families from which
Mrs. Morgan descended:
(I) On the paternal side Sir Garvaise Eyre, of Newbold, Derby-
shire, England, married Mary Neville, daughter of George Neville, of
Thomey, Nottingham, England.
(II) George Eyre, son of Sir Garvaise Eyre, was born 1630, and
died 1708, having married Elizabeth in 1658.
(III) George Eyre, son of George (2), married Sarah ■ ,
May 1, ] 694, and they were the parents of a son George.
(IV) George Eyre, son of George (3), and wife Sarah, was born
November 17, 1700, and died January 14, 1761. He emigrated to
America and settled at Burlington, New Jersey, in 1730. He mar-
ried Mary Smith, daughter of Emanuel Smith, of Burlington, New
Jersey, formerly of Branham, Yorkshire, England. By this union a
son Avas born, named Manuel.
(V) Manuel Eyre, son of George (4) and Mary (Smith) Eyre,
was born November 10, 1736, and died November 1, 1805. He was en-
gaged in the shipbuilding business in Kensington, Philadelphia. Janu-
90 HTSTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
ary 8. 1761, he married Mary AAMght, daiigliter of Wright,
a shipbuilder; she died April 18, 1798.
(VI) Mauuel Eyre, son of Manuel (5) and Mary (Wright)
Eyre, was born February 1, 1777, and died February 9, 1845, at the
"Grange," near Overbrook, Pennsylvania. He was in the shipbuilding
business of the firm of Eyre & Massey. He married Ann Louisa Con-
nelly, who died April 19, 1832, daughter of John Connelly, a lieuten-
ant-colonel in the Revolutionary army, a member of the Pennsylvania
legislature, and director of the United States Bank. March 30, 1780,
he married Ann Little, born April 11, 1748, died October 29, 1812, at
Philadelphia. Ann Little's brothers were in the Revolutionary army
as officers, three in number ; John was killed, also her brother-in-law.
Major Benjamin Dennis, was killed. John Connelly was in Benjamin
George Eyre's company of artillery, early in the Revolutionary strug-
gle. Benjamin George Eyre was a son of George Eyre (4). Ann Lit-
tle was the daughter of John Little, who was born at Shrewsbury, New
Jersey, 1712, and died at the same place, January, 1785. He married
Mary Longstreet, in 1735. This John Little was a son of John Little,
said to have been a Scotch Presbyterian, who left home on account of
persecution; he was born about 1675; emigrated 1699, settled at Shrews-
bury, Monmouth county, New Jersey. He was a lieutenant-colonel of
militia in 1746, and the judge of Monmouth county in 1749.
(VII) Manuel Eyre, son of Manuel (6) and Ann Louisa (Con-
nelly) Eyre, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, December 18,
1819, and died August 29. 1879, at Bridgewater, England. He Avas
married October 8, 1840, by Mayor Swift, of Philadelphia, to Eliza
Painter, born near Painters Cross Roads, Delaware county, Pennsyl-
vania, March 24, 1822; died at Edge Moor, Delaware, September 15,
1873. She was the daughter of William Painter, born April 12, 1785,
died July 6, 1854, at AYilmington, Delaware. He was married Novem-
ber 18, 1807, to Phoebe Churchman, and lived at Painters Cross Roads,
Pennsylvania. William Painter's father was Samuel Painter, born
February 29, 1752, died January 17, 1802, at Birmingham, Pennsyl-
vania. He married Elizabeth Bennett in 1779; she was born February
14, 1751, and died April 1, 1829. Samuel Painter was the son of John
Painter, born August 3, 1720, died May, 1765 ; he lived at Birmingham,
Pennsylvania, and married, in 1751, Sarah Teatman, born September
28, 1728, died June 21, 1817. John Painter was the son of Samuel
Painter, born about 1680, died about 1755; lived in Birmingham, Ches-
ter county, Pennsylvania ; he married April 4, 1716, Elizabeth Buxcey,
born about 1690. died June 20, 1774; she was the daughter of Hmnph-
rey Buxcey, of Husk, Berkshire, England. This Samuel Painter was
the son of Samuel Painter, who emigrated in 1699, and in 1711 bought
land in Birmingham, Chester county, Pennsylvania.
Of the Churchman family line, as above referred to, it should be
said that Phoebe Churchman, wife of AVilliam Painter, was born Sep-
tember 20, 1787, and died November 30. 1866, at Wilmington, Dela-
ware. She was the daughter of Edward Churchman, born at East Not-
tingham, Cecil county, ]\Iaryland, February 7, 1757, who married Sep-
tember 18. 1782, Rebecca Peirce, daughter of Caleb Peirce, of Thorn-
berry, Delaware county, Pennsylvania. Edward Churchman was the
son of George Churchman, born at East Nottingham, August 28, 1730,
died November 18, 1814: he married May 28, 1752, Hannah James,
daughter of Mordecai and Gaynor (Lloyd) James. George Church-
man, just named, was the son of John Churchman, born at Nottingham.
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 91
Chester county, Pennsylvania, June 4, 1702, died July 24, 1775; he
was a famous preacher and missionary of the Quakers; he married No-
vember 27, 1729, Margaret Bi'own, daughter of William and Esther
Brown. This John Churchman was the son of John Churchman, born
1665, at Saft'ron-Waldon, Essex, England; he emigrated in 1682 and
settled at East Nottingham, 1704. He married in 1696, Hannah Curry,
daughter of Thomas Curry of Aston, Oxfordshire, England. This
John Churchman died October, 1774.
(VIII) Frances Augustine Eyre, daughter of Manuel and Eliza
(Painter) Eyre, was born August 2, 1848, in Philadelphia, Pennsyl-
vania ; personal mention has been made of her in connection with her
marriage to Joseph Morgan, the subject of this memoir. It will be
seen that her ancestral line is one of much importance and interest. It
bears a trace of the Royal blood, and many of the members of her family
have achieved celebrity. John Churchman, Jr., was a celebrated
Quaker missionary, and John Churchman (3), was a noted surveyor
and geometrician, and was sent abroad to England, France, Russia
and Denmark; was a member of the Imperial Academy of Arts and
Sciences, receiving a gold medal and diplomatic honors; also a silver
medal from another society. He died at sea, returning home, Jvily 17,
1805, aged fifty years.
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Morgan have reared a family who are filling
important and highly respectable positions in life, and each is an honor
to their worthy parents as well as a blessing to mankind.
RUTLEDGE FAMILY, which held its first annual reunion at
Social Hall, Pennsylvania, September 1, 1904, traces its descent through
a number of generations to an old and honored family of Ireland, and
has a most interesting history. Its members combine in a great degree
the natural wit of the natives of Ireland with the energy and enter-
prise which characterize those born and reared in this country, and
have borne their full share in the development of the various indus-
tries of their adopted country. They are widely scattered throughout
the United States, and history tells us of Edward Rutledge, one of the
signers of the Declaration of Independence; and of the Rutledge who
was governor of South Carolina in the early days of the United States
of America.
George Ru'ledge Avas born in Enniskillen, county Fermanagh, Ire-
land, May 1, 1790. He emigrated to America in 1817 and located in
the city of Philadelphia. They lived in that city four years and then
removed to Murrysville, Pennsylvania, where they resided until 1829,
when they again moved, this time to the General Doty farm, on the
Pittsburg pike. He and his wife conducted a boarding house at this
time, during the building of the pike. This was in the days before
canals or railroads had penetrated to western Pennsylvania, and the
stage coach was the only means of transportation. From the General
Doty farm they removed to Social Hall, from thence to the Lock on the
canal, and then to Steuben ville, Ohio. After eighteen months in this
latter place they returned to Pennsylvania, settling in Livermore. There
they spent the remainder of their days, the death of George occurring
May 5, 1866. He married, at Enniskillen, Ireland, March 18, 1812,
Elizabeth Shaw, who was an able helpmate to her husband. It is re-
lated of her that when she and her husband conducted the boarding
house on the Pittsburg pike, she would rise early on the morning of
one day, walk to Pittsburg, a considerable distance, attend to all the
92 HI8T0RY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
necessaiy purchases and return on tlie following day. She died De-
cember 1, 1872. George and Elizabeth (Shaw) Rutledge had children:
Jane, James, Elizabeth, John, William, Irvin, and George.
Jane Rutledge, eldest child of George and Elizabeth (Shaw) Rut-
ledge, was born at Lisbellow, county Fermanagh, Ireland, February
15, 1813, died 1895. She married William Elliot, and there are four
of her descendants living: Eliza J. Barber, in Killee, county Fer-
managh, Ireland; Mrs. Mary Prentice, Livermore, Pennsylvania;
George Rutledge Elliot, at the Rutledge homestead, Clough Lisbellow,
county Fermanagh, Ireland; and Ellen ]\totl:ot, county Tyrone, Ireland.
James Rutledge, second child and eldest son of George and Eliz-
abeth (Shaw) Rutledge, was born at Lisbellow, county Fermanagh,
Ireland, November 1, 1816, died January 21, 1878. He married Han-
nah Gallagher, and his surviving children are : Jolm, who lives with
his wife and two children in Livermore, Pennsylvania ; ^lary, who mar-
ried Robert Ewing, and resides in Livermore, Pennsylvania ; Harry
B., resides with his wife and two children in Livermore, Pennsylvania;
Mrs. Lyde Rutledge, of Blairsville, Pennsylvania; and Mrs. George Rut-
ledge, of Livermore, Pennsylvania.
Elizabeth Rutledge, who married Richard Freeland, was born in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 28, 1818, died February 25, 1903,
Her children are : Myndert Freeland a resident of Livermore, Pennsyl-
vania ; Nellie, lives in Livermore ; Mrs. Hannah Nofsker, lives in Liver-
more ; Mrs. Lvde Kemer, resides in AVilkinsburg. Peunsvlvania : ]\Irs.
Sarah Irvin, deceased, left three children, all in Johnstown.
John Rutledge, fourth child and second son of George and Eliza-
beth (Shaw) Rutledge, was born at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Sep-
tember 16, 1820, died November 25, 1856. He married Keziali Mc-
Curdy and had one child: Samuel M., a resident of Illinois.
William Rutledge, third son and fifth child of George and Eliza-
beth (Shaw) Rutledge, was born at ]\[urrysville, Pennsylvania, Decem-
ber 21, 1822, and is living at Woodhull, Illinois. He married Ann Mc-
Curdy, and had children : ]\Irs. Jennie Rutledge AYeible ; ]\Irs. Eliza-
beth Taze; Mrs. Ella Rutledge W'est; Mrs. Laura Rutledge Payton;
Mrs. Georgia Rutledge Freeman; and Mr. W'illiam F. Rutledge.
Irvin Rutledge, fourth son and sixth child of George and Eliza-
beth (Shaw) Rutledge, was born at ]\Iurr\'sville, Pennsylvania, Feb-
ruary 24, 1826, died December 25, 1894. He married Lucetta Hay-
maker Colleasure, and had eight children: Margaret, Lucj^ Augusta,
Frank, Elizabeth, "William, Irvin, all deceased; also John C., of whom
sketch elsewhere.
George Rutledge, fifth son and seventh and youngest child of
George and Elizabeth (Shaw) Rutledge, was born at Social Hall, Penn-
sjdvania, I\Iay 20, 1829, and is living in Johnstown. Pennsylvania.
Elizabeth Shaw was the daughter of Jolm and Elizabeth Shaw, the
former a farmer in Ireland, and both dying in 1806. Ihey had chil-
dren: W^illiam, Irvin, John, George, Elizabeth, Jane and Ellen. George
Rutledge received what was considered a good common school educa-
tion in those days, and was then employed on the Pennsylvania canal
for twenty-five years, as driver, teamster and captain in charge of a
boat. He was then engaged in the mercantile business in Livermore,
Pennsylvania, for the next ten years, and then at Jolmstown, with the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company for five years, as timekeeper and pay-
master. He held a position with the Cambria Steel Company for ten
years as foreman of the tracks, was the first street commissioner of
HIS TOBY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 93
Johnstown, then in the general merchandise business for two years,
and is now (1906) and for five years has been in the employ of the
National Biscuit Company. He is a man of prominence and influence
in his town, and is highly esteemed for his many sterling qualities. He
is a member of the Presbyterian churcli, and a stanch supporter of
the Democratic party.
He married, June 19, 1856, Henrietta Ferguson, daughter of Sam-
uel and Susan (King) Ferguson, who died April 10, 1884. They had
children: Richard, married IMillie M. Clelland; Lillian, deceased;
Manira ; Annie ; Albert, married ]\Iinnie Kerler ; Samuel, deceased ;
James D., whose sketch follows this; Bell iNL, married Edward San-
ford; Frank; and Campbell, whose sketch follows this.
JAI\IES D. RUTLEDGE, general manager of the Johnstown Gro-
cery Company, and prominently identified with the business interests
of Johnstown, Cambria county. Pennsylvania, was born at Livermore,
Derry township, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, January 17, 1866,
son of George and Henrietta (Ferguson) Rutledge. (See Rutledge
Family. )
His education was received in the public schools of his native town-
ship, and at the age of fifteen years he came to Johnstown with his
parents and obtained a position in the grocery store of ex-Sheriff John
Ryan, remaining there for eight years. After the flood of May 31,
1889. he leased the ground where the store of John Ryan had been
standing, and started in business for liimself. Shortly afterward he
entered into a business partnership with Mr. Ryan, and the firm was
thereafter known as Ryan & Rutledge. At the end of two years he
sold his interest to Mr. Ryan, and again commenced business for him-
self, this time at the corner of INIarket and Locust streets, remaining
until the fall of 1905, when he abandoned this in order to accept the
general managership of the Johnstown Grocery Company, a position
lie is now holding. He is one of the enterprising energetic young men
of Cambria county, and has done much toward the general improve-
ment of conditions in that town. He is connected with the Presby-
terian church, and his politics are Republican. He is a member of
Johnstown Lodge, No. 157, Knights of Pythias, and of Orient Lodge,
United Order of American iMechanics.
He married, September, 1892, Fanny Williams, who was one of
eight children: Annie, John C, William R., Lenora, Millie, Agnes,
Alice and Fanny. The children of James D. and Fanny (Williams)
Rutledge are: George, born April 18, 1894; Robert, June 30, 1897;
Frances, August 9, 1901.
•^o "
CA:\IPBELL rutledge, general manager of the Johnstown
branch of the National Biscuit Company, was born in Johnstown, July
1, 1872, son of George and Henrietta (Ferguson) Rutledge. (See Rut-
ledge Family sketch.)
He received his education in the common schools of his native
town, and upon its completion entered upon his business career. He
was engaged in the mercantile business in Johnstown for about eight
years and, in 1897, was appointed general manager of the Johnstown
branch of the National Biscuit Company, located on Conemaugh street.
This position he is filling very acceptably to the company, and his execu-
tive abilitv, reliabilitv, and faithful attention to all the manv details
which his work entails are fully appreciated. He is very popular with
92 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COIXTY.
necessaiy purchases and return on tlie following day. She died De-
cember 7, 1872. George and Elizabeth (Shaw) Rutledge had children:
Jane, James, Elizabeth, John, William, Irvin, and George.
Jane Rutledge, eldest child of George and Elizabeth (Shaw) Rut-
ledge, was born at Lisbellow, county Fermanagh, Ireland, February
15, 1813, died 1895. She married William Elliot, and there are four
of her descendants living: Eliza J. Barber, in Killee, county Fer-
managh, Ireland ; Mrs. Mary Prentice, Livermore, Pennsylvania ;
George Rutledge Elliot, at the Rutledge homestead, Clough Lisbellow,
county Fermanagh, Ireland; and Ellen ]Moifot, county Tyrone, Ireland.
James Rutledge, second child and eldest son of George and Eliz-
abeth (Shaw) Rutledge, was born at Lisbellow. county Fermanagh,
Ireland, November 1, 1816, died Januarj' 21, 1878. He married Han-
nah Gallagher, and his surviving children are : John, who lives with
his wife and two children in Livermore, Pennsylvania ; Mary, who mar-
ried Robert Ewing, and resides in Livermore, Pennsylvania ; Harry
B., resides with his wife and two children in Livermore, Pennsjdvania ;
Mrs. Lyde Rutledge, of Blairsville, Pennsylvania; and Mrs. George Rut-
ledge, of Livermore, Pennsylvania.
Elizabeth Rutledge, who married Richard Freeland, was born in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 28, 1818, died February 25, 1903,
Her children are: M;>Tidert Freeland a resident of Livermore, Pennsyl-
vania: Nellie, lives in Livermore; Mrs. Hannah Nofsker, lives in Liver-
more ; ]\Irs. Lyde Kenier, resides in W^ilkinsl)urg. Pennsylvania ; ]\Irs.
Sarah Irvin, deceased, left three children, all in Johnstown.
John Rutledge, fourth child and second son of George and Eliza-
beth (Shaw) Rutledge, was born at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Sep-
tember 16, 1820, died November 25, 1856. He married Keziah Mc-
Curdy and had one child: Samuel M., a resident of Illinois.
William Rutledge, third son and fifth child of George and Eliza-
beth (Shaw) Rutledge, was born at ]Murrysville, Pennsylvania, Decem-
ber 21, 1822, and is living at W^oodhull, Illinois. He married Ann Mc-
Curdy, and had children: i\[rs. Jennie Rutledge Weible; Mrs. Eliza-
beth Taze; Mrs. Ella Rutledge West; Mrs. Laura Rutledge Payton;
Mrs. Georgia Rutledge Freeman; and Mr. W^illiam F. Rutledge.
Irvin Rutledge, fourth son and sixth child of George and Eliza-
beth (Shaw) Rutledge, was born at ]Murrysville, Pennsylvania, Feb-
ruary 24, 1826, died December 25, 1894. He married Lucetta Hay-
maker Colleasure, and had eight children: Margaret. Luc\% Augusta,
Frank, Elizabeth, William, Irvin. all deceased; also John C., of whom
sketch elsewhere.
George Rutledge, fifth son and seventh and youngest child of
George and Elizabeth (Shaw) Rutledge, Avas born at Social Hall, Penn-
sylvania, I\Iay 20, 1829, and is living in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
Elizabeth Shaw was the daughter of Jolm and Elizabeth Shaw, the
former a farmer in Ireland, and both dying in 1806. They had chil-
dren: William, Irvin, John, George, Elizabeth, Jane and Ellen. George
Rutledge received what was considered a good common school educa-
tion in those days, and Avas then employed on the Pennsylvania canal
for twenty-five years, as driver, teamster and captain in charge of a
boat. He was then engaged in the mercantile business in Livermore,
Pennsylvania, for the next ten years, and then at Jolmstown. with the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company for five years, as timekeeper and pay-
master. He held a position with the Cambria Steel Company for ten
years as foreman of the tracks, was the first street commissioner of
EJSTOIiY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 93
Johnstown, then in the general merchandise business for two years,
and is now (1906) and for five years has been in the employ of the
National Biscuit Company. He is a man of prominence and influence
in his town, and is highly esteemed for his many sterling qualities. He
is a member of the Presbyterian church, and a stanch supporter of
the Democratic party.
He married, June 19, 1856, Henrietta Ferguson, daughter of Sam-
uel and Susan (King) Ferguson, who died April 10, 1884. They had
children: Richard, married Millie M. Clelland; Lillian, deceased;
Manira; Annie; Albert, married Minnie Kerler; Samuel, deceased;
James D., whose sketch follows this; Bell M., married Edward San-
ford; Frank; and Campbell, whose sketch follows this.
JAMES D. RUTLEDGE, general manager of the Johnstown Gro-
cery Company, and prominently identified with the business interests
of Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, was born at Livermore,
Derry township, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, January 17, 1866,
son of George and Henrietta (Ferguson) Rutledge. (See Rutledge
Family. )
His education was received in the public schools of his native town-
ship, and at the age of fifteen years he came to Johnstown Avith his
parents and obtained a position in the grocery store of ex-Sheriff John
Ryan, remaining there for eight years. After the flood of May 31,
1889, he leased the ground where the store of John Ryan had been
standing, and started in business for himself. Shortly afterward he
entered into a business partnership with Mr. Ryan, and the firm was
thereafter laiown as Ryan & Rutledge. At the end of two years he
sold his interest to Mr. Ryan, and again commenced business for him-
self, this time at the corner of INIarket and Locust streets, remaining
until the fall of 1905, w^hen he abandoned this in order to accept the
general managership of the Johnstown Grocery Company, a position
he is now holding. He is one of the enterprising energetic young men
of Cambria county, and has done much toward the general improve-
ment of conditions in that town. He is connected with the Presby-
terian church, and his politics are Republican. He is a member of
JolmstoAvn Lodge, No. 157, Knights of Pythias, and of Orient Lodge,
United Order of American ]\Iechanics.
He married, September, 1892, Fanny Williams, who was one of
eight children: Annie, John C, AVilliam R., Lenora, Millie, Agnes,
Alice and Fanny. The children of James D. and Fanny (Williams)
Rutledge are: George, born April 18, 1891; Robert, June 30, 1897;
Frances, August 9, 1901.
CA]\IPBELL RUTLEDGE, general manager of the Johnstown
branch of the National Biscuit Company, was born in Johnstown, July
1, 1872, son of George and Henrietta (Ferguson) Rutledge. (See Rut-
ledge Family sketch.)
He received his education in the common schools of his native
town, and upon its completion entered upon his business career. He
was engaged in the mercantile business in Johnstown for about eight
years and, in 1897, was appointed general manager of the Johnstown
branch of the National Biscuit Company, located on Conemaugh street.
This position he is filling very acceptably to the company, and his execu-
tive abilitv, reliabilitv, and faithful attention to all the manv details
which his work entails are fully appreciated. He is very popular with
94 HISTOL'Y OF CAMBIUA COUNTY.
those who work under his direction, as his management is a just, if
very exacting one. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, and a
stanch supporter of the Republican party. He is a member of Linton
Lodge, No. 451, K. P., Johnstown; of Johnstown Council No. 303, U.
C. T. ; and of Johnstown Lodge, No. 538, F. and A. M.
He married, October 11, 1901, IMaud C. Smith, daughter of Johrt
C. and Mary E. (Cogan) Smith, who had three children: Mrs. George
H, Evans, of Johnstown; Mrs. John E. Jones, of Pittsburg; and Mrs.
Campbell Rutledge. John C. Smith, son of Lyman Smith, w-as born
in 1846, died j\Iarch 4, 1890. He was by occupation a carpenter, and
was one of three children : John C, Harry, and Mrs. Clara Wilson.
INIary E. (Cogan) Smith was a daughter of James Cogan, and was
born in 1839, died March 3, 1874, one of three children : Mary E., Harry,,
and Mrs. Cerissa Nash. Mr. and Mrs. Rutledge have one child, Dorothy
Belle, born October 12, 1905.
JOHN COLLEASURE RUTLEDGE, alderman of the fifth ward
of Johnstown, was born in Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsylvania,
September 12, 1865, son of Irvin and Lucetta Hajmiaker (Colleasure)
Rutledge.
Irvin Rutledge (father) Avas born in Murrysville, Pennsylvania,
February 24, 1826, died December 25, 1894, son of George and Eliza-
beth (Shaw) Rutledge. Irvin Rutledge was reared to farm life, and
after the opening of the Pennsylvania canal turned his attention to
boating, becoming captain of a boat, and followed that occupation for a
number of years. In 1853 he came to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was
employed at various occupations, and early in the sixties embarked in
the hre insurance business in Johnstown, at which he continued until
his death. During the sessions of 1891-92 he was appointed door-
keeper of state senate, served as justice of the peace for about fifteen
years in the fifth ward of Johnstown, serving in that capacity at time
of decease, and for two different terms filled the office of burgess while
Johnstown Avas still a borough. He was a member of the First Pres-
byterian Church, in which he served for many years as deacon, was
a member of Johnstown Lodge, Free and Accepted ]\[asons, also Knights
of Pythias, and was active in the ranks of the Republican party.
Irvin Rutledge married (first), October 23, 1851, Lucetta Hay-
maker Colleasure, born October 10, 1826, died August 22, 1876, daugh-
ter of John and Mai'garet (Graff) Colleasure, and the granddaughter
of Barbara (Baum) Graff, who was born near the Burnt Cabins in
Path Valley, 1775. All that section of the country was a wilderness
and the Indians were hostile. John Colleasure was born in 1800, died
December 25, 1875, buried in Doddsville, Illinois. He married. 1824,
^largaret Graff', born 1802. died IMarch 24, 1885, buried in Doddsville,
Illinois. Children of Irvin and Lucetta H. (Colleasure) Rutledge:
Margaret, Lucy, Augusta E., Frank, Elizabeth, William, Irvin and
John C, all of whom are deceased except the latter. ]Mr. Rutledge
married (second), 1880, ]\Irs. Helen (Wines) Cushman, who with John
C. Rutledge resides at the old homestead. No. 212 Water street, Johns-
tow^n.
John C. Rutledge Avas educated in the common schools of Johns-
town, and his first position in the active business of life was in a woolen
mill, Avhere he Avorked for one year. He then entered the office of
the JohnstoAAn Tribune , under the direction of George T. SAA'ank, and
labored there for tA\-elve years. A couple of years AA-ere then spent in
lUSTOJiY OF CAJIBBIA COUNTY. 95
Alabama, after which he returned to Johnstown and was employed
as a printer on the Johnstown Democrat. After five years spent in
this work he became foreman of the job department, and held that po-
sition three years. He has always been actively interested in the pub-
lic affairs of the city, and has done much to "further its welfare and
improvement. He was elected alderman of the fifth ward of the city
in 1902, and has filled that office to the great satisfaction of his con-
stituents. He has a thorough, practical way of taking hold of mat-
ters that leads immediately to the root of the trouble, if there be any,
and his inventive mind and fertile imagination soon find a remedy for
the evil. He is popular in both commercial and social circles, and has
many friends. In addition to performing the duties of his public office,
he is engaged in the real estate and fire insurance business. His po-
litical allegiance is given to the Republican party.
HARRY H. SANDERSON, M. D., one of the best known and
most popular of the younger generation of physicians in Johnstown,
Cambria county, Pennsylvania, is a representative of a family which
has been identified with the history of the state, and prominent in
its industrial and commercial circles.
Theodore C. Sanderson, father of Henry H. Sanderson, ]M. D., was
born in Ickesburg. Perry county, Pennsylvania, May 12, 1849, son
of and Sarah Sanderson. He was educated in the common
schools of the township and also in the New Bloomfield Academy and
the Pennsylvania College. At the age of sixteen years he volunteered
in the LTnion army and served with bravery and honor until the close
of the war. He was engaged in teaching school for five years and in
1873 came to Bedford county, and entered the Huntingdon and Broad
Top railroad service, as ticket agent at Hopewell. In a few years he
Avas promoted to be general weighmaster at Saxton. He was made
ticket and freight agent and train dispatcher in 1881, and held these
positions until January. 1901, when he resigned in order to take his
seat in the state legislature as a representative from Bedford county,
having been elected thereto by the largest Republican majority given
that ticket in 1900. At the close of the session of the legislature he
moved to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he became a member of the
grain firm of Fickes & Sanderson. He was a member of the Lutheran
church, a leader of the church choir for many years, and superintendent
of the Sunday school for over twenty years. He was a member of the
school board of the borough for twelve years, serving for the greater
part of that time as its president. He was a prominent ^lason, mem-
ber of the Huntingdon Commandery. Knights Templar, and also a
member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His death occurred
in January, 1902, and he was survived by his mother. Mrs. Sarah San-
derson, three brothers— George W., of Huntingdon; John M., of
Roanoke, Virginia ; and Elmer E.. of Saxton— and one sister, Mrs.
Kate Heston. of New Bloomfield. Theodore C. Sanderson married, in
1872, Jane Fickes, who had seven sisters and brothers: Andrew, Sarah,
Benjamin, Josiah, Anna, Gibson, and Bella. The children of Theo-
dore C. and Jane (Fickes) Sanderson, who were living at the time of
their father's death, were: Dr. Harry H., see forward; Charles C, of
Everett; Minnie E. ; Frank: Roy; Clyde; Carrie; and Eugene.
Harry H. Sanderson. M. D., second surviving child of Theodore
C. and Jane (Fickes) Sanderson, was born at Hopewell, Bedford county,
Pennsylvania, January 14, 1876. He received his education in the
96 HISTORY OF CAMBIUA COUNTY.
common schools of Saxton, Pennsylvania, attended the Gettysburg Col-
lege for three years, then the Hahnemann College at Philadelphia for
four years, being graduated from the latter institution in 1900. He
commenced his professional practice in Johnstown. Cambria county,
Pennsylvania, in November of the same year, and has since been located
in that town, where he now commands a large and lucrative practice.
H(.' is conscientious and thorough in his work, and has won for himself
an enviable reputation among his fellow practitioners, as well as among
his patients. He is a member of the Lutheran church, and affiliates
with the Republican party.
He married April 5, 1905, Emily Stammler, born September 15,
1883. daughter of Frederick AV. and Mary (Fronheiser) Stammler, and
sister of George and Bertha Stammler.
-to^
IMAJOR JA]\[ES HARRISON GAGEBY, deceased, was a splen-
did tyY>e of the volunteer soldier of the Union during the Civil war,
and his brilliant record won for him a commission and promotion in
the regular army, which he adorned for many years. He was of Scotch-
Irish ancestrv, and his military instincts and genius came to him
through a long line of honorable forebears, clearly traceable to "William,
the Norman Conqueror. His grandfather, James Gageby, came from
the north of Ireland to the United States in 1774. He settled in Phila-
delphia, and was in Independence Hall when the Declaration of Inde-
pendence was read. He was doubtless greatly impressed by that dramat-
ic event, for he entered the patriot army and with it served and fought
during the entire struggle. After the war was over he located in
Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, where he died in 1836, esteemed
and honored, at the advanced age of eighty-six years.
Robert Gageby, son of the revolutionary veteran, James Gageby,
was born and reared in Westmoreland county. In 1834, during the
building of the Pennsylvania canal and Portage railroad, he came to
Johnstown, Avhere he lived during the remainder of his life, dj'ing in
1880, at the age of seventy-four years. He was a man possessing in
eminent degree many sterling qualities of head and heart, and took
an active and intelligent part in all community affairs. He was a
stanch Republican, and firm in upholding his political principles. He
married Rebecca Scott, a native of Somerset county, Pennsj^lvania, of
Scotch extraction, and a descendant of the famous Scott and Stewart
families of Scotland.
James Harrison Gageby, son of Robert B. and Rebecca (Scott)
Gagebj^, was born September 5, 1835, within the corporate limits of
Johnstown. He received his early education in the public schools of
that city, and when about eighteen years of age took a course in Elder's
Ridge Academy, then under the charge of Dr. Donaldson. In his
early youth he worked with his father in the blacksmith shop of Gageby
& Kinley. At the age of twenty-two his love of adventure led him to
Iowa, then but sparsely settled, where for three years he followed va-
rious avocations. Returning home, the opening of the Civil war ap-
pealed to his patriotism and martial spirit, and on April 19, a week
after the firing on Fort Sumter, and immediately after Governor Cur-
tin had made his call for troops, he enlisted under President Lincoln's
first call for three months' men, as a sergeant on Company K, Third
Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers. This company was already in ex-
istence as the Johnstown Zouaves, and as such was thorouglily drilled
and entirely qualified for active service on the instant. With his com-
c^^
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PUELii LiB-RARYl
'^^ Aster, Lwiox and Hldwi ,
founijstlent,
19C9
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 97
pany Sergeant Gageby served in General Patterson's command in
Maryland and Virginia, and was engaged in the battle of Falling Water,
Virginia, July 2, 1861. Discharged on the expiration of his term of
service, July 30 following. Sergeant Gageby aided in recruiting a com-
pany for the Seventy-sixth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, in
which he was to be commissioned. Before its organization was per-
fected, however, he enlisted, October 25, in the Nineteenth Regiment
United States Infantry, in which he was appointed first sergeant, to
date from his enlistment — a line tribute to his soldierly bearing and
qualities. For several weeks he was on duty at Greensburg, Pennsyl-
vania, drilling a detachment of the regiment, and subsequently at the
headquarters of the regiment, in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the capacity
of drill sergeant. He was so engaged until the organization of Com-
panies G and H, of the First Battalion of the regiment, when he went
to the field as first sergeant of Company G, assigned to duty with the
Army of the Potomac. After serving at Harrison's Lauding his bat-
talion acted as bodyguard to General McClellan in the campaign through
Maryland. It took part in the battles of Antietam and South Mount-
ain, and afterward in the battle of Fredericksburg, at which time Ser-
geant Gageby 's battalion was assigned to the Seventeenth Infantry
Regiment, with which it served in that engagement. In March, 1863,
his company was transferred to the Army of the Cumberland and as-
signed to the First Battalion, Nineteenth Infantry. He was promoted
to second lieutenant in Company A, that regiment, at Murfreesboro,
Tennessee, June 1, 1863, and served as such until the battle of Hoover's
Gap, when he was placed in command of Company G, led it in the
charge of the brigade of Regulars against a Confederate division, and
was brevetted first lieutenant "for gallant and meritorious service in
action" upon that occasion. He was returned to Company A just
prior to the battle of Chickamauga, in which engagement he was
wounded and taken prisoner, September 20, 1863. He was taken to
Libby Prison, Richmond, and was there while the famous tunnel for
escape was being dug by the prisoners. Colonel Rose, chief of the tun-
neling party, advised Lieutenant Gageby, Captain E. L. Smith and
Lieutenant M. C. Causten that they were to consider themselves as a
part of the liberty seeking company, although, on account of the preju-
dices of some of the volunteer officers, they were not permitted to work
in the tunnel ; at the same time they were charged to aid in preventing
the discovery of the tunnel while work was progressing. Lieutenant
Gageby escaped through the tunnel February 9, 1864, but was recap-
tured two days later near Charles City crossroads, Virginia, and was
returned to the prison and incarcerated in the "middle dungeon" for
eight days, when he was taken to Danville, Virginia; later to Charlotte,
North Carolina; to Macon, Georgia; and Charleston, South Carolina;
and in the last named city was held for several days under the fire of
the Union batteries playing upon it. He was then taken to Columbia,
South Carolina, thence back again to Charlotte, North Carolina, later
to Raleigh and Goldsboro. North Carolina, and finally to Wilmington,
Delaware, where he was released on parole, March 1, 1865, after an im-
prisonment of seventeen months and ten days.
Returning to duty with his company, at Lookout Mountain, in May,
1865, he was with his regiment there, and, the war being over, was
with it in Arkansas and the Cherokee Nation the remainder of 1865
and in 1866. He was brevetted captain September 20, 1865. He was
on regular army recruiting service from September, 1866, to March,
ys HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
1868. In that year he was appointed captain in the Thirty-seventh
Regiment United States Infantry, successfully passed examination at
Louisville, Kentucky, and joined his regiment at Fort Stanton, New
Mexico, in March, 1868. He was engaged in several scouts and expe-
ditions against the Mescal ero Apache Indians, and in October was or-
dered Avith his company to the Canadian river expedition under Col-
onel A. W. Evans, at Fort Bascom. This campaign against the Com-
anches continued about four months, the troops being Avithout tents the
greater part of the time. The Comanche village on the Salt Fork of
the Red River, Texas, was found December 25, 1868, and here the com-
mand was actively engaged in battle with the Indians from 10 o'clock
in the morning until sundown. In April and May of 1869, Captain
Gageby was with General J. R. Brooke on the expedition against the
Mescalero and Sierra Diablo Apache Indians, and with his company
he fought a brief engagement with them near the big canyon of the
Guadaloupe mountains, New Mexico. On August 11, 1869, he was as-
signed to the Third Infantry, and with his company (D) served in
1870 guarding the Missouri Pacific Railway in Colorado, where he had
several slight skirmishes with Arapahoe and Cheyenne Indians. He
was subsequently on duty at Fort Lyon, Colorado, and Camp Supply,
Indian Territory, and in 1874 was ordered on reconstruction duty in
the south. He was so engaged until August, 1877, when he was or-
dered north to serve during the railroad riots in Pennsylvania, Ohio
and Indiana. He was on duty at Fort IMissoula, Montana, from Sep-
tember, 1877, to 1878, when he was ordered on recruiting duty. He
rejoined the Third Infantrv Regiment in May, 1881, and served with
it until April, 1883.
In February, 1889, Captain Gageby came to Johnstown on leave
•of absence, and was there at the time of the great flood, in which he
lost several members of his family, and all his home property. He
was placed on duty there by order of the Secretary of War, and served
with the National Guard of Pennsylvania until September, 1889, when
lie was placed on special recruiting service for one year. He was sub-
sequently selected by Colonel Mason, of the Third Infantry, for the
regular recruiting detail, and was on that duty until he was promoted
to major, Twelfth Infantry, July 4, 1892. He was placed in command
at Fort Sully, South Dakota, Avhere he remained two years, being
then transferred to Fort Niobrara, Nebraska. At the time of his death
lie stood within two files of a lientenaiit-colonelcy, which it was his am-
I)ition to reach.
The foregoing military record is one of which any man might
well be proud. Courageous in action, firm in the discharge of every
duty, he was at the same time one of the most affable, companionable
■and generous of men, and his friends in the army were perhaps more
numerous than those of any other officer of his rank. Although by rea-
son of his occupation separated for the greater portion of his life from
the scenes of his childhood, it is doubtful if there was at the time of
Ills death (which occurred in Johnstown, July 13, 1896), a man in the
community more universally known and more sincerely liked than was
Major Gageby. He had a remarkable faculty for remembering names
and faces, and was scarcely ever at fault in recognizing and calling by
name any person he had ever met. Constantly forming new acquaint-
ances, he was never forgetful of old friends, and grasped them to hira-
-self as "with hoops of steel." Coming from a long line of stalwart
Presbyterian ancestors, he was of a reverential mind, and was a con-
THE
N'P'
a c^
■fM^^njjL
Hf STORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 99
stant attendant upon divine services, though holding to no special
creed. He was a lifelong Republican. He became affiliated with the
Masonic Fraternity while stationed in Indian Territory. He was a
member of the Grand Army Post in Johnstown, and a companion of
the Nebraska Commandery of the jMilitary Order of the Loyal Legion.
His remains are interred at Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in Grand View
cemetery.
IMajor Gageby was happily married in 1873 to Matilda Fend, a
daughter of Jacob Fend, who died January 29, 1899, and is interred
in Grandview cemetery, Johnstown. To iMajor and Mrs. Gageby was
born an only child, Emma, at Fort Missoula, INIontana, five hundred
and forty-five miles from the nearest railroad point. j\Iiss Gageby was
married, November 12, 1904, to Lieutenant George Wilbur Cochen, of
Brooklyn, New York, a son of Theodore Cochen. Lieutenant Cochen
is an officer in the United States Artillery Corps, stationed at Fortress
Monroe, Virginia.
JACOB FEND, deceased, who was a highly respected citizen and
one of the oldest and most successful business men of the city of Johns-
town, was a son of John and Mary (Gerhardt) Fend, and was born at
Funkstown, a village in the vicinity of Hagerstown, Maryland, June
10, 1823. He died January 29, 1899, and is interred in Grand View
cemetery, Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
His parents were both natives of Germany, and in 1821 settled
near Hagerstown, ]\[aryland, but soon moved to Berlin, Somerset
county, Pennsylvania, where the father died in 1824, and the mother
passed away in 1848. when in the fifty-second year of her age. They
were an honest, frugal and industrious couple, who well deserved the
respect which was accorded them in the community where they re-
sided.
When but a mere child Jacob Fend was brought by his parents to
Somerset county, and in 1837 he commenced work in the Kantner woolen
factory, one mile east of Stoyestown, at fifty cents per week and board-
ing himself. He w^orked two years in the w-oolen mill and a year more
on a farm, and then learned the trade of millwright with E. M. Smith-
ley, who gave him the only opportunity he ever enjoyed in youth of
attending school for three months, as Stoneycreek township, where he
formerly resided, had refused to adopt the free school system. With
Mr. Smithley he also learned the lessons of economy and self-reliance.
He worked for eleven years at his trade, and when not contracting re-
ceived $2.50 per day. Upon the completion of Benshoff 's mill at Johns-
town, in 1851, his physicians urged him to find lighter employment
if he wished to live. Reluctantly accepting their advice he purchased
for $1,260 of John Geis property on Main street, Johnstown, and
opened a confectionery establishment and cracker bakery in 1852. His
payments were light, only $200 per year without interest, and he pros-
pered fairly well in his new line until the war began, when such a de-
mand came for his goods that he could hardly fill the orders that
poured in on him. This increase of business remained permanent with
him after the war and up to 1882, when he retired from business. He
then spent his winters at New Orleans and in California until the
great flood came and swept away so much of his property that he was
compelled to again engage in business. He had his wrecked residence
repaired, opened the same as a hotel, and it was the leading hostlery
in that city for several years. From the scattered remnants of his
456247
IQO HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
property properly managed and the income of the hotel, he was en-
abled on November 1, 1893, to again retire from active business with
a sufficient competency to provide him with the comforts of life.
Jacob Fencl was a Republican in politics, and served in the city
council for a number of years, but having been of a modest and re-
tiring disposition he never desired a public ofHce, although serving in
obedience to the will of the voters whenever elected to any municipal
position. For years he Avas among the foremost business men of the
city, and always identified himself with every movement for the ad-
vancement of Johnstown's material interests. As one instance illus-
trating his devotion to the development of his city may be cited the
great effort of Mr. Fend, in connection with G. W. Osborn, to obtain
the necessary amount of subscription that secured the erection of the
Johnstown water works. In a score of other ways, more or less promi-
nent, he was a potent factor to secure additional advantages for his
city or bring to it new enterprises. INIr. Fend was an industrious and
persistent worker and an excellent manager, and by prudence and econ-
omy acquired a handsome com])etency. From a boy without a dollar
and but little schooling, he not only achieved success in a business point
of view, but in the maintenance of a character for integrity. His
charities, however, were not ostentatious, and few persons outside of
his own family and intimate friends had any knowledge of them. A
fine example of a self-made man, his kindly nature, his thoughfulness
and consideration won him friends wherever he went.
Mr. Fend married, November 4, 1845, Hannah Probst, a member
of the English Lutheran church, and a granddaughter of John Probst,
the first iron manufacturer west of the Allegheny mountains in the
Ligonier Valley. Mrs. Fend was of French descent. She died August
5, 1878, aged fifty-six years, leaving four daughters : Matilda, wife
of Major James H. Gageby, deceased; Mary, died May 9, 1887, at Los
Angeles, California; Emma, died July 25, 1888, and Ettie, who was
her father's devoted companion.
WILLIAM HENRY FREDERICKS, one of the most prominent
and highly esteemed residents of Johnstown, Cambria county, Penn-
sylvania, vice-president of the Johnstown Dry Grain Company, has a
most enviable record to look back upon in his conduct during the
progress of the Civil war, in which he was actively engaged. He is a
representative of the second generation of his family in this country,
his ancestors being natives of Germany.
John Fredericks, father of AVilliam Henry Fredericks, was born
in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, July 1, 1802. His education was ob-
tained in the parochial schools of his district, which he attended
until he had attained the age of fourteen years. He was in his early
youth when he commenced the business of life by working on the
far2us, and in 1832 he determined to come to America, thinking there
were better prospects in this country. He accordingly embarked on a
sailing vessel with his wife and children at Bremen, and arrived in Bal-
timore, Maryland. From there he went to Greencastle, Pennsylvania,
and a year or two later went to Williamsport, Marjiand, where he re-
mained for some years. From there he removed to Cumberland and en-
gaged in the hotel business and also in contracting for the Mount
Savage Iron Company. He resided there for ten years, and in 1848
removed to Frostburg, Maryland, where he conducted the McCullough
House for a period of two years. Two years later he again changed
HISTOHY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 101
his place of residence, this time settling- in Berlin, Somerset county,
Pennsylvania, where he helped to lay the plank road between Berlin
and Somerset. He came to Johnstown in 1853 and engaged in garden-
ing, with which he was occupied until 1876 when he retired, and died
May 12, 1881. His first home in Johnstown was at the corner of Frank-
lin and AA^ashington streets on what is now (1906) known as the Creed
property. There he resided for three years, removing to AValnut street,
between ]\Iain and Vine streets, remaining there ten years, and then
bought the property of Robert Hamilton on Vine street, and there he
died. He and his wife were members of the First English Lutheran
church, and he was a stanch adherent of the Democratic party. He
served for one term as street conniiissioner of Johnstown borough.
John Fredericks married, 1829, Anna Eva Eckert, also a native of
Hesse-Darmstadt, who was injured at the time of the flood of May
31, 1889, and died June 3 of the same year. She and her husband are
buried in the Sandyyille cemetery. Their children were : 1. Louisa, mar-
ried Levi Enfield, now deceased, and she resides in Chicago, Illinois; 2.
Mary, unmarried, living in Maryland; 3. Annie, married Herman
Memacamp, resides in Johnstown, Pennsylvania; 4. John M., born in
Williamsport, Maryland. He was orderly sergeant to General Banks
for a short time. He married Anna Decker, of Johnstown, and re-
sides in Braddock, Pennsylvania; 5. William Henry, see forward; 6.
Samuel, born in Cumberland, Maryland, married Sadie Miller, both
deceased; 7. Henry, born in Cumberland, Maryland, married there to
Annie Stines; 8. Ella, married James Sloan, resides in Lonaconing,
Maryland; 9. Charles F., born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, married
in Lonaconing, Alaryland, Mary Steward; both deceased.
William Henry Fredericks, second son and fifth child of John
and Anna Eva (Eckert) Fredericks, was born in Cumberland, Alary land,
March 30, 1843. His education was limited to attendance at the schools
of the district for a period of three months, and the knowledge which
Air. Fredericks has acquired in the course of his life is due solely to
his own ambition and unaided efforts. . At the age of seven years he
was sent to Avork for a farmer, receiving as compensation what he
could eat and as Air. Fredericks concisely puts it "half of what he could
wear." Three years later he was brought to Johnstown by his father,
and here he was set to work hauling cinders from Ray's furnace to the
river. For this labor he received twenty-five or thirty cents a day.
He hired out his services to Jacob Fend in 1855, who was the proprietor
of a small confectionery store opposite the present Alerchant's Hotel,
which at that time was known as the Cambria House, and was under
the management of Schatfer & Zimmerman. He held the position of
clerk for Air. Fend until the spring of 1857, when he commenced driv-
ing mules in the coke yard and coal mines. About three years later
he drove a metal cart in the puddling mills, and followed this occupa-
tion until April 18, 1861.
He then enlisted for a service of three months in Company H,
Captain Eastly, Tenth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and this
time was chiefly spent at Chambersburg, Hogestown, Alartinsburg and
Harrisburg. At the end of this period he returned to his home and
worked at the mill for a few months, and as his parents were opposed
to his re-enlisting, he ran away from home in September, 1861, and
enlisted at Harrisburg for three years, in Company A, Captain John
P. Suter, known as the Zouaves of the Fifty-fourth Pennsylvania
Volunteer Infantry. He re-enlisted in the same command January 1,
Vol. Ill— 7
102 in STORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
1864, for another three years or during the continuation of the war,
and served until July 15, 1865, when he was honorably discharged at
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. During his time of service he was an active
participant in many battles and skirmishes, and was many times com-
mended for bravery. While he was serving under his third enlistment
he was in about twenty-eight or thirty engagements. He was with his
command at all times until July 18, 1864, at the battle of Snicker's
Gap, when he was struck in the left temple by a bullet. This Avas re-
moved nine months later. At the time of receiving , this wound, Mr.
Fredericks was sent to the field hospital and from thence to the Fred-
erick City Hospital. He obtained a veteran's furlough, returned to his
home and remained there for thirty days with the remainder of the
company, and then marched with them as far as Hogestow^n, where
the doctors refused to allow him to proceed any further. He was sent
to a hospital in Maryland, where the bullet was probed for but not
found, and he begged to be sent to his regiment, but his request was
refused and he was transferred to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and there
the ball was extracted by Dr. O'Brien, and two weeks after this was
done Mr. Fredericks returned to the front. He was then sent to Rich-
mond to rejoin his regiment, remained there for a few weeks until the
conclusion of hostilities and then returned to Harrisburg. He set the
example to the young men of his district. He was the first to re-enlist
in liis regiment, and although the others wished to re-enlist from Pitts-
burg in order to get the six hundred dollars bounty which that city of-
fered, he persuaded them to enlist from Johnstown, their own city,
although the bounty was but two hundred dollars. During the raid
at Lynchburg, Mr. Fredericks was without food for four days and
nights. He was in the battles of Piedmont, Stanton, Lexington, Buchan-
an, Lynchburg, Snicker's Gap and a number of others.
Five days after his discharge he returned home, and two months
later he went to Lonaconing, Maryland, and there obtained work as a
teamster. Later he resided in Cumberland, Maryland, and worked in
the Baltimore and Ohio rail mill as heater, ancl heated the first two
rails that were rolled in that mill, and in the latter part of 1871 he went
to Newark, Ohio, where he was also employed as a heater. About
one year later he removed to Wheeling, West Virginia, and worked in
the same capacity for two years, after which he returned to Johns-
town, Pennsylvania, and worked as heater as long as rails were being
made there. He accepted a position in the blast furnaces of the Cam-
bria Company in 1878, and remained with them for twenty years. He
has been active in the public affairs of his community, and was elected
city health officer and served for five years, and was water inspector
for one year. He associated himself as one of the firm with the Johns-
town Dry Grain Company, in April, 1904, and has since been elected
to the office of vice-president in that company. He is not a member
of any church, but his wife and family are members of the First
English Lutheran church. He is a member of Camp No. 60, Union
Veteran Legion. Politically he is a strong supporter of the Demo-
cratic party, and he casts his first vote for General George B. Mc-
Clellan. He is also a member of the following organizations : Lonacon-
ing Lodge No. 84 since 1865 ; Jackson Encampment, No. 23, Lonacon-
ing, since 1866.
Mr. Fredericks married, February 6, 1866, in Cumberland, Mary-
land, Annie M. Easter, of that city, a daughter of Emanuel and Mary
(Neffc'-Miss) Easter, and they have had children: Annie Neff-Miss,
mSTOEY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 103
married Jacob Gruber, of Johnstown; 2. Emma J., married Edward
Walton, of Cumberland, Maryland; 3. Mary Ella, unmarried, is an
operator in the Western Union Telegraph office at Johnstown.
GEORGE HOERLE, deceased, late of Johnstown, whose honored
memory, despite the fact that nearly thirty years have elapsed since
his death, is still cherished by his many friends, was born January 31,
1844, in Baltimore, ^Maryland, son of Caspar Hoerle, w4io was born in
Biedenkopf, Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, where he received a good
education and learned the cabinetmaker's trade. After coming to the
United States, Casper Hoerle lived for a time in Baltimore, and then
moved to Johnstown, where he followed his trade, having his shop on
Main street, next to the house which is now the residence of Mrs. Cover.
He and William Orr were at that time the only cabinetmakers in Johns-
town. Mr. Hoerle gave up his business in 1865. In politics he was a
Democrat, and he and his wife were devout members of the Lutheran
church.
Caspar Hoerle married, it is supposed in Baltimore, Anna Hinkle,
and their children were : 1. Henry, married Matilda Wells, killed in 1866
by falling through an opening in the bridge connecting Stonycreek
and Cambria ; 2. Louis, of Johnstown, married Margaret Snedden ;
3. George, of whom later; 4. William, deceased, married Kate Jones;
5. Frank, of Johnstown, married Lizzie Parsons; 6. Edward, of
Duquesne, Pennsylvania, married Ella Rambler; 7. Lizzie, wife of
Samuel Wike, died in Somerset, Pennsylvania; 8. Catharine, wife of
James Ben ford, died in Johnstown. Caspar Hoerle, the father, was a
patternmaker as well as a cabinetmaker, and while having- some work
done at a planing mill on Centre street, was struck in the heart and
instantly killed by a piece of wood which flew from a board passing
through a circular saw. His widow survived until 1887. Both are
buried in Sandyville cemetery.
George Hoerle, son of Caspar and Anna (Hinkle) Hoerle, was
three years old when his parents moved to Johnstown, and in the very
good schools of that city he received an excellent education. He learned
the cabinetmaker's trade under the instruction of his father, and fol-
lowing that calling in the service of the Cambria Iron Company for
fourteen years. He was then, for a portion of two years, clerk in the
office of the furnace plant of James Fronheiser, in East Conemaugh,
and was filling this position at the time of his death. He prospered as
he deserved, and was the owner of a pretty and comfortable home on
Fourth street. He belonged to the Knights of Honor, and for many
years held the office of secretary in that body. He adhered throughout
his life to the principles of the Republican party, and was a member
of the First English Lutheran church.
Mr. Hoerle married, November 26, 1864, in Johnstown, Nancy
J. Howard, and the following children were born to them : Jessie May,
died in infancy; Howard, also died in infancy; Minnie V., died at
three years old; Camelia A., died at the same age; Gertrude Rachel,
married John AV. Fletcher, and died in Johnstown, August 1, 1901,
leaving two children : Howard W. and Gertrude Mary.
In the death of Mr. Hoerle, which occurred August 20, 1878, his
family and friends sustained an irreparable loss. He was regarded
by all who knew him with respect and affection, uniting, as he did,
strict principle and upright conduct to a kindly and charitable dis-
position. He was a lover of the beautiful in nature and art, but his
104 HfSTOh'Y OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
greatest deliyht was in his family aud in the quiet enjoyments of home
life.
Mrs. Hoerle is a daughter of John Howard, whose father was a
native of England, and when a young man emigrated to the United
States. He had received a superior education, and was among the
early settlers of Somerset county, making his home near Jenner town-
ship. He married Margery Hanlon, who was born in Ireland, and
had, like himself, been given a liberal education. Their children were :
John, of whom later : Alexander, farmer near Johnstown, married jNIag-
dalena Seich, and died December 25, 1889 ; James, married Mary Hoff-
man, and went in 1868 to Santa Barbara, California, where he engaged
in mercantile pursuits until the close of his life. Mrs. Howard, the
mother, lived to the advanced age of eighty-three, and during the last
ten years of her life endured the great affliction of blindness.
John Howard, son of Henry and IMargery (Hanlon) Howard, was
born in Somerset county, where he became a large landowner, and
was a man of high standing in the community. He served for many
years as prothonotary and justice of the peace. He married Lavinia,
born in Somerset county, daughter of John and Anna (Berkey) Gard-
ner, members of the Dunkard church. ]\Ir. and Mrs. Howard were
the parents of the following children: jMargaret, died in childhood;
James F., of Johnstown, married ]\Iary Ream; Henry C, deceased;
Levi G., of Johnstown, married Florilla Earych; Nancy J., born in
Conemaugh township, Somerset county, wife of George Hoerle; Rebecca
M., married John H. Lenhart, died in Johnstown, ]May 25, 1905 ;
Franklin K., of Johnstown. John Howard, the father, died February
14, 1864.
SAMUEL MOORHEAD SWAN, M. D. Shortly before the Ameri-
can Revolution, a Scotchman by the name of Swan left his native
country and located with his family in New ■ York city, where he re-
mained for a short period of time. From there he removed to the
beautiful island of St. Dominico, in the Bahamas, where the Rev.
Samuel Swan, father of Dr. Samuel M. Swan, was born. Later the
family returned to Scotland, where they remained twenty years, at the
expiration of which time they again crossed the Atlantic and located
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Rev. Samiiel Swan was born on the island of St. Dominico, No-
vember 30, 1798, and died at Blairsville, Pennsylvania, August 5,
1877, aged seventy-eight years, eight months and five days. During
the residence of his parents in Scotland he received that liberal edu-
cation Avhich was largely the groundwork of his future usefulness.
Completing his course of literary studies at the University of Glasgow
when he was about nineteen years of age, he then came with his father
and the family to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and his theological train-
ing "v^^as obtained at the Princeton Theological Seminary. Immediately
afterward he was licensed to preach the Gospel by the Presbytery of
Huntingdon, and in April, 1824, he was unanimously called to his first
charge, the pastorate of the congregations of Fairfield, Ligonier and
Donegal, in AYestmoreland county, succeeding the Rev. George Hill.
He was ordained June 17, 1824. when in his twenty-sixth year. About
184G Mr. Swan met with an accident which lamed him for life, but did
not seriously mar his splendid physical proportions. Owing to this
accident it became impossible for him to serve all of his congrega-
tions with that conscientiousness which was a marked trait of his
UHLAV^
T
// NEW VOn'^ \
nJF^rOBY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 105
character, and the charge was about to be divided when an event oc-
cured which caused him to leave the valley and come to Johnstown.
The event was the sudden death, June 3, 1841, of Rev. Shadrach
Howell Terry, pastor of the Presbytei'ian congregation of Johnstown.
It is a remarkable circumstance that ]\Ir. Swan had been requested
to assist jNIr. Terry at a connnunion service, and that when he came to
fulfill this appointment he found Mr. Terry dead. INIr. Swan administered
the communion and preached the funeral sermon of his deceased friend.
A call was soon afterward extended to him to take charge of the Johns-
town congregation, and this he accepted, resigning his valley charge
October 5, 1841, and being installed at Johnstown, November 9, 1841.
Shortly after this date Mr. Swan brought his family to Johnstown,
purchasing the residence of George S. King, with the ample grounds
which then surrounded it. His pastoral relations with the Johnstown
congregation were dissolved April 18, 1852. He then had charge of a
church at Armagh, Indiana county, and in 1856 removed to Le-
land, Illinois, where he served as a missionary for a number of years.
Mr. Swan continued to reside in Illinois, preaching frequently, until
a few years prior to his death, when he removed to Blairsville, Pennsyl-
vania, where he occasionally filled the pulpit of a Presbyterian brother.
During the twenty-eight years of his active ministry in Ligonier valley
and at Johnstown, Dr. Swan preached many sermons, but never one that
had not been fully prepared. He preached the truths of the Bible,
and no man or woman could listen to his sermons without being in-
structed. Not gifted as an orator, his delivery was nevertheless earnest
and impressive, his diction was classic and elegant, drawn from the
well of English undefiled. He was a scholar, a conspicuously conscien-
tious man, mindful of the smallest duty, a Christian in whom there
was no guile, and a gentleman always.
Rev. Dr. Samuel Swan married (first) Sarah Moorhead, daughter
of Samuel Moorhead, a wealthy farmer of the Valley, a prominent and
reliable man, of fine judgment and sturdy attainments, for a long time
justice of the peace in the county, and a descendant of one of the
oldest and most respected families in the Ligonier Valley. Six children
were the issue of this marriage. Mrs. Swan and her two daughters-
Agnes and Mary— died within one year, during the residence of the
family in Johnstown. He married (second), in Johnstown, Mary
Priestly, daughter of Shepley Priestley, one of the first three elders
of the Johnstown congregation. Five children were the issue of this
marriage.
Samuel Moorhead Swan, son of Rev. Dr. Samuel and Sarah (Moor-
head) Swan, was born upon a farm near the town of Ligonier, March
10, 1833, died July 23. 1898, in the sixty-sixth year of his age. He
attended the public schools of Ligonier and Johnstown, and prepared
for his college course at Elder's Ridge Academy, of which he was one
of the first students. Here he studied Latin, Greek and the higher
mathematics, his preceptors being Rev. Dr. Alexander Donaldson and
John M. Barnett. He was of a studious turn, and therefore made rapid
progress in his studies. He next entered the junior class of Jefferson
College, at Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, in the fall of 1849, from which
noted institution he was graduated with honor in 1851, when but little
more than eighteen years old. He began the study of medicine in the
office of Dr. Campbell Sheridan, in Johnstown, and attended the lectures
of Jefferson Medical College at Philadelphia, from which institution
he was graduated at a Doctor of Medicine in 1854. He at once formed
106 II I STORY OF CAMBIUA COUNTY.
a partnership in the practice of his profession with Dr. Thomas St.
Clair, of Indiana, Pennsylvania, which continued for one year. He
then removed to the west with his father and the remainder of the
family, settling at first in Illinois and later in Iowa. Returning to
Illinois he practiced his profession for five years and also engaged in
farming in De Kalb county. At the breaking out of the Civil war
in 1861, he was commissioned assistant surgeon of the Twelfth Illi-
nois Regiment of Infantry. For two years he discharged the duties
of this office with an efficiency and earnestness which gained for him
a promotion to the surgency of the One Hundred and Eleventh Illi-
nois Regiment, with which he remained during the war, going with
Sherman to the sea near its close and participating in the grand
review at Washington, D. C.
After the war Dr. Swan returned to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and
entered into a professional partnership with his old preceptor, Dr. Sheri-
dan, which C(mtinued for ten years, and from that time until 1894 prac-
ticed his profession alone. In the performance of his professional duties,
he was to his numerous patients a benefactor and kind friend, and he
enjoj'ed the respect and confidence of his professional brethren and of
the entire community. He served as president of the Cambria County
Medical Society, and was a member of the American i\Iedical Associa-
tion and of the Pennsylvania Medical Society. He served as delegate
to the meetings of the Pennsylvania Medical Society twice, once when
it was held in Philadelphia and once at Bedford Springs. He was
also a delegate to the American Medical Association at one of its meet-
ings in Washington and one in Philadelphia. In addition to these
honorable and responsible positions, Dr. Swan served during the ad-
ministration of President Arthur as a member of the pension examin-
ing board of Cambria county, and in 1897 was re-appointed, holding
this position at the time of his death. He received the appointment
from H. Clay Evans, conrmissioner of pensions. He was a member of
the Board of Health, of the Union Benevolent Association, of Cambria
Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, with which he united in 1866,
of Post No. 30. Grand Army of the Republic, a trustee of the Johns-
town Savings Bank, and an incorporator of the Conemaugh IMemorial
Hospital. Dr. Swan was the possessor of an acute intellect and a
pleasing personality. He was amiable, genial, kind and gracious, never
shrank from the performance of a duty, never sought an honor, but
was ever ready to give support and encouragement to all who came
within his sphere of usefulness. He was a great reader, well informed
upon public questions and familiar with general literature, a good
citizen and in all the relations of life an exemplary man. He was a
liberal contributor to charitable institutions and always one of the first
to propose a united help for worthy causes.
Dr. Samuel M. Swan married, :\Iay 25, 1869, Elizabeth Collins,
daughter of Thomas M. Collins, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. One son
was the issue of this marriage, Collins ]\roorhead Swan. After a pain-
ful illness, extending through many months. Dr. Swan passed into rest
at his home at Vine and Stonvcreek streets, Julv 23, 1898. He went
to his long home sincerely and profoundly lamented by all who knew
him. The funeral services were conducted by the Rev. C. C. Hays,
pastor of the First Presbyterian church, and the interment was in
Grand View cemetery.
Collins Moorhead Swan, only child of Dr. Samuel M. and Elizabeth
(Collins) Swan, was born December 1, 1874, in Johnstown, Pennsyl-
THE
NEW YORK
PUBLK, LIBRARY I
^'lor, Lenox and THd$n ,
foundsfloni,
^^ 1909
^-fWi^^N^^^^^X^
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 107
vania. He attended private schools until the flood of 1889, after which
he attended the public schools, from which he was graduated. He then
began the study of law in the offices of Hon. Henry Wilson Storey,
but was suddenly stricken by death March 17, 1900, after an illness
of but three days. His life was an exemplary one, never, in his short
span of twenty-six years, causing his parents one moment of pain, which
is an eloquent testimonial, the best that any parent can give of their
children. He possessed true nobility of character, which stamps its
ineffaceable tracery on the features, and makes each action one of un-
selfish devotion. He also possessed an ever ready sympathy, a broad
intellectuality and unswerving fidelity to every duty and obligation
devolving upon him. He was a thorough Christian, morally beyond
reproach, universally beloved by all, and his sudden taking away cast
a cloud over his large circle of friends and broke a fond mother's heart,
who had stamped her individuality on the character of her son, and
whom she believed would have been spared to comfort her in her
widowhood.
JOHN THOMAS HARRIS, of Johnstown, business man, private
detective and dealer in real estate, is a native of Wales, and has lived
in Pennsylvania forty-five years. During that time he has been as-
sociated with the best and most interesting history of the city of Johns-
town and Cambria county. No man knows Johnstown better than he,
for his official position under both the borough and city governments
has given him rare opportunities to become acquainted with existing
conditions, and what is right he has upheld and what is wrong he has
endeavored to suppress. In one capacity and another for almost forty
years he has been connected with municipal government in Johnstown,
being the active head of its department of police for many years, then
county detective, and later a private detective.
Mr. Harris comes of pure Welsh ancestors. His great-great-grand-
father, Morgan John Harris, was born and spent his life in Swansea Val-
ley, about twelve miles from the town of Swansea, Brecknockshire, Wales,
where his forefathers had lived for generations and generations be-
foi^e him. In many respects the vicinity of Johnstown in its geographi-
cal and topographical features closelv resembles the Swansea Valley,
which is at the junction of the Twrch and the Tawe. There the chief
industry in earlier days was tin manufacturing, and while the hills
about were known to contain vast deposits of coal there was no thought
of mining it, for then there was no market for the product. In later
years, however, iron mining declined and coal came into demand, for
the Welsh coal from Swansea Valley was found to be the equal of any
coal in the world.
The Harrises of Wales have followed iron and coal mining for
many generations, one after another. Morgan John Harris, with whom
our narrative begins, married and had a family, and among his chil-
dren was a son John. who. in turn married and had a son John, whose
son, John J. Harris, left Wales and the Swansea Valley in 1863, and
came with his family to America. John Thomas Harris was the means
of bringing his father's family to this country, and in all later years
neither ever had occasion to regret the action, for much good came of
the immigration, both to the family and to Cambria county, as the sons
of John J. Harris were strong and willing workers, loyal men, and two
of them entered the Union army before they had become American
citizens, and all of them were loyal to the cause for which the north
108 niSTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
and the ijoveruinent were contending during the dark years of 1861-
1865. ^ ■ ■
Mr. Harris lived in Johnstown from 1863 to the time of his death,
August 3, 1880. His widow lived until January 17, 1889, when she
died. Her name before marriage was Jane Thomas, and she was born
in Wales. Both were members of the Calvinistie church. They raised
to maturity a large family of children, all of whom with their parents,
except Lewis and John Thomas, constituted the little family colony
that came to America in 1863. The children of John J. and Jane
(Thomas) Harris are as follows: William Harris, married Mary Roberts,
who was lost in the Johnstown flood, in May 1889; AVilliam died in
July, 19(il: Henry Harris, married Elizabeth Ann Price; he is re-
tired from active business and lives in Johnstown ; John Thomas Harris,
married Margaret Davis, lives in Johnstown; Morgan Harris, married
Dinah Reese, he served in the Union navy during the Civil war, his
vessel being attached to the Gulf Squadron; he now lives in Home-
stead, Pennsylvania; Louis Harris, married Sarah Edvi^ards; he was
a soldier of the Fifth Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery in the War of
1861-1865 ; after the war he returned to Wales and died there ; Thomas
Harris, married Maggie Morgan; he is now an employee in the pattern
shop of the Cambria Steel Company, and lives in Westmont; Richard
Harris, married Maggie Reese, and lives at Pueblo, Colorado; Mary
Harris, married James Meredith, lives at Braddock, Pennsylvania;
Edward Harris, married Margaretta Davis, lives in Scranton, Penn-
sylvana; Daniel Harris, married Hattie Fleck, lives at North Braddock,
Pennsylvania; David Harris, married Margaretta Howard, lives in
Scranton, Pennsylvania; Isaac Harris, married Julia Hansom, and is
a constable of Johnstown.
John Thomas Harris was third in the order of birth of the sons
and daughters of John J., and Jane (Thomas) Harris. He was born
at Ystradgynlais, South Wales, on the 29th day of March, 1843, and in
early youth became a minor, after the manner of his forefathers for
many generations before his time. In 1861 he left home for America
in the ship "Resolute," Captain Freeman, and was forty-five days at
sea in crossing the Atlantic to the port of New York. After a short
stay in that great city he came to Johnstown, and worked at iron and
coal mining, as he had done at his old home in Wales. With the money
he earned he managed to obtain an education by attending night school,
both in the old country and in Johnstown, on Market street, and in
Wales he attended one three months' term of day school each year
between his tenth and fifteenth years.
In 1862, because of a scarcity of work in Johnstown on account
of the war, Mr. Harris went to the Potomac mines on George creek,
at a town called Barton, on the border line between Maryland and
Virginia. There he worked during several months under a contractor
of« strong secession principles, although he was operating under a
Federal contract. In 1863 further Avork in that locality was stopped
by the Confederate troops, who burned the bridges and left no means
of shipping coal to market. He then came back to Johnstown.
In 1868 Mr. Harris was appointed to a position on the Johnstown
borough police force, first under Squire Rutledge, and then under
Burgess W. Horace Rose, and at the end of one year was made chief
of police. This office he held and filled with entire satisfaction until
the 10th of May, 1890, when he was elected alderman of the First ward
of Johnstown for a term of five years. In 1895 he was commissioned
IIISTQ-RY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 109
county detective and served in that capacity during two terms <5f three
years each. In 1897 he went to California, partly on business but
chiefly for recreation and travel, and then visited at various points of
interest throughout the west. He happened to be in San Francisco
when Beri-y and his wife came down from Alaska with their thousands
of dollars worth of gold dust and nuggets, which event created wild ex-
citement throughout the country on account of the new discovery.
A few years later (1900) he again visited San Francisco, but then on
a different errand, for he was in quest of the noted criminal, Hannan,
whom he made prisoner and brought back to Greensburg, Pennsylvania,
for trial.
In the summer of 1900 Mr. Harris made his second visit to Wales.
His purpose in going abroad was to see Paris and the Exposition, but
lie stopped over in London, visited the Exposition then in progress
there, and then went over into Wales. He returned to Johnstown in
November of the same year. In 1902 he was again appointed chief
of police of Johnstown, under the term of John Pendry as mayor.
His own term of office expired in April, 1905. He then made an ex-
tended pleasure trip through the east and west, and during the same
year again went to England and Wales, making a journey through
North Wales. After his return, on the 19th of December, 1905, he
was appointed by the court as private detective, with jurisdiction ex-
tending over the state. This is his present position, although he is ex-
tensively interested in real estate and does a large collection business.
In this connection it is interesting to mention that in 1863 John
T. Harris sent for his father and mother and brothers and sisters, sixteen
persons in all, and brought them from AVales to America. Since his
own coming he had saved his earnings for that very purpose ; and it
was a most generous action and reflected the man and the goodness of
his heart. His subsequent eff^orts in business life have been rewarded
with deserved success, although accident and misfortune have befallen
him in other directions. During the Johnstown flood in May, 1889,
Ms faithful wife and five of their children were lost ; and this was his
most serious loss in that great disaster, although the value of his property
swept away amounted to more than twenty thousand dollars, besides
papers and records, the accumulation of years, the value of which is
not estimated in money.
For many years Mr. Harris has been identified with important
business interests in Johnstown, and now he is a stockholder in the
Citizens' Light, Heat and Power Company, the Consumers' Ice Com-
pany, the Johnstown Supply House, the First National Bank, Union
National Bank, the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, the Johnstown
Telephone Company and the Johnstown Street Railroad Company. He
is an honorary member of First Assistance Fire Company. For thirty-
seven years he has been a luember of Alma Lodge, No. 523. I. 0. 0. F.,
and of William F. Packer Encampment, No. 127, Patriarchs Militant.
When the Confederate troops invaded Pennsylvania during the Civil
war, he enlisted in the Emergency Militia and went out with his regi-
ment against the enemy. ]\Tr. Harris is a nsember of St. IMark's
Protestant Episcopal church.
On the 6th day of August, 1863, John Thomas Harris married
Margaret Davis, of Onllwyn. South AA^ales, who came to America with
the Harris family in 1863. Of this marriage seven children have been
born, and of the seven William, Winnie, Maggie, Sarah and Frank
Harris, with their mother, were victims of the awful disaster of May,
110 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
1889. The surviving children are Louis Harris, who married Kate
Stophel and now is a widower living in Pittsburg, and David Harris,
who married Goldie Scott of Dayton, Ohio, and now is with the Frank-
lin Department of Cambria Steel Company.
BAILEY FAMILY. The grandfather of Samuel C. Bailey was a
native of Germany and an early resident of the city of Philadelphia,
wher(i he spent the remainder of his life after he came to America.
His son, John A. Bailey, was a soldier of the United States army in the
war with Mexico ; his grandsons, "William Richard and Joshua Bailey
were soldiers of the Union army in the Civil war, and his great-grand-
son, Francis J. Bailey, was a soldier in the American service in the late
war with Spain.
While living in Philadelphia the elder Bailey married Laura Du
Bon, a French woman, and John A. Bailey was their son. He was born
in Philadelphia, October 4. 1784, and while a young man left the eastern
part of the state and afterward lived in Huntingdon and Blair coun-
ties, in the former of which he was an early trader. During his active
life he was at one time connected with the Schwab line of boats on the
Pennsylvania canal and carried on an extensive business in iron and
steel traffic between Philadelphia and Pittsburg. He established several
mercantile houses in different parts of Huntingdon county, and was a
pioneer of that work in the region. It may be said to the honor of John
A. Bailey that he served with credit in the American army during the
Mexican war, although the name and number of his regiment is not
now remembered, nor the particular battles in which he took part. In
his religious conviction he was a devout Catholic, and in politics was
an ardent Whig. He died November 1, 1843. He married Eliza Cox
who was born March 27, 1808, died August 8, 1892, a daughter of
Joshua Cox, who was one of the pioneers of the region of Huntingdon
and Blair counties. The children of this marriage were as follows :
John P. Bailey, married Margaret O'Connor, of Pittsburg, and died
at the age of thirty-three years; Richard Bailey, married Margaret
Rohl, and lives in Clarion county, Pennsylvania. Mr. Bailey was a lieu-
tenant in Company I, One Hundred Fifty-fifth Pennsylvania Volunteer
Infantry in the Civil war; Eliza Bailey married William Rankin, of
Pittsburg, and is now dead; Esther Bailey, married George Black-
stock, of Pittsburg, and is now dead ; William Y. Bailey, married Nancy
Jones and is now dead. His widow lives in Pittsburg. He was order-
ly sergeant in Company I, One Hundred and Fifty-fifth Pennsylvania
Volunteer Infantry in the Civil Avar. Sarah L., died in infancy ; Joshua
Bailey, married Nancy Niese and lives in Clarion county. He served
in the Ninth Pennsylvania Reserves in the war of 1861-65 ; Samuel
Cox Bailey, of Johnstown, of whom special mention is made in this
sketch; Henry H.. died in infancy.
Samuel Cox Bailey was born at Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania, on
the 10th day of August, 1837, and received his education in the com-
mon schools. When seventeen years old he went to Pittsburg and
learned the trade of plumbing and gas and steam fitting. In 1856 he
came to Johnstown, and for several years Avas in charge of the works
of the Johnstown Gas Company. Later he went to Altoona and in-
stalled the gas and Avater works there, and he also built the gas works-
at Greensburg. This was just before the outbreak of the Rebellion in
1861, and in that great civil conflict INIr. Bailey was destined to take a
prominent part.
HIS TOBY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. HI
On August 12, 1862, he enlisted from Blair county and was mus-
tered into service at Harrisburg on August 14, as a private in Company
H, One Hundred and Twenty-Fifth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry.
On August 16, tlie regiment was organized at Camp Curtin, Harrisburg,
for nine mouths service, with field officers as follows: Colonel, Jacob
Higgins; lieutenant-colonel, Jacob Szink; major, John J. Lawrence.
Having received its arms and accoutrements the regiment moved on
the evening of August 16th to Washington, D. C, where it reported
to General Casey and was assigned to a provisional brigade of which
Colonel Higgins was placed in command. On the 18th the regiment
moved to Hunter's Chapel, and from there to Fort Bernard, Virginia,
where it engaged in drill and fatigue duty on the fortifications. It
took part in the battle of Brandy Station on August 20th, and on the
6th of September recrossed the Potomac to Rockville, and was assigned
to the First Brigade, Second Division, Twelfth Corps, Army of the
Potomac. It participated in the battle at Antietam, September 17,
1862, after which it was posted at Maryland Heights and Pleasant
Valley until the 1st of November, when it again crossed the Potomac
and took a stand at London Heights, they having been transferred
to the Second Brigade, First Division, Twelfth Corps. It performed
duty in the vicinity of Harper's Ferry until the 10th of December,
when it marched to join the main army in the movement against Fred-
ericksburg The troops passed Leesburg and Fairfax Court House,
and arrived at Dimifries on the 16th, in time to hear of the disaster of
the engagement at Fredericksburg. From this point the command
countermarched to Fairfax Court House and later took part in Burn-
side's famous "m'ud march" to Stafflord Court House, where the time
was spent in drill, review, heavy guard and picket duty. On the 24th
of March, 1863, the regiment Avas transferred to the Second Brigade,
Second Division, Twelfth Corps, proceeded to Acequia Creek Landing,
and afterward participated in the bloody battle of Chancellorsville,
May 1st to 4th, besides numerous skirmishes. After bearing a faith-
ful part in all the operations of his regiment Mr. Bailey was honorably
discharged and mustered out of service at Philadelphia on the 16th
of May, 1863, his term of enlistment having then expired.
oil the 2d of September, 1864, Mr. Bailey re-enlisted at Johns-
town to serve for one year or during the war, and was mustered into
service as private in Captain Webster B. Lowman's Company D, Fifth
Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, or the Two Hundred and Fourth Regi-
ment of the Pennsylvania line. Soon after organization the regiment
was ordered to Washington and assigned to duty in the forts north
of the city. Afterward it -was sent out to convoy construction trains
engaged in opening the Manassas Gap railroad, in order to establish
a line of supply for Sheridan's army, which then was operating in the
Shenandoah Valley. The First Battalion under command of Major
Howard Morton was suddenly attacked at Salem, Virginia, at noon on
the 8th of October, by a superior force of Mosby's men, the latter con-
sisting of cavalry and artillery, and was compelled to fall back to Rec-
tortown, where the other battalions under Colonel Browne were sta-
tioned. Here the battle was renewed and became exceedingly hot.
Mosby held a strong position on a hill, from which he sent in a terrible
fire from his batteries, but one battalion of Union troops with a detach-
ment of sharpshooters made a detour and came up in his rear, forcing
the enemy to retreat and take a new position three miles distant. On
the next day the Fifth was ordered to move on with the trains to White
112 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
Plains, but was constantly harassed by Mosby's men, who tore up the
tracks and kept up a scattering fire without forcing a general engage-
ment. On the day following Mosby retired with his force to the
mountains, and soon afterward the battalions of the Fifth moved on
to Piedmont, Virginia. A few weeks later two companies of the regi-
ment, with a squadron of the Thirteenth New York Cavalry, made a
forced march at night into the mountains, captured Mosby's artillery,
four pieces and caissons, and several prisoners, and brought them safely
into camp at daylight. In October the regiment returned to the forts
north of Washington, and from there to Virginia for the winter, estab-
lishing a post on Prospect Hill, one at Vienna and another at Fairfax
Court House. The men were put at work building stockades and block-
houses, and buried nearly two thousand of the dead who had fallen
on the field at the Second Bull Run. On the 6th of October, 1864,
between Rectortown and Salem, Mr. Bailey was wounded, and was
treated in the field hospital by Dr. McCann, after which he was sent
to the hospital at Alexandria. At all other times during the entire
period of his service he was with his regiment, sharing with the other
men the successes and reverses of army life and taking a soldier's
part in whatever was assigned for him to do. His record was a good
one, and one of which both he and his children can feel a just pride.
At Alexandria, Virginia, on the 9th day of June, 1865, he was honorably
discharged on account of wounds received in the service. Mr. Bailey
enjoyed the acquaintance and personal friendship of President Lincoln
and of Governor Curtin, for the latter of whom his first vote was cast,
and who was an old friend of the Bailey family.
On the 15th day of June, 1864, a few months previous to his second
enlistment, Mr. Bailey married Annie E. Gleason, daughter of John
and Margaret (Gorman) Gleason, of Pittsburg. John Gleason and his
wife came to America from Dublin, Ireland, and settled in the city
of Pittsburg, where for many years he was a drayman. The Gleason
home in Pittsburg was the resting place on their arrival of many friends
from the old country, and from there they made their start in the new
land. Mr. Gleason died in October, 1884. His wife died in 1868.
Their children, besides Mrs. Bailey, were Alice, who married Edward
Dwyer; Ella, who died unmarried; and John, who married Tillie
Schell.
The children of Samuel C. and Annie E. (Gleason) Bailey, who
are now living, are as follows : Maggie Bailey, born February 4, 1866 ;
married Judge F. J. O'Connor, president judge of the courts of Cam-
bria county, and of whom special mention will be found in this work;
Richard S. Bailey, born February 4, 1866 (twin of Maggie Bailey) ;
married Ellia Horner, and is a plumber and business man of Johns-
town ; Edward W. Bailey, born July 23, 1871 ; married Kate Bradley,
and is a plumber and business man of Johnstown; Samuel H. Bailey,
born March 19, 1876 ; married Mary Thomas, and is proprietor of .the
Belvidere Hotel, Johnstown ; Francis J. Bailey, born July 4, 1878 ;
married Gertrude Boyle and lives in Johnstown; James G. Bailey,
born INIay 13, 1883, now at school at Ada, Ohio.
FRANCIS JOSEPH BAILEY of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, fifth
in the order of birth of the children of Samuel C, and Annie E.,
(Gleason) Bailey, was born in Johnstown on the 4th day of July. 1878,
and obtained his earlier education in the city public schools and Rowe's
College. During his studentship at the college he was stenographer in
mSTOEY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 113
the office of Judge O'Connor, his brother-in-law, and remained there
several years. Soon afterward, when the college was sold, he and one
other became its proprietors and conducted the institution until July,
1898, Avhen Mr. Bailey entered the service for the war with Spain.
He enlisted at Pittsbura; July 5, 1898, and rather than join any
of the volunteer regiments, and being especially desirous to preserve
the fighting traditions of his ancestors, he enlisted in Troop A, Fifth
Regiment United States Cavalry, for the period of the war. In organiz-
ing for active service the Fifth was attached to General Schwan's
brigade of the AVestern Army of Invasion of Porto Rico, and at first
was stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas. From that point the regiment went
to New Orleans, thence to Huntsville, Alabama, thence to Tampa,
Florida, arriving there on the 19th of July. On the 25th orders were
given to proceed to Porto Rico, on which the troops embarked in an old
side wheel coasting steamer, formerly called "The Morgan," but re-
christened "Transport No. 30." The time of the voyage was from
July 25 to August 1, but before reaching the destination the troops
with a detachment of marines were sent ashore under cover of the guns
of several battleships to capture the lighthouse at Cape San. Juan,
which was accomplished with little difficulty. The Fifth was soon after-
ward landed and at once proceeded to Homigueros, arriving there on
the 10th of August. The Spanish regiment, Alphonse XIII, was soon
encountered, first in a skirmish and then in a general engagement on
the hills of the vicinity. On the 15th there was a battle with Spanish
cavalry and infantry on the Rio Prieto, east of Las Marias. Soon
after this event hostilities ceased under peace propositions, and from
that time the service of the regiment was that of pursuing native
guerrillas, known as "Firebugs," who were ravaging the country, burn-
ing buildings, destroying crops and plundering houses and plantations.
This kind of army life did not particularly appeal to Mr. Bailey, and he
therefore secured his discharge on March 25, 1899. Returning to Johns-
town, he was employed at the Latrobe Steel AVorks as stenographer
and telegraph operator for about a year, and afterward for the same
period was with the Asbestine AVorks at AVindber, in the capacity of
superintendent and general manager. Later he was stenographer in the
office of the Franklin plant of the Cambria Steel Company, remained
there three years and then became agent for the Cambria Brewing
Company.
On the 20th of October, 1902, Mr. Bailey married Gertrude K.
Boyle, daughter of Patrick Boyle, of Johnstown, former president
of the Cambria Brewing Company. Air. and Airs. Bailey have one
daughter, Alargaret Bailey, born September 29, 1903.
OA\^EN AIORGAN, D. D. S., of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, who has
practiced dental surgery ever since he was graduated from the Balti-
more College of Dental Surgery, was born in the old Alorgan family
homestead in Quemahoning, on Quemahoning creek, in the locality
where his ancestors have lived for many generations. Indeed, Dr.
Alorgan comes of one of the very oldest families of Southwestern Penn-
sylvania, and at least two of his ancestors were heroes of the border
wars with the Indians during the period of colonial history of Pennsyl-
vania and before the last of the French and Indian wars.
One of the ancestors to whom this reference is made was David
Boyd, who was the eldest son of John Boyd. The elder Jolm Boyd
(he had a son John) was of Scotch-Irish birth and ancestry, and
134 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
emigrated from the North of Ireland to America when he was about
eighteen years old. He first settled in Cumberland county in this
state, where he was a pioneer in a wilderness region, and from that
time for many years the surname was associated with the events of
history of that part of the province. John Boyd married Nancy Urie,
w^ho was a daughter of another of the pioneers of the region mentioned,
and the Uries as well as the Boyds helped to make history during the
period under consideration and the frequent Indian outbreaks which
characterized Pennsj'lvania provincial history from the early part of
the eighteenth century to the close of the Revolution.
David Boyd was the eldest son of John Boyd, and was born in
Cumberland county in 1743. When he was a boy, his father's family
and John Stewart and his family moved into a still more remote part
of Cumberland county and settled on the site of the present town of
Shippensburg, which then was an unbroken and uninhabited wilderness.
There the bordermen built cabins, made clearings for their crops, and
prepared themselves for comfortable future lives. They of course
knew that they were frontiersmen, and that the region was infested
with bands of marauding savages, but these settlers felt in a measure
secure in the fact that peace then existed between England and France,
the powers which then were struggling for supremacy in America; and
even the Indian allies of the contending nations were disposed to peace,
although predatory bands still carried on their lawless work in the
province. These Indians were allies of the French during the wars,
and Avere turned loose on the frontier settlements by the French officers,
and were permitted to murder and plunder and burn without restraint.
John Boyd and John Stewart were regarded by the French as English
subjects, and therefore enemies and legitimate prey for their savage
allies when the powers were at war. This came in 1756, when France
and England began the last of the series of wars and which ended in
the final overthrow of French power in America. On the 10th of
February in that year John Boyd, had gone to his neighbor Stewart's
cabin for a web of cloth, and was on his way home through a piece of
dense woods when the attack was made on his home. His absence at
the time saved his life, for the savages did not discover him in the woods ;
and had he been at home w'hen the attack was made his own courage
and strength could not have prevailed against the superior number
of Indians, and he must have been killed with others of his family.
His cabin was burned, his wife and an infant child was killed, and his
four other children were carried away into captivity by the murderous
horde. These children were David, John, Sarah, aged seven, and Rhoda
Boyd, aged 5. The Stewart cabin was also attacked and burned, and
both the pioneer and his wife were slain.
Of the Boyd children taken into captivity by the Indians, David
was adopted by a Delaware chief, and his younger brother John and his
sisters Sarah and Rhoda were claimed by other chiefs. The girls were
held among the Indians until 1764, and then were exchanged. John Boyd
became reconciled to the Indian life, and ever afterward made his home
with some one of the tribes. Once after many years he returned to the
place where he had lived, but could not be prevailed upon to stay among
the white settlers. He visited Avith his relatives for a short time and
then went back, never again to be heard of. In 1760 David Boyd was
restored to freedom by the chief who had adopted him. Subsequent-
ly he married and raised a family, and his descendants are now
numerous in the State. After being released at Detroit, Sarah and
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 115
Rhoda Boyd were sent to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, by Colonel Boquet,
in 1764, Klioda afterward married Robert Smiley, who in 1780 settled
on (^uemalioning creek, in what is now Jenner township, in Somerset
county, where still further Indian troubles were in store for the family.
At that time the settlers lived far apart, and the nearest neighbor of
the Smileys was eight miles away. This neighbor was afterward killed
by the Indians, and Mr. Smiley and his family were twice driven from
•their home. On the first of these occasions they spent the winter at
Carlisle, returning to their cabin in the spring, and on the second they
found refuge for the winter on Conococheague creek, in what now is
Adams county. This, however, was the last of the Indian depreda-
tions in the neighborhood, and afterward the Smiley family was
permitted to live m peace.
Robert Smiley and his wife Rhoda had six children— Agnes,
George, Sarah, John, James and Robert Smiley, In 1791, when she
was seventeen years old, Agnes Smiley married Moses Freame, who
came from Hagerstown, JMaryland, and was four years older than his
wife. In 1792 they settled half a mile west of the Smiley clearing, and
in that locality Moses Freame became the owner of twelve hundred
acres of heavily timbered land iying on both sides of Quemahoning
creek. In 1813 he built a saw mill, and also a cabin on the creek, and
set about the work of lumbering and clearing the land for farming
purposes; and several fine farms are now included within the tract
which Moses Freame opened for settlement almost a hundred years
ago.
Moses and Agnes Freame had twelve children, among whom was
Mary Freame, fifth in the order of birth, and who was born on the 13th
of October, 1801. When she was sixteen years old she married William
Dalley, who was born in Somerset county. New Jersey. After marriage
they settled near the saw mill, and in that year (1817) erected a small
log building and put in it a carding machine and fulling mill. This
cloth mill was the first establishment of its kind in the region, and was
well patronized by the settlers of the surrounding country. In 1827
the log building was replaced with a more pretentious three-stoned
frame woolen mill, twenty by thirty feet in size, and a spinning machine
and several looms were added to the machinery. In 1834 William
Dalley died, leaving besides his wife, eight children. After his death
his widow remained in possession of the mill and property for several
years, and in 1842 she married Owen Morgan, a native of Neath, South
Wales, and who purchased the property from the Dalley heirs. Here
he carried on an extensive business for many years, and died in 1871,
at the age of sixty-two years. His widow survived him and died in
1880, aged seventy-nine years. Additions were made to the mill in
1858, 1867 and 1879. On the 17th of May, 1882, the building was
burned, but by the 1st of November following a new mill had been
erected and equipped and was again in operation, then, however, under
the proprietorship of Hon. William S. Morgan, son of Owen Morgan,
William Smiley Morgan was the only son of Owen and Mary
(Dalley) Morgan, and was born on the 16th day of May, 1843. Several
years before his father's death he had succeeded to his businesss
interests, and was engaged in the manufacture of lumber and woolen
goods at Quemahoning, also conducted a large general store, in which
was located the Post Office. He also had one of the best equipped farms
in that section, four hundred acres virgin timber lands. He was an ener-
getic and straightforward business man and held an influential posilioi*
116 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
among the people in the county. ' For many years he was a member and
trus-tee of the Methodist Episcopal church, and also for several years
was superintendent of its Sunday school, steward and class leader. He
always led a correct life, and exerted himself in the endeavor to in-
fluence others to do the same; his example was always for good in the
community in which he lived. His business life was a splendid success,
but he never would think of resorting to any unworthy methods for
purposes of personal gain. He was chosen to fill various offices of trust
and responsibility, and in politics he was a firm Republican. In 1882
he was elected to a seat in the house of representatives of the state
legislature, and was re-elected at the expiration of his first term.
Among the minor positions he fidled from time to time may be mentioned
those of school director, postmaster and justice of the peace.
Mr. Morgan died on the -Itli of September, 1889. His widow
survives him, and now lives in the city of Johnstown. Her name be-
fore marriage was Rebecca Jane Griffith, and she was a daughter of
William and Isabelle (Hare) Griffith. They were married on the 1st
of January, 1865. Their children are as follows : Owen Morgan, a
practicing dentist of Johnstown, he married Mamie J. Pugh, and has
two children, JNIargaret L., and Richard P.; May Morgan, married Rev.
C. P. Marshall, lives at Brady's Bend, Pennsylvania; Louisa Morgan,
married Harry Benshoff, of Johnstown, a member of the statf of the
Johnstown Journal, is also in the real estate business ; Harry Morgan,
died in infancy ; Margaret Morgan, married Dr. AV. W. Gove, a physician
of Johnstown; Griffith ]N[organ, unmarried; a dentist of Johnstown;
Dolly ^Morgan, lives at home ; jMinerva Morgan, married George B.
Smitten, D. D. S., of Washington, D. C. ; June Morgan, died in infancy.
Dr. Owen Morgan, eldest son and child of William S. and Rebecca
Jane (Griffith) ^Morgan, was born on the 3d day of March, 1867. His
education was acquired in public schools and at Allegheny College,
Meadville, Pennsylvania. Later he graduated at the Iron City Busi-
ness College, Pittsburg. On account of a serious affection of his vocal
organs his course of higher education was compelled to be abandoned
temporarily. In 1890 he became an employe in the office of the Gautier
department of Cambria Iron Company, and from there he was subse-
quently transferred to the general offices of the company. Here he re-
covered from his physical affliction and soon afterward matriculated
at Baltimore College of Dental Surgery and College of Physicians and
Surgeons, from which first institution he was graduated with the de-
gree of D. D. S., in 1895. While a student in the Dental College he
was elected president of his class, an honor never before conferred on
a northern student, that office always having been filled by students
from the south. After graduation Dr. INIorgan located for practice at
Ligonier, in Westmoreland county, and practiced there about six years.
In 1901 he came to Johnstown, and in company with his brother Grif-
fith opened an office in the Swank building and practiced in partnership
about one year. Since that tim.e Dr. ^lorgan has practiced alone, first
in the Greer building and later in the Jordan, where he occupies an
elegantly appointed suite of rooms.
Dr. Morgan is a INIason, a member of Somerset Lodge No. 358,
F. and A. ]M., Morrellville Council No. 941, R. A. M., and Valley of
Harrisburg Consistory thirty-second degree. He is an Odd Fellow, a
member of Ligonier Lodge, Modern Woodmen of the World, Knights
of the Maccabees, Knights of Pythias and of the Pennsylvajiia State
,^—
^^^^^^L^^T^-^
7>.e Le..
HISTORY OF CA31BBIA COUNTY. 117
I)ent<'il Society, Alpha Chapter of Psi Omesra dental fraternity. He
also is a member of the ]\Iethodist Episcopal church of Johnstown.
On the 7th day of February, 1890, Dr. Owen IMorgan married
Mamie Pugh, a daughter of Charles ^Y. and Catherine (Custer) Pugh
of Stoyestown, Pennsylvania. Mr. Pugh is a foreman in the Franklin
plant of the Cambria Steel Company, and is an ex-burgess of Stoyes-
town, He now makes his home with Dr. i\Iorgan's family. Three
children have been born to Dr. and Mrs. Morgan : William S. Morgan,
died in infancy, ]\Targaret L. ]\Torgan, born. December 10, 1892; Richard
P. IMorgan, born I\Iarch 10, 1901.
ALBON SYLVESTEPt FICHTNER, M. D., of Johnstown, Cambria
county, Pennsylvania, a general practitioner of medicine and surgery,
specialist in general and ophthalmic surgeiy, gynecology and diseases
of the throat and chest, has been closely identified with the professional
life of that city nearly twenty years, and with the profession of medicine
for nearly twenty-five years, ever since he came' to the degree at the
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Baltimore, in 1882. But Dr.
Fichtner is a physician both by acquirement and native endowment.
His father and grandfather were medical practitioners, and each in
his time was a leading physician in the region where the scene of his
professional life was laicl.
Dr. Daniel Fichtner, grandfather of Dr. Fichtner, of Johnstown,
was of German birth and ancestry, a son of Martin Fichtner, who
emigrated from Germiany and was the American ancestor of this branch
of the family in Pennsylvania. He settled in Lancaster county, in the
eastern part of the state, and by early occupation in business life was
a blacksmith. He died in 1845.
In Martin Fichtner 's family were three sons who attained to posi-
tions of prominence in public and professional life. One of these sons
was the late Judge Joseph Fichtner, who died at Newry, Pennsylvania,
about 1883. He was educated for the Lutheran ministry and preached
several years before he entered the profession of law. As a lawyer he
rose in the ranks of thie profession to the office of associate judge of
Blair county, and at the time of his death was receiver of a large iron
company of that county. Jonathan Fichtner, another son of Martin,
was prominent in pulilie and social life, and served several years in the
Pennsylvania legislature.
Daniel Fichtner, the other of the three sons referred to, was well
knov/n in medical circles in Somerset county for more than fifty years,
and also was known throughout all that region as a faithful minister
of the Evangelical Church from about 1839 until his death in 1884.
During the latter part of his life he practiced medicine in Preston
county, West Virginia.
Dr. Daniel Fichtner married Rebecca Ferner, daughter of John
Ferner and sister of Rudolph Ferner, the latter of whom is now living
in Somerset county. The children of this marriage were Benjamin
Abbott Fichtner, Susan Catherine Fichtner (Mrs. Browning), and
Martin Luther Fichtner.
Benjamin Abbott Fichtner, the eldest of these children, was born
near the town of Somerset, Pennsylvania, January 31, 1836. He took
up the study of medicine under the direction of his father, and com-
pleted his earlier professional education at Richmond Medical College,
fr()m which he was graduated with the degree of M. D. He began prac-
tice in 1857 and continued it until his death, in the fall of 1901. In
Vol. Ill — 8
I
1
lis IIISTOBY OF CAMBIUA COUNTY.
1860 he settled in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, and built the second
house in Avhat is noAv ]\rark]eysburg. Four years afterAvard he moved
to Somerfield, in Somerset county, and in ]March 1865, he entered the
Union army with the Eiglity-Eighth Ee<iiment, Pennsylvania Volun-
teer Infantry, witli which he served until the end of the war. In 1876
he located permanently at Confluence in Somerset county. During his
professional life Dr. Fichtner enjoyed the reputation of being one of
the ablest and most conscientious medical practitioners in whatever
field he entered. More than that, he was a careful and constant stu-
dent of medicine after graduation, and in his extensive practice he
kept well schooled in the most recent discoveries in medicine and the
most advanced methods of practice. Of course he was successful in
professional life, and being a man of understanding and wide general
reading he also held an enviable prominence in social circles. He was
a ready speaker and logical debater, and possessed a superior knowl-
edge of theological subjects. Early in life he had united with the Evan-
gelical Association, and ever afterAvard was a zealous advocate of its
teachings; but he steadfastly opposed the doctrines of Esher and
Eshei-ism and Esherists.
He was a man of courage, physical as well as moral, and it was
largely through his splendid courage and control that the infamous
McClellan gang of robbers was surrounded, captured and brought to
justice. He was the first man at the house where the party was in hid-
ing, and in answer to his demand its members sullenly yielded to the
pursuers. In politics Dr. Fichtner was a Democrat of the Douglas
school, and never was in sympathy Avith the southern wing of the party,
or with its heresies of state rights or risht of secession. In 1860 he
supported Mr. Douglas, but when Sumter was fired on he at once allied
himself with the Republican party, without becoming one of its parti-
sans; on the contrary, he ever maintained a certain political independ-
ence both in action and expression, and with all his might vigorously op-
posed party domination and ring rule. He never sought or desired
office of any sort, and the extent of his holdings was that of auditor of
Confluence borough, which office he filled several years.
In 1857 Dr. Fichtner married Louisa Jane Darby, a descendant of
a prominent old family of "West Virginia, and who died in the spring
of 1894. Nine children were born of this marriage, three of whom —
"Walter Lee, Ulysses Grant and Clarence Ellsworth Fichtner— are dead.
The others are Benjamin Besson Fichtner of Confluence; Louisa Jane
Fichtner, no\v Mrs. ^NIcFarland, of L'niontown, Pennsylvania; John
Daniel Fichtner, of Uniontown; Sarah Rebecca Fichtner, now Mrs.
Morrison, of Uniontown; Dr. Albon Sylvester Fichtner, of Johnstown;
and Fanny Felicia Fichtner.
Dr. Albon Sylvester Fichtner was born in Preston, "West Virginia,
on the 9th day of August, 1858. His earlier education was acquired in
public schools, and after leaving school he became a teacher, in which
capacity he held principalships at Addison. Pennsylvania. Deer Park,
Maryland, and at Confluence, Pennsylvania, and also filled an impor-
tant pedagogical position in the State Normal School at Addison before
he attained his twenty-third year.
Although a successful teacher and having special qualifications for
that work, he nevertheless determined to enter the profession of medi-
cine, and to that end began a thorough and systematic course of pre-
liminary study under the direction of his father. Later on he matricu-
lated at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Baltimore, Marjdand,
HISTORY OF CAMBBIA COUNTY. 119
and was graduated from that institution with the degree of J\I. D. in
1882. Having come to the degree, Dr. Fichtuer began his professional
career at Cranesville,. West Virginia. He lived there until 1888, and
then came to Johnstown, where he has since practiced and where he
has come to be recognized as one of the leading physicians of Cambria
county. His location was in the suburb known as Morrellsville, now
the nineteenth ward of the city, where he has built up an extensive and
profitable practice. As a general practitioner Dr. Fichtner possesses
and displays many of the distinguishing traits of his father. He is a
close student, a careful diagnostician and pathologist, and is well versed
in general therapeutics. While in college he gave especial attention to
the study of ophthalmic and general surgery, and availed himself of the
advantages of the clinics in those departments. He also made special
courses in diseases of the throat and chest and in gynecology, and now
so far as his general practice will allow he specializes along those lines.
In connection with a busy professional life Dr. Fichtner has been
and still is identified with various public institutions of Johnstown and
Cambria county, and has shown himself an efficient public servant. He
was the first surgeon appointed on the staff of Conemaugh Valley Me-
morial Hospital, and was president of the ]\Iorrellville Board of Health
previous to the incorporation of that borough with the city of Johns-
town. He is now a member of the Johnstown Board of Health, the
Cambria County ^Medical Society, medical examiner for several life
insurance companies, and also is serving in the numicipal office of
school controller. In politics he is a Republican. Dr. Fichtner is a
member of Morrellville Lodge, No. 50, I. 0. 0. F., a charter member
of the Junior Order of American IMechanics, member of the jNIystic
Chain, the Foresters of America, and of other social and benevolent or-
ganizations. In 1891 he organized the Morrellville Building and Loan
Association, an organization which has performed the beneficent work
of providing homes for many families of small means.
In 1881 he married Latilla ]\[. Mayer, by whom he has four chil-
dren: Ellsworth Fichtner, a student of medicine in the Western Uni-
versity of Pennsylvania at Pittsburg: Annie E. Fichtner, a graduate
of Emerson School of Orator}^ Boston, ]\Iassacliusetts ; Sarah Ficht-
ner, who was educated at Irwin Female Seminary and Conservatory
of Music; and Rachel R. Fichtner.
SWOPE FA^NIILY. Joseph Swope, great-great-grandfather of the
present youngest generation of that branch of the Swope family in-
tended to be treated in this sketch, was born in Alsace, that much dis-
puted territory which has alternated between French and German sov-
ereignity for the last half century and now is a part of the possessions
of the German Emperor. However, during the entire life of Joseph
Swope the territory of Alsace was under the dominion of France.
Joseph Swope had neither brothers nor sisters, and this is true
also of his son, Aloysius Swope. of whom and whose family this sketch
is. intended particularly to treat. Thus it will be seen that it is not a
numerous family in its early history. lAttle is now known of Joseph
Swope except that he M^as a farmer and a man of peace, that in the
spring of 1815 he was impressed to service in Napoleon's army and
with his team and many of his neighbors was carried away. He re-
turned to his home after the terrible battle of Waterloo, but was then
broken in health and died in the fall of that year. His wife was Mary
Gerber, who also was a native of Alsace. After the death of her bus-
120 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
band she continued to live in Alsace nearly twenty years, and then in
company with her only son, Aloysiiis, came to America, settled in Al-
le.eheny township, Caml^ria connty, Pennsylvania, and died there in the
year 1857. Her brother, Frank Gerber, came to America with Lafayette
and his army and fonpht with the Continental forces during the revolu-
tion until the famous battle of Yorktown, Avhen he was killed.
Aloysius Swope, only son and only child of Joseph and Mary
(Gerber) Swope, was born in Pheterhausen, Alsace, August 15, 1811.
In 1833, when twenty-two years old. he came to America with his
widowed mother and settled in Allegheny township, Cambria count}'.
He bought a farm and farming was his occupation in life. He lived
on the farm- he first purchased for about fourteen years, and then re-
moved to what was then White township, but now is Chest township.
In this locality he acquired possession of two of the very oldest as well
as the largest farms of Chest township. The one he first occupied was
known as the Glen Council place, with wdiich settlement much that is
interesting in the early history of Chest township is associated. He
purchased the farm from the JMcConnell heirs and built a house, the
material for which, except the stone and logs used in its construction,
was brought by A^agon from Philadelphia. It was a very large house
and for the time and place was considered almost a mansion. Here
Mr. Swope lived a number of years and then bought what was known
locally as the Proudfoot place, about two miles distant from the Glen
Council place. This locality, too, has its history, and here once lived
Richard J. Proudfoot, a distinguished member of the Pennsylvania
legislature in 1857 and 1861. Here ]Mr. Swope spent the remaining
years of his life and died April 12, 1879.
Aloysius Swope was a capable and successful business man. Many
years befoi-e his death he saw the importance of the ownership of con-
siderable tracts of land and made purchases accordingly. These lands
have since become quite valuable and are still owned by his descendants.
He took little interest in the affairs of the community, and being an
invalid led a rather quiet life. At the beginning of the late civil Avar
he was too old to enlist, but sent three of his sons to the service, one
of Avhom, Peter J. SAVope, died in the Broad and Cherry Streets Hos-
pital in Philadelphia, October, 1863. His death Avas due to fe\^er con-
tracted A\-hile at the front.
In, 1838 Aloysius SAvope married Mary Noel, a daughter of Joseph
and Elizabeth (Spiecher) Noel, then of Allegheny tOAvnship. ]\Ir. Noel
Avas a natiA'e of Rhenish Prussia and came from the Fatherland to
America in 1831. He Avas a farmer by principal occupation. Children
of Aloysius and ]\[ary (Noel) SAA^ope: 1. Joseph Peter, see forAvard.
2. Peter Jacob, died unmarried. He enlisted in Company A of the
Eleventh Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry in 1862, and died in the
Hospital in Philadelphia, October 1863. from fever contracted in the
service. 3. John Michael, married Emma Lamborn and lives at AYest-
over, Clearfield county, Pennsylvania. He enlisted in Company F of
the Fourth Pennsyh'ania Volunteer Cavalry, and served one year dur-
ing the AA-ar of 1861-65. 4. Henry, married Helena Farabaugh and
lives near Patton, Pennsylvania. 5. Annie, unmarried, lives on a farm
near St. Lawrence. Cambria county. 6. Elizabeth, unmarried, lives on
the farm near St. LaAvrence Avith her older sister Annie and her younger
sister Rachel. 7. Rachel Matilda, unmarried, Yiyen on the farm Avith
her sisters Aimie and Elizabeth SAA'ope.
Joseph t*eter Swope, eldest of the children of Aloysius and Mary
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 121
(Noel) Swope, was born on his father's farm just outside of the pres-
ent borough of Chest Spring, Allegheny to^^•nship, December o, 1838.
His opportunities for gaming an education in the common schools were
quite limited; for he was the eldest sou, and from early childhood he
helped his parents with the work of the farm. He did, however, at-
tend the district school of the township and there acquired the rudiments
of an education, and later in life he employed every opportunity of
study and reading and in that Avay enlarged on the foundation laid in
the few months seliooling he had when a boy. For many years he has
been regarded as a well informed man, a thoughtful reader and a care-
ful observer of men and affairs. a\[r. Swope was at the time of his
death the oldest living descendant of Joseph Swope, of Pheterhausen,
Alsace," the soldier of the Napoleonic war. But unlike his ancestor of
Alsace he is ancestor of a numerous line of descendants, especially on
his mother's side, and among them on both sides are some of the best
families and capable business men of northern Cambria county.
Joseph P. Swope lived at hojue with his parents until the second
year of the civil war, when with his brother Peter J. he entered the
Union service. They enlisted, September 10, 1862, in Company A of
the Eleventh Pennsylvania Cavalry (Captain George S. Ringiove,
Colonel Samuel P. Spear), and were mustered into service at Camp
Curtin, Harrisburg, and in October were hurried forward to their regi-
ment, which for some time had been in the field. They went first to
Camp Suffolk on the Elizabeth river, between Portsmouth and Peters-
burg, Virginia. The regiment took part in several skirmishes, but the
first real battle in which Mr. Swope was engaged was at Kelley's Farm,
Virginia, followed in succession by that at Franklin, Staunton Bridge,
Ream's Station and Smith's Farm near Petersburg, Virginia. These
battles were interpersed with numerous minor engagements and skirm-
ishes and were followed by others of like character. The Tenth at
first formed a part of the Army of Virginia and North Carolina under
Major General Ben. Butler, and later Avas attached to the Army of the
Potomac. During his army service Mr. Swope never was seriously
wounded, and although at Ream's Station his horse was shot under him
he was only slightly injured. He was mustered out and discharged at
Pittsburg, July 22, 1865.
Returning to his home after the war j\Ir. Swope remained on the
farm two years, then married and soon afterward went with his wife
to Luzerne county, where they lived two years. From 1870 to 1895 he
was a farmer in Chest tOAvnship, Cambria county, then retired and took
up his residence in Cresson, remaining there four years. From that
time until his death, February 15, 1906, he lived in Patton, Cambria
county. When he moved from Luzerne county to Chest township Mr.
Swope undertook the work of clearing and opening a new farm. It
was a considerable undertaking, even at that time, but he was young
and strong, with plenty of moral courage and perseverance, and he had
the assistance and encouragement of a loyal young wife. This made
the work easier and it was finished in good season; when he retired
from active farnnng pursuits, after twenty-five years on that place,
Mr. Swope had what probably was the best farm in all its appointments
in Chest township.
Like his father ]Mr. Swope led a quiet life, except during his army
service, which was not Avithout its exciting events. He was a success-
ful farmer, a jnan much respected in every community in which he
lived, a firm and consistent Democrat and a capable public servant in
122 II I ;S TOBY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
the offices to which he has been elected. He never sought political
honors, having little inclination for indulgences of that character, yet
on one or two occasions yielded to the requests of his fellow townsmen
and accepted nominations. He served as school director and also as
toAvnship supervisor.
Joseph Feter Swope married, May 26, 1867, Louisa (Glasser) Bau-
man, daughter of Francis and Mary (Ernst) Glasser. Her parents
were natives of Bavaria and she was born at Bethlehem, Berks county,
Pennsylvania. At the time of marriage they were residents of Chest
township, and j\Ir. Glasser was a farmer. Five sons have been born to
Joseph P. and Lotiisa Swope, namely: Albert J., married Blanche Litz-
inger, one child, Harold. Peter M., married INIary Dtiriu, and operates
a planing mill at Carrollton, Pennsylvania. Joseph R., married Bessie
Gill, one child, Cordelia. Ambrose H., married Anna McCombie. Her-
man J., married Barbara Eieger. Albert J., Joseph K., Ambrose H.,
and Herman J. Swope are associated together in a liouring mill in
Johnstown, an enterprise started by three of them in September, 190-1.
Herman Swope became a member of the firm in April, 1905, havmg
then recently returned from an extended stay in the west.
The Swope family are Independent politically. Ambrose H. was
a delegate to Democratic state convention before he ever cast a vote.
The four brothers purchased the Cresson Record in 1899, which they
condticted for seven years. They also owned and operated the Beaver
Dam Mill from 1900 to 1904, when they sold and came to Johnstown.
That mill property was one of the oldest flouring mills in the northern
part of the county, erected by George Walters m 1856.
KREBS FAMILY. The surname Krebs is well represented in
Pennsylvania, and during the last half century the family has fur-
nished men of excellent standing in the industrial and professional life
of the Commonwealth. Whether all who now bear that family name are
descendants of the same European ancestor is uncertain, but that tlie
famiJy originated in Prussia is a reasonably well settled fact.
Johann Carl Krebs, with whom this narrative begins, was an offi-
cial of the Prussian government, and his office was that of Oberamt-
man, or chief magistrate of the county, an office of dignity and respon-
sibility and its incumbent chosen from men of character and intelli-
gence. Of the life and public services of Johann Carl Krebs, other
than is here mentioned, little is known except that he married and had
several children and that seven of his sons were officers of rank in the
Prussian army.
One of his sons was Albert Frederick August Krebs, who was born
at Mansfield, Prussia. Like his father he was a man of consequence in
his country, liis office, being that of Oekonom, or proprietor and man-
ager of a large estate in Prussia. He was one of the seven brothers
Avho Avere officers of the Prussian army during the Napoleonic wars.
Frederick Krebs, Senior, son of the Oekonom and grandson of the
Oberamtman, was born in Mansfield, Kingdom of Prussia, Germany,
December 13, 1822, and was the American ancestor of this particular
branch of the Krebs family in Pennsylvania. He came to this country
in 1848, settled first in Blairsvilie, Pennsylvania, where he married,
and in 1852 removed to Johnstown. His occupation Avas that of baker
and confectioner, a trade he had learned in Germany. In 1856 he
went with his family to La Crosse, AVisconsin, lived there until 1865
and then returned to Johnstown and engaced in the btisiness of his
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 123
trade imtil a few years previous to his death. He died August 24, 1886.
F]'ederick Krebs, Senior, married Sophia Bergman. They married in
Pittsburg', Pennsylvania, April 10, 1852. She was born in Ehrigs Hagen,
Hanover, Germany. October 2, 1834, and died in Johnstown, March 26,
1876. They had children: 1. Louisa, born ]\larch 27, 1853, died ]\Iay
26, 1854. 2. Frederick, born in Johnstown, June 9, 1855. 3. Earnest,
born in La Crosse, AVisconsin, January 3, 1858, died September 22,
1S62. 4. Albert August, born in La Crosse, April 20, 1860. 5. Emelia,
born in La Crosse, June 15, 1862, married George Sheeler and lives in
Johnstown. 6. William Henry, born in La Crosse, October 5, 1864,
died April 26, 18()5. 7. Enuna, born in Johnstown, May 2, 1866, mar-
ried, December 20, 1888, John W. Walters, a lumber merchant. 8.
Charlotte, born in Johnstown, October 20, 1868. 9. ]\Iatilda, born in
Johnstown, August 28, 1871. teacher in Johnstown high school.
Frederick Krebs, second and eldest surviving child of Frederick
and Sophia (Bergman) Krebs, superintendent of the Gautier depart-
ment of Cambria Steel Company, and who is known as one of the most
public-spirited men of Johnstown, was born June 9, 1855, and was edu-
cated in the German Lutheran parochial school and also in the public
schools of Johnstown. At the age of sixteen years he secured employ-
ment as clerk in the office of Wood, jNEorrell & Co. (now the Penn
Traffic Co.), and afterward was advanced to a more important posi-
tion in the time oliice of Cambria Steel Company. In 1878 he entered
the s(-rvice of the Gautier Steel Comx)any, Limited, which afterward
became the Gautier department of Cambria Steel Company, and since
that time he has been continuously in the same employ, but not in the
same position, as in 1878 the faithful, competent service on his part
was apprecicited and received its deserved reward. In 1882 he was
made superintendent of the steel mills of the Gautier department, and
in 1890 was appointed superintendent of the entire Gautier department,
having supervision of the manufacturing and commercial branches of
the department. This position he still holds.
For ten years Mr. Krebs was a member and much of that time
president of the board of education of Johnstown, and in various other
ways has contributed materiallj' to promote educational interests in the
city. Largely through his personal efforts and influence the present
high school building was erected, and it was he who introduced and
maintained in Johnstown for several years a successful University Ex-
tension course of lectures. He is now a member of the board of direc-
tors of Cambria Free Library, director of the United States National
Bank, president of the board of managers of Conemaugh Valley Me-
morial Hospital Association, and a member of the German Lutheran
church. Politically Mr. Krebs is a Republican.
Frederick Krebs, Junior, married, March 8, 1888, Margaret Wini-
fred Walters, daughter of Dr. AY. AV. AValters, a prominent physician
in Johnstown and in medical circles in Cambria county, and the recog-
nized leader of the AVelsh population of that locality. Children of
Frederick and Margaret (AA^alters) Krebs: 1. Frederick Walters, III,
born in Johnstown, July 19, 1889. 2. Margaret Eliza, born in Johns-
town, January 30, 1891. 3. AValter Winston, born in Johnstown, March
8, 1894. 4. Winifred Louise, born in Johnstown, October 5, 1897.
Albert August Krebs, third son and fourth child of Frederick and
Sophia (Bergman) Krebs, and whose employment in the service of the
Cambria Iron Company, and its successor corporation, the Cambria
Steel Company, has covered a period of thirty years, was born at La
124 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
Crosse, Wisconsin, April 2, 1860, and when five years old removed with
his parents from that city to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where he has
since lived. He was educated in the Johnstown public schools, and
at the age of sixteen entered the service of the Cambria Iron Company,
working in one capacity and another, steadily advancing to his pres-
ent position of boss roller in the Gautier department of that company's
extensive plant. Mr. Krebs is a Republican, but does not take an ac-
tive part in politics other than the public welfare requires of every
loyal citizen. He was brought up under the influence of the German
Lutheran church, to the support of which he contributes and of which
his family are members. He holds membership in Johnstown Lodge,
No. 157, Knights of Pythias, and also in Johnstown Turnverein, a Ger-
man society of that city.
Albert August Krebs married, February 24, 1898, Emelia, sec-
ond daughter of August and Louisa (Kress) Lambert, of Johnstown.
They have one son— Albert Krebs— born September 16, 1899, and a
daughter, Louise, born November 2, 1905. Karl Kress, maternal grand-
father of Emelia (Lambert) Krebs, was a native of Germany. On com-
ing to America he settled first in Ohio and removed thence to Johns-
town, where he was the second minister of the German Lutheran
church. When he came to this country he was a widower, and was ac-
companied by his two sons and two daughters. August Lambert, father
of Emelia Krebs, also was a native of Germany, and previous to his
removal to Johnstown was landlord of a hotel in the city of Phila-
delphia, Pennsylvania. In JohnstOAvn he was an ale brewer, in busi-
ness partnership with his brother-in-law, C. F. Kress.
JOSEPH KIRK LOVE, president of the wholesale grocery firm of
Love, Sunshine & Co., at Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was born October
31, 1867, on the farm in Butler county, Pennsylvania.
He obtained his education at the common schools and spent sev-
eral years at Westminster College, New Wilmington, Pennsylvania.
Concerning his ancestry, it maj^ be said that the first of the name
to come to America was James Love, the great-grandfather, a native of
Ireland, born near Cork, came to America about 1820, was a farmer
by occupation, and settled in Butler county, Pennsylvania, Avhere he
follov.ed farm life. James Love was first a Whig, then a Republican.
He was an elder in the Covenanter church for many years. He died
about 1853, his wife surviving him some two years. His wife was
Nancy Hutchinson, by whom he had the following children: 1. Sam-
uel, mentioned hereafter. 2. George, died unmarried. 3. John, mar-
ried Annie IMcCray. 4. Mary Ann, married AYilliam Heekert. 5. AYill-
iam, married Mary ]\Iay. 6. Robert, married Sarah Ann Love. 7.
Sarah, married William Armstrong. She is the only one living — a
widow, residing at Allegheny, Pennsylvania. The others all remained
in Butler county and their descendants still live there.
Samuel Love, son of emigrant James Love, was born, 1817, in But-
ler county, Pennsylvania, and remained on the old home farm until his
marriage, when he purchased a farm near the homestead and operated
the same. He married Helen Kirk, daughter of Arthur and Marian
(Smith) Kirk, who came to this country from near Glasgow, Scotland;
Arthur Kirk, in Butler county, Pennsylvania, was interested in a woolen
mill. Samuel Love Avas a Republican and served the district in which
he lived as one of the directors. He was a member of the United Pres-
byterian church. He is deceased and his widow lives with her daugh-
J] I ST DRY OF CAMBBIA COUNTY. 125
tor in Sharon. IMereer connty, Pennsylvania. Their children were:
1. George H., mentioned hereafter. 2. Nancy Jane, married N. J.
Cratty and is deceased. 3. Marian, mimarried, is a school teacher at
Sharon, Pennsylvania. 4. Arthnr, married, is a musician, living in
Allegheny, Pennsylvania. 5. INIartha, married George W. Davis, a
blacksmith of Allegheny, Pennsylvania. 6. Maggie, married M. K. Ham-
ilton, a ranchman of Colorado.
George H. Love, father of Joseph K. Love, was born February 10,
1844, in Butler county, Pennsylvania. He received a good common
school education, and farmed with his father until his marriage, Jan-
uary 7, 1867, to Annie B. Logan, daughter of Joseph and Margaret
(IMcCandless) Logan, of Butler county, Pennsylvania. After his mar-
riage he purchased a farm in Butler county, Pennsylvania, and farmed
for himself until about 1870, when he opened a general store at Saxon-
burg Station, Butler county. He remained there for six years, when
he sold and removed to Somerset, Somerset county, Pennsylvania. For
twenty-two years he there operated a butter and cheese factory, com-
ing to Johnstown in 1905. Here he founded the Union National Bank,
of Johnstown, of which he is the president. He is also the vice-presi-
dent of the Bessemer Coal and Coke Company, located in Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, otherwise devoting his whole time and energy
to the banking business at Johnstown. He retains a farm of one hun-
dred acres, near Pittsburg, to which his family remove for a summer
homo. Politically he is a Kepublican. In church relations he is a Pres-
byterian and has been an elder for upwards of thirty years.
As an evidence of his patriotism, it only needs to be stated that in
his eighteenth year, six months after the first call for troops at the
outbreak of the Rebellion, he enlisted as a drummer-boy in the Eight-
eenth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. This was a three months en-
listment, during which time the regiment saw no active service. His
second enlistment as a drummer was with the One Hundred and
TAventy-seventh Pennsylvania Volunteer Eegiment, he being a mem-
ber of Company D, the term being for nine months service, during
which they did mostly picket duty and detail work. Again, in Sep-
tember, 1864, ]Mr. Love enlisted' in Company A, Two Hundred and
Tv/elfth Pennsylvania Volunteers for the balance of the war, still
serving as a drummer. His regiment was detailed to protect the
Orange and Alexandria railroad, running out from Richmond, Vir-
ginia. Its service was amost entirely against guerrilla leader INIosby
and his band, a warfare bordering at times on the savage, in which
no quarters were asked or given. Separated into small detachments
and isolated from the main body of the army, they were exposed to
an attack at any moment, day or night, and fortified Avith stockades
as best they could provide, even then their post was a very dangerous
one. It was a service calling for every spark of courage' any man
cordd well possess. It was lacking in brilliant engagements and op-
portunities for fame, but none the less of the highest importance in
the cause. Mr. Love still retains a memento of his war experience —
the drum he used on his last enlistment of service. He is a member
of Emory Fisher Post, Grand Army of the Republic, 'No. 30, at Johns-
town, Pennsylvania, in which he has held all the offices, and was the
adjutant at Somerset for about ten years.
The children born to Mr. and Mrs. George H. Love are : 1. Joseph,
mentioned hereafter. 2. Edward ^L. married Flora HefHey; he is
engaged in the coal trade at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. 3. Frank S.,
126 ■ in STORY OF CAMBFIA COUNTY.
uimiarried, a member of the F. S. Love ^ranufacturing Company of
Johnstown. 4. Russell C, at home, unmarried. 5. Myra N., at home,
unmarried.
Joseph Kirk Love, born on a farm, October 31, 1867, in Butler
county, Pennsylvania, was educated at the public schools and spent
several years at AA^estminster College, taking a scientific course. In
1882, when his father moved to Somerset, Mr. Love engaged in the
dairy business with him, for five or six years, then went on the road,
as a salesman for Allen, Kirkpatrick & Company, wholesale grocers,
of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. After one year he abandoned the roacl,
by resigning, and in 1901 the present business of Love, Sunshine & Com-
pany was incorporated. ]\Tr. Love is the president, F. S. Love, his
brother, vice-president, and AA'illiam H. Sunshine, the present treasurer
of Cambria county, the treasurer, with W. H. Sanner as secretary.
They carry on a wholesale grocery business, which, w^hile small at
first, has developed into one of considerable magnitude. They supply
the trade for a radius of about fifty miles around Johnstown, employ
eight traveling salesmen, besides a number of special salesmen not eon-
fined to the territory already named.
Air. Love is a stockholder in the I'nion National Bank; former
stockholder in the L^nited States National Bank and the Conemaugh
Powder Company: a stockholder in the AA^ilmerding (Pennsylvania)
National Bank ; the F. S. Love Alanuf acturing Company of Johnstow^n ;
the Bessemer Coal & Coke Co. of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania ; treasurer of
the People's Garbage & Fertilizer Co. of Johnstown; president of the
Inter-State Fair Association ; and has other business interests. Political-
ly he is a staunch Pepublican. He is a worthy member of the Pres-
byterian church, and has been a member of the Brotherhood of Elks
ever since its organization at Johnstown.
Air. Love married, April 23, 1895, Sarah Elizabeth, daughter of
Richard and Catherine (Evans) Jennings, of Queenstown, Pennsylva-
nia. Their children are : 1. Jennings Kirk, bom Alay 2, 1897. 2.
George Hutchinson, born September 4, 1900.
JOHN ^Y. TITTLE, chief draughtsman of the Gautier department
of Cambria Steel Company, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, is a descendant
of some of the oldest families of the state, and among his ancestors were
soldiere of the French and Indian wars, the Revolution, Pontiac's war,
and of the late Civil war. The daughter of one of his ancestors became
the mother of one of the most distinguished men of Pennsylvania —
AYilliam Freame Johnston, governor of the connnonwealth from 1847
to 1853.
In the paternal line Air. Tittle traces his ancestry back through
several generations to Peter Tittle, of AVestmoreland county, whose
seitlement in that part of the state was made about the year 1760. But
Peter Tittle's son James married Ann Freame, who was a daughter of
A'Villiam and Elizabeth (Johnston) Freame, and Elizabeth Johnston
was a daughter of James Johnston, of county Derry, Ireland, who
immigrated to America about the year 1750, and with wliom, therefore,
this narrative properly begins. Previous to about the middle of the
eighteenth century James Johnston was a farmer on leased land in
county Derry, Ireland, on the river Derg. His lease of the land expired
about 1750, and in the same year he left Ireland with his wife and two
sons— Edward and Christie— and one daughter, Elizabeth. They landed
at Baltimore, and from there are believed to have gone direct to the
HISTOBY OF CA3IBBIA COUNTY. 127
Scotch-Irish settlement on Coneaelieague creek, in what is now Franklin
county, Pennsylvania, where James Johnston took up land and began
farming'.
Several years before the immigration of the family England and
France had been at war both in Europe and their American colonies,
but at the time of James Johnston's settlement in AA^estmoreland county
peace prevailed, and pioneers were gradually working their way into
the frontier regions of Pennsylvania, Avhere land was cheap, the soil
rich, and a comfortable home was assured the industrious settler in
return for a few years of patient labor. However, in the course of a
few more years England and France were again at war, and their
American colonies soon became involved in the struggle, one of the
principal ob.jects of which was supremacy in America; and the territory
of AA'estmoreland county was not far from the line between the posses-
sions of the French and the territory of the English. In May, 1756,
Edward Johnston .joined a party of pioneers bound for the country
farther west. He never came back, and is believed to have been killed
by the Indian allies of France. Christie Johnston joined a company
to fight against the Indians during Pontiac's war (1763-1766) and
was slain in battle.
Elizabeth Johnston married William Freame, who had been a pri-
vate in an Irish regiment raised in Belfast to serve in America during
the French and Indian war. He served under Wolfe, and took part
in the capture of Quebec, Canada, in 1759. After peace was declared
in 1763 he returned with the regiment to Belfast, and afterward came
back to America, landed at Baltimore, and went from thence to the
Coneacheague settlement near ]Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, where he
married. After marriage they lived at the Johnston home until after
the death of the pioneer and his wife, and afterward until the time
of the Revolution, when they took up land on Crabtree creek, in West-
moreland county, near the site of the present town of New Alexandria,
where they ever afterward lived.
AVilliam Freame was a member of the military company under
Captain Bruce on the ill-fated Sandusky expedition against the Indians
in 1782. His wife outlived him several years and was almost one hun-
dred years old when she died. All her life from childhood she was a
strict Presbyterian, and entertained strong feelings of antipathy against
the Roman Catholic church, her grandmother having been among those
in Londonderry who had been persecuted and besieged by the Catholics
in 1690. William and Elizabeth (Johnston) Freame had five daughters.
One of them, Elizabeth Freame, married Alexander Johnston, and their
son, AVilliam Freame Johnston, was governor of the commonwealth of
Pennsylvania from 1847 to 1853. Another daughter, Ann Freame,
married James Tittle, who was a son of Peter Tittle the ancestor of
John W. Tittle of Johnstown.
About the year 1760 Peter Tittle settled in the then wilderness
region of Westmoreland county, on the banks of a small creek* known
as Nine Mile Run, in what is now TTnit.v toAvnship. He was one of three
brothers who came from England together, the others being George and
Henry Tittle. The family name of Peter's wife is unknown, but her
christian name was Sarah. They had four sons and one daughter:
James, Jonathan, Jeremiah, John and Sarah Tittle. Peter Tittle was
a famous Indian fighter, and had reason for his hatred of the savages
who devastated the country around his home ; and family tradition
says he was a good shot with the rifle and was able to count his scalps
128 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COl'XTY.
by the dozen. He was a member of Capt. John McClelland "s Company
01 "Kangers on the Frontier" of \Yestmoreland from 1778 to 1783. His
house was an occasional stopping place for soldiers during the latter
part of the French and Indian war, and also during the iievolntion.
m Pennsylvania "Archives" (vol. ii, p. 201 j, is found the following
record: ''May 23, 1780, Capt. Isaac Craig, in command of a detachment
of Proctor's Artillery, left Carlisle for Ft. Pitt * * * On the way
they stopped over night at Peter Tittle's on the night of June 10, 1780."
Both Peter TittJe and his wife lived to ripe old age and both are buried
in Unity cemetery in Westmoreland county.
James Tittle, eldest son of Peter and Sarah Tittle, was born in
1775, and died at his farm home in Unity township, September IV, 1813.
In 1796 or 1797 he married Ann Freame, as previously, mentioned.
She was born in 1779 and died October 5, 1850. Both she and her
husband are buried in the Presbyterian churchyard near New Alex-
andria. They had children, as follows : Elizabeth Tittle, married Will-
iam McKee ; they lived at Stockton, California : Jeremiah Tittle, married
first, Dorcas Reed; married second, Sarah Ferguson; she died in 1906.
Johnston Tittle, married Margaret Montgomery ; he is deceased. Jonathan
Tittle, married Mrs. Roberts and lived in California ; now dead. James
K. Tittle, married Eliza Jackson and lived at Kittanning, Pennsylvania ;
now dead. Washington Tittle, married ]\Iartha Hudson; deceased.
Hamilton Tittle, married Rachel Wibble; deceased. Andrew Jackson
Tittle, married Florinda AVallace, deceased. A\ illiam Freame Tittle,
died unmarried, October 18, 1801. John Tittle, married Mary Snod-
grass and had eight children; they are deceased.
John Tittle, second child of James and Ann (Freame) Tittle, was
born in Unity township, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, on the
18th day of February, 1801, and was eleven years old wlien his father's
family removed to Salem township. In 1819 he went to Greensburg
and served an apprenticeship of three years at the cabinet and chair
making trade, and then began business for himself at New Alexandria.
He lived in that town until 1826, at Youngstown until 1832, and in
the year last mentioned moved to a point four miles east of Jolmstown,
and lived there during the time the viaduct was being constructed.
From 1837 to 1813 he kept a boarding house on the line of the Allegheny
Valley railroad, which then was in course of construction. John Snod-
grass, a brother of i\Irs. Tittle, was superintendent of construction on
the road, and through him JMr. Tittle obtained the boarding house
privilege. On completion of the railroad Mr. Tittle returned to New
Alexandria for a year, then came to Johnstown and Avorked as pattern-
maker in the shops of the old Portage railroad. He was an excellent
mechanic, something of a genius in that respect, and at one time con-
structed and patented a safety car designed to obviate accidents on the
road, and it was first used on the incline at the west end of the tunnel.
Later on the car was adopted by the State on its roads and was used
extensively Avhere grades were the heaviest. The invention itself was
a success, but Mr. Tittle as patentee realized very little profit from his
device. In 1858 he removed with his family to Kittanning, and two
years later returned to Johnstown. In that year (1860) he began the
manufacture of a patent feed cutter, a device of his own invention, and
for some time carried on quite an extensive business in a building
formerly occupied by the Johnstown Mechanical Works, on the site
where the Gautier Steel Company built its wire mill in 1878. On the
erection of the wire mill the feed cutter works were removed to a build-
HISrOBY OF CAMBIUA COUNTY. 129
iiiii' erected by iMr. Tittle on Portage street, near Broad street, but the
business was soon afterward discontinued and the proprietor returned
to his old trade of chair and cabinet niakino'. He died in Johnstown,
August 19, 1882. On the 16th day of December, 1824, John Tittle
married Mary Snodgrass, daughter of William and Eleanor (Beggs)
Snodgrass. She was born April 15, 1805, and died January 25, 1875.
Both she and her husband Avere buried in Sandy vale cemetery, and after
the Hood of 1889 were removed to Grand View cemetery.
John Snodgrass, father of Eleanor Snodgrass, who married John
Tittle, was of Scotch descent, by occupation a farmer, a devout member
of the Presbyterian church, and at the time referred to lived in Martic
township in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. On the 15th of December,
1774, immediately preceding the Bevolutionary war, he was elected a
member of the committee of safety for the borough of Lancaster, and
inspector for Martic township. He was an active member of the Lan-
caster County Associators, a famous military organization of Pennsyl-
vania during the war, and served in Captain Brown's company of
Colonel Timothy Green's battalion of Lancaster county militia. On
August 31, 1776, he marched with the compan^y into New Jersey against
the British, and returned in February of the following year.
William Snodgrass, son of John Snodgrass, was born in INIartic
toAvnship in 1758, and was a farmer. He too was an Associator, and
a member of Captain James Rogers' company of Colonel Timothy
Green's Hanover Eifles. About 1795 he married Eleanor Beggs, daugh-
ter of William Beggs, who was born in Ireland. In 1800 Mr. Snodgrass
sold his farm in Lancaster county and removed to Westmoreland county,
where in 1801 he purchased one hundred and two acres from Samuel
Ramsey in Unity township, and at a later date added one hundred and
thirty acres more to his possessions. William and Eleanor Snodgrass
had live children: Elizabeth, John, Mary (married John Tittle), Sarah
and ]\Iargaret Snodgrass.
Children of John and Mary (Snodgrass) Tittle: Ellen Tittle, born
December 10, 1825 ; died December 2, 1898 ; married William States,
and removed to ^Missouri. James Tittle, born June 2, 1828; married
Mary Ringler Orr; had six children. William Snodgrass Tittle, born
March 27, 1831 ; married INIaria AVorthington, and lives at San Ber-
nardino, California. Alexander Johnston Tittle, born August 20, 1833 ;
died unmarried, November 14, 1903. Sarah Ellen Tittle, born May
7, 1836 ; married Philip Constable, and lost her life in the Johnstown
flood, May 31, 1889. John Snodgrass Tittle, born December 22, 1839 ;
married Jane Mac! ay, and lives in Johnstown. Cyrus Pershing Tittle,
born April 28, 1843 ; unmarried : drowned in the Johnstown flood, May
31, 1889. Charles Lee Tittle, born October 18, 1845; married Ada
Woodrutf, and lives at Blairsville, Pennsylvania.
James Tittle, second child and eldest son of John and Mary (Snod-
grass) Tittle, was born in Youngstown, Westmoreland county, Penn-
sylvania, on the 2d day of June, 1828, and after he Avas six years old
lived with his grandparents until the death of his grandfather, James
Tittle, in 1843. In 1846 he started out to make his own Avay in life,
and hired out as driver for Captain George Cupp, of the boat "Naomi,"
of the Bingham line, on the old state canal between Johnstown and
Pittsburg. About harvest time of the same year he left the canal and
worked for his uncle. Hon. John Snodgrass, on his farm near Ncav
Alexandria, and after the crops were harvested he went to Brady's
Bend and found employment in the Great Western Iron Works. He
130 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
worked for the company, directly and indirectly, about six years, and
late in 1851 carae to Johnstown with a Mv. Cox and helped to start the
works which ultimately became the Cambria Iron Company.
On February 2, 1853, Mr. Tittle in company with his brother Alex-
ander, left Johnstown for California, traveling by way of the Isthmus
of Panama and thence up the coast to Sacramento, arriving there on
the 24th of the same month. He had been promised and expected a
clerkship in the Sacramento postoffice under his uncle, Jonathan Tittle,
who was postmaster when the boys left JohnstoAvn, but who died before
their arrival, hence no place was open to him. However, he soon found
work on a farm at five dollars per day and board, which more than
kept him, and soon afterward he took a ranch of one hundred and sixty
acres in company with his brother, and carried it on until 1857, then
sold his share to his brother and bought about fifteen acres across
the river from Sacramento and began truck farming on his own ac-
count. This business prospered well enough until the spring of 1859
when, just as the crops were all in, a destructive flood swept over
the tract and washed away everything he had, even to gardening im-
plements. As soon as possible after that he sold the land and worked
as clerk in his cousin's store at Stockton until June, 1860, when
he returned to Johnstown and became interested Avith his father in
manufacturing the patent feed cutter.
In 1862 Mr. Tittle entered the Union army. He enlisted on Au-
gust 27th in Company K, One Hundred and • Thirty-sixth Pennsylva-
nia Volunteer Infantry, and shared in the hardships, privations and
successes incident to army life for one year. Among the more im-
portant battles in which he took part were the Wilderness, Chancellors-
ville and Fredericksburg. He was discharged from service May 29th,
1863, then came home and again associated with his father in his
business enterprises until 1878. In January of that year, when the
Gautier works began operations, he secured a position in the wire mill
department, and he always claimed to be the first man to work for
the Cambria Iron Company. After a few months in the wire mill
he was transferred to the Gautier Steel mill and remained in that de-
partment as long as he continued in active pursuits.
On one occasion Mr. Tittle narrowly escaped accidental death. On
the 14th of September, 1866, Andrew Johnson and other notables
visited Johnstown, and in order to obtain a good view of the visitore
such a great throng of people crowded upon the platform of the Penn-
sylvania railroad station that the structure gave way, causing serious
results. Among the injured was oNIr. Tittle, who at first was thought
to have been killed, and he was confined to his house for several weeks.
On the occasion of the memorable Johnstown flood in 1889 he was
at home and barely escaped with his life. He died October 7, 1901,
and is buried in Grand View cemetery. He became a member of
Cambria Lodge No. 278, F. and A. M., in 1867, and of Portage Chapter
No. 195, R. A. M., in 1868, and was a member of Emorv Fisher Post
No. 30, G. A. R., from 1888 to the time of his death'. On the 2d
day of April, 1868, James Tittle married Mrs. Mary Ringler Orr,
by whom he had six children, of whom four are living: John W.
Tittle, a graduate of the American School of Correspondence at Chi-
cago; now chief draughtsman in the Gautier department of Cambria
Steel Company; married Sarah Elizabeth Custer, and has three chil-
dren, ^lary Pollen Tittle, a stenographer, living with her mother in
Johnstown. Alexander Dix Tittle, son of James and Mary (Ringler)
HISTORY OF CAMBEIA COUNTY. 131
Tittle, was born November 24, 1873, at Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Edu-
cated in common schools, and Avhen but a lad sold the daily papers.
He sold the first copy of the Johnstown daily Democrat ever put out
in the city. Leaving school he entered the office of the Democrat to
learn the printer's trade, Avas there seven years, covering the business
thoroughly from "devil" to office. Leaving there on account of his
health, he entered the employ of the Cambria Steel Company, in the
works order office, where he remained six years ; thence went to the Penn
Traffic Company, to take charge of their advertising— two years. His
eyes failing, he left and on March 26, 1906, started a printing estab-
lishment under his own name. This was mei-ged, on November 1, 1906,
with the Conemaugh Publishing Company, of Johnstown, doing a gen-
eral engraving and printing business. He occupies the position of
vice-president of this company. On June 26, 1901, he married Alice
Bertram Cover, daughter of Charles B. Cover (see Cover sketch). No
issue. IMember Lutheran church, of which Sunday school he has been
treasurer for a number of years. Member Linton Lodge No. 451,
K. P. ; Speer Orr Camp No. 14, Sons of Veterans. Ann Josepliine
Tittle, a graduate of Johnstown High School and Indiana State Nor-
mal School ; now a teacher in the Johnstown public schools.
John W. Tittle received his early education in the schools of
Conemaugh borough, and also attended night school after he had gone
to work in the Cautier department of the Cambria Steel Company,
He also received further education in special branches by a course
with the American School of Correspondence at Armour Institute,
Chicago, and holds the diploma of that institution. When he was
fifteen years old i\Ir. Tittle began working in the nail factory of the
Cambria Steel Company, and in a few months was transferred to the
position of office boy. On the 16th of October, 1889, he was given
work on a drawing table with a view of becoming a professional me-
chanical draughtsman, all of which in due time was accomplished, and
that almost wholly through his own persistent effort. In 1899 he was
appointed assistant master mechanic, and served in that capacity until
1903, when he was advanced to the position of chief draughtsman of
the Gautier department of Cambria Steel Company's vast works in
Johnstown. Mr. Tittle has been a member of Franklin Street Meth-
odist Episcopal church and Sunday school since July 23, 1899, and
of Speer Orr Camp No. 14, Sons of A^eterans, since May 16, 1887.
He was elected camp commander 1892, and has filled every office in
that organization and served as its delegate to the national encamp-
ment. He is a charter member of Alga Commandery No. 218, Ancient
and Illustrious Order of Knights of Malta.
On November 2, 1892, John AV. Tittle married Sara Elizabeth
Custer, daughter of Jacob P. and Amanda ( blasters ) Custer. Mr.
Custer was a soldier of the Civil war, having enlisted September 12,
1864, as a private in Company F, One Hundred and Ninety-eighth
Pennsylvania Infantry, and received his discharge June 12, 1865. He
was in battle at Peeble's Farm, September 30, 1864; Hatcher's Run,
February 6 and 7, 1865; Lewis' Farm, March 29, 1865; White Oak
Sv\'amp, March 31, 1865, and joined in pursuit of Lee's retreating army
to the final surrender at Appomattox. Children of John W. and Sara
Elizabeth (Custer) Tittle: James Custer Tittle, born August 4, 1894.
■ Charles Jacob Tittle, born June 16, 1897. Sara Amanda Tittle, born
February 7, 1903.
132 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
PETER GOFF^ inspector of boilers for the Cambria Steel Company
for the last twenty years, and Avho is recognized as one of the most ex-
pert boiler meii in the state of Peiinsylvania, was born in Trenton, Xew
Jersey, and has lived in Johnstown a little more than fifty years.
His father was John Golf, who married Bridgett Cruse. Both were
natives of Ireland and married there. The precise location of their home
in the old country is not now known, 'but was somewhere in the vicinity
of the city of Dublin. John Golf was by trade a mill worker, and came
with his wife to America in 18-±6, settling at Trenton, New Jersey, where
he at one time worked in a mill owned by the late Peter Cooper, manu-
facturer and noted philanthropist of New York City. In 1852 Mr. Goff
left Trenton and came to Pennsylvania. At first he worked on the con-
struction of the Pennsylvania railroad near what Avas then known as Plain
Nine. Two years later he came to Johnstown and was employed by the
Cambria Iron Company from that time until his death, in 1856. His
widow survived him nearly forty years, and died in October, 1894. Both
Avere communicating members of the Catholic church. Their children
AA^ere as f oIIoavs : James Goff, married Euth Eiley ; both now dead. Pe-
ter Goff, of JohnstoAvn, married Sarah Braddock, and had eight children.
Julia Gofi, married John F. Boyle, engineer for the Lorain Steel Com-
pany, of JohnstoAvn. William Goff, died in infancy.
Peter Goff, second son and child of John and Bridgett (Cruse)
Goff, w^as born on the 1st day of April, 1849, and was five years old Avhen
his parents settled in JohnstoAvn. As a boy he attended the common
schools, and at the age of twelve years entered the service of the Cam-
bria Iron Company as a Avater bo3\ After three years he left the shops
and Avent back to school for a fcAv more months, but soon again returned
to the company as a driver. In 18^9, he went into the mill and Avorked
about tAvo years and then was given employment in the boiler shop. In
that department of the company's extensiA'C Avorks he began at the bottom
and gradually worked through all the branches of boiler construction
until he was a complete master of the art of boilermaking, for boiler con-
struction at the present time is both an art and a science. The Cambria
Steel Company loiew the cpiality and ability of the man, and in 1885 ad-
vanced him to the position of boiler inspector, Avhich he has held since
that time. His Avork is performed chiefly in the vicinity of Johnstown,
and as occasion requires he makes visits to Lewistown and to the coke re-
gions of southern Pennsylvania, wdiere the company's boilers are exten-
sively used. Mr. Goff' is at all times a busy man, and Avhile he takes an
interest in public affairs he has little inclination for indulgence in poli-
tics. He is not allied to either of the great political parties, and votes
independent of party ties. At one time he held the municipal office of
councilman, and served an unexpired part of the term of Sheriff Bau-
mer, Avho had resigned his office to become a candidate for state senator.
In religious preference Mr. Goff is a Soman Catholic. He lives in an ele-
gant residence on Singer street, in Johnstown, the site on Avhich his house
stands having been purchased by his father in 1855*, and his home is the
seat of comfort and generous hospitality. At the time of the JohnstoAA-n
flood the several members of Mr. Goff's family, except himself, were at
home, high above reach of the Avaters, but he was down in the business
district of the city and escaped only by running to high ground.
On April 14, 1874, Peter Goff married Sarah Braddock, a daughter
of Pius J. and Frances (Geiger) Braddock, of Johnstown. Mr. Brad-
dock Avas of English descent, a music teacher of profession, and lived
in Zanesville, Ohio, before he removed to Johnstown. His wife's father
niSTOBY OF CAMBBIA COUNTY. 133
was a soldier of the American army in the second war with Great Britain,
and was one of the defenders of Baltimore when that city was attacked
by the British army. Children of Peter and Sarah (Braddock) Go3:
John Goff, born January 6, 1875; married Henrietta Davis; Mr. GofE is
a machinist in the employ of the Cambria Steel Company.. Frances Goff,
born' August 6, 1877 ; married Dr. John L. Sagerson, a practicing phy-
sician of Johnstown, and of whom mention is made elsewhere in this
work. Agnes Goff, born March 12, 1880 ; married C. Arden Yinkey,
night editor of the Pittsburg Dispatcli. William Goff, born in 1883,
killed in an accident when three and one-half years old. Joseph Goff,
born September 14, 1885 ; died in infancy. George Goff, born October
30, 1887. Leo Goff, born March 11, 1890. Helen Goff, born Decem-
ber 2, 1894.
GAEL FABER. Johann Faber, of Hesse Darmstadt, Germany,
was a dealer in crockery, a man of quiet habits, and much respected among
the townsmen in Hesse ; bat this same quite tradesman at an earlier
period in life was an intrepid soldier of the German army. With his
brother, John Philip Faber, he belonged to the First Hesse Darmstadt
Eegiment and fought under Prince Emil in the Napoleonic wars of
1807-1813. These brothers took part in the dreadful march to Moscow,
the later retreat, and afterward fought at Waterloo. John Philip Faber
died at his old home in Hesse, at the advanced age of nearly ninety-nine
years; he never married. Johann Faber married Katherine Eobb, who
bore him four children: John (or Johann), Philip, Margaretta and
Katherine Elizabeth Faber.
Johann Faber, son of Johann and Katherine, was bom in Hesse
Darmstadt, at Steiheim, in 1815, and by occupation was a house framer.
He served ten years in the German army, and was in service during the
Eevolution of 1848. About 1842 he married Margaretta Fritz, daughter
of George Fritz, of Hesse Darmstadt. Johann Faber died in 1893,
having survived his wife by seven years. She died in 1886. They were
devout members of the Lutheran church. They had six children: 1.
Katherine Faber, widow of Henry Seibel, and still living at the old
home in Hesse. 2. Katherina Elizabeth Faber, died unmarried, at the
age of forty-five years. 3. Bertha Faber, died in childhood. 4. Carl
Faber, of Johnstown, the only member of this family living in America.
5. Elizabeth Faber, married John Schily, lives in Hesse. 6. Bertha
Faber, married Herman Eeberg, lives in Hesse.
Carl Faber, son of Johann Faber, and great-grandson of Johann
Faber, of Prince Emil's army, is the only member of the Faber family of
Hesse Darmstadt who left the Fatherland to make his home in America,
and that he did soon after having given his government the required army
ser^dce. He was born in Hesse Darmstadt, at Steiheim, September 19,
1849, and like the German youth of that period he was given a good edu-
cation at school. He also learned the trade of house framer, as his
father had done before him, and in 1869, then being twenty years old,
he entered the army, served in the Third Battery of Artillery, and dur-
ing his three years' term took part in many battles of the Franco-Ger-
man war. His battery was a part of the North Army, under command
of Prince Ludwig, and was known as the Twenty-fifth Division. He
was in the battle of Causse, on August 16, 1869, and the great battle of
Gravelotte, where the artillery suffered heavy losses, and where he was
wounded in the leg and in the thigh, but refused to quit his post. He
was in the three days' heavy fighting about Metz, and afterward joined
Vol. Ill— 9
134 HISTORY OF CAMBETA COUNTY.
in the siege of that town until it capitulated, October 27, 1869. The
next scene of battle was at Orleans, where the contest at arms was
waged for three days. The German troops entered the town the first
day, were driven out the second day, occupied the town again on the
third day and compelled the surrender of the enemy. After this the re-
mainder of his term of enlistment was spent in and around Orleans, do-
ing guard duty, with an occasional skirmish with the French.
Having completed the required period of service, Mr. Faber left
Germany and sailed for l^ew York, landing at that port in 1872. Since
that time America has been his country, and with the exception of five
months spent in the city of New York, Johnstown has been his home.
On coming to Johnstowai he soon found work as a rail heater in the
Gautier works under Superintendent Alexander Hamilton, and there-
after for a period of nineteen years he was steadily employed in that es-
tablishment. He then became proprietor of a hotel on Eailroad street,
in Johnstown, and in 1897 purchased the Alhambra Hotel, conducted it
four years, and then built and opened the Eathskeller on Washington
street. In 1905 he leased this property and retired from active busi-
ness pursuits. Living in comfortable retirement, Mr. Faber has de-
voted considerable time to travel. During his residence in Johnstown
he has twice visited Germany. His last trip abroad occupied five months,
and during that time he visited both Germany and France, particularly
his old home in Hesse Darmstadt, where both he and his wife found
warm friends to welcome them. He is a member and past grand of
Cambria Lodge No. 785, I. 0. 0. F. ; member and past sachem of Kick-
inapoling Tribe, No. 60, I. 0. R. M., and a member since 1874 of Johns-
town Turnverein. Mr. Faber was brought up in teachings of the Ger-
man Lutheran church.
On October 12, 1876, Carl Faber married Carolina Dinier, daugh-
ter of Louis and Elizabeth (Voenisch) Dinier. Mr. Dinier came to
America from Permasens, Bavaria ; his wife came from Hesse Darmstadt.
She died in 1877. Children of Carl and Carolina (Dinier) Faber: 1.
Edward Faber, bom September 13, 1877 ; died at the age of six years.
2. Eliza Faber, born July 2, 1879; died in infancy. 3. Carl Faber, born
October 13, 1882; married Lena Blum (born July 10, 1880) October
]5, 1903. Mr. Faber is a business man of Johnstown.
JO SI AH TUCKER EVANS, state mine inspector for the Sixth
Bituminous District of Pennsylvania, born July 24, 1848, in the city of
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, is the descendent in the following genealogi-
cal line:
Josiah Evans, the grandfather, was a native of Merthyr Tydville,
Glanmorganshire, South Wales. He was a coal miner all his days. He
was a member of the Baptist church and a strict churchman. He died
in Wales, 1817. He married and had children as follows: Ann, mar-
ried Thomas Davis, a merchant, both now deceased. Henry, see for-
ward.
Henry Evans, born in 1810, came to America in 1840, and first
went to Brownsville, Pennsylvania. An uncle had operated for some
years there in an iron foundry, and with him Mr. Evans worked for a
year or two. One son of this uncle. Captain Edward Evans, commanded
a steamboat on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers; another son operated a
brass foundry at Covington, Kentuclcy. So far as is now known, these three
were the only members of this Evans family in this country, in direct
line. Leaving Brownsville Henry Evans went to Pittsburg, where he
^^,J^<X ^^^^^
THE
NEW YORK
f PUBLIC LiB-RARY'
/V»t»r, Lenox »no Tllden,
founrfationi,
1809
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 135
worked in the old Pipetown Mills. Subsequently he worked in the mines
in what is now the "South-side" of Pittsburg. From there he was va-
riously employed along the Monongaliela river, finally coming to Johns-
town in July, 1854, where he worked for the Cambria Iron Company,
in their coal mines, to within a few years of his death, 1882. He en-
joyed very few educational advantages, but applied himself vigorously
to secure an education for himself. He came to be well informed on the
topics of the times, wrote an excellent hand, and was a frequent corre-
respondent for the Welsh newspapers, to which he was ever a regular sub-
scriber, as well as an earnest reader. Like his father, he was a strict
Baptist. He held the office of trustee of the Main Street Baptist Church
of Johnstown as long as he lived, and was a practical, devout Christian;
a man of strong convictions, but an exemplary life. Originally he voted
the Whig ticket; later was identified with the Eepublican party, from
which he never swerved. He refused to become an office holder.
By his marriage, in Wales, to iVnn Lovett, daughter of Israel and
Ann Lovett, natives of Merthyr Tydville, and granddaughter of Israel
Lovett, who was a miner and originally of Cornwall, there were born
Josiah Tucker, see forward, and Israel, born in 1850, died unmarried
in 1876. Both sons followed mining for an occupation. Ann (Lovett)
Evans, the mother, died 1882.
Josiah Tucker Evans, named for an ancestor who was an admiral
in the British navy, was born in the city of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania,
July 24, 1848, and accompanied his father to Johnstown, Pennsylvania,
when but seven years of age. He attended the public schools until about
ten years old and then, at that tender age, entered the works of the Cam-
bria Iron Co. as trapper-boy in their coal mines. From this he was
promoted to driving mules and from that to regular mining. This he
followed until about thirty years of age, when he leased and operated
a coal mine, near Moxham, and supplied coal to the local trade. Later
he and Peter Philips operated a mine near the old Johnstown brewery,
under contract to supply coal to the Gautier works, of the Cambria Iron
Company, which they did for a time. Mr. Evans was then selected by
Daniel J. Morrell, the president of the Cambria Iron Company, the
Edgar Thompson Works, Bethlehem Steel Works and the Steelton Steel
Works, to explore and investigate a tract of land in the heart of the
Adirondack mountains, said to contain magnetic ore, and which was of-
fered them for purchase. This occupied a few months, and when his
mission was accomplished successfully, he returned to Johnstown and
took the Woodvale colliery, on contract to furnish coal for the woolen
mills, flour mills and brick yards of the Woodvale Manufacturing Com-
pany. He Avas engaged in this enterprise about three years, at the end
of which time he passed successfully the examination for and was ap-
pointed to the office of state mine inspector.
It should be noted that while Mr. Evans' opportunities for school-
ing were very limited, he embraced every occasion to attend the night
schools, while working hard daytime, so by thus applying himself at all
times, he acquired not only a good general education, but much special
and technical knowledge, which has been invaluable to him throughout
life. Three times did he pass successful examinations above named, be-
fore receiving his appointment. The first time, in 1877, he was under
the requisite age (thirty) ; the second time he lacked political influence,
which at that time was absolutely necessary, but the third time, in 1885,
the civil service rules obtaining, and his average being the highest, he
was appointed. His position, by reason of the law, demands a re-ex-
13G HISTOBY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
amination ever}^ four years, yet Mr. Evans has had no difficulty in com-
plying with the requirements of the law, having held it ever since first
api3ointed, under Governor Hoyt. "When he first took the position, the
Sixth Mining District (bituminous) included all of Cambria, Bedford,
Huntingdon, Fulton and Blair counties, and parts of Clearfield, In-
diana and Westmoreland counties. At the present time, so vast has
become the increased mining industry, his territory includes a portion
of Cambria and Somerset counties, while the annual tonnage is approxi-
mately three times as great as formerly, when the territory named was
included. His duties involve a thorough inspection of every mine in his
district, as to ventilation, safety, drainage and sanitary conditions gen-
erally. Mr. Evans is a Republican, and on two occasions has been his
jjarty's candidate for nominee for the office of county treasurer. In his
church relations he is a lifelong Baptist, and soon after his father's
death, he was elected to the trusteeship thus made vacant. He is also
corresponding clerk of the Main Street Baptist Church at Johnstown.
Mr. Evans is a member of Cambria Lodge, F. and A. M., Johnstown
Chapter, and the Commandery of Knights Templar.
In 1873 Mr. Evans was married to Mary Ann ]\Iorgaji, daughter of
William Morgan, of Johnstown. Of this union six children were born,
four of whom, with the wife and mother, perished in the awful flood of
May 31, 1889. The children who survived this calamity were: Harry,
unmarried, who was killed in San Jose, California, in ISTovember, 190-1.
William, who married Grace Haws, and is now a machinist in the em-
ploy of the Cambria Steel Company. April 29, 1891, Mr. Evans mar-
ried Margaret Lewis, daughter of DaYicl and Ann (Davis) Lewis, of
Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Both of her parents were of Welsh birth.
David Lewis died Xovember 25, 1891. His widow died May 17, 1906.
Margaret (Lewis) Evans was one of eight children: Sarah Ann, wife
of T. E. Morgan, a merchant, of Johnstovtm. Elizabeth, died unmarried.
William K., now with the Lorain Steel Company, at Lorain, Ohio. Jen-
nie, wife of John M. Hews, with the Pennsylvania Traffic Company at
Johnstown. John, unmarried, with I. Marks & Sons, Johnstown. Car-
rie, unmarried. Catherine, wife of Thomas Berriman, of Johnstown.
By Mr. Evans' second marriage there are two children: Lewis Josiah,
born June 15, 1892 ; and Margaret, born June 9, 1895.
THE FRANKE FAMILY. Johann Christopher Franke was a
descendant of an old Prussian family, and was born in the province of
Saxe in 1791. He was well on in years when he emigrated to this
country, and lived less than ten years after he settled in Somerset county
in this state in 1857. He was a locksmith by trade, a good practical
mechanic, and could turn his hand to almost any kind of mechanical
work. While living in the old country he was married twice. The fam-
ily name of his first wife is not now known, but she bore him three
children, none of whom are now living. His second wife was Martha
Bleiding, by whom he had three children.
In the year 1857 Johann C. Franke and his wife and children came
to America' and took up their home in Somerset county, about a mile
and a half from Forwardstown. Later on he moved to the town just
mentioned and worked there at his trade and also at tinsmithing and
other mechanical employments until his death in March, 1864. He is
remembered as having been an honest and industrious man, and a
devoted member of the German Lutheran church. After the death of her
husband Mrs. Franke married Caspar Wehn, of Johnstown, a shoemaker
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 137
by trade, and who was a victim of the disastrous flood of May, 1889. He
then was a widower, his wife having died during Christmas week of the
previous year. The children of Johann Christopher and Martha (Bleid-
ing) Franke were as follows: Ephraim Franke, a shoemaker of Johns-
town; married Anna Muehlhauser, and has seven children. Frederick
Franke, an officer of the police station in Johnstown; married Lizzie
Ripple. Louisa Franke, married William Miller, a Kansas fanner. He
died in 1904.
Ephraim Franke, eldest of the children just mentioned, was born in
the province of Saxe, in Prussia, on the 23rd day of August, 1844, and
was thirteen years old when his parents came to America and settled in
Somerset county, Pennsylvania. When a boy he was sent to country
schools, but as he was the eldest son of parents in modest circum-
stances it was necessary that he find some employment. He learned shoe-
making and worked at it several months before he came with his mother
to Johnstown, in September, 1861. Then he was seventeen years old, and
soon afterward was apprenticed or bound for a year and three months
to Conrad Schirmer, a shoemaker, whose shop at that time was on
Market street. He served his time and afterward worked for Mr. Schirmer
for a year, then went to work for Wood, Morrell & Co., and was in that
employ seven years. When he left Wood, jMorrell & Co., Mr. Franke
went to Wheeling, West Virginia, and from that place to Pittsburg, and
worked at his trade in both cities. He returned to Johnstown about 1874
or 1875, and opened a shop on his own account. Since that time he
has been proprietor of a shoemaking business in the city, having been
located on Adams street for several years, and a fair degree of success
has been the reward of his industry and perseverance. He is a member
of the German Lutheran church and of Harmony Singing Society, and in
politics is a conservative Democrat.
He has been married twice. His first wife was Elizabeth Wilhelm, a
daughter of William Wilhelm, of Johnstown. She died in 1873, leaving
one daughter, Amelia Franke, who now is the wife of Henry Lentz, of
Johnstown. On the 12th of August, 1874, Mr. Franke married Anna
• Muehlhauser, daughter of Lenhardt and Veronica (Mutter) Muehlhauser,
of whom mention is made elsewhere in this work. Seven children have
been born of this marriage, viz. : Frederick William Franke, now in
the west. Edward Franke, born December 31, 1876 ; a business man
and drug clerk of Johnstown. Louis Franke, born December 17, 1878;
a druggist and pharmacist of Johnstown. August Franke, Otto Franke,
Charles Franke, Annie Franke — these four living at home.
EDWARD FRAjS^KE. Edward Franke, second son and child of
Ephraim and Anna (Muehlhauser) Franke, was born in Johnstown, on
the 31st of December, 1876, and received his education in graded schools
and the Bennett & Greer Commercial College of that city. At the age
of about eighteen years he began work as clerk for J. A. Larkin & Co.,
jewelers, remained with that firm about four or five years, and became
a practical jeweler and watch repairer. He then opened a jewelry repair
shop on his own account and carried on business about two years. After
that he went with H. B. Heffley in the drug business, and is still con-
nected with that house.
Mr. Franlce is not married. He is a member of the German Lutheran
church, of -Linton Lodge No. 451, Knights of Pythias, and in politics
votes independent of party affiliation. He is a member of Select Council.
138 HISTOI^y OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
LOUIS FEAXKE, Pliarm. D. Louis Franke, Doctor of Phar-
macy, was born in Johnstown on the 17th day of December, 1878, and
is third in the order of birth of the seven chiklren of Ephraim and
Anna (Muehlhauser) Franke, of whom mention is made in an earlier
part of this sketch.
Dr. Franke was educated in the Johnstown public schools, and in
1878, when he was sixteen years old, he was employed in C. G. Campbell's
drug store. In connection with clerical work there he took up the study
of pharmacy, and devoted much of his leisure to it for the next three
years. In 1897 he matriculated at the Philadelphia College of Phar-
macy, attended upon the courses of that institution for the next three
years, and was graduated. Doctor of Pharmacy, in 1900. In June of the
same year he opened a general pharmacy and drug store on the South
Side in Johnstown, in partnership with Dr. A. N". Wakefield. After
two years he sold out his interest in that store and then established his
present business on Horner street. He is a member of Trinity Lutheran
church ; member and prelate of Linton Lodge No. 451, Knights of
Pythias ; member of Vestal Camp, Woodmen of the World ; the Cambria
County Pharmaceutical Society, and the State and jSTational Associations
of Eetail Druggists. In politics he is a Republican.
On the 6th of jSTovember, 1902, Dr. Franke married Kate Estelle
Weimer. She was born on the 6th day of February, 1879, a daughter
of Hartman H. and Emina (Keyser) Weimer, now of Johnsto^vn, and
formerly of Donegal township, Westmoreland county. Dr. and Mrs.
Franke have one child, Eobert Louis Franke, born January 26, 190-4.
WILLIAM HESLOP, of Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsjdvania,
comes of a family of artisans skilled in color making, color blending, and
painting, and is of the third generation of Heslops in America who have
followed that occupation in life and made a complete success of it. His
American ancestor was James Gale Heslop, who was a son of Robert Hes-
lop, the latter having been born in England and lived in the city of
Manchester throughout the period of his life. Evidently he was a man
of consequence, as he served as alderman of his native town of Manches-
ter for sixty years, and for several years as its mayor. One of his sons
was Joseph Heslop, who was killecl at the battle of Waterloo. Others
of the family were men of prominence in the generations in which they
lived, but this narrative has chiefly to deal with the Heslop family and its
life on this side of the Atlantic ocean; of James Gale Heslop, his son
Gale and his grandson William, each in his time a prominent character
in the business history of Johnstown and of Cambria county.
James Gale Heslop was bom in England, on the 12th day of Feb-
ruary, 1797, and was a British subject until he left that country for
America in 1818, when he was twenty-one years old. He was skilled
in the making and blending of colors, having acquired that art by an
apprenticeship of eleven years' duration, and at a period when every
workman in that particular occupation was required to make his own
colors and blend them before he applied them. His genius as an ai'ti-
san lay not alone in his ability to make and blend colors, but in his re-
markable skill in applying them to wall papers — a process called stain-
ing — and in making colors for oils, calico prints, dyes and the like.
Such workmen as he were not mau}^ even in England, and the British
government forbade their emigration to Am_erica imless under the li-
cense of a passport, which was almost impossible to obtain. Although
young Heslop was a master of his trade in England, he received small
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 139
compensation for his services and well knew that far greater opportuni-
ties awaited him in America if he could by some means reach the shores
of this country. This he was determined to accomplish, and eventually
he succeeded through the kind assistance of his father, who happened to
have influence with the jnaster of a vessel about to sail for an American
port. Through the connivance of his father and the captain, young
Heslop was shipped as a cabin boy, although at the time he was of full
age, strong and in good health, ^^^len the vessel reached port at Balti-
more, the captain sent the young man ashore for the ostensible purpose
of obtaining and bringing back to him a twist of tobacco, and at the
same time handed him a small sum of money with which to make the
purchase. But when he was about to go over the ship's side, the captain
took him by the hand, bade him farewell and told him that he never
expected to see him again. Thus the thing was done, and James Gale
Heslop set foot on the free soil of America in the city of Baltimore in
the year 1818. He easily found work in the city and remained there
some time, then went to Philadelphia and was employed by Howell
Brothers, manufacturers of wall papers. In 1825 he went to Pottsville,
in Schuylkill county, married there in 1830, and two years afterward
removed to Johnstown, arriving there on the 14th day of February, 1832.
From that time until 1841 he was employed by the transportation com-
panies operating in the region, at first with the canal boat builders, and
afterward with the car builders for the old Portage railroad, for he was
a skillful letterer and with his finely mixed colors did an excellent busi-
ness in painting the names of canal boats on the stern and the com-
pany's name on the sides of the cars. Indeed he was about the only ex-
pert workman in his line in the locality at the time and soon gained suf-
ficient capital to set himself up in business.
In 1841 Mr. Heslop opened a shop on what is now Captain Hugh
Bradley's land, at the corner of Vine and Market streets, in Johnstown,
and there began "staining" wall papers. ISTaturally, his mechanical ap-
pliances were somewhat crude — decidedly so when compared with the
almost perfect methods of the present day — but they served a good pur-
pose at the time, and by the simple use of a block of wood his vegetable
colors, except green, were applied to strips of paper twenty-two inches
wide and ten yards long, on a flat bed. In this way he continued busi-
ness until 1848, when a cylinder press was introduced into use; and in
the construction and manipulation of this new appliance he had a hand,
for he was something of a general mechanical genius as well as a genius
in color making and staining. Not long after this he installed improved
machinery for Howell Brothers, his former employers in Philadelphia,
and also for James Howard & Co., of Pittsburg. Even at that time his
name and reputation were known throughout Pennsylvania. However,
in the course of a short tiijie he discontinued paper making and staining,
and opened a store on Main street, in Johnstown, for the sale of papers
and colors. He remained in business until about 1853, and then retired
with a fair competency. He died at his home in Johnstown, on the 12th
day of July, 1865. He had lived a good life, and commanded the re-
spect of all men who loved the right rather than the wrong. He was de-
voted to his profession, for profession it was rather than a mere trade
or occupation, • but he did not give undivided attention to it during the
later years of his useful life.
During the several years immediately preceding the Civil war he
took an earnest part in the general agitation of the slavery question, and
arrayed himself clearly and firmly on the side of those who most bitterly
140 EJ STORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
opiDosed it. Indeed he was one of the rankest Abolitionists in all the re-
gion, and held in utter contempt any measure that tolerated traffic in
human beings, white or black. In political life he originally was a
Whig, and later a strong Kepublican. For the negro he had no particu-
lar regard, but he could not bear to see one of God's creatures held in
bondage. The comfortable Heslop home in Johnstown was a noted
station on the famous "Underground Eailroad" between the slave states
of the south and the free soil of the north. Pennsylvania territory then
offered no secure place of refuge for escaping slaves, for the state was
continually overrun with fugitive slave hunters, and no house and no
home Avas safe against their searching parties armed with processes of
law and the equally obnoxious sanction of certain state authorities. But
notwithstanding all this, the home of James Gale Heslop offered at least
safe temporary refuge to fugitive slaves, and both he and his good wife
were instrumental in aiding them, feeding them and sending them along
in safety to more friendly regions farther north, where slave hunters
dare not follow. In his ardent belief in and advocacy of the universal
freedom of mankind, Mr. Pleslop subscribed for fifty copies of the Phil-
adelphia North American, one of the leading abolition organs of the
country, and caused them to be distributed and read in places where
the doctrines therein taught would be calculated to do the most good.
And in his zeal in aiding escaping slaves he prepared several secret places
about his home in which they were temporarily secure. One of these
places was in an old abandoned mine on the hill near his house, another
in the house itself, under the roof, and still another in a secret cellar un-
derneath his stable, which was entered through a trap door on which his
horses were bedded after the fugitive had been placed. His premises
were frequently visited and searched by slave hunters, but not so much
as one was ever taken while at his station. Mr. Heslop was brought up
under the influence of the Church of England, but later in life identified
himself with the Christian church, and was one of its elders and most
exemplary members.
In 1830, while living in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, he married Char-
lotte Bracewell, who was born in England, and was a daughter of
James Bracewell of Bristol. She survived her husband thirty years, and
died on the 3d of November, 1895. At the time of the Johnstown flood
Mrs. Heslop was living with her son Gale, and was, with her daughter
B[arriatt, the only members of the family caught in the rush of waters.
She remained in the ruined house from Friday afternoon until Sunday
morning, and then was carried to safety on a raft.
Children of James Gale and Charlotte (Bracewell) Heslop: Gale
Heslop, of Johnstown; married Elizabeth Eupp, and has had ten chil-
dren. Harriet Heslop, of Johnstown; unmarried; lives with her sister,
Mrs. Alexander Carroll. Alfred Heslop, a business man of Johnstown.
Anna Maria Heslop, married Henry Leslie, and is now dead. Emma
Heslop, married W. E. B. White, and lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Minerva Heslop, wife of Alexander Carroll, of Johnstown. William
Heslop, died in infancy. Eobert Heslop, died in infancy.
Gale Heslop, second child and eldest son of James Gale and Char-
lotte (Bracewell) Heslop, was born at Pottsville, Pennsylvania, on the
4th day of October, 1832, and was an infant when his parents removed
from that place to Johnstown. He was educated in the borough public
schools, and was only eleven years old when his father took him from
school and put him to work at his trade. At that time his father was
doing the letter and name painting on" nearly all the boats on the old
mSrORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 141
state canal between Blairsville and the mountains, and in helping with
this work he became expert in the art of letter painting, doing much of
that work himself. Later on he did the better grade of work on the
Portage railroad cars. On attaining his majority he became partner in
business with his father, and from that time until the latter retired from
active pursuits the firm name of Heslop & Son was well known in trade
circles in Cambria count3^ After the senior partner retired, his son con-
ducted the business alone until 1857, and then began his long period of
service with the Cambria Iron Compan3^ In 1899 he left the compar.y's
employ and retired from active life to look after his own property inter-
ests and to enjoy the fruits of many years of hard work.
Like his father. Gale Heslop always has taken an earnest interest
in public and political affairs, and, while he has held office, it never has
been for the advancement of personal interests. He is a Kepublican, and
as the nominee of that party was elected a member of the council before
the borough became a city. During his incumbency of the office an at-
tempt was made to appropriate various plots of public land to private
uses, and he was largely instrumental in defeating the nefarious measure.
For eleven years also he served as judge of elections. During the Civil
war Mr. Heslop Avas drafted for service, and so far as he himself was con-
cerned was willing to go to the front; but at that time he was in the
employ of the Cambria Iron Company, and as that corporation felt that
his service at the works -could not be dispensed with even temporarily,
Daniel J. Morrell, on behalf of the company paid the three hundred dol-
lars necessary to secure his exemption.
On the 3d day of May, 1853, Gale Heslop married Elizabeth Rupp,
daughter of John and Anna Elizabeth (Kaab) Eupp, both of whom
were natives of Germany, and came to America in 1834, settling in Som-
erset county. Eleven children were bom of this marriage: William
Heslop,. a business man of Johnstown; married Margaret Hocker, and
has three children. Harriet Heslop, married Archibald Thompson, and
is now a widow living in Pittsburg. Franklin Heslop, married Elsie By-
roads, and lives in Johnstown. Elizabeth Heslop, married ]\Iowry Bon-
ner, and is now a widow living in Johnstown. Harry B. Heslop, mar-
ried May McLaughlin, and lives in Coopersdale. Charlotte, married
James Lindsey, of Pittsburg. Five died in infancy.
William Heslop, eldest son and child of Gale and Elizabeth (Rupp)
Heslop, was born in Johnstown on the 3d day of July, 1851. He re-
ceived a meager education in the public schools, and when old enough to
work began to learn the trade of his father and grandfather. At twenty-
one he began work for the Cambria Iron Company, and continued in the
employ of that corporation for twenty-five years, chiefly .as a practical
house painter having charge of other men and the oversight of a vast
amount of work, for tlie company owned more than eight hundred
houses and buildings, and it was his duty to see that they were kept in
proper condition. In 1889 Mr. Heslop left the company and started
in business on his own account in Johnstown. Although he never was
■employed in a factory in which stained glass was manufactured, he never-
theless acquired a perfect knowledge of that art by inheritance and native
■ability, and he seems also to have inherited something of his grand-
father's genius for mixing and blending colors artistically; for since he
began business his attention has been devoted chiefly to that line of work,
and he has made a complete success of it. In his factory is produced all
kinds of art glass, leaded stained glass, and even the more modern hard
metal windows, employing copper, etc., in place of the less durable lead.
142 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
His works are equipped with sand blast and staining furnaces and the
latest improved machines and devices for producing the very finest
grades of work. As a designer and blender of colors Mr. Heslop ranks
with the most skillful workmen in the country. His business is large
and he receives and fills special orders and contracts from many of the
large cities. In 1902 Mr. Heslop admitted his son to partnership with
him, and from that time until 1904 the business was carried on under
the firm style of Wm. Heslop & Son. In the year last mentioned the
firm incorporated under the name of Johnstown Stained Glass and Elec-
tric Fixture Company, with ample capital to carry on business on an
extensive scale, and with officers as follows: William Heslop, president;
E. H. Wise, secretary and treasurer, and William H. Heslop, superin-
tendent and designer.
In 1875 William Heslop married Margaret Hocker, daughter of
John Hocker of Johnstown. Three children have been born of this mar-
riage: Clara Heslop, born October, 1876, lives at home. William H,
Heslop, born November, 1877, superintendent and designer of the
Johnstown Stained Glass and Electric Fixture Company. Ida Heslop^
born December, 1880; married Philip Bender, ' of Johnstown. Mr.
Heslop and family are members of the Lutheran church.
ANSON BUELINGAME COOPEE, a practical man of business
of Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, holding a position of
trust and responsibility for many years for the Cambria Steel Company,
is highly honored and respected in the community in which he makes his
home. He has many of the desirable characteristics of his ancestors,
those on the paternal side being Irish, and the maternal, Scotch.
Joshua Cooper, grandfather of Anson Burlingame Cooper, and the
pioneer ancestor of the Cooper family in this country, was born in coun-
ty Tyrone, north of Ireland, about 1778. He emigrated to the United
States in 1786, and came to Somerset county, where he was reared and
folloAved the occupation of farming. He secured a tract of land in what
is now Jenner township, Somerset county, but which was then a part of
Bedford county, on the ground afterward selected for the stone pike lead-
ing from Philadelphia and Baltimore to Pittsburg. Joshua Cooper lived
with his widowed mother, four brothers and one sister, who had crossed
the ocean with him. Upon the completion of the stone pike before men-
tioned, there was a great demand for teams and wagons for the transpor-
tation of goods between the large cities, and the Cooper family were not
slow in taking advantage of this means of transacting business. Joshua
Cooper was twice married. By his first wife he had children — five sons
and three daughters: 1. William, lived to an advanced age near Johns-
town, and was buried near Jenner. 2. Francis, married, and had four
sons and six daughters. 3. Charles, and 4, Hugh ; there is no record
extant except that they ended their days in Somerset county. 5. Josh-
ua, located in Westmoreland county, near Murrysville. His land later
became valuable natural gas property. One of his sons. Dr. John M.
Cooper, has been for years a prominent dentist in Pittsburg. Joshua
Cooper married his second wife, Jane Boyd, in Somerset county, and by
her he had one son and seven daughters: 1. James, see forward. 2.
Agnes, died in her girlhood, of typhoid fever. 3. Eachel, married
Chrisley Berkey, a carpenter and cabinet maker, lived for many years in
Jenner, removed to Johnstown early in the sixties, where Mr. Berkey
died in 1866, leaving her with five children — four sons and one daugh-
ter. 4. Eebecca, married, in 1850, Eev. John Eiley, a minister of the
HISTORY OF CAMBEIA COUNTY. 143
United Brethren church. They lived in Somerset, AVestmoreland and
Mercer counties for eighteen years, then removed in 1868 to Missouri,
where Eev. Eiley recently died in Asbury, Jasper county. They raised
several children to maturity. 5. Jemima, married, in 1850, Eev. David
Shearer, also a minister of the United Brethren church. He was well
and favorably known in Cambria county, having been a resident of
Johnstown for a number of years, and also filling many of the appoint-
ments of that conference. He died recently at Grreensburg, which had
been his home for some time. They had four children, all lived to ma-
turity, but all with the exception of one son are now deceased. 6. Kez-
iah, married about 1853, John Barnes, a son of Daniel Barnes, an old
resident of Johnstown during the best days of the Pennsylvania canal.
They lived for a few years on the Barnes (afterward Barnhart) farm,
near the "Whiskey Springs," but later removed to Illinois and settled on
a farm near Eushville. The father, whose occupation was chiefly that
of farming, died some years since. Several sons and daughters were
born to them. 7. Jane married, about 1855, Henry B. Barnes, a plas-
terer by trade, and a brother of John Bai-nes, mentioned above. They
made Johnstown their home with the exception of one year spent in the
west, and another year at the old Cambria Furnace, where Mr. Barnes
had charge of the coke yard. Many of the finest houses in Johnstown
attest the skill and faithfulness of his work. He was actively engaged in
his trade until shortly before his death, which was due to a stroke of
paralysis. Six sons and four daughters were bom to tJiis couple. The
eldest son died in infancy; and another died in boyhood. All the other
children are residents of Johnstown, as is their widowed mother. 8,
Levina, married Joseph Ankeny, of Jenner, Somerset county, Pennsyl-
vania, in 1858. They removed to Johnstown in 1861, where they resided
for thirty years, Mrs. Ankeny dying there in 1894.
James Cooper, only son of Joshua and Jane (Boyd) Cooper, was
born in Jenner township, Somerset county, Pennsylvania, February 27,
1821. He succeeded in acquiring what was a good education in those
days and in that section of the country, but which would be considered
a very moderate one at the present time. Though but seventeen years of
age at the time of his fathers death, he took upon himself the support
of his mother and sisters. He taught school for several terms and was
engaged in the transportation of goods on the turnpike between the large
cities. He removed to Bens Creek Furnace in 1847, which he was to fur-
nish with ore from the Mill Creek mines. Two years later he was em-
ployed by J. Bell & Brother to manage Washington Furnace, in West-
moreland county, from which position he resigned in 1851 to become
manager of the Cambria Furnace, where he remained until it went out of
blast in 1860. The Cambria Iron Company, appreciating his faithful
services and wishing to retain him in its employ, appointed him super-
intendent of farms and stables, a position he retained until his death,
June 8, 1887. He purchased the tract of land on which Coopersdale
was built, in 1858, and the place was so named in his honor, and received
many substantial favors at his hands. He was a man of strong business
integrity and remarkable working capacity. He attained his position of
influence and aftluence solely through his own unaided efforts, and his
loss was keenly felt by the comraunit}^ At the time of his death he was
trustee of the Johnstown Savings Bank and president of the Eidgeview
Park Association. He was an old time Whig, and later a Eepublican in
politics, and served several terms as school director, besides acting as
aide-de-camp to Governor Pollock during the latter's term of office. He
144 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
served one term of three years as commissioner of Cambria county, and
was the nominee of his party for the legislature, but was defeated, al-
though running ahead of his ticket in the county, which was then strong-
ly Democratic. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church of
Coopersdale, to which he donated a lot, and contributed liberally toward
the erection of the church edifice.
He married, November 25, 1841, Elizabeth Ann Boyd, born Janu-
ary 13, 1823, died September 8, 1894, daughter of James Boyd, of Jen-
ner, Somerset count}'. The Boyds came from Virginia, and probably
originally from Scotland, and settled in Pennsylvania, about the same-
time as the Coopers, securing an adjoining tract of land. William
Boyd, the maternal great-grandfather of Anson Burlingame Cooper, was
born in 1758, died in 1842. He was a man who set a noble example to
his descendants. He was of sterling character, a giant in physical
strength, yet possessed of a mild and gentle temper. He lived at peace
with all men, and was respected and loved by all who knew him. He
was a devout Christian, and a great reader of the Bible, the Book of
Psalms being his favorite reading. He married Agnes , who
lived to the advanced age of ninety-two years. Their children: 1.
James married , and was left a widower with six young children,
who were given a home and raised by their grandparents, William and
Agnes Boyd. They were: 1. William, spent his entire life of forty
years .in Somerset county. He married and had three sons and one
daughter. The eldest son, James K. Boyd, has been a resident of Johns-
town since 1864, and has held various offices of trust and responsibility,
among them being those of auditor, city treasurer and mayor. 2. Josh-
ua never married, and after a temporary residence in almost every state
in the Union, settled in Johnstown at the age of fifty years, and died
there in 1892 at the age of seventy-three years. 3. John resided for a
number of years in Greensburg, and died there unmarried in 1859, at
the age of forty-two years. 4. Thomas located in Pittsburg, Pennsyl-
vania, married there, and died in 1879, at the age of fifty-eight years,
leaving a widow, two sons and one daughter. 5. Elizabeth Ann, mar-
ried James Cooper, as previously stated. 6. Jane, the youngest of the
family, married Joseph Skelley, of Westmoreland coimty, but also well
known in JohnstoAVTi. They had three sons and three daughters. Three
of the children are now living and are residents of Irwin, Pennsylvania.
Joseph Skelley died in 1890, and his wife shortly afterward.
2. John, spent his entire life in Somerset county, married there
and raised a family. One of his sons, Theophilus, deserves the credit of
'^'spying out the land" for the family, in Cambria county. In the spring
of 1847 he visited Bens Creek Furnace, and from some source was in-
formed that the owners — one of whom was the late George S. King, of
Johnstown — were desirous of getting some one to take the contract of
delivering ore from the Mill Creek mines, a few miles up the eastern
slope of the Laurel Ridge, to the furnace at Bens Creek. Knowing that
James Cooper, his uncle was dissatisfied with farm life, he conveyed to
him the news of this excellent opening, and the result was that they both
at once located at Bens Creek. This enterprise was carried on by means
of a tramway, the cars being moved by horse power. When James Coop-
er assumed the management of Washington Furnace in Westmoreland
county, Theophilus Boyd accompanied him, but in 1850 he contracted the
'•gold fever" and took the overland route to California. He became a
prominent citizen of Stockton, California, and after the completion of
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 145
the Pacific railroad in 18G9;, made several trips to the east. He never
married, and died in Stockton, California, in 1890.
3. David died in early manhood of typhoid fever.
1. Thomas removed while young to Allegheny county, Pennsylvan-
ia, married and died there.
The children of James and Elizabeth Ann (Boyd) Cooper were
eleven in number, of Avhom the following nained are now living: 1. Dr.
Joshua M., a well known physician of Meadville, Pennsylvania, married
Salome McFarland. 2. Maggie J., married D. A. Harris, chief clerk of
the time office of the Cambria Steel Company, resides in CoojDersdale,
Johnstown. 3. Kizzie E., married N. B. Griffith, now deceased. 4.
Emma L., married C. H. Loughrey, with the Lorain Steel Company,
Lorain, Ohio. 5. Anson B., see forward.
Anson Burlingame Cooper, youngest surviving child of James and
Elizabeth Ann (Boyd) Cooper, was born at Coopersdale, now Johnstown,
Cambria county, Pennsylvania, August 13, 1860. He received his ele-
mentary education in the public schools of his native township, pursued
his academic studies in private schools, and then became a student at
Mount Union College, Alliance, Ohio, from which he was graduated in
the class of 1883. Immediately after his graduation he entered the
service of the Cambria Iron Company, and had been advanced a number
of times, when, at the death of his father, the management of the farms-
and stables was entrusted to his care. His record in this responsible po-
sition bids fair to rival that of his father. Under his direct supervision
come the numerous farms acquired by the Cambria Steel Company, and
the management of a vast number of teams, and a large force of men,,
comprising laborers, farmers, stablemen and teamsters. He is a practical
man of business as well as a man of education and general information,
and is honored and respected in the community in which he has his home.
In his political views Mr. Cooper is a Republican, and has served as Jus-
tice of the peace for several years, and represented his ward in the select
council from the incorporation of the city of Johnstown until 1901. He
is a member of the Coopersdale Methodist Episcopal Church, in which
he has served as trustee for several years.
He married, September 20, 1883, Nannie Stutzman, daughter of
George W. and Sarah (Seigh) Stutzman, the former a retired merchant
of Coopersdale, and they have children : James Blaine, Sarah Elizabeth,
Myrtle Stutzman, George Stutzman, Anson Boyd, Francis. All these
children are residing with their parents.
ZIMMEPtMAN" FAMILY. Eugene Zimmerman, of Johnstown,
^Pennsylvania, of whom this sketch is intended particularly to treat, is one
of the active young men of that city, proprietor of a livery business and
owner of considerable valuable property in lands. He came to Johnstown
with his mother about thirty-five years ago, when he was a child. His
father was the late Charles Zimmerman, who was a son of Charles Zim-
rncrman, a native of Germany. He was the ancestor of this particular
branch of the Zimmerman family in Pennsylvania, hence this sketch
naturally begins with him.
Charles Zimmerman was born at Biedenkopf, Hesse Darmstadt,
Germany, November, 1814, and by trade was a wheelwright and cabinet-
maker. iVt the age. of aboiit twenty-three he married, and the next year,
1839, sailed with his young wife for America in company with Casper
Bergraff and his wife, and landed at Baltimore, September 9, 1839.
From Baltimore Mr. Zimmerman and his wife traveled by stage to Co-
146 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
lumbia, Pennsylvania, and thence by canal boat to Johnstown, where
they began housekeeping on the island. At that time the young cabinet-
maker could not find a vacant house for rent in the town and was com-
pelled to hire a barn on Locust street, which he remodeled for occupancy,
and there he opened his shop, doing work at his trade and also making
spinning wheels for the country housewives of the vicinity. In 1841 he
purchased from Shapley Priestly a dwelling house on Main street, where
he carried on his business and soon became a man of considerable conse-
quence in the town, for he was a good mechanic, a good neighbor, and per-
haps was a better informed man than most of his townsmen. He helped
to build the second house on the South Side, which was put up for one
Kleinhaus on the site now of No. 31 Morris street, and which in later
years was known as "the old log house." On August 16, 1852, Mr. Zimmer-
man's buildings were destroyed by fire, and soon afterward he bought of
Jolin Parke the property on Main street, where the Zimmerman building
now stands. Here he kept public house and carried on a grocery store
until his death, March 33, 1888.
In 1852 Mr. Zimmerman was appointed notary public by Governor
Johnson, and he is believed to have been the first incumbent of that of-
fice in Johnstown; he was subsequently reappointed to office by each suc-
ceeding governor until he died. Besides his hotel and grocery Mr. Zim-
merman was agent in Johnstown for the North German Lloyd Steam-
ship Company, and his house was much frequented by persons about to
return to Europe as well as by immigrants from the old country.
He was a well educated man and was conversant with history and
fond of poetry and general literature; he was popular with the towns-
men, thoroughly loyal to the institutions of America and the Common-
wealth of Pennsylvania, and was a member of the state militia organiza-
tion in which Judge Potts, Mayor Flannigan and John Seeton were offi-
cers or members. He was a charter member of Cambria Lodge, No. 278,
F. and A. M., of Johnstown, and Portage Lodge, No. 220, of Hollidays-
burg, having joined May 3, 1848. At the time of his death he was one
of the very oldest memlDers of those organizations. He also was an Odd
Fellow. He was a member of the First German Lutheran church in
Johnstown, and he gave material help in the erection of the house of
worship of that society.
In May, 1837, while living at Beidenkopf, Hesse Darmstadt,
Charles Zimmerman married Christina Fronheiser, born May 1, 1817.
died November 20, 1886, sister of the late Jacob Fronheiser and the late
Mrs. Casper Burgraff, with whom and her husband he and his young wife
came to America two years afterward. Of this marriage seven children
were born: 1. Charles, see forward. 2. Alexander, now dead. 3. Ja-
cob, a prominent member of the Johnstown bar. In 1868 he married
Sally Woodward, and had three children — Laura, Edith and Emma
Zimmerman, the first and last mentioned of whom were lost in the flood
of May, 1889. Sally Woodward Zimmerman died July 4, 1887, after
which Mr. Zimmerman married Lilly Emerson, of Johnstown, by whom
he has one daughter — Jessie Lee Zimmerman. 4. Amanda, married
Louis Eeitz and is now dead. 5. Edward A., an artist and photographer
of Johnstown. He was born May 29, 1847; married (first) Eliza Hicks,
who died March 26, 1887. Their children: Ernest, Kossuth, Garrett, Ja-
cob, Guy, now dead ; Paul, Fern, now dead. Mr. Zimmerman married
(second) Minnie Hoskinson, by whom he has three children — Greeta,
Helen and lona Zimmerman. 6. Kossuth, now dead. 7. Emma, wife
of J. D. Lopenstein. n ; ,j,V:J
HI STORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 147
Charles Zimmerman, eldest son and child of Charles and Christina
(Fronheiser) Zimmerman, was born at Biedenkopf, Hesse Darmstadt,
Germany, November 14, 1837, and was less than two years old when his
parents came to America. He was sent to school in Johnstown, and after
leaving school learned the trade of tinsmithing and worked at it about
three 3'ears. In 1859 he went into the California gold fields, but re-
turned home in the next year. In 1862 he enlisted as a private in the
One Hundred and Thirteenth Pennsylvania Infantry and became second
lieutenant. He was in all of the battles in which his regiment took part
until the Second Bull Kun, when he was captured and held two months
in Confederate prisons. He was then paroled, returned to his regiment
and was soon discharged for disabilities.
On his return to Johnstown from the service, ]\Ir. Zimmerman began
buying and selling horses and soon found himself engaged in that busi-
ness on an extensive scale. He dealt chiefly in blooded stock and his sta-
bles contained many Kentucky thoroughbreds and other fine stock. In
1872 he started a first-class livery in the city and was successful in his
business undertakings. At the time of the great flood of May, 1889, Mr.
Zimmerman and his wife were at their home, and their large frame
house was torn completely in half by the terrible rush of water. One-
half of the structure was almost instantly crushed, while the remaining
half drifted slowly away. Fortunately both he and his wife were in the
second half, and were rescued uninjured. At that particular moment
their only son Eugene should have been at one of the stables, the smaller
of which was wrecked entirely, but owing to some fortunate circum-
stance the young man that day had driven out to Somerset and thus es-
caped what otherwise would have been certain death. The larger of the
stables was carried a few hundred feet from its foundation, but none of
the contents was injured in any way and nothing was lost. Charles Zim-
merman died at his home in Johnstown, September 4, 1899. He had
been brought up under the influence of the Lutheran church and his wife
was a member of the Presbyterian church. In politics he was a firm Tie-
publican and took an active interest in public affairs, although he never
would consent to stand as a candidate for political office. He was a
member of Emory Fisher Post, No. 30, Grand Army of the Republic.
Mr. Zimmerman was twice married. His first wife was Mary Ken-
nedy, who died childless. His second wife was Margaret Elmira Atkin-
son, who was born in the state of Delaware and died on Easter Sunday,
1898. She was a daughter of Gove Atkinson, who was of Connecticut par-
entage. Gove Atkinson married Rhoda Todd, who at the time of her
marriage with Mr. Atkinson was Widow Gullett, and had one son. The
Todds were of Scotch origin, an old family and of strong religious ten-
dencies. They donated the land on which Todd Chapel, an historic
Methodist Episcopal church, now stands in Kent county, Delaware. Gove
Atkinson was a man of scholarly attainments, but not remarkable as a
business man. He lived to nearly ninety years and is buried in the
graveyard at Todd Chapel. Charles and Margaret Elmira (Atkinson)
Zimmerman had two children, the elder of whom, Eugene Zimmerman,
is specially mentioned in this record. The younger child, Marian Chris-
tine Zimmerman, was born in February, 1890, and was eight years old
when her mother died. Since her father's death she has made her home
with relatives in Ridgely, Maryland.
Eugene Zimmerman, elder child and only son of Charles and j\Iar-
garet Elmira (Atkinson) Zimmerman, was bom in the city of Philadel-
phia, Pennsylvania, May 10, 1869, and came with his parents to Johns-
148 TIISTOFr OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
town in June of the same year. He was educated in the Johnstown pub-
lic schools and at Knapp's Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, and after
leaving school he undertook the management of two of his father's busi-
ness enterprises and at the same time kept the books in connection with
the livery business. In fact he managed most of his father^s various in-
terests until the death of the latter and then became proprietor. His
present completely appointed stables were finished and occupied in April,
1905, and with their stock and general equipment for livery purposes
comprise one of the best establishments of the kind in southern Pennsyl-
vania. Mr. Zimmerman is one of Johnstown's most enterprising business
men, and has several other important interests besides his stables. He is
an extensive real estate proprietor, having an interest in the Zimmerman
Building, the ISTew Senate Hotel and other valuable properties. In poli-
tics he is an independent Eepublican, and holds membership in Vestal
Camp 'No. 33, Woodmen of the World, of Johnstown, also S. of V..
Johnstown.
Eugene Zimmerman married, June 10, 1S90, Celia Conlogue,
daughter of John and (Gallagher) Conlogue, of Johnstown. Mr.
Conlogue is and for many years has been foreman in one of the depart-
ments of Cambria Steel Company. Mr. and ]\Irs. Zimmerman have three
children: Grace Ellene, born June 10, 1891; Charles Frederick, bom
April 1, 1893 ; Eugenia, born November 24, 1895,
HERMAN BAKTLY, whose name has long been associated with
the hardware trade of Johnstown, was born October 14, 1843, at Kirsch-
eim, Germany, coming to this country with his parents when he was but
eight years of age. His foreparents were as follows:
I. Philip Bantle, as it was originally spelled, was born in 1764,
at Kirscheim unter Teck, Koenigreich, Wurtemburg, Germany. His wife
was Wilhelmina Schrag. Both died in Germany.
II. Gottleib Philip Bantly, son of Philip Bantle (I), was born at
the old home in Germany, December 14, 1804, died at Scalp Level, Cam-
bria county. May 4, 1883. He came to America about 1860. His wife,
Eosina (Schrag) Bantly, was born June 5, 1811, at Gross Eislingen, 0.
B. Goeppingen, Koenigreich, W^urtemburg, Gennany, and died there
about 1858. Their children were: 1. Gottleib Theodore, born at the
old home August 29, 1834, married Christiane Sophie Wilhelmina Stoll,
who died at Johnstown, Pennsylvania, November 8, 1875. Gottleib T.
has been a prominent citizen of' Johnstown for many years. 2. Charles
August, born 1836, died July 22, 1902, at Lebanon, Missouri. He was
in the Civil war and was in Andersonville prison. 3. Herman, men-
tioned hereafter. 4. Theodore, who was a soldier in the Union cause in
time of the Civil war; died in Andersonville prison-pen. 5. Christopher,
]iow living at Scalp Level, Pennsylvania. 6. William, who was drowned
in the Johnstown flood of 1889. Both Charles and Theodore were mem-
bers of the Fifty-first Pennsylvania Regiment, Volunteers.
III. Herman Bantly, who came to this country when a mere boy,
assisted his father, who was a tanner in Germany but established a grist
mill at Scalp Level, Pennsylvania, upon coming to America. Coupled
with the flouring mill was a saw mill, and around these mills young Her-
man spent his A'outhful days. When about twenty years of age he com-
menced to clerk for his brother Gottleib T., with whom he continued for
about eight years. He then formed a partnership with Ed. H. Fron-
lieiser, as Bantly & Fronheiser, purchasing his brother Gottleib's hard-
ware business on Clinton street. This continued until 1892, when Mr.
HISTOIiY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 149
Bantly bought his partner out and continued alone, on Bedford street,
until 1903, wiieu he sold to the Swank Hardware Company. In 1898 the
Cambria Paint Company was organized and ^Ir. Bontly was made its
president. He is also a director of the Hollow Block Concrete Co. The
Bantly family have always been interested in the hardware trade, and
Herman has been one of the most successful of the name in the business.
]\Ir. Bantly married, October 4, 1882, Maria C. Lowmau, daughter
of Samuel and Elizabeth' (McClaine) Lowman, of Indiana, Indiana
county, Pennsylvania. The issue by this marriage was: 1. Mary E.,
born October 6, 1886, married Dr. C. L. Beatty and lives in Xew Castle,
Pennsylvania. 2. Kosa Lee, born May 14, 1889. 3. Herman, born
April 5, 1891. The family are members of the English Lutheran
church. Mr. Bantly is a member of Johnstown lodge No. 538, F. and A.
M. ; Oriental Commandery Xo. (Jl ; Jaffa Temple, of Altoona, Penn-
sylvania; Consistory, A. A. O. X. ^1. S.
Of Mrs. Bantly's people it may be said that Samuel Lowman was
the son of Abraham and Susan Lowman, farmers of Indiana county.
Samuel was a fanner and a carpenter. The children of Samuel Lowman
were: 1. Mary, married H. C. ]\lcKee. 2. Posana, wife of Dr. F. T.
Overdorf, of Johnstown. 3. John, married Carrie M. Dill. Their son
Itoy is a graduate of Annapolis, and is in the navy. -4. H. M., unmar-
ried, lives witli Mr. Bantly, with whom he is a partner in various enter-
prises. 5. ^[aria C, wife of Herman Bantly. Samuel Lowman, the
father of Mrs. Herman Bantly, was born in 1814, died 1858. His wife
Elizabeth was bom in 1812, clied in 1879. She was the daughter of
Daniel McClaine, one of three children, the others being: Rosanna, wife
<d George Lowman; Christina, single. The other children of Abraham
LoAvman were: 1. Abraham, married Xancy Mclllhoe. 2. Thomas,
married Elizabeth Graham. 3. John, married Mary Allison. 4. George,
a contractor and county commissioner of Indiana county, Pennsylvania,
married Rosanna McClaine. 5. Michael, married Xancy Walker. 6.
William, married Xancy Anthony. ' 7. Mary, married John Gilmore.
8. Xancv, married Samuel Lucas. 9. Rosa, maxried William McFar-
land.
HIRAM SWAXK, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, now retired from
active pursuits is one of the oldest business men of that city. He came
to that place from Davidsville, Pennsylvania, 1854, and started a pot-
tery. Two years afterward he was joined by his brother Jacob, and
from that time the firm of J. & H. Swank was known in manufactur-
ing circles in Cambria county for more than thirty years. In 1862
the firm added a general hardware business to the pottery enterprise and
continued it as a part of the joint property until 1887, when the part-
nership was dissolved, Jacob Swank taking over the mercantile business,
while Hiram retained the pottery branch.
Soon after the dissolution of the firm Hiram Swank changed the
character of his potterv' and began the manufacture of a special fire
brick, which was and still is used extensively in steel works. From the
very l)eginning the new venture seems to have been a success and the
business has beeu continued to the present time, although the works have
frec|uently been enlarged to meet the increasing demand for the product,
and at the same time there have been occasional changes in the personnel
of the firm. The plant as it now stands represents a considerable invest-
ment of capital, employs a large number of workmen and is numbered
with the leading industries of Johnstown. The product of the works is
Vol. Ill— 10
150 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
marketed throughout the United States and Canada, and considerable
shijDments are made to Nova Scotia. When Mr. Swank's sons, Charles
and Albert, became of age they acquired an interest in the business and
then the firm took the style of Hiram Swank & Sons. In 1898 the senior
partner retired and his interest in the business was taken by his son Mil-
ton. Then the firm name changed to Hiram Swank's Sons, as since
known in trade circles, although two other sons, James W and Ealph L.
Swank, are now members of the firm and Charles M. Swank, eldest son
of the founder and original proprietor, is now dead.
Hiram Swank has contributed his full share to the industrial pros-
perity of the borough and city of Jolinstown, also to the building up of
Johnstown, erecting a large number of residence properties, and is en-
titled to the rest and retirement his earlier years of earnest effort have
enabled him to take. His business life has been a success and he has
been the means of furnishing profitable employment to hundreds and
perhaps thousands of workingmen during the course of his long career.
His old employes remember him with gratitude and ajffection, and a wide
circle of business and social acquaintances hold him in high esteem for
his sterling integrity and moral worth.
Hiram Swank was born in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, July 16,
1834, a son of Samuel and Katherine (Snyder) Swank, and a descendant
of the Swank family, which is made the subject of extended mention in
this work. He was brought up on a farm and attended school until he
was about nineteen years old, when he began work as clerk in a general
store. After a je&T there he went to Davidsville and learned the trade of
a potter. Later for two years he and his brother Jacob carried on a pot-
tery business at that place. In 1851 Hiram left Davidsville and came to
Johnstown, where his brother joined him in 1856, and in the same year
the firm of J. & H. Swank began a general pottery business in the then
borough, as is mentioned in a preceding paragraph. He was a member
of the. First Lutheran church.
In 1862 Mr. Swank married Melinda E. Wills, daughter of Elias
Wills, of Somerset township. jS^ine children were born of this marriage:
1. Charles McClelland, born June 1, 1863, married Charlotte Oppy,
daughter of William Oppy, of Johnstown, and had one son — Albert Mil-
ton Swank, born October 6, 1890. Mr. and Mrs. Swank are now dead.
2. Annie E., born March 10, 1865, married F. B. Harmoney, of Johns-
town. 3. iVlbert Franklin, born November 17, 1867. 4. Leonore, born
February 14, 1871, died September 3, 1871. 5. Milton E., born October
6, 1872, is a prominent Mason, a member of "Johnstown Lodge Xo. 538,
F. and A. M. ; Portage Chapter Xo. 195, E. A. M. ; Cambria Council
No. 32, E. and S. M. ; Oriental Commandery No. 61, K. T., and Java
Temple, A. A. 0. N. M. S. He also is an Elk, and Ivnight of Pythias.
6. Ida May, born June 16, 1875, married Frank Phillips, of Johnstown,
Pennsylvania. 7. Mary B., born July 5, 1877, married L. G. Zang, of
Johnstown, Pennsylvania. 8. James Webster, bom February 10, 1880,
married Elizabeth Crotzer, daughter of AVilliam Crotzer, of Elk Haven,
Pennsylvania, and has one son — James Webster Swank, Junior. 9.
Ealph Lloyd, born March 28, 1883. These sons and daughters were all
born in Jolinstown and were educated in the i^ublic aiid graded schools
of the city. Charles IMcClelland Swank, the eldest son, was a practical
machinist for several years previous to his connection with the pottery
enterprise. He developed into an excellent business man, but death cut
off his useful career.
HISTORY OF CA3IBRIA COUNTY. 151
x4.LFEED HESLOP, of Johnstown. Pennsylvania, is a painter and
paper-hanger, and comes of a family noted for skill in the art of color-
making and blending, designing, and painting. But Alfred Heslop has
not always followed the occupation of his father, although he began
working with him when only al)out twelve years old. Instead, when he
was seventeen, he followed the tide of immigration to Kansas, and for
the next several years was closely connected with events which made his-
tory in the West.
At Leavenworth, Kansas, Mr. Heslop enlisted with the Utah expedi-
tion under General Smith, which had for its purpose the chastisement of
the Mormons. After peace was declared with these people, Mr. Heslop
went on an expedition imder Colonel (afterwards General) Sumner
against the Cheyenne Indians. Sidisequent to making a treaty with this
tribe, ]\Ir. Heslop was one of a number of troops (two companies) sent to
Texas to quell an uprising of the Comanche Indians, and to reinforce the
soldiers already there. He was employed as a teamster and "riding ex-
press" at Fort Arbuckle, on the Choctaw Eeservation.
After the breaking out, in the same year (1858) of the Pike's Peak
gold excitement, Mr. Heslop concluded to leave the government service
and go to Pike's Peak. He, with four companions, proceeded to Leav-
enworth City, Kansas (this was during the John Brown scare in that
state). But instead of going to Pike's Peak, Mr. Heslop, with two ac-
quaintances, hired with the famous Ben HoHiday, a contractor who fur-
nished supplies for the government, and who was about to leave Leaven-
worth for Salt Lake City. The party Avas made up of Mr. Holliday, his
clerk, Mr. Heslop as an extra, two drivers, and a colored man. The con-
veyances used were a light carriage and a baggage wagon, four mules to
each, with three additional mules for emergency purposes. ]\Ir. Hollidav
was given permission by the government to exchange his mules for fresh
ones A\'henever the opportunity presented itself. The party had one day's
start of the mail. Mr. Holliday had the contract for furnishing flour to
the government, and it was his object to get to Salt Lake and sublet his
contract before the arrival of the mail, which contained information as
to the price he was to receive for the flonr. He bouglit the same at seven
cents a pound and received twenty-eight cents a pound, thereby making
a profit of twenty-one cents a pound. The journey of 1,450 miles was
made in sixteen and one-half days, and without mishap. The party
reached Salt Lake one day ahead of the mail, covering the distance in
about the time required by the same. All things considered, it may be
said that it was a remarkable achievement of its kind, possibly never
equaled in the history of the rugged west. Some time after Mr. Heslop
had been in Salt Lake, an order came from Secretary of War Floyd for
the government to sell 2,000 head of mules and 7,000 liead of cattle.
Holliday bought 1,500 head of the mules and 6,000 head of the cattle.
]\Ir. Heslop, with the assistance of fourteen men, took the mules pur-
chased by Mr. Holliday from Salt Lake to San Francisco. After his ar-
rival in the latter city, Mr. Heslop left for Sacramento City, where he
obtained employment at his trade.
In 1861, soon after the beginning of the Civil War, in San Fran-
cisco, he enlisted in Troop B of the First California Cavalry, IT. S. A.
His company commandant was Captain Emil Fritz, while General Carle-
ton was in command of the regiment, and both were efficient officers. For
three years the First Cavalrv was in the thickest and most hazardous
frontier service through Texas, Arizona and [N'ew jMexico, here and there,
not more than three months in any one locality, but constantly changing
152 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
scene of operations and duty, fighting and pursuing Indians, Texans and
renegade Mexicans, guarding wagon-trains, and escorting mails. Tiic se-
vere work of the regiment consisted chiefly of Indian flghting, generally
in Indian and frontier fashion and seldom in the open, for the savage
warriors of the western borders, true to the instincts of their race, never
dare meet an enemy on equal terms, and preferred to gratify their mur-
derous appetites by treachery and sneaking attacks. Capture by them
]neant death, sometimes at the stake, Init inevitable and horrible death in
some inhuman manner. The Apaches, against whom the First Cavalry
was frequently sent, were led by the notoriovis halfbreed Cochise, known
far and near as one of the most venomous and merciless savages of the
Far West. His absolute fearlessness at times compelled the admiration
of the troopers, but if ever a prisoner fell into the hands of his blood-
thirsty horde, death was sure to follow, and in a manner as inhuman and
devilish as it was certain. In the year 1863 Mr. Heslon was a member
of the escort of Kit Carson, the famous scout who had charge of the
Navajo Indian Eeservation at Bosquerodondo, Texas.
Mr. Heslop spent over three years in service in surroundings such
as have been descriljed here, and went through it all without any person-
al mishap worth mentioning. After the close of the war he returned to
his home in Johnstown and again took up the more peaceful arts of trade.
Many of his experiences in the west were very exciting, and quite often
he was placed in positions of the greatest danger. The story of his life
on the western frontier would make an ample volume and would Ijc read
with much interest. Since returning home he has been engaged in gen-
eral house and sign painting, graining and interior decorating, and is as
proficient in the work as was his father before him.
Alfred Heslop is the second son and third child of the late James
G-ale and Charlotte (Bracewell) Heslop, and was born in Johnstown, on
the 2nd day of August, 1838. The Heslop family history is fully written
elsewhere in this work, hence need not be repeated' in this place. He at-
tended the district schools, and when twelve years old began work with
his father, who was a genius in the art of color-making and painting. He
is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and Union Veteran Le-
gion; Cambria Lodge No. 278, F. and A. M. ; Portage Chapter No. 195,
E. A. M. ; and of Oriental Commandery No. 61, K. T. In politics he is a
Eepublican.
On the 10th day of February, 1869, Alfred Heslop married Mollie
Eoberts, of Ebensburg, Pennsylvania, by whom he has had children as
folloAvs: John T., Edward A., Wesley J., Harvey M., Alfred, James G.,
Naomi H., Emanuel, and Mary. James was killed in an accident in
1901. All are living at home with the exception of Wesley, who married
Cora Eeed, of Conemaugh, Pennsylvania, and who is in business with his
father; and Naomi, Avho is the wife of Samuel Howard Pegg, of Johns-
town.
THOMAS HENEY CADDY, principal organizer and active man
of the Caddy Coal Company of Johnstown, is descended from an old
Eno-lish familv, and has lived in Johnstown and been a factor in ("he
Inisiness history of that borough and subsequent city more than forty
years.
His grandfather, Joseph Caddy, was born at Maryzion, Cornwall.
England, and by occu])ation was a miner of copper and tin ores, as was
his son Joseph, and also his grandson Thomas, during the earlier years
of his active life. The elder Joseph Caddy and his wife Elizabeth were
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 153
members of the Church of England, and as they had received religious
teaching from their parents, so they in turn imparted it to their own
children. In their family were four sons and one daughter — Richard,
Silas, John, Elizabeth and Joseph; of the sons only two — Richard, the
eldest and Joseph, the youngest — emigrated to America. The other chil-
dren spent their lives in Cornwall. After he came to this country Rich-
ard Caddy never again was heard of, and his place of residence at any
time remains unknown to the present time.
Joseph Caddy, son of Joseph and Elizabeth Caddy, first visited
America in 1862, and then ^\■ent to the Lake Superior copper regions on
the Upper Peninsula in ^Michigan. He returned to Cornwall in the fol-
lowing year and came again in 1861, remaining about three years at that
time. In 1867 he went back to England and died in Cornwall about
1882. His wife was Sarah Hunking, who was a daughter of Philip and
Prudence Hunking, of Cornwall. Several years after the death of her
hus])and Mrs. Caddy came to this country and lived in Johnstown with
her children until the time of her death, about fifteen years ago. All of
the children of Joseph and Prudence Caddy were born in Cornwall and all
afterward came to America. They were as follows: Joseph Cadch^ died
at the age of twenty-one years. Thomas Henry Caddy, of the Caddy
Coal Company; married Elizabeth Mary Gross, and has seven children.
Philip Caddy, of Johnstown, an employe of the Cambria Steel Company;
married Ellen Oakley. Eliza Jane Caddy, married David Richards, and
died in 1894.
Thomas Henry Caddy was born in Cornwall, England, on the 13th
day of March, 1813, and was given a fair education in the schools of his
native town. Although liis school days were ended at that time and he
was early put to work at the occupation of his father and grandfather,
he nevertheless has been a close observer of men and affairs, a constant
reader of the public newspapers and current literature, and thus has ac-
quired an education that has served an excellent purpose in later years.
■ In 1862 Mr. Caddy came to this country and went to the copper re-
gions of ^lichigan, remaining there three years. He then came to Penn-
sylvania and settled at Johnstown, where he found work in the iron
mines of the Cambria Iron Company, eventually becoming foreman of
the mines. In the course of a few years the company mines were closed,
upon which he turned his attention to the production of coal and fur-
nishing it to the several works of the Woodvale Manufacturing Com-
pany. In this business he was for some time in partnership with Thomas
Fulton, and the firm, Fulton & Caddy, in connection with its other con-
tracts, assumed that of Josiah T. Evans, who in 1885 had been appointed
mine inspector. After the discovery and use of natural gas for generat-
ing steam Fulton & Caddy took over the operation of the Gautier mine
ami furnished coal for all the boilers and furnaces in Cambria Iron
Company in which gas was not burned, and after the exhaustion of the
gas supply the firm carried on an extensive trade in coal for all domestic
purposes. About 1898 Thomas Fulton was succeeded in the firm by his
brother Alfred, and four years later, in 1902, the Caddy Coal Company
was organized and took the place of the former partnership. At tiiat
time Joseph Caddy, son of the senior member of the company, accpiired
an interest in the business. The principal operation of the company is
its own mine on Bedford street in Johnstown. Aside from the affairs of
business which have occupied his attention so many years, Mr. Caddy is
otherwise interested in the social and political life of the city and coun-
154 HISTORY OF CAMBBIA COUNTY.
t}-. He is a member of the Protestant Episcopal Church and in polities
is a Eepublican.
Thomas Henry Caddy married Elizabeth Mary Gross, daughter of
Henry and Elizabeth (Tague) Gross of Penzance, Cornwall, England.
Henry Gross was a blacksmith. He sailed from England for Australia,
gnd died of cholera soon after landing in that country. John Gross,
brother of Mrs. Caddy, is a customs officer at Cornwall (St. Michael's).
Children of Thomas Henry and Elizabeth jMary (Gross) Caddy: Sarah
Ann Cadd}', unmarried; lives with her parents. Joseph J. Caddy, a busi-
ness man of Johnstown and member of the Caddy Coal Company ; mar-
ried and has two children, Joseph Cady and Lillian Caddy. Lilly Cad-.
dy, married Thomas Harris, a brick contractor of Johnstown, and has
two children, Thomas Harris and Ellen Harris. Ellen Caddy, a teacher
in the Johnstown public' schools; lives at home. Annie Caddy, married
Emory Barnhart, a machinist, and lives at Roxbury (Johnstown).
Zeaida Caddy, a teacher in the Johnstown public schools. Thomas Hen-
ry Caddy, Junior, lives at home.
JOHN GUSTAYUS BEEGMAN, of Johnstown, has been in the
employ of the Cambria Iron Company for nearly thirty years and during
that time has always held an important position in the company's service.
He came to Johnstown as an experienced workman, and in the subse-
quent construction of some of the company's modern departments his
skill and knowledge of the business has been of material assistance in
arranging for successful operations.
Mr. Bergman is a native of Sweden and was born at Molnbach,
March 26, 1854. His father is Charles Gustavus Bergman, of Eriestadt,
Missouri, which town he founded about thirty years ago. He too was
born in Sweden, and by early occupation was a builder of blast furnaces,
heating furnaces and structural iron work, an exjaerienced and practical
mechanic and one whose work always counted for good results to his em-
ployers. In 1870 Charles G. Bergman came with his family to America;
landed in Boston and soon afterward went to Worcester, Massachusetts.
In 1875 he removed to Missouri, and there founded the now flourishing
town of Friestadt, with its seven thousand inhabitants, chiefly Swedes
and Germans. In that municipality he followed farming until a few
years ago, and since then has lived in comfortable retirement, in the en-
joyment of excellent health at the good old age of seventy-eight years.
He married Catherine Jones, a native of Sweden and daughter of Alars
Jones, of Xordland. She died in Friestadt, about 1896, and was a de-
voted member of the Lutheran church, in which faith her children have
been brought up. The children of Charles and Catherine Bergman are
as follows: 1. John Gustavus, see forward. 2. Charles E., see for-
ward. 3. Bernard, married Lena Jones and lives in Dent county, Mis-
souri. 1. Anna, married Charles Forsman and lives in Springfield,
Missouri. 5. Hulda, married Charles Mark and lives in Springfield,
Missouri. 6. Emily, married John Agelquist, and is now a widow liv-
ing in Friestadt, Missouri.
John Gustavus Bergman, eldest son and child of Charles G. and
Catherine (Jones) Bergman, was sixteen years old when his parents ein-
igrated from Sweden to America. He was educated in schools in Moln-
bach in his native country and also in Worcester, Massachusetts, but his
opportunities for obtaining a good public school education were quite
limited, as his father then was in moderate circumstances and it was
necessarj^ that young John, the eldest boy in the famih^, find some
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 155
profitable emplo3'ment. He secured work in the Avire mills of Wash-
burn & Moen, Worcester, Massachusetts, but in 1877 he left there and
came to Johnstown, Pennsylvania. At that time he was an experienced
workman, and at once entered the employ of the Cambria Iron Com-
pany as boss roller, and today he holds that position in the company's
service, having been with the Cambria twenty-eight years, a period of
continuous employment not frequently seen in the industrial history
of that city. He started and assisted in the construction of the com-
pany's rod mill, where he worked until 1881 and then was transferred
TO the Clautier department, where he has remained to the present time.
In politics Mr. Bergman is a Republican, and in 1899 Avas a mem-
ber of the common council from his Avard. He was one of the founders
of the JohnstoAvn Telephone Company and in various other Avays for
many years has been identified Avith the best interests and institutions
of the city. In the disastrous flood of IMay, 1889, he lost part of his
houshold goods, but fortunately all the members of his family escaped
Avithout injury. He himself barely escaped droAvning. He is a mem1)er
of the English Lutheran church, of Johnstown Lodge of Elks, and
since 1879 has been a member of Alma Lodge Xo. 523, I. 0. 0. F., hav-
ing passed all the important chairs of that fraternal body.
John Gustavus Bergman married, October 19, 1878, Aurelia Carney,
a daughter of John and Phinetta (BroAA'n) Carney, then of JohnstoAvn
and formerly of Blairsville, Pennsylvania. ]\Ir. Carney Avas an old-time
school teacher and later became a Avagonmaker. At one time his father
owned the Dublin Linen Mills of Dublin, Ireland. Phinetta Brown,
mother of Mrs. Bergman, came of a prominent old southern family.
She Avas a daughter of Samuel C. and Xancy (Cummings) BroAvn, Avho
came from Alrginia to Indiana, Pennsylvania, Avhere they operated a
saddlery and bakery; reared a family of fifteen children.
Children of John Gustavus and Aurelia (Carney) Bergman:
1. Blanch, wife of H. B. Heffley, druggist of Johnstown and ex-
treasurer of Camln'ia county. 2. Anna, Avife of Daniel R. Schnabel, a
carriage painter living in JohnstoAvn. 3. John, of Johnstown, a com-
mercial traveler.
Charles E. Bergman, second son of Charles G. and Catherine
(Jones) Bergman, came to JolmstoAvn about 1882, and entered the em-
ploy of the Cambria Iron Company. During the flood of 1889 he lost
all of his household effects; he AA^as liA'ing then on Locust street. After
the flood he returned to Worcester, Massachusetts, for a short time and
then went to AllentoAvn, Pennsvlvania, later returned to Johnstown,
Pennsylvania, and worked as roller in the mills here until 1899, Avhen
he returned to Worcester, Massachusetts, AAdiere he resides, living retired.
He married Lizzie ShaAv, and they have three children: Charles G.,
William E. and Marie.
JACOB C. HORNER. The Horner family life in Pennsylvania
dates from the time of the province, and antedates the Revolution by
many years. Adam Horner, Avith AAdiom our narrative begins, was born
in Adams county, and afterAvard Avas one of the pioneers of Cambria
county. Among his several children Avas a son Jacob, Avho also Avas
born in Adams county. He came to Cambria county Avhcn a young man,
and eventually became OAvner of a large tract of laud in Avhat is uoav the
Seventh Avard of the city of JohnstoAvn, but which for many years has
been knoAvn b}^ the distinguishing name of HornertoAvn, so named in
allusion to Jacob Horner. He died in 1842, at the age of sixtA^-foiir
156 IILSTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
years. He Mas a large and successful farmer, a man of substance in the
township. He married and had a famil}^ of twelve children, whose names
in the order of birth are as follows: 1. Samuel Horner, inarricd Eliza-
beth Deshong- (the Deshongs formerly owned the site of Murrellville).
2. Emanuel Horner, married Ellen Coe, daughter of a Revolutionary
veteran; lived in Johnstown. 3. Jonas Horner, married Elizabeth Bar-
ber, and lived in Pittsburg; died July 2, 1884. 1. Elias Horner, mar-
ried Sarah Horner; lived in Johnstown. 5. Peter Horner, died un-
married. G. Susan Horner, married a Mr. Drew ; both dead. 7. Xancy
Horner, married George Beam, and lived in Johnstown. 8. Elizabeth
Horner, married AVilliam Ti1)bett, and removed to Kansas ; both dead.
9. Katherine Horner, married John W. Smelker: died in Wisconsin in
1899, aged eighty-one years. 10. ]\Iartha Horner, married Samuel Tib-
bett ; now a widow living in East Conemaugh, Pennsylvania. 11. John
Horner, married Elizabeth Horner; lived in Johnstown: both dead. 12.
Jacob Horner, born 3 803; died 18T1.
Jacob Horner, youngest son of Jacob Horner, and grandson of
Adam Horner, the pioneer, was born in Hornertown, and at one time
owned nearly all the land in that locality. He laid out Hornertown,
which was called after his father, and also laid out Sahdyvale cemetery.
He was a substantial man, a farmer by principal occupation, Imt a good
business man in whatever he undertook, and if he saw an enterprise
that promised better returns than the farm he was generally ready to
invest. When the old Pennsylvania canal was building he was engaged
on that \\ork as boss, and during the palmy canal days he owned a line
of boats that run between Johnstown and Pittsburg. For several years
he was assistant superintendent of the old Portage railroad. Mr. Horner
died late in December, 1871, and was buried in Sandy vale cemetery on
New Year's Day, 1875. Mr. Horner married his own cousin, Catherine
Horner, who bore him nine children. Catlierine Horner was a daughter
of Christian Horner, who was l)orn in Franklin county, Pennsylvania,
January 25, 1778, and died October G, 18G5. In 1799 he married, the
ceremony being performed by Eev. Mr. Stoy, founder of Stoystown. In the
same year he removed from Somerset county to Cambria county and
settled near Johnstown, one year l)efore Joseph Johns laid out the
town which has since borne his name. Christian Horner moved to a
farm in Richland township, lived there until 1817 and then returned to
Somerset countv.
Like several others of his surname in the earlier generations of the
family, Squire Horner was a prominent man in the community in his
time. In 1809 Governor Snyder commissioned him justice of the peace,
an office then of much dignity, carrying the title of "Squire,'' while the
othcer himself was generally regarded as the first man in the township.
As justice of the peace he had jurisdiction over the large territory of
Conemaugh township, which then included the present township of tliat
name, the tou'uships of Croyle, Summerhill. Jackson, Taylor, Yoder and
Richland and the towns of Johnstown and Wilmore. This office he held
until 1817, when he removed to Somerset county. Squire Horner was
married twice and had in all fifteen children. The children of Jacob
and Catherine Horner were as follov,-s: 1. Jonathan Horner, born De-
cember 3, 1828, died Xovember 4, 1895 ; married Lucinda Cover, who
now lives in Johnstown. 2. Aaron Florner, died April 20, 1853, unmar-
ried. 3. Simon Horner, died September 7, 1862 ; married Mary Horner,
who after his death married Mr. Barnacle. 4. ]\Inry Horner married O^car
Graffe, and died April 27, 1879^ aged forty-two. 5. Xancy Horner,
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COIXTY. 157
married James Crosby; died at Braddock, Pennsylvania, iSTovember 3,
1898, aged fifty-nine years. G. Edwin Horner, living in Martinsburg
Tirginia. 7. Watson Horner, married Emma Burkholder, lives in Johns
town. 8. Allison Horner, married Eebeeca Clark, lives in Johnstown.
9. Jacob C. Horner, living in Johnstown.
Jacob C. Horner, yonngest son and child of Jacolj and Catherine
Horner, and great-grandson of Adam Horner, the Cambria comity pio-
neer, was born at Hornerstown, July 26, 1835, and has spent his whole
life in the locality wdiere three generations of the family before him have
lived, and wdiere some of his children and grandchildren are now living.
He was brought np to farm work and attended the common schools of
tlie township. For a time he ran his father's line of canal boats be-
tween Johnstown and Pittsburg, and in 1857 went to work as a rail
heater in the iron mills of Wood, Morrell & Co., which concern after-
ward became the Cambria Steel Company. He continued at this em-
ployment until 1884, and then retired to give attention to his large per-
sonal interests. He undoubtedly is the oldest native of Johnstown now
living in that city. In politics Mr. Horner is a Democrat. He served
six years as member of the Johnstow'n borough council previous to the
city cliarter and four years as select councilman after the borough be-
came a city.
On the 1st of December, 1857, he married Mary Ann Shaffer (Ijorn
September 10, 1837), daughter of Martin and Mary Ann (Kurtz)
Shaffer, and granddaughter of the late Judge Kurtz of Somerset county,
one of the judges of the circuit court. On the 1st of April, 1858, after
their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Horner began keeping house in their pres-
ent home, where they have now lived almost half a century. The dis-
astrous flood of 1889 moved the house from its foundation, but caused
no further damage. While the flood was at its greatest height Mr. Horner
took refuge on the roof of his house, while his wife and some of their
children were lodged in the branches of a large tree. Although all of
them escaped death in the awful rush of waters, their situation v,^as
perilous in the extreme. Martin Shaffer, father of Mrs. Horner, Avas a
hatter by trade, first at Connellsville and afterward at Somerset, Penn-
sylvania.
Children of Jacob C. and Mary Ann (Shaffer) Horner: 1. Eva
Belle Horner, born July 13, 1859; married George A. Waters, superin-
tendent Xational Eadiator Works, Johnstown. 2. Dora Catherine Horner,
born September 22, 1861 ; married Alonzo Singer, machinist, lives in
Johnstowm. 3. Edward Watson Homer, born August 6, 1863; married
Lizzie Knepper, lives in Johnstown. 4, Curtis Eldon Horner, born Feb-
ruary 11, 1866; married Annie Eichardson, lives in Johnstowm. 5.
Jacob Martin Horner, born April 26, 1868 ; married Xettie Scott, lives
in Baltimore, Maryland. 6. Bertie Ethel Horner, born September 1,
1871 ; married Jnmes Flower, lives in Johnstown. 7. Elda Horner, born
February 6, 1874; died in infancy. 8. Otho Ira Horner, born ^larch 8,
1875; married Jennie Dull, now dead; he lives at home. 9. Emory
Cleveland Horner, born February 22, 1879 ; married Emma Harvey,
lives in Johnstown.
WAEEEi^ WOETH BAILEY, editor of the Johnstown Democrat.
was l)orn in Hendricks county, Indiana, January 8, 1855. the son of
Elisha and Elizabeth (Faught) Bailey. The first to represent this fam-
ily in the United States was one who settled in Virginia at a very early
day. He was of Scotch-Irish l)lood, and his descendants emigrated to
158 HISTORY OF CAMBBIA COUNTY.
Kentucky at an early clay in the history of that state His grandfather,
Thomas Bailey, was a resident of Bonrbon connty, Kentucky, and among
his children was Elisha Bailey, father of AVarren W. Bailey. He was
bom April 2. 1802. He was a carpenter by trade, afterwards snccessively
a farmer and a contracting painter. He had a common school education.
Earlv in his life he was a ^lethodist, but became a direct convert of
Alexander Campbell, and for many years took an active part in pro-
moting the spread of the doctrines preached by Campbell. He was ever
profoundly interested in politics, but never held more than the minor
offices. In his political convictions he was a Jeffersonian, and while
himself a slave owner, while residing in Kentuclc;\^ he was opposed to the
institution of slavery, believing that it should be abolished b}^ the govern-
ment, on payment to the owners of their property. This view was modi-
fied before his death, in 1883. Prior to that time he had become inter-
ested in the teachings of Henry George, and through the influence of
this he had come to regard compensation for slaverv to be onlv less
objectionable and indefensible than slavery itself. He married Eliza-
beth Faught. in 1853. She had but limited educational advantages, her
father having been a pioneer of Indiana, having moved there from Ken-
tucla- when Elizabeth was but three years of age. settling in Hendricks
county, twenty miles west of Indianapolis, when the country was an un-
broken wilderness. The whole Faught family became disciples of Alex-
ander Campbell, and one of her brothers became a minister of the Cbris-
tian church. She was a woman of great natural force and her influence
upon her sons was always stimulating and wholesome. . She died at the
home of her son Warren "W., in Johnstown, December 9, 1903.
"Warren W. Bailev has really been his own schoolmaster, for be was
only permitted to attend the common schools up to the time he was'
fourteen years of age, when he went to work. First he learned telegraph v.
when but sixteen, and followed it as an occupation on the Indianapolis
& St. Louis and the Pennsvlvania railroads until he was about twpnty
years of asre, when he decided to engage in journalistic work. At Kan-
sas, Illinois, he became an apprentice on the Neivs, under W. W. Bishop,
working nights and mornings, as well as Saturdays, going to school for
one winter. He advanced rapidly and soon had charge of tbe business
and did the bulk of the editorial work. In 1877 he and his brother
Homer became owners of the Carlisle (Indiana) Democrat. In 1879
the Vincennes Bpporfer was purchased and the Democrat was consoli-
dated with it imder tbe title of the Vincennes New^. In 1887 the paper
was sold and both brothers went to Chicasfo. where W. W. became a mem-
ber of the editorial staff of the Evenina Mail and later of the Daily News
and the morning Neirs-'Record. In 1893 W. W. Bailev camo to Johns-
town and secured control of the Johnstown Democrat. Februan- 1.
It is claimed by Nlr. Bailey that the real turninff point in his life
and one which changed his whole outlook was the simple reading of a
book. "Progrress and Poverty,"' in 1882. He had been interested in the
social problem since the dreadful panic of 1873. For years he had been
studving tbe problem with an anxious desire to find some satisfactory
sohition. In this study he became a free-trader — not merely a tariff
reformer, but a real free-trader, believing, as he still does, in tbe utter
extirpation -of the tariff. He reiected socialism because it led infallibly
to the subordination of the individual and ultimatelv to a despotism,
imder military forms, if not in name. When "Progress and Povertv"
camp into his hands he Avas ripe for its message, and he seemed to grasp
its fundamental idea and imreservedly accepted the theory there taught.
HISTOBY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 159
From that clay to this ho has been inspired h}^ it. Mr. Baile}- was per-
sonally acquainted with Henry George, and later with such men as he
drew to him, including Dr. Edward 3IcGlynn, the famous Catholic
divine; Thomas G. Shearman, the eminent lawyer and statistician;
William Lloyd Garrison, son of the great liberator; Jerry Simpson, of
Kansas; John DeWitt AVarner, of Xew York, and a score" of others who
have made their names known as advocates of the right of everv man to
free access to natural opportunities.
It goes without saying that the subject is a stanch Democrat. He
was never a candidate for office but once; Avhen scarcely of age, at Kan-
sas, Illinois, he was nominated for village clerk on the Citizens' ticket,
but removed from the place prior to the election. He was on the Br} an
electoral ticket in 1900, and during the campaign that year was connected
with the Democratic Xational committee, at Chicago, as assistant to
Willis J. Abbot, manager of the Press Bureau, writing much of the
matter sent out by that bureau, and conducting a symposium through
twenty-five prominent papers on behalf of the Democratic Xational co7n-
iiiittee. with Murat Halstead, on behalf of the Eepublican Xational com-
mittee.
At one time Mr. Bailey was a member of the Christian church, but
of more recent years has had no direct relation with the church. The
only fraternal society to which he belongs is the Brotherhood of Elks.
For five years he was president of the Chicago Single Tax Club. He is
at this time a member of the Henry George Lecture Association and one
of its advisory committee. He has been a member of the Chicago Press
Club since 1888. Is the president of the Economic Circle of Johnstown.
Mr. Bailey was married, at Chicago, Illinois, Sunday, August 12,
1894, by Eev. W. F. Black, to Georgiana, daughter of Theodore and
Mary E. Coffin, who formerly resided at Indianapolis, Indiana. To
]\rr. and Mrs. Bailey two children are born : ]\Iarion Louise, born in
Johnstown, Pennsylvania, December IT, 1897; Warren Worth, born at
the same place, January 29, 1901.
EDWARD H0:MER BAILEY, one of the proprietors of the Johns-
town Democrat, Avas born near Xew Winchester, Hendricks county, In-
diana, February 1, 1858, the son of Elisha and Elizabeth (Faught) Bailey.
Mr. Bailey's regular school days were limited to less than four years
at the common schools of Kansas, Edgar county, Illinois, from 1869 to
1873. December 15, 1873, he entered the office of the Kansas Xews as
a printer's apprentice, serving three years — ^the first year at one dollar per
week; the second year, two dollars per week, and the third, three dollars.
At the close of his apprenticeship he went to Terre Haute, Indiana, where
l}e was employed on the Express for a short time, then owned by ]\Iajor
0. J. Smith, now noted as the president of the American Press Associa-
tion, Xew York. Later he served as a compositor in the Indianapolis
Sentinel office, and the Cincinnati Commercial, being set to work at the
latter office by Murat Halstead, to whom he appealed, after failing to
secure recognition from the foreman. He also sen^ed as a compositor on
the Chicago Times, securing employment, imder direction of the pro-
prietor, Wilbur F. Story, after the foreman refused to recognize him.
March, 1877, he went to Carlisle, Indiana, where he secured the foreman-
ship of the Register, a small weekly. William Herron, father of the
now famous George D. Herron, D. D., gave the entire plant to Mr.
Bailey for two weeks' back pay. The name of the paper was changed
to the Carlisle Democrat, and Mr. Bailey took his brother, W. W. Baile}',
160 HISTORY OF CAM Bill A COUyiY.
in partnership witli liini, without remuneration. They struggled along
for more than two years, during A\-hich time enemies of the paper broke
into the otSee at night and removed all the type, which was dumped into
the muddy streets, but friends rallied to their rescue and spent a whole
day and more in fishing from the mud nearly all of the type. In 1879
Mr. Bailey located in Yincennes, Indiana, consolidating tlie Carlisle
Democrat witli the Alncennes Reporter^ when the paper was known as
tlie Yincennes JS'ews, which was published several years as a weekly, but
later as a daih-, finally going into a receivers hands in 1887. Mr. Bailey
then went to Chicago, where he worked as a compositor in the job depart-
ment of the Blakely Printing Company. Later he was sole editor of the
Lake Yiew Record^ Lake Yiew, a suburb of Chicago, but Avhen that
place was annexed to the city proper the Record was killed, as it had
lived on home pride and what legal business it could obtain. In 1891
Mr. Bailey became the editor of the Bloomington (Illinois) Daily Leader ,
a Eepublican paper.
Outside the office he had political freedom and stumped the county
for Cleveland and Stevenson in 1892. The night after the election, at
a great mass-meeting in Bloomington, which was Mr. Stevenson's home
town, Mr. Bailey was on the platform with Mr. Stevenson, and made
an address. Soon after this he was relieved of the editorship of the
Leader, and then purchased a half interest in the Xormal (Illinois)
Advocate, an nidependent paper. Selling his interest in 1893, he came
to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, with his brother, W. W. Bailey, with whom
he has since been associated in the proprietorship of the Johnstown
Daily and Weekly Democrat. Mr. Bailey is an avowed, out-and-out
Democratic free-trader, and is an advocate of the single tax theory, uni-
versal suffrage, anti-imperialist, and is opposed to capital punishment.
He was a delegate several times to the Cambria county Democratic con-
ventions, was the treasurer of the county committee in 1893 and a dele-
gate to the state convention in 1903. ]\Ir. Baily is connected with no
church organization, Imt is firm in his belief that there is a Supreme
intelligence, that life is eternal, Jesus lived and was one of the greatest
teachers of truth on earth. He is a follower of Tolstoy.
Among the societies with which he is connected are the following:
Knights of Pythias, he serving as trustee of the Johnstown Lodge Xo.
157 ; Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks ; Johnstown Turn
Yerein ; Johnston German Quartet Club ; Johnstown Penwood Club, and
several other social organizations, including the one that owns the famous
grounds at Scalp Level, formerly occupied by Eoger Davis and other
artists. He is also a member of the Johnstown Yigilant Fire Com-
pany, the Democratic State Editorial Association and the Pennsylvania
State Editorial Association.
Mr. Bailey has forged his way, against many an obstacle, to the
front in political circles, and has the acquaintance of many of the past
and present great men of his day and generation. He was a devout ad-
herent of William Jennings Br3'an, who was his first choice in 1S96,
when Bryan did not even seem to be a "dark horse." He attended the
great meeting at Madison Square Garden, Xew York, August 10, 1896.
when Bryan accepted the nomination, and before Bryan had finished
speaking he left the hall to address an overflow meeting in the park.
He attended the Bryan acceptance meeting in Indianapolis, in 1900,
having a seat in the Associated Press box. He was the reporter for the
Chicago Times at the Xational convention in 1888, when Benjamin
Harrison was nominated president, and personally interviewed many of
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 161
tlie distinguished delegates. He also attended the Democratic conven-
tion of 1884, in Chicago, when Cleveland was nominated; and again at
Chicago when Cleveland Avas renominated in 1892. He Avas present at
the ]904: National convention, when Judge Parker was nominated and
supported him at the election that year under protest.
July l3, 1878, Mr. Bailey married Sarah Eleanor, daughter of the
Rev. James L. Griffin, deceased, formerly recorder of Sullivan county,
Indiana, and later a minister in the Christian church for many years.
The children of this union are: 1. Byron Dean, born at Vincennes, In-
diana, October 19, 1879. He attended the Vincennes University, the
common schools of Chicago and the schools of Johnstown, Pennsylvania:
also received instruction under a private tutor. He has been connected
with the Johnstown Democrat since 1893 as its subscription clerk and
advertising specialist. He was absent two years to perfect the art of
advertising, being with large department stores in Kansas City, Mis-
souri, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and an advertising agency in Xew York.
2. Bessie, born at Vincennes, Indiana, August 11, 1883, died March 24,
1884. 3. Eilleen, born at Vincennes, Indiana, March 22, 1885. 4. Ed-
ward, born at Johnstown, Pennsylvania, April 14, 1893.
JA]\IES H. GEER. James Geer, better known to the early residents
of Blairsville, Pennsylvania, as "Old Jimmv Geer," was one of the
pioneer hotel or inn keepers. Blairsville, Pennsylvania, was in those
days one of the many hustling towns. along the canal, and it was but a
natural consequence that this inn keeper should be widely known in this
section of the state. He married and reared a family, which he later took
with him to Erie. Pennsylvania, where he died.
One son, James Geer, returned to Blairsville and took up residence
in the old homestead. He married a ]\Iiss Fails, who died a couple of
years later. There were no children to^ this union. James Geer, a num-
ber of years later, married Phoebe Jane Patch, a daughter of one of the
most highly respected Blairsville families, and one son, James H. Geer,
was born to this union, August 2, 1843. His father died the same year,
and the familv then moved to Johnstown, where Mrs. Geer's relatives were
"lock-tenders." IMrs. Geer later married Evan G. Lewis, a practical
pattern maker, who bad charge of the pattern department of the Cambria
Iron Company for many years. Mr. and ]\Irs. Lewis Avere numbered
among JohnstoAvn's first families, and were most highlv respected. Mr.
Lewis died in JohnstoAvn in 1897, and Phoebe (Geer) Lcaa^Is died the
following year, 1898.
James H. Geer Avas educated in the public and ])riA'ate schools of
.Johnstown, but left the schoolroom at the age of fourteen and found
employment in the pattern department of the Cambria Iron Company,
in AAdiose employ he has been ever since, except Avhen he vielded to pa-
triotic impulses to serve in the Union arniA^ during the Civil war, and
the following seven years, AAdiich he spent in the west. In the year lSfi2
James H. Geer, then onlv a lad of nineteen, enlisted in Companv A.
One Hundred and Tbirtv-third Pennsylvania Volunteers, as a priA^ate
and served for a period of ten months. Later he enlisted in Company F,
One Hundred and ISTinetv-fourth Pennsvdvania Volunteers, and serA'^ed
for a period, of four months under Captain John Downev. Durino- these
enlistments Mr. Geer took part in the battles of Antietam, Chancellors-
ville and Fredericksburg.
After the close of the war Mr. Geer went Avest and for the follow-
ing seven years worked as a pattern maker. It Avas while there that he
1G2 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
met and married Anna M. Fought, daughter of Peter and ]\Iargaret
(Egan) Fought, formerly of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, but later of the
state of Illinois. In 1870 Mr. Greer returned to Johnstown, Pennsyl-
vania, resumed his former jDosition, and since then, a period of thirty-six
years, has remained in the employ of the Cambria Iron and Steel Com- '
pany. In the year 1871 Mr. Geer was transferred from the pattern de-
partment to the draughting department and there he worked for the next
ten years. In 1881 he was made master mechanic of the works, and in
1881 was again promoted to the position of assistant chief engineer.
He held this responsible position for twelve years, and in 1896 a new
department was created, and Mr. Geer was appointed to take charge as
the superintendent of mechanical department. He was next promoted,
in 1901, to the position of engineer of construction, one of the highest
and most responsible positions of the Cambria Steel Company. There
is ho branch of the steel industry with which ]\Ir. Geer is not familiar,
and whatever he is or whatever he has accomplished is the result of per-
sonal effort and industry. Mr. Geer has shown himself to be "a man
who does things" and has been steadily advanced solely on the grounds
of merit.
The tremendous modern expansion of the iron and steel industries
began with the William Kelly invention called the "pneumatic process
of refining iron," and it was even before this time that the skill and in-
genuity of Mr. Geer was recognized, as he was called upon at that time
by Daniel J. Morrell, general manager of the Cambria Iron Company,
to assist Mr. Kelly in the exjDeriments which resulted in the manu-
facture of steel from iron. It is the tendency of the age to devote one's
entire energies to a special line, continually working upward and con-
centrating his efforts towards accomplishing a desired end. What Mr.
Geer has accomplished in his particular line cannot be adequately told
in words. It is certainly not asserting too much to say that his name
suggests a power in the steel trade, a power that to a large degree controls
and directs the workings of the company with which he has been so long
connected, and he stands today as one of the leading representatives of
the steel industry, having been actively associated with the following
prominent men in that line of enterprise: D. J. Morrell, W. Jones, J. M.
Swank, J. McMillen and Powell Stackhouse.
Children of James H. and Anna M. (Fought) Geer: Louis, born
February 1, 1870, died December 22, 1871. Albert M., born August 12,
1872, died April 28, 1901; he was a pattern maker by trade; he inter-
married with Katherine Detrich, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and
their children are: Margaret, Dwight, Louis, Helen, James, Dorothy,
Albert. Erastus L., born August 11, 1871. Harry E., born August 11,
]871, intermarried with Lula Sheridan, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, one
child, Euth. Frank D., born September 19, 1876 ; intermarried with
Clara A. Heck, of Butler, Pennsylvania, one child, Frank D., Jr.
James, born November 4, 1878.
JOHN" ESTEELY, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, originally a car-
penter and joiner, afterward a merchant and now a general contractor,
is a native of that city, son of the late Jacob Esterly, of Johnstown, and
grandson of John Esterly, of Waldhausen, Oberampt, Weltsheim, Ger-
many, the latter of whom never came to this country.
The original German spelling of the surname . Esterly was Ooesterle.
Of the several children of John Ooesterle (or Esterly) three came to live
in America. They were ]\Iatthew, Barbara and Jacob Esterly, ]\Iatthew
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 163
settled in Minnesota and died there. Barbara married Casper Hecker,
and is now a widow livino; in Johnstown.
Jacob Esterl}';, tiie other of the three children who made homes in
this country, was born at Waldhausen, in German}', on the 14th day of
February, 1837, and was a weaver by trade. He immigrated to America
in 1866 and settled in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, where he was
a farmer. After about a year he removed to Johnstown and lived there
until his death. At first he was employed by Lambert & Kress in their
ale brewery, later worked for the • Pennsylvania Eailroad Company, and
still later was a puddler in the works of the Cambria Iron Company,
remaining in that employment until his death, on the ITtli of June, 1901.
He was an industrious, home-loving man, a devout member and one of
the organizers of St. Paul's German Lutheran church in Johnstown and
frequently was an officer of the society of that church. In politics he
originally was a Democrat, but afterward became a strong Eepublican.
His wife survives him and still lives in the old homestead place in Center
alle}^ in the Twentieth ward of the city.
Jacob Esterly married Mary Albrecht, a daughter of ]\Latthew Al-
brecht of Bliederhausen, the same German province from whence came
her husband. Her parents never came to this country. Children of
Jacob Esterly and Mary Albrecht : John Esterly, a business man of
Johnstown; William Esterly, died in infancy; Catherine Esterly, mar-
ried Jacob Colbert and lives in Johnstown; Mary Esterly, married James
Manges and lives in Johnstown; Annie Esterly, married Gustav Opalka
and lives in Johnstown; Jacob Esterly, unmarried, lives at home; Harry
Esterly, killed when three years old ; Margaret Esterly, married Hyle
Crouthers and lives in Johnstown. Freda Esterly, unmarried, lives at
home.
John Esterly, eldest of the children above named, was born in
Johnstown on the 20th day of ^larch, 1868, in what then was known as
the borough of Conemaugh, but now is a part of the city. He was edu-
cated in the public and parochial schools, and was a boy of thirteen
years when he began work for the Cambria Iron Company at ''picking
cobbles," as the sorting out of small lumps of iron in the ash heaps from
the furnaces was then called. His later transient employment was as
teamster for the Johnstown Water Company, laborer on the work of
construction of the railroad from St. Clair's dam to Fairfield avenue,
two years in the bricklaying department of Cambria Iron Company, and
after that he learned the carpenter trade with J. J. Strayer, a contractor
and builder.
After four years with Jlr. Strayer, except one year spent in the
(■•ity of Pittsburg, John Esterly became a practical carpenter. He re-
turned from Pittsburg to Johnstown just at the time of the Great Flood
in 1889, and lost his tools in that disaster; yet his loss was much less
than thousands of others. He worked two years at his trade in the city,
and then opened a general merchandise store in Morrellville, where he
was in business from 1891 to 1900, then selling out to Cupp Brothers.
From that time until 1904 he was proprietor of a shoe store on Fairiielcl
street in Morrellville, and then gave up mercantile pursuits for general
contracting in Johnstown and its suburbs. In February, 1904, Mr.
Esterly sustained a great loss by fire, which consumed his business and
dwelling houses, amounting to about $8,000.
During his active business career of something like twenty-five years,
a period which has witnessed several changes in the character of business
done, Jolm Esterly has been a successful man. He always has been a
164 HTSTOEY OF CAMBEIA COUNTY.
hard Avorker, doing whatever promised a fair return in wage or profit,
and no man will question his business capacity or his personal integrity.
He has done Avell and has deserved all the reward which is the result of
his endeavors. He is a stockholder in the Union Xational Bank and the
Citizens' Light, Heat and Power Company; member of Johnstown
Lodge Xo. 538, F. and A. M., and of Morrellville Council Xo. 9-il,
E. A. M. He is a member of the English Lutheran church, superin-
tendent of its Sunday school, and has been president of the church coun-
cil since 1895. In politics he is a conservative Republican.
On the 5th day of May, 1890, John Esterly married Agnes Paulisky,
who came to Johnstown in the spring of that year. She was horn in
Metzenseifen, Austria, on the l-4th of January, 1871, and came to
America to live with her uncle in Cleveland, Ohio, when she was thirteen
vears old. Five children have been born to John and Agnes Esterlv:
Albon Jacol) Esterlv, Fehruarv 7, 1891; Emma Ella Esterlv, April 21,
i893; William AViniield Esterly, July 28, 1895; Florence Catherine Es-
terlv, died in infancy; Helen Blanche Esterly, born February 9, 1902.
CUETIS CIEAFT CAMPBELL, present secretary and treasurer of
the Citizens" Light, Heat and Power Company, of Johnstown, Pennsyl-
vania, is the son of Jacob M. and Mary E. (Campbell) Campbell. (See
sketch of Bruce H. Campl)ell for antecedents.)
Curtis C. Campbell was born at Brady's Bend, Armstrong county,
Pennsylvania, September 21, 1850, removing Avith the family at an early
age to Johnstown. There he received his education at the public schools,
worked on the Johnstown Trihuue under Colonel James M. Swank from
1867 to 1870, then entered the State College, Center county, Pennsyl-
vania, from M'hich he graduated in 187-4 with the degree of Bachelor of
Science. While at college he became a member of the Delta Tau Delta
Fraternity. After leaving college Mr. Campbell engaged in the drug
business in Johnstown, which business he carried on successfully until
about 1898, when he disposed of the property. In 1885 he was one of
the organizers of the Johnstown Electric Company, later styled the Johns-
town Light, Heat and Power Company, of which company Mr. Camp-
bell was made treasurer. When in 1902 the Imsiness was incorporated
as the Citizens' Light, Heat and Power Company, he was made its secre-
tary and treasurer, which offices he still continues to hold. He is also a
meml^er of the P. A. Barnhardt Plumbing and Heating Company, or-
ganized in 1900; also secretary and treasurer of the Camln-ia Forge Com-
pany, organized in 1906.
Mr. Campbell is a member and past master of Johnstown Lodge
Xo. 538, F. and A. M. ; past high priest of Portage Chapter Xo. 195;
past eminent commander of Oriental Commandery Xo. 61 ; belongs to
Cambria Council Xo. 31, Eoyal and Select ^Masters; Jaffa Temple, An-
cient Order Xobles of the Mystic Shrine, and Sons of Veterans. In
politics he is a Republican, and has served as councilman from the
Fourth ward, borough of Johnstown, for three years, from 1887 to 1890.
In 1904 he was a member of the Board of Health. ^Ir. Campbell is a
member of the Lutheran church.
Mr. Campbell married, December 13, 1877, Mary Magdalene Robb,
daughter of Benjamin Franklin and Matilda (Jones) Robb, of Johns-
town, formerly of the Ligonier A^alley, in Westmoreland county, Penn-
sylvania. To Mr. and Mrs. Campbell have been born> Ida Rankin,
Charles Orion, and Helen Robb, all unmarried and at home.
mSTOFY OF CAMBFIA COUNTY. 165
THOMAS EDWAED KEYNOLDS, of the firm of Woolf & Eey-
Tiolds, clothing merchants of Johnstown, , Pennsylvania, is a native of
Glen Alden, Isle of Man, born November 17, 1864. He is the son of
Walter and Mary Jane (Bawden) Eeynolds, natives of the same country.
Walter Eeynolds was a superintendent, or captain as it was called, in
that country, of the lead mines at Snafell. In 1880 he emigrated to
America and settled at Homestead, Pennsylvania, where he opened a
batcher shop. Here he remained until after the great strike, which about
ruined his business, which was largely a credit one among the steel
workers, and the long continued lack of work and money, on the part
of his customers, exhausted his own capital. He next entered the mills
at Braddock, as a boiler tender in the wire mills, where he remained ten
years and retired, the company pensioning him. He now makes his
home with his son, Thomas E. Eeynolds, at Johnstown. His children
are: 1. George S., born November 19, 1866, married Jennie ;
he is a boiler tender at the Eankin wire mills. 2. Laura, wife of William
Walters, a business man of Johnstown. 3. Thomas E., see forward. The
mother, Mrs. Mary J. (Bawden) Eeynolds, died in England. After her
death Mr. Eeynolds married Eliza Eoberts, daughter of Eoberts,
captain of mines in Ireland, by whom he had one daughter, Theodosia,
wife of Joseph Thompson, of McKeesport, Pennsylvania. Mr. Eeynolds
has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal church for many years.
Thomas E. Eeynolds received his education at the schools of his
native land, and at the age of twelve years began his business career in
the same line which he now follows — the clothing trade. He entered a
store as an errand-boy at Barrow-in-Fiirnace, Lancashire, England,
whither the family had removed. From there he went to Manchester as
a clothing salesman, where he remained as a clothier until coming to
America, two years after his parents had emigrated, arriving at Home-
stead in 1882. After about one month there he went to Johnstown, where
he worked with Joseph Levy for two years. From there he went to the
employ of L. M. Woolf & Son, clothing merchants. (See sketch of
Morris L. Woolf.) He became a member of the firm of Woolf & Eey-
nolds in the spring of 1899. the elder Woolf having retired in 1892.
When the firm was incorporated, February 14, 1903, Mr. Eeynolds was
made its treasurer, which office he still holds.
In politics Mr. Eeynolds is a Eepublican; in 1898-1901 he served
as a member of the school board in Stony Creek township. He is an
exemplary member of the Episcopal church, of which he is a vestryman.
He belongs to Cambria Lodge No. 278, F. and A. M., and Portage Chap-
ter No. 195, E. A. M.
Of his domestic life it may be said that he married, July 17, 1888,
Carrie, daughter of William and Eliza (Camp) Wilkinson, of Wood-
stock, Ontario, of which place Mr. Wilkinson was for a number of years
a contractor and builder, now making his home with Mr. Eeynolds, at
Johnstown. The issue by this union was: Lena P., Gladys M., Morris
W. and Dorothy.
EOBEET SAMUEL MUEPHY, the third son of Francis Murphy,
the temperance apostle, and Elizabeth Jane (Ginn) Murphy, his wife,
was born October 18, 1861, in Louisville, St. Lawrence county. New
York. His mother died when he was quite young, while they were re-
siding in Portland, Maine.
He was educated at the Fryeburg Academy of that state, and sub-
Vol. Ill— 11
166 niSTOFY OF CAMBFIA COVNTY.
sequentl}^ at Freeport, Sterling and Abingdon, in the state of Illinois,
and completed it at Pennington, 'New Jersey.
In 1880 he entered the office of the Honorable William Horace Rose,
an eminent lawyer of Johnstown, and having diligently pursued the study
of the law he was admitted to practice in the courts of Cambria county
on June 7, 1883. After his admission he located in the same place and
successfully practiced his chosen profession in civil and criminal law.
Within a few years he was admitted to practice in the supreme court of
Pennsylvania, and subsequently in the superior court when it was con-
stituted, which is the second highest court of appeal in that state, and
also in the circuit and district courts of the United States at Pittsburg.
In 1892 he was unanimous!}^ nominated by the ReiDublican party for
the office of district attorney for Cambria. Although at that time the
county was Democratic, yet after a vigorous and exciting campaign he
was elected and served a full term of three years with distinction, when
he was again re-elected and served another term with equal ability. He
was a delegate from the Blair, Cambria and Bedford congressional dis-
trict to the Republican National convention which convened in the city
of Philadelphia in 1900, where McKinley and Roosevelt were nominated
and whom he supported. In the Republican gubernatorial campaign in
1906 he was a prominent candidate for governor to succeed the Hon-
orable Samuel W. Pennypacker. A majority of the delegates in that
convention substantially avowed that they could not agree to nominate
him for the first place at that time. However, they all did agree that
he was their first choice for the office of lieutenant-governor of the state
of Pennsylvania, whereupon he was selected without a dissenting voice.
After the nominations were made he accompanied Governor Stuart on a
political tour of the state and eloquently presented the policies of the
party in almost every county therein, which included all the large cities.
In the general election held in November he was elected to that office by
almost 72,000 plurality, and assumed the duties of his office in Jan-
uarv, 1907, for a terai of four vears. Bv virtue of the constitutional
office he holds he will be lieutenant-governor, president of the state senate
and member of the board of pardons for the state of Pennsylvania.
In 1881 he and Ella Findlay Maclay Fritz were married in Johns-
town, where they have since resided.
WILLIAM CHRISTIAN KRIEGER, son of Christian and Eliza-
beth (Gerhardt) Krieger, was bom at Johnstown, Pennsvlvania, Jan-
uary 24, 1869.
He attended the graded and high schools of that place, and at the
age of fifteen years entered the service of the Cambria Steel Company
as a messenger boy. Through various subordinate positions he forged his
way to that of assistant cashier of the company. On his twenty-first
birthday anniversary, January 24, 1890, he left the steel company to
accept the position of assistant cashier of the Citizens' National Bank,
which opened for business Februar\' 12 of that year. He remained with
that institution until 1900, when he resigned botli as a director and
assistant cashier. For some time he had been promoting the organiza-
tion of a trust company in Johnstown, and it became an accomplished
fact during that year, opening for business, April 30, under the name
of the Johnstown Trust Company. He became its secretary and treasurer
and a member of the board of directors, which positions he still retains.
In 1901 a private company — the Johnstown Brick Company — in which
Mr. Krieger was interested, was incorporated and enlarged as the Johns-
TJISTOEY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 167
town Pressed Brick Company, of which he is president. This plant is
located in Johnstown, and has a capacity of four million high grade
pressed brick per annum, with a market within a radius of onehundred
miles from the works. For the last fifteen years Mr. Krieger has been
treasurer of two building and loan associations, the Johnstown and the
Cambria. In his political views Mr. Krieger is an independent voter, a
Cleveland Republican and a Eoosevelt Democrat. In 1906 he was elected
school controller from the sixth ward of the city on the Republican
ticket. He is a consistent member of the German Lutheran church, and
also a member of Johnstown Lodge No. 175, Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks. .
Mr. Krieger married, April 21, 1897, Annie Henrietta Zook,
daughter of William and Julia (Von Lunen) Zook, of Fort Worth,
Texas. Mr. and Mrs. Krieger are the parents of three children: Julia
Elizabeth, born April 21, 1898; William Christian, Jr., born May 31,
1900; Katharine Louise, born November 13, 1904.
J. LEONARD REPLOGLE, general superintendent of order depart-
ment of the Cambria Steel Company, and whose service in the employ-
ment of that corporation has been continuous since he left the school-
room at the age of thirteen years, was bom at New Enterprise, Bedford
county, Pennsylvania, May 6, 1876. Through his father he is descended
from Rinehart Replogle, who came from France about the year 1750
and settled at Morrison's Cove in Bedford county, where he was a pioneer
farmer. He married and had a family of children, and from them have
descended those of the surname Replogle, who have been so closely identi-
fied with the civil and industrial history of southern and southeastern
Pennsylvania during the more than last half century.
Among the descendants of Rinehart Replogle, the American an-
cestor and farmer of Bedford county, was Rinehart Replogle second, who
was the great-grandfather of J. Leonard Replogle, of Johnstown. His
eldest son was David Long Replogle, who married Rosanna Zook, daugh-
ter of David Zook, and by her had five daughters — Susanna, Elizabeth,
Hannah, Sarah and Mary, and five sons — ^Rinehart, Jacob, Elias, David
and William Replogle. Rinehart Zook Replogle, son of David Long
and Rosanna (Zook) Replogle, was born in Bedford county, April 24,
1846. His wife, whom he married October 15, 1868, was Mary Ann
Furry, born July 26, 1849. Her father, Jacob Furry, had twelve chil-
dren and Mary Ann was the eldest of them. The others were Dr. Samuel
E. Furry, of New York; Leonard Furry, a ranchman in Nebraska;
Daniel, Lee, David E., Preston B., Jacob (lawyer, attorney for the Atchi-
son, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad Company), Nannie, Hannah, Etta and
Elizabeth Furry. Twelve children also were born to Rinehart Zook and
Mary Ann (Furry) Replogle, viz.: Ella, Charles, Archie, J. Leonard,
Rose, Preston, Phoebe, Robert, Roy, Herbert, Joseph and Mary
Replogle.
J. Leonard Replogle received his early education in public schools in
Bedford county and the city of JohnstoTvm. In 1889, soon after the dis-
astrous flood of that year, he entered the employ of the Cambria Steel
Company in the capacity first of office boy, for at that time he was only
thirteen years old. From the position of office boy he was in due time
advanced to that of clerk, then shipper, then assistant superintendent of
the forge and axle departments, then superintendent of the forge, axle
and bolt departments, then assistant to assistant general manager, and
168 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
iinally general superintendent of order department, which responsible
position he now tills.
In his present capacity in the company's service Mr. Eeplogie is a
capable and reliable manager, and his knowledge of the biisiness in all
its detail has been acquired by constant attention and employment dur-
ing the last eighteen years. In his higher capacity he is recognized as an
expert, and on various occasions he has read papers on "Steel Axles"
before railway clubs, conventions and other similar gatherings of expert
mechanics and scientific men. In politics he is a Eepublican, and in re-
ligion identifies himself with the Brethren church. He holds member-
ship in the Western Eailway Club of Chicago, Amicus. Club of Johns-
town, Johnstown Country Club and is a member and ex-president of
Johnstown Atheletic Club.
J. Leonard Eeplogie married. January 10, 1905, at Johnstown,
Pennsylvania, Blanche Kenly McMillen, daughter of Frank Hay and
Margaret J. (Kenly) McMillen. She was educated in the Johnstown
public schools, graduating in 1900, and in Miss Mason's school — The
Castle — at Tarrytown-on-Hudson, Xew A'ork, graduating from there
in 1902. Frank Hay McMillen at the time of his death in 1888 was
private secretary to his father, and before that was manager of the
Woodvale Woolen Mills. James McMillen, ]\Irs. Eeplogle's grandfather,
at the time of his death was manager of the Penn Traffic Company and
resident director of Cambria Steel Company. He also at one time was
president of the First National Bank of Johnstowm, Johnstown Savings
Bank, Johnstown Water and Gas Company and of Grand View Ceme-
tery Association, of which he was one of the founders and organizers.
He died in 1897, at the age of seventy-five years.
LOUIS VON LUNEIs^. The death of Louis Von Lunen, which oc-
curred March 26, 1906, after an illness of several years, in Hawthorn,
Florida, removed from the city of Johnstown one of its representative
citizens and successful business men, who during his active career con-
tributed his quota toward the development of the varied interests of the
community. He was a native of Lunen, Germany, born January 15,
1840, a son of Charles and Henrietta A^on Lunen.
Louis Von Lunen, accompanied his father and brother to the
United States in 1819, they locating in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where
he grew to manhood and attended the public schools. He worked on
the farm and also conducted a milk route for his father, who was the
proprietor of an extensive dairy. After his marriage he engaged in the
dairy business with his father, and in 1870 purchased the homestead,
which comprised upwards of two hundred acres. This he operated suc-
cessfully, his energy and enterprise being resultant factors in making it
one of the fine farming jDroperties of the locality, and in addition to
this conducted a dairy for a number of years. He continued farming
up to 1888, when he sold the farm to the Johnson Company, reserving
some twenty-five acres which has been kept intact and which still belongs
to the family; on this was erected in 1901 a modern brick residence,
which is the home of ]\Irs. Von Lunen. The greater portion of the orig-
inal farm is Avhat is now known as Moxham. Prior to selling his farm he
had engaged in the manufacture of brick in connection with his farm
operations, and this line of work he followed for a short period of time
thereafter. Mr. Von Lunen was a man of domestic tastes and preferred
the society of his family to public office, which he never sought or held,
although he performed the duties devolving upon him as a citizen to the
'A'ao^.
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 169
best of his ability. He affiliated with the German Lutheran church, to
the support of which he contributed liberally.
Mr. Von Lunen married, March 17, 1864, Emily Griffith, daughter
of Abner and Mary (Eeighart) Griffith, both of whom were natives of
Jenner township, Somerset county, Pennsylvania, removing to Cambria
county when Mrs. Von Lunen was a child, and locating in Stony Creek
township, where Mr. Griffith engaged in farming. He was one of the
active citizens of the county, a member of the Freewill Baptist church,
and both he and his wife died on the farm in Stony Creek township, he
at the age of eighty-two and she at about the age of eighty years. Mr,
and Mrs. Griffith were the parents of eight children: Nehemiah, of
Walnut Grove, Cambria county. Elias, killed during the Civil war,
while serving in the Fifty-fourth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer In-
fantry. William, served in the cavalry during the Civil war, died about
1891. Cyrus, killed while in service during the Civil war. Emily, widow
of Louis Von Lunen. Ann Eliza, deceased, was the wife of Edward
Ditzler, a soldier in the Civil war. Maria Marilla, wife of James D.
Penrod, of Stony Creek township, who was also a soldier in the Civil
war. Uriah, a farmer and merchant, residing in Stony Creek township.
The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Von Lunen:
Ida, wife of Lewis Leventry, of Moxham. Julia, wife of Charles Leven-
try, of Moxham. Ella, unmarried, resides at home. George, a plumber,
resides in Moxham, married Jessie Leventry. Charles, died in child-
hood. Effie, died in childhood. Mary, wife of W. W. Davis, assistant
postmaster of Johnstown. Zora, died in childhood. Louis, a resident
of Moxham, engaged in ihe livery business, married Zella Lavely.'
When Mr. Von Lunen's health began to fail, he sought relief by
going south to Florida, but the quest proved unsuccessful, his death
occurring in Hawthorn, Florida, March 26, 1906. His remains were
brought back to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, his adopted city, and the in-
terment was in Grandview cemetery.
DANIEL MOREELL STACKHOUSE, B. S., M. E., superintend-
ent of the open hearth department of the Cambria Steel Company, Johns-
town, Pennsylvania, and in some manner identified with the operation
of that splendid industry for nearly twenty years, is a native of Johns-
town, born May 5, 1866, son of Powell and Lucy (Roberts) Stackhouse.
Powell Stackhouse, great-grandfather of Daniel M. Stackhouse, was
a son of Amos Stackhouse, grandson of James Stackhouse, great-grand-
son of Robert Stackhouse and great-great-grandson of Thomas Stack-
house. Powell Stackhouse, a cabinetmaker and foundry man, married
Edith Dilworth, daughter of Charles and INIary Dilworth, and eleven
children were born to them, as follows : Charles Dilworth, Emlen, father
of Mrs. Dr. W. B. Lowman, of Johnstown; Joseph Dilworth, Sarah Dil-
worth, Amos, Susan, wife of Daniel J. Morrell, Anna Dilworth, Powell,
died about the age of two years; Powell, Dilworth, died in infancy;
Llewellyn.
Joseph Dilworth Stackhouse, third son of Powell and Edith (Dil-
worth) Stackhouse, married Sarah Phipps Shaw and their children are:
Powell, Mary Shaw (died in infancy), Rebecca Shaw, Alexander Shaw
Stackhouse.
.Powell Stackhouse, eldest son of Joseph D. and Sarah P. (Shaw)
Stackhouse, president of Cambria Steel Company, frequently and
familiarly addressed in social and military gatherings as Major Stack-
house, is one of the prominent figures in industrial circles in Cambria
170 HIHTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
county. He was ediicated in Philadelphia puhlic schools, and in 1861,
when President Lincoln first called for volunteers, he enlisted in the
Third Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, was appointed corporal and
mustered into the United States service for three months on the 20th
of April of that year. After the term of his enlistment had expired he
again entered the service and was "commissioned lieutenant in the One
Hundred and Thirty-third Pennsylvania Infantry, and when honorably
mustered oYit, June 4, 1865, his rank was that of major of the One Hun-
dred and N'inety-eighth Pennsylvania A-^ohmteers. He is one of the first
members of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion Lodge No. 202. He
married Lucy Roberts, daughter of Judge Evan Roberts, and of an old
respected Pennsylvania family.
Daniel Morrell Stackhouse acquired his earlier literary education
at the Friends' High School in Philadelphia, where he was graduated,
and his higher education at the University of Pennsylvania, where he
took a full five years' course and was graduated with the degree of
Bachelor of Science in 1887, and the degree of Engineer of Mines on
completing the course of mining and metallurgy in 1888. After leaving
the university he was employed in the blast furnace department of Cam-
bria Steel Company from 1888 to 1890, then bfecame assistant to the su-
perintendent of the metallurgical department, still later was made super-
intendent of the Cambria works order department, and since 1898 has
been superintendent of the open hearth department of the Cambria Steel
Company. Always a busy man, Mr. Stackhouse nevertheless has found
time to take an interest in the public affairs of his home town, and
while he is a firm Republican, he is not in any sense a politician or seeker
after political office. For twelve years he has been president of Westmont
Board of Health. At one time he was a director of Cambria Mutual
Benefit Association, and now is a director of Johnstown Trust Company.
He also is a member of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion.
Daniel Morrell Stackhouse married, January 18, 1893, Katharine
E. Benkert, a student of the Friends' Central High School, Philadelphia.
They have four children — Rebecca, Powell, Daniel Morrell, Junior, and
Katharine, all born at Westmont, Pennsylvania.
GEORGE WASHINGTON SWANK, business man of Johnstown,
Pennsylvania, treasurer of the Swank Hardware Company, is a native
of Johnstown, born February 22, 1870, son of Jacob and Catherine
(Border) Swank, and a descendant of Jacob Swank, the American an-
cestor of this branch of the family, and who was one of the pioneers of
Somerset county in this state. The genealogy of the Swank family from
the time of the ancestor is made the subject of more extended mention in
the sketch of the life of Harry Swank, of Johnstown, to which reference
is made.
Mr. Swank was educated in the public schools of Johnstown, and
when about eighteen years old began work in the hardware store of his
father and uncle, and there entered upon his active business career. On
the death of his father, in 1889, he became one of the proprietors of the
business, and in 1893, when the Swank Hardware Company was incor-
porated, he was elected its treasurer. The other officers at that time Avere
Harry Swank, president ; Charles R. Glock, vice-president, and Morrell
Swank, secretar}-. His attention is devoted closely to the company's
financial affairs and the business in general, and much of the success
which has rewarded the efforts of the company officers and managers is
due to his capacity and judgment. In politics Mr. Swank favors the
HISTORY OF CAMBBIA COUNTY. 171
principles of the Democratic party, but he votes independent of party
ties. He never has sought or held public office. He is a member of the
First Lutheran Church, and at one time was a trustee of Trinity Luth-
eran Church. He also is a member of Conemaugh Lodge No. 191, In-
dependent Order of Odd Fellows, of Johnstown, and has passed all its
chairs; member of Johnstown Lodge No. 245, Ancient Order of United
Workmen, and of Johnstown Lodge No. 175, Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks.
George W. Swank married, March 15, 1889, Martha Jane Beam,
daughter of Isaac and Ellen (Rogers) Ream, of Somerset county, both
descendants of old families of that region. Children of George W. and
Martha J. Swank: Paul George, born January 28, 1897, died Novem-
ber 17, 1904. Harold R., born July 30, 1898.
JOHN THOMAS, JR., son of John and Mary R. (Griffith) Thomas,
whose sketch appears elsewhere, was born at Johnstown, Pennsylvania,
February 1, 1877.
His primary education was obtained in the public schools of his
home town, and later he took a four-year classical course at Otterban
University, at Westerville, Ohio, from which he graduated in 1898.
After his return from college he became interested in the hrm of M. L.
Williams & Co., manufacturers of fire brick. After the consolidation
of this company and that of A. J. Hams & Sons, Ltd., he became assistant
general manager of the new company, which position he still holds. Mr.
Thomas is also interested in the department store of John Thomas &
Sons, an account of which business is given elsewhere. He is a firm be-
liever in Republican principles and casts his vote with that political
organization.
Mr. Thomas married, October 5, 1899, Martha Lucile, daughter of
James and Charlotte A. (Stoner) Newcomb, of Westerville, Ohio. They
are the parents of one son — James Frederick Thomas, born June 22,
1901.
FRANK SHIVELY DECKERT, ticket agent for the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company at Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and a veteran of the
Civil war, was born in Waynesborough, Pennsylvania, February 8, 1839.
The paternal grandfather of Mr. Deckert was a native of Chambers-
burg, Franklin county, Pennsylvania. His son, William Deckert, was
a hatter by trade and made men's hats at Waynesboro vigh for many years.
Later he took up the insurance business and removed to Woodbury, later
to Martin sburg and from there to Mt. Pleasant, sometime in the fifties,
settling at Blairsville, where he died about 1876. He married in Waynes-
borough, Eliza Shively, of an old family of the place. She died at
Blairsville, about 1903. Their children were: John W., deceased, lived
in Philadelphia. Julietta, married R. S. Davis and resides at Blairs-
ville. Frank Shively, see forward. Susan C, married Samuel Ebberts
and lives in Swissvale, Pennsylvania. Maria, died unmarried. Lida,
married John Winn and lives in Blairsville. John W., died single.
Charlotte, unmarried, lives at Blairsville.
Frank S. Deckert received a good common school education at the
towns of Waynesborough and Blairsville. When he was about twenty-one
years of age he commenced to learn the trade of tinner, and during the
time he went to Altoona to look for work, which was scarce then, he
left the trade and found work in the countrv for a while. He finallv
arrived in Pittsburg, where -he procured work and there finished hia
172 HTSTOEY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
trade. He continued as a journeyman tinner until the breaking out of
the war, when he believed his duty called him to the service of his coun-
try. August, 1861, he enlisted in Company E, One Hundred and Thirty-
ninth Pennsylvania Volunteer Regiment, which was immediately sent
to the scene of the second battle of Bull Run to help bury the dead. He
was with the regiment at the battle of Fredericksburg, and in all of their
skirmishes and battles, including deadly Gettysburg. After the battle
of Fredericksburg he was sent to hospital, for a short time, but soon re-
turned to liis regiment. After the battle of Gettysburg he was transferred
to the veteran corps, which engaged in considerable skirmishing in the
vicinity of Annapolis and Washington, but was involved in no other
active service during the remainder of the war. He was mustered out
August 1, 1865, arriving home the same month.
Soon after his return he entered the service of the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company as assistant freight and ticket agent at Blairsville,
Pennsylvania, where he remained a year and a half, going from that
point to Natrona, Pennsylvania, as agent. He spent about the same
length of time there, and in September, 1868, came to Johnstown. After
three or more years the business so increased that a division of the work
had to be made, and he was given the duties of freight agent, which posi-
tion he held until June 1, 1901, when he assumed the position of ticket
agent, which place he still fills, having been in the employ of the one
company for forty years. Politically Mr. Deckert is a Republican, and
in church relation he is identified with the Methodist Episcopal de-
nomination.
Mr. Deckert married January, 1868, Jennie, daughter of Thomas
Leslie, of Natrona. Their children are: Lillian B., married Logan
and resides at Johnstown. Frank Edgar, married, resides at
Cleveland, Ohio. Thomas Ebbert, still at home.
DAVID PALMER WEIMER, of Johnstown, assistant district at-
torney of Cambria county, was born May 7, 1873, at Hillsview, West-
moreland county, Pennsylvania, son of Samuel A. Weimer, and grand-
son of David S. Weimer, who was descended from German ancestors,
and settled in Somerset county, where he passed most of his life as a
farmer. Shortly before his death he moved to Westmoreland county.
David S. Weimer, born December 14, 1814, a son of a Somerset
county farmer, married Catharine Hartman, and their children were:
Susannah, married Frank Walter. Lydia, wife of George W. Beck,
soldier in Civil war; children, Warren E., Samuel, Bert and Georgia.
Eliza. Levina C, widow of John T. Beam, also Civil war veteran; chil-
dren, Carson W., Claire and Myrtle. Daniel, deceased. Franklin, mar-
ried and lives on old David Weimer farm. Samuel A., of whom later.
The death of David S. Weimer, the father, occurred January 1, 1875,
at the age of sixty years.
Samiiel A. Weimer, son of David S. and Catharine (Hartman)
Weimer, was born March 14, 1846, in Somerset county, near Rockwood,
and was sixteen years old when his parents moved to Westmoreland
county. He was educated in the common schools, in which he taught
from the age of fifteen to that of twenty-five. From that time until he
went to Johnstown, in 1880, he worked at the carpenter's trade, also
cultivating a small farm which he owned near Hillsview. In Johnstown
he was for two or three years employed as a carpenter by J. J. Strayer,
after which he engaged in business as a contractor and builder in partner-
ship with William Livingston and Frank Smith. Shortly after he pur-
174 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
has held at Dunbar, Pennsylvania, for the last twenty years. He mar-
ried Margaret Ferry, daughter of George and Martha Ferry, whose
family runs back for several generations in Ireland. Margaret (Ferry)
Bowden Avas born in county Tyrone, Ireland, April 7, 1841, and she was
educated in her native country, espousing the Presbyterian faith.
John J. Bowden obtained his education at the common schools, and
has had a varied career as a railroad man. He has been in the employ of
the Pennsylvania Eailroad Company all of his active life. He began as
a telegraph operator, on the South Western Pennsylvania railroad, where
he was employed from 1882 to 1895, then was appointed relief agent for
the Pittsburg division of the Pennsylvania system, serving until No-
vember, 1900, when he was appointed passenger agent at Johnstown,
Pennsylvania, and transferred to freight agent at the same point, May,
1901. Ever since old enough to vote he has always cast a Eepublican
ballot. In church relations, believing that the faith of his forefathers
was good enough for him, he is identified with the Presbyterian church.
Mr. Bowden is a member of the Masonic fraternity, being past master
and junior warden of Cambria Lodge jSTo. 278, and Portage Chapter
No. 195. He is also a member of the Eoyal Arcanum, having held various
offices in this society, in his old home town — ^Dunbar, Pennsylvania.
Mr. Bowden married, October 6, 1886, at McKeesport, Pennsyl-
vania, Olive May Stewart, a graduate of McKeesport high school,
daughter of William and Anna (Soles) Stewart. William Stewart was
born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, 1841, son of Samuel StcM-art, whose
birth and death occurred in McKeesport, the former in 1803 and the
latter in 1875. Mrs. William (Soles) Stewart, wife of William Stewart,
born October 1, 1845, married, at McKeesport, Pennsylvania, October
17, 1862, William Stewart. She was a daughter of Lewis and Catherine
(Caven) Soles. Lewis Soles was born in Murrysville, Pennsylvania,
March 7, 1812; he assisted in building the First Presbyterian and Meth-
odist Episcopal churches of McKeesport, and was a member and trustee of
the latter ; he was adjutant-general' of the Seventh Battalion of Allegheny
county; his son George served through the Civil war and spent six weeks
in Libby Prison. He married. May 13, 1837, Catherine Caven, bom
January 21, 1819, a descendant of the Caven family who came from
county Cavan, Ireland, in the .seventeenth century. Sheriff Caven, of
Westmoreland county, is also a member of this family. Mr. and Mrs.
Bowden are the parents of two sons: William Pay, born June 5. 1888,
at Dunbar, Pennsylvania, graduated at the Dunbar high school and is
now an insJDector. Earl Stewart, born June 1, 1889, at Dunbar, Penn-
sylvania, is still attending to his school duties.
ALBERT TRENT, of Johnstown, Pennsvlvania, superintendent of
the works order department of Cambria Steel Company, and who outside
of business life has been for many years actively identified with Sunday
school and temperance work in Cambria county, is a native of Friedens,
Somerset county, Pennsvlvania, born March 17, 1856, son of William
Nathan and Margaret (Reitz) Trent, and comes of German and Ameri-
can ancestors. His father, William Nathan Trent, was born in Shanks-
ville, Somerset county, in 1827. He was educated in common schools,
in business life Avas a farmer, in religion a member of the Progressive
Brethren chiirch, and in politics first a Republican and afterward a
strong Prohibitionist. His wife, Margaret (Reitz) Trent, was a daugh-
ter of George Reitz. who came to America from GermauA^
Albert Trent acquired his higher education in Juniata College in
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 175
Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, and after leaving that institution
taught ten terms m the public schools of the state. He then came to
Johnstown and for the next two years engaged in mercantile pursuits,
and in 1885 entered the employ of Cambria Steel Company in the
capacity of clerk. Since that time he has been in the company's service
and now holds the responsible position of superinten,dent of the works
order department. Originally he was a Kepublican, but more recently
has earnestly advocated and supported the principles of Prohibition.
For two terms he held the office of burgess of Westmont. While he is
zealous in the cause of temperance, Mr, Trent is still more active in
Sunday school work. He is a member of the Progressive Brethren So-
ciety, and for the last six years has served as moderator of the Pro-
gressive Brethren State Sunday School Organization of Pennsylvania;
secretary of the Cambria County Sabbath School Association during the
past three years, and superintendent of the Somerset Street Brethren
Sunday school for the last twenty-four years.
At Kittanning, Pennsylvania, September 17, 1883, Albert Trent
married Sarah Alice Dougherty, daughter of Daniel Augustus, chemist
and merchant, and Sarah Jane (Fiscus) Dougherty. Children of Albert
and Sarah Alice (Dougherty) Trent: Walter Dougherty, born in Johns-
town, October 34, 1881:. Margaret, born in Johnstown, June 2, 1886.
Nellie, born in Johnstown, June 2, 1889. Albert Lee, born in Johnsr
town, June 11, 1893. Marion, born in Johnstown, January 6, 1897.
Helen, born in Johnstown, April 31, 1901,
JOSEPH E. SEDLMEYER, the efficient cashier of the United
States National Bank at Johnstown, was born April 11, 1857, son of
Joseph and Walburga (Brandel) Sedlmeyer. The father came from
Furth, Bavaria, about 1815, settled in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where
he worked at the construction of the South Fork Dam, at the Mill Creek
furnace and the Cambria Iron Comjjany's ore mines, until they ceased to
operate. As a stone mason he worked for the Cambria Iron Company
until the great flood of May 31, 1889. He was a devout Catholic and
reared his family in the same religious faith. He died December 8, 1898.
He married Miss Walburga Brandel, of Viehhausen, Germany. She
came to this country with Mr. Sedlmeyer, and they were married in the
church then standing on Church street, Johnstown. The date of her
birth was 1832, and that of Mr. Sedlmeyer was 1830. Her parents died
when she was but a child — hence but little is now known of them.
Joseph E. Sedlmeyer, of this notice, was educated at the parochial
schools of Johnstown, was a student at St. Vincent's College, Latrobe,
Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, from 1871 to 1875. He taught
school at St. Joseph's for four months, and was in the employ of George
T. Swank, postmaster, until December, 1878. The last named month
he entered the First National Bank at Johnstown and was there employed
until June, 1901, when he accepted the position of cashier of the United
States National Bank and has held such responsible place ever since.
In politics Mr. Seidlmeyer is an Independent Kepublican. In religious
faith he has ever been a Catholic. He has been a member of various so-
cieties, including the Maccabees, belonging to Tent No. 238, at Johns-
town. As a business man and citizen who acts for the general good of
his home city, Mr. Seidlmeyer stands high and bears the good will and
respect of every one with whom he comes in contact.
Concerning his domestic relation it should be said that he married
at Cleveland, Ohio, May 19, 1891, Minnie E. Fries, daughter of John
176 HISTORY OF CAMBKIA COUNTY.
and Elizabeth (Pfarr) Fries, both of Bavaria, Germany. The father
was • a hotel keejDer in Cleveland, Ohio. j\Irs. Sedlmeyer received her
education at the parochial schools. She is one of the four surviving chil-
dren of her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Sedlmeyer have the following chil-
dren: Zita E., born March 11, 1892. Helen C, born January 13, 1891.
Mary E., bom September 7, 1895. Lucy B., born March 18, 1899. They
were all born at Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
GEOEGE B. STIXEMAX, of South Fork, one of the founders of
that borough, its first burgess and first postmaster, and for many years
one of its foremost business men, was born May 17, 1837, in Adams
(then Eichland) township. His father and grandfather were both Jacob
Stineman, and his great grandfather, Christian Stineman, is recognized
as the founder of the family in the United States. During the latter
half of the eighteenth century Christian Stineman, then eighteen years
old, emigrated from Holland and took up his abode in Schuylkill count}',
Pennsylvania, where he worked as a tailor, subsequently moving to Bed-
ford count}'.
Jacob Stineman, son of Christian Stineman, the founder, migrated
in 1803 from Bedford county and founded a new branch of the family
in Cambria county. He settled first in Conemaugh township and after-
ward in Eichland township, making his home on the South Fork in
what later became Adams township. He was one of the pioneers of
southern Pennsylvania, settling in that then frontier region before the
county itself was organized, and at a time when the tide of western emi-
gration and settlement was just beginning to set in that direction. On
the bank of South Fork he built a cabin, opened a farm to cultivation
and also built and carried on a mill. Jacob Stineman married, in 1805,
Elizabeth Ling, of Bedford county, and their children were: Christian,
born 1806, died 1827; John, born 1808, died 1882, in Wabash, Indiana;
Jacob, of whom later; Leah, born 1813, wife of Samuel Flenner; Eliza-
beth, wife of Adam Kibler, moved to the west about 1810; Sarah, wife
of Peter Glunt, also moved to the west about 1810; Daniel, moved to
Bedford county, where he died; Margaret, married (first) Frederick
Croyle, (second) Valentine Bailey, and died in 1899; Elias, went to ]\rar-
shalltown, Iowa, where he died at seventy-nine years of age; Philip, died
in Conemaugh; Susannah, wife of Alexander Wysel, moved to Missouri
in early '50s; Samuel, born 1828, died 1855; and a daughter, died in
infancy. Jacob Stineman, the father, died September 28, 1853, in
Adams township, having lived a full half century in that region.
Jacob Stineman, son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Ling) Stineman, was
born on the homestead, in Adams township, and there passed his entire
life. He was one of the leading citizen farmers of his neighborhood,
filling many of the local offices, and was a devout member of the Luth-
eran church. Jacob Stineman married ]\Iary, daughter of Thomas Croyle,
a native of Germany who settled in 1798 in what afterward became Cam-
bria county. He was one of the pioneers of that region, settling where
Sumnerhill now stands, and working at different times as a tanner, a
cooper and a farmer. He was a man of influence in the community, his
example being always on the side of right. Croyle township was named
in honor of himself and his descendants. Jacob and Mary Croyle Stine-
man were the parents of the following children : Elizabeth, deceased ;
Joseph P., died April, 1904, in Philadelphia; George B.. of whom later;
Daniel T., killed at Hatches Eun, Virginia, February 9, 18G5 (Daniel
HISTORY OF CAM Bin A COIMY. 177
T. Stineman Post No. 560, G. A. E., was named in his honor) ; Jacob C.;^
whose sketch follows this ; and Mary Ann, wife of Joseph S. StuU.
George B. Stineman, son of Jacob and Mary (Croyle) Stineman,
passed his boyhood and youth on his father's farm, working in the
summer and in the winter attending the common school. He gained a
good elementary education and later taught school three terms, being
thus engaged until the breaking out of the Civil war. September 14,
1861, he enlisted as a private in Company I, Fifty-fourth Eegiment,.
Pennsylvania A^olunteer Infantry, and was advanced through various
grades of promotion to the rank and commission of first lieutenant.
Before the final muster out he had been recommended for a captaincy,
but Lee's surrender came before the commission was issued. In Feb-
ruary, 1864, his company was consolidated with Company C of the A'^et-
eran Volunteer Infantry. He participated in no fewer than thirty-seven
well-contested battles, besides numerous skirmishes and minor engage-
ments. At High Bridge, Virginia, April 6, 1865, he was captured by the
enemy, but was released three days later, April 9, 1865, that being the
day of the surrender at Appomattox.
Returning home, at the close of the war, Mr. Stineman began busi-
ness life as a lumberman, and built the first dwelling-house in the now
pleasant borough of South Fork, of which place he was a pioneer. The
structure was swept away with hundreds of others in the valle}^ at the
time of the awful flood of May 31, 1889. After three years spent in
lumbering pursuits he turned his attention to farming, having, during
the period mentioned, conducted, in company with his brother, J. C.
Stineman, an extensive business in cherry and ash lumber. At the end
of five years of farming he returned to South Fork, and for the next
nineteen years engaged in mercantile pursuits, his efforts being crowned
with gratifying success. During fourteen years of this time he was also
engaged in coal operations under the name of the South Fork Coal
Works, transferring his business ISTovember 30, 1892, when he retired
from active pursuits. In 1902 he was one of the organizers of the First
National Bank of South Fork, being made its first president, a position
which he held until his death. September 3, 1906. This banking house
was organized with a capital of fifty thousand dollars and was opened
for biTsiness February 2, 1903, since which time it has been engaged in
general banking.
For many years ]\Ir. Stineman was numbered among the staunch
Eepublicans of Cambria county, and held various township offices,
among them that of county auditor. He always evinced a deep interest
in educational matters, and for some ten years was a member of the
board of education in South Fork, during three of those years acting as
treasurer of the board. He also served eight years as treasurer of the
borough of South Fork. He was the first burgess of the borough of
South Fork after its incorporation and received the first appointment as
postmaster of that place, an office which he held for thirteen years. He
was also, in many other ways, identified with the best interests of the
boron crh.
He belonged to D. T. Stineman Post, No. 560, G. A. E. ; Cambria
Lodge, No. 278. F. and A. M. ; South Fork Castle, No. 61. A. 0. K. of
M. C. ; South Fork Lodge, No. 101. K. P., of which he was for fourteen
years master of exchequer, and South Fork Lodge. No. '838, I. 0. 0. F.,
in which for seventeen years he served as treasurer. He was a member
of the United Evangelical church, serving for the last thirty-four years
as trustee and for twenty-eight years as chairman of the board. In 1899,.
178 HL^TOFY OF CAMBFIA COUNTY.
when the board of the Pittsburg Conference was established, he was
chosen one of the five trustees of which it was composed, and served from
the beginning until his death as its treasurer, being re-elected at the
close of each term. For six _years he served as class leader and for thir-
ieen _years as superintendent of the Sunday school.
Mr. Stineman married, September 13, 1866, Martha Ann Paul, and
the following children have been born to them: 1. John William, born
May 30, 1867, cashier of First National Bank of South Fork. 2. Sarah
Jane, born June 1, 1868, died August 13, 1901 ; she was the wife of Dr.
A. A. Pringle, left three children, Ethel F., Jessie F., and Allison S. 3.
Minnie M., born June 1, 1868, died August 13, 1868; was twin to Sarah
Jane. 4. Milton E., bom December 11, 1869, died September 7, 1880.
5. Ida L., born vSeptember 18, 1871, wife of William L. McClaran, a
druggist of Glassport, Pennsylvania, had two children: Eobert M., living,
and Euth, deceased. 6. Eetta 0., born March 11, 1874, died May 3,
1874. 7. Eosina V., born May 2, 1876, died May 28, 1899. 8. George
L., born October 18, 1879, stationary engineer, resides at home. 9.
Chester A., born Aus^ust 7, 1881, at home, assists his father in conduct of
affairs. 10. Anna P., born July 27, 1883, wife of W. W. McT^eil, of Al-
ioona, Penns^dvania. 11. Jacob H., born ISTovember 18, 1885, qlerk for
Pennsylvania railroad at South Fork. 12. Marguerite Essie, born
April'll, 1888, died February 10. 1906. 13. Eugene K, bom Febru-
ary 5, 1892, at home.
HON". JACOB C. STINEMAN, of South Fork, state senator rep-
resenting the Thirty-fifth senatorial district of Pennsylvania, was bom
April 9, 1842, in Adams (then Eichland) township, and is the third in
lineal descent to bear the name of Jacob which has been transmitted to
Tiim from both his father and his grandfather.
Jacob C. Stineman passed his youth and young manhood on the
Iioniestead in the labors of which he was trained to assist. He was edu-
cated in public and select schools and at the early age of sixteen began
teaching, a calling he followed with gratifying success for four years.
'Early in the Civil war he enlisted as a private in Company F, One Hun-
dred and Ninetv-eighth Eegiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, Mnd
served with that command until the close of the conflict. In the course of
Ills service he was promoted to the rank of corporal and later to that of
sergeant, which he held when mustered out. After his return home he
was for a few years engaged in agricultural pursuits, and in 1868 began
work as a coal miner. This was his first step in business life and proved
to be the foundation of his later successful career, affording him an op-
portunity to acquire a thorough knowledge of the coal-producing indus-
fry from its very beginning and to know bv actual experience the "rela-
tion of miner and producer. From the hard work of a miner Mr, Stine-
man soon passed to the position of a mine boss, then to that of superin-
tendent of the same mines in wliich he had previously worked, and in
1873 acquired lands on which he began coal mining operations on his
own account. Subsequentlv he extended his interests in other lands,
also his production, otherwise increased his interests and eventually be-
came an extensive owner and operator, one of the largest individual pro-
ducers of soft coal in all Pennsylvania. He is president of the Stineman
Coal & Coke Company, and director in the Stineman Coal Mining Com-
7)any, the South Fork Fire Brick Company and the South Fork Water
Company. He is also director in the South Fork National Bank and the
■Second National Bank of Altoona ; president and director of the South
Thi LemsI^'bUsTTing C:
L A Struck r.Qfan^clTzJ -
HISTORY OF CAMBIUA COUNTY. 179
Fork Electric Light Company, and stockholder in the First National
Bank of Ebensburg. In the organization of most of these institutions
he was largely instrnmental. He was formerly a director of the Citizens'
National Bank of Johnstown, and a stockholder in several other corpor-
ate companies of Cambria county.
From the outset of his political career Mr. Stineman has been iden-
tified with the Kepublican party. In 1885 he stood as the Eepublican
candidate for the office of sheriff of Cambria county, and although de-
feated at the polls led the party ticket. In 1888 he was again the can-
didate of his party for the same office, and was elected by a good plurality
in a county which is generally considered safely Democratic. In 1889 he
was a delegate to the Republican state convention, and in 1891 was chair-
man of the Cambria County Eepublican committee. In 1893 he was
elected to the state legislature, and in 1894 re-elected. During the legis-
lative session of 1893 he was a member of the house committees on mines
and mining, judiciary (local), iron and coal, printing, and fish and
game. In November, 189G, having served through two sessions in the
lower house, Mr. Stineman was elected to a seat in the state senate, rep-
resenting the Thirty-fifth senatorial district, comprising Cambria and
Blair counties, and has been re-elected at the end of each succeeding term
to the present time. In all his service in the State legislature has cov-
ered a period of fourteen years, and in whatever capacity he has been
called upon to serve, his duty has been performed faithfully, fully and to
the entire satisfaction of the people he has been chosen to represent. Mr.
Stineman was the founder, first commander and has always been a mem-
ber of Daniel T. Stineman Post, No. 560, G. A. R., of South Fork. He
also belongs to Cambria Lodge, No. 278, F. and A. M., South Fork
Lodge, No. 10, Knights of Pythias, the I. 0. 0. F., of Willmore, and the
Junior Order of American Mechanics. He is a member of the United
Evangelical church in which he serves as trustee.
Mr. Stineman married, December 20, 1866, Ellen Varner, and the
following children have been born to them : Albert Meade ; Washington
Irving ; Harvey Cameron ; Nettie May ; Oliver Morton ; Nora Lucretia,
deceased; Jacob Wilbur; and one who died in extreme infancy.
HON. EDWARD THOMAS McNEELIS, one of the successful at-
torneys of the city of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was born on Iron street,
near the Stone Bridge in Johnstown, April 23, 1863, son of Edward and
Ann (McCole) McNeelis. The father, Edward McNeelis, was born in
the town of Ardara, county Donegal, Ireland, January 6, 1825, and died
October 4, 1892. He emigrated to America in 1852, settling at Tyrone,
Pennsylvania,, and came to Johnstown in 1860. He was employed in the
works of the Cambria Iron Company, and resided in Moxham at the date
of his death. He married Ann McCole, born in Locust Point, near Ar-
dara, county Donegal, Ireland, October 23, 1839, died January 15, 1900.
She came to Tyrone in 1857 and was married the same year to Mr. Mc-
Neelis. They were members of the Catholic church, belonging to St.
John's church at the time of their death. They are buried in Geistown
cemetery. In her young womanhood the mother was an accomplished
school teacher and a fine Irish scholar, talking the language fluently.
Edward T. McNeelis obtained his common school education at St.
John's parochial school and at the public schools of Millville borough,
now a part of the city of Johnstown, until he was fourteen years of age,
when he entered the works of the Cambria Iron Company and soon after
became an apprentice to the machinists' trade. He followed this at
180 HISTORY OF CAMBFIA COUNTY.
Johnstown and Homestead until the spring of 1887, He then went to
the Indiana Normal school and passed the preliminary examination on
August 8, 1887, entered the law office of H. G. Eose, then district attor-
ney, as a student. He was admitted to the bar, September 5, 1889, and
at once opened a law office in his native city and has been in constant
practice ever since. In the month of October, 1892, he was admitted to
practice before the supreme court of Pennsylvania. Aside from the fact
of having to practice his chosen profession at a point thirty-five miles by
rail distant from the countv seat, his work has been pleasant and profit-
able.
Politically Mr. McXeelis is an ardent Democrat, was state's repre-
sentative in the session of 1891, and was a candidate for the office of dis-
trict attorney in the Eoosevelt camj)aign, but went down with the re-
mainder of the ticket. He is a member of St. John's Catholic Church at
Johnstown. In civic society matters he is connected Avith the Elks, the
Eagles, Knights of St. George, Knights of Columbus and the Hepta-
sophs, one of the safest insurance companies in existence.
Mr. McXeelis was married, October 8, 1889, by Eev. James P. Ta-
haney at St. John's Church, to Margaret Cooney, of East Conemaugh,
Cambria county, daughter of John T. and Catherine (Bracken) Cooney.
She was educated at the East Conemaugh public schools. Mr. and Mrs.
McXeelis are the parents of the following children: Annie Clare, born
August 30, 1890. Catherine Helen, born March 1, 1892, died January
22,"l898. Edward T., born May 26, 1900, died October 26, 1900.
PHILIP C. WALTEES, son of Dr. W. W. and Eliza Walters, born
in Johnstown, March 8, 1868, attended the public schools, and learned
the plumbing trade with the firm of J. H. Waters & Bro. In 1897 he
formed a partnership with Frank Updegrave in the plumbing business.
In 1899 Mr. Updegrave retired and he became associated with Edward
(t. Decker under the firm name of Walters & Decker.
SAMUEL BLACKBUEX WATEES, president of the Xational
Eadiator Company of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, is the son of Josiah and
Margaret (Lambert) Waters. He was born March 25, 1866, at Stoyes-
town, Somerset county, Pennsylvania. The record of his father's family
will be found in the sketch of John H. Waters.
The family moved to Johnstown Avhen Samuel B. was a small child,
and there he received his education at the public schools, which he at-
tended until sixteen years old. While yet in school, at the age of four-
teen, he served as a route-boy for the Johnstown Daily and Weekly Tiih-
une, for the first ward, under the supervision of H. W. Story, the editor
of this history. At the age of sixteen he was employed as an apprentice
to the plumbing trade, under McMillan & Waters, with whom he re-
mained until 1888, when the firm dissolved partnership. While with
them he acted in the capacity of manager of their branch store in In-
diana, Indiana county, for about one year. After the firm dissolved and
the branch had closed operations, Mr. Waters entered into partnership
with his brotlier, John H. Waters, under the name of John H. Waters
& Brother. This firm continued in the heating and plumbing business
until 1896. In 1895 both brothers became interested in the Fowler
Eadiator Company, a corporation doing business at Xorristo^vn, Penn-
sylvania. In 1896, the eastern interests of the company having been
acquired, the plant was removed to Johnstown and later incorporated as
the Xational Eadiator Co. and the Waters brothers, in order to devote all
JIISTOKY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. " 181
of their time to the manufacture of radiators, closed out their interests
in the heating business to a firm composed of James M. Shumaker and
John R. Flinu. The National Eadiator Co. now ranks among the largest
m the A\hole country. Samuel B. ^\'aters, who is its president, devotes
his whole time and energy to the manufacturing- end of the business. He
is also a member of the board of directors in the Centur}^ Stove & Man-
ufacturing Company, and the Savage Fire Brick Company, both Johns-
town concerns of no small importance.
Politically Mr. Waters is a Democrat, but never an office holder.
He is a member of Johnstown Lodge, No. 538, F. and A. M. ; Portage
Chapter, No. 195, E. A. M. ; Oriental Commandery, No. 61, K. T., hav>
ing served as presiding officer in each. Also a member of Syria Temple,
A. A. 0. N. M. S. ; Johnstown Lodge, B. P. 0. E. ; Amicus and Johnstown
Country Club.
Mr. Waters married, January 10, 1895, Susan, daughter of Valen-
tine and Susan (Horner) Louther, of Johnstown, the ceremony being
performed by Eev. Alhin. Wilson. Their first child, who died in infancy,
v.as born April 15, 189G. Catherine Margaret, their only living child,
born December 27, 1898.
HOENER FAMILY. This highly respected family, which counts
among its representatives of today Emmett Horner, of Johnstown, was
planted in this country by John Horner, who came from Engitrrrd about '5 ^/? y^
the middle of the eighteenth century and settled in what is now Wash-
ington township, Franklin county, where he owned a farm, grist mill and
distillery and carried on a general store, also acting as banker for the
community in which he dwelt. During the revolutionary struggle he
was actively engaged in the cause of the colonies, as appears from an en-
try in his old ledger, now in possession of his great-grandson, Emmett
Horner, which states that he received, at one time, five hundred and fifty
dollars for sitting in the Continental congress. About IT 96 he moved to
Somerset county, where he purchased a large tract of land which had
previously been granted by John Penn and John Penn, Junior, propri-
etaries of the Province of Pennsylvania, to Peter Snyder. This land was
situated on the east side of Stony Creek, about a mile above the mouth of
the Little Conemaugh, and included, besides a large run, what was known
as Solomon Adams' Improvement, in Quemahoning township, then be-
longing to Bedford county and now constituting the seventh ward of
Jolnistown, as well as all of Dale borough. The original deed, on parch-
ment, is now held by Mr. Horner, of Dale, and bears the date of May 25,
1776. Emmett Horner still owns twelve lots situated on this land.
Before moving to Somerset county, John Ho]:ner, the emigrant,
married Susan , and their children were: Jonas, of whom later;
John, Jacob, x\dam, Frederick, Christiajv Eli, Solomon, Elizabeth, wife
of Michael Eeade ; and another daughter, wife of Jacob Hess. John
Horner died in what is now the Seventh ward of Johnstown, Pennsyl-
vania, about 1831.
Jonas Horner, son of John and Susan Horner, was his father's ad-
ministrator. He owned all that part of Meadowvale now lying east of
Messenger street and also a large portion of Dale borough. After his
father's death he occupied the homestead, situated on what is now Von
Lunen's Eoad, then the state road from Somerset to the Frankstown
road. He operated a grist mill, fulling mill and saw mill, and also cid-
livated a considerable farm. His house was the first brick building erect-
Vol. Ill— 12
182 HIS TOE Y OF CAMBFJA COUNTY.
ftd in Johnstown, being constructed of bricks made on the premises. He
and all his sons were renowned hunters. His death occurred in 18.54.
Jonas Horner married Martha Fox, who bore him the following
children: 1. Jacob C, of Avhom later. 2. Samuel, born 1817, married
Hannah Yarner; children: Xathaniel, Aaron, deceased; Henry S., An-
nie, William Lemon and Erastus, deceased. 3. Elizabeth, wife of Da-
vid Ferner. 4. Susan, second wife of David Ferner, children by two mar-
riages, Jeremiah, Lucinda, Martha Jane, Austin, David, William and
twins. 5. Martha, wife of Airwine Metz ; children : Christianna, Jane, de-
ceased; Lucretia; CeA'lon H., deceased; Martha, Eeuhanna, Lizzie, Ells-
worth and Fremont J., deceased. 6. Christina, wife of Adam Koontz ; chil-
dren: Chaunce}", Frank Martin, Emmaj deceased; and Mary. 7. Jonas B.,
married Christina Singer; children; Levina, William, David. Benjamin,
deceased; Dennis, deceased; Elmira and Mary. 8. Catharine, married
Christ Horner.
Jacob C. Horner, son of Jonas and Martha (Fox) Horner, was born
May 30, 1812, on the old homestead, where he grew up, obtaining his ed-
ucation, or as much education as was possible under the circumstances,
at a school held in a mill situated on the property, the means of tuition
being chiefly the Xew Testament and some foolscap paper. He assisted
his father on the farm and in other enterprises, and with his brothers
helped to clear the timber from the land, which was then almost a wil-
derness. He afterward engaged in the lumber business, furnishing lum-
ber for the construction of the old canal and also for the Cambria Iron
AYorks. He owned twenty-nine acres of farming land in ]\Ieadowvale, in
addition to a tract at what is now Parkstown, Conemaugh township. At
ditferent times he served as constable and held other county offices,
among them those of school director and super\dsor. Like his father, he
was administrator of the estate.
Jacob C. Horner was twice married, his first wife being Caroline
Cover, who bore him the following children: Samuel, Sylvester, Will-
iam, ^lary, Harriet, Sarah, Annie, and two others deceased. His second
wife was Mary Ann Garland by whom he became the father of five chil-
dren: Emmett, of whom later; Ida, deceased; Jonas, deceased; Jane,
wife of Charles P. Cobaugh; and Harry H., married Lydia Menser; chil-
dren: Charles, deceased; Lucy, Ealph, Viola, Harry, Eva and Irene.
Emmett Horner, son of Jacob C. and Mary Ann (Garland) Horner,
was born Xovember 25, 1859, on the home farm, and received his educa-
tion in the common schools of his township. He learned the tinner's
trade and went into business for himself. After the great flood of 1889,
in which nearly all the business interests of Johnstown were destroyed,
he found himself the only tinsmith able, at that time, to continue in the
exercises of his calling. He is still engaged in the same line of business,
having his shop in Bedford street, Dale, and is the owner of considerable
property in that borough, which he acquired through his own unaided ef-
forts. In 1892 he was elected justice of the peace, holding the office until
1897. He has also served at different times as auditor. Although own-
ing strict allegiance to no political party, he votes, generally speaking,
Avith the Republicans. He is one of the charter members of the L'nited
Brethren church, in the work of which he takes a very active part, having
served several terms on the board of trustees.
He married. May 15, 1888, Salina Hillegass, of Bedford county,
daughter of Fred J. and Ellen (Hart) Hillegass. She was born March
22, 1866. Thev have one child, Edna J., born June 23, 1889. She grad-
// THE
NEVA YORK
(PUBLIC LIBRARY!
;^Att«r, Lenox and Tlldany
Founpstioni,
190b)
HIS TOBY OF CAMBFdA COUNTY. 183
uated- in Dale public schools and at Salix Academy, Adam township.
Cambria county; now (1906) a teacher in the graded schools at Daisy-
town borough.
McKEE FAMILY. During the period of early history of the Prov-
ince of Pennsylvania, William Penn, the ])roprietor, made a grant of
land to six lu'others who then had recently immigrated to America from
Ireland. These brothers were James, Hugh, Thomas, William, Andrew
and Samuel ^McKee, and from theni have descended probably all who
bear that surname in Pennsylvania at the present time and nearly all now
living on this side of the Atlantic.
Among the numerDus descendants of these brothers was James IMc-
Kee, who was a pioneer settler in the vicinity of what is now Saltsburg,
Indiana county, where he located some time previous to the Revolution.
He married and had children, and among his sons was James.
James McKee was born in 1810, a carpenter by trade and contractor
by subsequent occupation, although the later years of his life were spent
on a farm. While working as a carpenter he also acted as undertaker in
the locality of his iiome, a custom which was quite common in early days.
When quite an old man he removed to Jacksonville, Indiana county, and
spent his remaining days at that place. James McKee married three
times. The family name of his first Avife was McFarland, and she bore
him two children, John, who died unmarried, and Anna, who became the
wife of Barney Skelley. Both are now dead. His second wife vras Bar-
bara Eamsey, by which he had seven children. She was a daughter of
James Kamsey, who was a substantial farmer of Indiana county and the
descendant of an early family in that part of the state. Mr. McKee's
third wife was Nancy McComb. She bore him no children. Mr. McKee
died about the 3^ear 1894, then being about eighty-four years old. He
was a man of determined character and sterling worth, and was much
respected in the community in which he lived. During the Civil war he
raised a company of volunteers and would have led his men to the front
had the regulations of the war department permitted one of his age to en-
ter the service. In politics he Avas originally a Whig and later a strong
Republican. He was also a strong Presbyterian, for many A'cars a mem-
ber and elder of the church. He donated the land in Jacksonville on
which the church edifice was built, and it was mainly through his ef-
forts that that structure was erected.
Children of James and Barbara (Eamsey) McKee: 1. Jane, mar-
ried Scott Lowman ; she is now a widow living in Jacksonville, Indiana
county. 2. Ellen, married Henry Christman and noAV lives in Indiana
countv. 3. Hannah, married H. B. Mclntyre and now liA'es in Jack-
sonA'ille, Pennsylvania. 4. Harriet, married William Adair and is now
dead. 5. Maggie, married Alexander Gilmore ; both are dead. 6. Mary,
married Richard Adair and lives in Washington county, Iowa. 7. Tbom-
as, married Lucinda Henderson and lives in Alledo, Merced county, Illi-
nois. Tliomas jNIcKeo served in the Sevenih-sixth Pennsylvania A^olun-
teers during the civil war. 8. William, married Jennie Ferguson and
lives in Indiana coimtv. 9. Hugh Calvin, see forward.
Hugh Calvin McKee, second son of James and Barbara (Ramsey)'
McKee, was born near Jacksonville. Indiana county, July 13, 1845, and
was brought up on his father's farm. He was educated in the common
schools, and at the age of sixteen years enlisted as a private in Company
G, Seventy-sixth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, for service during the
Civil Avar. The regiment Avas mustered into the service of the IJnited
184 HISTOFY OF CAMBFJA COFXTY.
States at Harrisburg, and from there was sent to South Cai'olina. He
followed the fortunes of his comiDany and tlie regiment in their subse-
quent arduous duty, and was at the capture of Fort Royal and Fort Wag-
ner, where the command lost more than- two hundred men. From the
Carolinas he went with the regiment into A-'irginia, and was engaged at
Deep Bottom, the Wilderness, the several operations at and near Peters-
burg and was present at the mine explosion. He also was at Dutch Gap,
where General Butler was engaged in cutting the canal through the
James river ; at Bermuda Hundred, James Island, Addistow Island,
John's Island, and at Wilmington, jSTorth Carolina, -just as the Confed-
erate troops were evacuating that city on the opposite side. In fact, Mr.
jMcKee was in every engagement in which his regiment participated, and
never was sick, never in the hospital and never absent from duty for a
single day. He was wounded in the side, but refused to go to the hos-
pital. With several of liis comrades he was captured while on scoitting
dutv near Facing's Depot, Xorth Carolina, ]ust before the fall of Eich-
mond, but was soon afterward released.
After the final muster out Mr. McKee returned home and remained
on the farm until 1868, when he went to !Mercer county, Illinois, and for
three years engaged in farming. He then returned to Pennsylvania, lo-
cated in Allegheny City and there learned the trade of moulder, which
was his principal occupation for the next twenty-five 3'ears. In 1896,
when the Cambria Paint and Color Company began operations at Johns-
town, he came to that city and since that time has been connected with
the company's business. He is a member of the Presbyterian church.
Camp Xo. 1 of Pittsburg, Union Veteran's Union, and in politics is a
Ilepublican.
Huo-h Calvin McKee married. October 2. 1866, ]\Iarv Lowman,
daughter of Samuel Lowman, of whom mention is made elsewhere in
these annals. Of this marriage four children were born: 1. William
]\IcLain, married Annie Connors and lives at Turtle Creek, Pennsylvan-
ia. 2. Elizabeth Blanch, married Rev. E. C. Paxton and lives at Irwin,
Pennsylvania. 3. Frank, married May Raynor and lives in Allegheny
Citv. 4. James Newton, see forward.
James Newton ]\IcKee, known as one of the most enterprising and
successful yovmg business men of the city of Johnstown, was born in Al-
legheny City, Pennsylvania, April 11, 1875, and is the youngest of the
children of Hugh Calvin and Mary (Lowman) McKee. He was educated
in the public schools of Allegheny City, and at the age of fifteen years be-
gan work as an office boy in a paint factory. He worked in that factory
about five years, and during that time learned something more than the
simple duties of office boy, for when he came to Johnstown, in 1896, he
possessed a thorough knowledge of the business and put it to practical
use in starting a paint factory in Johnstown in company with his uncle,
Herman Bantly. This was the beginning of a business -nhich has con-
tinued to the present time and is now counted among the important in-
dustries of Johnstown. Mr. McKee was its principal founder and prac-
tical manager, and has been connected with its operation from the outset.
]n August, 1902, a reorganization was effected and the Cambria Paint
und Color Company, a limited partnership, succeeded the former part-
nership arrangement. The officers of the company are Herman Bantly,
president ; H. M. Lowman, vice-president, and James IST. McKee, secre-
tary and treasurer. The product of the company's factory includes mor-
tar colors, mineral paints, Venetian reds, paper colors, fillers, pulp col-
HIS TOBY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 185
ors, graphite paints, asphaltiim paints, oil colors, stove polish, etc. The
output is sold throughout the United States and the Canadas.
Besides his interest in the paint and color conipan}^ the manage-
ment of which occupies nearly his entire time, Mr. IVIcKee is engaged in
several other business enterprises in Johnstown. Until recently he was
head of the James N. McKee Company, manufacturers of blueing and
stove polish, but now that business is merged with the Paint and Color
Company. He is treasurer of the Johnstown Vehicle Company, senior
member of the insurance firm of James jST. J\IcKee & Co., secretary and
treasurer of tlie Pennsylvania Black Filler Company, whose works were
recently moved from Williamsport to Johnstown. In addition to these
interests he is owner of considerable real estate in the city and also has
invested interests in other business enterprises than those here men-
tioned. He is a member of Johnstown Lodge, !N"o. 538, F. and A. M. ;
Portage Chapter, No. 195, E. A. M. ; Cambria Council, N'q. 32, E. and S.
M. ; Oriental Commandery, Xo. 61, K. T., and of S^^ria Temple, A. A.
0. N". M. S. He is a meml)er of the United Presbyterian church, in
Avhich he is an elder, and in polities is a Eepublican.
James Xewton ]\[cKee married, April 17, 1901, Edith Jane Lever-
good, and lias one daughter, Louise McKee, born October 12, 1902.
HAESHBEECxEE FA:\riLY. The Harshlierger family of Penn-
sylvania is of German ancestry and its representatives have lived in the
state through many generations. One of the substantial representatives
of that surname, the period of whose active life covered the first quarter
of the last century, was Joseph Harshberger, of Somerset county, whose
place of abode was near the Maryland line, and from which he removed
in 1818 to a farm of four hundred acres in Cambria county, at the place
long known as Moxham, now the seventeenth ward of the city of Johns-
town.
Jose]ih Harshberger was a native of Berks county, Pennsylvania,
rnd it is believed that his father and mother were born in Germany. Jo-
seph married and had a large family of children, viz: 1. Eebecca, mar-
ried Joel Yoder and lived first in Somerset countv, then in Ohio and aft-
erward went to the west. 2. Martha, married George Thomas and lived
in the north part of Somerset county. 3. Fannie, married Jacob ]\riller
and settled in Somerset county. 4. Elizabeth, married John Eash,
moved first to Ohio and afterward to Lidiana. 5. Henry, married Ger-
trude Yoder and settled at Fleming, Cambria county. 6. Moses, see for-
ward. 7. Susan, married David Eash and lived in Somerset county. 8.
Christina, married Daniel Eash and lived in Cambria county. 9. Ja-
cob, married a IMiss "Wingert, settled in Ohio and later in Indiana. 10.
Joseph, died unmarried. 11. Sarah, died unmarried. 12. Katherine,
married Yost Stutsman and removed to Iowa. 13. ]\Iary, married Jo-
nas Kauffman, lived in Cambria countv. 14. John, married Eliza
Phinecv and lived in Somerset county. 15. Dorothy, married Isaac Or-
ris and lived in Cambria countv.
Moses Harshberger, second son and sixth child of Joseph Harsh-
berger, the pioneer of the family in Cambria countv. was born in Decem-
ber, 1804. and was a boy of fourteen when his father settled at Moxham.
Like his father, he was a farmer and when he came of age purchased.
Avith his brother Jacob, the old AYissinger farm near Walnut Grove, just
outside of the limits of the present city of Johnstown. The brothers aft-
erward divided these lands, Jacob taking that part known as the Eli Grif-
fith place, while Moses took the Abner GriflRth farm. However, in 1857,
186 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
he bought the Costlo^r farm in Adams township and lived there until his
death, in October, 1885. He was a successful farmer and acquired a fair
pro^ierty in lands and stock. He married Catherine Schrock, daughter
of John and Martha (Blouch) Schrock, of Shanksville, Somerset county.
John Schrock's father was born in Switzerland and was an early settler
in the vicinity of Berlin, Somerset county. Moses and Catherine Harsh-
berger had one son — John M., and one daughter — Mary, who became the
wife of Christian Shetler and now. lives in Adams township, on a farm.
John M. Harshberger was born on the Wissinger farm, near Johns-
town, August 13, 1835, and then moved to the Costlow farm with his
father in 1857 and still resides there. He was given a good common
school education, afterward taught school two terms, but he preferred
farming to teaching and soon settled down to that occupation, in which
his efforts in life have been rewarded with good success. He also is a
minister of the German Baptist or Dunkard church and a faithful, con-
scientious worked in that field. Since boyhood he has led a Christian
life and it is comforting to him now in his declining years, for he has
reached the allotted three score and ten years of life's span, to Icnow that
he has been instrumental in teaching others and directing them in right
paths.
So far as he has indulged in politics Mr. Harshberger is a Eepub-
lican, although his first vote in 1856 was cast for James Buchanan, but"
Mr. Buchanan Avas a Pennsylvanian and a feeling of state pride prompt-
ed many voters of the Commonwealth to rally to his support regardless
of the principles he represented.
On Christmas Day, 1858, Mr. Harshberger married Catherine ^yertz,
daughter of Jacob and ]\Iary (Hoff'man) Wertz, of Conemaugh township,
and of whose family life more extended mention will be found elsewhere
in this work. Children of John M. and Catherine (Wertz) Harshber-
ger: 1. Cornelius, born in Adams toAvnship, married Jennie Burk-
hardt. He Avas formerly a member of the firm of J. j\1. Harshberger &
Sons and now carries on part of the old home farm and also is a school
teacher; he is also a minister of the gospel. 2. George Marion, see for-
Avard. 3. Mary Catherine, born in Adams toAvnship, died aged six
years. 4. !Melinda Jane, born in Adams toAvnship, married Jacob G.
Custer, an employe of Cambria Steel Company. 5. Milton, died in in-
fancy. 6. j\Iinnie E., married Samuel Pearce, an employe of the Na-
tional Eadiator Works, JohnstoAvn, and an active minister of the Baptist
Dunkard church. 7. Ira L., born in Adams toAvnship, married Rebecca
Varner, and is a farmer of Adams toAvnship, Cambria county. 8. Liz-
zie, born in Adams township ; lives at home. 9. Jacob W., born in Ad-
ams township, married Stella Keiper ; ho is clerk at the Lorain Steel
Company's works, JohnstoAvn. 10. Edith ]\Iay, born in Adams toAvnship,
married Samuel Varner, a.farmer in Adams toAvnship. 11. David, died
in infancy.
All the above children were born in Adams toAAaiship.
George Marion Harshberger has been in some mannc]- identified
Avith the business history of Johnstown for more than twenty years. He is
a natiA^e of Adams township and was born September 28, 1861. His ear-
ly life AA'as spent on the old home farm, and he was educated in public
and normal schools. After leaving school he taught three terms, one in
Adams and two in Eichland toAvnship. In tlie early spring of 1883 Mr.
Harshberger left the farm and went to Johnstown to enter business pur-
suits, for he was an energetic young man and determined to make his OAvn
way in life. During the first three years of his stay in the city ho
HISTORY OF CAMBIUA COUNTY. 187
worked as clerk for N. B. Hartzell, and for the next five years was him-
self proprietor of a grocery store and meat market. This he sold in 1888
and for something more than a year was a commercial traveler for J.
Swank, Son & Co., hardware dealers and jobhers. May 31, 1889, he left
tire road and began the erection of a hotel in Johnstown, and from the
time "The Pompeii'^ was opened until the spring of 1894 Mr. Harsh-
berger was its landlord. In 1895, after one more year on the road for a
Chicago house, he established a flour, feed, grain and coal business on
Picdford avenue, near the Baltimore & Ohio railroad in Johnstown. His
partners in this enterprise were his father and elder brother, Cornelius,
and the firm style was J. M. Harshberger & Sons. Later on George be-
came sole proprietor of the concern and has since continued the business
with good success, dealing extensively in farming machinery, agricultural
implements and carriages, making a specialty of carriages and vehicles.
SinC'e he came to live in Johnstown Mr. Harshberger has taken an
active part in ],niblic and political affairs and is known as one of the
staunch Eepublicans of Cambria county. In 1892 he was elected to the
common council from the fourth ward, but resigned in 1893 to take the
office of city assessor, to which he had been elected for a three years'
term. He is a thirty-second degree Mason, a member of the various
subordinate bodies of the order in Johnstown and has frequently been
chosen to offices in each of them.
]\[r. Harshberger married, June 21, 1883, Lovina J. Shank, daugh-
ter of Jacob and Mary (Stull) Shank, of Adams township. Jacob
Shank is a son of Jacob Shank, who came to America from Eno-land.
The Stulls are of German descent. ]\Ir. and Mrs. Harshberger had six
children: lA^y Pearl, who died at the age of six years; Eoyal Longfellow,
IMabel Gladys, Elsie Vira, Clay Dewey and Mary Catherine Harshberger.
ROSE FAMILY. This family has been prominently represented in
Cambria county in three successive generations. The family comes of
sturdy English stock, and the energy and tenacity of purpose of the
English race is one of the prominent traits of the family. They trace
their ancestry in America through William Rose (seven generations) to
one of five brothers who emigrated from England to eastern Pennsyl-
vania, in the eighteenth century. William Rose first settled at Philadel-
phia and from there went to Lancaster county. From Lancaster county
he moved to Bob's Creek, near the town of Bedford; from there he moved
to Jenner Cross Roads, Somerset county. Here his wanderings ceased,
and after a life of adventure and hardship — such as fell to the lot of the
pioneers who wrested this great state from a savage wilderness — he lived
quietly until his death in 1847. His grave is in the oldest Baptist bury-
ing ground at Jenners Cross Roads.
Allen Rose, son of William Rose, was born in Bedford county, Penn-
sylvania, March 20, 1793. He seems to have inherited some of his
father's adventurous spirit, for in 1812 we find him located in Somerset
county, shortly after which he was in Ohio. After a short stay in Oliio
lie was for a brief period a resident of McKeesport, Pennsylvania. He
finally settled in Somerset county, purchasing a grist mill in 1826, at
Jenners Cross Roads. He operated this mill two years and in 1828 came
to what was then called the town of Conemaugh, but since 1834 known
as Johnstown, Pennsylvania. At this place Mr. Rose was engaged as a
contractor and builder. He was by trade a carpenter, and old citizens of
the town remember him as a mechanic of more than ordinary skill and
genius. In addition to his work as a carpenter and builder, he made
188 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
pumjis, and many of the large wooden pumps once so common in this lor
calit)' were the product of his shop. Allen Rose was a man of earnest
piety and was a consistent member of the ]\Iethodist Episcopal church, of
which his wife was also a devout member. His opportunities for gaining
an education, so far as schools and text books were concerned, was limited
to such as the Bedford county school system of that date afforded, and
was indeed meager. But his knowledge of the Bible was indeed great;
he could quote from the Scriptures with an aptness found in but few
persons.
In 1823 he was united in marriage to Elizabeth Freame. By this
union were born the following children: Eliza, born February 9, 1824:.
Wesley J., born April 17, 1826. Marshall, born July 1, 1828.' John S.,
born June 19, 1831. Lewis, born October 5, 1831. W. Horace, born
Js^ovember 17, 1838. George W., born Xovember 28, 1810. Agnes F.,
born April 1, 1812.
Wesley J. Rose, son of Allen and Elizabeth (Freame) Rose, was
born April IT, 1826, at Jenners Cross Roads, Somerset county, Pennsyl-
vania, and educated at the common schools. He taught school one term
in 1818, in Somerset county. Of his father he learned the carpenter's
trade, and in 1851 became a partner of the firm of Pringle, Rose & Ed-
son, which finn finally purchased the foundry and machine shop prop-
erty of H. S. Smith, located on the present site of Gautier's Mills. This
they operated until 1861, when a corporation Mas formed, known as the
Johnstown Mechanical Works. Mr. Rose was made the manager of this
plant, serving until 1869, when he resigned his position and went to Cal-
ifornia sight seeing and visiting friends. He returned to Johnstown and
engaged as a contractor and builder and handled all kinds of lumber and
builders* supplies. In 1881 his son, Walter E., was taken in as a partner,
the firm being styled W. J. Rose & Son. The great flood of 1889 washed
their planing mill away and destroj'ed their entire plant, but as soon as
possible after that disaster they, Avith their characteristic energy and
pluck, began to rebuild on a larger scale than before. Another son, R.
G. Rose, was taken into the firm of W. J. Rose & Sons and they carried
on a larger business than ever before.
Mr. Rose was married to Martha Given, March 11, 1850, at Xew
Florence, by Rev. J. J. Covert. Mrs. Rose was born September 16, 1825,
died January 28, 1886. The children of this union were: Elizabeth F.,
born May 18, 1851, wife of Samuel E. Young, of Johnstown, Pennsyl-
vania. Emma J., l)orn August 20, 1852, wife of James F. Gallagher.
Maggie T., born :March 21, 1821, wife of A. P. Ellis. Hon. John M.,
born May 18, 1856. Walter Edson, born March 19, 1858. Harry G.,
who was killed in the flood of 1889. Howard J., born June 17, 1862,
died Februarv 22, 1863. Annie M., born Xovember 21, 1863. wife of R.
L. Tanev. R'obert G., born Mav 25, 1865. Frank Z., born September 20,
1867.
Personally Mr. Rose was one of the most quiet, genial, companion-
able and exemplary of men. He took a deep interest in all that pertaiiied
to the history and early settlement of Cambria county, and possessed a
large collection of very interesting relics connected with local history.
He also had a gallery of over six hundred photographs of prominent cit-
izens of the past and present. This collection of pictures is reproduced
in this work, being well worth preserving. Mr. Rose died at 3 o'clock
and 15 minutes, on the morning of April 29, 1900, at his residence on
the corner of Tine and Franklin streets, Johnstown, aged seventy-four
years and twelve days.
niSTOKY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 189
His experience at the time of the great flood in 1S89 was not unlike
those of scores of others. His home was filled with water, but was not
moved, and early next morning he gathered together enough drift-wood to
make a raft, on which he found his wa}'' to the home of ]Mrs. Young, his
daughter, who had two days before given birth to a child. He foimd that
she had passed the awful night in safet}', but further investigation revealed
the fact that his son Harry, a prominent and rising young lawyer of the
cit}', who was then district attorney, had lost his life.
From his long residence at Johnstown, Wesley J. Eose was one of
the best posted local historians to be found, and he was frequently called
upon to verify certain historic questions. Politically he was a Democrat,
but never sought oifice. He did, however, serve as school director many
years, and during President Andrew Johnson's administration was col-
lector of internal revenue. He was a member of the Johnstown Lodge
of Masons, having transferred his membership from Cambria Lodge; he
was also an Odd Fellow and helped organize the first Knights of Pythias
lodge in his city. In a business way, aside from enterprises before mea-
tioned, he was a stockholder in the First jSTational Bank, and was a char-
ter member of the Grand View Cemetery Association and the Johnstown
AVater Company. In his religious life he was a devout Lutheran and a
man of deep convictions, which he had inherited from a long lino of
God-fearing ancestors; he despised the shams of those who constantly
parade their religion.
The Tribune said of him, "It can be truly said of him, what can hf
said of but few men, that no one who knew him was otherwise than liis
friend. Kind and gentle in his character, yet firm and rugged as the
mountains among which he was reared in his purpose and determination
to do the right as he saw it, he was one of Xature's noblemen."
The following is extracted from a memorial written by his brother,
G. W. Rose: "^'Thus he lived to a good old ago, rounding out more than
the patriarchal years allotted to man ; but he had climbed the heights to
the parting ways, where slender shadows were falling to the east, and
with retrospective glance traced the foot-prints far below trodden in sum-
mer's sunshine and winter's frosts amid thorn and thistle, vine and llow-
ers, but no backward steps were there. Full of confidence and hope for
the future, and with few regrets for the past, turned to rest his weary
frame from the burden of toilsome years, and, lulled by the wave-sounds
as they dashed on the farther shore, fell into that dreamless sleep which
awaits us all and passed beyond the skies.
"Thus it is when the shades of night come on; when the hynd of
fate sets her seal and touches the eyelids down ; when the sands of life are
spent and the higher power intervenes to interrupt the dream of life we
can only bow in humble submission to the edicts of that power and follow
our loved ones to the tomb, and tliere pronounce a last and loving fare-
well, bereft of all save the earthly dust, and the sheen of a beautiful life,
as it was entwined and interwoven in the fabric of social intercourse and
of an honored and beloved memory. Peace be unto him, through the
deep calm of eternal rest."
Walter Edson Rose, son of Wesley J. and Martha (Given) Rose,
was born March 19, 1858, at the old Rose homestead, corner of Vine and
Franklin streets, Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He was educated at the pul>
lic schools of his native town, and early in life associated himself Avith
his father in the contracting business, finally becoming a partner in the
well known contracting firm of W. J. Rose & Sons. The father retained
his interest up to his death, since which time it has l)een successfully
190 HTSrOEY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
condiTcted by his sons, under the same firm name. Politically ]Mr. Kose
is an independent voter, supporting the best men for office, regardless
of party lines. He is of the Lutheran religious faith.
Pie was united in marriage at Sterling, Logan count}', Colorado
May, 1890, to Miss Bertha E., daughter of Charles and Sarah (Grum-
bling) Crissman, who were formerly'' residents of Bedford county, Penn-
sylvania. The children born of this union are: Allen, born 1S92.
Charles, born 1894. Harrv, born 1896. Sarah, born 1898. Catherine,
born 1902.
JOHN WESLEY COOK, secretary of the incorporated company of
Woolf & Eeynolds, of Johnstown, is a native of that city, born January
1. 1872, son of William Franklin and Mary Jane (Pickwick) Cook.
William Franklin Cook was born in Fulton county, Pennsylvania, on the
23d day of March, 1851, and married, February 13, 1870, Mary Jane
Pickwick, who was born on the 31st day of January, 1852, a daughter of
John Pickwick, in Avhose shop was built the first boat run in the trans-
portation service between Hollidaysburg and Pittsburg on the old Penn-
sylvania canal. The family name of Captain Pickwick's wife was Heff-
ner.
John W. Cook was educated in the public schools and IMorrell Col-
lege in Johnstown, and while a student his vacations were employed in
working as office boy, and later in the switch department of the Lorain
Steel Company. In 1888, having completed his course in school, he en-
tered the employ of Woolf & Eeynolds, at first in -a minor capacity, but
afterward advanced through various positions in the several departmenls
of the company's great mercantile establishment to the secretaryship of
the incorporated company in 1902. Besides the duties of his offic-" of
secretary, ]\Ir. Cook has charge of the buying and managing of the men's
furnishings department.
Since he was twelve years old Mr. Cook has been a member of the
Christian church, and has taken an active part in the work of thai: -o-
cietv and its auxiliary branches. He is a member of the church board,
of the music committee, and of the special committee to secure a site for
a proposed new church edifice. He is a Mason, member of Cambria
Lodge, Xo. 278. F. and A. M., of Johnstown. On :\Iarch 1st, 1903. :\rr.
Cook married Elsie Gibson Baker, daughter of Abraham Baker and Ka-
chel (Hefl^ner) Baker, of Altoona, Pennsylvania.
SAGEPiSOX FAIMILY. In Ireland the surname Sigerson has been
prominently knoA\m for many generations, perhaps for centuries. The
Sigerson s undoubtedly are descended from the ISTorsemen, as well as the
Gael, which fact is indicated both bv the name and physical character-
istics. Each succeeding generation of the family has produced its noted
men, and they have gained distinction in war, in public life and in the
professions. One of the best representatives of the surname now in Ire-
land is Dr. George Sigerson, of county Tyrone, who is a cousin of Rob-
ert Sigerson, of JohnstoAvn, Penns^dvania, and of the same generation.
In the city of Dublin, Dr. Sigerson stands at the head of the medical
profession, and has been honored with appointment to positions of honor.
By appointment of Lord Spencer he was a member of the roval commis-
sion to investigate the condition of prisons in Ireland. He is a member
and since 1894 has been president of the ISTational Literary Society of
Ireland, which societv has been largely instriimental in the restoration
and preservation of the ancient Gaelic language. He also is a poet of
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 191
considerable celel)ritY and an eminent contributor to contemporary sci-
ence and political economics. His early Avork in biology attracted the
attention of Darwin, and Tyndall wrote liini that his discoveries con-
firmed some of his own theories.
Many of the Sigersons, particularly those on tbis side of the Atlan-
tic, have changed their family name to Sagerson, but whether found in
tlie orginal or its modification the name represents a descendant of the
ancient house of Sigerson. The American ancestor of the particular
branch of the family intended to be treated here was Patrick Sigerson, a
native of county Tyrone, a farmer by principal occupation, and who im-
migrated to tliis country about the year 1822. He was made a citizen
of the Ignited States in 1828, and cast his first presidential vote for Gen-
eral Jackson. Hence it may be assumed that his democracy was of the
Jacksonian school, and that most of the descendants of the ancestor have
followed in his footsteps in their political affiliations.
After he landed at the port of 'New York, Patrick Sagerson lived
in that city some fifteen or twenty years and was engaged in the charcoal
business. From there he came into Pennsylvania and settled first at Hol-
lidaysburg, Blair county, removing thence to Washington, Indiana coun-
ty, where for several years he carried on a farm. Later on he came to
-lohnstown, Caml)ria county, where he worked as a stone mason until he
retired from active pursuits. He died in 1872, aged seventy-seven years.
His widow lost her life in the awful Johnstown flood, May 31, 1889. Pat-
rick Sagerson had a brother John who came to this country and died in
Indiana county, in this state, in 185G, and two other brothers, Robert and
Frank Sagerson, both of whom died in the city of New York.
Patrick Sagerson married, while living in Ireland, Mary Fisher, who
bore him ten children : Frank Sagerson, now dead ; married a IMiss Har-
ris, and lived in Savannah, Georgia. He was a soldier in the Confederate
service during the Civil war. John Sagerson, now dead. He enlisted in
a N'eA\' York regiment for service in the Union army during the Civil war.
Ann Sagerson, now dead. She married John Moss, and lived in Xew
York state. James Sagerson, died in California. His wife's family
name was Riley. He served in the Confederate army during the Civil
war. Edward Sagerson, died in California. Mary Sagerson, married
James McEnney, and now is a widow living in j\Iilwaukee, Wisconsin.
Patrick Sagerson, died in infancy. Katherine Sagerson, marred Edward
j\lartin, and both were drowned in the Johnstown flood. May, 1889. Sarah
Sagerson, now dead ; married William jMcDonald, of Johnstown. Robert
Sagerson, of Johnstown ; a veteran of the Civil Avar ; married Celia Mc-
Dermott, and had ten children.
From the foregoing narrative it will be seen that of the ten sons and
daughters of Patrick and Mary Sagerson only two are now living — Mary
and Robert Sagerson — the former in Milwaukee and the latter in Johns-
town.
Robert Sagerson was born at Hollidaysburg, Blair county. Pennsyl-
vania, on the 15th day of July, 1842. His young life was spent at home,
where he attended the common school of the district and helped his fath-
er with the work of the farm. When the Civil war broke out he was less
than twenty 3'ears old, and on the 25th of July, 1861, upon President
Lincoln's first call for volunteers for three years' service, he enlisted in
Company E, Eleventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and
was mustered into service at Greensburg. He was with his regiment in
all its movements, and participated in all its battles, except while con-
fined in the hospital with wounds. He was first Avoimded in l)attle at
192 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
Fredericksburg, Virginia, February 13, 1863, and again at the Yellow
House during the engagement at vVeldon liailroad.
On October 1, lbG4, Mr. Sagerson was mustered out of service with
the regiment and returned to Johnstown. >Soon afterward he was em-
ployed by the Cajnbria Iron Company as a heater, and was in the employ
of that company for the next twenty-five years. In 1883 he left the
works and opened a hotel on Kailroad street in Johnstown, and carried
on business there until the flood of 1889 swept away the buildings and
compelled him to find some other means of livmg. For a short time aft-
erward he worked for the Cambria ISteel Company and then became an
employe of McDermott, Wertz & Co., millers, where he has since re-
]named. Like his father, Mr. Sagerson is a strong Democrat. In 1879
he was a councilman of the borough of Millville, and now he is assessor
of the Third ward of the city of Johnstown. He is a member and past
colonel of Johnstown Camp Xo. 60, Union Veteran Legion, and a com-
municant at St. John's Roman Catholic Church.
On December 27, 1870, Eobert Sagerson married Celia McDermott,
sister of John D. McDermott, senior member of the firm of McDermott,
Wertz & Co. Of this marriage ten children have been born, viz: John
Leo Sagerson, born December 13, 1872; married Frances Goii. Peter
Francis Sagerson, born March 3, 1880 ; unmarried. He is an artist, and
lives in New York City. Mary Sagerson, born Jrine 26, 1882; lives at
liome. Eohert James Sagerson, born December 27, 1883; a student at
the JMedico-Chirurgieal College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Katherine
Sagerson, born February, 1885; drowned in the Johnstown flood, xVlay,
1889. Agnes Sagerson, born 1887; drowned in the Johnstown flood. Jo-
seph Sagerson, born February, 1889; drowned in the Johnstown flood.
Florence Sagerson, born August 18, 1890; lives at home. Leo. Sagerson,
born June 28, 1892; lives at home. Charles Sagerson, born June 11,
1896 ; died in infancy.
John Leo Sagerson, physician and surgeon of Johnstown, is a native
of that city and was born on the 13th of December, 1872. His earlier
education was acquired in public graded and parochial schools, and his
higher education at St. A^incent's College, Beatty, Pennsylvania, where he
was a student three years. Immediately after the incorporation of
Johnstown as a city he w^as appointed to a position in the office of the
city treasurer, and later was for four years in the office of the auditor of
Lorain Steel Company.
In October, 1891, having determined to enter the medical profes-
sion, he matriculated at the Medico-Chirurgical College at Philadelphia,
attended upon the courses of that institution for four years, and was
graduated with the degree of M. D. in 1898. From July of that year
until October 1, 1899, he was resident physician at Philadelphia (Block-
ley) Hospital, and after leaving that institution began his active pro-
fessional career in East Liverpool, Ohio, in association with Dr. James
Taylor. On the 1st of January, 1900, he returned to Johnstown, and
opened an office for general practice at No. 613 Locust street. He lived
three years in that location and then moved to Lincoln street, where he
now lives. In connection with his professional work Dr. Sagerson is act-
ively identified with various institutions of Johnstown. He was president
of the Board of Health in 1902-1903, and now is assistant surgeon t^o the
Johnstown Memorial Hospital, and examining physician for the North-
western Mutual Life Insurance Company, the Ladies' Catholic Benevo-
lent Association of Johnstown, and the Catholic Mutual Benefit x^ssocia-
tion of Johnstown. He is a communicant of St. John's Eoman Catholic
,^^:^.^;-^<^^v^^^;^^;d?
// THE
NEW YORK
(PUBLIC LiBftARYl
I Aittr, Leno> and Tlldefl^
F(Kin«stlent.
190y
HISTOEY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 193
church, and deput}' grand knight of Johnstown Council, No. 467, Knights
of Columbus.
On June 28, 1902, John Leo Sagerson married Frances Goff, daugh-
ter of Peter and Sarah (Braddock) Goff, of Johnstown.
GEOKGE MUEHLHAUSER, as boy and man has l)een in some
manner identified with the business history of Johnstown about forty
years. When lie came to live with his sister he was a young German just
from the country of his birth, but was a good practical tinsmith, having
served an apprenticeship and learned the trade before he left home; but
in America he soon found that his German methods of doing work were
not the custom here, and he was therefore compelled to learn tinsmith-
ing under an i\merican workman before he could hope to secure profitable
employment in his line of work in Caml^ria county.
Mr. ]\[uehlhauser was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, on the 17th
day of February, 1848. His father, Lenhardt Muehlhauser, was a native
and a lifelong resident of Wurtemberg, a weaver by trade and a farmer
by subsequent occupation, a devoted member of the German Lutheran
church, and brought up his children in that faith. He died in 1877. His
wife was Veronica Miittcr, "who also was born in Wurtemberg, and who
bore her husband ten children, three of whom came to this country and
lived in Johnstown. She died in 1889. The children of Lenhardt and
Veronica Muehlhauser are as follows: John jMuehlhauser, born in 1836,
died in Germany. Mary Muehlhauser, born in 1838 ; came to America
in 1854; married William Young, of Johnstown, and their son, Charles
Young, is present mayor of the city of Johnstown. ^lichael Muehl-
hauser, born in 1839, lives in Germany. Lenhardt Muelilhauser, born in
1841, died in Germany. Frederick Muehlhauser, born in 1843, lives in
Germany. Anna jMuehlhauser, 1)orn in 1845; married Ephraim
Franke, of Johnstown. George Muehlhauser, born in 1848: a business
man of Johnstown, of whom further mention will be made. Andrew
Muehlhauser, born in 1850, lives in Germany. Barbara Muehlhauser,
born in 1853; married Karl Endriss; now a widow living in Germany.
Catherine Muelhauser, born in 1856 ; married George Btihler, a con-
tractor, living in Freiberg, Baden, Germany..
George Muehlhauser was born in the city of Wurtemberg, Germany,
on the 17th day of Fc1)ruary, 1848, and received his education in the pub-
lic schools of that municipality. In June, 1866, he came to America and
took up his residence in Johnstown, at the home of his sister Mary, wife
of William Young, wdio generously invited him to live with her family
until he could establish himself in some profitable employment. He was
a tinsmith by trade, but as that work was not done in this country as in
Germany, he was compelled to learn again many of its branches. Hav-
ing little money at the time he worked several months at whatever he
could find to do, and at one time made hay on Gautier street (this was
his first employment in America), for then Johnstown was only a small
borough. After about five months he found work with W. F. Hay, a tin-
smith having an extensive business, and received wages at the rate of
one dollar per day until he had mastered his trade in accordance with the
methods of the time. Young Muehlhauser proved to be an active, cajm-
ble mechanic, and it was not long before he could command rcguhir
journeyman's wages. He afterward worked for ]\Ir. Hay fourteen years
and three months, and during that time earned and saved enough money
to start in business on his own account. In 1881 he became proprietor of
{. general tinsmithing shop, and in addition thereto carried in stock a
194 HI ST OB Y OF (JAMBlllA COUNTY.
Jine of stoves, ranges, etc. His first shop stood on the site of his present
building, and was swept awa}- by the flood of 1889, together with all the
stock, tools, fixtures, etc. In consequence of this misfortune his business
was entirely ruined and his loss was considerable, but with commendable
zeal he at once set up a temporary building, and on tlie 5th of July fol-
lowing resumed biisiness with a complete new stock in trade. His first
shop stood on leased ground on Washington street, and this site he sub-
sec|uently purchased, and in the course of time it became very valuable
property. In the meantime his business had become prosperous, and he
came to be numbered among the substantial men of the city. Such is
his standing in the business community today. In politics he is a con-
servative Democrat on national issues, but votes independent of party in
his choice of local officials.
George ]\Iuehlhauser was a member of his sister's family and house-
hold for about five years. On the 31st of January, 18?1, he married
Amelia Lorentz, a daughter of Eev. Edward and Johanna (Hausdoefer)
Lorentz. Mr. Lorentz was a clergyman of the "Lutheran church in Ger-
many, and after he died his widow and children came to this country and
settled in Johnstown. She died in 1900. E. C. Lorentz, of the Laiited
States Weather Bureau in Johnstown, is a brother of ]\Irs. jMuehlhauser,
besides whom she has several sisters: Anna, wife of Dr. Francis Schill,
Senior; Bertha, wife of Henry Yost: Hermine, deceased wife of Rudolph
Luebbert; Johanna, widow of Eev. Paul Glasow, the latter of whom dur-
ing his lifetime was a clergyman of the German Lutheran church ; and
Meta, wife of Eev. Karl Koehler, a Lutheran clergyman of Waldeck,
Germany. With the exception of ]\Irs. Koehler, all these sisters are now
living in Johnstown, except Hermina, who died September 30, 1906.
Children of George and Amelia (Lorentz) Muehlhauser: Clara
Muehlhauser, born 1873 ; unmarried, lives at home. William F. ]\Iuehl-
hauser, born December 30, 1878, immarried : in lousiness with his father.
Matilda Muehlhauser, born June, 1881 ; married William Hinkel, a book-
keeper in the employ of Love & Sunshine, of Johnstown. Anna ]\Iuehl-
hauser, born July, 1881; unmarried, lives at home. Edward Muehl-
hauser. born December, 1886 ; unmarried : in business with his father.
Amelia Muehlhauser, born August, 1891; lives at home.
JOHX LFDWIG TROSS, superintendent of outside work of the
Yalley Coal and Stone Company of Johnstown, has been a prominent
figure in the business and industrial history of that borough and subse-
quent city for more than forty years, and has lived in that vicinity more
than half a century.
He is of German liirth and ancestry, the younger of two sons of
Henry and Margaretta (Loefink) Tross. Henry Tross, his father, was
born in Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, in 1813, and was a stone mason by
trade. His wife, ^largaretta Loefink, died about 1852, leaving two sons,
William Tross, born March 25. 1817. and John Ludwig Tross, born
January 10, 1849. After the death of his first wife, Henrv Tros« mar-
ried Katherine Fox, and soon afterward left Germany with his family
and came to America. He settled in Johnstown, having arrived in that
then mere hamlet on the 7th day of August. 1855. Here ^[r. Tro=s
worked for the Cambria Iron Company throughout the remainder of his
active life, in all a period of about twenty-five years. He died in Johns-
town on the 4th day of April, 1897. His widow still lives in the city,
and makes her home with her stepson. John L. Tross, of wliom this sketch
is intended particularly to treat. Henry Tross was for mai(j^ years an
HISTORY OF CAMBEIA COUNTY. 195
earnest member of the German Lutheran church, and an honest man in
all the walks of life. His elder son, William Tross, was an engineer, and
at the time of his death was engineer in charge of the works of the city
electric ligliting comjjany. He married Maggie Hocker, who bore him
seven children, six sons and one daughter, all of whom, with both father
and mother, lost their lives in the terrible disaster of May 31, 1889. At
the time the family lived in Woodvale, then a suburb and now the Elev-
enth ward of the city.
John Ludwig Tross was a boy of about six years when his father's
family emigrated from Germany and took up their residence in Johns-
town. He attended the public schools of the borough, and at about the
age of thirteen years went to work driving mules in the ore mines, and
after he had learned how to drive he was given in charge of a team about
the company mills and works. When he was sixteen he was employed
in the mills, and in all, in one capacity and another, he worked for the
Cambria Iron Company just about thirty years. He then left the com-
pany's employ and started a first class dairy in the city, and was engaged
in this business with fair success during seven years. In 1902 Mr. Tross,
with several other business men of Johnstown, organized the Valley Stone
and Coal Company, and acquired extensive and valuable mining and
quarrying properties opposite Ferndale and just outside of the limits of
fhe city. To the development and operation of these interests he has
since directed his attention. In the work he has charge of excavating the
stone between the surface and the coal beds, and also of opening the
mines for the production of coal. In fact he has entire supervision of
the company's outside work, as it is called, and hence is the responsible
head of all operations preliminary to quarrying stone and mining coal;
and any commodity which has value in the market he does not suffer
to be wasted. He has general oversight of the work of more than two
hundred men and many teams.
Mr. Tross is an energetic business man, and it is largely througH
his capacity for hard work and excellent judgment in carrying it forward
that the company has met with such remarkable success since it began
operations, less than four years ago. He is interested in Johnstown and
many of its best institutions, and has been an important factor in the
development and growth of its industries. He is a member and for
several years has been a trustee of the German Lutheran church, a mem-
ber of Cambria Lodge No. 485, I. 0. 0. F., of Johnstown Turnverein,
and in politics inclines to vote independent of party obligations.
On the 1st day of October, 1871, John Ludwig Tross married Kath-
erine Boecher, daughter of Conrad and Katherine Elizabeth (Hoffman)
Boecher, of Johnstown. Mr. Boecher was born in Hesse Darmstadt, Ger-
many, and came to Johnstown in 1870. He is an employe of the Cam-
bria Steel Company. Children of John Ludwig and Katherine (Boecher)
Tross: Anna Tross, born July 9, 1872; married Edward Charles
Lorentz, of whom and whose family life mention will be found in this
work. Bertha Tross, born September 11, 1875; lives at home. John Lud-
wig Tross, Junior, born i\ugust 21, 1878; died unmarried at the age of
twenty-seven years. George H. Tross, born May 3, 1880; married Amelia
Kress, and lives in Johnstown. Lena Tross, born December 2(i, 1883 ;
lives at home. Frank Tross, born January 18, 1885 : died in infancy.
Eobert A. Tross, l)orn October 8, 1893 ; lives at home. Ludwig C. Tross,
born February 5, 1897 ; lives at home.
196 HISTORY OF CAMBKIA COUNTY.
JOXAS BLOUGH KAUFFMAX. In the early part of the la^t
centurv Christian Ivauffman and his brother left their former home in
Lancaster county 'and settled near Davidsville in Somerset county.
Jonas Kauffman was a son of Christian Kauft'man, and is believed
to have been born in Lancaster county, and to have been quite young
when his father went to the southwestern part of the state. He was born
in 1800, and died in 1862. He was a farmer, and at one time carried on
a farm in what is now the Seventeenth ward of the city of Johnstown,
in the particular locality generally called ]Moxham. Later on he lived
on a farm in what is now Camljria City, and in 1859 he removed to
Indiana county, where he died three years later. He was a member of
the Mennonite societ}-, and in politics first a Whig and later a Eepublican.
He married Eachel Blough, a descendant of an old Somerset county
family living in the vicinity of Stoyestown. She died in I860. Their
children: 1. Daniel Kauffman, married Sarah Wissinger, and lives in
Adams township, Cambria county. 2. Mary Kauffman, married, first,
Abraham Orris; married, second, Samuel Custer, and now is a widow
living at Scalp Level, Pennsylvania. 3. Xoah Kauffman, married Jane
Beatty, and lives in Connellsville, Pennsylvania. -4. John H. Kauffman,
married Cordelia Everhart, and lives in Johnstown. 5. Jonas' Blough
Kauffman, now living in Johnstown. 6. Sarah Kauffman, married Gil-
bert Cakes, died in Kansas. 7. Harry Kauffman. living at Scalp Level,
Pennsvlvania.
Jonas Blough Kauffman, fourth son and fifth child of Jonas Kauff-
man and Rachel Blough, his wife, was born in Somerset county, Penn-
sylvania, December 27, 1838, and received his education in common
schools in Somerset and Cambria counties. He lived at home and worked
on the farm until 1857, then went to the public works and was em-
ployed in the puddling furnace until 1861.
On the 4th of October of that year he enlisted as private in Com-
pany E of the Fifty-fourth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, for three
years, or during the war. He was with the regiment in all its move-
ments and engagements throughout the period of service, except on two
occasions, when he was disabled and in the hospital. The first was on
June 14, 1863, when on the march from Eomney to Xew Creek, he met
with a fall that fractured the left knee cap and kept him on a hospital
cot until September following. He was released from the hospital and
went l^ack to his regiment just before the battle of Gettysburg. His
second serious injury was received at Cedar Creek, August 12, 1864, when
on the skirmish line he was shot through the right thigh. He laid in the
open field about forty-eight hours, and after being found was trans-
ferred to the Haddington Hospital at Philadelphia, from which he was
discharged on October 31. He was appointed corporal in 1863, and valued
that recognition chiefly because it came from a stanch friend and brave
soldier, Colonel James M. Campbell, who commanded the regiment.
After the war ]\Ir. Kauffman resumed work as ]iuddler. He worked
in Pittsburg and Cincinnati for two years, but was compelled to give it
up on account of the weakening effect on his strength, due primarily to
the wounds received in service. In 1867 he returned to Johnstown and
entered the employ of the Pennsvlvania Eailroad Company, taking care
of the locomotives in Conemaugh yard near Johnstown, and continued
there until 1879. Then for two years he and George S. Paul managed
the Grange store at Franklin, and afterward until 1886 Mr. Kauffman
was proprietor of a general store in East Conemaugh, after which he
was not engaged in active business until 1893, when he removed to Cone-
TIJSTOFY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 197
iiiaugli township and carried on a farm during the next nine years.
\A^hile there he was treasurer of the school board, and also served two
terms of supervisor of the township. After his return to Johnstown,
Mr. Kauffman took up liis residence in the Eleventh ward and filled an
unexpired term as common councilman. He is a charter member, secre-
tary and past grand of Conemaugh Lodge No. 999, I. 0. 0. F., and a
member of Emory Fisher Post, G. A. R., of Johnstown.
On September 17, 1869, Jonas Blough Kauffman married Ellen
Sarah Devlin, daughter of James and Eliza (Elliott) Devlin, of Cone-
maugh. James Devlin came with his parents from Ireland to this coun-
try when he was about three years old. His father settled at Armagh,
in Indiana county, where for many years he was a hotelkecper. He died
in 1888, and his wife died March 22, 1898, aged eighty-seven years.
After she became a widow Mrs. Devlin made her home with Mr. and
Mrs. Kauffman.
Children of Jonas Blough and Ellen Sarah (Devlin) Kauffman:
1. Theodore Kauffman, born July 9, 1870, died at the age of two -years.
2. James Milton Kauff'man, born November 27, 1872; unmarried; mem-
ber of the firm of Grouse & Kauffman, merchants of Johnstown.
GEOEGE HENRY COLE, of the Cambria Land and Improvement
Com])any, the principal seat of operations of which is at Johnstown,
Pennsylvania, is a son of the late Captain John Cole, and a grandson of
Leonard Cole of Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, and who in 1815 brought
his family to America.
Leonard Cole was a farmer and nurseryman, and followed that occu-
pation both in Germany and after he came to this country. His first
place of residence in Pennsylvania was at Shellsburg, Bedford county,
and in 1866 he removed to Lee county, Illinois, where he afterward lived
and died. His wife before her marriage was Barbara Holtzman. She
died in 1877, and her husband died in 1902. They had children: John
Cole, born in 1834; married Elizabeth Beckley, and had seven children;
Captain Cole died March 12, 1882. William Cole, who served in a Penn-
sylvania regiment during the Civil war, and was killed in action at New-
market, A^irginia, ]\Iay 15, 1861; he never married. Samuel Cole, mar-
ried Robinson, and is a widower now living at Independence.
Iowa. Elizabeth Cole, died young.
John Cole (more frequently known in military and business circles
as Captain Cole) was born in Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, on the 2d day
of September, 1831, and was eleven years old when his parents came to
America and settled in Bedford county in this state. By trade and occu-
pation he was a tanner, and after returning from service in the army he
operated several tanneries and was a successful business man. Soon
after the outbreak of the war in 1861, Mr. Hite and John Cole, both
substantial men in the community in which they lived, raised a com-
pany of volunteers for the service, and on the organization of the com-
pany the former was elected captain and the latter second lieutenant of
Company B, Fifty-fourth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, as it be-
came known when "mustered into the United States service. A little later
Captain Hite resigned and Lieutenant Cole was commissioned captain in
his place. He served as such until the* final muster out in 1865. Captain
Cole's army experiences were both interesting and severe. At Paw Paw,
Virginia, on October 4, 1864, his entire company was captured by a
Vol. Ill— 13
198 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
superior force of Confederate troops under Imboden, although the men
of Company B made a stubborn fight against fearful odds. Captain
Cole himself was sent to Libby Prison and confined in that awful pen
six long months before an exchange of prisoners accomplished his re-
lease. He at once returned to his regiment, and afterward took part in
all of its battles until the engagement at High Bridge, Virginia, on
April 6, 1865, when the command was captured. However, Lee sur-
rendered soon after this affair, and he was released with the other men.
He was once wounded in action, but was not long off duty on account
of disabilities.
On returning home at the close of the war. Captain Cole lived at
Stoyestown in Somerset county for twelve years, then came to Johns-
town and worked at his trade at the old Woodvale tannery. In 1877 he
went to Pittsburg, and three years later to St. Clairsville, Bedford
county, and operated tanneries at that place, and also at Mill Eiver in
Fayette county. These interests occupied his attention until the time
of hife death on the 12th of March, 1882. His wife survived him seven-
teen years and died on the 1st of January, 1899. Captain Cole was in all
respects a useful citizen in every community in which he lived during his
business career. He enjoyed the respect of his fellow men, and his in-
fluence was productive of good results among them. He was a member
and for many years one of the officiary of the Methodist Episcopal
church, and in politics was a Democrat.
He married Elizabeth Beckley, daughter of John and Sarah
(Bameh) Beckley, of Bedford county. John Beckley came of German
ancestors and by occupation was a farmer. Children of John and Eliza-
beth (Beckley) Cole: James Cole, married Phena Dahl, and is a con-
tractor living at Leisening, Fayette county, Pennsylvania. George
Henry Cole, married Mary J. Sill, and is a business man of Johnstown.
John W. Cole, married Etta Cassel, and is a conductor on the Baltimore
& Ohio Eailroad, living at Connellsville, Pennsjdvania. Flora B. Cole,
unmarried, lives at Mt. Braddock, Pennsylvania. Jennie V. Cole, mar-
rie W. J. Eowan, and lives at Mt. Braddock, Pennsylvania. Sarah C.
Cole, married Eobert Gibson, and lives at Dunbar, Pennsylvania.
Thomas E. Cole, died in infancy.
George Henry Cole was born at Wills Creek, Bedford county, April
2, 1859. He was educated in the Stoyestown public schools and Iron
City Commercial College at Pittsburg, and at the age of sixteen years
began teaching school. He filled a teacher's chair during two terms and
then turned his attention to other pursuits. He learned the trade of
currier and finisher, and followed that occupation until 1888, when for
a year he was connected with the Woodvale tannery. In the latter part
of 1889 he became interested in a lumber business in company with J. B.
Kellogg, and afterward for seven years was foreman with the Johnson
Company at Moxham and the Lorain Steel Company after its removal
to Ohio. In 1897 he acquired a partnership interest in the business of
Brown & Otto, of Johnstown, real estate dealers and coal land brokers.
In 1901 the firm incorporated under the name of Cambria Land and
Improvement Company, and since that time he has been actively identi-
fied with the business operations of that concern. Mr. Cole is an Odd
Fellow, member and past grand of St. Clairsville Lodge No. 922, member
of Johnstown Lodge No. 245, A. 0. F. W., member of the Methodist
Episcopal church, and in politics a Eepublican.
On July 4, 1882. George H. Cole married Marv J. Sill, daughter
of James and Mary (Clark) Sill, of St. Clairsville. Mary Sill Cole died
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 199
August 12, 1898, and on September 6, 1899, Mr. Cole married Emma A.
Greenwalt, daughter of Peter J. and Mary A. (Black) Greenwalt, of
Clarion county, Pennsylvania.
EIQHARD E. EDWARDS. Rev. Richard R. Edwards, better
known in Johnstown and Cambria county as R. R. Edwards, was born in
Merthyr Tydvil, South Wales, in the year 1831, and died at his home in
the city of Johnstown on the 13th day of June, 1885. In his younger
days he was employed in the rail department of Cyfartha rail mills.
In the early part of the year 1817 he emigrated from his boyhood home
and crossed the Atlantic ocean in a sailing vessel which took eleven weeks
on the voyage to America, and arrived at the port of New York with his
entire family.
Soon leaving New York, Mr. Edwards settled with his family at
Minersville, in Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, where he changed his
occupation and became a coal miner. He lived at Minersville a little
more than a year, and then moved to Coal Dale, in Carbon county, where
on account of a scarcity of dwelling houses for rent he was compelled to
move three miles out into the wilderness to a small place called Foster's
Tunnel, where he located his family near an abandoned mine. He lived
there until the fall of 1819, then gave up coal mining and entered the
service of the American Tract Society as agent for the state of Pennsyl-
vania. In that capacity he made a complete canvass of the whole state,
after which, in 1851, finding that he was unable to maintain his family
with his scanty earnings in selling books for the society, he became con-
nected with the Foreign Bible Society, and as his new duties would keep
him from home much of the time he moved his family to Ashton, three
miles east of Foster's Tunnel, where the country was more thickly set-
tled. During the years 1851 and 1852 he moved to Easton, and was ap-
pointed missionary to establish Sunday schools and organize union
churches in addition to selling and distributing bibles for the society.
Soon afterward he organized a Sunday school at Glendon and another at
Slatington, and still later in other places within the state.
Through earnest, persistent effort in his special field of work Mr.
Edwards accumulated a little money, and at his own request was per-
mitted by the Bible Society to change the scene of his operations to the
western part of the state. He then located at Ebensburg, the county seat
of Cambria county, and while there determined to prepare himself for
the gospel ministry under the instructions of Rev. Mr. Powell, then
pastor of the Welsh Congregational church at Ebensburg. At this time,
while Mr. Edwards was engaged in the performance of his threefold
duties of selling and distributing bibles, carrying forward his missionary
work and preparing to enter the ministry, that Johnstown was beginning
to command attention as an industrial and commercial center. As soon
as the Cambria Mills were completed and ready for operation, Welsh
settlers began to come in, for, as is well known, persons of that nation-
ality prevailed in point of numbers in the early manufacture of iron
and the production of coal in this particular region.
As early as the year 1853 Mr. Edwards made several visits to Johns-
town in order to investigate the spiritual needs of the Welsh people
there, and in the spring of 1854 he removed with his family to that then
hamlet and took up his abode in a house on Market street, near the
locality where dwelt nearly all of the heaters, rollers and puddlers em-
ployed by the iron company. To this people and others of his own na-
tionality Mr. Edwards devoted his attention as a missionery laborer.
200 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
In the latter part of 1854 he organized a union prayer meeting and as-
sembled the worshippers in diil'erent houses in the neighborhood of the
fiats until a sufficient number was gathered to organize a Union Welsh
church society, the services of which at first were held in the brick school
house at the west end of Market street. In 1855 ]Mr. Edwards was in-
stalled pastor of the Welsh Union Congregation, which then comprised
the Independents, now known as the Congregationalists, the Calvin Meth-
odist, now the Welsh Presbyterians, and the Baptists. As the Welsh
population increased with the rapid growth of the locality, so also did
the number of regular attendants at the services, and about 1855 or
1856 the Baptist people withdrew and formed a separate society and
held meetings in the school building which stood at the corner of ^Market
and Stony Creek streets ; and in the course of another year or two the
Calvinistie Methodists organized a society of their own and held services
in a building which stood on the site now occupied by the First Baptist
church edifice, on Franklin street. The Independents secured a lot at
the corner of Union street and Locust alley, through the aid of IMr. Ed-
wards, and there that society built its first regular church home. How-
ever, after the edifice was completed the society was considerably in debt,,
and in making arrangements to meet the obligation the pastor's salary
was so nearly forgotten that it averaged not more than six dollars a
month. This sum was not sufficient to pay the pastor's living expenses,,
and in consequence he resigned and united with the Methodist Episcopal
society at the corner of Franklin and Locust streets.
j.n the fall of 1858 Mr. Edwards was appointed coal weigher for
the Cambria Iron Company, and it Ijecame his duty to weigh the coal as
it came from the mines for use at the works. This position he held until
1868, when he resigned and went to Canada in the interest of Pittsburg
operators to prospect for iron ore. The company failed, however, and
in 1870 he returned to Johnstown, purchased the stock and good will
of a mercantile house, and began business as a merchant. This he con-
tinued about three years, and in 1873 became sales agent for the Laflin
& Rand Powder Company in Cambria and the counties adjoining. In
his new vocation the sales agent did an extensive business for several
years, until the Cambria Iron Company leased its land to Wood, Mor-
rell & Co., and the latter purchased the Laflin & Rand Company's in-
terest in this section of the state.
Mr. Edwards returned to the work of tlie ministry some time pre-
vious to 1880, and that notwithstanding the fact that for several years
he had suffered with a severe broncliial trouble. In the meantime he also
had returned from the Methodists to his own church, became its minister
and officiated in that capacity until his death.
In many respects Rev. R. R, Edwards Avas a remarkable man, and
had he so desired could have accumulated a large property ; but he was
inclined to consider the wants of those about him rather than his own,
and of his means he contributed to the erection of church edifices, the
support of needy members of his congregations and to many worthy chari-
ties. If he knew of any person or family in want he could not rest
until the sufferers were made comfortable, and he would share his last
dollar to relieve distress, even if he knew that the recipient had done
him an injury either by word or act. However, before his death Mr.
Edwards had erected seven tenements on his land in the Second ward of
the borough of Johnstown. The use and benefit of all his property he
gave to his devoted wife for the term of her life.
Ann Roberts, who married Rev. Richard R. Edwards, was born in
HISTORY OF CAMBBIA COUNTY. 201
1819, near the birthplace of her husband. They were married in Capel
Siou, Merthyr TydviL She became tlie mother of nineteen children, all
of whom except five died in infancy. They who survived and grew to
maturity were David, Sarah, Mary, Catherine and Joseph Edwards.
Mrs. Edwards was a victim of the Johnstown flood. May 31, 1889. Her
body never was recovered, unless by some possibility it was picked up and
interred with the hundreds of unidentified dead. With her, too, the
awful fiood of waters swept away every house and building on her hus-
band's land, and not one thing of value remained on the site.
DAA^D R. EDWARDS, eldest son and child of Rev. Richard R.
and Ann (Roberts) Edwards, was born at Pont Morlais, South Wales,
on the 10th of December, 1811, and was a child of about five or
six years when his parents came to America. The story of his father's
life, narrated in the preceding sketch, is written from data furnished by
him, as he had heard it repeated by his parents for the entertainment of
old acquainta'nces and friends whom they had known in the land of their
birth.
One incident in connection with his own early life, however, Mr.
Edwards remembers distinctly, and that is his personal appearance at
the time of his parents' immigration, the frock and petticoat he then
wore, his first new sviit of American pattern, and it's almost premature
ruin. In writing of this in his autobiography, Mr. Edwards says his
frock and petticoat looked very odd in this country for a boy "drawing
for six years of age, I being the only boy, and my father having con-
siderable pride in me. It was only natural that his son should inherit
the same trait. However, to relieve my girlish appearance they bought
me a pair of pants and a jacket of the salt and pepper pattern, which
I filled with a good stout body and limbs, with pride sufficient to show
them up. The first wearing of my new suit was on Sunday as I was
taken to church. After dinner my parents were invited ovit to spend
the afternoon and they took me along. We walked about two miles out
in the wilds — not the country, for everything was new then, the towns,
villages, houses, railroads and cars ; so was the location new, also I was
new and the trees were all new to me.
"The little village in which my parents went to visit their friends
was in the midst of a yellow pine forest, a thing about which I knew noth-
ing at all, l3ut the idea of being out in the woods was enough for me, and
a thing I never before enjoyed; it was such sport to climi) the trees, but
in so doing I spoiled my new clothes with the pitch from the pines.
When I returned to my parents and they had seen my condition, I was
promised a 'full dividend' when we returned home; and it was paid in
full, although I think my father was sorry afterward, for my clothes
were not entirely ruined and served me very well for every-day wear
after they had been cleaned.
"This is one of the reasons why I never can forget our family life
at Minersville. My father then followed coal mining for a livelihood
and always lived at places where the means of securing an education for
his children was limited. The only school I attended until I was eleven
years old was the Sunday school, and my first real schooling was received
at Easton, in Xortham])ton county ; but our stay there was so short that
few impressions of the ])lace now remain with me. We next removed to
("Jambria county, which then was another country region where my school-
ing was indeed meagre. Later we moved to the new part of Johnstown,
the older settlement being in Conemaugh township, afterward Cone-
202 m STORY OF CAMBBIA COUNTY.
maugli borough, while the four wards of Johnstown proper were a part
of Upper Yoder township, where the schools Avere very poor when I was
a boy. At the age of fifteen I began work for the Cambria Iron Company
at thirty-seven and one-half cents per day, but soon afterward went to
'timbering' in the mines, and from that to tracklaying inside and out-
side of the mines. After that my employment was that of driving a
horse and cart, then two horses tandem,, and later drew water out of the
mines, and anything would I do that gave an increase of five or six cents
a day in wages.
"When the Civil war broke out I was a young man, and my father
was a rank abolitionist. At the first call my desire was to enlist for
the three months' service, but my father declared that I was too young.
Then came the call for men of twenty-one years for three years' service,
but I was not yet twenty. Then I ran away from home and worked my
way to Harrisburg, where enlisted men were mustered into service ; and
I tried to enlist, but on appearing before the examining board was told
that I could not be accepted without the consent of my parents. I wrote
home, but got no reply; then at my request Colonel Campbell and Lieu-
tenant-Colonel John P. Linton wrote to my father, stating my wishes,
and secured the necessary parental consent. On the 30th of October,
1861, I was mustered into service as being twenty-one years old on the
following 10th of December, when in fact my age then would be just
twenty ■ years. I served my time in full, and was mustered out and dis-
charged on the 30th of October, 1864, at Cedar Creek, in the Shenan-
doah Valley. Free transportation was furnished back to Harrisburg,
where one hundred dollars bounty money was paid me, and I arrived
home in Johnstown on the 4th of Novemlser. My regular monthlv army
pay had been sent to my parents, and on my return I found myself pos-
sessed of several hundred dollars. With this, like many returned sol-
diers, I bought a black suit, overcoat and silk hat, then took to travel,
visiting* Pittsburg, Cleveland, ISTewburg and Youngstown, Ohio, ISTew
Castle, Pennsylvania, and then came home, where it was found that my
monev was so far spent that I must look around for work.
In this narrative of Mr. Edwards' early life and experiences there
is repeated the story of thousands of other lives of young men of Penn-
sylvania. The foregoing recital follows nearlv the wording and style
of the autobiographcr himself, and his diction is original and interesting.
After returning home from his pleasure trip, through the influence of
his father, Mr. Edwards was appointed to weigh coal at the mines, under
blast furnaces Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4, and this position he held until 1868,
when his father went to Canada to prospect for ore. After that until
1871 he was employed in the weighing department of the Cambria Poll-
ing Mill mines, and then was transferred to the mines to see that a
sufficient supply of coal was kept on hand at the company mills.
In 1876 Mr. Edwards left the Cambria Iron Company's service.
In fact, he was removed from his position because he declined to give his
personal and political support to the congressional candidacy of Daniel
J. Morrell, resident manager of the Cambria Iron Company, in opposi-
tion to that of Colonel J. M. Campbell, under whom he had served three
years in the ITnion army. Mr. Morrell had already served two terms in
congress and asked a renomination. and naturally sought the support of
all the emplo3'es of the cornpanv of which he was local manager. With
Mr. Edwards, Colonel Campbell's claims upon him Avere the stronger,
for he had been a comrade in arms, and because he preferred to support
his old commanding officer and felt bound to him by stronger ties than
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 203
the mere considerations of employment, he was summoned to the com-
pany offices and after a heated argument was dismissed. The event, how-
ever, was not witliout compensating results, and he was soon given a
good position by William E. Jones, manager of the Braddock Steel
Works for Carnegie & Co. He was in this employ until 1879, when he
returned to Johnstown and entered the dry goods business with part-
ners, with whose methods he was not in sympathy, resulting in his with-
drawal from the concern in a short time. He then engaged in the gro-
cery business on his own account, but soon changed location and became
a general merchant, dealing in dry goods and groceries.
In 1885 Mr. Edwards secured a responsible position in the shear
shops of the Gautier Steel Works, and then gave his mercantile interests
into the charge of his wife, except that his evenings were spent in the
store. In the course of time the stock was sold, although at some loss;
but he sold none too soon, for afterward a business and financial panic
fell upon the mercantile community of the city and was followed by
many failures of houses with greater capital and more resources than
Mr. Edwards could hope to command. But now he was well established
in his new position, and with the help of warm-hearted associates his
success was assured. Among those to whom he feels especially grateful
for generous assistance Mr. Edwards mentions Fred Krebs, Jr., Thomas
Hamilton, Emory West, George Thompson, George H. Brown and others.
May 31st, 1889, the city of Johnstown and its vicinity was deso-
lated by the awful flood, and among the thousands of buildings de-
stroyed was that in which Mr. Edwards was employed. His own home,
too, was swept away, and both he and his wife were carried down on the
raging torrent, clinging for life to the roof; and as they drifted along
they managed to pick up twenty-seven persons who were less securely
placed than themselves. At length all were rescued and given temporary
shelter on Kernsville Hill, at the house of William J. Davis, who was'
Mrs. Edwards' brother. Of those who found rest and shelter at the
Davis home Mr. Edwards mentions Eichard W. Jones and wife and eight
children, John Cooper and wife and six children, John A. .Jones and
wife and two children, John E. Lewis and wife, William J. Davis and his
family of five persons, besides Mr. Edwards and wife and three others.
The disaster of 1889 was followed by a period of suffering before the
valley was restored again to anything like order. Both Mr. Edwards
and his wife were made to feel the distress of the occasion, but like
thousands of others they were brave and administered aid and comfort
to many who were less strong than themselves. Finally work was to be
had, and in time the iron company resumed operations. Then he again
took his place in the works, but in 1895 his health failed and compelled
him to give up hard manual labor.
In December, 1865, David E. Edwards married Winifred Davis,
daughter of James W. and ]\Iargaret Davis. Two children were born of
this marriage — Anderson and jSTewton Edwards, both of whom died in
1872. Mrs. Edwards died in 1897.
JOSEPH E. EDWAEDS, who is the youngest of the living child-
ren of Eev. Eichard E. and Ann (Eoberts) Edwards, was born in
Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, on the 27th day of February,
1853, and received his education in the common schools. At the age
of eleven years he went with his father to the mines and was employed
there as office boy ; and at night he attended the evening classes of his
father, which were established for the benefit of boys who were at work
204 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
about the mines during the daytime. When he was thirteen Joseph
operated the wagon scales at Cambria Rolling Mill, and about 1876 he
was advancd to the position of weighmaster at Minersville. Later on
he did the same work at the Benshoff ore mines and the Eolling Mill
mine on Stony creek.
On leaving the company service Mr. Edwards turned his attention
to business pursuits and for about two years was a scrap iron and junk
dealer at Connellsville, Pennsylvania, and afterward for about the same
length of time carried on a mercantile establishment on ^lain street, in
Johnstown; but when the Baltimore & Ohio Railway Company built
the branch from the main line through Somerset county he secured the
agency for the Laflin & Rand Powder Company, and looked after its
interests along the new road. This he did for about one year, and then
became foreman of the stockyards of the Gautier Steel Company. He
remained there three or four years and then was made inside foreman at
the mill, which place he filled until the time of the flood disaster in 1889.
When industrial interests resumed after the flood, he was placed in
charge of the new ten-inch mill, and when in 1893 the fourteen-inch mill
and still later the eight-inch mill were put in operation, his foremanship
was extended over these several branches of the company's great works.
Mr. Edwards is well known in social circles in Johnstown and en-
joys celebrity as a vocalist. He is a member of the Congregational
church, and takes an active interest in its choir service, and also is a
member of several musical organizations in the city, frequently appear-
ing in concerts and other public performances. In politics he is a Re-
publican, but never has sought or held office.
On the 2d day" of September, 1874, Joseph R. Edwards married Han-
nah Davis. She was born December 26, 18-52, a daughter of John and
Hannah (Jenkins) Davis, of Johnstown. The Davis family is of Welsh
descent, but among them were some of the earliest residents of Pitts-
burg. The immediate ancestors of John Davis came from Ohio. His
occupation was mining, and in Johnstown he was employed by the Cam-
bria Steel' Company. Children of Joseph R. and Hannah (Davis) Ed-
wards: Anderson Edwards, born March 8, 1875; died in infancy.
Margaret Edwards, born December 29, 1878 ; a professional nurse living
in Johnstown. Richard J. Edwards, born April 8, 1880 ; a roll turner
by trade; married Lillian Hamilton, and lives at Vandergrift, Penn-
sylvania. David Edwards, born February 14, 1883. William Edwards,
born Januarv 15, 1885 ; died in infancv- Gomer Edwards, born Jan-
uary 28, 1888. Lawrence Edwards, born May 14, 1890. George Ed-
wards, born May 11, 1893.
LEVENTRY FAMILY. Henry Leventry, of Mengerenhausen,
Waldeck, Germany, where he was born and always lived, was a sho(^
maker. He died in 1845, leaving one child, a son, who was named after
his father.
Henry Leventry, son of Henry, the shoemaker of Mengerenhausen,
was born in that place October 18, 1814, and learned the trade of his
father. In 1846, at the age of thirty-two years, he emigrated from Ger-
many and came to America to establish a home for himself in this coun-
try. He took up his abode in Pennsylvania, at the head waters of Ben's
creek, in Cambria county, and there found work for a time at Hoover's
Furnace. Some time afterward he bought a small farm not far from
Forwardstown, in Somerset county, and worked it besides doing shoe-
making in the township. After a number of years he left the farm and
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 205
went to Tyre Hill, in Conemangh township, Somerset county, where he
followed his trade, but in 1873 came to Johnstown and settled in what
now is the Eighth ward of the city, at the place known as Grub])town.
Six years afterward he bought the Henry Constable farm above ^loxham
(now in the Seventeenth ward), and lived there until his death, Octo-
ber 28, 1887. Henry Leventry is remembered as an honest, industrious
German citizen of Canil)ria county. While he did not acquire large
means, he lived comfortably, brought up his family in the teachings of
the German Lutheran church, and left to them the good example of his
■own life, and they have profited by his early teachings. He did not take
an active part in public affairs and voted as he felt it his duty. Orig-
inally he was a Democrat, Init later became a Eepublican.
He was married twice. The family name of his first wife was Ilnver-
zagt, and she bore him one child, who died in infancy. In 1850, after
the death of his first wife, Henry Leventry married Mary Catherine Eliza-
beth Wulbrandt, daughter of Frederick Wulbrandt, who was a dealer in
grain and cattle. ]\Iary Wulbrandt was born in Prussia, and came to
America with the late Charles Von Lunen, Sr., of Johnstown, in whose
family she lived for some time. She was eighteen years old when she
made the voyage to this country, and she died December 6, 1898. Chil-
drn of Henry and Mary Catherine Elizabeth (Wulbrandt) Leventry:
1. William Leventry, born January 7, 1851 ; president of Highland Coal
Mining Company; market gardener and cattle dealer. 2. Henry Fredr
erick Leventry, born July IG, 1853; business man; coal operator and real
estate dealer. 3. Herman I^eventry, born March 9, 185G ; married Annie
Gochnour, and lives in Richland township. 4. Edward Leventry, born
May 12, 1858; drowned July 13, 1873. 5. Louis Leventry, born May 4,
1861; married Ida Yon Lunen, and lives in Johnstown. 6. Louisa
Leventry, born September 14, 1863; married Isaiah Miller; died Au-
gust 6, 1899. 7. Charles Leventry, born August 12, 1865; a real estate
dealer of Johnstown. 8. Josiah Daniel Leventry (twin), born Decem-
I)er 28, 1867; married Ettic Stahl, and lives in Johnstown. 9. Elizabeth
Eva Leventry (twin), born December 28, 1867; married Daniel Cauf-
field, and lives in Johnstown.
WILLIAM LEVENTRY, eldest son and child of Henry and Mary
Catherine Elizabeth (Wulbrandt) Leventry, was born near Forwards-
town, in Somerset county, January 7, 1851, and was eight years old
when his father moved with his family to Tyre Hill, in Conemaugh
township, where William attended school. When al)out thirteen or
fourteen years old he left home and went to Johnstown to learn the
trade of a shoemaker — the trade of his father and grandfather^ — with
Conrad Schirmer. At the end of two years he was a practical journey-
man and worked in various places, at one time in the shoemaking-
shop of the Cambria Iron Company (a department long ago abolished),
and finally located at East Conemaugh, where he lived until 1875. He
then went back to Tyre Hill, did shoemaking, collected tolls for the
company that operated the Davidsville and Ben's Creek turnpike, and
also carried on a small farm. In this way he gained some money, and
with it purchased four lots in what now is the Eighth ward of the city
of Johnstown, but which then was commonly called Grulibtown. He
I)uilt two houses on the lots and occupied one of them until 1888, when
he bought twenty-two acres of his father's farm in Stony Creek township,
near Johnstown, where he has since lived. After he came to live in and
near Johnstown, Mr. Leventry worked but little at his trade, finding
206 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
other emi^loyments more profitable. He worked one year for the Cam-
bria Steel Company, and eleven years for the Lorain Steel Company as
rail iusjjector. During six years of the latter employment he was in
Lorain, Ohio, to Avhich place the company had moved its works, but he
did not change his residence. Since moving to the farm in 1888, he
has devoted his attention to growing small fruits and berries and to
market gardening, dealing in real estate, and to coal mining operations,
he being president of the Highland Coal Mining Company at this time.
In politics he is a strong Republican, and has served three terms as super-
visor and one term as school director.
On the 16th of August, 1874, William Leventry married Henrietta
Grochuour, daughter of Paul and Delena (Leff) Gochnour, of Taylor
township, Cambria county, and a descendant of an old German family of
this part of the state. Children of William and Henrietta (Grochnour)
Leventry: 1. Ida May Leventry, born September 23, 1875; married
John Waugaman, and lives at Ferndale, near Johnstown. 2. Jessie
Elizabeth Leventry, born July 31, 1877; married George Von Lunen,
a plumber of Johnstown. 3. Elda Catherine Leventry, born January 20,
1879; married, first, Nelson W. Miller; married, second, Robert Dishong;
lives in Stony Creek township. 4. John Leventry, born December 23, 1880;
died August 8, 1888. 5. George Leventry, born August 3, 1882. 6. Ger-
trude Emma Leventry, born August 23, 1884; married John G. Hartley, a
contractor of Moxham. 7. Carl Earl Leventry, born April 25, 1888.
8. Mabel Viola Leventry, born August 30, 1890. 9. Bessie Edna Lev-
entrv, born July 19, 1892. 10. Delia Edith Leventry, born July 17,
1894. 11. Florence Ellen Leventry, born December 10^ 1895. 12. 'Wil-
liam Russell Leventry, born April 5, 1905, died July 1, 1906.
CHARLES LEVENTRY, seventh child and sixth son of Henry
and Mary Caroline Elizabeth (Wulbrandt) Leventry, was born at Tyre
Hill, in Conemaugh township, Somerset county, Pennsylvania, August
12, 1865, arid was a small boy when his parents moved to Johnstown.
He was educated in the public schools, and at the age of twenty-
two years began his business career as proprietor of a livery. Later on
he was a grocer, and still later carried on a dairy. About 1900 he pur-
chased one hundred acres of land in Stony Creek township, just outside
the limits of the Seventeenth ward (Moxham) of the city of Johnstown,
and opened there a coal mine. In 1904 the Highland Coal Company
was incorporated for the purpose of operating mines on this land. The
company officers are William Leventry, president, and Charles Leventry,
secretary, treasurer and general manager. The business has developed
into a splendid success and returns good profits to the stockholders. Mr.
Leventry also deals extensively in real estate, buys with excellent judg-
ment and knows Avhen to sell. He is one of the incorporators and a
stockholder of the Suburban Realty Company of Johnstown. Mr. Lev-
entry has made a success of whatever business he has undertaken, whether
as liveryman, grocer, dairyman, coal operator or real estate speculator,
and those who know him well and are competent to judge say he is one
of the best business men in Cambria county, a man of the highest in-
tegrity of character and perfectly honest in every transaction. For many
years, too, he has been an active figure in Cambria county and Johns-
town city politics, and is regarded as one of the most loyal Republican
leaders in this part of the state. For three years he was county commis-
sioner, besides which he has at various times filled minor offices. As a
Republican and something of a politician his principal aim has been in
HISTOEY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 207
the interest of good, honest government rather than for personal or party
advantage. He was brought np under the teachings of the German
Lutheran church. He is a member of Vestal Camp No. 33, Woodmen
of the World, and of Moxham Lodge of Jr. 0. U. A. M. ; also Johns-
town Lodge of Masons.
On May 1st, 1890, Charles Leventry married Julia Von Lunen,
daughter of Louis Von Lunen, of Johnstown. Their children: 1. Euth
Emily Leventry, born June 10, 1893. 2. Edward Bruse Leventry, born
February 16, 1902.
PETEE A. BAENHAET, senior member in the firm of P. A. Barn-
hart Plumbing & Heating Company^ and one of the foremost business
men of Johnsto^m, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, represents the third
generation of the Barnhart familv in this countrv, they having come from
Holland.
John Barnhart, grandfather of Peter A. Barnhart. and the pioneer
ancester of this family in the United States, emigrated to this country
from Holland about the year 1780. He settled in Somerset county,
Pennsylvania, where he took up a tract of timber land. He cleared this
of timber, which he sold to advantage, being a most excellent man of
business, and set about cultivating the land thus cleared. He prospered
to such an extent that he was subsequently able to purchase other and
larger' tracts of land, and ultimately became tlie owner of six large farms,
and was considered one of the most successful of the pioneers of the
region, having attained this competency mainly by thrift and incessant
industry. In politics he was a strong Whig, and he worshipped in the
Lutheran church. He married Mary Friedland, and among their chil-
dren were the following: John, George, Adam, Jacob, Peter, David
(see forward), Sarah, married Blouch.
David Barnhart, sixth son of John and Mary (Friedland) Barn-
liart, was born in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, and received his educa-
tion in the schools of his native township. Like his father, he became one
of the leading farmers of the district and the owner of a number of large
and well cultivated farms. During the Civil war he was drafted, served
with distinction for three years, and was honorably discharged upon the
termination of the conflict. He was an ardent supporter of the Eepub-
lican party, taking the greatest possible interest in all that concerned the
public welfare of the community in which he lived, or in anything that
fended to its improvement. He married, June 9, 1855, Matilda Lohr,
and had children: 1. William H., residing in Pittsburg, Penns^dvania,
married Sarah Eaymond, and has children: Lewis, Jordan, Morgan, Cora
and Jennie. 2. Cyrus A., 3. Mary, married Albert Barnett. 4. Ed-
ward, a resident of Pittsburg, married Annie Yeagley, deceased, and has
one child, Eugene. 5. Peter A., see forward. 6. Mahlon H. 7. Sarah,
married Daniel Swank, deceased. 8. Luc}', married James Smith, and
has two children.
Peter A. Barnhart, fourth son and fifth child of David and Matilda
(Lohr) Barnhart, Avas born on his father's farm in Somerset county,
Pennsylvania, September 29, 1859. His early years M^ere spent upon this
farm, which was located in Quemahoning township, and he received a
good education in the public schools of that district. He remained on
the farm, as assistant to his . father in its management, until he had
attained his majority, when he went to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where
he learnec;! the trade of plumbing. He was employed by the Philadelphia
Gas Company for a period of six and a half years upon the completion
208 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
of his ap23r entice ship, and at the conclusion of that time removed to
Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsylvania. Here he accepted a position
in the plumbing department of the Cambria Iron Company, wnich he
resignea at the end of one year in order to establish himself in business.
He formed a business partnership with his brother, Mahlon H., in the
plumbing line, their location being in the Layton building on i^'ranklin
street. He formed another partnership in 1891, with C. H. Keiffer, and
was associated with him until 1899, when the partnership was dissolved,
C. G. Campbell purchasing the interests of Mr. Iveift'er, since which time
the firm has been known as the P. A. Barnhart Plumbing & Heating
Company. They are doing business on a large and profitable scale, and
they have hanclsome business quarters at A'o. 324: Iranklin street, into
which they moved April 1, 19U-1:. In November of the following year
they were burned out and suffered a considerable loss, but soon re-opened
the business in temporary quarters at their old place at the corner of
Haynes and Franklin streets, where they remained until 19UG, when
they removed to the new building which had been erected for them by
their landlord. The store and necessary offices are spacious, well calcu-
lated to display their goods to the best advantage, and they have a pros-
perous and constantly increasing trade. Mr. Barnhart has been the lead-
ing spirit in this undertaking, his executive ability and business acumen
being truly remarkable. In his political affiliations he is a stanch sup-
porter of the Republican party, and he is a consistent member of tlie
Lutheran church.
Mr. Barnhart married, October 24, 1889, Cora Robb, daughter of
Benjamin Kobb, of Johnstown. They have no children.
CALVIN A. YOUNG, a member and organizer of the C. A. Young
Company, of Johnstown, was born in that city, October 17, 18G2, a son
of Simon and Sarah (Shutt) Young, the latter a daughter of John and
Lizetta (Suters) Shutt, of Strassburg, Germany: Lizetta (Suters)
Shutt was from Switzerland. On the paternal side the family is of Ger-
man descent, and on the maternal side the ancestors came from Marietta,
Lancaster county, Pennsylvania.
Simon Young (father), son of John and Catherine (Foss) Young,
the former born m Germany, March 23, 1?91, died September 2U, 1858,
was born at Marietta, Lancaster county, July 30, 1831, and was reared
and educated there. He was a butcher by trade. He came to Johns-
town about 1850 and his first employment there was with his brother,
Emanuel Young, who was a meat merchant with a store on Frauklin
street. He remained with him until 1859, when he engaged in business
for himself, conducting a profitable trade until the years 1880, when he
sold out to his son and nephew. On retiring from active work he went
to live with one of his sons at Ligonier, but later returned to Johnstown
and is now residing with -his daughter, Mrs. S. C. Wisegaver. Children
of John and Catherine (Foss) Young were: Emanuel, married Sarah
Layton. David married (first) a Miss Hess, (second) Levina , of
Baltimore. Abraham, married Susan Crommer, of Lancaster. Harriet,
wife of Judge Rhodes, of Marietta. Simon, father of Calvin A. Young.
All of these are now deceased excepting Simon, who by his marriage to
Sarah Shutt became the father of children as follows: William F., mar-
ried Maggie Robb, and their children are May, Edith and Charles.
Harry S., married Emma Walkinshaw, deceased. Lizzie, wife of Sheri-
dan C. Wisegaver, a lieutenant on the Johnstown police force, and their
children are: Mary, Alice, Delia, Hazel, HaiVey and Chalmer". Annie,
THE
II NEW YORK
'j PUBLIC library!
\\ A»i»r, Lenox and Tlldwi ,
^eunttltlynt,
1909
HIS TOBY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 209
wife of A. M. Custer, and their children are Donald, Xina and Helen.
Simon, Jr., unmarried. Calvin A., see forward.
Calvin A. Young was reared in Johnstown, educated in its public
schools, and Ids first work (18T9) was with his father in the meat busi-
ness. In 1890, in partnership with his cousin, M. B. Young, he took over
his father's business, purchasing the entire property, the firm after-
wards l)eing known as Young & Y'oung. Previous to this he took charge
of his father's market on Main street and conducted it until 1884, when
he became a partner in the business and the firm title was changed to
Simon Y^oung & Son. This continued until Simon Young retired and
the above meiitioned partnership with his cousin was formed. The firm
of Young & Young continued until 1903, when M. B. Young purchased
the interest of Calvin A. Young. Mr. Young then organized the packing
company which he now carries on. The C. A. Young Comj^anv, as it is
called, is a corporation having a capital of $100,000, is situated on Mat-
thew street, opposite the Pennsylvania railroad freight station, gives con-
stant employment to thirty-five hands, dress their own meats and manu-
facture their own ])roducts. This is the only home-dressed wholesale
meat plant in Johnstown, and they conduct a business of about half a
million dollars per annum. j\[r. A^oung is a member and deacon of the
Presbyterian church, and a Democrat in politics.
Mr. Y'oung married (first) Annie Stoneback, of Black Lick, Indiana
county, Pennsyhania, daughter of John and Otella Stoneback, and his
children by this marriage are Helen and Kuth. He married (second)
Catherine Wilson, daughter of Herman and Deborah Wilson, of Blairs-
ville, Indiana county, Pennsylvania, and the children by this marriage are
Sarah, born April 5, 1898; Calvin, born April 2, 1902.'
JA^IES ]\IADISOX WALTERS. In the fifth year of the nineteenth
century Dr. Jolm Jacob Walters, of German birth, l)ut whose father was a
native of Holland, came to America, settled in the city of Baltimore and
began the practice of medicine. He was an educated physician, having
studied and practiced medicine in Germany before leaving that country,
and in Baltimore he controlled a large practice and attained a high stand-
ing in the ranks of the profession in that state. He acquired a com-
petency and made generous use of his means in contributing to the erec-
tion of churches, the establishment of educational institutions and the
relief of the poor and the suffering. He was a devout member of the
German Reformed church. His wife's family name was Rodgers, and she
was descended from one of the old English families of Virginia, whose
settlement in the Old Dominion dated to the time of the colony.
In Dr. 'Walters' family Avere three sons — Arthur, John and Henry
Jacob Walters, and one daughter — Anna Maria Walters. Arthur, late
of Baltimore, married and had children — ^lary, George, Louis, Kate and
Sophia Walters. John, second son, died early in life, unmarried. Anna
Maria, only daughter, married Louis H. Plitt, a l)usiness man who accu-
mulated a fortune. Both he and his wife are dead.
Henry Jacob Walters, youngest son of Dr. John Jacob Walters, and
father of James Madison Walters, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was born
in Baltimore, March 3, 1819. He was given a good common school edu-
cation, and when quite young left school and home to learn the trade of
a saddler. After a time he dropped that employment and followed hunt-
ing and fishing in the vicinity of Havre de Grace, Maryland, but on ac-
count of an injury to his foot he was obliged to find some other means
of support. To that end he came to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, about
210 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
1847 or 1848 and worked there eight years, going about at all
times on crutches ; but notwithstanding that, cluring the year'^. of his clerk-
ship, he managed to save eight hundred dollars, which was his starting
capital in business life. About 1856 he was taken into a mercantile part-
nership and engaged in active business pursuits until 1870, when he re-
tired, possessed of a fair share of this Avorld's goods, a good name and the
respect of a wide circle of friends.
]\Ir. AValters was a man of superior business qualifications. An unfor-
tunate accident had deprived him of the means of walking with any com-
fort, and after that he worked more with his head than his hands; he
worked to excellent purpose and provided for himself the comforts of life.
About the time of his retirement he was elected justice of the peace of the
Third -n-ard of the borough of Johnstown and held that office several years.
Politically he was an old line Democrat, in which respect he has been
followed by every one of his descendants. At one time, too, he was a
member of the Johnstown borough coimcil. He was one of the earliest
members of the First Evangelical Lutheran church, and of his means
contributed to the support of the church and to other worthy causes.
Henry Jacob Walters married Ellen Melinda Mitchell, born at Jenner
Cross Eoads, Somerset county, Pennsylvania, July 21, 1830, daughter of
James H. and Sophronia (Thatcher) Mitchell. Mr. Mitchell was born in
eastern Pennsylvania of Scotch-Irish parents, his father having been a
minister of the Protestant church. At one time James H. ]\Iitchell was
a school teacher. Sophronia Thatcher was born in Delaware and was a
descendant of Commodore Thatcher, of the English navy, of a family of
eminent respectability, all Protestants, and its male members all strong
Democrats. Of the ten children born to Henry Jacob and Sophronia
(Thatcher) Walters seven grew to maturity and are living, viz.: 1. Mary
E.. married H. A. Bailey. 2. George W. 3. James Madison. 4. Katherine,
married Alfred J. Prosser, now deceased. 5. Harry Thatcher. 6. Charles
Pink. 7. Jethro William.
James Madison Walters, second son and third child of Henry Jacob
and Sophronia (Thatcher) Walters, was born in the borough (now city)
of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, July 4, 1855. He is by profession a lawyer.
a member of the Cambria county bar, practicing in the courts of that and
the adjoining county, the superior and supreme courts of Pennsylvania
and the district and circuit courts of the United States. In professional
circles in Pennsylvania Mr. Walters is known as a close and constant
student of the law. In fact he has been a careful student all through his
life, and before he determined to enter that profession was always at work
or study. In this connection a brief glance at his earlier life is interesting.
His early education was gained in public and pay schools, including the
Sunday school of the First Evangelical Lutheran church, and the night
school, where he was taught double-entry bookkeeping. When out of
school he sometimes worked as clerk in the store where his father was one
of the proprietors, and there gained an understanding of practical busi-
ness methods. At the age of twelve years he drove a cart for his uncle
and earned something, also made "tuiers" at A. J. Haws' brick works
and worked in the mills of the Cambria Iron Company. During vacation
periods, when not busy in the store, he found work to do. such as stripping
leaf tobacco, picking stone in the river for the borough at fiftv cents a
day, helped in cleaning the borough streets, worked in the old Johnstown
foundry at cleaning castings preliminary to learning the trade of molder,
and at one time was bricklayers' tender, preliminary to learninaf the trade
of brick laying. When he was seventeen years old his father died. After
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 211
that he was clerk and salesman in the store until he attained his majority,
when he took up the study of law under the preceptorship of Judge, James
Potts, of Johnstown, and while reading law he took private day and even-
ing general instruction, including Latin, from Professor John W. Trabert
and Professor T. J. Chapman, and special instruction in natural philos-
ophy from Professor Thomas E. Wakefield.
Since he was admitted to practice law Mr. Walters has devoted his
attention to professional pursuits, and in law circles in southern Penn-
sylvania he is known as a capable, thorough and successful lawyer, with
whom principles, always prevail rather than expedients. He is a firm
Democrat and occasionally has stood as his party candidate for both local
and general offices. He was the first city solicitor of Johnstown after the
city charter and served two terms in that office. At a later time he was
the Democratic nominee for the office of district attorney of Cambria
county, and twice the candidate of his party for representative in congress
from the Twentieth congressional district of Pennsylvania.
He is a member of the First Evangelical Lutheran church of Johns-
town, and has served a three years^ term as deacon, two years as superin-
tendent of the infant Sunday school, and now is a member of the com-
mittee of fifteen trustees of that church. He was a delegate of the Alle-
gheny Synod of the Lutherans of western Pennsvlvania to the biennial
meeting of the Lutherans of America held at York, Pennsylvania, and in
that convention he was selected to deliver the address on "Missions, Home
and Abroad," in the historic Old York Lutheran church.
Mr. Walters is a member of the Cambria Bar Association, and at one
time served on the bar examining committee for the examination of can-
didates for admission to practice ; member of the board of corporators
of the Conemaugh Valley Memorial Hospital ; member and ex-vice-presi-
dent of Johnstown Board of Trade; past president of the Order of Ameri-
cus ; past exalted ruler and present chaplain of Johnstown Lodge, ISTo. 175,
Benevolent Protective Order of Elks; member of the Americus Club, and
an honorary member of Vigilant Fire Company of Jolinstown.
Among the notable events in Mr. Walters' life there may be men-
tioned, without reference to chronology, the following: He was the first
survivor of the Johnstown flood of 1889 reported saved by the Associated
Press; was present and escaped the breakdown of the Pennsylvania rail-
road platform in 1866 when President Johnson, General Grant and Ad-
miral Farragut stopped at Johnstown, and saw them observe the catas-
trophe in horror and tears; was present and escaped injury in the pas-
senger run at Ebensburg, Pennsylvania, where several persons were severely
injured; was a member of the committee appointed by Mayor Woodruff
to visit Washington and urge upon the house committee the necessity of an
appropriation sufficient to secure a site and erect a Federal building in
Johnstown ; was a contributor to the "New York World" fund for the
erection of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor ; was present and
saw the Johnstown Zouaves (among whom was his uncle, William Denny
Mitchell) depart as the first company from Johjistown to take part in the
Civil war. He numbers among his friends and has spoken from the same
platform with such eminent characters in public and political life as Hon.
Alexander H. Coffroth, of Somerset, Pennsvlvania, the onlv living ex-
member of congress who was a pall-bearer at President Lincoln's funeral,
also Hon. William Jennings Bryan, who honored Mr. Walters' family and
mother with a personal visit to his home on Vine street in the city of
Johnstown.
In Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, July 28, 1885, James Madison
212 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
Walters married Anna Bell Lewis, daughter of John and Susan M.
(Mourer) Le^\'is. Mv. Lewis was a veteran of the Civil war, sergeant of
Company C, Fifth Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery. By occupation he was
a painter. The late Hon. Edward Cowan, ex-senator in congress from
Pennsylvania, was Mrs. Walters' uncle, and Dr. Frank Cowan, secretary
to President Andrew Johnson, was her cousin. Captain William Cowan,
appointed April 19, ITT 5 (hy John Morton, speaker of the Pennsylvania
assembly) captain of a company of foot in the Third Battalion of Asso-
ciators in the county of Cumberland for the protection of the province and
the defense of liberty, was her maternal great-grandfather. Captain
Thomas Griffith, L". S. A., now major, is her cousin. Children of Jamei?
M. and Anna B. (Lewis) Walters: 1. Allen Tlmrman, l)orn Julv 23,
1886, died September 20, 1888. 2. Anna Margaret, born May 8, 1892.
3. Ellen Louise, born June G, 1896. 4. Catherine, twin, born January 25,
1901. 5. Virginia, twin, born January 25, 1901.
FRAXCIS T. OVERDORFF, :\L D., of Johnstown, for thirty-six
years a general i3ractitioner in that city, was born Xovember 2, 18-10, in
Indiana county, Pennsylvania, son of Jacob Overdorff, who was born
February 11, IT 96, in York county, and moved to Indiana county, where
he became a well-to-do farmer, at one time owning considerable land at
Brush Valley. He filled several township offices among them those of
school director and supervisor, and was a Republican in politics. He was
a member and officer of the Evangelical church and an active worker in
its interests. For forty-five years he served as class leader.
Jacob Overdorff married Mary Tvson, and the following children
were born to them : Amos, Isaac, deceased ; married Catharine Fry, also de-
ceased. Simon, of Morrelville ; married Catherine McElhaney. Jacob,
deceased; married Maria McXutt. Zachariah, married (first) Louisa
Wakefield, (second) Mary Bracken. David, married Susan Evans, now
deceased. Francis T., of whom later. Salome, Avife of Frederick Sauers.
Catharine, wife of Charles Miller, of Illinois. Elizabeth, widow of David
Comfort. Jacob Overdorff. the father of this large family, died April 18,
188-1, at the age of eighty-eight years two months and seven days, and the
mother died July, 1845, age forty-five years.
Francis T. Overdorff, son of Jacob and Mary (Tyson) Overdorff,
was educated in Indiana county, attending the public schools, the normal
school and various acade^nies. After completing his course of study he
was engaged for thirteen years in the profession of teaching. The out-
break of the Civil war interrupted his labors, and on July 24, 1861, he
enlisted from Indiana county to serve three years or during the war. The
same day, at Harrisburg, he was mustered into the United States service
as a private in Comj^any H, Twelfth Regiment, Pennsylvania Reserve,
Captain Andrew J. Bolar and Colonel John H. Taggart commanding.
The regiment was the Forty-first of the Pennsylvania line, and rendez-
voused at Camp Curtin. Harrisburg, where it was organized August 10,
1861, marching for Baltimore on the same day, with orders to join Gen-
eral Banks at Harper's Ferry, Virginia. Reaching Baltimore on the
11th. the first orders were countermanded, and the regiment was ordered
to Tennallytown, near Washington, District of Columbia, where it was
assigned to the Third Brigade of the Reserve Corps and thoroughly
drilled and disciplined. October 10, 1861. it marched into Virginia and
entered upon the campaign in the field, serving in the First, and later in
the Fifth Corps, Army of the Potomac, and participating in the follow-
ing engagements: Danesville, Virginia, December 20, 1861; Despatch
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. ' 213
tStatiou, Virginia, June 15, 18G'^ ; Xew Bridge, Virginia, June 18, 1862;
►Seven Days' Fight, Virginia — including ilechanicsville, June 26, 1862 ;
Gaines Mills, June 27, 1862; Savage Station, June 29, 1862; White Oak
Swamp, or Charles City Cross Roads, Glendale and Turkey Bend, June
'SO, 1862; Malvern Hill, July 1, 1862; Gainesville and Groveton, Vir-
ginia^ August 28 and 29, 1862; Second Bull Run, Virginia, August 30,
1862 ; South ^Mountain, Maryland, September 11:, 1862 ; Autietam, Mary-
land, September 17, 1862; Fredericksburg, Virginia, December 11-16,
1862; Defenses of Washington, District of Columbia, from February to
June, 1863 ; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, July 2-4, 1863 ; Auburn, or Bristoe
Station, Virginia, October 14, 1863 ; Rappahannock Station, Virginia, No-
vember 7, 1863; iline Run, Virginia, November 26 to December 2, 1863:
and from December, 1863, to May, 1864, on picket and guard duty on
the line of the Orange & Alexandria railroad, with headquarters at Cat-
telFs Station, Virginia, having numerous skirmishes with guerillas, in-
cluding a fight at Warrenton Junction, Virginia.
The regiment also took part in Grant's campaign in Virginia, includ-
ing the following battles: The Wilderness, Virginia, May 5-7, 1864;
Spottsylvania, A'irginia, May 8-18, 1864; Todd's Tavern, Virginia, May 8,
1864; Po River, May 10, 1864; Spottsylvania Court House, Virginia,
May 12, 1864; Germania Station, Virginia, May 21-23, 1864; North Anna
River, Virginia, May 23-27, 1864; and Bethseda Church, Virginia, May
30, 1864. The day of the battle of Bethseda Church the command was
relieved from duty and marched to H^rrisburg, Pennsylvania, where it
was mustered out June 11, 1864. Dr. Overdorff had before this received
un honorable discharge by reason of surgeon's certificate of disability,
having through exposure contracted rheumatism.
In 1864 he re-enlisted to serve three years or during the war, and
was mustered into the L^nited States service as a private in Company H,
Second Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry, Captain Nablo
Frazier, Junior, later Captain Albert N. Seips, and Colonel R. Builer
Price, later Colonel William W. Sanders, commanding. The Second
Cavalry was the Fifty-ninth Regiment of the line, and was well disci-
plined and drilled in camp. In x\pril, 1864, the command moved b}' the
way of Baltimore to Washington, District of Columbia, arriving there on
the 25th and encamping on Capitol Hill, where they were mounted and
equipped for active duty. On June 27 they crossed the Long Bridge into
Virginia, and encamped near Cloud's Mills, where they were assigned
to General Cooke's Brigade, First Reserve Corps, General Sturgis. Later
the regiment was assigned to the Second Brigade, Second Division, Cav-
alry Corps, Army of the Potomac, and participated in the following en-
gagements : Spengville, near Culpeper ; Chantilly ; Ashley's Gap ; Thor-
oughfare Gap ; New Baltimore ; Salene ; Warrenton, and Opeqnam, all of
Virginia ; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania ; Culpeper ; Bristoe Station ; Kelly's
Ford ; ^line Run campaign : Rapjiahannock Station ; Beverl}^ Ford ;
Parker's Store : New Hope Church ; Robertson's Tavern ; Todd's Tavern ;
Sheridan's Raid; Yellow Tavern; Chickahominy, or Meadow Bridge;
Hawes Shop ; Trevillian Station ; St. Mary's Church ; Sheridan's Second
Raid ; Siege of Petersburg ; Deep Bottom ; Malvern Hill ; Charles City
Cross Roads ; Dabney's ]\Iills ; Boydton Road ; Five Forks ; Appomattox,
and a number of minor expeditions, raids and skirmishes. It also took
part in the grand review at Washington, District of Columbia, ]\Iav 24.
1865.
At tlio battle of ^lalvern Hill, Virginia, August, 1864, Dr. Over-
dorfF received a gunshot wound in the left thigh, and was sent to the hos-
Vol. Ill — 14
214 HTSrOEY OF CA3IBFJA COUNTY.
pital at Washington, District of Columbia, whence he was transferred to
the Germantown hospital, near Philadelphia, and rejoined his regiment at
Warrenton, Virginia, having been absent from his command five months.
He still carries the bullet. He was at all times (except when in hospital)
with his respective commands, participating in all their engagements dur-
ing his terms of enlistment, and was always to be found at his post of duty
performing faithful and meritorious service. During the summer of 1864-
he was appointed commander of Dismounted Cavalry Camp, at City
Point. Virginia, and later was appointed clerk of Ceneral Porter's head-
quarters, in front of Petersburg, A^irginia, Avhich position he held at the
close of the war. He received a final honorable discharge at Philadelphia,
June 28, 1865, by reason of close of war.
After his return to civil life Dr. Overdorff began the study of medi-
cine, attended lectures at Cleveland, Ohio, and devoted his entire time and
attention to studv. In 1870 he entered upon the practice of his profession
at Adanisburg, Cambria countv. Pennsylvania, in 1873 moved to Scalp
Level in the same state, and finallv settled in Johnstown, where he has
since practiced with success and distinction. He is a member of the
Camlma County Medical Association, and belongs to Ewing Fisher Post.
No. 30, Department of Pennsylvania, Grand Army of the Eepublic, of
which he has l:)een surgeon for many vears. He is also a member of the
Mystic Chain of Alount Castle, Xo, 77, and has been connected with the
Knights of the Golden Eagle sixteen vears, the American Mechanics thir-
teen years and the Domestic Chain eighteen years. He has been for thirty-
two years a member of the Evangelical church, in which he lias held many
offices. In politics he is a stanch Eepublican.
Dr. Overdorif married, in 1870, Eose A., daughter of Samuel Low-
man, of Jacksonville. Indiana county, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Overdorff is
an active member of the Woman's Eelief Corps, N'o. 27, Auxiliary to
Ewing Fisher Post.
GITSTAVFS A. ZTM]\IEEMA:N", M. D., one of the best k-nown physi-
cians and druggists in Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsvlvania. is a rep-
resentative of an old and honored familv of Germany. His grandfather,
Casper Zimmerman, was a manufacturer of spinning wheels in Germany,
and spent his entire life in that country.
Henrv Zimmerman, son of Casner Zimmerman, mentioned above,
was born in Birden Kopf, Germany. April 24, 1822. He was an attendant
at the schools of his native town until he had attained the age of fourteen
years, when he was apprenticed to learn the trade of cabinet making.
When drafting Avas going on in his town for recruits for the German
army, he drew a blank, but was extremely anxious to enlist as a volunteer.
He was prepared to run away and carry out his intention, when his
mother sent him to America in order to prevent his doing so. He landed
in Baltimore. ATarvland, and immediatolv traveled on to Johnstown. Cam-
bria county. Pennsvlvania, where he already had a brother, who had pre-
ceded him to this country, and there followed his trade of cabinet making.
When the Cambria Iron Works were started, he became one of their em-
ploves. and in those days seventv-five cents to one dollar per dav was
considered an exeellent remuneration. Money was not so plentiful as it
is at present, and people were more economical in the usp of it. He was
among the first settlers of Johnstown. His first bonie after his marriage
Avas built in Conemaugb boronp'b. but. not liking the location, thev erected
another on the present site of the Zimmerman home. He next built a
house at the corner of Locust and Jackson streets, which was destroA-ed
TJISTOEY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 215
by the flood of May, 1889. He was an active, public-spirited citizen, and
an active worlcer in the ranlvs of tlie Eepnblican party, whose principles he
slanclily upheld upon every occasion. He was a member of the German
Lutheran church, and a learned scholar in Bible lore. He took an active
and beneficial interest in educational matters, and was the leading spirit
in introducing many improvements in the educational system of the city.
He was a charter member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of
Johnstown. His death occurred in 1880, and his remains were interred
in Grand View cemetery. He married, April 10, 1847, in Johnstown,
Louisa Burgraff, born in Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany, January 6, 1830,
daughter of Casper and Dorothea (Fronheiser) Burgraff. Casper Bur-
gratr \\as a manufacturer of cloths in Germany, and came to America with
his family in 1839. At that time they were obliged to travel from their
native town to Bremen in stage coaches, and at Bremen took passage in a
vessel which landed them at Baltimore, Maryland, after a voyage of eight
•weeks. They continued their journey directly to Johnstown, where a
brother of Mrs. Burgraff resided. Mr. BurgrafE engaged in mercantile pur-
suits, establishing himself in business at the corner of Kailroad and Clin-
ton streets, where he associated himself with a partner, William McKee,
who later took charge of the business alone. Mr. Burgraff died in 1881.
The children of Mr. and Mrs. Zimmerman were: 1. George C, of Cone-
maugh township, foreman in the Cambria Steel Works; he married Mary
Britten. 2. Gustavus A., see forward. 3. Crissie A., resides at home.
4. Malinda, died at the age of three years. 5. Theodore Frank, born 1855,
was educated in the public schools of Johnstown and in St. Vincent's Col-
lege at Latrobe. He took up the study of law under the preceptorship of
John Linton, of Johnstown, and was admitted to the Cambria county bar.
He had built up a large and lucrative practice, and was highly esteemed
in legal and civic circles, when he lost his life in the flood of May, 1889.
He was in the stable at the rear of the house, together with his brother,
Milton, and they were trying to take the horses and other cattle to a place
of safety, when they were carried away by the flood. His body was re-
covered ten days later; that of his brother was not seen, again. 6. William
H., born September 14, 1859, died January 31, 1906. His education was
acquired in the public schools of Johnstown and in Duff's Business College
in Pittsburg. Upon his return from Pittsburg, he found em])loyment with
the Pennsylvania Railroad Company as bill clerk in the freight offices.
Suljscquently he entered the employ of the Cambria Steel Com])any, and
still iater that of the Johnson Company. He removed to Pittsljurg in the
fall of 1892, and again entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Eailroad
Company, this time in the transfer offices, and remained with tliem for a
period of twelve years. He returned to Johnstown, re-entered the employ
of the Cambria Steel Company, and was in their employ up to the time
of liis last illness. He married Jennie M. Morgan. 7. Amelia, married
John Hellstrom, of Wheeling, West Virginia. 8. Jessie, married John
Winans, of East Liberty, Pennsylvania. 9. Herbert, resides in Springfield,
Ohio. 10. Milton, lost his lifein the flood, as previously stated.
Gustavus A. Zimmerman, M. D., second son and child of Henry and
Tjouisa (Burgraff) Zimmerman, was born in Johnstown. Cambria county,
Pennsylvania, February 7, 1850. His preparatory education was ac-
quired in the public schools of his native city, and he then became a student
at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, from which he was graduated
in 1873. He then spent some time in traveling through various states,
filling positions as clerk in drug stores in the larger cities, and thus gain-
ing a varied experience in the compounding of drugs and medicines which
216 niSTOFY OF CAMBRIA COUXTY.
was of great advantage to him in his future career. He then returned to
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, ^\here he matriculated at the University of
Pennsylvania, and continued his studies until 1878, when the degree of
Doctor of Medicine was conferred upon him. He is the oldest alumnus
of that institution in the city of Johnstown at the present time (1907).
He returned to his native city and immediately began the active practice
of his profession, establishing an office on Locust street, and at the expira-
tion of three years decided to take a post-graduate course in the stucly of
medicine. He accordingly returned to Philadelphia, re-entered the Uni-
versity of Pennsylvania, remaining there for one year. He next proceeded
to Ebensburg, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, July 2, 1882, where he
again established himself in the practice of his chosen profession, suc-
ceeding to the patronage of Dr. Griffith. Subsequently he purchased the
drug business of Dr. Lemon, wdiich was known as one of the oldest phar-
macies in that section of the state, having been established in 184?. Dr-
Zimmerman carried on this business very successfully and profitably for
three years, and then sold it to Dr. Thomas Davidson, while he removed
to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where he again took up the practice of
medicine. He remained there until 1888, when he returned to Johns-
town and opened a drug store in the Hulbert House, which was destroyed
by the memorable liood of May, 1889. Undaunted by this stroke of ill
fortune, Dr. Zimmerman opened another store in one of the temporary
structures raised in the park by the flood commissioners, and he was the
pioneer in the business world of the time. He continued this business in
this building until 1892, when the buildings were torn down. He then
removed his business to the Wolf Block on Franklin street, remained there
seven years, then removed to the Zimmerman Block, and continued in
business there for three years, when failing health caused him to sell his
business to G. G. JMessenger & Co. The next three years were devoted to
the practice of medicine, and the manufacture of "Dr. Zimmerman's Eem-
edies," which are in constant and popular demand. He decided to re-
enter the drug business in 1900, and opened a store at Dale, on Bedford
street, Johnstown, where he has built up a large and profitable trade, and
is now president of the Board of Health of Dale borough.
Dr. Zimmerman married December 19, 1883, Jennie A. Davis, daugh-
ter of Edward and Sarah (Griffith) Davis, of Ebensburg, Pennsylvania,
and they have had children: 1. Ethel Jean, graduate of Maryland College
Lutherville, Marvland. 2. Edward Henrv, student at Johns Hopkins
College.
"O^
JOEDAN E0S8 HOEXE, principal of the Cypress Avenue School,
Moxham, Johnstown, Cambria county, P.ennsylvania, Avho is well and
favorable known throughout the educational circles of the state, is a de-
scendant of a family Avhose members were active in the defense of- the
colonies, when their safety depended upon the loyalty and endurance of a
small body of brave men.
(I) Henrv Home, great-grandfather of Jordan Eoss Home, was
bom in the province of Horn. Hesse-Cassel, Germany. He was a mem-
ber of a troop of Hessians whose services were sold to England by the
Duke of that province in order to help the British quell the troubles in the
American colonies. He was sent to America and was one of the Hessiaiis
Avho Avere captured at the battle of Trenton, and Avas held a ])risoner at
i\rorristoAA'n Heights. When he obtained his release he immediately joined
the American forces under Washington and served them liravely and well.
He acted as a special aide and spy, became a member of a cavalry troop, and
ins TORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 217
was famed for his fine horsemanship. Upon the close of hostilities he
took advantage of his revolutionary claim and obtained a large tract of
land in Virginia, a part of which is now (1906) within the limits of the
city of Baltimore, Maryland. He was industrious and intelligent in his
management of this and was considered a very prosperous land owner.
His sons subsecpiently removed to tlie north, some of them settling in Bed-
ford county, Pennsylvania, and some going still farther west. He mar-
ried Elizabeth Mackelfish, and among their children were: Andrew, of
whom see forward; John, who made his home in Bedford county, Penn-
sylvania ; Eckert, who purchased large tracts of land in Bedford county,
Pennsylvania, near Schellsburg, and became a farmer. The well known
family of this name in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, of which, the late Joseph
Home, proprietor of the large department store, was a member, is de-
scended from Eckert Home.
(II) Andrew Home, son of Henry (1) and Elizabeth (Mackelfish)
Home, was born about the year 1774, and died 1873. He took up his resi-
dence first at Schellsburg, Bedford county, Pennsylvania, then removed to
Alum Bank, in the same county, where he acquired considerable land
and devoted himself to farming. In this he was very successful and was
later the proprietor of several fine farms. He was a devoted Christian,
and was one of the organizers of the Methodist church in Bedford county.
It was through his efforts that a building was erected devoted to religious
services, and this was named "Home's Church" in his honor. This was a
modest building of logs and stood on the site of the present cliurch edi-
fice. The original building has recently been restored by the Home
family, and the late Joseph Home, of Pittsburg, contributed generously
towards efl^ecting this end. Andrew Home was prominent and influential
m both the religious and civic affairs of the community. His death was
sudden, occurring while lie was attending divine worship. He was asked
to address the congregation, but asked to be excused as he was not feeling
well. He arose from his seat and was about to leave the building when
he collapsed and fell dead on the church steps. He was universally re-
spected and loved, and his death was deeply and earnestly regretted. He
married Elizabeth Tipton, and had children: 1. Josiah, married and re-
moved to Iowa. 2. Eliza, married George Yeagher. 3. Elizabeth, twin of
Eliza, died in childhood. 4. William, went west and died there. 5. An-
drew j\I., see forward. G. Ann JMaria, now residing in Alum Bank, Bed-
ford county, bom 1833, married Samuel Banfort. 7. Daniel J., bom
1831, married Anna Taylor, is now residing in 'New Paris, Bedford county,
Pennsylvania.
(III) Andrew Monroe Home, third son and fifth child of Andrew
and Elizabeth (Tipton) Home, was bom near Schellsburg, Bedford
county, Pennsylvania, April 19, 1828, died January 25, 1903. He mar-
ried Catherine Cook, and had children: 1. Elizabeth, died young. 2.
Eev. William, married Lena Dennison and had children : Harry, Cleo,
Lulu and Howard. 3. ^lollie, married C. L. McClelland, and has chil-
dren: ]\Iabel and Andrew. 4. Ida, married J. F. Morris, of Middleburg,
Pennsylvania, and has children: Jessie and Beth. 5. Annie, married
William Hamilton and has children: Edgar, John and Carroll. 6. Lena,
married C. B. Oldham. 7. Jordan Eoss, the particular subject of this
sketch. 8, Anstie. 9. Albert. 10. Edgar.
(IV) Jordan Eoss Horne, second son and seventh child of Andrew
Monroe (3) and Catherine (Cook) Horne, was born at Alum Bank, Bed-
ford count3% Pennsylvania, October 28, 1878. His boyhood and youthful
days were spent on the family homestead and he acquired a good education
218 HISTOEY OF CAMBPdA COl'XTY.
in the public schools of his district and at the Slipping Eock State Xor-
mal School. Later he took a business course in the International Corre-
spondence School at Washington, District of Columbia, and accomplished
a great deal by assiduous home stud}-. He commenced teaching in the
public schools of his county in 1897, continued this occupation for a period
of three years, the last of which was in charge of a school at Glade Mills,
Butler eount3\ Pennsylvania. In the meantime he pursued a course of
study during the summer vacations so that when he entered tlie State
Xormal School he was able to do so as a senior. "While there he was
elected as first assistant superintendent of the model school. Upon the
completion of his studies at the Xormal school he returned to Alum Bank,
where he was appointed to the position of principal of the public school.
At the end of one year he resigned this position and accepted the principal-
ship of the Woodvale School at Johnstown, remaining here for two years,
ancl was then transferred to Moxham (Seventeenth ward) and offered the
position of principal of the C}'press avenue public school. This he ac-
cepted and is filling with credit to himself and beuefit to those under his
care. He is possessed of rare executive ability and progressive ideas.
Although ready to adopt any new idea which seems to promise well for
his pupils, yet he gives any measure careful and deliberate thought before
introducing it. He has a keen sense of justice, and while firm even to
sternness, is greatly beloved by his pupils. He is active in tlie church
affairs of his town, and is the leading tenor in the Methodist EoiscoDal
church choir, being blessed with a very fine tenor voice. He is of cheerful,
pleasing demeanor, and is verv popular in social circles.
HEEBEET H. WEATEE, assistant general manager of the Cam-
bria Steel Compauy. of Johnstown, Cambria county, PenusAdA-ania. is
one of the best known men in this industry in that section of tlie country,
and is one of the most prominent citizens in every direction of the county.
His paternal ancestors were natives of Xew England, who emigrated to
the Genesee valley and from there to northern Pennsylvania. His ancestors
on the maternal side were natives of Germany.
Samuel Elder Weaver, father of Herbert H. Weaver, was born in the
upper Ally valley, near Kittanning. in 1837. He removed to Johnstown,
where he passed the remainder of his life. He was for many years assist-
ant superintendent of the Wood, ]\Iorrell & Com]5any's store, wliich has
recently been merged in the Pennsylvania Traffic Companv. He married
Louisa Domm, born near Berlin, Somerset county, Pennsvlvania, in 18o5,
daughter of Casper Domm. Casper Domm was born in Hesse-Darmstadt.
Germany, in 1805, emigrated to the United States in 1825. and settled in
Berlin, Somerset county. He removed to Johnstown in 1874, where he
resided until his death, which occurred in 1891, at the age of eighty-six
years. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Weaver were: 1. Walter S., in the
employ ofthe Cambria Steel Company. 2. Herbert H., the subject of this
sketch. 3. Frank E., died in 1880 at the age of seventeen years. -4. Lulu
M., married M. G. Moore.
Herbert H. Weaver, second son and child of Samuel E. and Louisa
(Domm) Weaver, was born near Dixon, Illinois. Janiuiry 1, 1859. He
received but a limited education in the schools of his native township, but
bv liis own efforts, his diligent application at home, and keen power?
of observation, as well as bv contact with the bitsiness world, he has
acquired a fund of general knowledge which is scarcely eqiialled by that
of any of his associates. He found emnloyment with the Cambria Steel
Company as office boy in 1873, rose to the position of clerk in the general
/2>:^'Z^t:^c^-^
Z^
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 219
office in 1876, and one year later was made assistant cashier. He became
assistant general manager in 1889, and holds that position at the present
(1906) time. He has been very actively identified with many and varied
business interests which have all tended to the advancement and improve-
ment of the city. He is the founder of the Independent Telephone Com-
jDany, its organization being entirely his own idea, founded on the fact of
the exorbitant rates charged by the Bell Telephone Company. He secured
Ihe co-operation of about eighty of the subscribers of the older company,
and they at once took the necessary steps for the organization of the Inde-
pendent Telephone Company, which has been an unqualified success.
xVmong those who were concerned in this undertaking may be mentioned:
Dr. W. B. Lowman, George Brown, deceased, P. S. Fisher, Dr. Charles
Hannan, and George Kniger. Mr. Weaver took charge of the administra-
tion of affairs, though having had no previous experience in this field, and
acted as superintendent. His remarkable executive ability was instru-
mental in making this a prosperous undertaking, and it is now one of the
strongest companies in that section of the country, with its lines extend-
ing to adjoining counties. Mr. Weaver iias always been a member of the
board of directors since its inception in 1894. He was also one of the
organizers of the Pittsburg and Johnstown Long Distance Telephone
Company, which connects these two cities and touches at all intermediate
points of any importance. He has been on the board of directors sinct> its
organization. He was one of the organizers of the City Light, Heat and
Power Company of Johnstown. He was one of six Avho purchased the
holdings of T. L. Johnson in the JohnstoAvn Street Kailway, of which they
later disposed to P. C. Dupont. He is ojie of the organizers of the Johns-
town Trust Compan}', and is a member of the board of directors. He is
also a director in the Consumers' Gas Company of Johnstown. These are
but a few of many projects which he has formulated and actively pushed
m the interests of the city of Johnstown. He has always kept well abreast
of the times, and wherever an opportunity arose which he could turn to
the benefit of the city he exerted himself to the utmost to do so. He has
also been actively engaged in the building interests, has erected one of the
finest homes in the city proper, and in 1901, in the short period of seven
months, he had erected one of the finest houses in that section of the
country, at W^estmont, Upper Yoder township. He is an active member
of the Evangelical Lutheran church, having served as trustee and deacon,
and represented the church at the General Synod. His family are also
regular communicants there. He joined Company H, Fifth Regiment,
National Guard of Pennsylvania, in 1880, and has risen from the rank
of private to that of first lieutenant. He was appointed an aide on the
staff of Governor Beaver, an office which he held until he resigned from
the service in 1885. He is a most progressive and enterprising man in
every sense of the word. He is very popular and has many friends in
militarv, business and social circles.
He married, September 23, 1884, Jennie Nitterauer, daughter of
Rev. Cornelius Nitterauer, a minister of the Lutheran church, who was
located at Blairsville until his death. The children of Mr. and Mrs.
Weaver were: 1. Louisa D., born Julv 4, 1885. 2. Frank R., Novem-
ber 28, 1887. 3. Alan M., September 15, 1891. 4. Gertrude M., April 15,
1898. 5. Janet H., December 1, 1903, died February 10, 1906.
ALEXANDER ]\fcIvEEYER. The McKeever families of Pennsyl-
vania and Delaware are of either Scotch or Irish descent, and have lived
in this country through several generations. The American ancestor of
220 niSTOEY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
the family, whose christian name is lost, came to the country many years
ago and settled in Delaware, where his son Alexander was bom. The
latter was a brick and stone mason and contractor, but he died compara-
tively young, about 183^, at the age of thirty-iive years. It is evident that
he was a man of some consequence in his time, and there are many sub-
stantial structures now standing in Delaware which were built by him.
It was he who built the stone wall around the old Swede church at Xew
Castle. He and his family were all Presbyterians.
Alexander McKeever married Jane Foster, whose brother, William
Foster, was an old-time stage driver on the Philadelphia turnpike, an im-
portant thoroughfare of travel and transportation three-quarters of a cen-
tury and more ago. Alexander and Jane (Foster) McKeever had three
children: 1. James, married Eebecca jMason, who survives him and now
lives in Atlantic City, New Jersey. 2. Samuel, born 1823, died 1884:.
3. Mary, married George Arnold. Both are now dead.
Samuel McKeever, second child of Alexander and Jane (Foster "I
McKeever, was born in Wilmington, Delaware, July 18, 1823, died in
Johnstown, Pennsylvania, September 25, 1881. His father died when
Samuel was eleven years old, after Avhich he went to live with the family
of a Mr. Bracken. The latter was a brick mason and taught Samuel his
trade, and he made it his chief occupation in business life. Having be-
come a practical workman he was given charge of the bricklayers engaged
on the work of construction of various iron works ; first for ]\[ordecai
Moore at Norristown, Pennsylvania, then for James Hooven at Spring
Mill, and in 1853 was at Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, where he lived four
years. April 17, 1857, he came to Johnstown and took charge of the
bricklaying department of Cambria Iron Company, and ultimately was
made superintendent of that part of the company's operations, in which
capacity he continued to the time of his death in 1884. In politics ^Ir.
McKeever was originally a "Whig and later a Eepublican. In 18G3 he en-
listed in the Emergency Militia, a special militan' organization created
l)y Grovernor Curtin to resist Confederate invasion of Pennsylvania terri-
tory. He was not a church member, Init attended the Lutheran church in
Johnstown and contributed to its support.
Samuel McKeever married, Januarv 27, 1844, Eleanor Love, daugh-
ter of Eobert and Lydia (Hart) Love, of Wilming-fon, Delaware. Mr. Love
was by occupation a book printer of Lancaster. Pennsylvania. He served
in the American army during the second war Avith Great Britain. Eleanor
Love was born in P'hiladelphia, July 16, 1821, and afterward lived in
Wilmington. She died in Johnstown, July 16, 1906. Children of Samuel
and Eleanor (Love) McKeever: 1. James E., married Latilla Myers,
who survives him and now lives in Morrellville, a sul)urb of Johnstown.
2. Kate.- married Howard McKeever and is now a AA'idow living in Johns-
town. 3. Charles H., married Eebecca McGarrv; both are dead. 4, Alex-
ander, now of Johnstown. 5. Samuel A., assistant foreman of the brick-
masons' department of Cambria Steel Company; unmarried. 6. Eleanor,
of Johnstown ; unmarried.
Alexander ]\fcKeever, third son and fourth child of the parents just
mentioned, Avas born at Phoenixville. Pennsylvania, January 12, 1855,
and removed with his father's family to Johnstown, in 1857. His subse-
quent life has been spent in that localitv and is well filled with interesting
events. As a boy he attended the public school and at the same time was
brought up to work. His father owned a small parcel of land on the
South Side (still owned in the family), where he raised fruits and vege-
tables, and it fell to young Alexander to sell the product of the garden.
HISTORY OF GAMBFIA COUNTY. 221
He distinctly remembers selling vegetables to the Union soldiers in camp
near the placC;, and the mone}'^ he received in that way and in pay for
washing dishes for the troops was the tirst he ever earned. Later and while
going to school he sold vegetables through the town, and still owns the
wheelliarrow with which he delivered his produce. At the age of sixteen
years he began to learn the trade of brick mason, following in the foot-
steps of his father and still earlier of his ancestors. He worked as jour-
neyman about eleven years, then became assistant to his father at the
Cambria Iron Company's Avorks, and after the death of his father suc-
ceeded him as superintendent of the bricklaying department of that entire
concern. That position he still holds and has been in the company service
more than thirty years. This period has witnessed its successes and has
not been entirely without .accident, but on the whole his business careei
has been gratifyingiy successful.
Mr. McKeever is a member and for nearly ten years has been a trus-
tee of the First English Lutheran church of Johnstown. He is a Mason,
member since 1877 and trustee since 1888 of Cambria Lodge, No. 278,
r. and A. M. ; past high priest of Portage Chapter, Xo. 195, E. A. M. ;
past illustrious grand commander of Cambria Council, N"o. 32, R. and
tS. M. ; past eminent commander of Oriental Commandery, Ko. Gl, K. T.,
and a member of Jaffa Temple, A. A. 0. N. M. S. Li politics he is a
Eepublican.
Alexander McKeever married, September 1-1, 1893, Elizabeth Al-
bright, daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Arnold) Albright, of Mont-
gomery county, Pennsylvania. Of this marriage there is one son — Earl
Alexander McKeever, born Xovember 20, 1894.
Jacob Albright, father of Mrs. McKeever, was a farmer, son of Samuel
Albright, grandson of Jacob Albright, great-grandson of Jacob Albright,
and great-great-grandson of Amos All)right. who with three brothers
emigrated from Holland to America some time during the seventeenth
century and settled in ]\Iontgomery county, Pennsylvania. Thomas
Arnold, ]\Irs. McKeever's maternal grandfather, was one of the earlv
conductors on the railroad between Xorristown and Philadelphia when
horses furnished the motive power. When the line became a steam road
he was made baggageman. Mr. i\.rnold's father came from England and
Avas an early settler in ]Montgomery county.
PATRICK LAYELLE. A'ice-president and general manager of the
Lorain Steel Compan}' of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, president of the
Johnstown and Stony Creek Railroad Company, and otherwise closely
identified with industrial interests in Cambria county for several ye'ars, is
a native of ]\[ount Savage, Alleghany county, Maryland, born August 25,
1851, son of John Lavelle and Mary Henagham, his wife, and grandson
of John Lavelle and Jane Burke, his wife.
John Lavelle, the elder, grandfather of Patrick Lavelle, came to
America when he Avas twentv-three years old, and Avas bv occupation a
farmer. He married Jane Burke, who bore him tAvo children: John
Lavelle, married Mary Henagham; and Ellen Lavelle, married Echvard
Barrett.
John Lavelle, of the children just mentioned, Avas a contractor and
engaged on the Avork of construction on the Baltimore & Ohio railroad
Avhen it Avas first begun. Later on he settled permanently at Mount SaA'-
age, in INFaryland, AA'here he was justice of the peace thirty-two years, a
man of substance and influence in the communitv in Avhich he lived. He
married Mary Henagham, Avho bore him eleA'en children : Patrick Lavelle,
222 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
married Mary Frances A. Maurey; Jane Lavelle, deceased; Bridget La-
velle. wife of Patrick O'Connell; and tlie following named Avho are de-
ceased: Ellen, Mary, John, Margaret, Anthony, Kate, Michael and
8arah. Mary Henagham, wife of John Lavelle, was one of a family of
six children, in the order of birth as follows: Michael, James, Anthony,
Honora, Bridget and Mary.
Patrick Lavelle, of whom this sketch is intended particularly to
treat, was given the benefit of a good common school education at his home
town in Maryland, and at the age of fourteen years he started out to make
his own way in life. He first found employment in the brickyard and
worked there eighteen months. In connection with this yard was a rolling
mill, known by the name of Union Mining Company, and there he gained
an understanding of mechanical work. Later he went into the general
office of the Cumberland & Pennsylvania Eailroad Company, but soon
afterward began work as an apprentice in the company machine shops.
Having learned the trade of machinist he worked as a journeyman and
was employed in the company shops altogether about fifteen years. How-
ever, from the machinist's bench in the car shops at Mount Savage, Mr.
Lavelle became foreman of McKeig's foundry and machine shops at Cum-
berland, remained there six months and in 1887 came to Johnstown and
worked first for the Cambria Steel Company, afterward with the Johnson
Company as machinist for six months, and then was made foreman of
the machinery department. This position he held until the flood of 1889,
which destroyed the entire plant. He then returned to his former em-
ployment as master mechanic, and so continued until 1895, when he was
appointed manager of the switch works, a position he held five years. In
19U0 ]\Ir. Lavelle was elected general manager and vice-president of the
Lorain Steel Company of Johnstown, and has acquired a considerable
interest in that corporation. He is numbered among the successful busi-
ness men of the new city of Johnstown, and whatever measure of success
has been his is wholly the result of his own personal eftort and industry.
Besides his official relation to the steel company he is president of the
Johnstown & Stony Creek Eailroad Company, and a director of the Union
National Bank. In politics he is a Democrat, and in religious prefer-
ence a lioman Catholic.
On June 29, 1880, Mr. Lavelle married Mary Frances A. Maurey,
daughter of Francis A. and Dorothy (Worin) Maurey. Of this marriage
eight children have been bom: 1. John LaA'elle, born June 28, 1881 ; now
dead. 2. Francis Lavelle, born January 15, 1883; now dead. 3. Edgar
Lavelle, born September 15, 1885 ; now dead. 4. Joseph Lavelle, born Octo-
ber 22, 1887; now dead. 5. Eaymond Lavelle, born March 19, 1889; now
dead. 6. Mary J. Lavelle, born Mav 30, 1890. 7. Eulalia Lavelle, born
February 19, 1892. 8. Paul E. Lavelle, born October 20, 1897. Of these
children the first three perished in the disastrous flood of 1889, also Mr.
Patrick Lavelle's mother, brother and three sisters.
Francis Maurey, father of Mrs. Lavelle, was born in Wurtemburg,
Germany, and for many years previous to his death was prominently iden-
tified Avith coal mining interests in Pennsylvania and j\Iaryland. At one
time he was general manager for a French coal mining company operating
in Luzerne county, and later built the first Borden shaft at Frostl)urg,
Maryland, for the Borden j\Iining Company, a German corporation. ^Ir.
Maurey married Dorothy Worin, by whom he had fourteen children:
1. Catherine Maurey, married John Paules. 2. Helen Maurey, married
Henrv Wesman. 3. Frances Maurev. married Conrad Brandler. 4. Marv
Frances A. Maurev, married Patrick Lavelle. 5. Amelia Maurey, Sister
HTSTORY OF 'AVBRIA COJ'NTY. 223
Liicina, at St. Francis' College, Trenton, Xew Jersey.- 6. Francis Maure}-,
married Alice Goodwin. 7. Eose Maurey, unmarried. 8. Clara Maurey,
married Peter Martin. 9. Joseph jMaure}^, married Mary Winner. lU,
Anna Maurey, married George Church. 11. Louisa Maurey, now dead.
12. George Maurey, now dead; and two other children who died in ex-
treme infancy.
MEERITT B. SCHULTZ, Pi-i. G., M. D., one of the most prominent
and best known of the physicians and surgeons of Johnstown, Cambria
county, Pennsylvania, is an example of what steady application, deter-
mination and ambition are able to accomplish. As his name indicates, he
is of German ancestry, but several generations of the family have resided
in this country. •
Henry ScJiultz, grandfather of Dr. Merritt B. Schultz, was born in
Germany, from whence he emigrated to the United States in the early
days of the nineteenth century. He settled in Indiana county, Pennsyl-
vania, where lie purchased a tract of land of l}etween three and four
liundred acres, which was heavily wooded. This he proceeded to clear,
converting the timber into lumber and selling it advantageously, and then
cultivated the land for general farm purposes for many years. His death
occurred in 1830. He married a Miss Strong, and had children: 1. Mi-
chael, married Katherine Cramer. 2. Samuel, of whom see forward.
3. Jacob, married Sophia C*ampbell. 4. John, married Sarah Duncan.
5. Henry, married Hill. 6. AVilliam. married Sarah Jane Coy.
7. Mary, married John Schelling. 8. Catherine, married Thomas Wil-
son. 9. Sarah, married Thomas Stiles.
Samuel Schultz (secoiul son and child of Henry and
(Strong) Schultz), was born on the farm of his father near Strongstown,
Indiana county, Pennsylvania, May 14, 1826. At the early age of six
vears he was taken from his home by Mr. John Marshall, of Saltsburg,
Pennsylvania, with whom he made his home and by whom he was raised.
He attended the public schools of the district in which he resided, but
the opportunities for obtaining a good education in those early days were
limited. He, however, taught the Black Lick Furnace school for a time.
He was apprenticed to the trade of miliwrighting, and so apt was he at his
chosen occupation that at nineteen years of age he assisted in the con-
struction of the Pensacola Mills, which were among the first to be erected
in this country and which were an excellent piece of work. He was also
for many years successfully engaged in the lumber trade, to which he de-
voted considerable time. Though never an office seeker, he was active in
working for the welfare of the community, doing all in his power to
further public interests, and serving as school director. He enjoyed the
respect and esteem of the entire community, and his death, which occurred
May 22, 1906, was deeply deplored. He married Elizabeth Graham, and
liad children: 1. Jane, married Samuel George, of Cambria county, and
raised a large family. 2. Marv Ellen, married John Craige, and has a
large family. 3. Matilda, married J. D. Gibson, of Indiana county, Penn-
sylvania. 4. Emma, married Blair W. Shaffer, of Brush Valley, Indiana
county, Pennsylvania. 5. Tirzah Pearl, married jST. G. Altemus, of
StrongstoA\Ti, Indiana countv, Pennsylvania. 6. Merritt B., see forward.
Merritt B. Schultz, Ph. G., m! D., youngest child of Samuel and
Elizabeth (Graham) Schultz, was born near Strongstown, Indiana county,
Pennsylvania, IMay 14, 1870. His early education was acquired in the
public schools of his township and in the Greenville Academy. From his
earliest years he displayed a decided inclination for studv, and anything
ii4 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
he attempted along those lines was successful. He acquired an excellent
fund of knowledge as a foundation, and then commenced the active busi-
ness of life as a teacher, following this occupation for a period of two
years. While thus employed he commenced the study of medicine under
the preceptorship of Dr. E. H. Dickey, at that time the most prominent
pliysician in Strongstown. Later Dr. 8clmltz entered the Columbus
Medical College, at Columbus, Ohio, from which he was graduated with
honor in 1892, after a course of three years. He then passed an excellent
examination before the Board of Examiners of the medical department of
the Western University of Pennsylvania, his diploma being attested, the
seal of the faculty attached, and the document signed by Dr. J. B. Mar-
dock, dean of the college. He at once entered upon the active practice of
his profession, locating in his birthplace, 8trongstot\^n, and for a period of
ten years he enjoyed the confidence of numerous patients and the res]ject
of his fellow citizens. At the expiration of that time he decided to re-
move to a place which would afford him a larger field for his activities,
and accordingly decided upon Philadelphia, Penns3dvania, where he prac-
ticed for the following tliree years. While in that city he determined to
take advantage of the facilities for continued study which offered them-
selves, and prompted by the ambition to take a foremost place in the
ranks of his profession, he enrolled himself as a student in the post-
graduate class of the Polyclinic Hospital, in which he subsequently be-
came an assistant to Dr. John B. Roberts, for two years. In order to
further his studies in chemistry, in which subject he was greatly inter-
ested, he entered the Medico-Chirurgieal College of Pharmacy, from which
he Avas gi-aduated in 1904, having by close application and hard study
completed a three years' course in one year. He then took and passed
the examinations of the following boards of pharmacy: Pennsylvania,
N'ew Jersey, Delaware, Washington, District of Columbia and West Vir-
ginia, and was registered by diploiua in the state of Texas. Subsequently
he became an assistant to Dr. Christian at the Medico- Chirurgical
College for a period of six months, in the genito-urinary department, after
his course in that college Avas completed. He came to Johnstown, Cambria
county, Pennsylvania, January 1, 1905, Avhere his reputation as a capable
and skilful physician and surgeon had preceded him. He located in
Moxham, where he is enjoying a large and constantly increasing practice.
He recognized the need of another drug store in the Seventeenth ward
of the city, and established one at the corner of Village street and Grove
avenue, which has a large patronage, and is conducted in the most ap-
proved and up-to-date manner. Dr. Schultz is known and l^eloved ]iot
alone for the numerous cases of physical ills he hus cured, but for his
kind heart and helpful manner in all cases Avhere assistance is needed.
He married (first), March 8, 1890, Eebecca Widdeson, of Dickson-
ville, Indiana county, and had children: Augusta and Charles H. He
married (second), June 5, 1902, Laura Campbell, daughter of Lewis
Campbell, of Johnstown, and they liave had one child, ^lerritt C.
HENEY MILTO^T HEIXZE, the organizer of tlie corporation doing
business under the style of H. M. Heinze & Company, ranks high in the
business world of Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, and owe^
his success to his own indefatigable efforts, ambition, perseverance and
determination. He is a representative of a well knoAvn and highly re-
spected family of Germany.
Adam Heinze, grandfather of Henry ]\Iilton Heinze, was the son
of Adam Heinze, Avho married ^Margarethe Schelling, and had children:
HISTOh'Y OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 225
1. Philip, married Maria Nalser. 2. Frederick, married Elizabetli Ger-
mann. 3. Christian, see forward. 4. Maria Stremmer. 5. Katrina, mar-
ried August Braunbach. G. Henrietta, married Heinrich Lei. Christina,
married Adam Eohde.
Christian Heinze, third son and child of Adam and ^largarethe
(Sehelling) Heinze, was born at Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, October
29, 1841, died in Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, April 11,
1902. He emigrated to the United States in 1864, settling in Johnstown,
where he resided for five years. At the end of that period he removed to
Adams township, Cambria county, and purchased there a tract of wooded
land, consisting of fifty acres. This he proceeded to clear, and then
commenced the cultivation of the soil. He erected a dwelling house, which
is still (1906) standing in a good state of preservation, in which he and
his family resided until 1890, the year following the great flood in Johns-
town. He then sold this property and removed to Johnstown, where he
lived retired from active business interests until his death. While re-
siding in Adams township he took an active and beneficial interest in all
affairs of public importance, and served the community in various official
positions. Among other offices he held that of director on the school board
for some time. He made a trip to Europe in 1885, visiting his birthplace
and traveling extensively.
He married Elizabeth Boyle and had children as follows: 1. Albert,
born in Johnstown, Fol)ruary i8, 1867. 2. Philip, single. 3. Daniel, mar-
ried Amanda Black; had one child, deceased, and one living, Chalmer.
4. Henry Milton, concerning whom see forward. 5. Lewis, married Norah
Lyden, and had children: Esther, deceased; Harry and Kenneth. 6.
John, married Myrtle Bowser, daughter of Polk and Mary (Clark)
Bowser, of Bedford county, Pennsylvania. 7. Lena, married John Beck-
ley, of Bedford county, Pennsylvania. 8. Amelia, single. 9. Reuben, mar-
ried Frieda Wehn and has one child, Helen. 10. Minnie, single.
Henry Milton Heinze, foiirth son and child of Christian and Eliza-
beth (Boyle) Heinze, was born on the family homestead in Adams town-
ship, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, May 25, 1873. He spent the early
years of his life until the age of fifteen on the homestead farm, attending
the pulilic schools of his district, where he acquired a good education and
had the reputation of being an apt scholar. He then went to Pittsburg,
Pennsylvania, and sought employment, which he fouiid as a clerk in the
wholesale carpet business of Oliver McClintoek & Co. He was very am-
bitious, and desiring to pursue his studies further, he devoted his earn-
ings to paying for liis tuition in evening schools. He decided to remove
to Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, in 1888, and was employed
in that city at the time of the disastrous flood of 1889. He served his
apprenticeship in the meat trade for two years in the market of Young &
Young, also W. M. Eohde, and in 1890 established himself in a similar
line of business. His store was located in Coleman avenue, Moxham, now
the Seventeenth ward of Johnstown, and here his tact, courtesy and
thorough knowledge of the business soon necessitated removal to larger
quarters. He removed to a larger store in G-rove avenue, in 1896, where
the business is conducted at the present time (1906). Under the able
management of Mr. Heinze the business increased steadily and con-
sistently, and in 1905 it was organized into a stock company, and is now
transacting its affairs under the title of H. M. Heinze & Companv, the
partners of Mr. Heinze being H. J. Baumgartner and J. W. Heinze,
brother of H. M. Heinze. They are dealers in meat, vegetables, fish, oys-
ters, butter, eggs and cheese, and they have an enviable reputation for the
226 niSTOBY OF CAMBBIA COUNTY.
fine quality of the stock the}' handle, and their tliorough reliability. It is
one of the largest concerns of the kind in Johnstown, and besides an ex-
tensive retail trade, they transact a large wholesale biisiness, principally
in dressed meats and all kinds of sausages, doing all this class of -work
nnder their own supervision. Mr. Heinze is a strong supporter of the
Prohibition party, and is a member of the United Evangelical church, in
which he takes an active interest, and for which he has done much good
work. He is also superintendent of the Sunday-school connected with
that church.
He married, May 23, 1895, Margaret M. Stewart, born July 18, 1872,
daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Berkybile) Stewart, and thev have
had four children, of whom the following are now living: Llovd, born
I\[arch'3, 189G. Florence, Xovember 10,' 1898. Clarence, Febraarv 20,
1903.
JA]\IES ^IcMILLEX. It is not easy in these days of ardent com-
petition to attain success in any line without the advantage of systematic
training, and there is distinctive ability in a man. unaided, which makes
for himself a fortune without injuring the rights of others. As it follows
that the condition of life of a self-made man is the proof of his inborn
capacity or lack of it, the .above has had a literal interpretation in the
life of James McMillen, who was widely known as an influential business
man of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and who occupied a high place among
his fellow-citizens as a man of ability and integrity. He attained posi-
tions of trust and profit, not from the force of external circumstances, but
because of innate strength and sound ability. He Avas born November 21,
1822, in Indiana county, near Blairsville, where his father, who was a
native of either Blairs or Bedford county, emigrated near the beginning
of the present century.
He educated himself, chiefly through his association Avith men and
connection with business interests, and such an ediication makes a man of
affairs and dispels the illusions which makes the dreaming theorist. The
latter is seldom useful to many people, and the former is always so if he
possesses executive ability, energ}' and good judgment, which traits made
Mr. ]\rcMillen what he was to his fellowmen. In March, 1850, he came to
Johnstown, Cambria county, and at the organization of the Cambria Iron
Company, in 1853, became a member. He was appointed to superintend
the transferring of the property from Shoenberg &: King, the old company,
to the new corporation, a task of considerable difficultv owins- to neces-
sary complications. From that time to the day of his death. Xovember 3,
1896, he was an active and valuable member of the companv, being one
of the few who were connected with t hat gre at enterprise for nearly a
half of a centurv. He was for a number of years a member of the board
of directors, but in later life was advanced to the position of resident
director, a recognition due to his qualifications.
He was president of the First Xational Bank of Johnstown, Penn-
sylvania, and of the Savings Bank of the same nlace. This bank was or-
ganized in September, 1870, and enjovs the distinction of havin.2; had
two prominent men for its president — Daniel J. 3\Iorrell and James "Mc-
"Millen — Mr. ^forrell being the president immediatelv preceding IMr. "Mc-
Millen. For the position of bank president Mr. McMillen's natural abili-
ties, his capacity and inclination for business, and his scrupulousness in
monev matters combined to make him a verv desirable nerson. H^ was
also president of the Johnstowri Water Company, the Johnstown Water
and Gas Company, and of the Grand View Cemetery Association, having
CC^
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1S09
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 227
been one of the organizers of the latter. This, as well as the Savings
Bank, is a mutual arrangement ; tif ty members control it. 1^'roni this brief
sketch a small idea may be obtained of what Mr. McMillen has done for
the public welfare, liis life alfords an instructive lesson of what may be
achieved by a capable and ambitious man. Mr. McMillen was a consistent
member of the ±]ngiish Lutheran church, and, although not in any sense
an active politician, discharged the duties of a citizen m such a way as to
win the respect and conhdence of his fellow townsmen.
Mr. McMillen married Susanna i^air, now deceased, and to them
were born Melissa Fair, wife of William Harry Kosensteel, of Johnstown,
and another child, who died in 1888.
William Harry Kosensteel, son-in-law of James McMillen, was born
in the year 185U. For many years he was engaged in the tanning busi-
ness, continuing until the tiood of 1889, which devastated Johnstown,
after which he sold the tannery to the United States Leather Company,
the consolidated concern that took over most of the tanneries in this coun-
try. Mr. Kosensteel, who has always been among the foremost men of
Johnstown, was the treasurer of the Johnstown Passenger Kailway Com-
pany for many years, and at the time of his retirement from active busi-
ness life, about 190U, was president of the Johnstown Electric Company,
in which caj)acity he had served for some time. He married, September 5,
1877, Melissa Fair McMillen, a native of Blairsville, Pennsylvania, daugh-
ter of James and Susanna (Fair) McMillen, by whom he had two ciiil-
dren: Susanna, deceased, was the wife of Dr. C. E. Hannan, whose sketch
appears elsewhere in this work; and William Frank, of whom later.
William Frank Kosensteel was born in Johnstown, Cambria county,
Pennsylvania, March 1:^, 188U. He attended the schools of his native city,
and this was followed by a course in the Kiskimenetas Springs school, at
Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, a two years' course in Pennsylvania College, at
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and Cornell University, which he entered in
1891 and where he completed his studies. He now devotes his entire time
to the management of the Globe foundry, the largest foundry in the city
of Johnstown, of which he is the general manager. It was purchased of
George S. Gore about 1900; its product is almost entirely car casting sand
and its business extends throughout the United States. Mr. Kosensteel
is a Kepublican, and a member of the Lutheran church.
GEOKGE F. LINGEXFELTEK, a member of the firm of McDer-
mott, Wertz & Company, one of the largest milling concerns in Johns-
town, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, is a representative in this genera-
tion of a family whose pioneer ancestor came to America many years ago
with the French Huguenots settling in Virginia.
George Lingenfelter, grandfather of George F. Lingenfelter, Avas
born in A irginia in 1790. and was one of three children. His two broth-
ers were: Martin and Michael, who served in the war of 181;^. George
married Elizabeth Steine, and their children were: John G., of whom
later; Martin, married Nancy Noft'sker; Valentine, married Elizabeth
Moses; James, married Mary Lingenfelter; Christina; Michael; and
Sarah, the three last named unmarried.
John G. Lingenfelter, eldest child of George and Elizabeth (Steine)
Lingenfelter, was born in Claysburg, Blair county, Pennsylvania, in 1818,
died in 1903. He followed the occupation of farming and was a man of
prominence and influence in his day. He served as county treasurer for
one term and held several other township offices. He was a member of the
Keformed church. He married, 1850, Catherine Farber, born in 1824,
228 HISTORY OF CAMBIUA COUNTY.
died 18T6, daughter of Harmon and Catharine (Stephens) Farber, who
had two brothers: Benjamin, married Ellen Davis, and Peter. The
children of John G. and Catherine (Farber) Lingenfelter were: ]\[yles,
married ]\Iarv Stiltler : Thaddeus. married Jennie Young; ]\Iark, married
Alice Xoft'sher; Harmon, unmarried; George F., of whom later; Harry,
married Lulu Bowser; Eebecca, married Lloyd Beegle; Christina, unmar-
ried; and Sarah, unmarried.
George F. Lingenfelter, fifth son and child of John G. and Cather-
ine (Farber) Lingenfelter, was born in East Freedom, Blair county,
Pennsylvania, February 21, 1861. He was educated in the public schools
of his district, and was apprenticed to the flour milling business, serving
his apprenticeship in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania. He removed to
Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, in 1884, and was made head
miller for the Johnstown Milling Company, a position he held for some
5-ears. He formed a partnership with McDermotf & Wertz in 1891, and
the firm is noAv (1906) known as McDermott, Wertz & Company. Ho is
one of the most prosperous and enterprising of the business men of
Johnstown, and enjoys an enviable reputation for integrity, reliability
and business acumen. His political faith is pinned to the Eepublican
party, and he is a member of the Lutheran church. He is also a member
of the following fraternal organizations: Johnstown Lodge, Xo. 538,
Free and Accepted Masons; Portage Chapter, Xo. 168, E. A. M. ; Oriental
Commandery, Xo. 61, K. T. ; Syria Temple, Mystic Shrine, of Pittsburg.
He married, April 8. 1899. ^Nlary B. Gocher (see Gocher sketch), and
thev have two children: Eobert, born March 4, 1900; John, born April 9,
1904.
J. SWAX TAYLOE, M. D.. a highly respected citizen of Johnstown,
Cambria county, Pennsylvania, and a physician whose valued services are
always in demand, is a member of an old and honored family of Pennsyl-
vania.
James Taylor, great-grandfather of J. Swan Taylor, was a native of
county Armagh, Ireland, where he married, and shortly afterward emi-
grated to the United States. In religion he was of the Presbyterian faith,
and became a member of Ebenezer church of that denomination. He died
in 1850. His children were: John, of whom later; James, who died in
the United States regular army ; and a daughter who died in infancy.
John Taylor, eldest son and child of James Taylor, was born in West-
moreland county, Pennsylvania, where he resided until 1836. He then
removed to Indiana county, Pennsylvania, where his death occurred in
1854. Politically he was a Whig. He also was a member of the Ebenezer
Presbyterian Church. He married Ellen ]\Iiller, daughter of Samuel
Miller, and had children : John ]\[. ; Samuel ^I. : Dr. James, of whom
later; David ^I. ; Hugh ^[. ; and "William.
Dr. James Taylor, third son and child of John and Ellen (Miller)
Taylor, was born near Craig's Mill, Loyalhanna township, Westmoreland
county, Pennsylvania, October 9, 1822. He received his education in the
subscription schools of his native county and in Indiana county, after
which ho attended Blairsville Academy for two years. During the next
two years he was actively engaged in teaching, and then began the study
of medicine under the preceptorship of Dr. E. P. Emerson, of Blairsville,
Pennsylvania, in 1845. Three years later he entered the Franklin ^Med-
ical College, remained there one year, and then entered Jefl:erson Medical
College, from which he was graduated in the class of 1851. He chose
West Fairfield as a proper place in which to settle and begin the practice
IITSTOUY OF CA3IBB1A COUNTY. -229
of his profession, wliicli lie followed up to the time of his death, April
30th, 1902, and never found cause to regret his choice. He joined the
Presbyterian church at AVest Fairfield, and his political affiliations were
with the Kepublican party. He served many years on the school bof.rd,
and in 1861 represented Westmoreland county in the Pennsylvania legis-
lature, making an enviable record. He married, January, 1849, Susan M.
Ogden, daughter of Colonel Amos and Elizabeth Ogden. Their children
were: 1. Dr. J. Swan, of whom later. 2. Dr. Amos 0., a graduate of
Hahnemann Medical College, who located in Bedford county, Pennsyl-
vania; but now is practicing in Altoona, Pennsylvania. 3. Jefferson W.,
a member of the bar of Westmoreland county, located at Greensburg. 4.
Joseph M., a graduate in Medicine of the College of Physicians and Sur-
geons of Baltimore, Maryland, class of 1885, diploma endorsed by Uni-
versity of Pennsylvania. Also a graduate of the Jefferson Medical Col-
lege of Philadelphia, the same year, 1885. Practiced at West Fairfield,
Westmoreland county, with his father until the latter's death, April 30,
1902, and then took his fathers practice and continued therein until
July 3, 1906, and then came to Johnstown.
J. Swan Taylor, M. D., third son and third child of Dr. James and
Susan j\r. (Ogden) Taylor, was born in West Fairfield, Fairfield town-
ship, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, March 15, 1858. His early ed-
ucation was received in the common schools of the township, and he then
attended the Elder's Kidge Academy, Indiana county, Pennsylvania. From
this he went to the Western Reserve Medical College of Cleveland, Ohio,
and then to the Eclectic College in Cincinnati, Ohio, from which he was
graduated in 1881. He commenced his professional practice in West
Fairfield in association with his father, and continued there for three
years, tlien went to Larimer, in the same county, where he practiced for the
next four years. He then removed to Johnstown, Cambria county, Penn-
sylvania, May 30, 1889, and has won the confidence and respect of -a large
number of patients as well as of his fellow practitioners. He has con-
tinued his practice in Johnstown up to the present time (1906), and is
now located at No. 408 Franklin street. He is a member of the Presby-
terian church, and affiliates with the Republican party. Although he is
(»ne of the busiest practitioners in Johnstown he still finds time to devote
to reading and to many outside interests, notably fraternal and other or-
ganizations. He is a member of the Pennsjdvania State Central Medical
Society; has been for many years a member of the Order of Odd Fellows
of Ligonier, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania; is past chancellor of
Linton Lodge, Knights of Pythias; and is a life member of the follow-
ing; Ancient York Masons; Lodge No. 518, Free and Accepted Masons;
Urania Chapter No. 192, R. A. M. ; Kedron Commandery No. 18, K. T. ;
Pittsburg Consistory; Syria Temple; the Royal Arcanum; and the Benev-
olent and Protective Order of Elks of Johnstown, Lodge No. 175. He is
also past state commander of the Pennsylvania Commandery, Military
Order of Foreign Wars of the United States, and of the Pennsylvania
Commandery of the Naval and Military Order of the Spanish-American
War. In the last-named order he holds the rank of commander of the
state of Pennsylvania, and in both orders is esteemed as one of the most
valuable and active companions. He enlisted in Company H, Fifth Penn-
sylvania Volunteers, with the rank of captain. May, 1898, and was mus-
tered out November 11, 1898.
He married, June 27, 1889, Ella P. Gore, daughter of the late Thom-
as and Amanda (Mitchell) Gore, whose children were: John, Willis,
James, George, Mrs. J. W. Barnett, Amanda J„ Ella P. Thomas Gore's
Vol. in — 15
230 HISTOh'Y OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
family were among the first settlers of Johnstown. The children of Dr.
J. Swan and Ella P. (Gore) Ta}'lor were: A child which died in in-
fancy; Amanda M., born October 4, 1891; and James Thomas, born July
7, 1898.
MAJOE JOHN LONG DECKER, who has held several positions of
trust and responsibility in Cambria county, Pennsylvania, and is one of
the valued citizens of Johnstown, in that county, is one of that brave body
of men who are the pride of our nation. His record of service during the
Civil war is one of which any man may well be proud, and a detailed ac-
count is given hereinafter.
James K. Decker, father of John Long Decker, attended the steam
boilers and was in the employ of the Cambria Steel Company for a num-
ber of years. He was a member of the Order of United American Me-
chanics. He married Martha Jane Long and had children: Martha J.,
married Thomas Patterson, deceased; Annie, married John M. Frederick;
Catherine, married Herman H. Wilson; Margaret, married John W.
Price; Eveline, married William Stearn, deceased; Emma, married Da-
vid Suavely; John L., see forward.
Major John Long Decker, only son of James K. and Martha Jane
(Long) Decker, was born in Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsylvania,
March 6, 1839. His education was acquired in the public schools of his
native town. His occupation was that of rail mill heater in the employ of
the Cambria Steel Company, and he was with that company practically
from the time it was organized. He has served four years on the police
force of Johnstown and was assessor of the Fifth ward for two years. His
present occupation is that of janitor of the Alma building, a position he
has held for fifteen years. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, and
his political affiliations are with the Republican party. He is associated
with the following organizations: Johnstown Council No. 401, Royal Ar-
canum, of which he is a charter member; member of Alma Lodge No. 523,
Independent Order of Odd Fellows; and member of Banner Council No.
17, Senior Order United American Mechanics. He married, at ^Marietta,
Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, June 11, 1867, Annie B. Beatty, born
January 17, 1845, daughter of William J. and Charlotte Beatty, who had
children : Annie B. ; William J., Jr., unmarried ; Elizabeth, a widow ;
Sarah, unmarried; Emma E., a teacher in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and
Rebecca, a widow. Major John Long and Annie B. (Beatty) Decker had
children: William B., born April 2, 1868, married Emma Br\'an; James
E., born January 29, 1871, married (first) Lillian F. Shugars, married
(second) Sarah Stem; Bertha M., bom May 17, 1875; Harrv F., born
April 24, 1879.
The military record of Major Decker is as follows: He enlisted from
Cambria county to serve three months, and was mustered into the United
States service April 20, 1861, as a private in .Captain John P. Suter's
Company K, Third Regiment Infantry, Pennsylvania Volunteers, Col-
onel Francis P. Minier commanding. This regiment was one of the first
organized in answer to President Lincoln's first call for volunteers to de-
fend the Union, at the outbreak of the war. Companies G and K were the
first troops to occupy Camp Curtin, arriving there on April 18. The com-
mand was composed of volunteer companies organized and existing before
the war. They were mustered into service and left camp by rail the ^ame
evening for Baltimore, Maryland, but were halted at Cockeysville, the
bridge at that place having been destroyed, encamped there until the 22nd,
then returned to York, Pennsylvania, where they went into camp and were
lUSTOL'Y OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 231
thoroughly drilled and disciplined. The commissary department had not
yet been fully organized and the men would have suffered for lack of pro-
visions had it not been for the generosity of the citizens of York in con-
tributing supplies. They moved to Camp Chambers, three miles from
Chambersburg, May 27, and later were assigned to Wyncoop's Second Bri-
gade, Kein's Second Division of General Patterson's Army of the Shenan-
doah. This army was organized to operate against the forces in the Shen-
andoah Valley, who were threatening the adjacent parts of Maryland and
Pennsylvania. It moved by rail to Hagerstown, Maryland, June 7,
marched thence to Funkstown, and took up a position to operate against
the enemy established at Harper's Ferry under General Joseph E. John-
ston. It moved to Williamsport, July 1, and on the following day partic-
ipated in the skirmish at Falling Waters, forded the stream, and marched
into the country of the enemy, who was driven back to Winchester, where
he remained entrenched, Patterson's army arriving at Martinsburg, Vir-
ginia, July 3. The regiment was then detached from the brigade and or-
dered to Williamsport to guard the main depot of supplies and the ap-
proaches thereto, remaining on guard and garrison duty until July 25,
when, its term of service having expired, it was ordered from Hagerstown
to Harrisburg, and there mustered out, July 29 and 30, 1861. After bear-
ing a faithful part in all the operations of his command, as above out-
lined. Major Decker was honorably discharged with his company at Har-
risburg, Pennsylvania, July 30, 1861, and immediately re-enlisted to serve
three years or during the war, and was mustered in at Harrisburg, Sep-
tember 5, 1861, as a private in Captain Jolm P. Suter's Company A, Fif-
ty-fourth Eegiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, Colonel J. M. Campbell
commanding. He was honorably discharged at South Branch, West 'Vir-
ginia, February 10, 1864, by reason of re-enlisting the same day as a vet-
eran volunteer, to serve another term of three years, or until the close of
the war, in the same company and regiment. This regiment rendez-
voused at Camp Curtin, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where it was organized
and mustered into the service, and on February 16, 1862, left camp for
Washington, District of Columbia, encamped near Bladensburg cemetery,
Vt'as armed with Belgian rifles, and was thoroughly drilled and disciplined.
It was ordered to Harper's Ferry, Virginia, March 29, 1862, reported to
Colonel D. S. Miles, and was stationed on guard duty along fifty-six miles
of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, between Cumberland, Maryland, and
Martinsburg, Virginia. For nearly a year it was entrusted with the im-
portant duty of guarding this great thoroughfare through territory main-
ly hostile, protecting the few loyal inhabitants, scouring the country and
fighting the guerrilla bands of Edwards, White, Imboden and McNeil, cap-
turing many prisoners, horses and arms, and participating in engage-
ments at Back Creek Bridge, Virginia, September 22, and Mengares
Mills, Virginia, October 25, 1862. Company K, stationed at Little Ca-
capon, and Company B, stationed at Paw PaAv, were surrounded by an
overwhelming force of the enemy, under Imboden, October 4, 1862. and
captured after a sharp fight. Upon the organization of the Eighth Army
Corps of West Virginia, the re2:iment Avas assigned to the Third Brigade,
Second Division. Companies B and K were exchanged in December, and
returned to the regiment, and the command was relieved from guard duty,
moved from Eomney, January 6, 1863 ; attached to the Fourth Brigade,
First Division, and marched April 3rd, in pursuit of the enemy, fighting
at Burlinsfton, Virginia, April 3, 1863; Purgitsville on the 6th; and
Gowan's Ferry on the 7th. Julv 6 it moved by forced marches in pur-
suit of Lee's army, retreating from Gettysburg; engaged the enemy at
232 IIISTOEY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
Heagueville, July 17; and at Cherry Eun, July 19. 1863, then returning
to Ilomney. August 15 it was removed to Petersburg, West Virginia, and
employed in fortifying; engaged the enemy at that place, September 1.
N'ovember 6 it moved to Springfield, and was assigned to the First Bri-
gade, Second Division. In the spring of 1864 it marched under Sigel,
later under Hunter and Crook, bearing a gallant part in the battles of
Xewmarket, Virginia, May 15, 1861; Piedmont, or Mount Crawford,
June 5; Lexington, June 11; James Eiver, Jime 14: ; Blue Ridge or Peaks
of Otter, June 15 ; Lynchburg, June 17 and 18; Liberty, June 19; Salem,
June 22. It marched across the moimtains to Camp Piatt, on the Ka-
nawha river, sufi;ering untold hardships, and moved thence by Parkers-
burg, West Virginia, to Martinsburg, Virginia, arriving July 14. Joined
in the pursuit of Early; fighting at Snicker's Gap, or Island Ford, Vir-
ginia, July 18, 1864; Kernstown or Winchester, July 23 and 24; Mar-
tinsburg, July 25. Participated under Sheridan in his brilliant cam-
paign in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, including the battles of Ce-
dar Creek, August 12, 1864; Charlestown, August 17; Halltown, August
19 : Berry ville, September 3 ; Opequon, or Winchester, September 19 ;
Fishers Hill, September 22 ; Strasburg, October 13 ; Cedar Creek, or Mid-
dletown, Ottober 19, 1864. ]\Ioved to City Point; Virginia, via Washing-
ton, District of Columbia, and on February 7, 1865, the Third and Fourth
Pennsylvania Reserves were consolidated with the Fifty-fourth, under
Colonel A. P. Moulton. They were assigned to the Second Brigade, In-
dependent Division, Twenty-fourth Corps, Army of the James, with \Yhich
it participated in Grant's final campaign, fighting at the ^Vhite Oak
Swamp, Virginia, March 23, 1865 ; Hatcher s Run, April 1 ; Fort Gregg,
April 2; High Bridge, Aarginia, April 6, 1865, where a small force en-
gaged in a desperate struggle with the vastly superior numbers of the
enemy; they were surrounded and taken prisoners, and marched four days
without rations, with the fleeing rebel army. They were released at the
surrender at Appomattox, Virginia, sent to Parole Camp, Annapolis,
]\Iaryland, and there mustered out.
For gallant and meritorious service Mr. Decker was promoted as fol-
lows: From private to third sergeant, 1861; first sergeant, 1862; first
lieutenant, December 14, 1864; captain, February 12, 1865; major, April
3, 1865. He was not mustered on his major's commission, owing to the
close of the war. In the battle of Lynchburg. Virginia, he was severely
injured by the bursting of a shell and confined to the hospital at Clarys-
ville, Maryland, for about three months. He then rejoined his command in
the Shenandoah Valley. With this one exception he was at all times with
his command, bearing a loyal part in its campaigns and battles, and
achieving a gallant record as an officer and a soldier. He was captured
with the regiment at High Bridge, Virginia, April 6, 1865; released at
Appomattox, April 9 ; sent to Annapolis, Maryland, and there received a
final honorable discharge with his company, May 31, 1865, by reason of
General Order Xo. 77^ at the close of the war.
HOX. EDWARD E. HOHMAXX, prominently identified with ihe
business interests of Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, having
represented his county in the state legislatui-e for several terms has ob-
tained many of his characteristics of thrift, industry, integrity and ambi-
tion from his German ancestors.
George X. TTohmann. father of Hon. Edward E. Hohmann, was born
in Bavaria, Germany, Jime 12. 1812, died October 15, 1872. He was a
tailor by occupation, and .emigrated to the United States in 1848. He lo-
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 233
cated in New York City, where he spent six months, and after another six
months spent in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he went to Bedford county
in that state, and from thence to Johnstown, Cambria county, where he
settled permanently in 1853. He opened a tailor shop on Main street, on
the site on which his sons are at present (1906) conducting their business.
His brother. Christian H. Hohmann, was a well known composer of music,
and it thus happened that George N. dealt in musical instruments as well
as followed his trade. The musical compositions of Christian H. Hoh-
mann are in use in all the conservatories of music in Europe. George N".
married, 1846, Elizabeth Muller, born September 19, 1819, died October
17, 1905. Their children were: George H. ; Elizabeth K. ; and Edward
E., see forward.
Hon. Edward E. Hohmann, second son and third and youngest child
of George K. and Elizabeth (Miller) Hohmann, was born in Johnstown,
Cambria county, Pennsylvania, Kovember 8, 1862. He enjoyed the ad-
vantages of a good education, attending first the public schools and later
Duff's College in Pittsburg. At the completion of his studies he returned
to Johnstown and associated himself in the musical instrument business
with his brother, George H., under the firm name of Hohmann Brothers,
doing an extensive business now in sheet music as well as in instruments.
Their methods are progressive and enterprising, and the business is in a
most flourishing and satisfactory condition. Mr. Hohmann is a member
of the Lutheran church. He has always taken an active and intelligent
interest in the public affairs of the community, and has done much toward
their improvement in many ways. In political affairs he has been espe-
cially prominent. A leading Eepublican, he was elected a member of the
state legislature in 1902, and re-elected in 1904, to the great satisfaction
of his constituents. He declined a third nomination, although it was cer-
tain that it would be unanimous. While he represented his county in the
5-tate legislature, he advocated a movement to have a new county formed
out of parts of Cambria, Somerset. Westmoreland and Indiana counties,
which county was to be known as Conemaugh county, with Johnstown as
its county seat. Although not successful, as he was opposed by the most
prominent element in the Eepublican party, still it was defeated by only a
vote of fifty-nine to sixty. By so doing he won the admiration of his con-
stituents, as he fought the cause of the people. He was urged to accept a
renomination, but would not. He is connected with the following or-
ganizations : Past grand master of the Ancient Order of United Workmen,
and now a member of the supreme finance committee; member of the Or-
der of Heptasophs ; member of the Order of Iroquois ; and past president
of the Fraternal Congress.
He married, October 2, 1884, Ida B. Wilson, daughter of James M.
and Esther (Horn) Wilson, and they have one child: Vivian B., born
September 24, 1885.
WILLIAM C. LEWIS. In May, 1834, William Lewis with his wife
and their children sailed from England for America, and July 4 of the
same year landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At that time William
C. Lewis was a boy fourteen years old, and was taken from school and his
books to cross the Atlantic ocean and thenceforth live in the country
where his mother was born, but far away from her native home in Boston,
Massachusetts. After staying for a time in Philadelphia, the family
moved to the interior of Pennsylvania and settled at Hollidaysburg, then
in Huntingdon county, but now the seat of Justice of Blair county. Here
the son would have continued his studies, but educational facilities in the
234 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
region at that time were indeed meagre and the common school system of
the state had not been establislied and besides the young man was the
eldest son in a family of nine children and it soon became necessary that
he find the means of his own support and prepare himself for future busi-
ness life.
William Lewis, the head of this family in Pennsylvania, was born at
Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire, England, and was a dealer in groceries and
drugs when he determined to emigrate to America. About the year 1817 he
married jMary Ann Lake, a native of Boston, who had gone to live in Eng-
land when she was a child. Both died in Pennsylvania, Mr. Lewis in 1854,
and his widow in 1876. Their nine children were as follows: 1. Mary
Ann, deceased. 2. William C, of Johnstown. 3. Thomas B., deceased.
4. Sarah Jane, born December 15, 1834, died February 16, 1881; mar-
ried Christian Kuhn, who died several years previous to her death. 5.
Alfred J., of Altoona. 6. George H., deceased, formerly of Philadelphia.
7. Eliza B., born August 18, 1832, died March 20, 1904 ; married Thom-
as Clark, who died several years previous to her death. 8. Emma Penel-
ope. 9. Amelia L., of Altoona.
William C. Lewis, second child and eldest son of William and Mary
.A.nn (Lake) Lewis, was born at Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire, England,
August 24, 1820, but for more than sixty years has been an important
part of the life and history of Johnstown. After attending school a short
time in his home town in Blair county, he laid aside the books and found
employment at Hollidaysburg in a store which combined the business of
a grocery and a bakery. There he learned the baker's trade, and on Au-
gust 20, 1839, left that place and removed to Johnstown to live. From
that time until April, 1847, he worked as journeyman baker, then became
proprietor of a grocery, confectionery and bakery business and continued
it luitil 1864, Avhen he withdrew from mercantile pursuits and took up-
general fire, life and accident insurance.
In the meantime, having made an extended acquaintance in Johns-
town and its vicinity, Mr. Lewis interested himself somewhat in public
affairs, and indulged in local politics to the extent only of serving the best
interests of the municipality. He served two years in the Johnstown
council when it was a borough, and filled out an unexpired term as burgess
when William McKee was burgess, but went to the Civil Avar. In 1857 he
Avas elected borough treasurer and served in that office fifteen years. He
also served several years as secretary of the JohnstoAvn Building and Loan
Association, seven years as treasurer of the Johnstown Water and Gas
Company, treasurer of Union Benevolent Association of Conemaugh Val-
ley from its organization up to the present, and treasurer and trustee of
the JohnstoAvn Young Men's Christian Association.
On September 12, 1870, the Johnstown Savings Bank Avas chartered,
and in March, 1878, Mr. LeAvis was elected treasurer of that institution,
succeeding Mr. Frank Diliert, resigned, and has serA^ed in that capacity to
tlic present time, for the trustees feel and knoAV that under his AAise and
conservative management their oAvn interests as well as the interests of
thousands of depositors are faithfully guarded, and that notwithstanding
his more than eighty-five years of life. After the terrible visitation of
1889 he was treasurer of the Johnstown Flood Finance Committee and
took an earnest part in the Avork of providing relief for the distressed fam-
ilies of the valley. His own home Avas sAvept aAvay, but fortunately none of
his family Avas lost. Mr. LeAvis has been a member of the Methodist Epis-
copal church more than seventy years, for more than half that time has
been superintendent of the Sunday school, member of the Board of Stew-
UISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 235
ards of the Society full fifty years, and for twenty-five years was leader
of the church choir.
William C. Lewis married, September 23, 1847, Catherine Swegler,
daughter of John Swegier, and sister of Captain John S. Swegler. Of this
marriage one son has been born — William J. Lewis, cashier of The Farm-
ers' and Producers' I^^ational Bank at Scio, Ohio.
JOHN" K. BOLE, superintendent and manager of the Citizens' Coal
Company of Johnstown, who stands high in the industrial history of
Cambria county, is a typical representative of that sturdy American ' citi-
zenship whose brain and brawn have made western Pennsylvania the most
noted iron and coal producing section in the world. He was born in
Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, July 15, 1871, a son of Isaac
and Christina (Gouohnour) Bole, and grandson of David and Elizabeth
(Shaffer) Bole.
David Bole (grandfather) was born October 17, 1799, died 1872 ; his
Avife, Elizabeth (Shaffer) Bole, was born October 17, 1790, died 1883.
They were the parents of ten children — seven sons and three daughters.
The descendants of this couple now (1906) number eighty grandchildren
and ninety-three great-grandchildren.
Isaac Bole (father), born July 24, 1835, has been actively engaged in
business throughout his career. He married, September 23, 1856, Chris-
tina Goughnour, born April 12, 1835. Their childr'en were: Daniel J.,
married Mary Beck, deceased; David E., married Anna Allison; Mar-
garet, married Harry Dewitt; Catherine, married James Shear; Benjamin
F., married Annie McCartney; Elizabeth, married William J. Kuntz;
Mary, deceased; John K., see forward; Zona, deceased; Newton, married
Lena Bitzner; Hilda, deceased; and Harry, unmiarried.
Among the Alps of Switzerland the progenitors of the American
branch of the Goughnour family, of which Christina (Goughnour) Bole
was a representative, were born and reared, and when they gave up the old
republic for the new one about to come into being on this side of the At-
lantic, they were endowed with a sturdiness and strength which was not
too common even in that day. The first to come to this country were Ja-
cob and Mary (Sheetz) Goughnour, who were natives of Canton Basil, in
Switzerland, where they Avere married in the latter half of the eighteenth
century. They arrived in America some years before the commencement
of the Eevolutionary Avar, and several children Avere born to them in this
country previous to 1772. They Avere a deeply religious couple, and per-
haps it Avas this bent of their minds which attracted them to a place called
New Jerusalem, near HagerstoAA'n, Maryland. Here many children were
born to them. The names of their children Avere: Daniel, Christian, Jo-
seph, David, Mary, Isaac. Jacob, Abraham, Elizabeth and Peter. Jacob
Goughnour Avas a tailor by trade, and this he folloAved successfully. He
was a member of the German Baptist or Dunkard sect of Christians.
Daniel Goughnour, son of Jacob and Mary (Sheetz) Goughnour, was
born in 1773. He Avas brought un to a mechanical trade, but after settling
in Cambria county, Pennsylvania, 1800, devoted his time principally to
farmincf. He located on Avhat is now knoAvn variously as Coshun's and
Cover's hill, to the east and overlooking JohnstoAvn. In 1818 he pur-
chased from the state the whole of the summit of Green Hill, which up
to that time had been considered Avorthless. This he cleared, and for ten
years produced upon it fine crops of Avheat and corn. Being a blacksinith
by trade he invented the first hillside plow, upon Avhich he was granted a
patent, and the Goughnour ploAv held the estimation of the mountain
236 IfJSTOh'Y OF CAMBIUA COUNTY.
farmer for many years. Subsequently he disposed of this property and
purchased land in West Taylor township. He married Mary Benshoof, .a
sister of Paul Benshoof, who was also a Cambri,a county pioneer. For
many months they resided under a roof of bark, fastened somehow or any-
how to the bent bodies of young and pliant trees. Their children were:
Benjamin, Josiah, William, Hiram, and Christina, aforementioned as the
wife of Isaac Bole. Daniel Goughnour died in 1846, aged seventy-two
years, and his remains lie on the Headrick farm in West Taylor township.
John K. Bole, fourth son of Isaac and Christina (Goughnour) Bole,
received a common school education, and in 1887 went to Pittsburg and
was employed by Parks Bros. Black Diamond Company for one year.
He then took up brick laying, which line of work he followed for nine
years; the following two years he was engaged in the contracting business
in Johnstown, and since 1902 has served in the capacity of superintend-
ent and manager of the Citizens' Coal Company of Johnstown. He is a
member of the Brethren church. He holds membership in Johnstown
Lodge, No. 536, Free and Accepted Masons ; and the Maccabees.
Mr. Bole married, June 28, 1893, Anna McColley, daughter of Will-
iam and Martha (Katin) McColley.
EDWARD HUNTER SITER. The late Edward Hunter Siter, of
Johnstown, was born March 29, 1831, in Chester county, Pennsylvania,
son of Adam and Annie Siter, the former a small farmer of that county.
Both he and his wife died during the childhood of their son, who grew up
in a strict Baptist home, receiving a common school education.
As a young man he worked for a time in a blacksmith's shop in
Phoenixville, Chester county, and there engaged for a considerable period
in the puddling business. About March, 1856, he removed to Pittsburg,
whence he migrated after a brief sojourn to Steuben ville, Ohio, where he
was for a short time employed as a puddler. In March, 1857, he went to
Johnstown and entered the service of what is now the Cambria Steel
Company, being employed in the capacity of puddler. He afterward had
charge of the speedle furnace and later became foreman of the steel depart-
ment under Robert Hunt, a position which he held during the remainder
of his life. During the Civil war he enlisted three times, answering the
first call in April, 1861, by enrolling himself as a member of Company G,
Captain Thomas Lapsley commanding. Third Regiment Pennsylvania
Volunteer Infantry, and after serving his term of three months was dis-
charged July 30, 1861. August 21, 1862, he re-enlisted for nine months,
in Company H, Captain Webster B. Lowman commanding, One Hundred
and Thirty-sixth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and served
with the rank of sergeant, receiving his discharge May 29, 1863. Febru-
ary 10, 1865, he again enlisted, this time for one year, as sergeant of Com-
pany G, Captain W. A. Mackin commanding, One Hundred and Ninety-
second Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and was discharged at
Harper's Ferry, August 24, 1865. During his service as a soldier he took
part in the battle of Fredericksburg and in many other noted engage-
ments.' During the Johnstown flood his home, in common with many
others, suffered total destruction, and the exposure which he endured at
that time was indirectly a partial cause of his death, which occurred one
year later. His widow has since erected a new residence.
He was for many years a member of the local Grand Army Post, and
while living in Phoenixville belonged to the American Mechanics. After
coming to Johnstown he, in company with Charles Butland, organized the
first lodge of the order ever founded at that place. The Bible of the lodge
HISTORY OF CAMBEIA. COUNTY. 237
was furnished by subscriptions collected by Mrs. Siter and Mrs. Butland.
Mr. Siter was a life-long Kepublican. At the time of his death he was not
identified with any church.
Mr. Siter married, May 6, 1854, at Phoenixville, Elizabeth Widener,
and the following children were born to them: Clara, wife of Thomas
Kerlin; Annie, died in girlhood; Sarah J., died young; Elmer Ellsworth;
Elizabeth, wife of James P. Thomas, of Johnstown; Jessie Mary; William
Berlin; and Frank. The three last-named are deceased. Of these chil-
dren, Elmer Ellsworth was born during the Civil war, and it was the wish
of his mother that he should receive his father's name. Mr. Siter, how-
■ever, wrote from the front, requesting them to wait until his return, with
the result that the infant was named in honor of the young hero who so
bravely, if rashl}^, sacrificed his life in the early days of the conflict.
The death of Mr. Siter occurred June 8, 1890, and was mourned by
all who knew him as that of a kind husband and father, a true friend, and
a useful and worthy citizen.
Mrs. Siter, who was born in Reading, Berks county, Pennsylvania, is
a daughter of Adam and Sarah (Lotz) Widener. The latter was a daugh-
ter of John Lotz, who was a hatter by trade, and at the time of the war of
1812 a wealthy man, loaning money to the government. He also served in
the army with the rank of colonel. His death occurred in Reading, Penn-
sylvania.
JAMES PHILIP THOMAS, second child and son of John and
Mary Reighart (Griffith) Thomas, general manager for A. J. Haws &
Sons, manufacturers of fire brick, and also a member of the business firm
of John Thomas & Sons, was born at Johnstown, May 10, 1863.
He was educated in the public and high schools of that city and in
Duff's Commercial College at Pittsburg. At an early age he entered his
father's store, where he now is a member of the firm, although his personal
■attention is chiefly directed to the management of the extensive works of
A. J. Haws & Sons, in which concern he holds a considerable interest. For
about fifteen years Mr. Thomas was immediately connected with the de-
partment store previously mentioned, and at the end of that period he be-
came a member of the firm of M. L. Williams & Co., manufacturers of
brick. In 1899 he acquired an interest in the brick manufacturing worka
of A. J. Haws & Sons, one of the old established industries of Johnstown,
and became its general manager. In 1901 the Williams & Co. firm merged
with the greater enterprise and since that time have been operated together,
making one of the largest concerns in this country engaged in the manu-
facture of silica and fire brick.
Besides his mercantile and manufacturing interests Mr. Thomas is
prominently identified with various banking institutions and other local
enterprises, and occupies an enviable position m the business and social
life of Johnstown and Cambria county. He is a director of the Johnstown
Telephone Company and the Johnstown Trust Company, member of and
director of the Johnstown Young Men's Christian x^ssociation,
■and a Mason of high standing. He holds membership in Cambria Lodge,
No. 278, F. and A. M. ; Portage Chapter, No. 195, R. A. M. ; Cambria
Council, No. 32, R. and S. M., and Oriental Commandery, No. 61, K. T.
He is a member of the United Brethren church, and in politics is a Re-
publican. His home on Somerset street in Johnstown is a seat of comfort
-and one of the most attractive residences in the city.
Mr. Thomas married, October 27, 1886, Elizabeth Siter, daughter of
238 HISTORY OF CAMBEIA COUNTY.
Edward and Elizabeth (Widner) Siter, of Eeading, Pennsylvania, and
has one son — Philip Thomas. Mr. Siter for many years was one of the
foremen of the Bessemer Steel Department.
MOOEE FAMILY. John Moore of Westmoreland county, Penn-
sylvania, was one of the pioneers of that region and was the American an-
cestor of a numerous line of descendants in each generation from his time
to the beginning of the Twentieth century.
John Moore was of Scotch birth and ancestry, and one of that vast
colony of Scotch Presbyterians who were compelled to leave that country
on account of religious persecution and seek temporary refuge in the
north of Ireland. This much only is known of his early life and family
history in the old country, and the names of his parents, the place of his
birth and the familv name of his wife are now lost to his descendants. It
.is known, however, that he was born in the year 1749 ; that he led the way
of the family to America; that he took part in the defense of the frontier
against Indian invasion ; that his own property was destroyed and his cat-
tle run off by the savages, and that his death resulted from exposure and
over-fatigue in the defense of family and home just before the burning of
Hannastown by the Indians.
Such a man was John Moore of Westmoreland county, the progen-
itor of that branch of the Moore family of Pennsylvania of whom this
sketch is designed to treat. In Scotland, where he was born, and in the
north of Ireland, where he lived for some time previous to his immigra-
tion to America, he was a religious man, and while he lost none of that
character after coming to Pennsylvania, stern necessity in defense of home
and family made him take up arms and lead his fellow men against the
troublesome Indians. He had two sons — William and James — and two
daughters — Sarah and ^lar}", each of whom married and had children.
Beginning with the generation wliich included these children the records
of the family are clearly traced; and inasmuch as these sons and daugh-
ters and their own children after tliem have been concerned with the early
history of Pennsylvania it is appropriate that some mention of them be
made in these annals.
William Moore, eldest son of John Moore, was born in 1773, and died
in 1832. He married first, Polly Conway, who bore him five children.
After her death he married Hilary Guinn, and by her had one child. His
children in the order of birth are as follows: Jane Moore, born in 1798;
married John Barclay McConnell. Eebecca Moore, born 1799 ; married
Thomas McCurdy, and after his death married William Smith. John
Moore, born 1801; married Matilda McAfee. Hugh Moore, born 1803;
married Fanny Shryock. James Moore, married first, Margaret McAfee;
married second, Louisa AVaddle. William Gainn Moore, son of William
and Jane (Guinn) Moore; born in 1822; died in 1888; married Abigail
Gibson.
Sarah ]\Ioore, second child and elder of the two daughters of John
Moore, married John Ewing. She died in 1832. Their children were:
Alexander Ewing. married Catherine McAfee. William Ewing. married a
;^Iiss Elder. Sarah Ewing, married John McCurdy. Eebecca Ewing,
married Joseph Harbison. John Ewing, married, first, Miss Hart ; mar-
ried, second, Miss McCnrdy. Eobert Ewing, married Elizabeth Walker.
James ^loore, younger of the sons of John Moore, was born in 1774
and died in 1846. He married Catherine Chambers Scott, and by her had
eleven children, viz: Sarah Moore, married Joseph Cook. Eebecca
Moore, married John M. I^aird. John Moore, married Miss Baty. Jane
HTSTORY OF CAMBBIA COUNTY. 239
Moore^, married first, William Cook; married second, Thomas Elder.
James Moore, married Miss Clark. William Moore, married Jane Robin-
son. Maxwell JMoore, married Jvilia Seigier. Mary Moore, married, first.
Justice Loomis; married, second, Hardy Sloan. Elizabeth Moore, mar-
ried Alexander Moorhead. Chambers S. Moore, married a Miss Mat-
thews. He is the only living representative of his generation of the de-
scendants of John Moore, and lives at Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, aged
eighty-four years. Samuel S. Moore, married a Miss White.
Mary Moore, youngest of the children of John Moore, married Thom-
as Dickey, and had seven children: George, Sally, William, Mary, Rebecca,
John and Elizabeth Dickey. Of these children little is now known except
their names and the fact that none of them are now living.
Jane Moore, daughter and eldest child of William and Polly (Con-
way) Moore, married John Barclay McConnell, and had nine children,
viz : William McConnell, now dead ; married Catherine Emery. Samuel
Porter McConnell, married Polly Mcllvaine and is now dead. Abraham
McConnell, died in infancy. Violet McConnell, married William Starr
and now dead. Maria McConnell, now dead; married Porter Glenn. John
McConnell, married Sarah Glenn and lives at Bradford, McKean county,
Pennsylvania. Rebecca McConnell, married Jeremiah Starr and is a
widow living at Butler, Pennsylvania. James Harvey McConnell, mar-
ried Mary Ann Ray and lives at Oil City, Pennsylvania. Tirzah McCon-
nell, married John Ray and lives at Grove City, Pennsylvania.
Rebecca Moore, daughter and second child of William and Polly
(Conway) Moore, married, first, Thomas McCurdy, and by him had three
children. After his death she married William Smith and had three chil-
dren. Her children are as follows: Polly McCurdy, born in 1822 and
died about 1838; unmarried. Robert McCurdy, born in 1824; killed in
battle at Buena Vista, 1847; unmarried. Eliza Jane McCurdy, born in
1825, and lives at Freeport, Pennsylvania; unmarried. Matilda Smith,
married Samuel P. Torrance, and is now dead. Sarah Ann Smith, mar-
ried Amos Riggie, and is now dead. Violet, died unmarried. Reb-jcca
Smith, married John Ray, and lives near Grove City, Pennsylvania.
John Moore, third child and first son of William and Polly (Con-
way) Moore, married Matilda McAfee, and had sixteen children, viz. :
A son, died in extreme infancy. William Porter Moore, born June 26,
1830; died May 4, 1894; married Rosa Fulton; Mr. Moore was a clergy-
man of the Presbvterian church. Marv Jane Moore, born December 10,
1831; died Aprir'24. 1832. John McAfee Moore, born May 19, 1833;
died September 5, 1905; unmarried. James Hunter Moore, laorn July 3,
1835; died March 15,- 1857. Mary Lucinda Moore, born December 4,
1837; died March 11, 1838. Ann Maria Moore, born August 23, 1839;
died August 26, 1839. Joseph Harvey Moore, born August 14, 1840 ;
died December 24, 1864. Sarah Elizabeth Moore, born November 18,
1842; died December 22, 1870. Hugh Thompson Moore, born November
15, 1844; died January 13, 1872; Thomas Ross Moore, born December 31,
1846 ; died May 7, 1881. Robert Smiley Moore, born November 26, 1848 ;
died September 19, 1849. Campbell Stockton Moore, born October 11,
1850; married Emily Leffingwell, and died in March, 1878. A son, died
in infancy. Elder Denny Moore, born April 11, 1854; married Maggie
Brown and lives in East Liverpool, Ohio. Fulton Plummer Moore, born
February 2, 1857; died May 14, 1858.
Hugh Moore, fourth child and third son of William and Polly (Con-
, way) Moore, married Fanny Shryock, and had ten children, viz. : John
Shrvock Moore, born August 25, 1826; married Elizabeth Gibson, and
240 nJRrOEY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
died August 19, 1870. William Moore, born February 24, 1828; mar-
ried Elizabeth Conrad, and died December 25, 1864. James Moore, born
March 3, 1830 ; a veteran of the Civil war, and for forty 3-ears an em-
ploye of Cambria Iron Company; married September 23, 1853, Ann
Eliza Henry, who died December 10, 1893, having borne her husband six
children. Lovina Moore, born December 8, 1832 ; married Barnard
Heidrick, and died August 24, 1870. Thomas Harper Moore, born Xo-
veml)er 9. 1834; married ]N'ancy McCleary and lives at Los Angeles, Cali-
fornia. McConnell Moore, born November 9, 1836 ; married Elizabeth
Meldren and lies 'at Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Sarah Jane Moore, born
January 22, 1839 ; married Samuel Nicholson and lives at Indiana, Penn-
sylvania. Margaret Ann Moore, born April 14, 1841 ; married John
Adams and lives in Armstrong county, Pennsylvania. George Hney ]\roore,
born November 3, 1843; married Annie Thomas and lives at Eimersburg,
Pennsvlvania. Samuel Curtis Moore, born March 8, 1846 ; died Feb-
ruary 'l 7, 1854.
James Moore, fifth child and fourth son of William and Polly (Con-
way) Moore, married Margaret McAfee and had eight children. After
the death of his wife Margaret, James Moore married Louisa Waddle.
He died soon afterward and had no issue by his second marriage. His
widow subsequently married John Shryock. The children of James and
Margaret (McAfee) Moore are as follows: John Moore, died at the age
of four years. Mary Jane Moore; married John Heibarger and lives at
Greensburg, Pennsylvania. William Patterson Moore, died at the age of
about fourteen years. Samuel Wallace Moore, died at the age of about
twenty-one years. Thomas Ross Moore, died at the age of about twenty
years. Lucinda Moore, died at the age of about sixteen years. Curtis
Moore, died in infancy. Joseph Thompson Moore, married a Miss Moore
and lives at Altoona, Pennsylvania.
William Guinn Moore, son and only child of William and Jane
(Gninn) Moore, married Abigail Gibson and had seven children, viz. :
Gideon Gibson Moore, born February 24, 1843; lives at Slippery Eock,
Mercer county, Pennsvlvania. Mary Jane Moore, born August 1, 1845 ;
died September 1, 1852. Margaret Elizabeth Moore, born October 3,
1847; died September 1, 1852. John Harry Moore, born June 19, 1849;
died September 21, 1855. William Alexander Moore, born March 18,
1852; died June 18, 1904. Hugh James Moore, born November 28, 1853;
died February 9, 1858. Margaret Abigail Moore, born July 26, 1858.
JAMES MOORE, third son and child of Hugh and Fanny
(Shryock) Moore, and great-grandson of John IMoore. the ancestor of
this branch of the Moore family in America, was born in Donegal town-
ship, Butler county, Pennsylvania, on the 3d day of March, 1830,
He received his education in public schools and afterward learned the
trade of a blacksmith. On the 20th of March, 1853, he came to Johnstown
and obtained work in the blacksmithing department of the Cambria Iron
Company, remaining there until the outbreak of the Civil war.
On April 17, 1861, three days after President Lincoln's first call for
volunteers, he enlisted and was mustered into service on April 20 as orderly
sergeant of Company G. Third Regiment Pennsvlvania Volunteer In-
fantry, Captain Thomas H. Lapsley commanded Companv G and Colonel
Frauds P. Miuier commanded the regiment. The Third Regiment was
composed of independent companies, many of which had previous existence
under the militarv system of the commonwealth, and thev responded to
the call nobly and promptly. Mr. Moore himself had been a member of
i^
I '%.■
w
C^u^^^^'^'-'X^'L^
niSTOh'Y OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 24!
the Johnsto'wn Light Infantry for four 3-ears before the beginning of the
war. The regiment was organized at Camp Curtin, Harrisbnrg, on April
20, 1861, and on the same day was mustered into the service of the United
States. The Third left Harrisburg on April 20, and went by rail to
Baltimore, but owing to the destruction of the railroad bridge at Cockeys-
ville, Maryland, was unable to proceed farther and therefore camped at
that place until the 22d, when it returned to York, Pennsylvania, and
went into camp. While there the command was thoroughly drilled and
disciplined in camp and army life, and as the commissary department was
not fully organized the loyal inhabitants of the locality contributed food
and rations for the men in camp. On May 27 the regiment moved to
Camp Chambers, three miles from Chambersburg, and there was assigned
to the Second Brigade, Second Division, Army of the Shenandoah, imder
command of General Patterson. On June 7th it proceeded to Hagers-
town, Maryland, thence to Funksto^vn, thence to Williamsport, and on
the 2d of July crossed the Potomac and engaged the enemy in a sharp
skirmish at Falling Waters. From this place the army marched to Mar-
tinsburg, Virginia, from which place the Third Eegiment was sent back
on detached service to guard the general supply depot which had been
stationed at Williamsport, Maryland, where it remained until its term
of enlistment expired. Then the regiment was ordered home for mus-
ter out.
Having taken part in all the services of his company and regiment,
Mr. Moore was discharged at Harrisburg, August 29, 1861; but one year
later, on August 27, 1862, he re-enlisted for nine months' service as second
sergeant of Company K, One Hundred and Thirty-sixth Pennsylvania
Volunteer Infantry. On the organization of the company Josiah K.
Hite was elected captain of Company K. In the composition of
the regiment four companies, E, F, Gr and H, were raised in Allegheny
county; D in Tioga county; B in Luzerne and Tioga counties; I in Craw-
ford, Centre and Columbia counties, and K in Cambria county. The regi-
ment was organized at Camp Curtin, August 20, 1862, with field and staff
officers as follows: Colonel. Thomas M. Bayne; lieutenant-colonel, Isaac-
Wright, major, Charles Eyan. The regiment left the state for the de-
fenses of Washington on August 29, and was assigned to duty in the line
of forts surrounding the capital. Company K being stationed at Fort
Thayer. Just at that time the Second Bull Run battle was being fought,
and after it was ended the regiment was posted along the line of de-
fenses north and west of the city, doing guard duty and strengthening
the fortifications. On September 27th the companies of the regiment
were brought together in camp near Chain Bridge, and two days later
moved into the city, thence to Frederick, Maryland, and two weeks after-
ward to Sharpsburg, where it was assigned to the Second Brigade, Sec-
ond Division, First Corps, Army of the Potomac. While in Maryland the
time was spent in drill and picket duty along the river, but more arduous
service' was awaiting it.
The regiment marched with the army on Burnside's Fredericksburg
. campaign and participated in the desperate battle from December 11 to
15, the main engagement taking place in the 13th. On that day the
First Corps bore the heaviest of the fighting on the left of the line of
battle. After Fredericksburg the army recrossed the Potomac and went
into winter quarters. However, in January, 1863, the regiment took part
in Burnside's "mud march" in the proposed winter campaign. This occu-
pied from January 20 to 24, and resulted only in hardships, but it satis-
242 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
fied the War Department at Washington that winter campaigning, at
least in that part of the South, was impracticable.
On April 27, 1863, the One Hundred and Thirty-sixth marched with
the army under Hooker on the Chancellorsville campaign, and took part
in the preliminary battles at Fitzhugh^s Crossing (Franklin) on April 29
and 30, and also in the general engagement at Chancellorsville which
followed from May 1 to 5. After Chancellorsville the regiment returned
to its former camp and remained there until ordered back to Harrisburg
for muster out.
In all of the movements and battles of the regiments to which he be-
longed during his two enlistments, Sergeant Moore did a soldier's full
duty on every occasion. At Fredericksburg, on December 13, 1863, he
M'as seriously wounded b)'' a ball which passed through both of his legs,
and being unable to retire with his regiment he fell into the hands of
the enemy. He lay on the field without surgical attendance until mid-
night of the 18th, then was sent to Libby Prison at Eichmond, and held
there until January 26, 1864, when he was released and sent to the Navy
School Hospital at Annapolis, Maryland. While there, on the 20th of
April of the same year, he was discharged on account of disabilities.
After leaving the hospital Sergeant Moore returned to Johnstown
and home, but was not able to take his old place at the anvil in the black-
smith department of the Cambria Iron Company, but the company con-
sideratelv furnished him a better position as foreman in the shops of the
old Cambria mill, under Superintendent Alexander Hamilton ; and there
he remained in faithful service until IMay 16, 1893, when he retired from
active work to enjoy a well-earned rest. He was in the company's employ
in one capacity and another, except while in the army, for forty years, and
at the time he quit the shops his position was that of assistant superin-
tendent of his department.
Mr. Moore is a member and has been commander, chaplain and sur-
•geon of Emory Fisher Post. No. 30, C A. E. ; m ember and vice grand sec-
retary and past grand of Alma Lodge, No. 523, I. 0. 0. F. ; memloer and
ex-regent of the Eoyal Arcanum of Johnstown; member of the Knights of
the (rolden Eagle, and for fourteen years keeper of the exchequer of that
body, and also member of the Chosen Friends. For six years he held the
office of director of the poor of Cambria county.
At Brady's Bend, Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, on the 23d of
September, 18-53, James ]\Ioore married Ann Eliza Henry. She died De-
cember 10, 1893, having borne her husband these children: William Cur-
tis Moore, born June 25, 1854; died June 26, 1857. Cora Moore, born
August 29, 1861 •. died February 22, 1865. William Henry Moore, born
Februarv 11, 1859; married Louisa Frye and lives at Wilkinsburg, Penn-
sylvania. John Lundv Moore, born IMarch 16, 1864; unmarried; lives in
Johnstown. Carrie Jane Moore, born October 7, 1866; married Charles
H. Alter and lives in Johnstown. George Fritz Moore, born IMarch 11,
4 871 : marrid Carrie Hamilton and lives in Johnstown.
Hugh ]\roore, son of William and grandson of John Moore, the an-
cestor and father of Sergeant James Moore, married Fanny Shryock.
whose American ancestor was Leonard Shryock, a Prussian bv birth and
ancestrv. He came to this countrv with two brothers some time betwpen
the vears 1720 and 1730, and died in York county, in this state, in 1788
or 1789. His son. John Shryock, born September 15, 1774, married Mary
Teagarden, bom April 13, 1774. Thev had children: Susan Shryock,
l)orn August 1, 177*0; married Henry Shryock and died November 30,
1850. Maria Shryock, born February 27, 1772; married Samuel Beeler.
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 243
Elizabeth SliiTock, bom Febiiiary 5, 1774; died February 3, 1835; mar-
ried John Jameson. John Shryock, born March 24; 1776; died October
11, 1859. Ellen Shryock, born May 27, 1778; died March 1, 1861; mar-
ried John King. Jacob Shryock, born September 4, 1780. George
Shryock, born February 22, 1783 ; died May 21, 1872. William Shryock,
born in 1785 and died in infancy. Daniel Shryock, born September 13,
1786; died June 21, 1872. David Shryock, born June 6, 1791; died in
1856. Samuel Shryock, born February 23, 1793 ; died July, 1878.
JONATHAN CHRISTOPHEE GARDNEK, of the borough of
Westmont, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, was known as one of the most
experienced and practical lumbermen of the state. Originally he was a
farmer, later a lumber contractor in special lines, and finally became a
general lumberman on a large scale. His knowledge of this particular
branch of business has been gained by long experience in every detail of
that pursuit, and he was regarded as one of the very best authorities on
all subjects pertaining to lumber and lumbering that this part of the
country can produce.
Mr. Gardner comes of an old Pennsylvania family, whose settlement
in the state dates to the time of the province and antedates the period of
the American revolution. His father, Frederick Gardner, was born in
Somerset county, his grandfather, John Gardner, was a native probably
of York county, was a pioneer settler in the vicinity of Hopewell, Jenner
township, Somerset county, and his great-grandfather was of Scotch-Irish
extraction. His grandfather, John Gardner, located there some time be-
tween the years of 1790 and 1795, and was a farmer. He was a soldier and
an officer in the American army during the war of 1812-1815, probably
engaged chiefly on frontier service, for no hostile foot was set on Penn-
sylvania soil during that eventful contest. The maiden name of the pio-
neer's wife was Nancy Horner, and she bore her husband eleven children,
as follows: 1. Jacob, born January 16, 1804. 2. Mary, December 25, 1806.
3. Benjamin, May 24, 1808. 4. John, April 22, 1810. 5. Eliza, Februarv
23, 1812. 6. Samuel, July 28, 1814. 7. Peter, February 7, 1816 ; married
Polly Short and lived in Somerset county. 8, Frederick, February 11,
1818; see forward. 9. Hetty, April 19, "l821. 10. Levina, March 16,
1823 ; married John Howard and settled on Ben's Creek in Somerset
county. 11. Nancy, October 4, 1825; married Jonas Berkey and resides
in Westmoreland county. The pioneer himself and the several members
of his family were of the religious sect known as Dunkards, hence were of
industrious habits, quiet, law abiding and led correct lives.
Frederick Gardner, eighth of the children above mentioned, was born
on his father's farm near Hopewell, Somerset county, February 11, 1818,
nnd died in Upper Yoder township, July 31, 1887. He lived with his
parents until he was twenty-one, then married and soon began farming
on his own account and getting out lumber for other farmers. Later on
he began furnishing iron ore on contract with the proprietors of the
Forwardstown Furnace and also took timber contracts. In 1857 he re-
moved to Johnstown and entered into a contract to furnish the Cambria
Iron Company with mine timber, props, ties, etc., and this was his occu-
pation at the time of his death in 1887, then being seventy years old.
Mr. Gardner married Matilda McCauley, daughter of Patrick and
Nellie (Penrod) McCauley, of Somerset county. Twelve children were
born of this marriage: 1. Eliza, died in infancy. 2. Rachel, died in in-
fancy. 3. Nancy, married Jonathan Eckles and lived at Cambria Furnace;
both dead. 4. Samuel, married Mrs. Mary (Himes) Wolfert. In August,
244 nisrORY OF CAMBFJA COIXTY.
1861, Samuel Gardner enlisted in tlie Union service for nine months and
served nntil the expiration of his term. He was wounded in the second
Fredericksburg battle. Both he and his wife are now dead. 5. Susan,,
married Franklin Penrod, removed to Kansas and died near Johnstown at
Upper Yoder. 6. Lena, married John Moore and died in Bedford county,
PennsAdvania. 7. Sarah, married John Hana, and is now a widow living
at West Fairfield, "Westmoreland count)', Pennsylvania. 8. Jonathan C,
now of Westmont and JohnstoAvn, retired. 9. William, married Mary
White and is a farmer of Upper Yoder township, Cambria county. 10.
Joseph, married Mary Gates and lives in Upper Yoder township, Cam-
bria county. 11. David, died in infancy. Also an infant unnamed, and a
son who died in 1861. The mother of these children died September 11,
1897.
Jonathan Christopher Gardner, eighth in the order of birth of the
children of Frederick and Matilda (McCauley) Gardner, was born near
what is now the town of Jerome, Jenner township, Somerset county, March
17, 1850. As a boy he went to the school near his father's home, but when
eleven years old went with his father into the lumber woods and worked
with him there and on the farm until he was twenty-one, when the family
jnoved to farm lands owned by the Cambria Iron Company, where now
stands the pretty borough of Westmont, just beyond the city limits of
Johnstown. These lands then included six hundred acres and were
worked for a year b)' young Gardner under the direction of his father;
nut Avhen he became of full age he worked them himself for the company
for the next three years and then took charge of other company lands at
Henrietta, Blair county. Two years later he bought and moved to a farm
near Westmont and then began the contract lumber operations which have
made his name known among lumbermen throughout southern Pennsyl-
vania and in other states. In 1890 Mr. Gardner purchased the Cambria
Iron Company's standing timber, cut and sawed it and put it in the
market. This occupied much of his time during thirteen years, and about
the time it was finished he became extensively interested in lumbering
operations in West Virginia, he having acquired large tracts there in 1903.
This brief sketch, however, does not give the entire sum of Mr. Gard-
ner's business operations, for he has other considerable interests, and he
is frequently called upon as an expert to estimate large tracts of timber in
the interest of other proprietors and companies, and in that special work
his services have been required on various occasions in the states of West
Virginia, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, and in fact throughout the ^Middle
West; and his long experience with and thorough knowledge of lumber-
ing operations and the character of the markets in different parts of the
country have made him an expert in that special line of work. He is so
known and recognized among lumber men.
In 1904 Mr. Gardner moved from his farm to Westmont boroiigh,
where he has since lived in one of two commodious dwellings built b}' him
at that place. Although at all times a bus}^ man, he nevertheless has taken
a commendable interest in local affairs, his political preference inclining
strongly to the Eepublican side. In the township he served in various
capacities, as supervisor two terms, assessor one term, school director five
years and township auditor six years. He is a member of Somerset Street
Brethren Church.
Jonathan Christopher Gardner married. August 29, 1873. Louisa
Heiple, born January 27, 1854, daughter of Louis Perry and Elizabeth
(Ankney) Heiple. of Johnstown, and formerly of. Somerset countv. Of
this marriage six children have been born: 1. Bertha ^lav. born Mav 22.
HISTORY OF CA.VBRIA COUNTY. 245
1874, wife of C. F. Livingstone, a dairyman of Upper Yoder townsliip.
2. J. liobert, born April o, 1ST8; unmarried, a bookkeeper. 3. Emma
Kebecca, born February 13, 1880. 4. Eldorado Elizabeth, born Septem-
ber 27, 1881. 5. Jennie Matilda, born January 10, 1890. 6. H. Darling-
ton, born July 19, 1892.
HAEEY W1LLIAJ\I SCHEREJt, business man and theatre manager
of Johnstown, is a native of that city, and a son of the late Henry
iSeherer, who for nearly fifty years was identified with the best interests
and history of Cambria county.
Henry Scherer was born m Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, and by occu-
pation was a shoemaker. He came to this country some time between
1840 and 1850, and with Casper Hager, Mr. Beilstein and perhaps others,
carried on shoemaking in the then borough. Later on he engaged in busi-
ness on his own account and was proprietor of a shop so long as he fol-
lowed his trade as a means of livelihood. When he gave up shoemaking
Mr. Scherer became an employe of the Gautier department of the Cambria
Steel Company, and worked there as long as he lived. He died in 1890,
his death in a great measure haviiig been hastened by the serious effects
of the Johnstown flood, v.diich cost him his wife and two eldest daughters.
At the time the family lived on Portage street, opposite the wire mill.
Mr. Scherer himself was not personally injured by the flood, but his home
was wrecked, and the loss of his faithful companion and helpmeet of
years and two of their children so affected him that he died nine months
afterward. j\Ir. Scherer was one of the few older residents of Johnstown
who began their married life in that place. Soon after coming to the bor-
ough he became acquainted with Catherine Fox, who was born in Hesse
Darmstadt and came to this country soon after Mr. Scherer. They mar-
ried, and afterward lived in devoted companionship until the awful dis-
aster of May 31, 1889. The following children were born to them: Emma
Scherer, drowned May 31, 1889. Mary Scherer, drowned May 31, 1889.
Lena Scherer, married Paul Kirschmann, a teacher in the German paro-
chial school in Johnstown. Harry William Scherer, business man of
Johnstown. Martin Scherer, died in infancy. Charles Scherer, died in
infancy. August Scherer, died in infancy.
Harry W. Scherer was born in Johnstown, March 28, 1874, and ob-
tained his education in the public schools. When twelve years old he began
work in a grocery store owned by Joseph Young, and was clerk there until
the latter part of 1889, when he secured a clerical position in the office
of the Gautier department of the Cambria Steel Company. Later on he
Avas a bookkeeper in the Citizens' National Bank of Johnstown, and dur-
ing his three years of service in that capacity he also became business man-
ager of the two theaters of the city, which then were owned by I. C. Mish-
ler, of Altoona. As business manager of the theatres Mr. Scherer was
successful in the beginning, and has been successful in that line of work-
even to the present day. But he no longer acts as manager for another
owner, for now he is part owner of one of the playhouses which he for-
merly managed, and as such has been the means of furnishing Johnstown
theatre patrons with a better class of entertainments than had been their
fortune to attend in earlier years. His efforts have elevated the stage
and the theatrical profession, and also have been the means of teaching
the people of Johnstown the value of clean entertainments as an element
of education as well as a source of pleasure. In June, 1904, in partnership
with Joseph T. Kelly, he purchased Cambria Theatre, and since that time
has given his attention to the management of what is regarded as one of
Vol. Ill — 16
246 HISTOBY OF CAMBFIA COINTY.
the bet^t and most popular places of entertainment in southern Pennsyl-
vania. Mr. Scherer is a member of the German Lutheran church, Johns-
town Lodge of Elks, Linton Lodge of Knights of Pythias, and in politics
is a Eepublican.
JOHX HIGSOX, of Jolinstown, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, now
almost eighty years old, is a remarkable specimen of splendid physical
manhood and a man of high moral character. Xotwithstanding his ad-
vanced age and the fact that the free use of one arm is partly lost, the
result of a bullet wound in the left shoulder at Antietam, during the Civil
war, he goes to the shops every day and does a man's work.
]\Ir. Higson was born in the city of Paterson, Xew Jersey, on the 24th
day of June, 1828, and comes of English and Scotch ancestors. His
father, Benjamin Higson, was a native of Bolton, Lancashire, England,
and his mother, whose name before marriage was ]\largaret Lyon, was
a daughter of James Lyon, a Scotchman by birth, and by occupation mas-
ter of a Presbyterian school at Bolton, England. James Lyon married
Catherine Liptrot.
Benjamin Higson and his young wife left England and came to
America about the year 1825. He Avas a cotton spinner by trade, and for
a time worked in Paterson, and afterward removed to Philadelphia, where
he came to an accidental death. Out of working hours his favorite amuse-
ment was music, and he found rest and recreation in rowing out on the
Delaware river in the quiet of evening and drifting about with the cur-
rent while he played his flute. One night his light boat was in some
manner caught between a large vessel and the dock at Red Bank, and he
was crushed to death. This happened in 1832, and soon afterward his
widow and her small children returned to England. Three children were
born to Benjamin and Margaret Higson: James, who spent his life in
England, and was engaged in the cotton trade ; John, of Johnstown, who
came back to America in 1857, and is the oldest representative of the
family in the country ; and Catherine, who also spent her life in England.
As has been mentioned, John Higson was born in Paterson. Xew Jer-
sey, and was six years old when his widowed mother returned with her
children to her old home in England. He Avas sent to school, but was
quite young when he began Avork in the cotton mills. Later he entered
the rolling mill, or "forges," as they Avere sometimes called, and kept at
work there until he was forehanded enough to again make the voyage
to America. He returned in 1857 and settled first in Philadelphia, his
father's old home, and there found Avork in the Eairmount Polling Mill.
However, during the next three years he visited and Avorked in various
other cities, first in Columbus, Ohio, then in Cleveland in the same state,
and afterward in Elmira, Xcav York.
He was AA-orking in Elmira at the outbreak of the late Civil war. and
from there he entered the service. On June 11, 1861, he enlisted in Com-
pany I, Thirty-fifth Xew York Volunteer Infantry, and served with that
regiment until March 24, 1863, when he was mustered out. In Xovem-
ber, 1861, he had been made color bearer, which position he prized greatly
and which ho retained throushout the entire period of his service. He
was with the Thirty-fifth in all its movements and engagements, including
the Second Bull Run, Slaughter Mountain, South ^Mountain and others.
At Antietam he received a severe Avound in the left shoulder, and was
sent to the Army Hospital at Washington, D. C, and later to Philadel-
phia, where he Avas finally mustered out and discharged. The wound he
received at Antietam resulted in a ])ermanent disability and cost ?Jr.
HISTORY OF CAMBEIA COUNTY. 247
Iligson practically the use of liis left ann. However, after the war he
went back to Elmira and again worked in the rolling mill, performing
such service as could be done with one arm. After a time he qualified as
heater, and has since made that his occupation in life, 1)ut only for a
short time in Elmira. In 1864 he married, and from that time until he
settled permanently in Johnstown he lived and worked in Elmira, Xew
York, Lochiel and Altoona, Pennsylvania, Baltimore, Maiwland, Chatta-
nooga, Tennessee, and Cumberland, Maryland. From the city last men-
tioned he came to Johnstown, and worked first in the rail mill of the
Cambria Iron Company, afterward in several other departments of the
company's vast plant until he became permanently employed as heater in
the Gautier department.
When young John Higson, at the age of twenty-nine 3^ears came back
to this country from England it was with the determination to afterward
live in the United States and enjoy all the rights of citizenship. His
mother had taken him back to England when he was a little boy and had
educated him there, hence in 1857, when he crossed the Atlantic for the
]ast time, he knew little of American institutions and politics; but he
always had been an apt student and acquired knowledge from observation
of and intercourse with men, Avhich was Avorth as much to him as the
education derived in the school room. As a matter of fact, John Higson
began early to think and act for himself, but that which most perplexed
liim on coming back to the country was to determine and choose between
the great political parties. Then as now the great parties were the Demo-
cratic and Eepublican, although the widespread agitation of the slavery
question caused men to be classed either as Pro-Slavery advocates or as
Abolitionists. While uncertain as to the best way for him to choose,
Mr. Higson happened on one occasion to hear Mr. Lincoln in a public dis-
cussion of national issues, and at once allied himself with the Eepublican
party. Mr. Higson was brought up under the influences of the Church of
England. He is a communicating member of the Protestant Episcopal
church of JohnstoA\Ti and a member of its vestry. For more than twenty-
five years he has been a member of Emory Fisher Post, Grand Army of
the Pepu1)lic, and has filled all the offices of that organization except that
of commander, which lack of time has made it impossible for him to
accept.
On March 25, 1864, John Higson married Anna Eliza Paxson, daugh-
ter of Joseph and Catherine (Jacquette) Paxson, then of Elmira, Xew
York. Mr. Paxson was a Philadelphian, and had gone to Elmira to take
charge as master mason of the brick construction of the Elmira Iron
Works. He afterward became a permanent resident of that city, and is
now retired from active pursuits. He was born of English parents, and
his father, Samuel Paxson, possessed considerable means. Catherine
Jacquette, who married Joseph Paxson. died about 1888. She was a
granddaughter of Hazell Pierson Jacquette, a Frenchman who was closely
associated with Lafayette, and Avho eventually settled at Wilmington.
Delaware. A sister of Mrs. Hio-son married Alexander Hamilton, one
of the prominent officials of Cambria Iron Company in his time.
Children of John and Ann Eliza (Paxson) Higson: Marsraret Cath-
erine Higson, born in Elmira, ISTew York, December 28, 1865: now a
teacber in the Hudson street school, Johnstown. Carrie Louise Higson,
married C. B. Cover, of whom, mention will be found elsewhere in this
work. Joseph Paxson Hicfson, died in infancy. Hazell Pierson Higson,
died in infancv. IMary ElizabTOi Higson. born January 15. 1873; lives
at home. Agnes Higson, born in Cumberland, Maryland, September 19,
248 . HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
J 877; married Harry Given, who is with the Penn Traffic Company,
JohnstoAvn. Alexander Hamilton Higson, born in Johnstown, xVprii 20,
1884; a draughtsman living in Elmira, New York.
THE EIGHT EEVEEEND JOHN BOYLE, of Johnstown, Vicar
General of the Diocese of Altoona and Domestic Prelate of the Pontifical
household, was born October 23, 1846, in Court, near Milford, county
Donegal, Ireland, and received his education in the schools of his birth-
place.
At the age of eighteen he came to the United States and entered St.
Michael's Seminaiy, Pittsburg, where he studied for the priesthood.
February 2, 1872, he was ordained by the Eight Eeverend Michael Dom-
inic, Bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburg, and for three years thereafter
served as assistant at St. Paul's Cathedral. He was then sent to Ebens-
burg, where he remained in charge for six years as pastor of the Church
of the Holy Name, and in August, 1880, he was appointed to take charge
of the congregation of St. Patrick's Church, Gallitziri, where he remained
until March, 1891. Daring his residence at that place, chiefly through
his instrumentality, a brick church was built at a cost of seventy-five
thousand dollars, ' and a convent and school erected. He also, while at
Gallitzin, caused a church to be built at Delaney, Pennsylvania.
In March, 1891, he was transferred to Johnstown, as head of the
congregation of St. John's Church, which was then worshipping in a
temporary frame structure which had been erected after the destruction
of the church by the memorable Johnstown flood. The year of his ar-
rival a new school house was built, followed a few years later by the erec-
tion of a convent, and in 1894 was laid the cornerstone of the present
magnificent church, the total cost of which amounted to eighty-five thou-
sand dollars. He built a school house in Moxham, secured land there
for parochial buildings, and also acquired property in East Conemaugh.
A new graveyard was purchased at Geistown. Amid the stress of these
multiplied labors Dr. Boyle yet found time to give to every movement hav-
ing' for its object the moral and social welfare of the community a due
share of attention and support, manifesting in the temperance cause an
especially active interest.
In 1898 he was appointed Vicar Forane of tlie eastern part of the
Diocese of Pittsburg, and in 1901, when the new Diocese of Altoona was
formed, was made its first Vicar General.
In July, 1905, Dr. Boyle received from Pope Pius the Tenth the ap-
pointment of Domestic Prelate of the Pontifical household. The cere-
money of his investiture, which was held at St. John's Church, was of a
most impressive character, the papal brief being read in Latin and Eng-
lish by the Eight Eeverend Prothonotary Apostolic Joseph Suht, of Sts.
Peter and Paul's Church, East End, Pittsburg, and an eloquent sermon
being preached by the Eeverend Matthew Smith, assistant pastor of the
Sacred Heart Church, Altoona. The sermon was followed by a solemn
Pontifical Mass, with the Eight Eeverend Eugene A. Garvey, Bishop of the
Diocese as celebrant. The services were held Sunday, November 12, 1905,
and were attended by a large concourse of citizens, including representa-
tives of other churches and parishes, among whom were many of Dr.
Boyle's former parishioners. It was felt, not only by those present, but
by everyone familiar with the personality and work of Dr. Boyle, that
the high honor conferred upon him was but a fitting recognition of his
long and faithful pastoral ministration and of his steadfast lovalty and
untiring zeal in the service of the church to which he owed allegiance.
/cf-
(^r.^/v^.^^.
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 249
In the early part of 1901 Dr. Boyle sought temporary relaxation from
the severity of his labors in a visit to his old home in Ireland. Before
returning to this country he extended his travels to the continent, sojovirn-
ing in France, Switzerland and Italy. He then passed over to Asia, linger-
ing for a time amid the sacred associations of Palestine and thence sought,
as the final point in his wanderings, the land of the Pharaohs and the
Pyramids. The degree of LL. D. was conferred on Monsignor Boyle last
Jane by the faculty of Mt. St. Mary's College. In the history of the
institution this honor has rarely been conferred except upon its graduates.
HAERY SULLIVAN ENDSLEY, lawyer, of Johnstown, Pennsyl-
vania, was bom September 26, 1855, at Brownsville, Fayette county,
Pennsylvania. He is descended from John (Johannes) Endsley (or
Ainslie), who came to x'Vmerica from Holland about 1765. He served as
a soldier in the Eevolutionary war. He lived in Virginia between
Frederick and Richmond, on a plantation called "Wizzard Cliff." He
married a Miss Gilbert, a member of the Society of Friends. Their sole
issue was a son, Thomas Endsley, who was born on their plantation in
1787. John Endsley, the founder of the family in the United States,
died about 1830. His wife died about 1828. Their son, Thomas Endsley,
married Mary McCloy, 1805, who was a daughter of John and Ann McCloy,
the said Ann McCloy being a daughter of James McCullough and Nancy
McCullough, of Downpatrick, county Down, Ireland. James McCul-
lough was a linen manufacturer.
Thomas Endsley and Mary McCloy Endsley had issue eight children,
the fifth being Andrew Jackson Endsley, the father of the subject of this
sketch, A\ho was born at "Tomlinson House," on the National Pike, in
Allegany county, Maryland, on January 16, 1824. His father. Captain
Thomas Endsley, had the year before bought the large stone tavern and
dwelling together with a farm of three hundred acres in and adjacent to
the town of Somerfield, Somerset county, Pennsylvania, to which he re-
moved with his father later in that same year, and at which place he died
in 1852.
Andrew Jackson Endsley prepared himself for the ministry, and
attended Alleheny College at Meadville, Pennsylvania, and after leaving
college was ordained and admitted as a member of the Pittsburg Meth-
odist Episcopal Conference. While in the ministry he held stations as
pastor at Brownsville, Pennsylvania, Wellsbury, West Virginia, Wellsville,
Ohio, Allegheny City, Pittsburg, Canton, Ohio, and Johjistown, Pennsyl-
vania. He also held and filled the appointment of presiding elder for
several terms, and had the degree of D. D. conferred upon liim by Mt.
Union College in 1870. Dr. Endsley was a logician of high order, a
forcible speaker and was recognized as one of the ablest men in the con-
ference. In 1847 Dr. Endslev was united in marriage with Catherine A.
Jolmson, of Somerfield, Somerset county, Pennsylvania. Ten children
were born to this marriage, eight of whom are living, viz. : Ella F. Ends-
ley, Somerset, Pennsylvania ; Anna M., Avidow of Abner McKinley, and
since married to Captain John B. Allen, of Tampa, Florida ; H. S.
Endsley, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania; Katherine, wife of Henry Mat-
thews, of Washington, District of Columbia ; Lucy, wife of George W.
Snyder, Somerset, Pennsylvania; Wilbur Iv. Endsley, New York; Mary,
wife of Paul A. Schell, Somerset, Penns3dvania ; and Charles W. Endsley,
of Uniontown, Pennsylvania. In politics. Dr. Endsley was an earnest
Wliig and Eopublican, and always took a live interest in all pul)lic ques-
tions. Dr. Endsley died at Somerset, Pennsylvania, September 21, 1906.
250 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTS.
The Read of the maternal branch of the family in this country was
Patrick Sullivan, of Scotch-Irish descent. He moved from the eastern
part of Pennsylvania to Somerset coniity. Pennsylvania, al)out 1790. He
married Barbara Bowser, of York, Pennsylvania. They had several chil-
dren, one of whom, Mary, married Plenry Black, and one of their chil-
dren was Judge Jeremiah S. Black. Susan, another daughter of Patrick
and Barbara (Bowser) Sullivan, married Joshua Johnson. Among the
children of Joshua Johnson and Susan Sullivan were Catherine A., who
married Andrew J. Endsley, and Matilda, wife of General William H.
Koontz, of Somerset, Pennsylvania.
Patrick Sullivan, the maternal great-grandfather of the subject of
this sketch, lived at Elk Lick, Somerset county, Pennsylvania. He was a
notable figure in that part of the country and owned one of the finest farms
in the county. At the first election held in Cambria county he was on the
ticket for assembly as representative of the district composed of Somerset
and Cambria counties. The election returns on file in the court house at
Somerset show the following result of said election in Cambria county:
Cambria Township. Patrick Sullivan received 59 votes.
Alexander Ogle " 3 votes.
Conemaugh Township. Patrick Sullivan " 69 votes.
" " Alexander Ogle " no votes.
Allegheny Township. Patrick Sullivan " 69 votes.
" Alexander Ogle " 18 votes.
These three townships embraced the whole of Cambria county.
In 1898 President McKinley appointed Catherine A. Endsley, mother
of H. S. Endsley, postmistress at Somerset, Pennsylvania, to which olfice
she was reappointed in 1902 by President Eoosevelt. This was a personal
appointment of President McKinley.
The education of Harry Sullivan Endsley was mainly obtained in
the public schools, the high school of Canton, Ohio, being the last at-
tended. In 1876 he entered the law office of General William H. Koontz,
Somerset, Pemisylvania, and on August 7, 1878, was admitted to practice
in the courts of Somerset county. Prior to taking up the study of law
Mr. Endsley was in the offices of Wood, Morrell & Company, of Johns-
town, Pennsylvania. After his admission to the bar he entered into active
practice in the office of his preceptor, General Koontz. In 1880 he made
the canvass for the Eepublican nomination for district attorney of Somer-
set county, but was defeated. In 1882 he acted as chairman of the Inde-
pendent Republican organization of Somerset county, since which time he
has not been active in politics, though taking part as a speaker in various
political campaigns as a Republican.
In April, 1892, Mr. Endsley removed to Johnstown, Pennsylvania,
to accept a position as assistant solicitor for the Cambria Iron Company,
and upon the resignation of Cyrus Elder, in 1900, the board of directors of
the Cambria Steel Com];)any elected Mr. Endsley as solicitor and general
counsel for their corporation and its allied companies. Mr. Endsley has
also followed the general practice of law, his attention and services having
been mainly devoted to corporation cases. He has organized and is counsel
for a number of important corporate interests, and is a director of the
JohnstoAAni Water Company, of the Manufacturers' AVater Company, and
the Republic Iron Company. He has held no offices except that of mem-
ber of town council at Somerset, and for ten years past as school director
for the school district of the borough of Westmout, wliere he resides, hav-
ing been president of the school board for eight years. He is not a mem-
HT STORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 251
ber of any church, but attends St. Mark's Protestant Episcopal church,
of which his wife is an active member. He is one of tlie trustees of the
Cambria Library Association, and a trustee of the Concmaugh Valley
Memorial Hospital.
Mr. Endsiey was married, April 14, 1880, at Johnstown, Pennsyl-
vania, to Ida Margaret Hay, a daughter of Frank W. Hay and Eliza A.
Hay. Mr. Hay was for forty odd years one of the leading business men
of Johnstown. His father, Michael Hay, M. D., came to Johnstown from
New York, Pennsylvania. Ida M. Hay was educated at public and pri-
vate schools in Johnstown, and afterwards entered Wilson College at
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.
Three daughters were born to Mr. and Mrs. Endsiey, namely: Lide
H., 28th August, 1881; Katherine M., 13th August, 1888; and Margaret,
30th April, 1895. Lide H. Endsiey finished her education at Mrs. Gris-
wald's school. Old Lyme, Connecticut, and was married to William Per-
rine Fairman, of 501 West Chelten avenue, Germantown, Philadelphia,
en the 30th day of October, 1901. Mr. Fairman is a broker with offices in
Drexel Building, Philadelphia. Katharine M. Endsiey was graduated
from the Johnstown high school, and afterwards entered "The Castle,"
Miss Mason's school at Tarrytown, New York.
Mr. Endsiey is an ardent sportsman, and devotes some time each
season to the recreation of fishing and hunting. He is also fond of
outdoor sports, such as skating, lawn tennis and golf. He is president of
the Johnstown Country Club, and is a member of the Amicus Club of
Johnstown, one of the leading social organizations of the city.
GEOKGE ALBERT WATERS, superintendent and general manager
of the National Radiator Works of Johnstown, is a native of JJavidsviile,
Somerset county, Pennsylvania, and was born on the 10th day of June,
1856. He gained his early education in common and public schools, and
at the age of seventeen years started out to make his own way in business
life. He then came to Johnstown to find work, and for three years was
employed in James McConaghey's tannery, for the next few months at
the A. J. Haws Brick Works, and afterward for about a year in the
Gautier Wire Mill.
Having worked about five years at these various occupations and
having accumulated a little money, Mr. Waters went west and visited
Iowa, but returned after about six months and found work as a stationary
engineer at the Gautier Works, where he was employed for about seven
years. After that he became a partner in the firm of Vivis & Waters, and
carried on an upholstery business in Johnstown nearly a .year. Still
later he was associated for ten years with his brothers, who comprised the
firm of John H. Water & Bros., and carried on an extensive business in
manufacturing and dealing in heating apparatus, and after leaving that
firm he was for two years in the same general line with Smith & Flynn.
He then returned to his brothers' Avorks, which then had become known
as the National Radiator Works, and which now is one of the leading
industries of its kind in the coimtry. Since about 1900 Mr. Waters has
been connected with the National Radiator Works, and his present office
is that of superintendent and general manager, which implies that the
affairs of management and operation of the company's extensive plant are
largely under his direction. The National Radiator Company is one of
the largest concerns in its special line of manufacture in the country, and
is known from the Atlantic to the Pacific in trade circles. The other
officers of the company arc Samuel B. Waters, president, and John H.
252 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
Waters, secretary and treasurer. Mr. Waters is a member of the Order of
Ileptasophs, attends the Methodist Episcopal church, and in politics in-
clines to the Democracy. He is a busy man, and finds little time to
occupy his attention with outside matters, although he is interested in
public affairs and the social side of life in the city of Johnstown.
On the 29th of April, 1881, George A. Waters married Eva B.
Horner, a daughter of Jacob C. and Mary Ann (Shaffer) Horner. Eight
children have been born of this marriage : Merle, Mar}', Margaret, Eva,
George, Alice, Verda and Curtis Waters.
EDWARD CHAELES LORENTZ, an employe of the Cambria Steel
Company, river observer at Johnstown under government appointment,
and who in connection M'ith his oificial duties in that capacity also per-
forms the voluntary duty of weather observer at Johnstown, is a native
of Prussia, born in Waldeck on the 13th day of April, 1862.
His father, Rev. Edward Lorentz, was a clergyman of the German
Lutheran church, and died in his native country, and his grandfather also
was a minister of the same church. Rev. Edward Lorentz married Jo-
hanna Hausdoerfer, who bore him ten children, of whom two died in in-
fancy. He died in Germany, and afterward his widow and children came
to America, in November, 1865, and came to Johnstown. Mrs. Lorentz
died in that city in 1900. Children of Eev. Edward and Johanna (Haus-
doerfer) Lorentz: 1. Meta Lorentz, wife of Rev. Charles Koehler, a
Lutheran clergyman of Waldeck, Germany. 2. Matilda Lorentz, wife of
George Heiser; both Mr. and Mrs. Heiser perished in the flood of 1889.
3. Bertha Lorentz, wife of Henry Yost, of Johnstown. 4. Hermenie
Lorentz, wife of Rudolph Luebbert, of Johnstown; died September 30,
1906. 5. Emilie Lorentz, wife of George Muelhauser. 6. Anna Lorentz,
wife of Dr. Erancis Schill, Senior, of Johnstown. 7. Edward Cliarles
Lorentz, weather observer at Johnstown, of M'hom special mention is
made in this sketch. 8. Johanna Lorentz, widow of Rev. Paul Glasow
former minister of the German Lutheran Congregation of Johnstown.
Edward Charles Lorentz was a little more than three years old when
his widowed mother came to Pennsylvania and settled in Conemaugh bor-
ough, as that part of the present city of Johnstown was then known. His
earlier education was gained in public schools, and later on he was a
student for some time at the Iron City Commercial College in Pitts-
burg, where lie took a business course. Ever since he left school Mr.
Lorentz has been a constant student, and is known as a careful, thoughtful
reader, and one of the best informed men in Johnstown. His tastes in-
cline to scientific subjects, and in his special field of study and investiga-
tion he is regarded as a reliable autliority.
AVhen he was thirteen years old he was given employment in the
laboratory of the Cambria Iron Company, remained there four years, and
then went to Pittsburg for the purpose of taking a coarse of study in the
commercial college, as has been mentioned. On returning to Johnstown
he again entered the Cambria Iron Company's service, and for the next
four years was employed in the blast furiiace department. After that and
for eleven years he engaged in mercantile pursuits, and was proprietor
of a shoe store in the city, but at the end of that period his business in-
terests were disposed of and he returned to the Cambria Company, taking
a responsible position in the rolling mill department. He is still there and
is regarded as one of the old and -reliable employees of that trrcat Johns-
town industry.
In December, 1889, Mr. Lorentz was appointed river observer at
J} O'h^.
I
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 253
Johnstown and in that vicinity, in the g'ovemment service. In that posi-
tion he succeeded to the place made vacant by the death of Mrs. Ogle,
who was one of the victims of the disastrous flood of May, 1889. This
position he still holds, and in addition to his duties in that capacity he also
is weather obser\^er for Johnstown and vicinity, a voluntary and purely
honorary office, and yet one of considerable importance, and in which
he takes a deep and commendable interest. The government supplies him
with the necessary instruments and office equipment for his observations
and investigations, and his reports, which are transmitted to the prin-
cipal office at Pittsburg, and to Philadelphia and Washington, D. C, are
regarded as official. He furnishes all the daily papers with the daily
forecast.
On the 6th day of May, 1889, Edward Charles Lorentz married Emma
Brodbeck, a daughter of Vincent P. and Mary (Zwick) Brodbeck. The
Brodbeck family was the pioneer family of Portsmouth, Scioto county,
Ohio. One child was born of this marriage, Carl Edward Lorentz, born
March 3, 1892. Emma Brodbeck Lorentz died on the 12th of March,
1892, just nine days after the birth of her son. On the 17th of October,
1895, Mr. Lorentz married Anna Tross, daughter of John Ludwig and
Katherine (Boecher) Tross, of Johnstown. The Tross family has been
known in the business and industrial history of Johnstown for more than
fifty years, and is made the subject of extended mention in these volumes.
Three children have been born of the marriage of Edward C. and Anna
(Tross) Lorentz: Meta Bertha Lorentz, born November 1, 1896. Ger-
trude Catherine Lorentz, born January 13, 1900. Herbert Tross Lorentz,
born June 21, 1904.
JOSEPH P. WILSON", general superintendent of the Argyle and
Conemaugh Coal Mines, at South Fork, Cambria county, Pennsylvania,
and who fills many other positions of financial and commercial impor-
tance in that county, traces his ancestry back to the house of the Stuarts,
in Scotland, when a IMacCammet, with others of royal l)lood, was banished
by Queen Anne. -MacCammet emigrated to America and settled in the
neighborhood of Valley Forge, in eastern Pennsylvania, and either his
daughter or granddaughter became the wife of the grandfather of Joseph
P. Wilson.
(I) John Wilson, the grandfather of Joseph P. Wilson, was born
near Valley Forge, where his brother, Eev. James Wilson, served as an
army chaplain. John Wilson came to the Horseshoe Bend on the Kiskimi-
nitis river in 1778, and Avas one of the pioneer farmers near the present
village of Vandergrift. After some years he removed to the vicinity of
Spring Church, Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, where he died in 1837
or 1838. He was a Scotch Presbyterian. He was survived by his widow
for a period of four years, she dying at the age of eighty. They reared a
family of eight children: 1. Joseph, a farmer, deceased. 2. Thomas, de-
• ceased. 3. John, deceased. 4. Samuel, deceased, was a blacksmith in Tip-
ton, Blair county, Pennsylvania. 5. Poll}^, married Archibald Smith, of
Armstrong county ; both deceased. 6. James, of whom later. 7. Jackson.,
a farmer of northwestern Missouri.
(II) James Wilson, fifth son and sixth child of John Wilson (I),
was born on the old Westmoreland farm in 1810. He was engaged in
farming until 1844, when he removed to Apollo, where he served as jus-
tice of the peace for eight years. He was highly esteemed in the com-
munity, was a Democrat;, and a member of the jMethodist Episco]ial church.
254 EI STORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
He married Jane Brown, daughter of Andrew Brown, who served in the
war of 1812 under General Harrison, and was the owner of a valuable
piece of land in Armstrong county. They had children: 1. A daughter
who died in infancy. 2. Andrew, a machinist of Apollo. 3. John, born in
]831, was a soldier in the Union army and died while in service, Decem-
ber 8, 1864; he is buried in the Xational Cemetery at Chattanooga, Ten-
nessee. 4. Joseph P., the subject of this sketch. 5. James P., a mill-
wright, died at Danbury, Illinois, 1881. aged fifty years. 6. George W.,
was a soldier in the Union army, contracted a disease while in service
which caused his death at the age of twenty-one years, December 23, 1869.
7. William, died in childhood.
(Ill) Joseph P. Wilson, third son and fourth child of James (II)
and Jane( Brown) Wilson, was born near x\ polio, Armstrong county, Penn-
sylvania, January 26, 1833. He was brought up on his maternal grand-
father's farm and received a good common school education. His first
work was on the canal in 1846, and he followed tliis occupation until 1854,
when he engaged in the mining of coal at McKeesport, Pennsylvania,
Soon thereafter the Westmoreland Coal Company was organized and
opened mines at Irwin Station, where ]\Ir. Wilson was employed by them
from 1856 until 1863. He then became mine foreman for the Penn Gas
Coal Company, Penn Station, and held this position until 1881, when he
became general superintendent of the Argyle and Conemaugh coal mines.
He was also one of the organizers and a member of the Roaring Spring
Land Mining Company, operating zinc and lead mines in Jasper county,
Missouri, where they own five hundred acres of land. He was a member
of the Mountain Coal Company, owning nine thousand acres of good coal
land in Adams township, which is now operated by individual coal com-
panies on a royalty. He also owned a third interest in a seven hundred
acre tract of coal land in Adams township, and was superintendent of the
Dunlo Coal Company, of Dunlo, and president of the South Fork Supply
Company and South Fork Water Company. He enlisted in September,
1862. in Colonel Jack's regiment, of Westmoreland county, but was dis-
charged at the end of two months on account of defective vision in the
right eye. He is one of the most progressive and influential business men
of this section of Pennsylvania, and his opinion was sought and highly
regarded by all. He was an ardent Eepublican, and ever ready to aid his
party to the full extent of his power. He served four terms as a justice
of the peace at Penn Station, the first term by appointment, and the
three succeeding ones by election. He was a member of the following
organizations: Westmoreland Lodge, Xo. 518, Free and Accepted ^la-
sons. Greensburg; William Penn Lodge, Xo. 50, Ancient Order of United
Workmen, Penn Station; Council, No. 79, Junior Order United Ameri-
can Mechanics, South Fork: and Corona Lodge, Xo. 999, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, Conemaugli, of which he was a charter member
and past grand. ^Ir. Wilson died May 23, 1906, and was succeeded by
E. H. A^'right, of Westmoreland county, in the superintendency of the .
Argyle and Conemaugh coal mines.
He married, August 5, 1850, Catherine Suman, daughter of Philip
Suman, of Westmoreland county. They had five children: 1. Anna L.,
Avidow of D. L. Masters, of Westmoreland county. 2. John W., assistant
superintendent and mine foreman of the Argyle Coal Klines. 3. ]\[ary
Jane, died at the age of seven years. 4. Alice Y., widow of George B.
Heifner, of Franklin county. 5. Mary, wife of George W. Schrock of
South Fork.
lUSTOBY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 255
JOHX \Y. WILSOX, onh' son of J. P. Wilson, was born at Lorhner
Station, Westmoreland connty, Pennsylvania, August 3, 1859. He was
educated in the iniblic schools and the high schools of Greensburg, Pemi-
?3dvania. He learned the trade of painting which he followed for some
years, and then became associated with his father at the mines, and with
whom he was associated until the latter's death. He gives his whole at-
tention to the mining industry. He is a member of tSouth Fork Lodge,
Xo. 101, Knights of Pythias; Lafayette Commandery, Xo. 334, Knights
of ]\laccabees, of Uniontown, Pennsylvania ; also the Modern Woodmen
of America, Council Xo. 7825.
He was married in 1881 to Alice Strong, of Parnassus, Pennsylvania,
daughter of Eobert and Isabella Strong. Seven children have been born
to them: Margarett, wife of Arthur Eowe, of South Fork, Pennsylvania;
Eobert J. ; Frank C. ; Catharine ; Charles ; Clyde ; and Alice.
BEXJAMIX HIXCHMAX, one of the pioneers of Johnstown, was
a descendant of Benjamin Hinchman, who immigrated to America about
the year 16G5. He landed at Xew York and settled at Jamaica, Long
Island, where in 1683 he was one of the body of men to establish at
Jamaica the first Presbyterian church in America. In the society of
that church he held the office of trustee for a number of years. Three
of his descendants were in the Eevolutionary war, one of them being a
major stationed at a fort on the Hudson river.
The father of the Benjamin Hinchman first mentioned in the pre-
ceding paragraph was born at Jamaica, Long Island, and moved to Phila-
delphia in the year 1810, where his son Benjamin was born in 1827.
When a young man he learned the trade of a bricklayer and worked at
different mills in and near Philadelphia, notably the Catasauqua Iron
AYorks, Pottstown Iron Works, and the Xed Eolland Polling Mills, all
pioneers of the iron industry.
In June, 1853, Mr. Charles Dorsey, for whom Benjamin Hinchman
had been at work, received an appointment as foreman of the bricklayers
at the new iron works which were about to be built at Johnstown, and
he came to that place, bringing with him Benjamin Hinchman and sev-
eral other men. When they arrived the mill was in an eml^ryonic state.
The construction of the puddling and heating furnaces was at once be-
gun under temporarily erected frame structures. This was the beginning
of the work M'hich afterv<'ard developed into the great plant of the Cam-
bria Steel Company of the present day. Mr. Hinchman continued liis
work for the Cambria Iron Company until the fall of 1851, when it sud-
denly stopped by closing the works indefinitely. He then returned to
Philadelphia and some time afterward met ]\L\ Daniel J. Morrell, who
then was employed in a dry goods store in that city. Hearing that ]\tr.
Hinchman had. been at Johnstown in the employ of the Cambria Iron
Company, Mr. ]\Iorrell requested him to secure a number of good brick-
layers and take them to Johnstown, where Mv. !^Iorrell was soon to go
to assume management and revive the old works. j\Ir. Hinchman did as
requested, and took with him Daniel Stroup, Elwood Mathers and others,
returning to Johnstown after an absence of eighteen months. The works
now took on a new lease of life under the capable management of ^Ir.
j\Iorrell and ]\Ir. Fritz. In place of the former temporary structures com-
modious brick buildings appeared, and under their direction was raised
the great stack which stood until a fe'w years ago. j\Ir. Hichman con-
tinued his work and completed the rolling mill, the puddling mill and
the blast. furnaces, and was the man who lined the Kelle}' Converter with
256 HISTORY OF CAMBEIA COUNTY.
brick, the first to be used in this country in experimenting with the manu-
facture of Bessemer steel. He remained with the Cambria Steel Com-
pany until a short time before his death, which occurred on the 5th day
of November, 18T6. He was known among his friends and fellow work-
men as a genial, whole-souled man, and generous to a fault. His happy
nature, combined with his habit of whistling troubles away, won for
him many friends both young and old. Every now and tlien one meets
with some of the remaining old mill hands who speak of him as one of
the men who lived to make others happy. He was a charter member of
old Assistance Fire Company, having had previous experience in the
famous old Harmony Fire Company of Philadelphia before he came to
Johnstown. He volunteered twice for service during the Rebellion, but
M^as rejected on account of physical disabilities. In politics he was a
Republican.
In 1849 Mr. Hinchman married Susan 0. Robinson of Philadelphia.
She came from an old Quaker family descended from the first settlers of
that city. She accompanied her husband on his first trip to Johnstown,
and while located there boarded with the Patch family at the old canal
lock, then on the site of the present ISTo. 6 Blast Furnace. ]\Irs. Hinch-
man is still living with her son on Main street, in Johnstown. Of the
children four boys and two girls are now living: Benjamin Hinchman,
Junior, a steel expert and foreman of the smith shop, Gautier depart-
ment; Joseph Hinchman, a wholesale grocer on Main street; Dr. Heury
C. Hinchman. a dentist on Franklin street; Cliarles R. Hinchman, chief
engineer of the American Steel and Wire Company at Xewberg. Ohio ;
and Mary A. (Hinchman) Anawalt, and Susan (Hinchman) Bittner,
living in Pittsburg.
GEORGE VOX LUXEX has been a business ]nan of Johnstown,
Pennsylvania, for more than fifteen years. He is a native of the city, born
May 26, 1871, a son of Louis and Emily (Griffith) Yon Lunen, his father
and family being made the subject of more extended mention elsewhere
in this work.
George Yon Lunen was given a good early education in the public
schools of Johnstown, and also took a business course at the Bennett &
Greer Commercial College. At the age of nineteen he began his business
career in partnership with a brother-in-law, Louis Lcventry, and for the
next two years was a contractor and builder. He then sold his interest in
the business to Mr. Leventry and began work for John H. Waters & Bro.,
Avith whom he learned the trade of a plumber. Later he worked three
months in Xew York City in order to get an understanding of the most
modern and approved methods in practical and sanitary plumbing used
in the metropolitan district. He then came back to Johnstown and soon
afterward opened his present plumbing, heating and gas fitting establish-
ment in ]Moxham, the seventeenth ward of the city. ^Mr. Yon Lunen is an
active, capable and successful young business man. He has kept free of
entangling political alliances, never sought or wanted office of any kind,
and votes independent of parties. He attends the Methodist Episcopal
church, of wdiich his family are members, and contributes to its sui:)port.
On the 27th of February, 1896, he married Miss Jessie Elizabeth
Leventry, daughter of William and Henrietta (Gochnour) Leventry, of
whom and whose family mention -will be found in this work. ]Mr. and
Mrs. Yon Lunen have three children — Edith Emily, Dwight and Hen-
rietta.
HISTORY OF CAMBBIA COUNTY. 257
DAVID MAEKEE. The surname (Marker) of the family under
consideration here has been known in the industrial histor}^ of the city of
JohnstoAvn a little more than twenty-five years, and from the time when
David Marker, a young machinist fresh from tlie shops in Llanelly, South
Wales, came to this countrv and entered the employ of Cambria Iron
Company. He brought with him a thorough understanding of a machin-
ist's work, and since he first went into the shops in Johnstown he has been
known as one of the most proficient workmen there. And his work has
been observed and appreciated and advancement has been the reward of his
genius. His present position is that of master mechanic, which implies
responsibilities and commensurate reward.
On the paternal side David Marker comes of an English family. His
grandfather, Henry Marker, was born in Cornwall, England, and was a
chemist by profession and occupation. Both he and his wife were mem-
bers of the Church of England, and brought up their sons and daughters
in that faith. Henry Marker, of Cornwall, had six children, of whom
Eichard was the eldest. The others were Henrj^, John, William, Mary and
Susanna IMarker.
Eichard Marker was born in Cornwall, and when a younc; luan went
over to Wales and spent his life there. For many years he followed the
sea and was master of a sailing vessel in the copper trade owned l)v Nevil.
Bruce & Co., a famous copper firm of South Wales. Captain ]\Tarker held
a certificate as master mariner, and during his long service at sea visited
nearly every important port in the world. The last twenty years of his
life were spent ashore as agent for the copper firm previously mentioned.
His home was at Llanelly, South Wales, from which place daily he visited
the office and ore yards at Swansea. He married Harriet Jones, daughter
of William Jones, of Ijlanelly. who also was connected with the firm of
Nevil. Bruce & Co. Mr. Marker died in August, 1889, and his wife died in
1891. Their children were as follows: William Marker, a master mar-
iner; lost at sea; married Hannah Thomas, who is a widow living at
Llanelly, South Wales. Susanna Marker, now dead ; married John Thomas,
who now lives at Llanelly. Eobert Marker, died unmarried. Elizabeth
Marker, now dead ; married David Jones, who lives at Llanelly. James
Marker, now living in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Harriet Marker, died un-
married at the age of twenty-two years. Eleanor Marker, married David
Eeese, and lives at the old home. David Marker, of Johnstown ; master me-
chanic for the Cambria Iron Company; married Susan Jones and has two
children. Mary Ann Marker, married Martin Jones, and lives in Swansea,
South Wales.
David Marker was born at Llanelly, in South Wales, on the 19th day
of August, 1860. He was educated in the schools of that town. At the age
of nineteen he was apprenticed to the trade of machinist, which he mas-
tered, and then, in 1883, left home for America. He came direct to
Johnstown, arrived there on June 12th, and at once found employment at
his trade in the works of Cambria Iron Company. He is still in the serv-
ice of the companv, although not in the capacity of machinist, for his skill,
intelligence and determination have won for him frequent promotion dur-
ing the last fifteen or so years. He was made assistant foreman in 1893,
foreman in 1895, and three years later, 1898. was advanced to his present
position, that of master mechanic. During the period of his service with
the company he has perfected several labor-savins: devices. In every re-
spect he has proved a valuable man for his employers, and the company
in turn has shown a proper appreciation of his services in a material sense
as well as placing him in a position of honor in its works.
258 II IS TORI' OF CA3IBBIA COUNTY.
Mr. Marker is a citizen of Penns34vania, and in politics is a Repub-
lican. He is a commnnicant at St. Mark's Protestant Episcopal Church,
and for two years has been secretary of the parish, besides having taken a
. in-ominent part in the clioir service of the church. In ■ Free Masonry he
stands high, a member and senior deacon of Cambria Lodge No. 538, F.
and A. M. ; past high priest of Portage Chapter Xo. 195, R. A. M. ; mem-
ber of Cambria Council No. 32, R. and S. M. ; eminent commander of
Oriental Commandery, No. Gl, K. T., and member of Jafl'a Temple, A.
A. 0. N. M. S. He also is a member of Linton Lodge, No. 451, K. P.
On July 3, 1899, David Marker married Susan Jones, daughter of
Richard and Mary Ann (Davis) Jones, of Johnstown. Mr. Jones came
to this country in 1860 from Llanelly, South Wales, and has charge of the
warehouses of the Gautier department of Cambria Steel Company. Mr.
and Mrs. Marker have two children, Eleanor and Emlyn Marker.
JOHN NAPOLEON SHORT. Among the tireless workers and
thrifty business factors of the great working force and officials of the
Cambria Steel Company at Johnstown is John N. Short, who since 1878
has been superintendent of the agricultural department (special work),
for this corporation, whose various productions call for none but the most
trusty and experienced of mechanics and business men to handle their gi-
gantic trade. Mr. Short is a Canadian by birth, born in Quebec, January
25, 1843, son of Huber and Emily (Chamberlain) Short.
The paternal grandfather was Louis Short, a farmer, who died in
Canada in 1851. He married a Miss Derring, who died a few months
from the date of his death. Their children were: Louis; Augustine;
Francis ; Joseph ; Major ; Huber ; Emily ; Polly ; Mary, and one who died
in infancy. Huber Short, the father of the subject of this notice, was
born in 1806 and died in 1874, at his home in Troy, New York, to which
place he moved in 1869 from Vermont. He moved from Canada to Ver-
mont in 1865. He was a carpenter by trade, and followed it both in
Canada and the United States. In religion he was of the Catholic faith,
as had been his parents. He was married to Emily Chamberlain, daughter
of John Chamberlain and wife, of Quebec. The children born of this
union were: Five, who died in infancy; Frank, who died aged nineteen
years; Joseph; John N. ; Elmina; Mary; Delina. They all live in Troy.
New York except the subject, John N. Short. Joseph is a professional
decorator for a large contracting firm.
John N. Short, subject, obtained a common school education in his
Canadian home, and early learned the machinist's trade, commencing at
the age of fourteen years in Canada, and finishing in Bennington county,
Vermont. He followed this calling in Vermont until he came to Johns-
town, Pennsylvania, August 1, 1878, when he became general superintend-
ent of the department in the Cambria Steel Company's "Agricultural di-
vision," which produces special work for the manufacture of farm imple-
ments. In this capacity Mr. Short has served for the past twenty-eight
years, and has seen the plant advance from its infancy to that of its present
large proportions. He is an ardent supporter of the Republican party, be-
lieving it to be the best organization for the general upl)uil(iing of the
financial and social interests of the common masses. In religious matters
he is of the faith of his forefathers — a supporter of Catholic principles.
He has given his whole time and attention to his ])osition witli the Steel
company, never holding office, save a part of one term as councilman from
the Eleventh ward in Johnstown. He has owned several gtwd liomes in
his adopted city, and moved to a well planned residence in the autumn of
THE
NEW YORK
PUBLIC library]
^A»t»r, Lenox and TlldeOy
Founijstlent.
1909
BI STORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 259
1905, where he is well situated and surrounded by an interesting family.
His new home is situated on Skelly street, in Eighth ward, Johnstown.
He was married, in Bennington county, A'erniont, July 15, 1868, to
Elmina, daughter of Gabriel and Lillian (Green) Blair, by whom were
born the following children: Mary Louisa; Eugene, wife of John E.
Fliiin, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania; Delia; William Frederick; Mary;
Elizabeth ; Leo George and Anna. The last three were born at Johnstown,
and the others in Vermont. The sons and daughters are being well edu-
cated; the 3'oungest is now in normal school.
THE EEV. PHILIP BOHAX, pastor of St. Patrick's Koman Cath-
olic Church, Johnstown, was born September 23, ISGS, near Carrigallen,
county Leitrim, Ireland. His parents were John and Anne (Conlon) Bo-
han, and Philip was the youngest of twelve children.
Philip Bolian received his elementary education in CordufI: National
school. At the age of eighteen he entered Carlow College, Ireland. In this
great institution of learning he studied for seven years, and was distin-
guished as an able mathematician and a profound philosopher and theo-
logian. In 1896 he was elevated to the priesthood, and ordained by the
Most Kev. Dr. Foley, Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin for the Diocese of
Pittsburg.
The same year he came to the L'nited States and was appointed by
the Kight Kev. Bishop Pheian, assistant pastor of St. John's church,
Johnstown. Here he labored faithfully in the discharge of his priestly
duties, ministering to the sick and the dying in their homes and in the
city hospitals, and comforting the sorrow-stncken in their distress.
While a great portion of his time was spent in attending the sick, yet
he never considered the preaching of the word of God a secondary duty.
Always his sermons were replete with sound doctrine and useful admoni-
tions, and much spiritual benefit was derived by the large congregation
that listened to the eloquent sermons of Father Bohan.
Neither was he unmindful of the temporal alfairs of the parish. In
five months he was instrumental in raising eleven thousand dollars to
liquidate a portion of the debt which the congregation had assumed. After
his labors of five years he was promoted to the pastorate of St. Matthew's
church, Tyrone, and left St. John's with the best wishes of a grateful peo-
ple.
With the same zeal and success which characterized his labors in
Johnstown he worked in Tyrone. After three years he was requested by
Plight Ptev. Bishop Garvey to come back to the "Flood City,"' and take
charge of the new congregation, now known as St. Patrick's. Here he
purchased the site on Avhich St. Patrick's church now stands. The corner-
stone of the edifice was laid in October, 190-1, and the structure was com-
pleted in November, 1905. In his superintendence of the erection of this
church, and also in the discharge of his pastoral duties, Father Bohan has
been eminently successful, demonstrating his administrative ability, and
Avinning the sincere afi'ection and respect of his parishioners.
CHAKLES WENDELL, of Johnstown, has been employed by the
Cambria Iron Company in one capacity and another between forty and
fifty years, and while his service has not been continuous from the time
he first entered the works, he is one of the oldest employes of that con-
cern. He began his career in life at the age of twelve years, and has been
occupied with some useful employment from that to the present time.
About three years of this remarkable period w(fre spent in the govern-
260 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
ment service iis a soldier of the Civil war, and this was not by any means
the least ardnous of his work, as will be seen from what is said in a later
part of this sketch.
Mr. Wendell is a son of the late Charles Wendell, of Richland town-
ship, Cambria county. The elder Wendell was born in Hamburg, Ger-
inan}', and served six years in the German army, as the military regula-
tions of that country required of its subjects. He was about twenty-five
years old when he left the service and soon afterward came to America.
He had fallen in love with a young German woman, Katherine Haynes,
^vhose parents ■«'ere wealthy and opposed her marriage with the young
f-oldier. Thus situated, and determined to marry regardless of the
parental objection, Charles and Katherine ran away from home and sailed
for America. In due season thev arrived at the port of Xcav York, where
they were at once married. This interesting event took place in 1833.
After they had married, Charles Wendell and his wife came to Pennsyl-
vania and found work on a farm in Bedford county. They lived in that
vicinity several years, and in 1837 removed to Somerset count}', where tliey
lived four or five years. Soon after this he brought his family to Ricliland
township, in Cambria count)', and was a farmer there until the time of his
death, in 1878. His widow sur^'ived him nearly fifteen years and died in
1892. Their married life extended through a period of fifty-five years of
agreeable companionship, and they raised to maturity a large family of
children. One sister of Mr. Wendell followed him to this country, and
afterward married Philip Koehler. His life was ended in an accident on
the Penns3'lvania railroad and his wife was a victim of the Johnstown
flood, May 31, 1889. Children of Charles and Katherine (Haynes)
Wendell: Charles Wendell, one of the oldest employes of Cambria Iron
Company ; married Elizabeth Xoon, and had seven children. Philip Wen-
dell, married, first, Mary Paul : married, second. Miss Shirey ; lives in
Goshen, Indiana. Jacob Wendell, married, first, Barbara Paul ; married
second, Elizabeth Paul ; married, third, a Horner ; married, fourth, a
widow Reynolds, whose family name is Kooster; Mr. AVendell lives at
Dunlo, Pennsylvania. Elizabeth Wendell, married Jacob Stowe; both are
now dead. Mary Wendell, married John Stiffler, and is now dead. John
Wendell, died in Kansas about 1896; he was a soldier of the Nineteenth
Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry in the Civil war. Katherine Wendell,
married Jacob Schaeifer; she is dead. David Wendell, married Sarah
Xoon, and lives at Meadowvale, Pennsylvania. Lavine Wendell, married
Frank Varner, and is now dead. Rebecca Wendell, married Jacob Stine-
man, and lives at Conemaugh, Pennsylvania. William Wendell, married
a Miss Rohrabach, and lives at Altoona, PennsA'lvania.
Charles Wendell was born at Shellsburg, in Bedford county, on the
13th of Januarv, 1835, and was two years old when his parents came to
Cambria county and settled on a farm in Richland township. He was
sent to the district school during the winter seasons of his youth, and
when twelve years old was bound out to a farmer in the neighliorhood of
his home, with an agreement that his father should receive twelve bushels
of wheat for his service, and the boy to be allowed two months schooling
during the first year. The second year the father received twenty-four
luTshels of wheat and the son was given the same time in school as before.
After this he worked out for different farmers in the township, but in the
course of a few months came to Johnstown and found employment in the
rail mill of Cambria Iron Company.
Having worked for the company four years, ^It. Wendell married
and for the next three and one-half years turned his attention to farming
niSTOEY OF CAMBIUA COUNTY. 261
ijursuits. He was thus employed at the beginning of the Civil war. On
October 18, 1862, he enlisted in Company H (Captain Geisinger) of the
Fifty-fourth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered into
service at Harrisburg. From there he was sent with other recruits to his
regiment at the front, and was assigned to guard duty along the line of
the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. He served as private, and was in all the
battles in which the regiment took part, except when kept from duty by
reason of wounds. He was wounded first while on the picket line at North
Mountain, and was on the hospital list on that account for six weeks. He
was again wounded at Newmarket, May 15, 1864, and although ordered to
remain in the hospital he returned to his company in a few days. He was
with the regiment at High Bridge just before Lee's surrender, when the
whole command was captured, but was soon released. While the Fifty-
fourtii was in camp at Annapolis awaiting discharge after the surrender
at Appomattox, Mr. ^Yendell became so seriously sick with a chronic trou-
ble that it was a question whether he would live to see home again. He
was mustered out while in the camp hospital, and was kept there itntil
June before he was able to return to Pennsylvania. In April, 1866, hav-
ing in a measure recovered his health, he returned to the Cambria Iron
Company and worked a few years as helper in the rail mill and then as
heater, altogether thirty-six years. This long service brought him to a
point somewhat beyond the prime of life, but the company has since re-
tained him to perform the lighter duty of watchman at the time office
gate as an appreciation of long continued and faithful service. Mr. Wen-
dell is a comrade of the Union Veteran Legion and of Emory Fisher Post,
Gr. A. K., of Johnstown, a member of the United Brethren Church, and
in politics is a Eepublican.
On the 18th of December, 1857, he married Elizabeth Noon, daugh-
ter of David and Sarah (Strayer) Noon, of Conemaugh township. Her
grandfather came from Lancaster county to Cambria county many years
a£CO, and was a farmer in Conemaugh township. Children of Charles and
Elizal)eth (Noon) Wendell: Eobert W. Wendell, born February 11, 1859;
clied unmarried. February 20, 1895. Ephraim L. Wendell, born June 7,
1861 ; married Blanche Pritner, and is an employe of the Gautier plant of
Cambria Iron Company. Sarah Ada Wendell, born x\pril 29, 1866 ; married
Joshua Duncan, and was drowned in the Johnstown flood, ]\[ay 31, 1889.
Annie C. Wendell, born September 21, 1868; married Samuel Oakes, and
lives in Pittsburg. Charles D. W^endell, bom October 1, 1870; a dentist-
by profession; unmarried and lives at home. Benjamin Franklin Wen-
dell, born January 31, 1873; married Irene Stewart; he is a dentist by
profession, and lives in the Eleventh ward, Johnstown. Mary Elizabeth
Wendell, born February 14, 1875; married Lindsay Pritner, who is an
employe of the Franklin department of Cambria Steel Company.
CAPTAIN HUGH BRADLEY, of Hollidaysburg, born in county
Derry, Ireland, reared on a farm, is a son of Roger Bradley, who was the
father of five sons and three daughters. Of these Peter came to America
in 1850, Hugh in 1851, James John in 1860 and the other sons remained
in their' native land. One of the daughters married Francis Fox and their
family consisted of six sons and three daughters, one of the sons becom-
ing a* priest. Another daughter, Ellen, married James Bradley and their
family consisted of six sons and two daughters, three of the sons are
]iriests, two are doctors and one daughter a school teacher. Another
daughter, Mary, married Andrew Willson and their family consisted of
five "sons and seven daughters, six of whom came to America.
Vol. Ill— 17
262 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
It was ill the year 1851 that Captain Hugh Bradle}', then a stout boy
of seventeen years, left the home at the countryside in old county Derry.
Ireland, and took ship for America. In good time he landed safe at New
Orleans, Louisiana, from which city he started up the Mississippi on a
northbound steamer with the purpose to make his way to Minnesota Ter-
ritory, where he had relatives living at St. Paul, but the boat in which he
took passage "snagged" near Memphis, Tennessee, and his trip came to a
sudden end, as did his own plans as well, and he at once set at work in
that locality. For a year or so Hugh lived with a farmer near Memphis
and proved to be a handy man on the place, for he was a farmer bred and
born with a willing heart and a pair of strong arms, and he could do a
man's work, although he was only a bo3^ At the end of a year he went
to the river and worked on the docks as a stevedore, passing bales of cot-
ton from the wharves to the boats. While there he happened by chance
to meet one Frank White, a locomotive engineer and probably the first
man to "pull a throttle" on the first bit of track of the old Memphis &
Charlestown railroad, thirty miles of which were just completed, from
Memphis to a town called Moscow. Frank White had a liking for the
stout young lad and made him his fireman ; thus it happened that Hugh
Bradley "fired" the first engine that ever was run on that road. He
stayed at this work until May, 1853, then quit and came north, stopped
two weeks in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, went on to Johnstown and re-
mained there a few weeks more. On leaving Johnstown he went by the
old Portage railroad to Altoona and from there by tlie Penns^dvauia main
line to Philadelphia. Soon afterward he went to Phoenixville, Chester
county, and found work there as puddler in the iron works, which became
his first regular occupation in life. At the end of six months he left
Phoenixville and went to Safe Harbor, Lancaster county, and from there
back to Johnstown, where he has lived since August, 1854, more than half
a century.
When he came to live in Johnstown Captain Bradley was a little more
than twenty years old. He was bom March 4, 1834. As a boy he was
given little opportunity to attend school, but what he lost in that way he
more than made up in learning by actual experience in travel and ob-
servation of men. Having settled at Johnstown he at once found era-
plo3Tnent as puddler in the old mill of the Cambria Iron Company, and
worked there constantly until August, 1892, a period of nearly forty
years. He then was given the position of watchman and janitor in the
general office of the Cambria Steel Company, which he held until May,
1905, and then resigned at the urgent request of his sons. Captain Brad-
ley was in the service of the Cambria Iron Company and its successor, the
Cambria Steel Company, more than fifty years, with but one or two events
to break that remarkable period of employment.
The first of these intervals came in 1861, at the outbreak of the Civil
war, when President Lincoln called for seventy-five thousand volunteers
for three months "to suppress treasonable rebellion." At that call, on the
18th of April, he enlisted in Captain John Linton's company of the Third
Pennsvlvania Volunteer Infantry, Colonel Minier commanding. On the
organization of the company he was elected and soon afterward was com-
missioned first lieutenant. His service with the regiment was chiefly in
the vicinity of Falling Water and Winchester, Virginia, where occasional
skirmishes were had with the enemy. At the expiration of the term of
enlistment Lieutenant Bradley would have re-enlisted for three years, but
the objections of his good wife prevailed and kept him at home Avith her
and their children. However, during the latter part of the war when the
di^oA^^ei^ s: /^U^, ^.8
Ul;STOIil OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 263
territory of Pennsylvania was seriously threatened with still another Con-
federate invasion, he led a company of volunteers to resist the invaders.
His company was not regularly mustered into either the state or govern-
ment service, but it was there and ready for action. Previous to the war
Captain Bradley was for five years a private in the militia organization
known as the Home Guards,
The second period of absence from work came in June, 1899, when
Captain Bradley returned to Ireland and visited his old boyhood home for
the first time in fifty years. His parents were not there then and few in-
deed of the friends of early days. He found relatives who treated him
with the utmost kindness, but even they were almost strangers. In 1904
he attended the Xational Encampment of the Grand Army of the Eepub-
lic in San Francisco, California. In politics he always has been a firm
Democrat, but never sought public ofiice.
Hugh Bradley has been married three times. His first wife, whom
he married November 16, 1858, was Mary Eiley, of ISTew Florence, Penn-
sylvania, by whom he had seven children. She died February 23, 1880.
His second wife was Mary Bradley, daughter of John Bradley, of Alle-
gheny township, Cambria county. She died after two and a half years
of married life. His third wife was Katherine Blatte, of Hollidaysburg,
Pennsylvania, whom he married September 24, 1885. She was a daughter
of Jerome and Susan (Mouse) Blatte. Jerome Blatte was born in Ba-
varia, Germany, and his wife Susan near Frankfort, Germany. He was
a millwright by trade, although his chief occupation was farming. He
died March 12, 1903, but his widow still lives on the farm six miles above
Hollidaysburg with her son — Frank Blatte — and her two daughters —
Melinda and Jenny Blatte. Her four other children are Elizabeth, wife
of Thomas Tierney, of Hollidaysburg; Mary, wife of William Brown, of
Lily, Pennsylvania; Susan, wife of William Crist of Braddock, Pennsyl-
vania, and Margaret, who now is in the convent at Braddock.
Children of Captain Hugh and Mary (Eiley) Bradley: 1. Edward
Eiley, born 1859, married Agnes Curry, of Chicago. Mr. Bradley lives in
Chicago, where he is the proprietor of the Del Prado Hotel, and owns a
blooded stock farm in the Blue Grass region of Kentucky. He recently
sold Accountant, a fast runner, for forty-five thousand dollars. 2. James
Francis, died in infancy. 3. Mary E., born 1863, married (first) Byron
Gibbons; married (second) Eobert Scanlon. 4. John Soger, born 1866,
a broker in New York city, an extensive traveler, is known as one of the
six great hunters of the world's big game. He has hunted in the Eockies,
Alaska. Mexico, South Africa, Siberia, China, and has the finest collec-
tion of heads of horned animals in the world. He is now a resident of
New York City, and is a contributor to the columns of The Illustrated
Outdoor News and other sporting magazines. 5. Hugh Patrick, born
1868, died aged eight years. 6. Peter Garvey, born 1870, a machinist
now living in Boston, Massachusetts. 7. Katherine, wife of Edward W.
Bailev, of Johnstown.
CHAELES E. BOEN, M. D., one of the best known of the younger
physicians in Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, who has served
the city in a variety of ways, and is medical examiner for an unusually
large number of life insurance companies, is descended from an old and
respected family of Germany.
John Born, father of Dr. Charles E. Born, and the first of this fam-
ily to come to America, was born December 25, 1840, and emigrated to the
United States in 1861. His occupation was that of tea sorter. He served
264 HISTORY OF CAMBIUA COUNTY.
three years in the Fifty-seventh Eegiment, Xew York Volunteers, in the
Civil war. Pie was a member of the Lutheran church, and he died in
188-1:. He married Caroline Smith, daughter of John and Wilhelniina
Smith, who was one of four children : Mary, married Berthold Nern ;
Augusta, married Charles E. Popp : Caroline, mentioned above ; and
John, deceased. The children of John and Caroline (Smith) Born were:
Four died in infancy. 5. Edward W.. deceased, was a sergeant in the
Twenty-first Eegiment during the conflicts in the Philippines, and died
from the effects of malarial fever which he contracted while on duty
there. 6. George M., unmarried, is a printer by occupation, and resides
in Brooklyn, ISTew York. 7. Dr. Charles E., see forward.
Charles E. Born, M. D., youngest child of John and Caroline (Smith)
Born, was born at Maspeth, Long Island, New York, Aiigust 19, 1878.
His preliminary education was received in the public schools of Maspeth,
and Board of Eegents, New York State University. He then commenced
the study of medicine under the preceptorship of Dr. Y. E. Judson, of
Maspeth. He next spent three years at the Long Island College Hospital
and one year at the University of Baltimore, ]\Iaryland, from which latter
institution he was graduated April 15, 1902. He then opened an office in
Johnstown, Cambria count}', Pennsylvania, where he is at present (1906)
associated with Dr. W. E. Matthews, at No. 425 Lincoln street, in the
practice of his profession. He was city physician for a time, and also
physician to the Municipal Hospital, Johnstown. He is medical examin-
er for the following insurance companies: American Central Life of In-
dianapolis; Beliance of Pittsburg; Equitable of Iowa; American Life of
Pittsburg ; American Casualty of Beading ; Xorth American Accident of
Chicago and Fraternal Insurance. He is a member of the following fra-
ternal organizations: Cambria Lodge, No. 538, Free and Accepted Masons;
Portage Chapter, Eoyal Arch ^lasons. No. 195 ; Cambria Council, E. and
S. M.', No. 32; Oriental Commandery, No. 61, Knights Templar, all at
Johnstown, Pennsylvania ; Williamsport Consistory, thirty-second de-
gree, Scottish Eite- Jaffa Temple, A. A. 0. N. M. S., Altoona; Cambria
County Medical Society; Pennsylvania State ^tedical Society; American
Medical Association; Alpha Chapter, Phi Chi ^Medical Fraternity, south-
em jurisdiction ; Baltimore University Alumni Association. He is a
member of the Protestant Episcoi:)al church, and gives his 'political sup-
port to the Eepublican party. The excellence of his work in his chosen
profession has drawn much favorable comment from his fellow practi-
tioners, and he enjoys the confidence of a large number of patients.
He married, December 24. 1899, Eosa Allendorfer, daughter of John
H. and Helene (Headrick) x\llendorfer, of Johnstown, who had four
children : Eosa, mentioned above ; Lucy, married Homer A. Wilson ; Lill-
ian, married B. Lynn Gohin ; and Harry, unmarried. Dr. Charles E. and
Eosa (Allendorfer) Born have one child: Mildred M., born at Brooklyn,
New York, May 15, 1901.
SAMUEIj E. Y'OUNG, general manager and secretary of the Johns-
to^\^l Passenger Eailway Company, and in some prominent manner iden-
tified with l)usiness interests in that city for more than thirty years, was
born at Armagh, Indiana county, Pennsylvania, January 1, 1849, and
comes of Scotch-Irish ancestors long resident in this state.
His father, Horace F. Young, was bom in Central Pennsylvania, and
was an early settler in Cambria county. In 1848 he removed to Armagh
and two vears later became partner with Absolom Thompson and James
Johnson in establishing and operating a foundry at that place. In 1852
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 265
:\lr. Young removed to New Florence, Westmoreland county, and engaged
in mercantile pursuits until 1860. He then came to Johnstown and
worked at his trade as a carpenter and joiner until ]86i. In 1866 he met
accidental death. On the occasion of the visit, September 14, 1866, of
President Andrew Johnson and other distinguished officers of the govern-
ment, he sustained injuries from which he died soon afterward, by the
falling of the platform at the local Pennsylvania railroad station. He was
a firm Democrat and a consistent member of the Presbyterian church.
Mr. Young's wife, Sarah (Johnson) Young, is a descendant of an old In-
diana county family whose settlement in the locality of Armagh was
made when the region was almost a wilderness, and when Indian troubles
made life itself uncertain in that part of the state. During that early
period the Johnson family was frequently driven from home, and on one
occasion the buildings were plundered and burned to the ground. The log-
cabin was rebuilt, however, and is still standing, a monument of pioneer
days. Samuel Johnson, Mr. Young's maternal grandfather, attained the
age of eighty-one years.
Samuel E. Young was educated in the public schools in Indiana
county and at a private school in Johnstown, wliich was kept by Ecv. B. L.
Agnew. His business career was begun as an employe of Wood, Morrell &
Co., and later on he became superintendent for the Johnstown Manufac-
turing Company in the operation of that company's woolen and flour mills
at Woodvale, now a part of the city of Johnstown. This position he held
until 1893 and then resigned to take that of general manager of Johns-
town Passenger Eailway, which position Mr. Young still holds, succeed-
ing Mr. John B. Hofgen, resigned. Mr. Young is a Democrat. He is a
member of the Knights of Pythias, a life member of Lodge No. 175, Be-
nevolent and Protective Order of Elks of Johnstown. He is a Presbyter-
ian, as were all his ancestors.
Samuel E. Young married, November 18, 1873, Lizzie Rose, daugh-
ter of Wesley J. Rose, of Johnstown. Of this marriage five children have
been born: 1. Horace, deceased. 3. Wesley J., married Alice Williams
and resides in Johnstown. 3. Walter R., married a Miss Schrader and
resides in Johnstown. 4. Annie, married John Monaghen and resides in
Johnstowm. 5. Jessie.
JOHN DIBERT WEAVER SNOWDEN, of the J. D. W. Snow-
den Company of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was born in that city, August
14, 1883, son of W. S. Weaver. The Weaver ancestors were natives of New
England, whence they emigrated to the Genesee Valley, New York. From
that locality they drifted to western Pennsylvania.
Henry Weaver, the great-grandfather of John D. Weaver Snowden,
settled in the upper valley of the Allegheny river, probably in Armstrong
county, near Kittanning, where Samuel E. Weaver, his son, was born.
Samuel E. Weaver went west for a time, but in 1860 moved to Johnstown,
where he died in 1893. He was for many years assistant superintendent
of Wood, Morrells & Company's store, now the Penn Traffic Company.
The wife of Samuel E. Weaver, Louisa Domm, was born in 1837, near
Berlin, Somerset county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Casper Domm, a
native of Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, who emigrated to America in 1835,
locating near Berlin, where he lived until 1874, when he located perma-
nently at Johnstown. Here he died in 1891, aged eighty-six years. He
was a contractor and builder.
Walter Sinclair Weaver, father of John D. Weaver Snowden, was born
at Wellersburg, Somerset county, Pennsylvania, January 19, 1856, coming
266 HISTOEY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
to Johnstown at the age of five years. He received his schooling at the
public schools of that place, and at an early age entered the service of the
Cambria Steel Company. x\t tlie age of twenty he caught the western
fever, went to California and traveled extensively throughout the west for
three years. On his return to Johnstown he engaged in business for him-
self on Main street, opening a bakery and confectionery store, in connec-
tion with china and glassware. Here he continued imtil the great flood
of 1889, which destroyed the buildings and ruined the stock. He sold his
interest in the property and the following two years thereafter was the
manager of the Engleside Brick Co. Leaving this he again entered the
employ of the Cambria Steel Co., in the works order department, later
was made the superintendent of that department, then special accountant,
at the general office, later still assistant to the assistant manager. At the
present time he is superintendent of structural and steel car department.
After the death of his first wife (the mother of the subject) W. S. Weav-
er married for his second wife, Josephine Moore, of Scranton, Pennsyl-
vania, a sister of M. G. Moore, civil engineer for the Cambria Steel Com-
pany, who married a sister of W. S. Weaver, Louisa by name. By his sec-
ond marriage Mr. Weaver had three children: Catherine, Josephine and
Walter Sinclair, Jr.
Conceriiing the first marriage of Walter S. Weaver, it may be said
that he was united to Susan Blanch Dibert. She was the daughter of
John and Martha (McLane) Dibert, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. By
this union the following children were born: John Dibert, see forward;
and Martha, who with her mother was drowned in the Johnstown flood.
The Diberts were of Holland stock, Mrs. Weaver's great-grandfather be-
ing the immigrant ancestor. The place of their original settlement was
Bedford county, Pennsylvania, whence John Dibert, the second in de-
scent, removed to Somerset county, settling at a place afterward called
Dibertsville. He was a farmer, distiller and a tanner until about 1816,
when he removed to Johnstown, where he died at the age of forty-five
years. At Johnstown he engaged in the mercantile and hotel business,
becoming one of the most wealthy and prominent citizens of the town.
His son, John Dibert, the father of !Mrs. Weaver, received a good mercan-
tile education in his father's business and devoted himself to mercantile
and banking pursuits all of his life. About 1850 he established a hard-
ware business which was carried on for many years. In 1869, in partner-
ship with Jolm D. Eoberts, he founded the banking firm of John Dibert
& Co., which continued until Mr. Dibert's death, at the time of the flood.
May 31, 1889.
Mrs. Susan Blanch (Dibert) Weaver, with her daughter Martha,
were ill-fated victims of the great 1889 Johnstown flood, in which they
lost their lives. After this calamity, the son, John Dibert Weaver (sub-
ject) was adopted by Mrs. WeaA'ers sister, Mrs. Bobert Patterson Snow-
den, nee Mary Dibert. The Snowdens and Pattersons were settlers in
New Jersey prior to the landing of William Penn. After this event they
removed to Philadelphia, where the major portion of both families have
since resided. Mr. Snowden's grandfather, General Eobert Patterson, was
an officer in the Mexican war, and a personal friend of General Grant.
Eobert Patterson Snowden is connected with the Pennsylvania railroad,
at Camden, New Jersey.
John Dibert (Weaver) Snowden was born at Johnstown, Pennsyl-'
vania, August 14. 1883, and after his adoption into the Snowden family
he was taken to Bordentown, their residence at that time.. In 1893 he
Avent to Eavmond Academv. at Camden, New Jersev, where he remained
HISTOBi OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 267
three years, then to the William Penn Charter School, at Philadelphia,
from which he graduated in 1902. He was with the Cambria Steel Co.
m their Philadelphia office for about eighteen months, and was then
transferred to Johnstown for a year afterward. He engaged in the lum-
ber business on his own account, in 1904, at Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
His business is entirely wholesale, selling to yards, mostly in Pennsyl-
vania. A large portion of the lumber which he handles is bought from
local mills throughout West Virginia. Mr. Snowden is a large realty
owner in Johnstown, and is firm in his belief in its future. In his polit-
ical views he is inclined to independent party operations, particularly in
local matters. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, and at Cam-
den was the secretary of the Sunday school, president of the Young Men's
Bible Class, as well as the president of the Ushers Association. He is a
member of Americus Club, Physical Culture Club, and the Johnstown
Country Club.
Mr. Snowden married, October 5, 1901, Irene Clift, daughter of
TJlysse Chamacine and Mary Elizabeth (Danby) Mac Kee, of Camden,
]!^ew Jersey.
EEV. PETER FOX, pastor of Sacred Heart Church, Conemaugh,
Pennsylvania, was born in Ireland, June 6, 1871. He sprang from an old
and respected family, who resided in the county Westmeath, near the
birthplace of Oliver Goldsmith. The late Andrew J. and Pose (Halion)
Fox had eleven children, among whom was Peter.
At an early age he started to Tang National School. When twelve
years old he entered the Jesuit College, Galway, and remained there three
years. He was a student at St. Mel's College, Longford, for two years,
where he became proficient in the higher branches, including French, Lat-
in and Greek. From St. Mel's he went to Carlow. Among the students of
this great institution of learning he was remarkable for refinement and
culture, and his keen intellect could grasp the most abstruse questions in
ethics and dogma. Under able professors he acquired a liberal education,
and in difficult problems — theological, scriptural or otherwise— his opin-
ion was always of much Aveight.
After six years of siiccessful study he was ordained on June 28, 1896,
by the Most Rev. Patrick Foley, D. D., for the Diocese of Pittsburg. Aft-
er a vacation of three months he bade adieu to brothers and sisters, to
home and country, and came to the Iron City. His first appointment was
as assistant pastor at St. John's Church, Altoona, where he remained
nearly five years. While in the Mountain City he proved himself a priest,
a scholar and a man, and when he left, it was with the great regret of his
parishioners, amongst Avhom he labored so faithfully and so fruitfully.
He was pastor of Holy Trinity Church, Hmitingdon, for two years,
endearing himself not only to his owii people, but also to the good citi-
zens of the town. From Huntingdon he went to Ebensburg, and remained
there 'till February, 1906, when lie took charge of his present parish.
Here, as elsewhere, he has displayed great executive ability, not only in
making extensive improvements but also in paying off large amounts of
debt.
He is earnest, forceful and eloquent in diction, and his sermons are
such that those who hear them must necessarily derive much spiritual
good. Moreover, he has been beloved always by his people. His genial
disposition, his earnest desire to advance their temporal welfare as well as
their spiritual needs, and his untiring zeal for the salvation of souls, has
won for him the esteem and affection of all.
268 niSTORY OF rAMBlUA COUXTY.
BEY. JOHN MARTVON, pastor of St. Stephen's Slovak Eoman
Catholic Church, Cambria City, was born January 6, 1857, in Hrustin,
Hungary, son of John and Theresa (Zilinec) Martvon, the former of
Avhom followed the occupation of a farmer.
John Martvon was thoroughly educated in his native land, passing
four years at the Gymnasium of Trstena and three at that of Levoca. He
studied philosophy and theology at Spis, and there received ordination
April 15, 1881. During six years thereafter he ministered as assistant
pastor at churches situated at Hrusov, Kluknava, Jablonka and Lipnica.
In 1890 he set sail for the United States, and on July 25, of that year,
landed in New York. Thence he proceeded to Cleveland, Ohio, where he
took charge of the Slovak congregation of the church of St. Ladislaus,
fulfilling the duties of that office over two years. At the end of that time
he was transferred to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and placed in charge of
the congregation of which he has been the guide for the last twelve years,
liaving entered upon his pastoral duties in March, 1891.
The broad and liberal basis upon which the work of Father Martvon
is foimded and the spirit of kindliness by which it is animated are dem-
onstrated in the fact that since he assumed charge of the congregation it
has become representative of no fewer than four different nationalities,
Greeks, Croatians, Poles and Magyars meeting and co-operating in a
spirit of brotherly love. At first the Greeks, Croatians, Poles and Mag-
yars with the Slovaks formed one congregation. Now they each have a
congregation of their own, making five from one.
In 1895 a comfortable and attractive parsonage was erected, and in
1897 the work of the church was re-enforced by the building of a con-
vent to which was attached a parochial school. The congregation also
purchased the property adjoining the convent at a cost of fifteen thou-
sand five hundred dollars, and on this land the erection of a new church
is contemplated. In 1895 Father Martvon introduced into his parish the
Sisters of St. Francis, and since that time the school under their charge,
which was organized with a force of two teachers and an attendance of
sixty children, has increased to seven teachers and four hundred and fifty
pupils. This fact is illustrative of the aggressive policy of Father Mart-
von and his able coadjutors and of the rapid and abundant results already
accomplished which contain in their fulfilment encouraging hopes for fu-
ture achievement.
KEY. JULIUS CSUCSKA, an able clergyman of the Greek Catholic
denomination, in Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, is one of the
most widely known and irespected preachers in that section of the state.
He resigned the important position of professor and vice-president of the
Greek Theological Institution at Unghvar to accept this call to work in
America.
The laboring class of Hungary, though they may resign almost all
the customs of their native country and adopt those of the land to which
they have emigrated, cling with devotion to the faith of their forefathers.
This is practically exemplified in the Greek Catholic congregation which
has been formed in Johnstown. This congregation was organized in 1895
and there were but fifteen families that joined in the movement at that
time, led by John Jerabinctz, Andrew Bohla and Stephen Staroschak.
They erected the first church ever built in this county for the so-called
Greek rites. Tliis was a small, frame house located in Power street, Cam-
bria City, and was under the direct supervision of the first pastor. Rev. H.
Dzubay. The small congregation rapidly outgrew their place of wor-
ty^e^.
t^
' </-u.c^^ ^^^^^/
Til STORY OF CAMHRIA COUNTY. 269
ship^ for the co-religionists from all over the county came to take part in
the divine service. The congregation therefore erected a large brick edi-
fice close to the old church, in 1900. and this was placed under the spir-
itual guidance of the Eoman Catholic bishop of Pittsburg at that tiiiie,
Eight Kev. Phelan. Rev. Julius Csucska was appointed the second pastor
of this congregation, in 1901, and so wise and able has been his manage-
ment of the finances of this parish, and so strenuous his efforts in its wel-
fare, that witJiin the space of five years the following improvement's and
alterations have been made and paid for and yet the congregation has a
balance to its credit: The full amount of the church mortgage, amount-
ing to twenty-three thousand dollars ; a handsome altar screen at a cost
of seven thousand five hundred dollars ; the old frame chu.rch building was
remodeled into a school building at a cost of twenty-five hundred dollars,
and there are now two teachers employed there regularly instructing an
average number of eighty pupils in English and domestic science; ground
has been purchased for a cemetery at a cost of three thousand three hun-
dred dollars; the Church Society's meeting house has been repaired at an
expense of one thousand dollars ; the large cross on the church tower was
gilded at an expense of one thousand dollars ; a library containing a choir
room was erected, cost one thousand dolhirs ; and about three hundred dol-
lars have been spent in church vestments. The congregation has now
grown to such an extent that some branches have been founded at Wind-
fcor and South Fork. The trustees of the church at the present time are:
Michael Kesslak, John Brindza, John Kalybaph, Mike Moroz, John
Sandor and Michael Sejko.
Rev. Julius Csucska was born in county Beregs/olos, Hungary,
March 24, 1855, son of Rev. Andy and Therezia (Boksay) Csucska. The
father was a minister in the Greek Catholic Church in his native land,
Hungary, the place where Rev. Julius Csucska was born. They had four
sons, who were ordained priests in Greek Catholic Church, all of whom
are dead, except Julius, and one daughter, who is also deceased.
Rev. Julius Csucska was educated at Unghvar and Budapesth. Ilis
theological education was obtained at the following places: Puznyakfalva
and Beregszolos. He was ordained in December, 1879, in the town of
Unghvar, and took up the work in the ministry in his native land. In
1895 he accepted professorship of literature; this he filled until 1901; he
was also vice rector in Bishoff high school in Unghvar. June 15, 1901, he
came to Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He has been a tireless worker and has
accomplished wonders. He covered a large district, but at present is con-
fined to Johnstown and Conemaugh. Aside from his work as a priest he
Tias devoted much attention to newspaper work, editing ihe WauJca, a re-
ligions adviser; this was published in his native land. Since coming to
JolnistoA\m he founded the Cesl-ovnoga. a religious jounial for his people,
which he still edits. He is a linguist of no mean ability, speaking fluent-
ly six or seven different languages.
Rev. Stephen Chermitzky, in charge of the Hungarian Catholic con-
gregation of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, after being graduated from the
University of Budapesth, Hungary, became tutor in tlie family of Baron
Revay. Three years later he was appointed to the professorship of relig-
ious instruction in the various high schools of Saraspatak. He was thus
engaged until the latter part of 1904, when, at the request of Rev. P. J.
Donahue, Bishop of Wheeling, he was officially sent to America.
The Hungarian Catholic congregation of Johnstown is of recent es-
tablishment. This religious movement was organized in 1904, under the
leadership of Michael Tondora and Joseph Karaffa. Right Rev. Garvey,
270 niSTOUY OF CAMBIHA COUNTY.
Bishop of Altoona, was instrumental in securing for them the services of
Eev. Stephen Chermitzky, who has since had charge of this congregation,
and under whose guidance and instruction it is in a very satisfactory and
flourishing condition. The congregation, which numbered about one hun-
dred families, succeeded in raising a fund of about seven thousand dol-
lars before the end of the first year. There was a large mortgage resting
on the plot on which they intended ultimately erecting a church building,
located at IsTo. 524 Chestnut street, and so they determined to worship at
first in a remodeled tenement house which was consecrated by the Bishop of
Altoona, August 19, 1906. This is the first entirely Hungarian Catholic
congregation in this diocese, and it is expected that there will soon be
a sufficient amount of money collected, with the aid of those living in
the vicinity of Johnstown, to erect a suitable house of worship. The con-
gregation is a ver}' devout one, and is constantly increasing in numbers.
"\Y. WliSTSTOiSr DAVIS, the present assistant postmaster at Johns-
town, is descended through the following genealogical line:
(I) Morgan Davis, the great-grandfather, who was born in Tre-
degar, Wales, in 1784, and died in the summer of 1862, Jolmstown,
was a miner in Wales. He married and the following were his six chil-
dren who lived to maturity: Eichard, who came to the United States
in 1837 and 1840, was accidentally killed in the mines near Pittsburg,
Pennsylvania; David M., born in 1811; Eliza, the oldest of the family,
came to the United States in 1828; Martha, came to America in 1840;
Sarah, and one other daughter whose name is not known.
(II) David M. Davis, son of Morgan Davis and wife, was bom
at Tredegar, Wales, in 1811. He married Elizabeth Watkins, of Eumey,
Wales, in 1833 and at once emigrated to this countrv. Thev came in
an old-fashioned sailing vessel and were thirteen weeks making the voy-
age. By reason of rough seas their vessel was partly wrecked, and the
passengers were without food and fresh water until they chanced to pass
another ship and secured sufficient supplies to complete their voyage.
They settled first in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and from there removed to
Brady's Bend, Armstrong county, where they remained until 1854, at
which time they removed to Johnstown. AVhile living at Pittsburg and
Brady's Bend he followed mining, and at Johnstown he held a con-
tract for delivering all the coal consumed by the Cambria Iron Company
for use in their rolling mills. He continued at this until about 1863.
when he retired from active life and lived in Johnstown until his death
in the summer of 1873. Politically he was a Eepublican and was a mein-
ber of the school board and on the ]\Ii]lville borough council. He Avas
a deacon in the Welsh Presbyterian church of Johnstown, of which he-
was one of the founders. He was of a literary mind and frequently wrote
articles for the Welsh newspapers in America. He was considered good
authority on all Biblical questions, as was his father. His wife died at
Johnstown in 1879, and like many another was first buried in Sandy
Yale buiwing ground, but later her remains were removed to Grand
A'iew Cemetery. She was an exceptional woman for charitable deeds and
Christian works. ISIot unfrequently did she leave her home nights and
care for the needy and suffering sick within her community. To this
trulv Avorthy couple Avere born the following fifteen children : Eliza-
beth, ]\[organ, Thomas D., Ann, Eichard D., David ]\I., John, Martha
Ann, Eliza Jane. John Morgan. George. Margaret, William George, and
tAvo Avho died in infancy. Eichard D., David ]\I., Martha Ann and John
M. are the onlv survivors.
HISTOEY OF CAMBEIA COUNTY. 271
(III) Thomas D. Davis, son of David M. and Elizabeth (Watkins)
Davis, was born in 1840, at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Early in life he
followed coal mining, the family having moved to Johnstown in 1854,
he accompanying them and there following the same line of work for
several years. In 1866 he engaged in the general merchandising busi-
ness, which he continued until his death, September 23, 1894. He had
but a limited education at school, but by self culture became a well
posted man. He was of the Eepublican party in politics, and in religion
was an elder in the Welsh Presbyterian church. He was a member of
Mineral Lodge, No. 89, of the order of Knights of Pythias. He was a
most excellent man in whom all might well confide. When he first em-
barked in trade he was located at the corner of Main and Market streets,
remaining until 1874, when he removed to Westmoreland county and
opened a Avholesale store at the borough of Irwin, where he remained
about two years and then returned to Johnstown, where he en-
gaged in business at his former stand, continuing there until the flood of
May 31, 1889, after which he was located at the corner of Market and
Locust streets. Here he continued until his death. His was an honor-
able, upright career. He was buried in Grand View cemetery, in the
family lot.
In 1866 he married Jane Charles, of Ebensburg, Pennsylvania, who
was born in North Wales, died March 11, 1904, and rests in Grand View
cemetery, Johnstown. She was an unusually bright, intelligent woman,
whom to know was but to admire. She possessed some literary ability
and frequently wrote for the press. The children born to Mr. and Mrs.
Thomas D. Davis were as follows: Elizabeth Margaret, deceased. Jen-
nie, deceased. David Charles, deceased. Walter Winston, see forward.
Elda May, born 1878, married Charles Longenecker, of Bedford, Penn-
sylvania, who is now in the employ of the Colonial Steel Company at
Beaver, Pennsylvania, and they have one son, Charles, born 1905. Eob-
ert Charles, noAV a student in the medical department of the University
of Pennsylvania. Nellie, deceased.
(Ill) Richard D. Davis, son of David M. and Elizabeth (Watkins)
Davis, was born in 1843. He received but a limited school education and
early commenced to learn the trade of painter. He worked at this for
others until 1867, when he opened a shop of his own and has continued
ever since and now does contract painting work. Politically he is a
Republican, and like most of the Davis family adheres to the Presby-
erian faith. Among the local offices he has held in Johnstown may be
named school controller, common councilman, and a member of the
board of revision of taxes. He married, 1884, Mary Jane Ilowell, of
Ebensburg. Their only child is Clarence Reed Davis, who is still at-
tending school.
(Ill) John M. Davis, son of David M. and Elizabeth (Watkins)
Davis, was born February 7, 1853, at Brady's Bend, Armstrong county,
Pennsylvania, and accompanied his parents "to Johnstown when one year
of age. He attended the Johnstown common schools, and was an em-
ploye in the steel and rolling mills until 1879, when he engaged in the
coal trade and is still an operator, located in the seventh ward, Johns-
town. In politics he is a Eepublican; he has served as city councilman,
. street commissioner and tax collector. He was united in marriage, in
" 1879, to Emma Jane Reese, of Johnstown, and their children are: Ida,
born 1880, now a stenographer for the Cambria Steel Company, Bertha,
born 1882, still at home. Elizabeth, born 1884. Hellen, born 1898, died
1902.
272 11 1 STORY OF CAMBBIA COVMY.
(III) David M. Davis, son of David M. and Elizabeth (Watkins)
Davis, was born in 1844. When young, like all the early members of the
Davis family, he was i^ut at work. He first was a driver in the coal
mines and later became a regular miner. He served in 1864-65 as a
soldier in the civil war. He also learned the brick-laying trade and fol-
lowed mason work and the construction of tunnels for the railroad com-
pany. Since 1874 he has been engaged in merchandising at Irwin, Penn-
sylvania. He is a Presbyterian, and in politics votes the Piepublican ticket.
He is connected with various civic societies. He was married to Victoria
Kees, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and has four children living and sev-
eral deceased.
(IV) ^^'alter Winston Davis, son of Thomas and Jane (Charles)
Davis, was born at Johnstown, March 17, 1874. He was educated at
the public schools of Johnstown, his native place, and later was em-
ployed in clerical positions including that with the Johnson Company;
the Cambria Ice Company; the Citizens' Xational Bank, etc., until Jan-
uar}' 1, 1905, when he was appointed assistant postmaster under Levi J.
Foust. In politics he is an ardent Eepublican. He has served as clerk
of the common council several terms, and resigned such position to ac-
cept that of assistant postmaster at Johnstown. He is a member of the
Presbyterian church. In civic societies he is much interested and connected
with the following: Johnstown Lodge, Xo. 538, F. and A. M. ; Portage
Chapter Eoyal Arch ]\Iasons, Xo. 195 ; Oriental Commandry, Knights
Templar, Xo. 61; Linton Lodge, Xo. 451, Knights of Pythias; Johns-
town Lodge of Elks, Xo. 175.
^Ir. Davis married, September 26, 1901, Mary von Lunen, daugh-
t^n of Louis and Emily (Griflfith) von Lunen (see sketch of the von
Lunen family). The children born to ]\[r. and Mrs. Davis are: Bea-
trice von Lunen, born September 1. 1903 ; Winston Louis, born January
15, 1906.
CAMPBELL EOBISOX, chief clerk in the Gautier Department
of the Cambria Steel Company, in Johnstown, Cambria county, Penn-
sylvania, traces his descent to Scotch, Irish and German ancestry.
(I) John Robison, grandfather of Campbell Eobison, was born
on the ocean while his parents were on their way from Scotland to
America. He married Eachel Potter, and they had children: 1. Eobert
P., of whom later. 2. John ]\I. 3. William J.
(II) Eobert Potter Eobison, first child of John (1) and Eachel
(Potter) Eobison, was born near Jenners Cross Eoads, Somerset county^
Pennsylvania, June 19, 1824. ^Miile still a young man he migrated to
the west and located at Cadiz, Ohio. Here he learned the trade of cabi-
net making, and after following that occupation for some time in the
west, returned to Somerset county, Pennsylvania, in 1850. He then
went to Johnstown and entered the employ of William F. Orr, and
then worked for about two years as a clerk in Somerset county. He
again returned to Johnsto^mi and obtained employment witli the Cam-
bria Iron Company as house contractor. While filling this position he
erected some of the first buildings ever put \ip liy this company. Later he
was promoted to the pattern shop and remained thus occupied until the
breaking out of the Civil war. He immediately enlisted for three months
in Company G, Third Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, as an
orderly sergeant. Before the expiration of the time of enlist-
ment he had been advanced to the grade of second lieutenant. He
then re-enlisted for throe vear? in the famous Fiftv-fourth Eesfiment of
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 273
Cambria county, and was actively engaged in many of the most hotly
contested battles of the war. At its termination he became one of the
founders of the Johnstown ]\[echanical Works, Avith which he was con-
nected for about eight years, and then Avas the agent for a sewing ma-
chine company for four years. He was ap^Dointed by the governor of the
state auctioneer of the l^orough of Johnstown, and at the end of his
term of office he returned to the pattern shop of the Cambria Iron Com-
panw where he was engaged during the remaining active vears of his
life.
He married, August 17, 1853, Mary J. Shaffer, daughter of Michael
and Catherine (Flick) Shaffer, and granddaughter of Henry and Eliza-
beth (Smith) Shaffer. Catherine (Flick) Shaffer was a 'daughter of
George and Mary (Lichtenberger) Flick. The children of Henry and
Elizabeth (Smith) Shaffer were: 1. Michael. 2. Emanuel. 3. Susan.
4. Barbara. 5. Simon. 6. Margaret. 7. Mary A. The children of
Michael and Catherine (Flick) Shaffer were: Alexander and Gfeoro-e,
lioth deceased. The children of Robert Potter and Mary J. (Shaffer)
Robison were: 1. John P., deceased. 2. William F., deceased. 3. Bertha,
married Willis A. Moses. 4. Campbell, the subject of this sketch. 5.
Edgar IST. (>. Harry, deceased. -7. Minnie M., married H. M. McDowell.
8. ]\rarion, nuirried Herbert E. Latta. 9. Kate, married Frank J. Mc-
:\rullen.
(Ill) Campbell Rol)ison. third son and fourth child of Robert
Potter (2) and Mary J. (Shaffer) Robison, was born on the old home-
stead in Jolinstown. Cambria county, Pennsylvania, October 6, 1861.
He had the advantage of an excellent common school education and was
graduated from the high school of Johnstown in 1877. He at once ob-
tained employment with Wood, Morrell and Company, in their shoe shop,
under the supervision of ]\Ir. Alexander Kennedy. Here he remained
for two years and Avas then advanced to work in the general office of the
same firm. After two years he Avent to the Gautier Department of the
Cambria Steel Company for one year, and then held the position of as-
sistant invoice clerk for tAvo years, later l^ecoming head invoice clerk,
AAdiich position he held until 1889. He was then promoted to the re-
sponsible position of bookkeeper and auditor, and in 1891 Avas again ad-
A'anced, this time to the position of chief clerk of the Gautier department, a
position A\diicli he fills to the eminent satisfaction of the company, at
the present day. He is conscientious and systematic in the performance
of the numerous duties entailed by this very im])ortant position, and,
Avhile exceedingly just, demands exact and methodical Avork from those
under his command. In politics he is a Republican, and in religion, a
member of the First Lutheran church. He is also a member of the fol-
loAving named organizations: Caml)ria Lodge, Free and Accepted Ma-
sons; past chancellor of JohnstoAvn Lodge, No. 157, Knights of Pythias;
charter member of Lodge 5^o. 175, Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks, and its second exalted ruler and a life member; and a charter mem-
ber of the Protected Home Circle Lodge, No. 72.
He married, November 17, 1904, Annie EdAvards, daughter of Eben
L. and Caroline (Davis) EdAvards. (See sketch of Elmer E. Davis.)
Eben L. EdAvards was bom in Blacklick toAvnship, Cambria county, Penn-
sylvania, in 1849. He is a son of LeAvis L. and Ann (James) EdAvards,
and Avas a merchant, one of nine children. One child has been born to-
Mr. and ]\Irs. Campbell Robison — ^larj^ Louise Robison, born January
10, 1906.
274 niSTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
CHAELES JOSEPH MAYER, ex-treasurer of Cambria comity,
Pennsylvania, was born July 13, 1858, at Johnstown, son of George and
Ursula (Gairing) Mayer. The father was born in Deggingen, Wurtem-
burg, Germany, February 13, 1828. By trade he was a painter and plas-
terer. He was a graduate from the state (common) school of his na-
tive city, and in politics in this country was Democratic. In religious
faith he was a Catholic, being a trustee of Johnstown St. Joseph's church
for a period of eighteen years. He died in Johnstown, Pennsylvania,
June 30, 1900. He married, in Germany, Ursula Gairing, born May 27,
1830, in the same place in which ber husband was born. By this union
were born ten children, eight of whom died in infancy, and the surviv-
ing were Emily and Charles G. Mayer. Emily, born in Johnstown, Penn-
sylvania, became the wife of John M. Spenger; she died January 15,
1898, leaving two children, Cecelia and Agnes. Mr. and Mrs. George
Mayer, subject's parents, emigrated from Germany, landing at Johns-
town, Pennsylvania, Christmas day, 1854. The wife now (1906) is sev-
enty-six years of age, and resides with her son.
Charles J. Mayer was educated in St. Joseph's parochial and the
public schools of Jolinstown, Pennsylvania. He learned the trade of
a sign-writer and painter, Avhich he followed up to 1889, about the date,
of the great flood. His skill in his trade was well known and appreciated
in and around the city of Johnstown. He has various property inter-
ests at this date, including being a stockholder in the Johnstown Tele-
phone Company, in which he is a director; the Pittsburg & Johnstown
Long Distance Telephone Compaii}^ of which he is the treasurer; the
United States ^STational Bank, of which he is vice-president. He owns
a beautiful home at 1130 Franklin street, Johnstown, including nearly
eight acres of land upon which he has made and is still making many
substantial improvements. There are few if any more picturesque places
than this property. Mr. Mayer is identified with the Democratic party ;
was elected treasurer of Cambria county in I^ovember, 1890, serving until
January 1, 1894, and in 1886 he was chairman of the Democratic county
committee. In his religious faith he is a Catholic, and a member of
St. Joseph's church.
He was united in marriage, January 18, 1890, to Katherine Spitz-
bart, the daughter of August and Margaret (Wunderlich) Spitzbart, who
were married in Bavaria, Germany, and came to Johnstown in 1854. He
was born September 15, 1821 ; died March 3, 1905. She was bom De-
cember 26, 1827 ; died March 5, 1905 ; both are buried at Johnstown.
Mrs. Mayer's father, August Spitzbart, was a private in Company C,
Ninety-third Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantr}', under Captain
Reuben Suavely. The company was engaged before Petersburg, Vir-
ginia, during the winter of 1864-65 ; was also in the battle of Sailor's
Creek, Virginia, April 6, 1865, and with General Grant at the surrender
of Lee.
The children bom to Mr. and Mrs. Mayer are as follows; all born
at Johnstown, Pennsylvania: 1. Hilda Emily, born November 18, 1890.
2. Florence Ida, born March 25, 1892. 3. Eulalia Ursula, born June 11,
1893. 4. Carl Joseph, born February 25, 1895. 5. George Anthonv, born
April 23, 1897. 6. Clara Rose, bom April 97, 1899. 7. Leo Frederick,
bom June 3, 1901.
ELMER E. DAVIS, former sheriff of Cambria county, Pennsyl-
vania, and a broker of prominence in the financial circles of Johnsto^mi.
Cambria county, Pennsylvania, is a descendant of good old Welsh stock.
Ij NEW YORK
j PUBLIC LIB-RARyI
\^A«t»r, Lenox and Tllden,
f^oijn«iatl#Ki,
1909
or.
. ofOuf^^
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 275
Eichard Davis, grandfather of Elmer E. Davis, and tlie founder of
the family in the United States, was a native of Wales. He emigrated
to America in the early part of the nineteenth century, located in Car-
roll township with his family, where he engaged in agriculture. Among
his children was a son, Joseph.
Joseph Davis, son of Eichard Davis, was bom in Wales about 1816,
and came to this country with his parents when they settled in Carroll
to\/nship. He was employed at first on the farm of his father, and
followed this occupation throughout the active years of his life. In
politics he was at first a Whig, but afterward became a Eepublican and
a strong Abolitionist. He was the enlisting officer in his township. He
was a member of the Calvinistic Methodist church, and died in 1874.
He married Martha Davis, born in Wales m 1826, who came to America
about the same time as he did, and who died in 1892. Q'heir children
were: 1. Thomas B., lives in Ebensburg, Cambria county, Pennsyl-
vania. 2. Aaron, resides in Johnstowu, Cambria county, Pennsylvania.
3. A child died in infancy. 4. Owen, deceased. 5. Martha A., married
John T. Lloyd, and resides at Johannisburg, South Africa. 6. Caroline,
married E. L. Edwards. 7. Jonathan, located in Illinois. 8. Eichard
B., lives in Nevada. 9. J. Price, a resident of Johnstown of Cambria
count}', Pennsylvania. 10. Elmer E., the subject of this sketch. 11. Ed-
ward B., deceased.
Elmer E. Davis, tenth child of Joseph and Martha (Davis) Davis,
was born in Carroll township, July 6, 1862. His school education was
limited, and he owes his success later in life entirely to his own efforts
and ambition. At the age of fifteen years he began his business career
as a driver on a bakery wagon, and he held this position for five years.
He then associated with his brother in a business partnership and they
opened a store for the sale of cigars and confectionery, and at the end
of eighteen months they purchased the bakery with which Elmer E. had
formerly been connected, the firm doing business under the style of Davis
Brothers. At the end of two years J. Price sold his share in the busi-
ness to Gomer Walters, and the firm thereafter was known as Davis &
Walters. Mr. Davis purchased the interest of Mr. Walters in 1888 and
conducted the business alone, with unvaried success until the great flood
of May 31, 1889, which was so destructive to Johnstown and its vicinity.
This flood destroyed his entire property, and he then engaged in the com-
mission and brokerage business, handling hay, grain, flour, feed, etc. In
this his industry, integrity, and excellent business methods have enabled
him to build up a very prosperous business. He is ambitious, resource-
ful, and of untiring energy. He takes a most active interest in all pub-
lic matters, in which the welfare of his county is concerned. His polit-
ical affiliations are Eepublican, and he was appointed deputy sheriff by
D. W. Coulter, January 1, 1895; was elected sheriff of Cambria county
in 1898.
He married, May 8, 1890, Ella Tremmellen, and they have children:
1. Donald Tremmellen, born May 1, 1891. 2. Martha J.. Januarv 12,
1893. 3. Eussell, April 1, 1896. 4. Hellen Louise, June 3, 1902. "
WILLIAM FEEDEEICK MAYEE. .One of the earlier residents
of Johnstown was William Frederick Mayer, deceased. He was born in
Brackenheim, Konigreich, Wurtemberg, Germany, August 22, 1830, and
was the youngest of the three children of Johann and Friederika Mayer.
He attended the village school and was afterward sent to an acad-
emy in the neighboring town of Heilbronn, where it was intended that he
276 ^^Jg0^mY OF CAM Bin A COUNTY.
be ii*f^Tior a schoolmaster. After the completion of the presc/ibed
course he resumed his a])prenticeship with his father, who had a furni-
ture establishment, and soon after attaining his majority, determined
upon sailing for America. He came to the United States' in 1853 and
after one years stay in Xew York city located in Johnstown, Pennsyl-
vania, where in 1857 he married Christiana Leitenberger, with whose
parents he had emigrated froin the Fatherland. Shortly after marriage
he and his wife went to Duncansville, Blair county, Pennsylvania, where
they lived one year. Xot long after returning to Johnstown he bought
the lot on Market street which is now the southeast corner of Lincoln
and [Market streets, upon which he had erected a small house. Here he
conducted a furniture store and repair shop and lived with his wife and
children for several years. Coming into possession of an inheritance
from his mother's estate in the old countr}', he bouglit, in 1863, the lot
at 413 ]\rain street, which has remained in the family until the present
time, j^ot making the success out of his furniture business that he con-
sidered satisfactoiy, he relinquished tlie -venture and ])egan woi'king for
the Cambria Iron Company. Although he was not, strictly speaking, a
business man, his intimate knowledge of financial values came in good
stead, and this fact, coupled with sobriety and industry, enabled him to
accumulate a considerable amoimt of this world's goods, and he died
leaving his widow in the possession of a comfortable competency. His
death occurred August "21, 1896. He was the father of three children:
1. Johanna, born in Dvmcansville, Pennsylvania, April 19, 1858 ; mar-
ried Henry Casper Eippel. of Johnstown, October 19, 1886. They have
lived since then in Alliance, Ohio, and have two children — Elizabeth and
Herbert. 2. Amelia, bom in JohnstcnTi, July 27, 1860 ; died January 28,
1876. 3. Louis Henr}', born in Johnstown, March 8, 1862. He is a
physician, whose office is at 413 Main street, Johnstown. Dr. Mayer
married Olive Frances Stephens, May 21, 1889. They have since lived
at the corner of Lincoln and Market streets, and have four children —
Louis Henry, Olive Frances, "William Frederick, and Stephens.
GEOEGE W. EEESE, superintendent of the Lorain steel foundry
in Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, is a descendant of an hon-
ored family of Pennsylvania.
Job Eeese, grandfather of George AV. Eeese, -married Margaret ^Yat-
kins, and they had five children : William, married ]\IcCand-
less. Sarah, married Benjamin F. Watkins. Mary Ann, married George
Watkins. John G., of whom latter. Jennie, married John Davis.
John G. Eeese, son of Job and ^Margaret (Watkins) Eeese, was l)orn
in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, about 1840. He was a moulder and puddler
by trade, and followed that occupation up to the time of his death. He
was a member of Company G, Fourteenth Cavalry, and served four years
in the Civil war with bravery. He was one of the organizers of the Order
of Foresters. In Johnsto^m : was past grand of the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows; a member of the Grand Armv of the Eepublic; and of
the Union Veteran Legion. He married Elizabeth Barnes, and they had
eight children: William H.. married Dot Sample. George W., of whom
later. Job Clara, deceased. Frank, deceased. Gertrude, married Tliomas
A. Osbom. Arthur, married Margaret Wilhelm. Eeno.
George W. Eeese, second son and child of John G. and Elizabeth
(Barnes) Eeese, was born in La Salle, Illinois, Xovember 11, 1870. He
had the advantage of a good common school education, which fitted him
for his future business career. His first business engagement was with
HISTORY OF CA}JBBIA COVNTY. 277
the Cambria Steel Company, and he left them to accept a position with
the Lorain Steel Company, which he held until 1899. He was then ad-
vanced to the responsil)le position of superintendent in the steel foundry,
position which he is holding at the present time (1906) to the benefit
of the company. He is energetic, progressive and resourceful, and his
services are highly appreciated by the company. His courtesy and kind-
liness have won for him many friends, and he is desen^edly popular in
the circles iii which he moves. He is at present school controller for the
sixth ward. He is a member of the following organizations: Knights
of Pythias ; Sons of Veterans ; Protected Home Circle ; Johnstown Lodge,
No. 538, Free and Accepted Masons ; Portage Chapter, Xo. 195 ; Cambria
Council, Xo. 32 ; Oriental Commandery, No. 61 ; and Syria Temple of
Pittsburg.
Mr. Eeese married, April 11, 1895, Lulu C. Price, daughter of John
W. and Margaret (Decker) Price. Mrs. Eeese has three sisters and one
brother: Katie, married Samuel Bair; x\nnie, married Charles Bailey;
Eva, married John McClellan ; and John, Jr. The children of Mr. and
Mrs. Eeese are: George W., Jr., born January 24, 189(). ]\Largaret E.,
May 10, 1900.
SAMUEL C. WEEKS, superintendent of the foundry of the Lorain
Steel Company, of Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, is a rep-
resentative of the third generation of the Weeks family in the United
States.
(I) Thomas Weeks, grandfather of Samuel C. Weeks, and the
•founder of the Weeks family in this coimtry, came to America and set-
tled in Baltimore, ^laryland. He married and had five children : 1. Sam-
uel, married Margaret Turner. 2. Alfred, married Mary Kelley. 3,
Jeremiah, of whom later. 4. Sarah, married Phineas Getzandaner. 5.
A child that died in infancy.
(II) Jeremiah Weeks, third son and child of Thomas Weeks (1),
was bom at Baltimore, Maryland, March 13, 1836, and died April 28.
1901, at Ironton, Ohio, and was buried there. He was educated in the
common schools, and was by occupation a foundryman. He was for many
years in the employ of the Pittsburg Locomotive Works, and also in that
of the Atlas Works of Pittsburg. He was a member of a jSTew York regi-
ment during the Civil war, and served for two years as wagonmaster.
He was a member of the Methodist church. He married Mosline Brown-
ing, daughter of Wesley Browning, who was a native of France. Wesley
Browning was overseer of the Holbert plantation in Maryland until the
Civil war, when he was wagonmaster at Washington, and part of his con-
tract was the breaking in ^of horses for the army. While thus engaged
he contracted a disease which ultimately resulted in his death. The
children of Jeremiah and Mosline (Bro\\Tiing) Weeks were: Samuel C,
of whom later, and two children who died in infancv.
(III) Samuel C. Weeks, onlv surviving child of Jeremiah (2) and
Mosline (Browning) Weeks, was born in Laurel, Prince George countv.
Maryland, February 17, 1858. His education was acquired in the public
schools, and early in life he showed a decided inclination toward mechani-
cal work. He was for several years in the employ of the Union Foundrv
and Machine Co., Pittsburg, Pa., and also the Buffalo Steam Pump Com-
pany, as foreman, and then obtained the position of foreman in the
foundrv of the Lorain Steel Company at Johnsto^vn, Cambria coimty,
Pennsvlvania. He held this position to the great satisfaction of the com-
pany for ten years, and was then advanced to that of superintendent.
Vol. Ill— 18
•278 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
which he has now held for five years. - He is a man of energy and de-
termination, and under his able management the Lorain Steel Company
has prospered. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, and a presid-
ing elder, and of the following organization: Lodge Xo. 223, Free and
Accepted Masons; Allegheny Commandery, No. 35; and Allegheny Chap-
ter, No. 217.
j\Ir. Weeks married November 4, 1880, Garetta \'an Eyn, and they
have one child: Alfred B., born October 12, 1881, graduated from the
L'niversity of Pennsylvania in 1904. He is a mechanical engineer, was
employed in the bridge department of the Cambria Steel Company, and
is now in the employ of the Fort Pitt Bridge Co., of Canonsburg, Penn-
sylvania. ]\Irs. Weeks is the daughter of Arie and Mary M. (Mouerer)
Van Evn. Arie Van Evn was a son of John George and Garetta (Von
Ening) Van Ryn, and was one of five children: 1. Arie, Just mentioned.
2. Harvey, married Sarah Ewinsf. 3. John, married Sadie Peirce. 4.
Otto, married Mary Kelly. 5. Rino, married Lydia Moore. Arie and
Mary M. (Mouerer) Van Eyn had children: 1. Garetta, wife of Samuel
C. Weeks. 2. Armenia, married George Phillips. 3. Cora L., unmarried.
4. Clara E., married Edward Hough. 5. Elizabeth G., married John W.
Owens. 6. Frank W., married Sadie Shafer.
DAA^ID E. BEY AN, who bears an enviable reputation for bravery
in the Civil war, is a representative in the present generation of a family
the members of which have always distinguished themselves in the de-
fense of their country.
Thomas Bryan, grandfather of David E. Bryan, came from Scot-'
land with two of his brothers — James and John — and settled at James-
to-mi, Virginia. James, the eldest, went to Kentucky; John remained in
Virginia; and Thomas came to Maryland, where he settled and had a
large plantation. After a few years he sold this and removed to South
Carolina, but later returned to Maryland, where he passed the remainder
of his days. He married, and had four children: 1. Thomas. 2. John.
3. William L., of whom later. 4. Annie E.
William L. Bryan, third son and child of Thomas Bryan, was born
at Charleston, South Carolina, in 1810. He was a teamster by occupa-
tion, removed to Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, in 1836, and to Johnsto^\Ti
in 1848. Here he worked on the old Portage road and later drove a six-
horse team at Cambria Furnace for a number of years, then removed to
Millereek, lived there for two years, and died at Blacklick Furnace, March
28, 1857. He took an active part in the war with Mexico. He married
Nancy Hess, born in 1814, died in Johnsto\^^l. Pennsylvania, in 1873.
She was the daughter of Henry and Eliza (Eay) Hess; the former, born
in 1775, was a weaver by occupation, came to this country when young,
and died at Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in 1863. Mr. and ]\[rs. Hess had
len children: 1. David E., married Jane Lamison, and had two sons
who served in the United States army. 2. Mary A., married William
Craig. 3. Nancy, married William L. Bryan, as above stated. 4. John.
married Elizabeth Fisher. 5. J. Jacob, married Sarah Slusher, and
sensed in the Union army. 6. Thomas, married Elizabeth Myers; served
in the Union army. 7. George, married Caroline Shuman, served in the
Union army. 8. William, married Mary Koch, served in the Union armv.
9. Elizal^etli, married Henry Kuntz. 10. Jane, married Jacob Gough-
nour.
The children of Mr. and Mrs. William L. Bryan were: 1. George
AY., unmarried, served in the Civil Avar. 2. Alfred N., married Christina
o/iid (j^ £c
'O-c/O^.
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 279
Larden, served in the Civil war; is dead. 3. Anne E., married Henry
Prunkard, both dead. -1. David E., the subject of this sketch. 5. John
H., married Sallie , took part in the Civil war; is dead. 6.
'Jacob, died in infancy. 7. Thomas M., unmarried, served in the Civil
war; is dead. 8. William B., served in the Civil war. 9. James, un-
married; is dead. 10. Silas, unmarried; is dead. 11. Martin Luther,
married Jane Ashcr; is dead. 12. Orlando, unmarried; is dead.
David E. Bryan, third son and fourth child of William L. (2) and
Nancy (Hess) Bryan, was born in Newton Hamilton, Huntingdon
county, Pennsylvania, September 14, 1840. He received a good common
school education, and started to work on the ore cars, later working four
years on the Pennsylvania canal as a boat driver; he tlien came to Bens-
creek Furnace and drove the six-horse team that had formerly been driven
bv his father, and held this position until the breaking out of the Civil
war. He responded to the first call of his country to serve in her de-
fence, and following is the record of ]\Ir. Bvyan's career during the
progress of the war. He enlisted from Cambria county, Pennsylvania, to
serve three months, and was mustered into the United States service April
20, 18G1, at Camp Curtin, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as a private in
Captain John P. Suter's Company K, Third Eegiment Pennsylvania A'ol-
unteer Infantry, Colonel Francis P. Minier commanding. The regi-
ment was one of the first organized in answer to Lincoln's call for vol-
unteers at the outl)reak of the war, Companies G and K being the first
companies of soldiers to occupy Camp Curtin, arriving April 18th. The
regiment was composed of independent volunteer companies organized
and existing before the war. It was organized and mustered into the serv-
ice A])v\\ 20, 1861, and left camp on the same evening by rail for Balti-
more, Maryland, but halted at Cockeysville, the bridge having been de-
stroyed, encamping there until the 22nd, then returning to York, Penn-
sylvania, wliere it went into camp and was thoroughly drilled and dis-
ciplined. The commissary department not yet having been fully organ-
ized, the men would have suffered for lack of provisions had it not been
for the generosity of the citizens of York in contributing supplies. They
moved to Camp Chambers on May 27, three miles from Chambersburg:,
where the regiment was later assigned to Wyncoop's (Second) Brigade,
Keim's (Second) Division, of General Patterson's Army of the Shenan-
doah. This armv was organized to operate against the rebel forces in
the Shenandoah A^alley, who were threatening the adjacent parts of Mary-
land and Pennsylvania. They moved by rail, June 7, to Hagerstown,
Maryland, marched thence to Funkstown, and took up a position to op-
erate against the enemy established at Harper's Ferry, under General J.
E. Johnston. Thev moved to Williamsport on July 1, and on July 2
participated in a skirmish at Falling Waters, forded the Potomac, and
marched with the armv into the countrv controlled by the enemv, who
was driven back to Winchester, where he remained entrenched. Patter-
son's armv arriving at Martinsburg, Virginia, on July 3rd. The regi-
ment was" then detached from the brigade and ordered to Williamsport
to guard the main depot of supplies and the approaches thereto, remain-
ing on guard and garrison dnty imtil July 26th, when, its term of serv-
ices having expired, it was ordered to Harrisburg and there mustered out.
After'bearing a faithful part in all the operations of his command,
as above outlined, David E. Brvan was honorably discharged with his
compnnv, at Harrisburg. Julv 30. 1861, by reason of expiration of terra
of enlistment. He re-enlisted and was mustered into the service at Har-
risburg, September 5, 1861. to serve three years or during the war, as
280 HISTORY OF CAMBL'JA COUNTY.
a corporal of Captain John P. Suter's Company A, Fifty-fonrth Eegiment
Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantr}-, Colonel J. M. Campbell. He was hon-
orably discharged at South Branch, Virginia, February 10, 1861, by rea-
son of re-enlisting on the same day to serve a second term of three years
or during the war, as a veteran volunteer in the same company and regi-
ment. The regiment rendezvoused at Camp Curtin, where it was or-
ganized and mustered into the service, and on Febiniary 17, 1862, left
camp for Washington, District of Columbia, encamped near Bladens-
burg cemetery and thoroughly disciplined. The regiment was
armed with old Belgian rifles, except Company A, which had
the Maynerd patent primer arms. The regiment was ordered
to Harpers Ferry, Virginia, March 29, 1862, reporting to Col-
onel D. S. Miles, and was stationed for guard duty along fifty-six
miles of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, between Cumberland,, Maryland,
and Martinsburg, A'^irginia, and for nearly a year was entrusted with the
important duty of guarding this great thoroughfare through territory
mainly hostile, protecting the few loyal inhabitants, scouring the country
and lighting the guerrilla bands of Edwards, White, Imboden and Mc-
Neil, capturing many prisoners, horses and arms, participating in en-
gagements at Back Creek Bridge, Virginia, September 22, 1862, and
Mangares Mills, Virginia, October 25. October i, 1862, Company K,
stationed at Little Cacapon, and Company B, at Paw Paw, were sur-
rounded by an overwhelming force of tiR' enemy under Imboden, and
captured after a sharp fight. Upon the organization of the Eighth Army
Corps of West Virginia the regiment was assigned to the Third Brigade,
Second Division. Companies B and Iv were exchanged in December and
returned to the regiment, and the command was relieved from guard
duty, moving to Romney, January 6, 1863, attached to the Fourth Brig-
ade, First Division, and marched April 3 in pursuit of the enemy, fight-
ing at Burlington, Virginia, Putgitsville on the 6th, and Gowan's Ferry
on the 7th. July 6th it moved by forced marches in pursuit of Lee's
army retreating from Gettysburg, engaging the enemy at Heagueville,
July 17, 1863, and at Cherry Run, July 19, returning to Romney. Au-
gust 15, 1863, moved to Petersburg, West Virginia, engaging the enemy
at that place September 1, 1863. November 6th moved to Springfield,
and assigned to the First Brigade, Second Division. In the spring
of 1864 marched under General Sigel, later under Hunter and Crook,
bearing a gallant part in the battles of New Market, Virginia, May 15,
1864; Piedmont, or Mount Crawford, June 5; Lexington, June H;
James River, June 14; Blue Ridge, or Peak of Otter, June 15; Lynch-
burg, June 17-18; Liberty, June 19; Salem, June 22. Marched across the
mountains to Camp Piatt on the Kanawha river, suffering untold liard-
ships, and moved thence via Parkersburg, West Virginia, to ^Martinsburg,
Virginia, arriving July 14. Joined in pursuit of Early, fighting at
Snicker's Gap, or Island Ford, Aarginia, July 18; KernstowTi or Win-
chester, July 23 ; Martinsburg, July 25. Participated under Sheridan in
liis brilliant Shenandoah campaign, including the battle of Cedar Creek,
Virginia, August 12, 1864; Charlestown, August 17; Halltown, August
19; Bern-ville, September 3; Opequan, or Winchester, September 19;
Fisher's Hill, September 22; Strasburg, October 13; Cedar Creek or
Middletown, October 19, 1864. Moved via Washington, District of Co-
lumbia, to City Point, Virginia, and on February 16,. 1865, the Third
and Fourth Pennsylvania Reserves were consolidated with the Fifty-
fourth under Colonel A. P. Moulton. Assigned to the Second Bridage,
Independent Division, Twenty-fourth Corps, Army of the James, witli
HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 281
which it participated in Grant's final campaign, fighting at White Oalv
Swamp, Virginia, Marcli 23, 1865; Hatcher's Eun, April 1; Fort Gregg,
April 2; and High Bridge, Virginia, April 6, where a small force en-
gaged in a desperate battle with the vastly superior numbers of the enemy,
were surrounded and taken prisoners, marched four days without rations
with the fleeing army, released at the surrender of Lee at Appomattox,
Virginia. April 9 sent to Parole Camp, Annapolis, Maryland, and there
mustered out.
For meritorious sendees David E. Bryan received the following pro-
motions: From corporal to fifth sergeant; to third sergeant; to first
sergeant; December 14, 1804; to first lieutenant, April 5, 1865. He was
wounded by gunshot in the side, at New Market, Virginia, May 19, 1864;
bayonet thrust in ankle at Piedmont, Virginia, June 5, 1864"; and scalp
wound by gunshot, at Lynchburg, Virginia, June 18, 1864. At Cedar
Creek, Virginia, the explosion of a caisson knocked him senseless and he
lay on the field all night. He received a sunstroke just before returning
home on veteran furlough. In September, 1862, he contracted typhoid
fever and was confined to the hospital at Cumberland, Maryland, for
six months, and then returned to duty with his company. With these
exceptions he was at all times with his command, bearing a loyal part
in the campaigns and battles as outlined above, and achieving a gallant
record for soldierly conduct. He was taken prisoner with the regiment
at High Bridge, Virginia, April 6, 1865, and he and Sergeant Steam
were tried by the rebels on a charge of having killed a rebel major. He
was released at Appomattox, sent to Annapolis, Maryland, and there re-
received a final honorable discharge, May 31, 1865, by reason of General
Order No. 77, at close of war.
When Mr. Bryan returned from the war he went to Dunbar, Fay-
ette countv, Pennsylvania, and worked at the blast furiiace for one year,
then came to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, to work foi' the Cambria Steel
Company in the position of engineer in the rolling department, and re-
tained this position four years, when he attended to the firing of the
boilers for one year, and then to the testing of the water until 1902. He
was in the employ of the Cambria Steel Company for a period of thirty
years. In 1902 he accepted the position of watchman at the United States
National Bank, and this he still holds (1906). Mr. Bryan was instra-
mental in having a monument erected at New Market, Virginia, in mem-
ory of the comrades Avho fell in that battle and were members of the
Fifty-fourth Eegim.ent of Cambria. He himself prepared the bill that
was presented to the legislature for the appropriation of money for this
purpose, and the sum of two thousand dollars was finally granted. The
monument was dedicated in the latter part of October, 1905, and Mr.
Bryan was awarded the appreciation he so richly deserved. In politics
he is a Eepublican, and in religious faith, a member of the United
Brethren church. He is a meml)er, past commander, and trustee of Emery
Fisher Post, No. 30, Department of Pennsylvania, Grand Army of the
Eepublic. and has served on the staff of the department commander, also
on that of the national commander-in-chief; he is secretary of the Fifty-
fourth Eegimental Association ; is keeper of exchequer of the Golden
Eagle ; and past councillor of the Junior Order of United American Me-
chanics.
He married, July 28. 1868, Annie M. Wolford, daughter of William
and Eliza (Wolford) Wolford. the former a native of Bedford county,
and a laborer by occunation. They had four children: 1. Jacob, mar-
ried Sarah Penrod. 2. Annie M., married David E. Bryan, as above
282 HI ST BY OF CAMBBIA COVXTY.
stated. 3. Margaret, married Philip M. Smith. 4. Andrew, marriecl
Mary Hocker. Mr. and ]\Irs. David K. Bryan had children: 1. ]\[ar-
garet M., born May 15, 1869, married John Trinbath. 2. Cora, born
April 9, 1871, died" 1882. 3. AVilliam L., bora x\pril 13, 1873, married
Ada Gray. 4. Hnlbert H., born August 9, 1882, unmarried.
JOHX ^\. "WALTERS. It is due to the excellent characteristics
brougJit to this country by the emigrants from other lands that Pennsyl-
A-ania, and, in fact, the entire country, owes much of its prosperity. The
inhabitants of Wales are noted for their industn% economy, endurance,
and many other good cjualities, and John ^V. Walters, a prosperous and
well known lumber merchant of Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsyl-
vania, whose name heads this sketch, has at least his full share.
Rev. John Walters, grandfather of John W. Walters, was a native
of Wales, and a noted divine. He married Margaret Winston and had
children: Dr. Walter W. ; IMargaret; Marv'; Howell; Winifred; Eliza-
;beth ; and Philip J. Rev. John Walters was a man who commanded the
respect of the populace generally, having traveled extensively through-
out his o'mi countrv', evangelizing and advocating the cause of temper-
ance. He was regarded with great favor and respect in the synod of
his church, and as a testimonial of respect to his memory the synod
erected a fine monument at his grave at Ystradgyulois.
Philip J. Walters, second son of Rev. John and Margaret (Winston)
Walters, was bom in Brecon, Wales, about the year 1830. He received
a good education, and like his father turned his attention to the min-
istry, in which he attained a considerable measure of prominence. He
married Magdalene Thomas, born in Llarddausant, Wales, about 1835,
daughter of 
