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aass. 
Book. 


SOME  PIONEERS 


Washington  County,  Pa, 


A  FAMILY  HISTORY 


F.  S.  READER 


1902: 

Prbss  of  F.  S.  Reader  &  Son, 

new  brighton,  pa. 


'i.  V'  '■- 


p. 

Puol. 
4F'C3 


-S'^^n 


PREFACE. 


This  family  history  centers  iu  one  of  the  pioneer  fami- 
lies of  Washington  county,  Pa.,  Colonel  William  Wallace 
and  Elizabeth  Hopkins,  his  wife,  who  were  born,  reared 
and  married  in  Montgomery  county,  Md.,  and  built  their 
home  in  the  wilds  of  Western  Pennsylvania.  From  this 
central  point  the  history  of  the  ancestors  and  descendants 
o"  rAl  the  families  connected  with  this  couple  in  the  United 
States  is  given,  so  far  as  it  has  been  possible  to  secure  the 
facts;  and  it  is  a  typical  history  of  the  pioneers  generally, 
who  have  built  up  the  waste  places  and  made  them  possible 
for  human  habitation.  The  ancestors  of  Ck)lonel  Wallace 
were  among  the  pioneers  and  early  settlers  of  the  territory 
now  included  in  Montgomery  county,  Md. 

The  facts  for  the  compilation  of  this  history,  were 
obtained  from  the  Court  records  of  Prince  George,  Frederick, 
Montgomery  and  Anne  Arundel  counties,  Md.,  and  Wash- 
ington county.  Pa.;  Archives  of  Maryland,  New  Hampshire 
and  Pennsylvania;  Library  of  Congress;  Col.  T.  H.  S.  Boyd's 
history  of  Montgomery  county,  Md.;  Hon.  Boyd  Crumrine's 
and  Alfred  T.  Creigh's  histories,  and  Baer  &  Co's  Com- 
memorative 'Biographical  Record,  of  Washington  county, 
Pa.;  History  of  the  Early  Churches  Washington  county. 
Pa.;  Virginia  Genealogies  by  Rev.  Horace  E.  Hayden;  the 


Genealogical  Collection  of  John  H.  Wallace.  Esq..  New 
York:  and  .such  family  histories  as  could  be  secured. 

No  material  has  been  used  without  A'eritication  by 
means  of  all  sources  of  information  that  could  be  secured, 
and  every  family  line  and  historical  statement  relating  to 
the  families  mentioned,  is  believed  to  be  accurate  and 
reliable. 

It  is  simply  a  family  history,  and  it  is  hoped  will  interest 
and  protit  those  directly  interested,  and  all  who  are  curious 
to  trace  family  growth. 


CONTENTS. 


I.     THE   WALLACES,   MONTGOAIERY   COrXTY,   MD. 

Chapter.  Page. 

L   Early  Settlements — Brothers  Lndlstry 1 

IL  Ellekslie,  Scotland-America 7 

III.  Ja.mes  Wallace  Family 14 

IV.  The  Hopkins  Family 22 

\'.    William  Wallace  Family 32 

II.     THE  WALLACES,  WASHINGTON  COUNTY,  PA. 

I.   Pioneer  Life 37 

II.   Home  and  Social  Life 46 

III.  Reyolutionaky   Seryick 56 

IV.  Political  Life 60 

V.    Rentley  Family 64 

\I     Orker  (tregc.  Families 72 

III.     REV.  JOHN   SAIITH   FAMILY. 

I.    Key.  John  S.mith 79 

II.    Hlgh  Scott  Family S4 

III.   S.mith-White  Family 88 

I\'.    Smith -Wallace  FA^HLY 93 

IV.     THE  READER  FAMILY. 

I.   William  Reader 101 

II.    Reader- Wall  ACE T 106 

III.    JA^^•:s-CHARLES   Reader  [Marked  chap.  IV.  in  error]--  HI 

1\'.    Henry  Reader-George  Trumik) 117 

\'     Francis  Reader-Catherine  Ja.mes 121 

\I.   Fkancis  Reader-Eleanor  B.  S.mith 127 


I. 


THE    WALLACES, 

Montgomery  County,  Md. 


COAT-OF-ARMS, 

WALLACES     OF     ELDERSLIE, 

SCOTLAND. 

ARMS.  AZ.  A  LION  RAMPANT  ARC.  WITHIN  A 
BDKHURE,   COUNTER    COMPONY    AKC;.    AND    AZ. 

CREST.  Ax  OSTRICH  holding  in  his  BEAK 
A    HORSESHOE  PPR. 

MOTTO.     LiBEKTAS  Optima  Resumi. 
(Fro.m    "Virginia    Genealogies,"    by    per- 

.VIISSION    of    THE    AUTHOR,    REV.   HORACE    E. 

Hayden>. 


CHAPTER    I. 


Eakly   Skttlements— Bkothkus   Indistky 


The  earliest  .settlouients  in  that  part  of  Maryhuul 
now  known  as  Montgomery  county,  in  which  the  Wallaces 
of  wliom  this  history  treats  were  residents,  began  about 
1050,  thoiigh  the  first  person  to  ■ascend  the  Potomac  river  to 
the  head  of  navigation,  was  the  hardy  and  adventurous  fur 
trader,  Henry  Fleet,  the  English  navigator,  who  explored 
the  country  in  1(J25.  lie  descril)ed  it  as  abounding  in  game, 
such  as  deer,  buffalos,  bears  and  tin-keys,  while  the  river 
was  full  of  all  kinds  of  fish,  the  hunting  and  fishing  for 
wliich  constituted  the  chief  employment  of  the  Aborigines, 
consisting  of  the  Indian' tribes  of  Yoacomicos,  Anacostians, 
IMscataways,  Senecas  and  Patuxents,  all  under  control  of 
the  six  nations.  The  country  was  attractive  and  fertile,  and 
soon  after  Fleet's  visit,  prospectois  made  their  way  among 
the  Indians  and  gained  their  good  will,  after  which  settlei's 
began  to  enter  and  make  their  homes. 

The  first  settlements  were  along  the  banks  of  Rock 
creek,  emptying  into  the  Potomac,  between  Georgetown 
and  Washington.  D.  C,  extending  up  both  banks  of  the 
stream  as  far  as  Rockville,  the  county  seat.  Tlience  settlers 


2   THE  WALLACES— MONTGOMERY  COUNTY,  MD. 

souiilit  the  Tatuxeiit  and  coiitiiuied  to  spread  along  tlie 
hanks  of  this  stream  as  far  as  Snell's  hridge.  Then  the  part 
of  the  county  lying  west  of  Rock  Creek  towards  the  Poto- 
nKic,  and  north  and  east  of  Rockville,  seems  to  have  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  the  settlers,  and  next  came  the  flat 
red  lands  along  the  I'otomac,  in  the  vicinity  of  Darnes- 
town  and  Poolesville. 

AnH)ng  tlie  tirst  of  recorded  patents  for  land  were  in 
ItlSS.  lying  along  Rock  Creek,  and  an  evidence  of  tlie  rapid 
growth  of  tlie  Province  of  Maryland  is  seen  in  the  fact. 
th;it  from  tlie  time  of  the  earliest  patents  until  the  patent- 
ing of  Brothers  Industry,  the  ancestral  lioine  of  the  Wal- 
laces, in  17l'2.  a  large  portion  of  the  present  Montgomery 
county  was  patented. 

Thi'U  followed  an  era  of  plenty,  peace  and  liappiness, 
during  wlilcli  the  ohl  tobacco  planters  witli  tiieir  baronial 
estates  and  armies  of  slaves,  felled  the  forests  and  planted 
tiie  virgin  soil  in  tobacco  and  Indian  corn.  They  feasted 
and  frolicked  and  fox  hunted,  making  the  most  of  their 
life,  building  up  a  race  of  lirave  and  liardy  men.  whose 
love  of  lilterty  had  much  to  do  with  the  founding  of  uur 
Repul)lic.  In  less  than  a  century  after  this  denuding  of  for- 
ests and  exhaustion  of  soil  began,  few  forests  were  left 
and  no  ne\v  lands  to  till,  and  then  emigration  began.  From 
1700  there  «-as  an  almost  constant  stream  of  emigration 
from  the  county,  to  the  more  fertile  cotton  tields  of  the 
stnitli  and  the  rich  new  lands  of  the  west. 

Colonel  T.  II.  8.  P.oyd,  from  whose  history  of  Mont- 
gomery county  many  of  the  foregoing  facts  are  obtained, 
says   of   the   settlers  of  the   county:     "By   examining  the 


EARLY  SETTLEMENTS-BROTHERS  INDUSTRY. 


names  and  titles  given  the  various  tracts,  it  will  be  found 
tliat  our  forefathers  were  gentlemen  of  education  and  re- 
rinement—they  came  to  the  new  woi'ld  to  estaliHsli  a  conn- 
try  and  home,  where  lil)erty  of  thought  and  freedom  of 
speech  were  to  be  the  fundamental  principles  upon  Avhicli 
to  base  their  structure." 

Rev.  Horace  E.  Hayden,  author  of  "Virginia  Genealo- 
gies," says  of  the  earlier  settlers  of  our  country,  in  the  pre- 
face to  the  work:  "New  England  families  are  mainly  de- 
scended from  forefathers  who  left  the  mother  country  early 
in  the  seventeenth  centuiy.  Those  of  the  middle  and  south- 
ern staves,  mainly  from  those  who  came  to  America  during 
the  third  and  fourth  quarters  of  that  century.      *     *    *    * 

The  element  that  gave  being  to  New  England,  like  that 
which  made  permanent  colonies  of  Maryland  and  Virginia, 
was  composed  of  the  younger  sons  of  titled  families, 
esquires,  gentlemen,  merchants,  yeomen  and  tradesmen- 
men  of  gentle  blood.     *     *    *    * 

The  j^ounger  sons  and  their  descendants  whom  the  law 
of  entail  cut  off  from  hereditary  estates  or  the  means  of  sup- 
port, formed  a  large  proportion  of  the  Virginia  colonists  of 
the  seventeenth  century.     *    *     *    *    * 

The  religious  fervor  of  the  New  England  settlers,  made 
it  a  virtue  to  sever  all  connection  with  the  mother  country 
before  the  Revolution.  Hence  many  New  England  families 
purposely  ignored  the  English  pedigree.  The  patriotic  feel- 
ing of  the  Maryland  and  Virginia  colonists  during  the 
Revolution  led  to  a  similar  neglect.  Hence  it  is  that  this 
volume  contains  only  two  families  that  show  proof  of  di- 
rect and  ancient  lines  of  descent,  i.  e.,  Peyton  and  Wallace." 


THE  WALLACES— MONTGOMERY  COrXTV,  MI). 


It  is  claimefl  that  a  colony  of  ►Scotch  people,  probably 
ROUS  of  the  landed  gentry  described  by  Rev.  Hayden.  made 
a  settlement  in  the  last  quarter  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
within  the  limits  of  wliat  is  now  tlie  District  of  Colund)ia. 
and  called  their  adopted  home  "Xew  Scotland. '" 

It  is  probabU'  tliat  this  colony  Mas  ;i  part  of  the  .ucneral 
settlement  of  that  section  of  Maryland,  wiiich  was  coni- 
]>osed  largely  of  Scotch.  \Yhatever  the  settlements  were,  or 
whatever  called,  there  is  no  doubt  the  Wallaces  were 
'  amonj;'  them,  who  claimed  to  l)e  the  descendants  of  the 
Scotch  nobles  of  that  name:  and  whose  conraue  and  enter- 
prise led  them  to  seelv  in  the  new  world  a  home  for  them- 
selves. wheVe  they  could  carve  a  name  and  fortune  wortliy 
their  ability  and  character. 

^The  first  mention  of  the  Wallaces  in  th(>  records  of  what 
is  now  ^lonforomery  county.  'SU\..  was  August  S.  IIP*,  wlicn 
James  Wallace,  merchant,  gave  a  mortgage  to  John  Hide, 
of  London,  ami  on  ;\Iay  8.  3711  deiMp'd  certain  property  to 
John  Hide  in  payment  of  the  mortgage.  August  2."'>.  ITIo. 
James  Wallace  merchant  about  to  go  to  England,  appointed 
John  P.r.-idford  his  power  of  attorney. 

Xothing  further  appears  in  tlie  records  until  ITi'l.  when 
tlie  following  transaction  was  recorded,  being  the  founda- 
tion of  the  Wallace  Homestead  of  'JSrotlicrs  Industry." 
whicji  has  been  in  part  at  least,  in  possession  of  some  one 
of  the  Wallace  descendants  luili!  tlie  present  time,  Capt. 
James  Andei-son.  a  descendant,  of  Uoclcville,  Md.,  having 
an  interest   in  it. 

This  tract  of  land  lies  ba<-k  of  Cabin  John  Bridge,  about 
two  miles  from  where  this  famous  creek  enters  the  Poto- 


EARLY  vSETTLEMENTS-BROTHERS  INDUSTRY. 


luac  river,  and  is  a  beautiful  place,  the  ground  in  good  con- 
dition and  valualile. 

The  family  records  of  the  Wallaces  show,  that  on  the 
Itioad  acres  of  Brothers  Industry,  the  family  home  of  Wil- 
liam Wallace,  son  of  James  Wallace,  of  perhaps  500  acres, 
was  given  the  name  of  Ellerslie,  in  remembrance  of  the 
Wallace  home  in  Scotland,  founded  more  than  500  years 
before. 

Tlie  following  is  the  entry:  "Land  Office  at  Annapolis, 
Md.,  Liber  I.  L.  No.  A.  page  340.  Md.  ss. :  Whereas  on  the 
21st  day  of  the  instant,  there  was  a  warrant  granted  me 
one  of  his  Lordship's  land  officers,  foi"'490  acres  of  land,  be- 
i)ig  due  to  me  b.v  nutiee  of  an  assignment  to  me  of  that 
grant  of  land  by  Daniel  Dulaney  of  the  city  of  Annapolis 
Ksq.  I  do  therc'fore  for  a  valuable  consideration  in  hand  re- 
CiMved  of  William  \Yallace.  of  Prince  (4eorge  county,  plant- 
ei-.  for  myself,  my  heirs  and  assigns,  sell  and  make  over  to 
tlic  said  Uilliam  \^'allace.  liis  luMrs,  executors  and  acbnin- 
jstrators.  all  my  right  and  title,  mentioned  in  the  afore- 
said warrant.  Witness  my  hand  and  seal  this  27th  day  of 
December  1721.  .lOHN  BRADFORD." 

Und(»i-  date  of  Aju-il  1(>.  1722.  William  Wallace  assigned 
tins  land  to  James  Wallace,  and  the  latter  then  owned,  ac- 
(•(irding  to  the  Maryland  records,  three  tracts  o(  land  in 
I'rince  George  counitv  amounting  to  1.42!)  acres.  On  the 
If.tli  of  Ajti'il  1722.  James  Stoddard.  Deputy  Surveyor  of 
PiMiice  (George  county,  signed  the  following  certificate:  "l 
have  surveyed  all  that  tract  of  land  called  Brothers  In- 
dustry in  I'rince  George  county,  vi'/. :  1.429  acres  more  or 
less.-' 


6   THE  WALLACES— MONTGOMERY  COUNTY,  MD. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  land  officer,  John  Bradford, 
who  sold  the  land  to  William  Wallace,  was  the  same  ap- 
pointed by  James  Wallace  his  power  of  attorney,  when  he 
went  to  England  in  1710. 

The  following  record,  dated  November  1,  172f5,  appears 
in  Book  M-,  Prince  George  County:  "James  Wallace,  planter, 
and  his  wife,  Mary,  of  Prince  George  county,  and  WiHi.ini 
Wallace,  planter  of  said  county,  having  contributed  to  the 
expense  of  surveying  a  tract  of  land  called  Brothers  In- 
dustry, surveyed  and  granted  to  said  James  Wallace,  for 
divers  considerations  conveys  to  said  William  Wallace 
live  hundred  acres  more  or  less  of  said  tract." 

These  two  brothers  were  the  founders  of  two  families 
of  the  name  in  that  county,  whose  descendants  have  set- 
tled in  several  different  states,  and  proved  themselves 
worthy  sons  of  the  Republic.  They  were  all  planters  and 
merchants  at  first,  but  soon  they  began  to  enter  the  pro- 
fessions and  served  as  creditably  there  as  in  other  voca- 
tions. 


EARLY  SETTLEMExNTS— BROTHERS  INDUSTRY. 

(Read  after  paragraph  three,  page  four). 

The  lirst  record  of  the  ^Vall;u•('s  in  Maryland  was  of 
one  Matliew  Walhu-e,  l»elieved  to  be  the  pi'o.uenitor  of  all 
tiie  AValhices  in  the  State,  who  came  there  in  the  latter 
l>art  of  the  Seventeenth  century,  and  in  1(;'.>4  was  .^ranted 
a  patent  for  a  tract  of  land  in  Somerset  county.  'Sid.,  called 
"Kirkminstei-.""  the  tirst  patent  granted  to  a  Wallace  in  the 
State.  He  seems  to  have  had  at  least  three  sons,  named 
William.  James  and  Ko))ert.  of  whom  William  left  a  will 
dated  Ki'.KS.  In  which  he  names  his  brothers  James  an<l  Koli- 
ert.  but  no  children.  Itoberfs  name  does  not  again  ajjpear 
in  the  records. 

"New  Scotland"  doubtless  attracted  them,  and  a  part 
of  the  family  i)ecame  members  of  that  colony,  among  whom 
it  seems  was  James  Walla7-e.  mentioned  in  paragraph  three 
page  four,  father  no  doubt  of  James  and  William  Wallace 
OL  P.iotliers  Industry.  Later  wills,  dated  "rom  IT.")!'  to  17(!(l, 
show  that  a  part  of  tlie  family  remained  in  the  section  of 
the  state  comprising  t!\e  counties  of  Somerset.  Worcester 
and  Dorchester.  One  of  these  wills  made  ])y  INIathew  Wal- 
lace of  Somerset  county,  dated  in  17(i(t.  gives  the  names  of 
three  witnesses  who  lived  at  Kock  Creek,  the  home  of  the 
Montgomery  county  Wallaces,  familiar  mames  at  that  time, 
showing  that  wlien  the  will  Avas  signed.  Mathew  Wallace 
was  at  Ko<-k  Creek,  eitlier  visiting  relatives  or  temporarily 
living  there. 

L.y  that  date  tliere  were  numerous  Wallace  families  in 
tile  counties  named  in  Mai-yland.  all  believed  to  be  from 
one  oi'iginal  family  in  tlie  State,  all  of  wlioni.  and  including 


THE  WALLACES— M()NT(U).\1KRY    COINTY,  Ml). 

the  Vir.irinia  \Yidlaees.  weiv  located  within  ~~>  mih's^.  south 
and  southeast. of  the  Wallace  lOllerslic  home  in  Montgomery 
coiiutv.  Maryland. 


The   Hopkins   Family. 

Further  and  more  comi)lete  investi,i;'ation  of  the  records 
of  Maryland,  of  the  Hopkins  families,  shows  that  the 
families  of  William  Ho])kins  and  (ierard  Hopkins,  men- 
tioned in  p-jirajiraphs  two  and  thi'ee  of  pase  twenty-three 
of  this  book,  were  not  relateil  to  the  Hopkins  family 
whose  history  is  given.  The  family  of  Mathew  Hopkins 
page  twenty-fonr.  seems  to  he  the  one  from  which  .John 
Hopkins  came,   and    were  from  County  Ayr  Scotland. 


CHAPTER    II. 


Ellerslie,   Scoti.axd-Amekica. 


It  is  one  of  the  traditions  and  family  tenets  of  these 
W'.illaccs  tliat  tliey  are  descended  from  Sir  Malcolm  Wal- 
lace of   Scotlan<l,   the   Knight  of  Elderslie 

The  origin  of  the  Wallace  family  in  Scotland,  datei:* 
back  to  the  early  part  of  the  twelfth  century.  Some  authori- 
ties name  (ialieus  of  Wales  as  the  progenitor  of  the  family, 
who  had  a*  son  Richard,  known  as  ""Richard  the  Welsh- 
man." The  latter  was  the  close  friend  of  Walter  Alan,  the 
Norman  Knight,  who  became  i.,ord  High  Steward  of  Scot- 
l.ind  under  David  I.,  and  Richard  was  the  recipient  of  many 
favors. 

The  following  .account  of  the  family  to  the  times  of  Sir 
^Villiam  Wallace,  we  copy  by  permission  of  the  author, 
John  H.  Wallace.  Esq.,  of  New  York,  from  his  genealogical 
collection,  a  most  valuable  one.  Mr.  Wallace  is  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent  and  in  his  work  he  gives  an  admirable  history 
of  the  Scotch-Irish.  His  grandfather,  Samuel  Wallace,  came 
fi'om  County  Antrim.  Ireland,  in  ITS;!,  whose  father,  Robert 
Wallace,  was  liorn  and  died  in  that  county. 

We  (luote  as  follows:  "Richard  Waleys.  or  Richard  the 


S   THE  WALLACES— MONTGOMERY  COUNTY,  MD. 

Welshman,  as  the  Marquis  of  Bute  interprets  it,  seems  to 
be  a  reasonable  representation  of  his  nationality,  and  of 
the  real  origin  of  the  name.  All  historians  agree  upon  the 
former,  and  I  am  not  aware  that  any  seriously  controvert 
the  latter.  Richard  of  Wales  naturally  became  Richard 
Waleys.  From  the  tirst  appearance  of  this  name  as  wit- 
nesses to  charters,  it  has  passed  through  considerably  more 
than  twenty  variations  in  its  orthography  before  it  settled 
down  to  its  present  form  Wallace.  *  *  *  *  We  have 
Tio  means  of  determining  the  date  of  the  birth  of  our  first 
known  Scotch  progenitor— Sir  Richard— 'but  events  con- 
nected with  his  history  seem  to  place  it  at  the  very  begin- 
ning of  the  twelfth  century,  say  11(X)-1110.  This  spans  the 
great  period  of  nearly  eight  hundred  years  from  then  till 
now,  a'nd  when  we  count  up  the  intermediate  connections, 
we  will  have  to  enumerate  many  generations  of  Wallace 
progenitors   before  we  reach    Sir   Richard.    *    *    «    *     * 

Among  the  first  grants  to  Sir  Richard  was  a  tract  of 
land  in  Ayrshire,  eight  miles  long  and  three  wide,  upon 
which  he  established  himself  and  reared  his  family.  He 
named  it  Richardstown,  which  afterAvard  became  Riccar- 
lon,  and  the  parish  still  bears  that  name.  He  had  two  sons 
whose  identity  has  been  maintained— Philip  and  Richard 
second.  Philip  was  living  in  1211,  but  Richard  second  suc- 
ceeded to  the  paternal  estate.    . 

Richard  second  had  two  sons— Adam  and  Richai-d 
third.  Adam  succeeded  to  the  Riccarton  estate,  and  Richard 
third  obtained  the  lands  of  Auehincruive  in  1208. 

Adam  had  two  sons— Adam  second  and  Malcolm;  the 
former   inherited    Riccarton,    and   the   latter   obtained   the 


ELLERSLIE,  SCOTLAND-AMERICA. 


lamls  of  Eklerslie  in  Keiifrewsliire.  This  Adam  second  of 
Kiccarton.  in  129C>.  aclaiowledged  the  authority  of  Edward 
I.  of  Enjiland.  and  took  the  usual  oath. 

Maleoim  ^  Wallace  married  Margaret,  daughter  of  Sir 
Hugh  Crawford,  of  Crosbie,  and  of  this  mari'iage  tliere 
were  born  two  sons,  according  to  Dr.  Rogers — Malcolm  and 
William  the  patriot:  but  according  to  the  Marquis  of  Bute 
there  were  tliree  sons— Andrew,  William  and  John— and  of 
these  he  says:  'They  all  died  by  the  hands  of  tlie  English— 
tlie  first  on  the  field,  and  the  last  two  on  the  scaffold.' 
William  was  executed  in  London,  August  28,  1305,  and  his 
brother  John  two  years  later.  The  sons  of  Malcolm  were 
educated  chiefly  by  the  monks  at  the  Abbey  of  Paisley,  but 
a  short  distance  from  the  castle  at  Elderslie,  and  when 
more  advanced,  William,  at  least,  was  sent  to  Dundee.  Lord 
Bute  says  he  was  thoroughly  trained  in  three  languages- 
Latin.  French  and  his  own.  The  best  authorities  are  agreed 
that  he  was  born  about  1273.  He  was  the  son  of  Malcolm, 
the  son  of  Adam,  the  son  of  Richard  second,  the  son  of 
Richard  the  Welshman." 

Continuing  Mr.  vV^allace  says:  "Up  to  this  point  (close 
of  tlie  fifteentli  century)  we  have  nothing  Imt  the  names 
and  locations  of  individuals  signed  as  witnesses  to  grants 
of  land,  etc.,  called  charters.  *  *  *  *  As  a  matter  of 
course,  the  younger  or  less  well  known  members  of  families 
never  were  called  upon  to  witness  charters,  and  hence  their 
personalities  never  were  known  and  never  can  be  known. 
In  the  four  hundred  years  that  rolled  away  between  the 
birtli  of  Richard  the  Welshman  and  the  close  of  the 
fifteenth  century,  there  can  be  no  doubt  there  were  hun- 


lU   THE  WALLACES— MONTGOMERY  COUNTY,  MD. 


dreds  and  biindveds  of  Wallace  men  whose  names,  lot-a- 
tious,  and  pursuits  can  never  be  found.    *    *     *     '-'    *    * 

The  inheritance  of  estates  under  the  laws  f>f  primogeni- 
ture may  have  been  well  suited  to  the  condition  of  society 
in  the  thirteenth  century,  but  it  was  not  an  unmixed  evil, 
for  it  compelled  the  younger  sons  of  the  titled  aiul  wealthy 
to  strike  out  for  themselves,  and  in  making  tlieir  own  way 
in  tlie  world,  tliey  developed  whatever  was  in  tliem.  Tliese 
younger  sons  of  the  Wallaces  distributed  themselves 
wherever  tlieir  fancy  led— in  all  employments,  pursuits  and 
professions.  From  these  younger  sons  came  the  great  mer- 
cliamts.  great  sailors,  great  scholars,  great  teachers,  great 
warriors  and  great  divines.  Many  of  them  fell  in  battle  f(»r 
their  country,  and  not  a  few  died  at  the  stake  for  their 
religious  convictions.     *     -     *      •■     * 

The  rising  generation  of  Wallaces  in  Scotland,  Ireland 
and  America  can  look  back  over  an  unbroken  line  of  in- 
heritance, historically  established,  extending  to  the  middle 
ages,  and  covering  a  period  of  about  eight  hundred  years. 
To  represent  this  line  of  descent  in  strictly  genealogical 
form  would  reiiuire  the  naming  and  plnciiig  of  about 
twenty-six  successive  ancestors  in  the  right  male  line  before 
Ave  reached  Sir  Richard  the  Welshman." 

From  the  early  generations  of  the  Wallace  families, 
he  says:  "We  have  considered  the  foundations  from  whicli 
more  than  forty  other  families  have  sprung." 

Sir  William  Wallace,  son  of  Sir  Malcolm  Wallace,  mar- 
ried Marion  Braidfoot.  and  they  liad  one  daughter,  who 
married  Williaju  Baillie  of  Hoprig,  and  became  the  pro- 
genitors of  the  Baillies  of  Lamiugton,  and  a  long  line  of 
descendants. 


ELLERSLIE,  SCOTLAND-AMERICA.  11 


An  authority  on  the  Wallaces,  says:  "The  Elderslie  line 
was  no  doubt  carried  on  hy  Sir  William's  brothers,  who  at 
death  wei'e  over  marriageable  age." 

In  1390  John  Wallace,  great  grandson  of  Adam  Wal- 
lace, was  in  possession  of  Elderslie,  and  from  John  the 
descent  is  clear  for  some  seventeen  male  descendants,  after 
which  the  estates  seem  to  have  passed  into  possession  of 
the  female  lines  of  the  family,  perhaps  in  the  eighteenth 
century. 

Sir  Malcolm  Wallace,  known  as  the  Knight  of  Elderslie, 
was  the  head  of  the  family  that  the  Maryland,  Virgiuia 
and  New  Jersey  Wallaces  claim  descent  from. 

Rev.  Hayden  says  on  this  point:  "I  judge  that  if  the 
owner  of  any  place  called  Ellerslie  so  named  it  in  the  last 
(eighteenth)  century,  as  Dr.  Michael  Wallace  did,  he  was 
in  some  w^ay  connected  with  Ellerslie  in  Scotland." 

This  Di-.  Michael  Wallace  was  the  son  of  William  Wal- 
lace, of  Galgrigs,  Scotland,  a  direct  descendant  of  Sir  Mal- 
colm Wallace,  and  was  born  in  Scotland  in  1729.  moving  to 
King  George  county,  Va.,  when  in  his  youth  and  there  set- 
tled a  place  which  he  called  Ellerslie,  in  honor  and  remem- 
brance of  Elderslie  the  family  home  in  Scotland. 

The  name  Ellerslie  was  adopted  in  this  country  by  the 
Virginia,  Maryland  and  New  Jersej'  Wallaces,  instead  of 
Elderslie. 

Dr.  ilichael  Wallace's  Ellerslie  was  about  "tO  miles  air 
line  south  of  the  Ellerslie  named  by  William  Wallace,  son 
of  James  Wallace,  patentee  of  Brothers  Industry,  on  his 
share  of  this  tract  in  Montgomery  county,  Md.  It  is  not 
likely  that  Dr.  Michael  Wallace  settled  Ellerslie  in  Virginia 


12     THE  WALLACES— MONTGOMERY  COUNTY,  MD. 


before  ITaO,  and  it  was  about  this  time  tliat  Ellerslie  in 
Maryland  was  uamed.  Tlie  Dr.  is  claimed  to  be  the  last 
of  the  Scottish  line  of  tirst  sons  in  Scothmd,  and  it  is  pro- 
liable  that  James  Wallace  was  one  of  the  younger  sons, 
who  settled  in  ^Maryland  40  of  50  years  before  Dr.  Michael 
Wallace  settled  in  Virginia. 

In  18G0  Ann  Wallace,  of  Scotland,  then  90  years  of 
age.  a  descendant  of  Sir.  Malcolm,  and  a  niece  of  Dr 
Michael  Wallace,  wrote  a  letter  to  Mrs.  E.  P..  Wallace,  of 
Fredericksburg,  Ya..  in  which  she  said  of  him:  "His  having 
named  his  acquired  property  in  his  adopted  counti-y  Eller- 
slie, is  certain  evidence  of  his  belonging  to  our  family." 

There  was  also  an  Ellerslie  family  of  Wallace  in  Somer- 
set county.  X.  J.,  about  100  miles  northeast  of  Ellerslie,  Md. 
of  which  Hon.  Joshua  Mad.dox  Wallace,  grandson  of  Rev. 
John  Wallace,  of  County  Peel)les.  Scotland,  was  the  head, 
who  claimed  descent  from  Sir  Malcolm  Wallace.  He  mar- 
ried in  ITlt;  Christian  Murry  descendant  of  Robert  Bruce, 
and  had  a  son  named  John  Bradford  Wallace.  In  another 
place  it  will  be  seen  that  a  certain  John  Bradford,  an  Eng- 
lish land  officer,  was  given  power  of  attorney  by  James 
Wallace  when  he  went  to  England  on  business  in  1710.  and 
also  that  the  same  John  Bradford  sold  490  acres  to  William 
Wallace  in  1721  to  make  up  the  tract  called  Brothers  In- 
dustry in  Montgomery  county.  Md.,  in  which  Ellerslie  was 
located. 

On  July  27.  1773,  Lieut.  Col.  Gustavus  B.  Wallace,  son  of 
Dr.  ilichael  Wallace,  wrote  a  letter  from  Ellerslie,  Vs.,  to 
Dr.  James  Wallace,  of  Md.,  signing  himself  his  brother,  in 
which  he  sent  his  compliments  to  Dr.  Brown  and  his  lady 


ELLERSLIE,  SCOTLAND-AMERICA.  13 

and  all  friends  in  Mainland.  Lieut.  Col.  Wallace's  motlier 
was  named  Brown  and  doubtless  it  was  her  brother  refer- 
red to.  It  is  a  fact  to  keep  in  mind  also,  that  there  was 
about  this  time  a  Dr.  James  Wallace,  grandson  of  James 
Wallace,  of  Brothers  Industry,  living  in  Montgomery  coun- 
ty, Md. 

These  facts  show  that  there  must  have  been  more  or 
less  intercourse  among  the  Bllerslie  Wallaces  of  Virginia, 
Maryland  and  New  Jersey,  and  no  doubt  relationship,  and 
go  far  to  substantiate  the  claim  of  the  Maryland  Wallaces 
to  descent  from  Sir  Malcolm  Wallace. 

The  ^larylaud  Wallaces  mai'ried  into  many  of  the  most 
l)rominent  families  of  that  part  of  the  state,  conspicuous 
among  whom  were  the  Wheeler,  Young  and  Douglass  fani- 
lies.  who  owned  large  tracts  of  land  now  covered  by  Wash- 
ington. I).  C.  It  is  claimed  that  the  Capitol.  Library  of  Con- 
gress, and  perhaps  the  Navy  Yard  and  Arsenal,  occupy 
what  was  once  their  property 


CHAPTER    III. 


James   Wallace   Family 


Family  history  and  official  records  show  that  James 
Wallace  married  Maiy  Douglass,  of  Scotland,  a  widow,  and 
came  to  Maryland.  The  family  records  do  not  give  the 
names  of  the  children,  but  the  will  of  James  Wallace  shows 
that  they  had  Ave  children,  and  earlier  court  records  show 
another  son,  Alexaiidei*. 

James  Wallace,  of  Frederick  county,  Md.,  made  a  will 
dated  September  (j,  1774,  in  which  he  mentions  as  his  sons, 
Herbert,  William  and  James,  daughter  Eleanor  Hopkins, 
who  was  to  have  part  of  Brothers  Industry  and  Weavers 
Denn.  a  daughter  Anne  Douglass  and  grandsons,  John  Wal- 
lace and  Robert;  Douglass. 

There  was  another  son,  Alexander,  who  died  about 
1759.  according  to  the  following  record:  "Deed  of  gift  to 
Eleanor  Wallace  by  Herbert,  William  and  James  Wallace, 
Jr.,  all  of  Frederick  county,  Md.,  brothers-in-law  of  Eleanoi-, 
widow  of  Alexander  Wallace  deceased,  consisting  of  house- 
hold furniture,  slaves  and  cattle."  This  was  dated  March 
3,  1759.  The  grandson  John  Wallace  named  in  the  will,  was 
doubtless  the  son  of  Alexander. 


JAxMES  WALLACE  FAMILY.  15 

Of  those  childreu  there  is  no  record  showing-  descend- 
ants, except  William,  James  and  Eleanor.  Anne  Douglass 
named  in  the  will  was  probably  a  widow,  and  the  grandson 
Rol)ert  Douglass,  her  son.  No  record  has  appeared  of  them 
after  this  in  the  will.  John  Wallace  went  to  AVashington 
county.  Pa.,  about  1779,  but  nothing  further  is  known  of 
him. 

Herbert  and  his  wife.  Eleanor,  deeded  October  22.  1779, 
lUU  acres  in  the  "Addition  to  the  Remains,"  and  120  acres 
in  Piney  Lands,  to  Samuel  Wade  Magruder,  after  which 
they  moved  to  Washington  county.  Pa.,  where  all  trace  of 
them  is  lost.  Tlie  two  other  .sons  remained  in  Montgomery 
county  where  they  reared  large  families. 

I.  William  AA'allace  married  Susannah  Young  and  had 
the  following  children: 

1.  Alexander  Wallace  married  Frances  Montague,  No- 
vember 1.  17K7.  She  was  the  daughter  of  William  Monta- 
gue and  his  wife.  Hannah  Ballendine,  of  Essex  county,  Va. 
Mr.  Wallace  died  before  his  father,  William  Wallace,  and 
in  the  will  of  the  latter  provision  is  made  for  the  two  infant 
children  of  Alexander  Wallace.  Mrs.  Wallace  died  October 
17,  1791.  Their  children  were: 

i.  William  Montague  Wallace  was  born  in  Montgomery 
county.  Md.,  1789  and  married  Ellen  Maria,  daughter  of  Dr. 
John  Daughaday.  of  Baltimore.  Md.They  had  eight  children, 
of  whom  William  Montague,  Alexander  Danghaday,  Robert 
Rrnce,  Charles  Montague,  Edward  Douglass,  John  Fi-ank- 
lin  and  Ellen  Maria  Wallace  died  young. 

The  only  child  reaching  maturity  was  Emily  Frances 
W.UI.ice.  who  married  William  H.  Moore.  June  IL  1847.  and 


16   THE  WALLACES— MONTGOMERY  COUNTY,  MD. 


bad  one  daughter.  William  Anna  Moore,  born  August  19, 
1849,  who  married  Louis  Dare,  October  30,  1879,  and  died 
September  21,  1880,  leaving  an  infant  son,  Edward  Monta- 
gue Dare,  born  September  17,  1880.  and  died  in  1894.  Mrs. 
Emily  Frances  Moore  died  in  1898,  thus  closing  the  line 
of  the  descendants  of  Willia'm  Montague  Wallace, 
ii.    Frances  Montague  W^allace.   See  sketch  later. 

2.  William  Wallace  married  Miss  Magruder.  Children: 
— Edwin  Wallace  and  Malcolm  Wallace,  who  moved  to 
Kentucky. 

3.  James  Wallace  M.  D.,  died  without  issue. 

4.  Charles  Wallace  died  without  issue. 

5.  Robert  AVallace  married  Mary  Key  Watts.  Children: 
—Richard  Wallace  and  Frances  Rebecca  Wallace. 

6.  John  Wallace  married  for  his  first  wife  his  cousin 
Nancy  Wheeler  and  had  one  son,  Wheeler  Wallace,  who 
died  in  infancy.  His  second  wife  was  Harriet  Vinson.  Chil- 
dren :— 

William  married  Miss  Sasscer,  Prince    George    county. 

Roberta  married  J.  R.  Robertson,  Charles  county,  Md. 
Children:— Edwin,  Harriet  W.,  J.  D. 

Elizabeth  B.,  John,  Edwin,  Mary,  James  and  Lavina, 
died  without  issue. 

Emma  man-led  Elisha  O.  Williams,  son  of  Wm.  Beall 
Williams,  of  Georgetown,  D.  C.  Children:— .Ann  Dorsey, 
Harriet  V.,  Jno.  Wallace,  Mary  W.,  William  Beall.  Mi"s. 
Williams  lives  in  Rockville,  Md. 

7.  Mary  Wallace  married  John  Anderson. 

8.  Anne  Wallace  married  Col.  Richard  Anderson  of  the 
Revolutionary  War. 


JAMES  WALLACE  FAMILY.  17 


9.  Eleanor  Wallace  married  Sam'l  B.  Mag:rutler  very 
late  in  life. 

PERRY-WAKLACE    FAMILY. 

ii.  Frances  Montague  Wallace  was  born  October  17, 
1701  in  Montgomeiy  county,  Md.,  and  died  March  2,  1803, 
in  New  Castle,  Henry  county,  Ky.  She  married  October  5, 
LS09.  John  Sanford  Ferry  born  March  1,  1773,  in  Fairfax 
county,  Va.,  son  of  Franklin  Perry  and  Elizabeth  Jenkins,  a 
widow  probably  from  Saiiford,  born  1732,  died  1824  in 
Henry  county,  Ky.  They  removefl  to  Henry  county,  Ky.,  in 
1S12. 

Their  children  were: 

i.  Elizabeth  Montague  Perry  born  in  Virginia  July 
14.  1810,  married  Alfred  Keauchamp  in  1837,  and  died  Sep- 
tember 14,  1839.  Children— Newell  Perry  Beauchamp.  born 
December  1,  1837,  and  Frances  Wallace  Beauchamp,  born 
May  5,  1839,  died  May  12,  1839. 

2.  Eleanor  Wallace  Perry  was  born  May  7,  1812,  on  the 
Ohio  river  near  Gallipolis,  on  a  fiat  boat. 

Her  parents  removed  from  Fairfax  county,  Va.,  passing 
over  the  mountains  on  the  road  that  Braddock  followed, 
striking  the  Monongahela  river  at  Redstone,  now  Browns- 
ville. Pa.  There  they  either  Iniilt  or  bought  two  flat  boats 
in  which  they  embarked,  floating  down  the  beautiful 
Monongahela  past  Pittsburg,  thence  down  the  Ohio  river. 
They  carried  with  them  furniture,  food,  horses,  some  silver 
and  china,  boxes  of  clothes  and  linen.  They  had  also  with 
them  their  old  nurse,  who  had  cared  for  "Mrs.  Perry  in  her 
infancy,  as  well  as  the  other  members  of  the  family.  The 
l)uats  were  tied  up  at  night,  and  the  negroes  carried  tents 


IS  THE  WALLACES— MONTGOMERY'  COUNTY,  MD. 


froui  the  boats  and  camped  on  tlie  l)auk,  while  the  faniily 
slept  on  the  largest  boat,  yume  of  the  furniture  carried  in 
this  way.  and  a  piece  of  silk  yet  strong  and  luindsome 
wliirli  was  part  of  a  dre.ss  of  Frances  Montague  Wallace, 
grandmother  of  Eleanor  Wallace  Perry,  and  a  silhouette  <>1 
the  same  lady,  are  still  in  the  possession  of  the  family. 

Eleanor  Wallace  Perry  married  Presley  Neville  Pep- 
per of  Woodford  county,  Ky..  Feb.  o,  1820,  and  is  now  liv- 
ing with  her  only  child,  Amanda  M.  Caine,  in  Louisville, 
Ky.  To  them  was  born  Amanda  M.  Pepper  March  IH,  ISH"), 
wlio  m.irried  .lohn  Strange  Caine  Dec.  l.">.  lS.j4.He  was  the 
son  of  .John  Caine  and  Katharine  Frankham  and  was  born 
September  11.  1827,  died  June  21.  1900  in  Louisville.  Ky. 
Their  son,  Paul  Caine,  was  born  in  Louisville.  Ky.,  .Tuly 
12,  18r)9.  christened  at  Grace  church.  Louisville,  married 
Annie  Atmore,  daughter  of  Charles  Pawson  Atmore  and 
Leah  Anna  (Meriwithert  Williams  Atmore  at  St.  Andrew's 
church.  Louisville,  December  !».  1880.  Their  children  Avere 
Sydney  Atmore  Caine  born  .June  2(i.  188:!.  in  Louisville.  Ky.. 
attending  Institute  of  Technology,  Boston.  :Mass..  and 
Idella  Meriwether  Caine,  born  August  o.  1881.  in  Louis- 
ville. Ky.,  attending  Eric  Pape  Art  School,  lloston.  Mass. 

3.  \Villiam  Alexander  Perry  born  October  0.  1814.  mar- 
ried Caroline  Brown   Lee  October  2r>.   1885.   Children: 

i.  Lewis  Marion  Perry  born  September  1.  1886.  married 
Catherine  Broadwell.  children:— William  .Alexander,  Lewis 
Marion,  Marion  Lee,  Ruth.  Irvin  Broadstreet.  Tom  Mellon 
and  Kitty  Perry. 

ii.  F'anny  Wallace  Perry  born  Si^ptember  13,  1838,  mar- 
ried Charles  McAllister  Marshall,  children:— Charles,  Carrie, 


JAMES  WALLACE  FAMILY.  19 

.lolin,  William  Humphrey,  Frances  Elizabeth.  Eleanor 
Ferrj-.  Wallace  Marshall. 

iii.  Leonora  Leslie  Perry  born  October  23.  184<),  man-ied 
Walter  L.  Boyd,  children:— William  Ferry  born  February 
r>.  1874,  Carrie  Elizabeth  born  December  25.  1875,  Walter 
Lee  born  August  13.  1870,  Mary  l)orn  March  20.  187!».  Anna 
born  September  2.  18877 

iv.  Elizabeth  Lee  Perry  born  October  4.  1842,  no  chil- 
dren. 

V.  Caroline  Augusta  Perry  born  September  24,  1844, 
married  Dr.  L.  M.  Parks,  one  child  Eleanor  Perry  Marks 
born  November  3,  1885. 

vi.  Mary  Eleanor  Perry  born  November  14,  1847,  mar- 
ried Uev.  L.  L.  Mellon  July  16,  1872.  Children:— Caroline  T., 
born  April  27,  1873;  Eleanor  P..  born  June  19.  1875;  Annie 
A.,  born  I>l)ruary  4,  1878;  Perrj-  born  November  <>,  1879, 
Frederick  Davis  born  Deceml>er  8,  1882.  Leonora  L..  born 
January  7,  188(!. 

vii.    William  Sumner  Perry  died  in  infancy. 

viii.  Flora  A.  Perry  born  December  5.  1851.  married 
.lasper  B.  Lewis  November  13,  1881,  children:— Lee  M.,  born 
Fel)ruary  1,  1883;  Hattie  Davis  born  July  6,  1884,  Louis* 
I.-eslie  born  September  20.  1880. 

ix.  John  Clarence  Perry  born  December  17,  1854.  died 
.IiiiK'  14,  1879,  and  Alice  and  Ida  Perry  died  in  infancy. 

4.  .lohn  Montague  Perry  died  in  infancy. 

5.  Margaret  Fi-anklin  Perry  born  October  0,  1818,  mar- 
ried Alexander  Bayne. 

0.  John  Sanford  Perry  born  November  IS,  1820,  married 
Harriet    Ann    Herndou    February    22,    184S,    who    was   the 


20     THE  WALLACES— MONTGOxMERY  COUNTY,  MD. 


(laiij?liter  of  Thomas  Herndon  and  Eleanor  Wallace,  daugli- 
ter  of  John  Wallace  M.  D.  Children:— Clara  Adelia,  Thomas 
llaskett,  Amanda  Florence  and  Lelie  Harriet  who  married 
Jordan  Barrachmau. 

7.  Juliet  Anderson  Perry  born  January  1.  1823,  died  in 
infancy. 

8.  Frances  Montague  Perry  born  May  14.  1824,  unmar- 
ried. 

9.  Mary  Markham  Perry  born  December  10,  1826.  un- 
married 

10.  Thomas  Ballendine  Perry  born  March  15.  18.32.  mar- 
ried Maryland  Knapp  October  28.  1802.  Children:— Charles 
Shaffner  born  July  21,  1863,  Catherine  Virginia  born  Sep- 
tember 18.  1804.  Charles  Wallace  born  December  19.  1865. 
Thomas  Ballendine  born  July  16.  1867.  Colby  Knapp  Feb- 
ruary 15,  1870,  John  Sanford  July  2.  1872.  Fanny  Montague 
November  30.  1895,  Louise  Pannell  October  25  1879.  Oscar 
Allen  October  19.  1881. 

JAMES    WALLACE,    SECOND. 

XL  James  Wallace  married  Eleanor  Young  and  had 
the  following  children: 

1.  Eleanor  married  Charles  Young  and  had  two  chil- 
dren. Mary  and  Solon.  The  latter  owned  a  part  of  Brothers 
Industry,  the  old  homestead,  now  owned  by  Ninian  Perry. 
Solon  was  the  last  of  the  Wallaces  in  name  who  owned  it. 

2.  James  died  single. 

3.  John  ..1.  D.  married  Eleanor  Herndon,  daughter 
of  Thomas  and  Frances  Taylor  Herndon,  in  New  Castle, 
Henry  county,  Ky.,  about  1823. 

4.  William  died  single.  . 


JAMES  WALLACE  FAxMILY.  21 

5.  Mai-y  lived  to  an  old  age  and  died  single  in  1S7G  aged 
94  years,  at  Ellerslie,  Montgomery  county,  Md. 

H.  Elizabeth  married  James  Anderson  M.  D.,  Rockville, 
Md.,  and  had  children,  James  W.,  Edward,  Thomas,  Attor- 
ney, Robert,  John  W.,  Catherine  Ann,  Elizabeth  and 
Eleanor  B.  Capt.  James  Anderson,  son  of  James  W.,  is 
now  a  resident  of  Rockville,  Md.,  and  has  an  interest  in 
part  of  Brothers  Industry. 


CHAPTER    IV. 


The   Hopkins   Family 


The  Eleanor  Hopkins  mentioned  in  tlie  will  of  James 
Wallace  as  his  danghter.  was  the  wife  of  John  Hopkins,  as 
is  shown  by  the  following  deed  of  John  Hopkins  and  his 
wife,  Eleanor,  to  Joseph  Penn  November  11,  1777: 

■"Whereas,  James  Wallace,  late  of  Frederick  countj, 
Md.,  deceased,  in  his  lifetime,  towit,  March  28.  174!>,  obtain- 
ed a  patent  for  200  acres  of  laud  called  Weavers  Denn, 
then  in  Frederick  eonnty,  now  in  Montgomery  county,  Md., 
and  by  his  last  will  and  testannnit  did  give  and  bequeath 
to  liis  daughter.  Eleanor,  wife  of  said  John  Hopkins,  etc.'^ 

The  family  records  state  that  this  John  Hopkins  came 
from  Scotland.  Init  there  is  no  record  to  show  when  he  came 
to  this  country.  On  October  0,  1745,  John  Hopkins,  Sr..  and 
liis  wife,  Elizabeth,  deeded  100  acres  of  land  to  Thomas  An- 
keny,  which  was  witnessed  by  James  Hopkins  and  James 
Wallace,  Jr.,  and  March  12,  175().  Tliomas  Boydestone  deed- 
ed to  John  Hopkins  a  tract  of  land  called  Boydestone  Dis- 
covery on  IMney  creek  and  tlie  Potomac  river.  August  8, 
17r>;»  he  sohl  170  acres  of  tiiis  ti-act  to  Willi.-im  riiambers, 
September  iP>,  1707  Thomas  Stump  sold  John  Hopkins  GO^^ 


THE  HOPKINS  FAMILY.  •  23 

acres  in  Stninp's  valley,  and  Octo])er  I-"),  17(!7  Walter  Evan 
deeded  to  John  Hopkins  an  island  of  32  acres  in  the  Poto- 
mac river,  wliich  Mr.  Hopkins  deeded  to  Samuel  Tram  well 
September  G,  ITT.*].  October  2."),  1779.  John  Hopkins,  of  Yoho 
gania  connty.  Va..  now  Washington  county.  Pa.,  sold  the 
GOVo  acres  in  Stump's  valley  to  Osborne  Pile. 

There  seem  to  have  been  four  distinct  Hopkins  families 
in  the  section  covered  by  the  present  Montgomery  and 
Anne  Arundel  counties.  The  first  on  record  is  that  of  Wil- 
liam Hopkins,  who  owned  Hopkins"  plantation  on  Green- 
berry's  Point  among  the  Men  of  Severn  in  1H57.  He  was 
granted  CiO  acres  of  land  May  10.  1G71.  which  was  deeded  to 
Thomas  Tucker  November  10.  1G79.  Another  tract  was 
granted  to  him  of  I.IO  acres  February  2ri.  1084,  which  he 
sold  to  Uichard  Sorrell  .Iiuic  0.  1().S."».  Otlier  transactions  are 
also  on  record. 

In  the  same  county  there  was  a  Gerard  Hopkins,  anions 
the  Men  of  Severn  UJ.IS.  It  is  doiibtless  his  will  dated  Octo- 
ber 12.  1001.  in  which  he  names  his  wife  Thomsin,  son 
(Jerard.  and  daughters  Anne.  Thomsin  and  Mary.  Gerard 
Hopkins  married  Margaret  Johns,  and  they  had  seven  chil- 
dren, .loseijh.  Gerard,  Phih'p,  Samuel.  Richard,  William, 
and  Johns  Hopkins,  all  born  between  1706  and  1720.  Of 
these  children  Uichard  married  and  had  nine  children, 
among  wliom  there  was  a  (ierard.  Gerard  Hopkins,  doubt- 
le.ss  the  third,  owned  a  large  quantity  of  land  in  Frederick 
connty.  Md.,  the  tracts  being  named  Hope  Improved,  Trou- 
l)le  Enough,  None  I^eft  and  Friendship,  some  of  which  ap- 
I>ears  later  in  the  name  of  Gerard  Hopkins,  Jr.  Johns  Hop- 
kins, the  founder  of  Johns  Hopkins  University,  Baltimore, 
Md..   was  a  descendant  of  this  family. 


24   THE  WALLACES— MONTGOMERY  COUNTY,  MD. 


In  the  year  1742,  Mathew  Hopkins,  of  Kilniarnoek, 
County  of  Ayr,  Scotland,  came  to  Kock  Creek,  now  in  Mont- 
gomery county.  Md.,  where  he  died  January  1751.  He 
bought  from  Osbiu-n  Spriggs  Aiigust  26,  1741,  a  tract  of  300 
acres  of  land  called  Sallop  and  later  bought  other  lands. 
At  his  death  he  left  a  widow,  Mary,  who  afterwards  mar- 
ried Henry  Thralkeld,  but  they  had  no  children.  James 
Hopkins,  brother  of  Mathew,  County  of  Ayr,  was  appointed 
by  his  mother  to  act  as  her  attorney,  to  receive  all  prop- 
erty that  might  be  due  her  from  Mathew's  estate.  The 
power  of  attorney  Avas  dated  April  29,  1752,  and  May  24, 
1753,  James  Hopkins  deeded  to  Henry  Thralkeld  and  wife 
the  tract  of  land  called  Sallop.  and  a  part  of  the  tract 
known  as  Resurvey,  a  part  of  which  was  incorporated  in 
Georgetown,  D.  C.  There  is  no  record  that  James  Hopkins 
remained  in  Maryland. 

It  is  probable  that  these  families  were  related,  but  the 
evidence  is  not  available  to  make  it  clear  and  beyond  doubt. 

John  Hopkins  and  Eleanor  Wallace,  had  the  following 
children: 

I.  Herbert  Hopkins,  whose  children  Mary  and  Janet 
lived  in  Baltimore. 

II.  William  Hopkins  married  Miss  Briscoe. 

III.  Richard  Hopkins  moved  to  South  Carolina. 

IV.  Alexander  Hopkins  married  Rosa  Laird,  children: 
.John.  Thomas,  Eliza,  Rosa,  Polly  and  Nancy. 

V.  James  Hopkins  married  Mary  Goe,  children:— John, 
William.  Dorcas,  Elizabeth,  Mary  A.,  and  Thomas. 

VI.  John  Hopkins  married  Miss  Wallace,  children:— 
Charles.  Mrs,  Nancy  Butler  and  George. 


THE   HOPKINS   FAMILY 


VIT.  Thomas  Hopkins,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  wh© 
enlisted  in  the  Fifth  Md.  Regiment  February  1780,  and 
was  discharged  November  1.  1780.  The  records  show  that 
he  was  a  resident  of  Washington  county.  Pa.,  in  1781.  in 
the  part  that  afterward  became  Pike  Run  township.  He 
married  Catherine  Hurd  May  22.  1704.  who  came  with  her 
father  from  Londonderry.  Ireland.  They  had  tlie  following 
children: 

1.  Andrew  born  April  liO,  1795,  married  Anna  Town- 
send  .children:— Mrs.  Edith  E.  Ooyle,  Mrs.  Catherine  Hiesy, 
Mrs.  Sabina  Wilcox.  Townsend  and  Thomas. 

2.  Catherine  Hopkins.  Sketch  Wright-Hopkins  family. 
?>.    Eleanor  Hopkins  unmarried. 

4.  Thomas  H  Hopkins  married  Elizabeth  MofRtt.  Chil- 
dren. Moffitt.  Mrs.  Eliza  Lanning,  Thomas.  Mrs.  Catherine 
K  repps. 

5.  John  Hopkins  married  Jane  Motfitt  and  had  one 
daughter,  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Dr.  E.  A.  Wood,  Allegheny 
county.  Pa. 

0.  William  Hopkins  married  Rachel  Herron  Januaxy 
1.  1824.  and  had  three  children: 

i.  Ajidrew.  a  prominent  journalist  in  Pittsburg,  Pa., 
and  Wheeling,  W.  Va. 

ii.     Catherine,  unmarried,  died  in  1901. 

iii.  James  H.  Hopkins  attorney  at  law.  While  a  resident 
of  Pittsburg.  Pa.,  he  was  twice  elected  to  Congress.  He  is 
now  a  resident  of  Washington,  D.  C. 

William  Hopkins  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  Demo- 
crats of  his  time  in  Pennsylvania.  In  l&34-ti-7-8-9  and  in 
1861-2  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  lower  house  of  the 


26     THE  WALLACES— MONTCIOMEKV  COIXTV,  MI). 

Legislatiire  of  Pennsylvania,  and  in  1863  a  member  of  the 
State  Senate.  He  Avas  Speaker  of  the  House  in  18o8-!»  anrt 
40,  Seeretary  of  the  Land  Ottice,  elected  Canal  Commission- 
er in  1852.  and  in  1872  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional 
Convention  of  Pennsylvania. 

7.  White  F.  Hopkins  married  Hannah  Wilson,  cliil- 
dren.  Araminda.  Thomas  C,  Joseph  Wright. 

S.  Margaret  Hopkins  married  Thomas  West,  chiUUH'n. 
Thomas,  Catherine  and  Jonathan,  the  latter  serving  in  the 
Civil  War,  and  died  in  Anderson ville  prison.  T'pon  the 
death  of  her  husband,  Mrs.  West  married  William  Mottitt 
and  had  children.  John.  Eliza  Jane.  Joseph.  Hopkins,  who 
served  in  the  Kinggold  cavalry  in  the  Civil  War.  and  Mar- 
garet. 

9.    Alexander. 

VIH.  Nancy  Hopkins  married  Mr.  Fleming.  Children, 
John,  AVhite,  Nellie,  Oatherlne,  Elizabeth.  Ann.  Margaret. 

IX.  Elizabeth  Hopkins  married  William  Wallace,  son 
of  William  Wallace  one  of  the  founders  of  I'.rothers  In- 
dustry. 

X.  Anna  Hopkins  married  William  Parker.  Justice  of 
the  Peace  of  Somerset  township.  Washington  county.  I*a.. 
April  o.  1782,  and  snb-Lientenant  of  the  comity  in  17S1. 

XI.  Eleanor  Hopkins  married  Andrew  Hoggs  and  had 
one  son.  Mr.  Boggs  was  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  Fallowfield 
township.  Washington  county.  Pa..  February  17,  1*97. 

WKIGHT-HOPKINS    F.\MILV. 

2.  Catherine  born  April  25,  1796,  married  Joseph 
Wright  November  6,  1814. 

Mr.  Wright  was  the  grandson  of  Joshua  Wright,  who 


THE   HOPKINS  FAMILY.  27 

with  his  brother  James,  settled  in  Peters  Creek,  Washing- 
ran  county.  Pa.,  then  Yohogania  county,  Ya..  in  1764.  He 
was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  and  came  from  the  eastern 
part  of  PennsjMvania.  The  brothers  acquired  800  acres  of 
land.  450  acres  of  which  they  ))ought  from  a  half  breed  In- 
ilian.  September  10.  1779.  .Tames  sold  his  share  to  his  broth- 
er and  moved  to  Ohio,  thence  to  Kentucky.  .Toshua  was  con- 
stable in  1775,  a  Ju.stice  of  the  Peace  in  1770.  and  presided 
over  the  courts  of  Yohogania  county.  After  he  had  partly 
cleared  his  land  and  crops  were  planted,  he  returned  to 
Harrisburg.  Pa.,  and  married  Charity  Sauus  Harris,  daugh- 
ter of  John  Harris  for  whom  Harrisburg  was  named.  In 
the  spring  of  178,'},  Mr.  Wright  started  with  two  other  men 
in  a  flat  bottomed,  square  prowed  boat,  to  take  produce  to 
New  Orleans.  He  was  decoyed  ashore  by  a  white  man  and 
captured  l)y  Indians.  He  was  taken  northward  through 
Ohio,  and  at  a  point  near  Sandusky  was  made  to  run  the 
gauntlet  and  was  burned  at  the  stake. 

His  son.  Enoch,  married  Rachel  James,  of  whose  chil- 
dren. Joseph  Wright,  born  August  4,  1794  was  the  only  one 
that  reached  manhood.  Enoch  Wriglit  was  a  capable  man, 
possessed  of  a  large  amount  of  real  estate,  on  a  part  of 
.which  Finleyville  was  built  and  was  a  very  wealthy  man 
for  his  times.  He  was  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  over  30  years. 
County  Commissioner  and  Director  of  the  Poor,  and  took 
an  active  part  in  the  Whiskey  Insm-rection.  though  at  first 
opposed  to  it.  He  was  originally  a  Baptist,  and  built  a 
church  on  his  own  land  to  be  used  by  all  Evangelical 
churches.  He  later  became  a  Methodist. 

Joseph  Wright  was  a  student  of  Jefferson  College,  Can- 


28   THE  WALLACES— MONTGOMEKV  COL  XT V.  Ml). 


onsburg,  Pa.,  a  man  of  strong  intellect,  specially  informed 
in  Theology  and  the  English  language.  He  was  a  minister 
of  the  Pittsburg  Conference  M.  E.  church,  admitted  when 
he  was  41  years  of  age,  after  a  long  service  as  local  preach- 
er. He  had  largely  prepared  a  dictionary  of  the  Euglisli 
language,  which  had  reached  the  letter  M.  at  the  time  of 
his  death. 

•Joseph  and  Catherine  Hopkins  Wright  had  tlie  follow- 
ing children: 

i.  Darthula  born  March  28,  1816,  married  Dr.  James 
Miller  and  had  three  children.  Rev.  R.  T.  Miller,  Jos.  W. 
Miller,  M.  D.  and  Rachel,  married  I>r.  Jos.  McCready. 

ii.  Catherine  born  April  4.  1818,  married  Tliomas  Ran 
kin,   had  12  children. 

iii.  Lucinda  born  March  !.">,  1820.  married  John  Storer. 
and  had  one  son.  Dr.  Thomas  Storer. 

iv.  Joshua  Wright  born  May  4,  1822,  married  Sarah 
C.  White  March  17,  1844.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Rev. 
John  White,  whose  father  came  from  England  and  settled 
in  the  Shenandoah  valley,  Va.,  where  John  White  was 
born,  near  Winchester,  April  12,  1787.  He  joined  the  M.  E. 
church  in  1801,  and  in  1809.  under  charge  of  Jacob  Gruber. 
eutere<l  upon  his  work  as  an*  itinerant  in  the  Greenbriei 
I>istrict,  Va.  On  the  28th  of  December  1815,  while  on  the 
(Greenfield  circuit,  Washington  county.  Pa.,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Elizabeth  S.  James,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Cathe- 
rine James,  of  Nottingham  township. 

Joshua  and  Sarah  C.  Wright  had  the  following  chil- 
dren : 

1.    Rev.  John  A.  Wright  born  January  1,  1845.  He  was 


THE  HOPKINS  FAMILY.  29 


a  student  in  Washington  College,  when  the  Civil  War  broke 
out,  and  enlisted  in  Company  D,  140th  Pa.  Regiment  and 
served  to  the  end  of  the  war  and  was  wounded  at  Chancel- 
lorsville.  He  was  graduated  from  Allegheny  College  in 
1808,  taught  three  years  in  the  west,  and  has  preached 
continuously  in  the  M.  li.  church  in  Ohio  since. 

2.  Speranza  Catherine  born  December  9,  1846,  mar 
ried  (ieorge  W.  Brown,  Brooke  county,  W.  Va.,  March  7, 
18(55,  now  deceased.  She  now  lives  at  Indianapolis,  Ind., 
where  her  sou  is  city  editor  of  the  Sentinel. 

3.  Rev.  Joseph  Enoch  Wright,  born  May  27,  1849,  who 
attended  Washington  and  Jefferson  College  one  year.  Pa. 
State  Agricultural  College  and  Allegheny  College,  after 
which  he  engaged  m  farming,  and  entered  the  law  office 
of  his  uncle,  Judge  J.  W.  P.  White  and  J.  F.  Slagle  Jan- 
uary 1871.  He  was  converted  August  i:],  1871,  and  l)egan  at 
once  to  prepare  for  the  ministry,  entering  the  Pittsburj. 
Conference  M.  E.  church  March  1872. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  March  24,  1875,  with  Rachel 
Luella  Diehl,  born  November  17,  1851,  daughter  of  Jacob 
H.  and  Anne  Diehl,  Georgetown,  Beaver  county.  Pa., 
whose  ancestors  came  from  Germany  and  settled  in  Le- 
banon county.  Pa.  They  had  four  children,  two  of  whon; 
Anna  Luella  and  Joseph  Edwin  are  deceased. 

Their  son,  Jacob  Merrill,  born  January  9,  1876,  was 
graduated  from  Allegheny  College,  1895,  from  the  Pitts- 
burg law  school  1897,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the 
Allegheny  county  courts  December  1898.  He  married  Laura 
A.,  daughter  of  Henry  Pearce,  of  Cincinnati,  O.,  June  12, 
1901.  They  live  in  Homestead,  Pa. 


30   THE  WALLACES— MONTGOMERY  COUNTY,  MD. 


Their  son,  James  Francis  Vernon,  born  April  5,  1878, 
was  graduated  from  Allegliouy  College  1898,  from  Drew 
Theological  Seminary  in  1901,  and  received  the  degree  of 
Master  of  Arts  in  1901  from  Allegheny  College.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  ritt.sl)urg  Conference  M.  B.  chni'ch  October 
12,  1901,  ordained  deacon  bj'  Bishop  J.  M.  \Vahlen,  and  was 
appointed  to  Saltsburg,  Pa. 

4.  Elizal>eth  Anna  l>orn  July  2.i.  1851,  graduate  of 
W.ishington  Female  Seminary,  married  Levi  C  Linn,  attor, 
ney  at  law,  and  now  reside  in  Denver  Col.  Children:— Char 
les  Wright  and  Katherine  Lowry. 

.">.  ^Villiam  Fletcher  Itorn  July  20,  18.j4,  studied  and 
practiced  law,  now  State  Manager  of  the  Union  Central 
Life  Insin*ance  Companj%  Buffalo.  N.  Y.  He  married  Laura 
Brown  May  10.  ISTO,  children,  Mary,  Edith  Blanche,  Laura 
B..  Katherine  M. 

<j.  James  Sauns  born  Fe])ruary  14.  1857,  died  D'ecember 
2.  1S71. 

7.  Harriet  Lucinda  born  June  11.  1859,  graduate  of 
Washington  Feuiale  Seminary,  married  Everett  C.  Smith, 
attorney  at  law  and  journalist.  Ravenswood.  W.  Va.  Their 
children  are  Adn  B.,  Everett  C.  and  HaiTiet  R. 

8.  Ada  Blanche  born  December  30.  1SG2,  completed 
the  seminary  course  of  study  Washington.  Pa.,  and  mar- 
ried Joseph  M.  Spriggs  manager  of  a  large  w^holesale  groc- 
ery establishment  in  that  place.  He  is  a  graduate  of  Wash- 
ington and  Jefferson  College.  Their  children  are.  Robert 
and  Margaret,  died  of  scarlet  fever,  and  Josephine. 

9.  Frank  Lawrence  born  October  20.  18t)4,  was  grad- 
uated    at  Washington  and  Jefferson  College     and     at  the 


THE  HOPKINS  FAMILY.  31 


Sfbool  of  Dentistry,  Philadelphia.  Pa.,  now  practicing  at  Red 
Bank,  N.  J.  He  married  Viola  Alexander,  Philadelphia,  Sep- 
tember 28,  1889,  and  have  one  daughter,  Frances. 

10.  Josliua  Koberf  born  October  20,  18GG,  received  a 
collegiate  education  V>  asliington.  Pa.,  and  is  a  practicing 
attorney  at  the  Allegheny  County  Bar.  He  married  Helen 
Scluuid.  daughter  of  Francis  X.  and  Marie  C.  Schmid,  Alle- 
gheny, Pa.,  and  have  two  children  living,  Jane  and  Joshua 
Robert,  one  child,  Christine,  died  in  infancy. 

V.  Enoch  born  July  28.  1824,  married  Emma  Smith, 
daughter  of  Dr.  Edward  Smith,  West  Liberty,  W.  Va.  They 
had  ten  children. 

vi.    Thomas  A.  born  March  18,  1827. 

vii.  Joseph  T.  F.  born  June  9,  1828.  married  Maria 
Hindman.  Gastonville,  and  had  ">  children. 

viii.  Margaret  Ann  born  December  24,  1830,  graduate 
Washington  Female  Seminary,  married  Dr.  C.  W.  Town- 
send,  whose  ancestors  came  to  AYashiugton  county.  Pa.,  in 
1780.  They  had  live  children. 

ix.  Mary  Eleanor  born  November  30,  1833,  graduate 
Washington  Female  Seminary,  married  Rev.  John  C. 
Brown,  member  of  the  Pittsburg  Conference  M.  E.  church 
1 1  .vears.  and  moved  to  Iowa. 

X.    Hopkins  born  April  3,  1836,  deceased. 

xi.  Charity  Sauns  born  May  28.  1840,  graduate  Wash- 
ington Female  Seminary,  married  Dr.  D.  M.  Anderson,  a 
prominent  man  in  the  county,  a  member  of  the  legislature 
three  terms,  and  large  real  estate  owner.  Their  children  are 
Hopkins,  graduated  Columbia  Law  School,  and  Elizabeth, 
graduated  Washington  Female  Seniinarv. 


CHAPTER    V. 


William   Wallace   Family 


The  subject  of  this  sketch,  brother  of  James  Wallace 
patentee  of  Brothers  Iinliistry,  is  first  named  in  the  records 
in  the  purchase  of  400  acres  from  .Tolm  Bradford,  which 
was  assigned  to  his  brother  James,  and  be<-ame  a  part  of 
that  famous  tract.  His  services  in  founding  this  homestead, 
recognized  by  his  brother  in  1720  by  deeding  him  500  acres 
of  the  tract,  form  the  next  record,  and  there  is  no  furtlier 
n)ention  of  him  until  tlie  recording  of  his  will  June  10.  1750. 
This  will  was  dated  April  1,  1758,  in  which  the  names  of 
his  wife  and  children  are  given. 

In  it  he  states  that  his  son  James  is  to  have  "100  acres 
of  the  jilaiitation:  three  daughters,  Elizabctli  Boydestone, 
Anne  Mason  and  f]lcanor  Tracy  a  I'ing  each,  20  s  In  value, 
having  already  provided  for  them:  daughter  Sarah  Thomp- 
son mulatto  boy  and  200  lbs  tobacco:  wife  Frances  my  now 
dwelling  house,  plantation  of  200  acres;  son  Nathaniel  100 
acres:  son  William  remaining  pai't  of  Brothers  Industry; 
daughters  Martha,  Margaret,  Mary,  Frances  and  Barbara 
to  have  Boydestone's  Discovery."  His  wife  Finances  was  ap- 
pointed  executrix,    and   the  will   adds   that   William   shall 


WILLIAM  WALLACE  FAMILY.  33 


liave  remainder  of  Brotliers  Industry,  after  wife's  death, 
and  after  to  Nathaniel.  If  tliey  die  without  issue  survivors 
of  family  to  inherit.  The  following  clause  aijpears  in  the 
will:  "It  is  my  desire  that  the  boys,  in  case  my  wife  should 
marry,  shall  have  the  produce  of  their  labor  at  the  age  of 
IS  years:  but  if  she  does  not  mamy,  to  stay  with  their 
mother  until  they  are  21  years  of  age." 

This  record  shows  that  his  son  William  Wallace,  the 
only  one  of  liis  children  of  whom  tliere  is  a  record  of  his 
descendants,  was  a  mere  boy  at  the  time  of  his  father's 
death,  perhaps  not  over  9  years  of  age. 

Of  the  daughters  there  is  no  record  to  be  found  any- 
where, the  will  sho^ving  only  that  tliree  of  them  were  mar- 
i-ied,  two  in  the  well  known  families  of  Tracey  and  Boyde- 
stone. 

Under  the  date  of  November  18,  ITf^Il.  James  Wallace, 
son  of  William  Wallace,  of  the  Province  of  Carolina,  sold  to 
James  Wallace,  Sr.,  of  Frederick  county.  Md..  "all  Ms  right 
and  title  to  part  of  the  tract  of  land  called  Brothers  In- 
dustry in  Fi'oderick  county,  Md.,  near  Captain  Johns."  He 
became  a  I'esident  of  youth  Carolina,  and  all  trace  of  him  is 
lost. 

October  28,  1770,  Nathaniel  Wallace  and  his  wife, 
Frances,  conveyed  their  share  of  Brothers  Industry  to 
Francis  Clements,  and  on  the  4th  of  March  1782,  he  recited 
in  brief  the  history  of  the  tract,  and  the  disposition  by  will 
of  William  Wallace,  his  father,  of  his  share  in  the  land, 
smd  the  deeding  of  Nathaniel's  share  to  Francis  Clements. 
He  was  then  a  resident  of  Washington  county.  Pa. 

In  the  Penna.  Archives  Third  Series,  Vol.  22  page  772.  is 


34       THE  WALLACES— MONTGOMERY  COUNTY,  MD. 


Kiven  the  effective  supply  tax  list  tor  Somerset  townsliip 
ill  1781,  in  which  Nathaniel  Wallace  was  assessed  for  180 
acres  of  laud  located  near  the  present  village  of  Vanceville, 
on  the  middle  fork  of  Pig-eon  Creek.  It  is  related  that  the 
tirst  observance  of  the  rite  of  baptism  in  that  section  by  the 
Kaptist  church,  was  on  his  farm  in  1S05.  During  the  im- 
mersion in  the  creek  a  severe  thunderstorm  arose,  and  a 
tree  sheltering  the  platform  on  which  the  preaching  was 
held,  was  ^struck  killing  two  horses.  Mr.  Wallace's  daughter 
was  one  of  those  immersed.  No  record  can  be  found  of  this 
family's  subsequent  life  and  no  descendants  are  known.  Wil- 
liam NVallace,  Nathaniel's  brother,  was  also  assessed  in  this 
list  for  200  acres  of  land  on  the  north  fork  of  I'igeon  Creek. 

On  October  10,  1780,  William  Wallace,  Jr.,  and  Eliza- 
beth Hopkins,  his  wife,  deeded  to  Francis  Clements  their 
part  of  Brothers  Industiy,  being  then  residents  of  Wash- 
ington countj',  Pa. 

By  these  sales,  the  share  of  William  Wallace  in 
Brothers  Industry,  deeded  to  him  in  172f),  passed  entirely  out 
of  the  hands  of  the  family,  and  all  the  males  of  the  family 
had  left  Maiyland. 

William  Wallace  and  his  bride.  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  .John  and  Eleanor  Wallace  Hopkins,  went  to  Washing- 
ton count.v.  Pa.,  soon  after  their  marriage  July  11.  177'.», 
where  they  reared  a  family  and  have  numerous  descend- 
ants. 


II. 


THE    WALLACES, 

Washington  County,  Pa^ 


CHAPTER    I. 


Pioneer     Life 


William  Wallace  and  Elizabeth  Hopkins  were  united 
ill  mari'iage  in  Montgomery  county,  Md.,  July  11,  1779,  and 
soon  afterward  removed  to  what  is  now  Somerset  town- 
ship. Washington  county.  Pa. 

They  evidently  came  with  a  number  of  their  relatives, 
as  the  records  show  the  presence  of  the  following  persons 
in  that  neigliborhood,  of  the  Hopkins  and  Wallace  families: 
Nathaniel  Wallace  his  bi-other,  Herbert  Wallace  a  cousin, 
John  Wallace,  Herbert's  nephew,  and  John.  Thomas  and 
Ale.Kander  Hopkins,  brothers  of  Mrs.   Wallace. 

These  families  had  land  on  Pigeon,  Pike  Run  and  Ten 
Mile  creeks,  and  lived  along  the  valleys  of  the  first  two. 
They  were  all  planters,  and  had  taken  up  considerable 
(luantities  of  land  amid  the  forests  and  along  these 
streams,  sheltered  by  the  beautiful  hills  that  make  so 
picturesque  and  lovely  scenery  to  the  present  time.  They 
lived  but  a  few  miles  apart  and  thus  were  able  to  go  to 
each  other's  relief  in  times  of  danger  and  distress. 

From  this  settlement  of  relatives,  the  three  streams 
named  ttow  into  the  Monongahela  river,  and  the  country 


38      THE  WALLACES— WASH IN(iTON  COUNTY,  PA. 


covered  is  well  adapted  to  be  the  lioine  of  a  brave  people, 
where  they  were  trained  in  industry,  rigrhteous  living 
and  patriotism. 

df  the  families  prominently  represented  in  this  history 
whose  nationality  is  known,  nearly  all  were  Scotch  or 
Scotch-Irish,  and  were  of  the  Scotch  Presbyterian  stock, 
who  bronght  with  them  their  principles  of  religions  liberty, 
and  became  leaders  in  all  that  tended  to  the  real  growth 
and  moral  strength  of  their  communities.  There  was  no 
yielding  of  principle,  ditticulties  did  not  deter  them,  hard- 
ships failed  to  wear  them  out.  and  they  seemed  to  thrive 
and  grow  amid  the  exactions  and  hardsliips  of  the  pioneer 
life.  Their  sterling  moral  strength  made  the  communities 
strong  and  self  reliant,  among  the  best  in  the  Nation. 

The  labor  and  danger  of  coming  hundreds  of  miles  from 
the  east,  over  mountains  and  throngli  streams,  on  foot  or 
horseback,  with  no  comforts  of  travel  or  living,  was 
sufficient  to  try  tln>  strength  and  courage  of  the  hardiest 
people,  and  the  result  was  a  race  of  hardy  settlers.  Many  of 
them  came  from  Maryland  and  Virginia,  over  the  old  Brad- 
dock  route  from  Cumberland,  crossing  the  Allegheny 
mountains  and  Laurel  Hill. 

The  winter  of  1779-80.  when  Willian)  Wallace  and  his 
bride  began  life  on  the  frontier,  was  one  of  exceptional 
cold.  In  January  I78u  tlie  harbor  of  New  York  was  frozen 
over  so  solidly  that  the  British  drove  laden  wagons  on  the 
ice  from  the  city  to  Staten  Isl.-md.  The  snow  in  February 
was  four  feet  deep  in  the  woods  and  in  the  mountains  of 
Western  Pennsylvania,  stopping  all  supply  trains  from  the 
east,  and  the  weather  continued  exceedingly  cold  for  two 


--^ 


PIONEER  LIFE.  39 


months.  The  destruction  of  animals  and  birds  was  si'eat, 
and  tlie  sufferings  of  tlie  settlers  intense.  Tliey  began  to 
do  their  part  in  winning  the  West,  inider  conditions 
sufticient  to  appall  any  but  the  stoutest  heart. 

The  pioneer  life  was  one  that  their  descendants  can 
never  understand  or  appreciate,  and  that  in  Western  Penn- 
sylvania during  the  years  of  the  Revolution,  was  unusually 
severe  and  trying.  The  constant  battle  with  the  forces  and 
conditions  of  nature  was  so  severe  as  to  tiy  their  fortitude, 
but  was  nothing  to  the  awful  scenes  that  took  place  with 
the  wild  beasts  and  savages.  They  lived  in  an  almost 
unln'oken  forest,  except  where  a  settler  had  cleared  space 
for  his  caljin  and  a  few  acres  for  tilling.  Tliey  had  lint  few 
neighbors,  whose  rallying  point  in  times  of  danger  was 
the  blockhouse  or  the  foi't.  the  rigors  of  their  life  and  the 
constant  exposure  to  imminent  danger,  dulling  the  l)rjglit 
and  joyous  features  of  life. 

A  ('hronicler  gives  a  picture  of  one  scene  in  a  settler's 
lonely  cabin:  "Night  closed  upon  him  in  his  rough  house, 
witli  his  faithful  dog  and  ritle  by  his  si(h\  Lying  in  his 
rough  bed  or  hammock,  reptiles  were  coiled  on  the  earth 
beneath  his  ])ed.  while  hordes  of  ravenous  wolves  attracted 
by  the  savory  venison,  their  appetites  whetted  and  stimu- 
lated to  uncontrollable  fury,  howled  about  the  cabin  threat- 
ening the  life  of  tue  settler."  These  conditions,  with  the 
ever  present  danger  from  a  raid  of  hostile  savages,  made 
a  scene  of  loneliness,  desolation  and  horror,  that  cannot  be 
depicted  on  pai>er  oi-  canvas. 

During  the  period  from  the  time  Col.  Wallace  settled  in 
Washington  county  until  many  years  afterwards,  raids  of 


40       THE  WALLACES— WASHINGTON  COUNTY,  PA. 


the  Indians  wore  frequent,  and  it  was  in  these  raids,  and 
preparations  to  repel  threatened  attacks,  and  drive  the 
savages  westT\'ard.  that  tlie  Rangers  of  the  Frontiers 
rendered  such  great  service  in  the  founding  of  our  Republic. 
They  were  not  in  the  conflict  opposed  to  armed  and  disci- 
plined soldiers  from  Europe,  like  their  comrades  in  the  east, 
V)ut  they  had  to  meet  and  conquer  the  bushwhacking 
savages  who  lurked  in  the  woods  and  fell  on  the  unsuspect- 
ing settlers,  and  were  backed  by  the  skilled  and  crafty 
British  bands  in  the  west.  The  awful  barbarity  of  the 
savages  lent  horror  to  the  warfare,  and  it  was  worse  in 
feroclt.v.  if  not  in  the  actual  dangers  of  battle,  than  the 
more  civilized  warfare  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  country. 

The  following  are  a  few  of  the  raids  of  the  savages 
(huing  th(^  closing  years  of  the  Revolution,  but  not  all  that 
occurred,  taken  from  the  local  histories: 

Sunday  morning  Mai'cli  12.  1780,  a  ])arty  of  Wyandotts 
shot  and  tomahawked  five  men  and  carried  away  thi'ee 
boys  and  three  girls  in  the  southern  end  of  what  is  now 
Reaver  county,  on  Raccoon  creek. 

April  L'7.  ITSO.  Col.  I'roadliead  wrote  to  the  pi-esident  of 
Pennsylvania,  that  "between  40  and  -jO  men.  women  and 
children  have  been  killed  or  taken  from  what  are  now 
called  Yiihog.-iiiia.  Monongalia  and  Oliio  coimties,"  the 
former  containing  the  Monongahela  region. 

About  the  middle  of  Sejitember  1780.  the  Wyandotts 
fell  upon  the  settlements  on  Ten  Mile  Creek,  and  killed  and 
carried  away  7  persons.  This  was  close  to  Col  AA'allace's 
residence. 

Februarv  10.   1782.  a  large  body  of  Indians  visited  the 


PIONEER  LIFE.  41 


dwelling  of  Robert  Wallace,  Raccoon  creek,  Washington 
county,  in  bis  absence,  killed  his  cattle  and  hogs,  plundered 
the  cabin  of  everything,  and  carried  away  bis  wife  and  her 
3  children.  Mrs.  Wallace  was  found  afterward,  impaled  on 
the  sharpened  trunk  of  a  sapling  and  her  infant  child  killed 
and  mutilated. 

Sunday  May  12,  1782,  Rev.  John  Corbly  and  family 
while  walking  to  their  meeting  house,  on  Muddy  Creek,  in 
what  is  now  Greene  county,  were  attacked  by  savages,  the 
wife  and  8  children  killed  and  scalped,  and  2  daughters 
scalped  who  afterward  recovered,  the  father  alone  escaping. 

September  13,  1782,  seventy  Indians  attacked  and 
besieged  the  blockhouse  of  Abraham  Rice  on  Buffalo  creek, 
a  short  distance  from  Col.  Wallace's,  but  were  defeated. 

In  April  1783,  a  band  of  the  savages  killed  one  man  and 
captured  a  dozen  persons,  within  a  mile  of  Washington, 
the  county  seat. 

These  are  but  a  few  of  the  awful  experiences  of  that 
period,  the  people  being  kept  on  the  constant  watch  to  pre- 
vent sudden  attacks,  and  scores  were  prevented  by  such 
vigilance.  It  was  a  common  occurrence,  for  men  to  carry 
their  rifles  to  the  woods  or  fields  where  they  worked,  to 
the  house  or  grove  where  they  worshipped,  and  never  to 
be  without  them  close  at  hand.  When  an  uprising  occurred, 
or  when  the  authorities  called  for  men  to  prevent  incursions 
of  the  savages  or  drive  them  out,  then  the  Rangers  of  the 
Frontier  were  on  hand,  and  under  their  proper  officers 
made  short  work  of  any  parties  of  Indians  that  prowled 
around. 

William  Wallace  and  wife  and  their  friends  who  came 


42        THE  WALLACES— WASHINGTON  COUNTY,  PA. 

with  them  to  the  county,  were  truly  pioneers  in  that  wild 
region.  But  a  few  years  before  it  was  uninhabited,  and 
when  they  arrived  to  make  their  homes,  it  was  still  a 
wilderness  and  the  hunting  ground  of  the  savages. 

The  first  settlements  in  tlie  original  limits  of  Washing- 
ton county,  Pa.,  were  in  17G().  and  in  1707,  the  cabins  of 
the  white  men  were  first  built.  The  Monongahela  river  was 
crossed,  and  settlers  had  stopped  at  the  mouth  of  Ten  Mile 
creek  and  settled  on  Raccoon  creek.  Settlements  began  in 
earnest  about  1770. 

The  Indians  had  no  permanent  dwelling  places  in  the 
county,  although  Shingis  a  King,  and  Catfish  a  warrior,  of 
the  Delawares.  had  hunting  lodges,  the  former  at  the 
mouth  of  Chartiers  creek,  and  the  latter  where  Washingtou 
now  stands.  Fi'om  the  spring  of  1774,  when  Cresap  stopped 
at  Catfish  camp  with  his  party,  at  the  beginning  of  Dun- 
more's  war,  until  1795,  there  was  no  time  when  fear  did  not 
find  a  place  at  the  fireside  of  the  settlers. 

Westmoreland  county  was  organized  February  20,  1773, 
and  remained  intact  until  March  28.  1781,  when  Washing- 
ton county  was  erected  from  it.  After  the  organization  of 
Washington   county,   the  following  counties  were  erected: 

Fayette  county  from  Westmoreland  county  September 
26,  1783. 

Allegheny  county  from  Westmoreland  and  Washington 
counties  Septeml)er  24,  1788. 

Greene  county  from  Washington  county  February  7, 
1700. 

Beaver  county  from  Allegheny  and  Washington 
counties  March  12,  1800. 


PIONEER  LIFE.  43 


From  the  latter  date,  Washington  county  has  remained 
nnclianged. 

The  Act  erecting  Washington  county,  provided  in  Sec- 
tion 4,  that  the  trustees  James  Edgar,  Hugh  Scott,  Van 
Swearingen,  Daniel  Leet  and  John  Armstrong,  should 
before  July  1,  1781,  divide  the  county  into  townships.  Section 
9,  authorized  Justices  of  the  Peace  to  hold  courts  of  general 
quarter  sessions  and  jail  delivery.  Section  10,  appointed 
James  Edgar,  Hugh  Scott,  Van  Swearingen,  Daniel  Leet 
and  John  Armstrong,  commissioners  to  purchase  ground  for 
a  court  house,  etc. 

The  trustees  divided  the  county  into  13  townships  July 
15,  1781,  in  three  of  which,  Bethlehem,  Fallowtield  and  Not- 
tingham, lived  nearly  all  the  early  settlers  included  in  this, 
history.  These  townships  all  bordered  on  the  Monougahela 
river,  and  occupied  all  the  frontage  on  that  river  in  Wash- 
ington county. 

April  3,  1782,  Somerset  township  was  erected  from 
Fallowtield,  Nottingham,  Bethlehem  and  Strabane.  Addi- 
tional townships  were  formed  from  these  three  original 
townships,  as  follows:  January  18,  1790,  East  and  West 
Bethlehem;  January  18,  1792,  Pike  Run,  which  was  divided 
into  East  and  West  Pike  Run,  March  8,  1839;  Carroll  Sep-^ 
tember  30,  1834;  Union  March  31,  183G;  Allen  June  14,  1853. 
The  early  towns  aloug  the  river  in  this  territory,  were 
Parkinson  Ferry,  laid  out  by  Joseph  Parkinson  July  2.5, 
1700,  later  known  as  Williamsport  and  now  as  Mononga- 
hela  City,  changed  to  the  latter  April  1,  1837. 

Greentield  was  laid  out  in  1819,  incorporated  as  a 
borough  April  9,  1834,  now  known  as  Coal  Centre. 


44       THE  WALLACES— WASHINGTON  COUNTY,  PA. 

"West  Brownsville  laid  out  in  ISni,  incorporated  as  a 
borough  April  2,  1852. 

California  laid  out  May  2,  1840,  incorporated  as  a 
borougli  November  20,  1853. 

Canonsburg  was  laid  out  by  Col.  John  Canon  April  15, 
1788,  in  Chartiers  township. 

A  ferry  was  operated  at  Greenfield  as  early  as  1781  by 
Van  Swearingen,  who  was  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  county 
and  its  first  sheriff.  In  the  year  1781,  a  road  was  ordered 
from  "Washington's  Mill  (now  Perryopolis,  Fayette 
county,)  to  Van  Swearingen's  ferry,  and  thence  to  Catfish 
camp."  This  ferry  was  a  famous  one  in  later  years  for  the 
carrying  of  live  stock  across  the  river,  to  be  taken  to  east- 
ern markets,  and  many  persons  yet  living,  remember  the 
great  herds  of  sheep,  bunches  of  cattle,  etc.,  that  the 
drovers  took  over  the  mountains  from  the  West.  The  Mary- 
land settlers  in  Fallowfield  and  Somerset  townships  carried 
on  this  traffic  to  some  extent  early  in  the  last  century,  and 
perhaps  soon  after  the  settlement  of  the  Indian  troubles  in 
1794.  William  Wallace,  Jr..  of  Somerset,  engaged  in  the 
business  to  some  extent. 

The  main  streams  emptying  into  the  Monongahela 
river  in  these  townships,  were  Ten  Mile  creek,  following 
the  line  between  Washington  and  Greene  counties.  Pike 
Run  creek,  emptying  at  Greenfield,  and  Pigeon  Creek 
emptying  at  Monongahela  City. 

The  Trustees  of  the  county,  under  the  authority  granted 
them,  purchased  of  David  Hoge  October  18,  1781,  proprietor 
of  the  town  of  Washington,  a  lot  of  land  on  which  to  erect 
the  building  for  public  use,  which  was  begun  in  1783,  and 


PIONEER  LIFE.  45 


was  built  of  logs.  The  consideration  was  "for  his  good  will 
he  beareth  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  said  county  of  Wash- 
ington, and  for  the  sum  of  five  shilings  to  him  in  hand  paid 
etc."  In  the  original  plot  of  the  town,  made  in  October  1781, 
Mr.  Hoge  had  written  "Bassett  alias  Dandridge"  town; 
then  he  had  crossed  out  these  names  and  written  above 
them  Washington,  the  first  town  in  the  entire  country  to  be 
named  for  the  Father  of  his  Country. 


CHAPTER    II. 


Home  and  Sociat.  Life. 


William  Wallace  owned  several  tracts  of  land  in 
Somerset  and  Bethlehem  townships.  March  10,  178*j,  a  land 
warrant  of  200  acres  was  granted  to  him,  which  was  doubt- 
less for  the  200  acres  on  which  he  was  assessed  in  1781. 

The  Supreme  Executive  Council  of  Pennsjivania  issued 
the  following  land  warrants  to  him:  367  acres  on  Ten  Mile 
creek  called  •■Richmond,"  surveyed  May  14,  1785.  423  acres 
called  "Wallace's  Industry"  on  Pigeon  creek,  surveyed 
April  8,  178(J,  named  in  memory  no  doubt  of  "Brothers 
Industry"  in  Montgomery  county,  Md.,  where  he  lived  until 
married.  232^2  acres  on  Pigeon  creek,  called  "Wallace's 
Bargain,"  patented  to  him  March  25,  1788. 

He  bought  from  Andrew  Wise  March  IG,  1793,  100  acres 
out  of  the  400  acre  tract  called  "Fishery,"  located  in  Bethle- 
hem township,  on  the  north  fork  of  Ten  Mile  creek,  about 
2Y2  miles  from  its  junction  with  the  south  branch,  and 
about  four  miles  from  the  Monongahela  river,  on  which  his 
mill  was  lo<:"ated.  Zollarsville  is  on  part  of  this  tract.  He 
and  Absalom  Baird  bought  302  acres  from  Benjamin  Park- 
inson on  Pigeon  creek  and  Mingo  creek,  February  1,  1795 


HOME  AND  SOCIAL  LIFE. 


47 


called  "Moiuit  Pleasant,"  aud  he  also  owned  over  100  acres 
on  Pike  Run  creek. 

The  home  of  Colonel  Wallace  was  about  two  miles 
from  Bentleysville  in  Somerset  township,  where  he  lived 
for  over  forty  years.  The  house  built  and  occupied  by  him, 
in  which  all  his  children  were  born,  is  yet  in  use  and  in  a 
good  state  of  preservation  as  shown  in  the  cut  of  it  on  this 
page. 

He  was  for  some  years  a  miller,  as  well  as  planter  and 


Wallace  Homestead,  Erected  1779-1780. 

stock  grower,  and  it  was  quite  a  familiar  and  prominent 
place,  being  recognized  in  the  records  of  Washington  county 
in  surveys  made. 

At  the  March  session  of  the  court  of  Washington 
county  in  1794,  a  road  was  ordered  "from  .John  Heaton's 
mill  on  the  south  fork  of  Ten  Mile  creek  to  Col.  Wm.  Wal- 
lace's mill  on  the  north  fork  of  said  creek." 

In  the  formation  of  Greene  county,  Februaiy  9,  1796, 
the  following  record  is  made  of  the  boundary  line,  begin- 


48      THE  WALLACES— WASHINGTON  COUNTY,  PA. 

uing  "At  the  mouth  of  Teu  Mile  creek,  on  the  Monongahela 
I'iver;  thence  up  Ten  Mile  creek  to  the  junction  of  the 
north  and  south  forks  of  said  oreek;  thence  up  said  north 
fork  to  Col.  William  W'ailace's  mill  etc." 

Col.  Wallace,  the  planter,  like  many  of  his  neighbors, 
held  slaves  for  a  few  years.  Pennsylvania  was  the  first  of 
the  States  that  passed  an  act  for  the  gradual  emancipation 
of  all  the  slaves  within  its  jurisdiction,  enacted  March  1, 
1780,  and  under  the  act,  owners  of  slaves  were  required  to 
register  them.  The  following  registers  are  shown  of  the 
Wallace  and  Hopkins  families: 

December  28,  1782,  Frances  Wallace  11,  William  W^il- 
lace  1,  Herbert  Wallace  20,  John  Hopkins  10,  Fallowheld 
township. 

February  27,  1789,  William  Wallace,  Esq.,  3,  Somerset 
township. 

.July  15,  1790,  William  Wallace,  Esq.,  4I,  Somerset 
township. 

March  9,1789,  Herbert  Wallace  1,  Fallowlield    township. 

March  7,  1789,  John  Hopkins,  Jr.,  1,  Fallowheld  town- 
ship. 

The  ordinary  occupation  of  the  pioneer,  in  clearing  and 
cultivating  his  land,  was  laborious  in  the  extreme,  while 
that  of  the  women  of  the  household  was  just  as  hard,  with 
less  of  the  excitement  and  interest  of  outdoor  life.  Far 
removed  from  the  advantages  and  intlueuces  of  a  more 
settled  and  civilized  life,  they  were  thrown  completely  on 
their  own  resources  for  the  enjoyments  of  the  social  side 
of  their  life.  The  social  life  of  the  period  was  of  the  most 
friendly  and  hospitable  character.    A  common  danger  broke 


HOME  AND  SOCIAL  LIFE.  49 

down  all  formality,  and  bound  the  people  together  in  strong 
ties  of  sympathy  and  helpfulness.  Neighbors  met  together 
in  social  pleasures  with  a  heartiness  and  geniality  of  man- 
ner, freedom  from  restraint  and  hearty  good  cheer,  that  has 
largely  passed  away.  Special  invitations  were  not  the  pass- 
ports to  the  homes  of  the  people,  but  literally  the  latch 
string  hung  out  to  all  who  might  call,  natural  courtesy  and 
good  breeding  giving  a  hearty  welcome.  They  entertained 
their  visitors  with  a  whole  souled  hospitality,  character- 
istic of  the  royal  nobility  so  natural  to  the  early  builders 
of  the  country. 

One  of  the  pleasant  social  occasions,  wherein  pleasure 
was  combined  with  business,  was  the  "scutching"  frolic, 
when  the  women  of  the  neighborhood  prepared  the  flax  for 
the  clothing  of  their  household.  After  the  flax  raised  on 
their  farm  had  been  "retted"  or  softened,  so  that  the  fibre 
could  be  separated,  it  was  passed  through  the  "brake"  a 
home  made  machine  for  cracking  and  .separating  the  pithy 
heart  of  the  plant,  and  was  then  ready  for  scutching. 

Each  woman  had  her  scutching  block,  a  piece  of  tree 
trunk  split  in  two  and  a  triangular  section  cut  from  the 
middle,  mounted  on  four  pins  or  legs.  With  a  swingling 
knife  made  of  a  wooden  paddle  about  two  feet  long,  having 
a  broad  blade  and  one  thin  edge,  the  sticks  of  broken  flax 
which  were  held  along  the  groove  of  the  scutching  board 
with  one  hand,  were  beaten  with  the  swingling  knife,  strik- 
ing lengthwise  of  the  plant,  until  the  tough  and  springy 
fibre  was  separated  into  threads,  which  lay  in  the  groove  of 
the  scutching  block  a  coarse,  fluffy  mass  ready  for 
hackling.    The  scene  was  an  animated  one,  the  exercise  not 


50       THE  WALLACES— WASHINGTON  COUNTY,  PA. 

too  hard,  but  sufficient  to  bi'ing  color  to  the  faces  of  the 
fair  M'orkers,  while  their  tongues  were  as  busy  in  conversa- 
tion as  their  hands  were  in  scutching. 

This  was  followed  by  the  hackling,  a  coarse  comb  being 
used,  with  which  the  scutched  flax  was  raked,  until  the 
rougher  part  known  as  swingling  tow.  was  separated  from 
the  finer  part.  The  latter  was  the  linen  fibre  ready  for  spin- 
ning into  coarse  and  fine  threads,  thence  made  into  cuts 
ready  for  the  shuttle  for  weaving  into  cloth. 

Such  a  gathering  was  common,  and  a  part  of  the  life 
of  the  people.  The  conversation  ran  along  rapidly,  but  the 
themes  were  quite  different  from  those  at  the  parties  of  the 
present  day.  The  Indians,  always  in  mind  and  always  a 
teiTor,  were  first  in  thought  and  speech.  One  related  the 
story  of  the  outrages  of  the  savages  when,  the  men  absent 
in  the  fields,  they  came  unawares  on  the  household  of 
women  and  children,  or  raided  the  settlement  of  unarmed 
residents,  and  murdered  the  helpless  and  the  innocent,  the 
scalping  knife  completing  the  bloody  work.  The  horror  of 
the  days  and  nights  with  the  fear  of  the  savages  constantly 
before  them,  was  told  in  such  thrilling  tones  as  to  cause  a 
hush  to  fall  upon  all. 

But  these  were  women  of  sti'ong  faith,  high  courage 
and  fixed  determination,  and  they  soon  banished  the 
soml)re  thoughts  of  danger,  and  turned  to  more  cheerful 
subjects.  Their  household  duties,  the  making  of  the  cloth- 
ing, the  rearing  of  the  children,  and  the  latest  develop- 
ments in  the  religious  life  of  the  settlements,  demanded 
attention,  and  none  was  more  discussed  than  the  latter, 
which  was  so  needful  in  their  lives,  and  so  vital  to  their 
welfare. 


HOME  AND  SOCIAL  LIFE.  51 

Not  less  attractive  was  the  com  shucking  be«s,  gen- 
erally in  the  fields,  but  sometimes  in  the  shelter  near  the 
houses,  which  was  made  an  occasion  of  great  moment  and 
interest.  A  group  of  men  walking  in  the  furrows  would 
strip  the  husks  from  the  golden  ears,  hurling  the  latter  into 
heaps  as  thej'  passed  along;  or  having  the  stalks  gathered 
in  heaps,  the  men  seated  aboiit  them,  shucked  the  corn  and 
piled  the  ears  into  great  golden  piles.  The  men  were  the 
principal  actors  in  this  work,  as  the  women  were  in  the 
scutching  of  the  flax. 

The  period  of  labor  in  each  case  was  followed  by  the 
supper,  bounteous  and  good,  after  which  came  the  amuse- 
ments of  the  evening,  when  for  the  time  all  danger  was 
forgotten.  Games  were  made  and  played  by  the  younger 
ladies  and  the  gallants  who  had  called  in  time  for  supper. 
These  were  of  the  kind  that  prevailed  in  the  pioneer  times, 
and  not  always  such  as  we  have  in  these  days,  but  innocent 
and  pleasureable.  The  home  dances  were  popular,  with  the 
dancing  as  graceful  and  sometimes  as  vigorous,  as  the 
supple  and  sturdy  youth  who  engaged  in  them,  with  music 
as  wild  as  the  virgin  forests,  from  a  tiddle  played  by  one 
of  nature's  own  musicians.  The  scene  was  one  of  rare 
attraction,  and  as  innocent  as  it  was  gladsome  and  hearty. 

As  the  children  of  the  pioneers  grew  toward  manhood 
and  womanhood,  the  thoughts  of  the  parents  naturally 
turned  to  the  educational  advantages  of  the  homes  of  their 
childhood,  and  the  opportunities  they  had,  and  they  did 
what  they  could  to  supply  this  necessity  in  the  life  of  the 
children. 

The   educational   advantages    were   necessarily   of   the 


52      THE  WALLACES— WASHINGTON  COUNTY,  PA. 

poorest.  The  school  houses,  when  there  were  any,  were 
made  of  logs  in  the  most  primitive  manner,  with  one  log 
left  out  to  give  light,  the  fireplace  built  of  logs  with  stone 
back  wall,  calculated  for  a  back  log  G  feet  long.  The  seats 
were  made  of  small  trees  cut  about  12  feet  long  and  split, 
the  flat  side  dressed  smooth  with  an  axe,  and  legs  put  in 
on  the  round  side.  The  schools  were  as  primitive  as  the 
other  life  of  the  country,  but  what  there  were  developed  a 
strong  people,  of  rare  good  sense,  intense  loyalty  to  right 
and  country,  and  good  builders  of  the  intellectual  giants 
W'ho  followed  them. 

Among  the  most  interesting  events  in  those  pioneer 
days,  as  has  been  the  case  indeed  in  all  ages,  were  the 
marriage  customs  and  ceremonies. 

The  mode  of  dress  was  simple  and  plain  in  the  extreme. 
The  men  wore  moccasins,  leather  breeches,  leggins  and 
liusey  hunting  shirts,  all  home  made.  The  women  were 
dressed  in  linsey  petticoats  and  gowns,  coarse  shoes  and 
stockings,  handkerchief  and  buckskin  gloves.  On  the  event- 
ful day  a  procession  was  formed  by  the  bridegroom  and  his 
friends,  usually  in  double  file,  about  one  mile  from  the 
house  of  fe-stivity,  and  thus  marched  to  the  place.  Arriving 
at  the  house  the  ceremony  was  performed  at  high  noon, 
after  which  was  a  sumptuous  dinner.  This  was  of  the  most 
substantial  character,  consisting  of  a  feast  of  beef,  pork, 
fowl,  venison  and  bear  meat,  roasted  and  boiled,  with 
plenty  of  potatoes,  cabbages  and  other  vegetables.  Tbe 
feast  was  spread  in  most  of  the  homes  on  a  table  made 
from  a  large  slab  of  timber,  hewed  smooth  with  a  broadaxe, 
supported   l)y  four  sticks;  and  the  furniture  consisted  of 


^  HOME  AND  SOCIAL  LIFE. 


some  old  pewter  dishes  aud  plates,  the  remainder  being 
wooden  bowls,  and  a  few  pewter  spoons  with  others  made 
of  horn,  and  scalping  knives  made  up  any  deficiency  in 
knives. 

The  dinner  was  followed  by  dancing,  which  usually 
continued  all  night,  while  the  bride  and  groom  were 
spirited  away  from  the  crowd. 

Whether  this  custom  literally  prevailed  at  the  weddings 
in  Col.  Wallace's  home  is  not  known,  but  that  they  were 
grand  affairs,  and  much  made  of,  is  a  matter  of  family 
history.  The  Colonel  was  a  lover  and  grower  of  fine  horses, 
and  his  plantations  contained  many  fine  specimens,  which 
figured  in  the  wedding  ceremonies  of  his  daughters.  When 
his  daughters  began  to  leave  him  he  was  comfortably  fixed, 
luxuriously  for  the  times,  with  plenty  of  the  good  things 
of  life  to  make  him  a  liberal  entertainer,  and  a  prince  in 
good  cheer  and  living. 

His  daughter  Frances  and  House  Bentley  were  married 
at  the  old  homestead  August  8,  1799.  The  occasion  was 
magnificent  in  its  proportions,  many  guests  being  present, 
hospitality  of  the  freest  and  cheeriest,  the  old  mansion 
ringing  with  mirth  and  gayety,  and  evei'ything  befitting  so 
important  an  occasion.  When  the  ceremony  was  over,  a 
sumptuous  and  splendid  banquet  followed,  with  all  the 
good  things  that  earth,  and  woods,  and  sky  provided  for 
the  appetite.  When  all  were  served,  and  the  hour  came  for 
the  departure  of  the  new  couple  to  build  a  home  of  their 
own,  they  were  sent  away  with  good  wishes  and  good 
cheer,  leaving  in  a  coach  drawn  by  four  white  horses,  the 
pride  of  the  stock  that  made  rich  the  plantation  of  Col. 


54       THE  WALLACES— WASHINGTON  COUNTY,  PA. 

Wallace.  Doubtless  all  the  other  girls  were  given  as  good 
a  send  off. 

Of  a  different  character,  and  more  solemn,  and  often 
sweet  and  soothing,  were  the  religious  meetings  in  the 
forests,  known  variously  as  sacramental  meetings,  four 
days  meetings,  and  later  as  camp  meetings.  Churches  and 
ministers  were  widely  scattered  so  that  the  people  came 
for  miles  In  wagons,  on  horseback  and  on  foot.  In  the  can- 
vas covered  wagons  couches  were  provided  for  the  women 
and  children,  while  the  men  camped  under  the  wagons 
or  in  booths.  Rude  fireplaces  were  made  on  which  to  hang 
the  pots  for  cooking,  while  the  horses  were  picketed  in  the 
woods.  Logs  were  laid  for  seats  at  the  place  of  worship, 
and  the  pulpit  was  in  the  preacher's  tent,  a  wooden  shed 
with  raised  floor,  roofed  but  open  at  the  sides  and  front. 

Those  were  the  days  of  the  ecclesiastical  pioneers  and 
giants,  such  as  Dr.  John  McMillan,  Rev.  John  Clark,  Rev. 
Joseph  Smith,  Rev.  Mathew  Henderson  and  others,  and 
the  preaching  was  as  forceful  and  rugged  as  the  life  and 
labor  of  the  pioneer  settlers.  They  needed  strong  food  and 
they  got  it.  Service  was  held  at  11  o'clock  after  which  there 
was  luncheon  and  ihen  preaching  at  3  o'clock.  In  the  mean- 
time the  sacramental  tokens  were  distributed,  a  custom 
brought  from  the  Church  of  Scotland. 

At  night  the  scene  was  picturesque  and  awe  inspiring, 
when  with  the  rude  torches  of  pine  knots  lighting  up  the 
camp,  the  wierd,  beautiful  and  touching  singing,  '  the 
earnest,  eloquent  and  Impressive  tones  of  the  jpreacher,  the 
rustling  of  the  leaves  under  the  touch  of  the  breeze,  the 
hum  of  the  insects,  the  occasional  twittering  of  birds,  with 


HOME  AND  SOCIAL  LIFE.  55 

perhaps  the  plaintive  note  of  the  whippoorwill,  made  a 
scene  never  to  be  torgotten.  The  effect  at  some  of  these 
meetings  was  startling-  in  the  extreme.  During  the  revivals 
under  Dr.  McMillan,  persons  under  strong  conviction  of 
sin  were  prostrated  to  the  ground,  and  their  bodies 
strangely  and  violently  agitated.  The  local  historians  of 
the  time  thus  described  the  scenes,  and  added  that  in  many 
cases  there  was  decided  change  of  character,  and  the  after 
life  proved  the  genuineness  of  the  work. 

In  those  days  there  were  no  church  buildings  and 
conveniences  such  as  we  have,  and  God's  temples  were 
the  rallying  places  of  God's  chosen  people.  Prior  to  Gen. 
Anthony  Wayne's  victory  over  the  Indians  in  1794,  men 
generally  went  to  church  with  their  guns  on  their  shoulders, 
which  were  stacked  ready  for  use  at  the  place  of  worship, 
and  sentinels  were  posted  to  sound  the  alarm,  in  case  of  a 
threatened  attack  by  the  Indians. 


CHAPTER   III. 


Revolutionary  Service. 


Col.  William  Wallace  was  a  soldier  in  the  Kevolii- 
tionaiy  war,  serving  at  two  different  times,  first  while  in 
his  Maryland  home  and  after  settling  in  Washington 
county.  Pa. 

In  the  Maryland  Archives  Volume  XII  folio  352,  a  list  is 
given  of  Captain  Richard  Smith's  company  of  militia,  for 
the  service  of  the  "Flying  Camp,"  the  service  of  the  com- 
pany beginning  September  19,  177G.  Col.  Wallace  was  a 
private  in  this  company.  The  places  of  service  of  the  com- 
pany seqm  to  have  been  in  New  York  and  New  Jersey,  in 
the  campaigns  of  General  George  Washington  in  the  fall 
of  1776  and  in  1777. 

In  the  Maryland  Convention  July  26,  1775,  the  forma- 
tion of  a  regular  military  force  was  ordered,  to  be  composed 
of  a  battalion  of  which  Colonel  Smallwood  received  the 
command,  seven  independent  companies  and  two  companies 
of  artillery  and  one  of  marines.  The  convention  also 
resolved  to  enroll  forty  companies  of  minute  men,  eight  of 
which  were  from  Frederick  county. 


REVOLUTIONARY  SERVICE.  57 


On  July  lU,  177G,  six  companies  under  Col.  Smallwood 
and  three  from  Baltimore,  embarked  for  tlie  head  of  Elk 
river,  whence  they  marched  to  New  York,  and  were  incor- 
porated in  General  Stirling's  brigade.  The  four  independ- 
ent companies  remaining  in  Maryland,  as  was  also  the 
"Flying  Camp,"  were  later  ordered  to  join  Colonel  Small- 
wood. 

In  July  177(5,  the  Continental  Congress  authorized  the 
establishment  of  a  "Flying  Camp"  under  General  Hugh 
Mercer,  composed  of  men  from  Pennsylvania,  Delaware 
and  Maryland. 

The  regiment  of  the  "Flying  Camp"  under  Col.  Beall,  of 
Max'yland,  left  early  in  the  fall,  sailing  to  the  head  of  Elk 
river,  thence  marching  to  New  Y'^ork. 

The  "Flying  Camp"  is  shown  in  history,  to  have  taken 
part  in  the  battle  of  White  Plains,  N.  Y.,  the  latter  part 
of  October  177G;  were  at  Fort  Washington  in  November, 
where  they  held  a  very  dangerous  and  important  position; 
took  part  in  the  battle  of  Princeton  January  1777,  Brandy- 
wine  September  1777,  and  Germantown  October  1777.  The 
length  of  service,  losses,  and  other  particulars  so  carefully 
kept  in  these    days,  are  entirely  lacking. 

In  the  Pennsylvania  Archives  Third  Series,  Volume  23 
pages  211-223,  Wallace's  name  is  given  as  a  private  in  the 
"Rangers  of  the  Frontiers."  These  are  miscellaneous  rolls, 
showing  the  names  of  men  from  1778  to  1783,  but  no  com- 
panies or  other  commands  are  given.  The  rolls  are  made 
up  of  such  lists  as  the  State  has  been  able  to  secure.  Col. 
Wallace's  name  appears  in  at  least  three  places,  showing 
that  he  served  on  three  different  occasions,  and  was  paid 


58      THE  WALLACES-WASHINGTON  COUNTY,  PA. 

for  such  services.  In  the  lists  wliere  his  name  appears  are 
the  names  of  many  of  his  neighbors,  showing  that  an 
organized  body  went  into  the  service,  and  that  he  served 
his  country  after  he  l>ecame  a  resident  of  Washington 
county,  Pa. 

After  the  Revolution  he  was  a  prominent  figure  in 
the  militia  of  the  State.  In  1782  he  was  a  private  in  the 
militia;  in  1784,  soon  after  peace  was  established, -he  was 
Ensign  of  the  militia,  in  the  Fourth  company,  Capt. 
Marquis,  3rd  Battalion,  and  perhaps  saw  some  further 
service  in  defending  the  frontiers  from  attacks  of  the 
Indians,  with  whom  peace  was  not  established  until  1795. 

Mr.  Wallace  was  known  as  Colonel  Wahace,  the  title 
being  derived  from  his  service  in  the  militia,  in  which  he 
became  Colonel,  and  not  from  his  service  in  the  Revolution, 
in  which  he  held  no  commission  as  an  officer  so  far  as  the 
records  show.  He  became  colonel  so  far  as  can  be  learned, 
about  1791  or  1792. 

In  the  report  of  Alexander  Hamilton,  Secretary  of  War 
to  President  Washington,  September  2,  1794.  of  the  officials 
who  took  any  part  in  the  "Whiskey  Insurrection,"  or  as  he 
expressed  it— "those  instances  of  opposition  and  discount- 
enance to  the  laws  l\v  persons  in  office  which  are  unequivo- 
cal," he  says:— "Among  those  who  composed  the  third  meet- 
ing which  was  held  at  Pittsburg  on  the  21st  of  August 
1792,  were  John  Canon  and  Albert  Gallatin,  members  of 
-the  legislature;  D.  Bradford,  deputy  attornej'  general; 
James  Marshall,  register  and  recorder;  Edward  Cook, 
associate  .ludge;  John  Smilie,  State  Senate;  Thomas  Wilson 
and  Samuel  Geddes,  colonels  of  militia;  William  Wallace, 


REVOLUTIONARY  SERVICE.  59 

then  sheriff  uow  colonel  of  militia;  John  Hamilton,  sheriff 
and  colonel  of  militia;  and  Bazu  Brown,  captain  of 
militia."  See  Pennsylvania  Archives,  Second  Series, 
Volume  4,  page  287. 

The  report  oi  the  Secretary  could  not  give  the  date  of 
the  appointment  of  William  Wallace  as  colonel,  but  the 
following  record  shows  that  he  held  this  office  while  he 
was  sheriff.  In  the  Pennsylvania  Arehives,  Second  Series, 
Volume  4,  page  700,  under  date  of  February  9,  1792,  a  peti- 
tion is  given,  which  was  sent  from  Washington  county  to 
Governor  Mifflin,  asking  for  the  appointment  of  .John  Robi- 
son  as  County  Lieutenant.  One  of  the  signers  of  this  peti- 
tion was  "Col.  Wm.  Wallace."  This  would  show  that  at  the 
meeting  in  Pittsburg  August  21,  1792,  he  was  both  sheriff 
and  colonel  of  militia. 


CHAPTER    IV. 


Political  Life. 


Colonel  Wallace  seems  to  have  been  prominent  as  a 
politician  as  well  as  a  soldier. 

In  the  records  of  the  Supreme  Executive  Council  of 
Pennsylvania,  at  Philadelphia.  June  30,  1788,  is  the  follow- 
ing: "William  Wallace,  Esq..  was  appointed  and  commis- 
sioned a  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  of  the  Court  of  Common 
Pleas,  in  and  for  the  county  of  Washington,  upon  a  return 
made  according  to  law.  for  the  district  of  Somerset."  The 
appointment  was  for  seven  years,  and  he  was  the  third 
Justice  of  the  township.  His  commission  gave  him  the 
position  of  Associate  Judge.  He  was  also  appointed  Justice 
in  1807. 

He  was  a  candidate  for  sheriff  in  178G.  but  failed  of 
election,  but  was  elected  November  9,  1700,  to  serve  for 
three  years,  the  fourth  person  elected  to  that  office  in  the 
county.  Hon.  Thomas  Scott,  member  of  Congress,  and  Hon.. 
John  Hoge.  State  Senator,  were  tlie  sureties  on  his  bond. 

During  his  term  of  office  there  was  no  courthouse.  The 
first  courthouse  and  .i^il  was  occupied  July  1787.  The 
building  was  of  logs  and  located  on  the  public  square.  This 


POLITICAL  LIFE.  61 


was  destroyed  by  fire  in  the  winter  of  1790-91,  about  the 
time  Col.  Wallace  entered  upon  his  duties.  The  second 
courthouse  was  begun  in  1791  and  completed  in  1794,  in 
which  period  court  was  held  at  James  Wilson's  house. 

October  2,  1794,  Col.  Wallace  was  elected  as  a  Repre- 
sentative from  the  county  to  the  House  of  Representatives 
of  the  State.  The  county  being  declared  in  a  state  of  insur- 
rection on  account  of  the  "Whiskey  Insurrection!,"  a 
resolution  was  offered  in  the  House  December  ItJ,  1794, 
that  on  this  account  William  Wallace  and  others  elected 
from  the  western  counties  at  the  same  time,  were  not  duly 
qualified  for  the  office. 

The  question  was  discussed  and  laid  over  until  January 
9,  1795,  when  the  following  resolution  was  adopted  by  a 
vote  of  43  yeas  and  20  nays:  "Resolved,  That  the  elections 
held  during  the  late  insurrection  in  the  counties  of  West- 
moreland, Washington,  Fayette  and  Allegheny,  to  represent 
said  counties  in  this  House,  were  unconstitutional,  and 
they  are  hereby  declared  void." 

On  February  Ki,  1795,  those  who  were  candidates  were 
re-elected,  Wm.  Wallace  being  among-  the  numiber,  who 
was  a  member  of  that  body  for  1795-6-7.  No  charges  of 
disloyalty  were  made  against  these  gentlemen,  but  they 
were  deprived  of  their  seats  on  constitutional  grounds 
alone. 

So  far  as  the  records  show.  Col.  Wallace  took  no  offen- 
sive part  in  the  "AVhiskey  Insurrection."  During  the  early 
part  of  the  movement  he  was  sheriff  of  the  county,  and  no 
record  is  known  or  statement  made  regarding  his  course 
except   in    1792.    In   the   Pennsylvania    Archives,    Series   2, 


62       THE  WALLACES-WASHINGTON  COUNTY,  PA. 

Volume  4,  pages  29-31,  an  account  is  giveu  of  a  meeting 
held  in  Pittsburg  August  21,  1792,  at  which  he  and  his 
neighbor,  Sheshbazzar  Bentley,  were  present.  .John  Canon, 
founder  of  Canonsburg,  was  called  to  the  Ciiair  and  Albert 
Gallatin  elected  clerk,  and  a  committee  of  five  members 
was  appointed  to  prepare  resolutions,  and  then  adjourned 
until  10  o'clock  the  next  day. 

At  that  meeting  resolutions  were  adopted,  one  of  which 
appointed  a  committee  to  draw  up  a  remonstrance  to  Con- 
gress, stating  their  objections  to  the  excise  laws  and  pray- 
ing for  the  repeal  of  the  same,  and  another  appointed  a 
committee  of  correspondence,  whose  duty  it  was  to  corre- 
spond together,  and  with  such  committees  as  should  be 
appointed  for  the  same  purpose  from  the  other  counties, 
relative  to  the  general  subject.  William  Wallace  was  the 
first  name  on  this  committee. 

His  name  does  not  appear  again  anywhere  in  the 
records  as  having  any  part  in  the  movement,  doubtless  on 
account  of  his  ofiicial  position  as  sheriff  and  colonel  of 
militia,  and  from  the  fact  that  the  law  was  modified,  and 
that  President  Washington  ordered  its  enforcement;  whose 
word  was  law  to  his  old  soldiers. 

The  W^hiskey  or  W^estern  Insurrection  was  a  deplorable 
event,  casting  a  shadow  on  the  settlers  of  tliat  day,  but 
it  was  more  the  work  of  a  few  hot  heads  on  the  side  of  the 
disaffected  people,  than  of  any  deliberate  attempt  to 
resist  the  government.  Many  of  the  settlers  had  served 
under  General  AVashington  to  form  the  Republic,  and  not 
one  of  them  would  deliberately  take  up  arms  against  him, 
or  enter  into  a  combination  to  hurt  their  country,  but  rather 


POLITICAL  LIFE.  63 


would  have  fought  to  the  death  for  both.  The  hot  heads  on 
cue  side  aud  the  %yaut  of  patience  and  lack  of  tact  of  a 
few*  who  represented  the  governiuent,  brought  on  misun- 
derstanding and  eventually  conflict  and  the  strong  arm  of 
the  government  was  exerteo  to  procure  quiet. 

The  cause  of  the  opposition  to  the  excise,  was  the 
poverty  of  the  people.  They  raised  plenty  of  grain,  but  had 
no  markets,  hence  no  money.  The  cost  of  hauling  their  pro- 
ducts to  Philadelphia,  their  nearest  market,  over  the  moun- 
tains in  wagons,  was  from  $5  to  $10  per  100  pounds.  They 
had  mills  and  ground  their  grain  into  good  flour,  but  it 
cost  as  much  for  freight  to  Philadelphia  as  the  flour  sold 
for.  The  only  way  the  people  saw  to  get  out  of  their 
financial  difficulties,  was  to  distil  their  grain  into  whiskey, 
and  thus  send  it  to  market  in  a  more  portable  way.  In 
those  days  neither  the  making  nor  selling  of  whiskey  was 
regarded  as  it  is  now,  and  it  was  believed  to  be  legitimate, 
and  in  this  way  they  sold  their  grain  and  procured  some 
money. 

The  excise  which  placed  a  tax  on  the  whiskey,  aroused 
the  indignation  of  the  sturdy  Scotch  and  Irish  who  had 
taken  their  lives  in  their  hands  to  settle  the  country,  and 
they  naturally  opposed  the  imposition  of  the  tax.  This  little 
flame  was  fanned  by  some  ambitious  persons  who  hoped  to 
profit  out  of  it.  Some  of  the  distillers  accepted  the  inevitable 
and  tried  to  make  the  most  of  it,  and  all  would  have  done 
so  in  time  no  doubt  but  for  the  few,  very  few,  leaders  who 
kept  up  the  agitation,  some  of  whom  were  the  first  to  leave 
the  country  when  the  army  came  west  to  suppress  the 
insurrection. 


CHAPTER  V. 


Bentley  Family. 


The  Beutleys  who  married  into  the  old  Maryland 
family  of  Wallace,  had  ancestors  in  Pennsylvania  as  early 
as  1700.  The  family  goes  back  to  John  Bentley  and  his 
wife,  Mary  Miles  Bentley,  who  were  living  in  Chester 
county,  Penaisylvania,  in  1701.  Their  son  Jeffrey  Bentley 
married  Eleanor  Banner  and  were  the  parents  of  George 
Bentley,  who  served  in  the  colonial  wars,  holding  a  lieuten- 
ant's commission.  He  married  Jane  Charter  and  they  had 
eight  children,  Sheshbazzar,  House,  Jeffrey,  Absalom,  Mary, 
Benjamin,  Margaret  and  Joseph.  The  family  moved  to 
Western  Pennsylvania  about  the  time  of  the  Revolution. 

Sheshbazzar  married  Hannah  Baldwin  and  had  six 
children:  House,  George,  Benjamin,  Hannah,  .Tane  and 
Sheshbazzar.  He  purchased  1,050  acres  of  land  on  Pigeon 
creek,  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  May  8,  1777,  and 
being  a  millwright,  he  built  and  operated  the  first  mill  on 
that  creek.  He  was  evidently  a  prominent  and  influential 
man  in  his  day.  At  the  meeting  held  in  Pittsburg,  August 
21,  1792,  during  the  Whiskey  Insurrection,  he  and  his  friend 
William  Wallace,  were  present  and  were  appointed  to  act 


BENTLEY  FAMILY.  65 

together  on  the  committee  of  corresponclence.  Of  his 
children,  George  and  House  were  the  ones  that  married  into 
tlie  Wallace  family. 

I.  Eleanor  Wallace,  born  June  4,  1780,  was  married  to 
George  Bentley  and  had  no  children. 

II.  Frances  Wallace,  born  June  30,  1782,  was  married 
to  House  Bentley  August  8,  1799,  and  had  children  as 
follows: 

1.  Hannah  Bentley  bom  November  5,  1800,  married 
John  Kennedy,  a  well  known  and  popular  man,  whose 
ancestors  were  old  residents  of  Mingo,  near  Finleyville, 
Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  coming  from  Ireland 
about  1775.  They  had  nine  children  of  whom,  at  the 
present  time,  three  are  living,  Sheshbazzar  and  House, 
unmari'iod,  and  Frances  who  married  .John  Long  of 
Monongahela  City,  Pa. 

The  children  of  the  latter  were  Elizabeth  and  John 
Kennedy  Long.  Elizabeth  married  Alvin  King,  of  Mononga- 
hela  City,  and  died,  leaving  one  son,  Jack.  John  K.  Long 
ma.iTied  Sarah  McClure  and  they  have  a  family  of  three 
sons,  William,  Edward  and  Sheshbazzar  and  one  daughter, 
Frances,  married  to  S.  F.  Coopei",  all  living. 

2.  Sheshbazzar  Bentley,  born  November  27,  1802,  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Shouse  in  1825.    Sketch  later  on. 

3.  Elizabeth  Bentley,  born  March  6,  1805,  married  Mr. 
Todd. 

4.  William  Wallace  Bentley,  born  June  22,  1807,  unmar- 
ried, died  in  the  south. 

5.  Eleanor;  6  George;  7,  Benjamin;  8,  House;  9, 
Franklin,  died  in  infancy. 


66      THE  WALLACES-WASHINGTON  COUNTY,  PA. 

10.  Martha  J.  W.  Bentley,  born  December  3,  181G, 
married  John  Caldwell  Jnly  25,  1842.  He  was  the  sou  of 
Joseph  Caldwell  ITCS-lSoS  and  Catherine  Schwartz  Cald- 
well, of  Irish  lineage,  and  was  born  May  10,  1814.  They 
had  three  children. 

i.  Francis  Narcissa  Caldwell,  born  in  1844,  died  in  1899, 
never  married. 

ii.  Catharine  Caldwell,  born  in  1847,  married  Adolpbus 
Luning  and  lives  in  California. 

iii.  Mary  Martha  Caldwell,  born  in  1849,  was  adopted 
by  her  uncle  B.  F.  Bentley,  and  married  Alexander  McLean 
Walker  in  1871,  and  died  in  1876,  leaving  no  children. 

Mrs.  Caldwell  died  in  185.3,  and  after  his  wife's  death, 
Mr.  Caldwell  went  west  and  died  there. 

11.  Margaret  Bentley,  born  February  8,  1819.  married 
Robert  Mullin.  The  MuUins  are  also  an  old  Irish  family. 
They  came  to  this  country  from  Ireland  and  settled  in  Cum- 
berland county.  Pa.,  where  William  D.  Mullin,  father  of 
Robert  was  born,  January  6,  1787.  He  came  to  Fayette 
county  about  1809  married  Margaret  Graham  and  had  a 
family  of  eight  children. 

Robert,  the  oldest  son.  was  born  December  19, 1814,  and 
married  Margaret  Bentley;  he  was  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile biisiness  until  his  death.  Their  children  were: 

i.  Orthelia  Mullin,  born  February  28,  1846,  was  mar- 
ried to  W^illiara  McCune,  and  to  them  were  born  two 
children,  Robert  Mullin  and  Edward  Howard. 

ii.  Frances  E.  Mullin,  born  July  1,  1848,  was  married  to 
Joseph  Cooper.  They  live  in  Pittsburg.  Have  bo  children. 

12.  Benjamin    Franklin    Bentley,    born    December   28, 


BENTLEY    FAMILY.  67 

1821,  married  Mary  Van  Voorliis,  a  descendant  of  one  of 
the  oldest  and  largest  families  in  Washington  county,  tiielr 
ancestors  coming  from  Holland  in  1G70  and  settling  in  the 
county  in  1785.    They  had  no  children. 

13.  Mary  Ann  Amanda  Bentley,  born  June  3,  1828, 
was  twice  married,  first  to  .Joshua  N.  Stephens  and  then 
to  Levi  Stephens,  a  brother  of  .Toshua,  descendants  of  a 
Welsh  familj'  that  came  to  this  country  soon  after  1700 
and  before  the  Revolution  settled  in  the  Monongahela 
Valley.  The  children  of  .Joshua  N.  and  Amanda  Stephens 
are  Nathaniel  Bentley,  Prances  Elizabeth  and  Belle. 
BENTLEY—SHOUSE  FAMILY. 

2.  Sheshbazzar  Bentley,  son  of  House  and  Frances 
Wallace  Bentley,  married  Elizabeth  Shouse  in  1825. 

Elizabeth  Shouse  was  the  daughter  of  John  Shouse, 
who  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  in  W^ashington  county 
and  was  a  man  of  parts.  When  the  war  of  1812  broke 
out,  he  was  captain  of  a  cavalry  troop  of  Williamsport,  now 
Monongahela,  which  actively  participated  in  the  war. 

Sheshbazzar  Bentley  was  one  of  the  best  known,  men 
of  his  day,  large  hearted  and  generous  to  a  degree,  and 
gained  considerable  prominence  in  politics,  being  elected 
county  commissioner  in  1835  and  sheriff  in  1840,  being  the 
last  sheriff  from  the  river  district  to  the  present  da.y,  and 
was,  as  well,  prominent  in  local  affairs.  He  owned  a  large 
tract  of  land  below  Monongahela  City,  part  of  which  is 
now  West  Monongahela.  He  died  at  Washington,  Pa., 
March  20,  1875. 

They  had  the  following  children: 

i.     Roxana    Bentley,    born    .July    1,    1827,    married    Dr. 


68       THE  WALLACES— WASHINGTON  COUNTY,  PA. 

Aaron    Gamble.    They   had   one   son.    Sheshbazzar   Bentley 
Gamble,  now  a  resident  of  Colorado  Springs,  Colo. 

ii.  Mirabell  Bentley,  born  October  28,  1829,  married 
William  Moore  and  had  two  children,  Jennie  ^Vilson,  wife 
of  J.  W.  D.  Stovell,  of  Colorado  Springs,  and  Mirabell,  who 
died  in  early  womanhood.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stovell  have  three 
children:  Jack,  James  and  William. 

iii.    Sarah  Jane  Bentley.  Sketch  later. 

iv.  William  Wallace  Bentley,  born  June  28,  183G,  mar- 
ried Mary  Bowman,  of  Brownsville,  for  his  first  wife,  and 
Louise  White,  of  Bvansville,  Ind.,  for  his  second  wife,  and 
they  had  one  son,  W^lliiam  Wallace  Bentley,  who  lives  near 
Pittsburg. 

V.  Lanthus  Bentley,  born  May  7,  18o9.  unmarried,  died 
November  15,  1887;  he  served  one  term  as  district  attorney 
of  Washing-ton  county. 

vi.     Marsena  and     vii.     Eudora,  died  young. 

iii.  Sarah  Jane  Bentley,  born  February  7,  1832,  married 
William  Hugh  Wilson,  November  15,  18H0.  Mr.  Wilson  was 
born  Noveml)er  30,  1833,  and  is  a  descendant  of  the  old 
Wilson  family  of  Carlisle,  Pa.,  originally  from  Ireland.  His 
father  was  Joseph  Wilson,  who  was  the  son  of  Hugh  Wil- 
son. The  latter  came  to  Monongahela  City  in  1810,  and 
was  one  of  the  first  ruling  elders  in  the  Presb.vterian 
church  there,  a  strong  Presbyterian  of  the  Scotch-Irish 
school,  of  great  piety  and  much  force  of  character. 

Among  his  many  religious  books  were  a  book  of 
prayers,  published  in  1710,  which  is  a  family  heirloom,  and 
a  rare  old  Bible  of  great  size,  which  came  from  Ireland  and 
contains  carefully  preserved  records  of  the  Wilson  family. 


BENTLEY    FAMILY.  69 

Hugh  Wilson's  wife  was  Sibby  Holmes.  She  attended 
the  ball  given  in  Philadelphia  in  honor  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence,  and  the  gray  satin  gown  she  wore  on  that 
occasion  is  a  valued  treasure  of  the  family.  William  H. 
Wilson  and  wife  had  the  following  children: 

1.  Margaret  Elizabeth  Wilson,  born  August  28,  1861, 
was  married  to  William  C.  Hodill  May  20,  1888,  and  had 
two  children,  William  Philip  Courtney  and  Bettie. 

ii.  William  Wallace  Bentley  Wilson,  born  May  16, 
1863,  died  November  11,  1865. 

iil.    Jennie  Stuart  Wilson.  Sketch  later. 

iv.  Maude  Wilson,  born  June  15,  1869,  was  married  to 
John  Nesbit  Jenkins  August  15,  1900. 

V.  Roxana  Bentley  Wilson  born  April  5,  1871,  died 
November  11,  1871. 

vi.  Eliza  Logan  Wilson,  born  June  17,  1873. 
iii.  Jennie  Stuart  WMlson  born  August  29,  1865,  was 
married  to  William  Herron  Alexander,  June  14,  1888.  They 
have  one  child,  Jean  Alexander.  By  this  marriage  two  of 
the  early  families  of  Monongahela  City  were  united,  the 
Wilson  family  being  resident  since  1816,  and  the  Alexander 
family  since  1828.  Hugh  Wilson  and  Joseph  Alexander 
both  had  trading  stores. 

Joseph  Alexander  was  born  April  1,  1795,  and  died 
June  20,  1871,  and  spent  nearly  all  his  life  in  business  in 
Monongahela  City.  His  father,  Joseph  Alexander,  Sr., 
born  July  9,  1765,  died  June  9,  1847,  was  a  man  well 
known  in  his  day  for  his  abolitionist  views.  He  served  in  the 
war  of  1812  as  Forage  Master  in  Captain  Thomas  L.  Jack's 
company,  Second  Regiment,  commanded  by  Colonel  Robert 


70       THE  WALLACES— WASHINGTON  COUNTY,  PA. 

L.  Patterson,  Second  Detachment  of  Pennsylvania  militia 
in  service  of  the  United  States  from  October  2,  1812  to 
April  2,  1813  under  command  of  Brigadier  General  Rich- 
ard Crooks  in  the  Northwest  army  under  General  William 
H.  Harrison,  While  the  term  of  service  was  not  long,  the 
historian  Spencer  says  that  the  Pennsylvania  troops  suf- 
fered very  great  hardships  during  the  winter  dragging 
the  artillery  and  stores  from  Sandusliy  to  the  Rapids.  As 
Forage  Master  Joseph  Alexander,  Sr.,  employed  his  son, 
Joseph  Alexander,  Jr.,  (1795-1871)  and  Thomas  Corwin, 
afterwards  the  famous  statesman,  to  assist  him  in  teaming 
supplies  for  the  army,  and  the  two  boys  roomed  and  slept 
and  took  the  hardships  of  army  life  together.  Joseph 
Alexander,  Sr.  was  the  son  of  Isaac  Alexander,  born  in 
Maryland,  December  16,  1715,  died  1792.  Isaac  was  the 
first  of  this  branch  to  settle  in  Western  Pennsylvania, 
having  been  granted  a  patent  for  3G5  acres  of  land  on  Ten 
Mile  creek,  near  what  is  now  Fredericktown,  Washington 
county,  Pennsylvania,  March  25,  1788.  His  father,  Elias 
Alexander,  was  a  Marylander,  born  1080,  died  1780. 

The  Alexanders  are  represented  in  the  business  life  of 
the  community  at  the  present  day  by  the  bank  bearing  their 
name  and  have  been  active  and  foremost  in  local  affairs  for 
several  generations. 

Joseph  Alexander  admitted  his  son,  the  late  William 
J.  Alexander  to  an  interest  in  his  store  in  1843  under  the 
name  of  J.  Alexander  &  Son,  which  title  existed  until 
1850,  when  the  present  name  of  Alexander  &  Co.  was 
adopted  and  the  banking  business  established. 

In  1800  James  S.  Alexander,  a  younger  son  of  Joseph 


BENTLEY  FAMILY.  71 


Alexander  was  admitted  to  the  firm,  which  was  further 
enlarged  by  the  admittance  of  Joseph  A.  Herron,  a  grand- 
son of  Joseph  Alexander,  in  1871.  On  the  death,  in  1894,  of 
William  J.  Alexander,  William  H.  Alexander  and  Frederick 
K.  Alexander,  sons  of  James  S.  Alexander  were  admitted. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


Greer-Gregg  Families. 


III.    George  Beiitley  Wallace,  boru  March  19,  1784. 
IV.    Margaret  Wallace,  born  May  20,  178C,  was  married 
to  .John  Greer,  February  IG,  1807.  Children: 

1.  Eleanor  Bentley  Greer,  born  April  30,  1808,  married 

Duprez,  and  they  moved,  it  is  believed  to  Louisville, 

Ky.,  where  some  of  their  descendants  at  one  time  lived. 

2.  Frances  Bentley  Greer,  born  June  8,  1810. 

3.  rfarah  Selina  Greer,  born  July  28,  1812,  maiTied  Rev, 
W.  E.  Post,  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church,  sixth 
pastor  of  the  church  at  Washington,  Pa.,  who  was  con- 
verted at  the  great  camp  meeting  held  in  September  1831. 

He  was  the  son  of  Ephraim  Post,  of  Upper  Ten  Mile 
Presbyterian  Church,  an  old  pioneer  family,  who  was  one 
of  five  members  of  that  church  who  wrote  January  1831  to 
the  president  of  the  Cumberland  (C.  P.)  College,  Princeton, 
Ky.,  requesting  that  Cumberland  Presbyterian  preachers 
be  sent  there,  and  helped  to  organize  the  church  in  Wash- 
ington county.  Great  revivals  of  religion  attended  the 
formation  of  this  chui'ch,  the  people  melting  in  tears,  and 
as  mauy  as  120  persons  coming  forward  at  one  time  for 
the  prayers  of  the  church. 


GREER-GREGG  FAMILIES.  73 

This  was  followed  by  a  camp  meeting  held  September 
1831  for  one  week,  250  families  being  on  the  ground.  It 
was  the  greatest  meeting  the  evangelists  had  ever  known, 
Mr.  Morgan,  one  of  them,  saying:  "We  had  attended  many 
meetings  but  this  surpassed  any  we  had  ever  seen.  Several 
times  when  the  anxious  were  invited,  we  counted  some 
250  on  the  seats  at  one  time.  Convictions  of  sin  were 
more  general,  deeper  and  more  rational  than  any  we  had 
ever  before  noticed,  and  conversions  the  clearest,  attended 
with  the  most  overwhelming  joy  and  peace.  It  was  common 
to  see  pei'sons  of  age  and  intelligence  overwhelmed  by  a 
sense  of  their  sins,  and  their  lost  and  miserable  condition, 
in  the  deepest  anguish  of  soul.  From  this  sad  and  affecting 
condition  they  would  seem  all  of  a  sudden  to  awake  into 
light  and  joy  the  most  ecstatic  and  indescribable." 

Rev.  W.  E.  Post  and  family  moved  to  Ohio  and  all  trace 
of  them  was  lost. 

Mrs.  Greer  died  March  23,  1813,  when  Eleanor  B.,  and 
Sarah  Selina  Greer  her  daughtei's,  were  taken  home  and 
reared  by  Mrs.  George  Wallace  Bentley,  but  there  is  no 
record  of  the  other  child,  Frances  B.  Greer,  who  it  is  sup- 
posed died  in  infancy. 

V.  Martha  Wallace,  born  September  5,  1788,  married 
James  Agnew  Smith.  See  sketch  in  Smith  family. 

VI.  William  Wallace,  Jr.,  born  August  20,  1790,  was 
married  to  Eleanor  Gregg  June  14,  1811.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  John  Gregg,  who  came  from  Ireland  in  1791, 
and  settled  in  what  Is  now  East  Pike  Run  township,  Wash- 
ington county.  Pa.,  with  his  brothers  Henry  Gregg  and 
William    Gregg.      They    owned    a    large   quantity   of   land 


74       THE  WALLACES— WASHINGTON  COUNTY,  PA. 

between  West  Brownsville  and  Belle  Vernon,  some  of 
which  still  belongs  to  their  descendants. 

They  had  one  child,  Sarah  Gregg  Wallace,  born  May  1, 
1812.  .\Irs.  Wallace  died  December  20,  1813,  and  Mr.  W^^l- 
lace  died  in  Maryland  where  he  had  gone  with  a  drove  of 
horses.  September  25.  1820.  He  was  a  .soldier  of  the  war 
of  1812  in  the  Maryland  service. 

Sarah  Gregg  Wallace  was  married  to  John  R.  Gregg 
Novemoer  29,  1832.  He  was  born  April  5,  1810,  and  was 
the  son  of  Robert  and  Ann  Robinson  Gregg,  and  grandson 
of  William  Gregg,  one  of  the  three  brothers  who  settled  in 
the  country  together.  John  R.  Gregg  in  early  life  was  a 
school  teacher,  and  was  afterwaixls  a  merchant  in  Green- 
field. Mr.  Gregg  died  April  17,  1885.  and  Mrs.  Gregg  June 
5,  1871.     They  had  the  following  children: 

1.  Eleanor  Martha  Gregg,  born  January  27,  1834.  now 
lives  at  Stockdale,  Fa. 

2.  Anne  .jane  Gregg,  born  September  23.  1830,  mar- 
ried Lewis  Whittaker  Morgan  October  27,  1857.  He  was 
born  at  Waynesburg.  Pa.,  November  5,  1830,  the  son  of 
William  M.  and  Mary  Whittaker  Morgan.  The  Morgans 
were  Quakers  and  of  Welsh  descent,  and  came  to  Pennsyl- 
vania from  Baltimore,  Md.  Mrs.  Maiy  W^.  Morgan  was  the 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  Lewis  Whittaker,  who 
came  to  this  country  from  Ireland  in  1797  to  York,  Pa. 

L.  W.  Morgan  moved  to  Greenfield  in  1844,  and  began 
business  in  California,  Pa.,  May  1851,  keeping  the  first 
general  store  in  the  town.  He  was  on  the  river  for  sev- 
eral years  after  this,  serving  as  hrst  clerk  on  the  mail  line 
of  steamboats,  the  longest  term  being  on  the  "Telegraph," 


GREER- GREGG  FAMILIES.  75 

under  Capt.  Woodward.  After  leaving  the  river  on  account 
of  his  health,  he  went  into  the  merchandising  and  coal  busi- 
ness, continuing  until  1888.  He  is  now  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business  at  California,  Pa.  He  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  M.  E.  Church.  He  was  elected  superixi- 
tendent  of  the  Sunday  School  at  its  organization  and  served 
in  that  capacity  for  20  years.  He  has  been  trustee  in  the 
Normal  School  at  California,  Pa.,  since  its  incorporation, 
and  is  the  only  member  who  has  served  continuously.  He 
was  the  first  president  of  the  board  of  trustees.  Politically 
he  is  a  Prohibitionist.    Children: 

P.  W.  Morgan,  born  December  27,  1862,  married  Annie 
Amelia  Kendig,  daughter  of  Rev.  M.  S.  Kendig,  December 
27,  1898.  He  was  graduated  at  the  Normal  School  at  his 
home,  and  is  now  cashier  of  the  East  Pittsburg  National 
Bank  at  Wilmerding,  Pa. 

Mary  Woodwaixl,  born  April  22,  1860;  William  Wallace, 
born  in  1864;  John  Charles,  born  April  20,  1866,  and  Lewis 
Lambert,  born  July  20,  1870,  are  all  dead. 

Elizabeth  Holmes  Morgan,  born  Februai-y  22,  1868,  was 
graduated  from  the  Normal  School  at  her  home  in  1885. 

Albert  Thomas  Morgan,  born  October  8,  1872,  was 
graduated  at  the  Normal  School  in  1891,  Dickinson  Law 
School  in  1898,  and  is  practicing  law  at  Washington,  Pa. 

3.  William  Henry  Gregg,  born  Januaiy  24,  1839,  mar- 
ried Mai-y  L.  Lambert  September  22,  1880.  Children: 

Sarah  Amanda  i.nd  Mary  Ella  died  young. 

John  R.  Gregg,  born  May  3,  1888. 

Lucetta  Jane  Gregg,  born  January  19,1890. 

Elizabeth  Morgan  Gregg,  born  February  15,  1892. 


76       THE  WALLACES— WASHINGTON  COUNTY,  PA. 

Joseph  Etta  Gregg,  born  September  23,  1895. 

Mr.  Gregg  served  four  years  during  the  Civil  War,  in 
Company  I  First  West  Virginia  Cavahy,  and  was  a  good 
soklier,  serving  his  country  faithfully. 

Mrs.  Gregg  was  born  J,une  18,  1857,  in  Greenfield,  the 
daughter  of  .Joseph  and  Amanda  Lambert.  The  latter  was 
the  daughter  of  William  and  Mary  Hornbake,  born  at  Belle 
Vernon,  Pa. 

Mr.  Lambert  was  born  in  Allen  township,  Washington 
county.  Pa.,  March  4,  1833.  His  father,  William  Lambert, 
was  born  in  County  Wexford,  Ireland  in  1784,  came  to 
America  when  a  young  man,  and  married  Lydia  Jones  near 
(Greenfield  about  1823,  whose  father,  John  Jones,  a  teacher 
and  Quaker,  came  to  this  country  with  William  Penn.  Wil- 
liam Lambert  was  a  Catholic  and  his  wife  became  also  a 
member  of  that  church.  Two  of  their  sons  became  Catholic 
Priests,  and  their  daughter  a  Sister  of  Mercy.  Mr.  Lam- 
bert died  in  18G8  and  Mrs.  Lambert  in  1871,  both  being 
l)uried  in  the  Catliolic  cemetery  at  Elizabeth,  Pa.  Joseph 
A.  Lambert  is  dead  and  is  buried  in  the  Catholic  cemetery 
at  Coal  Centre. 

Elizabeth  Wallace  died  June  24,  1818,  and  Col.  William 
deceased. 

Elizabeth  Wallace  died  June  24,  1818.  and  Col.  William 
Wallace  April  24,  1821,  and  were  buried  on  their  homestead 
near  Bentleysville,  where  they  had  lived  together  for 
nearly  forty  years. 


III. 


Rev*  John  Smith  Family* 


CHAPTER  I. 


Rev.  John  Smith, 


Rev.  Joliu  Smith  was  born  in  1747,  near  Stirling,  Scot- 
land; was  graduated  at  tlie  University  of  Glasgow,  and 
studied  tlieology  with  Prof.  Moncrieff  at  Alloa,  near  Stirl- 
ing, on  the  river  Forth. 

He  was  ordained  in  17G9  by  the  Associate  Presbytery 
of  Stirling,  with  a  view  of  going  as  a  missionary  to 
America.  In  the  late  fall  of  1770,  Revs.  John  Smith  and 
John  Rogers  were  appointed  missionaries  to  America  and 
sailed  for  their  new  home,  arriving  late  in  the  winter. 
They  attended  a  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  at  Pequea,  Pa., 
June  4,  1771,  and  became  members  of  it. 

The  Associate  Church  of  North  America  began  in  1750, 
when  the  first  application  was  made  for  preaching,  13  years 
after  the  secession  from  the  Church  of  Scotland.  Another 
application  was  made  in  1770,  which  led  to  the  appoint- 
ment of  Revs.  Smith  and  Rogers. 

Before  the  close  of  tlie  year  1771,  Rev.  Smith  received  a 
call  to  preach  from  Guinston,  York  county.  Pa.,  and  Middle 
Octoraro,  Lancaster  county,  Pa.,  and  accepted  the  latter, 
being  installed  May  6,  1772,  adding  Oxford  to  his  charge 
March  19,  1783.     After  the  Union,  the  Covenanter  Church 


80  REV.  JOHN  SMITH  FAMILY. 

of  Octoraro  was  also  added  to  his  church.  He  remained 
here  until  1794.  The  congregations  grew  rapidly,  so  much 
so  that  on  May  20,  1776,  the  Presbytery  was  divided  into 
those  of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania,  Rev.  smith  being  a 
member  of  the  latter,  in  which  all  his  work  was  done. 

In  1774  the  Reformed  Presbytery  was  constituted  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  in  1777  a  plan  of  union  was  proposed 
between  the  Associate  (Seceders)  Presbytery  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  the  Reformed  (Covenanters)  Presbyteiy  of  Penn- 
sylvania, to  be  called  the  Associate  Reformed  Presbytery. 
The  agitation  was  kept  up,  and  in  April  1781,  Revs.  John 
Smith  and  William  Marshall  were  appointed  a  committee, 
to  draw  up  an  ultimatum  upon  which  the  Associate  Church 
would  enter  the  communion  of  the  Reformed  Pi-esbytery, 
which  was  unanimously  adopted  by  the  Associate  Pres- 
bytery, but  was  rejected  by  the  Reformed  Presbytery. 

Another  meeting  was  held  November  29,  1781,  in  the 
report  of  which  it  is  said,  that  "Mr.  Smith,  who  was  a  man 
highly  gifted,  especially  as  a  public  speaker,  directed  all  his 
efforts  to  secure  a  majority  in  favor  of  the  Union."  It  was 
again  brought  up  June  lo,  1782,  before  the  Associate  Pres- 
bytery, which  voted  for  the  Union,  and  it  was  completed. 

The  Associate  Synod  of  Scotland  August  31,  1785,  con- 
demned the  action,  and  held  Rev.  Smith  and  the  others 
who  voted  for  it.  "to  be  in  a  state  of  apostasy,"  and  the  two 
members  not  voting  for  it,  were  constituted  the  Associate 
Presbytery  of  Pennsylvania.  Later  nearly  all  these  minis- 
ters returned  to  the  Associate  Church,  Rev.  Smith  on 
account  of  the  statement  of  principles  of  the  Associate 
Reformed  Presbytery  not  being  satisfactory. 


REV.  JOHN  SMITH.  81 

He  was  one  of  the  ablest  advocates  of  the  Union;  and 
in  a  report  on  the  subject  of  Psalmody,  adopted  by  the 
Associate  Reformed  Synod  of  America  in  1838,  he  is  called 
"One  of  the  fathers  of  the  Associate  Reformed  Church." 

In  the  trying  and  stirring  days  of  the  Revolution,  the 
ministers  of  these  churches  were  in  earnest  and  active 
sympathy  with  the  Colonists,  some  of  them  being  chaplains 
in  the  army. 

Rev.  John  Smith  w'as  settled  at  Octoraro  most  of  the 
time  he  was  in  eastern  Pennsylvania,  but  by  request  was 
one  of  the  tirst  preachers  in  Washington  county,  Pa.  Rev. 
.John  McMillan,  D.  D.,  was  the  earliest  Presbyterian 
minister  settled  in  the  county,  first  visiting  it  in  1775,  and 
was  located  permanently  as  pastor  of  the  Chartiers  and 
Pigeon  creek    churches  in  1778. 

Rev.  Tliaddeus  Dodd  became  pastor  of  Ten  Mile  Pres- 
byterian church  in  1777,  and  Rev.  Joseph  Smith,  of  Cross 
creek  and  Buffalo  churches  in  1779.  The  Peters  creek 
Baptist  Church  was  constituted  November  10,  1773,  Rev. 
John  Whitteker  pastor. 

In  1773  members  of  the  Associate  Church  in  Peters 
township  made  application  to  the  Presbytery  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, for  preaching,  and  in  answer  to  their  prayers,  Revs. 
John  Smith  and  John  Rogers  visited  them,  but  did  not 
organize  a  church,  that  being  done  by  Rev.  Matthew  Hen- 
derson in  1778,  who  first  visited  the  section  in  1775.  Revs. 
Smith  and  Rogers  were  probably  the  first  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  faith  to  preach  in  the  county,  if  not  the  first 
of  any  church. 

Upon  the  death  of  Rev.  Matthew  Henderson  in  October 


82  REV.  JOHN  SMITH  FAMILY. 

1705.  pastor  of  the  Chartiers  Associate  Church,  Canonsburg, 
Pa.,  Rev.  Smith  was  called,  and  became  its  pastor  Novem- 
ber 15,  179G,  remaining  as  snch  until  January  21,  1802.  He 
was  also  pastor  of  the  Peters  Creek  Associate  Church  at 
the  same  time.  It  was  said  of  him  while  pastor  here,  that 
he  was  "A  man  of  superior  intellectual  ix)wers  and  a  very 
popular  speaker." 

The  Associate  Synod  of  North  America  was  constituted 
at  Philadelphia  May  20,  ISOi,  of  which  Rev.  Smith  was 
Moderator. 

Soon  after  1800.  Revs.  John  Smith  and  John  Anderson 
were  appointed  to  issue  a  warning  on  the  evil  of  slave- 
holding.  They  made  a  report  in  which  they  pronounced 
slaveholding  a  moral  evil,  and  urged  the  necessity  of  fuliy 
instructing  the  people  in  reference  to  its  nature. 

December  20,  1797,  while  he  was  pastor  of  the  Chartiers 
Church,  the  trustees  purchased  4  acres,  2  roods  and  15 
perches  of  land  from  John  Canon,  founder  of  Canonsburg. 
for  which  they  paid  45  pounds.  One  of  the  trustees  was 
Samuel  Agnew,  brother  of  Mrs.  Smith,  who  came  to  Char- 
tiers  creek  in  1780.  The  land  was  situated  about  one  mile 
southwest  of  Canonsburg.  on  which  the  congregation 
erected  their  first  meting  house,  and  the  remaining  portion 
was  used  as  a  burial  place  by  the  people  of  Canonsbiix'g 
and  vicinity,  now  known  as  "Oak  Spring  Cemetery." 

The  house  was  built  of  round  logs  daubed  with  clay, 
some  of  the  logs  having  been  cut  to  give  light.  The  seats 
were  of  round  poles  laid  on  blocks.  It  had  no  fire  place, 
stove  or  chimney.  There  the  congregation  would  sit  for 
two  sermons,  in  cold  winter  days,  without  fire,  and  no  glass 


REV.  JOHN  SMITH.  83 

in  tlie  windows.  The  church  served  by  Rev.  Smith  is  now 
the  Chartiers  U.  P.  Church.  The  old  log  house  gave  way 
to  one  built  of  limestone,  which  was  succeeded  by  a  brick 
church  in  1834.  This  was  torn  down  in  ISrtg,  and  the 
pi'esent  church  edifice  in  Canonsburg  was  erected  in  its 
place  and  dedicated  in  March  1870. 

After  his  release  here.  Rev.  Smith  served  a  while  in 
Alexandria,  Va.,  and  after  his  release  there  he  lived  on  a 
farm  near  Canonsburg,  where  he  died  March  25,  1825.  The 
day  before  his  death,  a  Chronicler  says:  "He  attended  the 
fiuieral  of  a  neighbor,  Mr.  Weller,  and  after  the  interment 
he  returned  with  the  family  to  the  house  of  the  deceased. 
Several  other  friends  were  present,  and  he  delivered  a  vex'y 
solemn  and  pertinent  address.  He  remained  over  night, 
and  next  morning  at  the  breakfast  table,  after  asking  the 
blessing,  he  reclined  his  head  backwards  and  immediately 
expired  without  a  struggle  or  groan." 

A  churcli  historian  said  of  him:  "In  mental  force,  in 
theological  learning  and  in  pulpit  power,  Mr.  Smith  had 
few  eqvials,  and  perhaps  no  supeiiors,  among  all  the 
ministers  with  whom  he  was  ecclesiastically  associated, 
and  soon  after  the  Union  of  1782,  he  was  designated  by  the 
Associate  Reformed  Synod,  as  a  suitable  person  to  take 
oversight  and  instruction  of  its  theological  students."  This 
position  he  held  for  about  ten  years.  Mrs.  Smith  died 
August  2C,,  1805 


CHAPTER    II. 


Hugh  Scott  Family 


Rev.  John  Smith  was  married  to  Anne  Agnew,  the 
granddaughter  of  Hugh  Scott,  who  came  from  the  Nortli 
of  IreLnnd  to  Pennsylvania,  and  settled  in  Chester  county 
about  1()70.  Hugh  Scott  had  a  son  Abraham,  bom  in 
Chester  county  in  KiTT,  who  had  children  as  follows:  Ann 
born  October  1(>9!),  Samuel  1705,  Rebecca  December  17. 
1707,  Alexander  1710,  Grace,  Hugh  1726,  Josiah  1735,  two 
of  whom  Hugh  and  .Josiah,  settled  in  Washington  county, 
Pennsylvania. 

Rebecca  became  the  second  wife  of  James  Agnew  in 
1737,  and  had  nine  children:  Samuel  born  January  29,  1738, 
Martha  born  September  9,  1740,  James  born  May  1,  1742, 
David  born  July  17,  1743,  Margaret  born  August  27,  1745, 
Rebecca  born  May  3,  1747,  Sarah  born  May  15,  1749, 
Abraham  l)orn  December  23,  17.50,\Anue  born  October_3, 
1753,  two  of  whom,  Samuel  and  Anne,  became  residents  of 
Washington  county.  Pa. 

Hugh  Scott  settled  in  Nottingham  township.  Washing- 
ton county.  Pa.,  in  1773.  He  was  one  of  the  five  elders  of 
the  Pigeon  Creek  Presbyterian  church,  organized  by  Rev. 


HUGH  SCOTT  FAMILY.  85 

Dr.  Jolm  McMillan  November  1776,  the  oldest  Presbyterian 
cliurch  in  the  county.  He  was  one  of  the  five  trustees 
appointed  to  divide  the  county  into  townships,  and  to  pur- 
chase ground  for  a  public  building  for  the  county;  was  in 
the  first  grand  jury  panel  October  2,  1781;  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  Council  of  Censors  on  the  second  Tuesday  of 
October  1783,  and  was  commissioned  Justice  of  the  Peace 
November  S,  1788. 

He  was  married  1754  to  Jeuuett  Agnew,  daughter  of 
James  Agnew  by  his  first  wife,  and  they  had  nine  children. 
His  daughter  Rebecca  married  George  Van  Emau,  of  Wash- 
ington county.  Pa.,  in  177G,  and  their  daughter  Rebecca 
married  Hon.  Joseph  Lawrence,  of  the  same  county,  from 
whom  descended  Hon.  George  V.  Lawrence  and  the  other 
members  of  the  well  known  Lawrence  family  of  western 
Pennsylvania,  so  prominent  in  political  councils.  Mr. 
Scott  died  in  1819. 

Josiah  Scott  married  Violet  Foster  in  17G0.  They 
settled  in  what  is  now  South  Strabane  township,  Washing- 
ton county.  Pa.,  in  1773.  They  had  twelve  children.  Their 
son  Alexander  married  Rachel,  and  their  son  Rev.  Abraham 
married  Rebecca,  daughters  of  .John  McDowell  of  North 
Strabane  township. 

Mr.  McDowell  came  to  the  county  in  1773.  His  wife 
was  a  sister  of  David  Bradford,  one  of  the  most  prominent 
leaders  in  the  Whiskey  Insurrection.  Mr.  McDowell  was 
one  of  the  first  commissioners  of  Washington  county  in 
1781,  was  a  member  of  the  legislature  and  associate  judge 
of  the  county. 

Rev.   Dr.   McMillan   preached   his   first  sermon   in   the 


86  REV.  JOHN  SMITH  FAMILY. 

county  in  the  log  house  of  Mr.  McDowell.  In  the  diary  of 
Dr.  McMillan,  he  says:  '"1775,  the  fourth  Sabbath  of  August, 
preached  at  John  McDowell's  (Chartiers  Church).  Monday 
rode  aoout  six  miles  to  Patrick  McCullough's  on  Pigeon 
creek,  Tuesday  preached  at  Arthur  Forbes'  (the  first  sermon 
in  the  bounds  of  the  Pigeon  creek  Presbyterian  Church)  and 
lodged  with  Pati-ick  Scott." 

John  Scott,  son  of  Josiah,  married  Isabella,  daughter  of 
Isaac  Vance,  who  settled  in  what  became  Somerset  town- 
ship about  1770;  and  Mary,  daughter  of  Josiah,  married 
William  Cotton,  and  Betsy,  Robert  Stephenson,  of  two  of 
the  early  pioneer  families  of  the  county.  Mr.  Scott  and 
wife  died  of  cholera  in  1819. 

From  these  two  brothers  have  come  many  of  the  promi- 
nent Scotts  of  western.  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio,  and  other 
connections  of  different  names,  who  have  held  high  and 
Important  positions  in  the  professions  and  politics. 

Samuel  Agnew,  sou  of  James  and  Rebec<?a  Scott 
Agnew,  and  nephew  of  Hugh  and  Josiah  Scott,  was  married 
to  Elizabeth  .Johnston  and  settled  in  Chartiers  township, 
Washington  county.  Pa.,  in  1780.  He  became  the  owner  of 
two  tracts  of  land,  one  called  "Nantucket"  of  403  acres,  and 
one  called  "Strabane"  of  321  acres.  Some  of  his  descend- 
ants yet  live  on  the  latter  and  in  other  parts  of  the  county. 

Mr.  Agnew  was  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  represented 
the  county  in  the  legislature  in  1802-3-4  and  5.  He  was 
an  elder-  and  trustee  in  the  Chartiers  Associate  church. 
The  Agnews  traced  their  lineage  to  the  Normau  invaders  of 
England  through  residents  of  Scotland  and  the  North  of 
Ireland. 


HUGH  SCOTT  FAMILY  87 

Anne  Agnew  was  the  youngest  child  oi  James  and 
Rebecca  Scott  Agnew,  sister  of  Samuel  Agnew  and  niece 
of  Hugh  and  Josiah  Scott,  and  was  maiTied  to  Rev.  John 
Smith  May  12,  1772. 

They  had  nine  children  as  follows: 

I.  David  Smith,  boi-n  February  27,  1773. 

II.  Rebecca  Smith,  born  March  20,  1775. 
ili.    Ann  Smith,  born  September  23,  1778. 

IV.  Murray  Smith,  born  April  23,  1782. 

V.  James  Agnew  Smith,  born  September  3,  1787. 

VI.  Harriet  Smith,  born  June  28,  1789. 

VII.  Julia  Anna  Smith,  born  August  16,  1791. 

VIII.  Samuel  Smith,  born  ,Jauuai-y  2,  1794. 

IX.  John  Hunter  Smith,  born  December  4,  1794. 

Of  these  children  no  record  has  been  found  except  Anne 
and  James  Agnew.  Dr.  John  Hunter  Smith  is  known  to 
have  married  and  had  children,  and  he  practiced  medicine 
for  some  years  near  Canonsburg,  Pa.,  but  no  descendants 
of  his  are  known  to  be  living. 


CHAPTER  III. 


Smith-White   Family. 


Aniie  Smith  was  married  to  David  White,  a  resident 
of  Hanover  township,  Washington  county,  Pa. 

Mr.  White's  ancestors  came  from  eastern  Pennsylvania 
in  1773,  and  located  some  lands  in  Washington  county.  In 
later  years  the  family  had  a  large  store  near  Paris  in  that 
county,  and  were  people  of  influence.  The  following  chil- 
dren were  born  to  David  and  Anne  Smith  W^hite: 

I.  Anne  White  married  Dr.  Hugh  CaldAvell,  one  of 
whose  daughters  married  Dr.  Jones,  and  another  Dr.  Craw- 
ford, and  live  in  western  Ohio. 

II.  Mary  Gordon  White  married  John  Agnew.  Chil- 
dren: Rebecca  A.,  Washington  F.,  .John  Smith,  David 
AVhite,  Maria  Jane,  James  R.,  Wallace  Gordon.  The  latter 
two  were  soldiers  in  the  Civil  War,  the  latter  serving  in  the 
Third  Iowa  Infantry,  and  lost  an  arm  at  the  battle  of 
Shiloh. 

III.  Harriet  White  married  John  Nicholson  in  1833, 
and  had  the  following  children: 

1.  Rebecca  married  James  McDonald  and  had  two 
children,  Harry  and  Minnie  Brigham. 


SMITH- WHITE  FAMILY.  89 


2.  David  married  Jacintha  Hanna.  Children:  David, 
Anna,  Mrs.  Cornelia  Wlieelock,  Mrs.  Fannie  McNutt,  Lulu 
and  Claude. 

8.  John  married  Mary  Gilbert  and  had  three  children. 
Lucy  the  only  one  living,  who  married  Henry  Seymour. 

4.  Murray  lives  in  Harlem,  Montana. 

5.  Wilkie,     6,  Catherine  deceased. 

7.  Julia  married  James  Hood.  Children:  William  and 
Mrs.  Lettie  Harris. 

8.  James  lives  in  Barry,  Illinois. 

9.  Smith  married  Orena  Johnson.  Children:  Edith, 
John,   Emma,   Harriet  and  Claude. 

10.  Emmaretta  married  John  Haselwood.  Children: 
Mrs.  Nellie  Baker,  Daniel,  Lucy,  and  Gertrude  died  young. 

11.  Charles  was  married  and  has  two  children,  Charles 
and  Harry. 

12.  Nevada  married  B.  F.  Nance.  Children;  Cora, 
Frank,  Maud,  Ira.     Cora  married  Jack  Monahan. 

IV.  Julia  Ann  White  married  John  McElroy  in  1831. 
He  was  born  near  Belfast,  Ireland,  in  1807,  came  to  this 
country  in  1819,  and  settled  first  in  Baltimore  and  after- 
ward in  Washington  county,  Pa.  He  moved  from  there  in 
1839  to  Rural  Valley,  Pa.,  where  he  engaged  in  general  mer- 
chandising. He  was  long  an  active  and  efficient  elder  in 
the  Presbyterian  church,  a  man  highly  esteemed  for  his 
upright  Christian  character  and  intelligence.  He  moved  to 
Clayton,  111.,  in  1869,  where  he  died  in  1879,  his  wife  dying 
at  Keokuk,  la.,  in  1890.    They  had  children  as  follows: 

John,  Rebecca,  Elizabeth  C,  William  M.  died  while 
young. 


90  REV.  JOHN  SMITH  FAMILY. 

1.  Martha  A.  McElroy  born  November  11,  1833,  married 
Henry  Trollcuger  1863.     Children: 

i.    Annie  married  Rol)eri  McParland,  no  children. 

ii.  Robert  married  Miss  McKelvey  and  had  two 
children. 

ill.    Mary.     iv.  John,     v.  Margaret. 

vi.  Rebecca  married  Thos.  B.  Gradeu,  Vandergrift,  Pa., 
clerk  in  the  shipping  department  of  the  Apollo  Sheet  Steel 
Co.     The  others  lived  at  Rural  Valley,  Pa. 

2.  David  White  McElroy  born  March  1,  1842.  married 
Mary  Baile.v  in  1872.  He  enlisted  August  27,  1861,  in  Co.  A, 
78th  Pa.  Infantry  and  served  until  November  4,  1864;  was 
in  the  battles  of  Stone  River,  where  he  was  wounded  in  his 
right  leg,  Chickamauga,  New  Hope  Church,  and  about  20 
minor  engagements.  He  was  a  true  soldier  for  his  country 
and  suffered  much  in  its  defense  and  protection.  He  is  an 
active  member  of  Torrence  Post  No.  2.  G.  A.  R.,  of  Iowa, 
served  the  post  as  adjutant  three  years,  commander  two 
years,  and  was  Assistant  Adjutant  General  Department  of 
Iowa  1897-8.  He  Avas  a  delegate  to  the  National  Encamp- 
ment Pittsburg  in  1894,  St.  Paul  1896,  Buffalo  1897,  and 
Cincinnati  delegate  at  large  in  1898.  He  moved  from  Penn- 
sylvania in  186(>.  and  located  in  KeokuK.  la.,  where  he  has 
been  in  the  foundry  and  machine  shop  business  since  1869. 
Tliey  have  the  following  children: 

i.    Mary,    ii.  Nannie,    iii.  Cora  Belle  died  young, 
iv.     John  Alexander  bpi-n  March  31,  1875,  is  in  business 
in  Chicago. 

V.     Nellie  Margaretta  born  September  7,  1879,  married 


SMITH -WHITE  FAMILY.  91 

Henry  Rix  Collisson  1898,  who  is  in  business  in  Keokuk, 
la.     Children:  Sidney  Dial  and  David  McElroy. 

vi.     David  White  born  June  5,  1888. 

3.  Robert  Murray  McElroy  born  March  28,  1846,  served 
in  the  Fifth  Pennsylvania  Heavy  Artillery  from  September 
1SH4  to  July  1865.  He  contracted  disease  in  the  service  and 
died  May  4,  1866. 

4.  John  Alexander  McElroy  born  June  30,  1848,  mar- 
ried Lily  W.  Jones,  Canton,  Mo.,  June  6,  1880.  Children: 
John  Harrison,  David  White,  Julia  Anna,  Robert  Lee. 
Mr.  McElroy  went  to  Missouri  in  1869,  and  moved  to 
Keokuk,  la.,  in  1890,  where  he  is  in  business.  He  served 
in  the  Fifth  Pennsylvania  Heavy  Artillery  from  September 
18(i4  to  July  186.5. 

V.  Murray  A.  White  married  Margaret  G.  Smith.  See 
sketch  in  Smith-Wallace  family. 

VI.  John  White  died  single. 

VII.  David  White  married  Mary  B.  Crane,  youngest 
daughter  of  Rev.  Simeon  H.  Crane,  Presbyterian  minister 
at  Lexington,  Ky.,  March  27,  1849.  Children;  Simeon 
Harrison  born  August  3,  1850,  Harriet  McCullough  born 
September  18,  1852,Anna  Burrows  born  November  18,  1854, 
David  McCullough  born  January  1,  1857,  and  Frederick 
Crumbaugh  White  born  July  13,  1860. 

VIII.  Rebecca  married  Rev.  James  Brown,  of  Alyth, 
Scotland,  no  children.  Rev.  Brown  by  his  first  marriage  to 
Miss  Nancy  T.  Anderson,  had  5  daughters,  3  dying  young. 

1.  Isabella  marrieti  Isaiah  G.  Moore  and  had  4  children, 
one  living,  Annie,  a  teacher  in  the  Indian  School,  Carlisle, 
Pa. 


92  REV.  JOHN  SMITH  FAMILY. 

2.  Eliza  J.  married  Dr.  O.  B.  Given,  pliysician  at  the 
Indian  Scliool,  Oarisle,  Pa.,  and  had  children,  James  and 
John. 

IX.  Jane  married  Nathaniel  McCrea.  Children:  Anne, 
John  Pressley,  David  W.,  William  E.,  Cora  and  Walter. 
Cora  married  N.  Messer,  of  Keokuk,  la.,  and  they  now  live 
in  California.     Children:  Edith  and  Donald. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


Smith-Wallace  Family. 


James  Agnew  Smith  married  Martha  Wallace,  daugh- 
ter of  Col.  William  Wallace,  of  Somerset  township,  Septem- 
ber 7,  1809.  The  ceremOuy  was  performed  by  Rev.  Boyd 
Mercer,  second  pastor  of  the  Pigeon  Creek  Presbyterian 
church,  organized  in  1775.  He  was  called  by  this  church 
April  22,  1794. 

Mr.  Smith  w^as  educated  for  the  ministry  of  the  U.  P. 
church,  but  followed  the  profession  of  teaching  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  in  the  district  schools.  For  some  time  he  was 
a  merchant  in  Williamsport,  and  later  lived  for  three  years 
on  a  farm  in  Union  township. 

After  that  he  moved  to  Greenfield,  where  he  was  in 
business  for  a  while.  He  was  a  man  greatly  beloved 
because  of  his  high  character  and  practical  piety.  He  was 
quiet  and  reserved,  doing  his  duty  faithfully  as  it  was  pre- 
sented to  him.  He  died  in  1860  at  the  home  of  his  daugh- 
ter, Margaret  G.  White,  his  wife  having  died  July  26,  1855. 
They  had  the  following  children: 

1.  Elizabeth  Wallace  Smith  born  July  31,  1810,  un- 
married.    She  was  a  noble  Christian  woman,  a  member  of 


94  REV.  JOHN  SMITH  FAMILY. 


the  M.  E.  cliurch,  and  enjoyed  the  love  of  all  who  met  and 
knew  her. 

Some  years  after  the  death  of  her  sister,  Eleanor,  wife 
of  Francis  Reader,  she  became  an  inmate  of  that  family, 
and  took  the  place  of  a  mother  in  helpinc;  to  rear  the 
children  of  her  sister.  There  she  remained  until  the  chil- 
dren married  and  made  homes  of  their  own.  and  then 
became  a  member  of  the  family  of  Eleanor  M.  Hertzog,  the 
youngest  child  of  Francis  Reader  where  she  died.  These 
children  always  recognized  the  devotion  and  care  of  their 
aunt  with  gratitude. 

II.  Margaret  Greer  Smith  born  August  17,  1813,  mar- 
ried Murray  A.  White,  son  of  David  and  Anne  Smith  White, 
November  17.  1831.  Mr.  White  was  a  prominent  business 
man  in  Allegheny,  la.,  for  several  years,  engaged  as  cabinet 
maker  and  undertaker,  and  was  afterward  in  the  coal  busi- 
ness, later  removing  to  California  Pa.,  where  he  died  July 
1,  1871,  and  his  wife  died  Januaiy  10,  1890.  They  were 
consistent  members  of  the  M.  E.  church.  They  had  the 
following  children : 

1.  David,  .John  Hunter,  Julia  Bell  and  Charles  Murray 
died  in  infancy. 

2.  Anna  Martha  married  Smith  C.  Fry,  and  had  two 
children,  Herbert  who  died  in  infancy,  and  Anna  Margaret. 
Mr.  Fry  is  the  grandson  of  Abraham  and  Hester  Fry,  who 
came  from  New  Jersey  to  Fallowfield  township,  Washing- 
ton county.  Pa.,  about  the  time  of  the  Revolution.  They 
had  10  children,  of  whom  Thomas  married  Anna  West, 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Eunice  West,  of  the  same  town- 
ship, and  they  had  12  children.  Smith  C.  Fry  being  next  to 


SMITH -WALLACE  FAMILY.  95 

the  youugest.  Smith  and  his  wife  moved  to  Woodford 
county,  111.,  in  December  18G(J,  and  engaged  in  farming,  and 
in  December  1899  moved  to  Sloan,  Iowa. 

3.  James  A.  S.  White  was  nearly  all  his  life  a  river- 
man.  He  was  mate  of  several  boats  on  the  Monongahela 
river,  and  afterwax'd  was  on  the  locks,  the  later  years  of  his 
life  being  in  the  employ  of  the  U.  S.  Government  at  Lock 
No.  1,  Pittsburg,  Pa.  His  services  were  always  held  in  high 
esteem,  and  he  was  a  valuable  and  reliable  man  wherever 
called  to  work. 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War,  he  enlisted  April 
25,  1801,  in  Capt.  Cooper's  Co.  G.  12th  Pa.,  Monongahela 
City,  Pa.,  for  the  3  months  service,  and  afterwards  became 
a  member  of  Co.  D.  22nd  Pa.  Cavalry,  one  of  the  famous 
"Ringgold  Battalion,"  in  which  he  served  for  3  years, 
making  a  service  of  3  years  and  3  months. 

He  was  a  faithful  soldier,  always  ready  for  duty,  and 
always  in  active,  service,  possessing  a  genial,  happy  disposi- 
tion, which  made  him  a  universal  favorite  among  his  com- 
rades. There  was  no  gloom  when  "Dixie,"  as  the  boys 
called  him,  was  about,  but  good  nature  and  innocent  fun 
on  his  part,  routed  the  blues  and  homesickness. 

Upon  his  return  home  he  entered  upon  a  life  of  unselfish 
devotion  to  his  parents  and  family,  and  upon  the  death  of 
tl'.e  former,  he  and  his  brother  and  sister  Hannah,  formed 
a  family  that  was  unbroken  until  his  death.  They  were 
all  active  and  zealous  members  of  the  M.  E.  church,  and 
true  servants  of  their  Divine  Master.  James  was  a  promi- 
nent Odd  Fellow,  and  a  member  of  Post  3,  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic,  of  Pittsburg.     He  was  a  noble  man,  as 


96  REV.  JOHN  SMITH   FAMILY. 

true  as  character  can  make  a  good  man,  and  one  who 
deserves  honor  at  the  hands  of  the  country  he  served  so 
well.    He  died  July  29,  1900. 

4.  Hannah  Morrison  lives  in  Pittsburg,  Pa. 

5.  Murray   Agnevp    lives   in    Pittsburg,    Pa. 

III.  Julia  Ann  R.  Smith  born  August  22,  1815,  married 
Jolm  H.  Storer  December  26,  1845.  Mr.  Storer  was  a  mem- 
ber of  one  of  the  old  Nottingham  township  families,  his 
mother  being  a  daughter  of  John  Holcroft.  They  were  a 
family  of  high  character,  and  ability,  some  of  their  descend- 
ants having  achieved  considerable  prominence  in  the  pro- 
fessions and  in  business.     They  had  two  children: 

1.  Martha  Pocahontas  Storer,  who  married  James 
Scott,  making  their  home  in  Omaha,  Neb.  Their  children 
were  Julia  Ann,  John  and  Charles. 

2.  Kate  Storer,  who  also  married,  but  no  record  is 
known  of  the  family. 

IV.  Eleanor  Bentley  Smith  born  October  14,  1817,  mar- 
ried Francis  Reader.  See  sketch  under  head  of  Reader 
family. 

V.  Frances  Bentley  Smith  born  July  24,  1820,  married 
Dr.  Joseph  R.  Crouch  April  29,  1845.  Dr.  Crouch  was  born 
November  5,  1816,  was  an  elder  in  Glade  Run  Presbyterian 
church,  and  physician  at  the  Soldiers'  Orphan  School,  Day- 
ton, Armstong  county,  Pa.  He  was  a  man  of  high  character 
and  eminent  in  his  profession.  He  died  October  7,  1882, 
and  Mrs.  Crouch  died  April  '6,  1901.  They  had  five  children, 
three  dying  in  infancy. 

1.  Wallace  Hunter  Crouch  born  March  17,  1854,  mar- 
ried Miss  Madge  Beck  September  17,  1885.     They  have  no 


SMITH -WALLACE  FAMILY.  97 

childreu.  Mrs.  Crouch  is  the  daughter  of  Frederick  Beck 
born  in  Germany  March  12,  1823,  and  Savilla  S.  Beck  born 
in  Kittanning,  Fa.,  November  24,  1830.  Mr.  Crouch  is  a 
druggist,  now  residing  at  Ford  City,  P>a. 

2.  Daniel  Ogden  Crouch  born  July  15,  1856,  married 
Miss  Missouri  Goodheart  August  8,  1876.  Her  father,  Dr. 
George  Goodheart,  was  born  in  Centre  county,  Pa.,  and 
settled  in  Dayton,  Pa.,  in  1848.  He  was  the  founder  of 
Dayton  Union  Academy,  and  died  October  5,  1852,  his  wife, 
Eliza  Goodheart,  dying  March  23,  1900. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crouch  live  at  Ford  City,  Pa.,  and  have 
the  following  children:  Freta  Vigne  born  August  2,  1877, 
Frances  Elizabeth  born  July  24,  1879,  Florida  Bernice  born 
January  31,  1882,  Frank  Wallace  and  Fern  Dell  born 
February  5,  1885,  Laura  born  May  15,  1888,  Joseph  Ram- 
sey born  January  8,  1891,  George  Preston  born  May  26,  1893, 
Ruth  Margaret  born  December  30,  1897. 

VI.  William  Wallace  Smith  born  July  22,  1822,  died 
July  1,  1825. 

VII.  Charles  BoUman  Smith  was  born  March  5,  1825, 
and  died  September  10,  1897.  He  married  Mary  Samuels 
March  20,  1848,  and  had  the  following  children: 

1.  James  Agnew  Smith,  railroad  carpenter,  Conuells- 
ville,  Pa.,  married  Lizzie  Grey.  Children:  Charles,  Bessie, 
Mary,  Kate  and  Julia. 

2.  Kate  Elizabeth  Smith,  Duquesne,  Pa.,  married  Wil- 
liam Conlin,  who  died  April  9,  1896.  Children:  Sarah  A., 
graduate  California,  Pa.,  Normal  School,  Mary  L.,  Joseph, 
Charles  and  Hazel. 

3.  John  Wallace  Smith  in  the  National  Rolling  Mill, 


98  REV.  JOHN  SMITH  FAMILY.. 

McKeespoi't,  Pa.,  married  Carrie  Smith.  Cliildreu:  Mary, 
Kate,  Edith  and  Charles,  all  dying  in  infancy  except 
Charles. 

6.     Margaret,  not  married. 

Martha  Wallace  and  George  Bentley  Smith  died  in 
infancy. 

VIII.  Rebecca  Hibelia  Smith  born  October  26,  1827, 
married  Gad  H.  Tower  April  19,  1849,  and  had  the  following 
children: 

1.  Ada  May  Tower  married  Daniel  Cable  and  had  one 
son  Gustiue  Cable. 

2.  William  Tower. 

3.  Harry  Tower. 
Birdie  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Tower  was  the  son  of  Edward  Tower,  a  prominent 
teacher  in  the  Monongahela  Valley  in  the  early  part  of  the 
19th  century,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who  married 
Martha  Cook,  granddaughter  of  Col.  Edward  Cook,  of 
Fayette  county,  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  in  the 
Revolutionary  period  in  the  history  of  the  valley. 

IX.  William  Hunter  Smith  born  March  24,  1830. 

X.  Martha  Anne  Smith  born  May  23,  1833,  married 
John  S.  Stanger.  They  moved  to  Illinois,  thence  to  Denver, 
Col.,  where  Mr.  Stanger  was  editor  and  proprietor  of  the 
"Colorado  Farmer,"  agriculturist  and  State  Senator.  He 
served  in  the  Civil  War  in  the  100th  Pa.  (Roundhead)  regi- 
ment, for  three  years.  Their  children  were:  Lillian  Stan- 
ger, married  George  Trevette,  and  had  children  Mary,  Lily 
and  Lucille:  Frederick,  Anna.  Newton. 


lY. 


The  Reader  Family, 


I     0  r  ,'^ 


CHAPTER   I. 


The  Reader  Family. 


The  earliest  record  we  have  of  the  Readers,  is  through 
Thomas  Palmer,  whose  family  owned  the  Ravenshaw 
estate  near  Solihull,  Warwickshire,  England.  Here  Wil- 
liam Palmer,  second  son  of  Thomas,  was  born  in  November 
1691.  He  married  Elizabeth  Knight,  of  Ipsley,  same 
county,  in  1717.  They  had  eight  children,  of  whom  three 
were  married  as  follows: 

I.  Mary  born  in  1719,  married  Samuel  Reader,  Jr.,  who 
had  no  children. 

II.  Martha  bom  1732,  married  Rev.  James  Kettle,  who 
was  pastor  for  forty  years  of  the  Dissenting  Congregation, 
High,  street,  Warwick.  He  died  at  Warwick  April  13,  1800, 
and  his  wife  died  at  Goventiy  April  9,  1814,  both  being 
buried  in  Alderminster  church  near  Stratford-on-Avon. 
They  had  no  children. 

III.  Elizabeth  born  1721,  became  the  second  wife  of 
Samuel  Reader,  Sr.,  of  Tanworth,  father  of  the  Samuel 
Reader  by  his  first  wife,  who  married  Mary  Palmer.  They 
moved  to  Honily,  in  Warwickshire,  where  they  had  seven 
children,  two  of  whom  were  married,  as  follows: 


102  THE  READER  FAMILY. 

1.  Hannah  born  February  1758,  married  John  William- 
son, of  Coventry,  who  was  a  builder  and  contractor  of  that 
city,  and  later  became  a  magistrate  and  its  Mayor.  They 
had  five  children. 

William  born  November  1752,  married  Mary  White,  of 
High  Cross,  Rowington,  in  1782.  Mary  White  was  the 
daughter  of  Elizabeth  Nason  and  Joseph  White,  who  were 
married  August  17,  1746.  Elizabeth  Nason  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  Nason  and  Elizabeth  Wberritt,  who  were 
married  October  15,  1715,  at  St.  Mary's  Church,  Warwick. 
All  lived  at  Rowington  in  Warwickshire. 

In  1784  William  Reader  and  family  moved  from  Row- 
ington to  Honily,  which  lies  about  three  miles  west  of 
Kenilworth,  and  about  five  miles  northwest  of  Warwick. 
The  Ravenshaw  estate  at  Solihull,  is  about  fifteen  miles 
west  of  Kenilworth.  The  descendants  of  these  families 
wei'e  to  be  found  in  Warwick,  Coventi-y,  Kenilworth, 
Honily,  Wraxall,  Birmingham,   Stratford-on-Avon,  etc. 

William  Reader  determined  to  go  to  America,  and  sold 
his  farming  stock  by  auction  at  Honily  on  Monday  and 
Tuesday  March  12  and  1?.,  1804.  He  took  with  him  to  his 
new  home  all  his  family  except  his  eldest  son,  William. 

They  left  Liverpool,  England,  June  11,  1804,  on  the 
American  ship  "Washington,"  and  reached  Philadelphia, 
Pa,.  August  15,  after  a  voyage  of  65  days,  part  of  which 
was  very  stormy  and  dangerous. 

The  family  remained  in  the  neighborhood  of  Philadel- 
phia for  some  weeks,  and  while  here  Mr.  Reader  wrote  a 
very  interesting  letter  to  his  son  William  about  the  people 
in  that  section,  which  is  worthy  of  preseiwation,  as  show- 


WILLIAM  READER.  103 

ing  the  impressions  our  coutttiT  made  on  the  minds  of  these 
English  people. 

He  said  in  part:  "The  people  here  live  comfortable  and 
happy,  and  every  person  is  well  dressed  and  fed.  I  have 
not  seen  a  beggar  or  person  of  miserable  appearance,  such 
as  your  unhappy  country  abounds  with.  There  is  not  the 
haughty  ways  in  the  rich,  nor  miserable  servility  in  the 
poor,  but  all  converse  on  an  equality;  and  the  working  peo- 
ple are  much  better  informed,  and  speak  better  language, 
than  in  England.  Every  one  here  let  his  profession  be 
what  it  will,  may  support  a  family,  however  numerous, 
with  credit  and  decency,  and  lay  up  something  for  a  rainy 
day.  What  a  striking  contrast  between  this  and  England! 
There  it  has  cost  me  many  a  bitter  heartache  to  see  a  man 
covered  with  rags,  slaving  for  a  scanty  pittance  of  bread 
and  water,  to  support  a  miserable  family,  without  the  least 
prospect  of  being  relieved  from  it  for  the  remainder  of  his 
life." 

In  the  fall  he  bought  a  wagon  and  ^ome  horses  and 
started  for  Pittsburg,  undergoing  the  hardships  incident  to 
the  traveling  of  that  day  over  the  mountains,  and  through 
the  wilderness  evei-y  where,  but  reaching  the  goal  of  his 
long  journey  happy  in  the  thought  of  founding  a  home  of 
his  own,  and  for  his  children,  among  the  people  of  the  free 
and  promising  new  country.  From  this  point,  then  a  mere 
village,  he  made  inquiries  for  land,  and  traveled  many 
miles  in  different  directions,  to  find  a  site  for  a  home. 

Among  the  other  places  he  visited  was  the  "Forks  of  the 
Beaver,"  at  the  junction  of  the  Mahoning  and  Shenango 
rivers  in  Lawrence  county.  Pa.,  where  the  old  Indian  town 


104  THE  READER  FAMILY. 

of  Kuskuskee  ouce  stood,  passing  along  the  old  Indian  trail 
up  the  Beaver,  through  the  present  town  of  New  Brighton, 
and  the  now  prosperous  valley  of  the  Beaver,  then  almost 
a  continuous  wilderness,  with  but  few  homes  of  white  men. 

Here  he  found  a  'new  settlement,'  of  which  he  says: 
"We  found  the  people  vei-y  iX)or,  lived  in  worse  huts  than 
we  ever  saw  and  very  few  of  the  conveniences  of  life  about 
them.  Their  chief  employment  is  hunting.  They  will  take 
a  rifle  on  their  shoulders  and  be  out  in  the  woods  for 
several  days  and  nights  together  hunting  deer  and  wild 
beasts.  When  the  place  begins  to  grow  they  sell  the 
improvements  and  go  back,  and  people  who  are  more 
industrious  and  civilized  fill  up  their  places."  He  remained 
there  eight  days  and  then  returned  to  Pittsburg,  not  caring 
to  settle  among  so  migratory  and  uncivilized  a  people. 

After  returning  to  Pittsburg,  he  looked  at  several 
improved  plantations,  and  finally  selected  one  on  the 
Monongahela  river,  in  Nottingham  township,  Washington 
county.  Pa.  It  contained  over  200  acres,  for  which  he  was 
to  pay  eight  dollars  per  acre.  He  entered  into  an  article  of 
agreement  February  1,  1805,  to  purchase  it. 

He  described  its  improvements  in  a  letter  to  his  sou,  as 
'a  new  house  which  cost  $1,000,  a  bai'u,  stable  and  some 
other  outbuildings,  and  a  whiskey  distilleiy,  which  proved 
the  ruin  of  the  family  (that  once  owned  it  and  built  the 
distillery)  for  they  all  but  two  died  by  the  love  of  it.'  He 
located  the  plantation  as  "fifteen  miles  from  Pittsburg,  15 
from  Washington,  and  19  from  Redstone,  all  market  towns. 
It  is  about  three  miles  above  Elizabeth  on  the  opposite  side 
and   al)out   a   mile   from   the  river.     It  is   a   very   thickly 


WILLIAM  READER.  105 

settled  part  of  the  country,  there  are  four  corn  mills  within 
two  miles  of  it,  a  saw  mill,  a  Presbyterian  meeting  house, 
twelve  stills  for  whiskey,  a  tanyard,  a  porter  brewery,  and 
what  I  prize  as  much  as  any  of  them,  a  very  good  school 
within  half  a  mile  of  the  house.  We  have  two  Englishmen 
for  next  neig'hboi's,  one  Wm.  Castleman  and  wife,  and  the 
other  .John  Holcroft  from  Lancashire,  Eng.,  who  came  to 
this  country  before  the  Revolution." 

.John  Holcroft  was  a  prominent  figure  in  the  Whiskey 
Insurrection,  and  was  at  one  time  reputed  to  be  the  notori- 
ous "Tom  the  Tinker"  of  that  period,  which  was  afterwards 
found  to  be  incorrect.  Mr.  Reader  liad  great  faith  in  Mr. 
Holcroft,  and  turned  to  him  as  the  adviser  of  his  family  in 
his  property  interests,  while  he  made  a  business  ti'ip  to  his 
old  home  in  England.  From  that  time  the  two  families 
Avere  close  friends,  and  intermarriages  occurred  among 
their  descendants.  Mr.  Reader  died  in  1808,  and  the  prop- 
erty was  deeded  to  his  widow,  Mary  Reader,  and  their 
children,  May  27,  181L 

William  and  Mary  White  Reader  had  the  following  chil- 
dren : 

I.  William  Reader  born  at  Rowington,  December  28, 
1782,  was  a  printer  at  Coventiy  and  London,  and  editor  of 
the  "Coventi-y  Mercury"  for  several  years.  He  was 
educated  at  Warwick.  He  married  Elizabeth  Hadley,  of 
Coventry,  May  0,  1815,  and  had  four  children:  William  born 
September  IG.  1810,  Harriet  born  February  10,  1818,  Eliza- 
beth born  March  4,  1821,  and  Charles  born  February  23, 
1824.  William  Reader  remained  in  England,  when  his 
father  moved  to  the  United  States. 


CHAPTER    11. 


Reader-Wallace. 


II.  Elizabeth  Reader  was  born  at  Kowington,  Eng- 
land, April  18,  1784,  and  married  Robert  Wallace  March  17, 
1807.  He  was  the  son  of  John  Wallace,  who  was  born  in 
Connty  Antrim,  Ireland,  about  1750,  and  came  to  this  coun- 
try about  1772-73.  In  1778  he  married  Mary  Alexander, 
probably  of  Cumberland  county,  Pa.,  and  about  the  close 
of  the  Revolutionary  war  they  moved  to  western  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  settled  on  Peters  Creek,  near  the  line  between 
Washington  and  Allegheny  counties.  They  had  eight  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom,  Robert  and  William,  married  two  of 
the  daughters  of  William  Reader.  They  had  a  large 
amount  of  land  in  what  is  now  Butler  and  Lawrence  coun- 
ties. 

Robert  Wallace  was  born  in  Nottingham  township  in 
1782.  After  his  marriage,  they  remained  in  Washington 
county  two  years  and  then  moved  to  his  property  in  Slip- 
pery Rock  where  they  lived  until  1827,  and  then  settled  on 
his  property  in  Lawrence  county,  where  be  died  February 
12,  1847.     He  was  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812. 


READER-WALLACE.  107 


Robert  and  Elizabeth  Wallace,  bad  tbe  following  chil- 
dren : 

W.  R.,  Martha  and  John  died  in  infancy. 

1.  Mary  Wallace  box'n  October  10,  1809,  married 
Andrew  Robinson,  who  had  one  daughter,  Sarah,  wife  of 
Silas  Stevenson,  M.  D.,  Elwood,  Pa. 

2.  Harriet  Wallace  born  February  17,  1811,  married 
John  Leeper,  who  had  children  as  follows:  John,  William, 
Henry  R.,  Edward,  and  Mrs.  Eliza  Ken*. 

3.  William  Reader  Wallace  born  October  29,  1812,  mar- 
ried Isabella  McCracken,  of  Londonderry,  Ireland,  January 
16,  1836,  to  whom  were  born: 

i.  Robert  Wallace  bom  July  2,  1837,  married  Sarah 
Young  November  2,  1859,  their  children  being  Mrs.  Jane 
Wallace  OfEutt  born  August  19,  1800,  William  R.  born  April 
26,  1863,  died  April  15,  18(!4,  Isabella  born  March  7,  1865, 
D.  G.  born  July  24,  1867,  married  Alsepha  Morrison,  W.  W. 
born  September  15,  1869,  Elizabeth  G.  born  January  27, 
1872,  Robert  B.  born  January  7,  1874,  died  May  9,  1875, 
Frank  H.    born  September  19,  1876. 

ii.  Jacob  Wallace  born  May  28,  1839,  married  Anna 
Biirk  July  4,  1874.  Children:  Robert  born  September  4, 
1875,  Mary  E.  born  February  16,  1878.  He  was  in  the  100th 
Pennsylvania  regiment  during  the  Civil  War. 

iii.  William  Wallace  born  April  28,  1842,  married 
Amanda  Wigton  August  27,  1864.  Children:  Dr.  Charles 
Reader  born  October  13,  1866,  Wilbert  born  May  2,  1865, 
Anne  Belle  born  October  20,  1871.  He  was  in  the  134th 
Pennsylvania  regiment  in  the  Civil  War. 

iv.    John  Wallace  born  May  8,  1846,  married  Nancy  Gil- 


108  THE  READER  FAMILY. 

more  January  8,  1870.  Cliildren:  Mrs.  Elizabeth  R.  Coyne 
born  May  3,  1870,  Harry  G.  born  October  14,  1872,  Mary 
Belle  born  February  20,  1874.  died  .June  25,  1874,  Annie  Isa- 
bella born  June  30,  187G. 

V.  (Teorge  McC.  Wallace  born  September  18,  1848,  mar- 
ried Nancy  I.  Rankin  February  23,  1875.  Children:  Sarah 
A.  born  December  11,  1875,  Elizabeth  I.  born  September 
12,  1877,  Thomas  G.  born  September  22,  1879,  Mary  E.  born 
February  2.  1882,  Viola  O.  born  October  9,  1883,  Wm.  R. 
born  August  2,  1880,  Maud  M.  born  December  23.  1890. 

vi.  Mary  E.  Wallace  born  January  8,  1852,  married 
Georg-e  Thompson  January  8,  1882.  Children:  Jane  W. 
born  January  11,  1880,  Wesley  W.  born  June  27,  1889,  Anna 
Belle  born  December  15.  1890. 

4.  Elizabeth  Wallace  born  April  4.  1814,  married  Jacob 
McCracken.     Children: 

i.  George  W.  McCracken  born  January  30,  1838,  mar- 
ried Mary  E.  McCready.  no  children.  In  May  1801.  Mr. 
McCracken  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Tenth  Pennsylvania 
Reserves,  and  was  mustered  out  as  adjutant  June  11.  1804. 
He  received  the  appointment  of  Lieutenant  Colonel  of  the 
191st  Pennsylvania  regiment  June  1804,  and  vs'as  discharged 
on  account  of  wounds  received  at  Cold  Harbor.  He  was 
a  civil  engineer  by  profession,  and  was  for  many  years 
editor  of  the  LaAvrence  Guardian,  New  Castle,  Pa. 

ii.    Elizabeth  McCracken  born  May  15,  1839. 
iii.     Jacob  W.  McCracken  born  February  2,  1841,  served 
in  the  Sixth  Pennsylvania  Artillery  1864-65. 

iv.  Robert  W.  McCracken  born  May  31,  1843,  married 
Matilda  J.  Ellis.  He  was  in  the  Civil  War  and  was 
wounded  at  Spottsylvania. 


READER-WALLACE.  109 

V.  Isabelle  V.  McCracken  born  August  17,  1845,  married 
William  C.  Stewart. 

vi.  Mary  Jane  McCracken  born  March  1,  1848,  married 
David  W.  Stewart. 

vii.     Sarah  M.  McCracken  born  May  9,  1850. 

viii.  William  F.  McCracken  born  February  21,  1853, 
married  Catherine  Peebles. 

ix.    Rosanna  H.  McCracken  born  October  22,  1855. 

X.     Margaret  A.  McCracken  born  September  19,  1858. 

5.  Sarah  Wallace  born  April  23,  1816,  married  Rev. 
John  McComb.  Children:  Robert  W.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Holli- 
day,  William  R.,  Mrs.  Sarah  Uber.  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Uber,  Mx*s. 
Annie  Dennison,  John  W. 

6.  Robert  Wallace  born  August  18.  1818,  married  Anna 
Maria  Pence  January  15,  1846.    Children: 

i.  Catherine  born  February  19.  1848,  married  Morris 
B.  Robinson,  M.  D.,  who  had  children:  Mrs.  Anna  Belle 
Hezlep.  Francis  Robinson. 

ii.  Elizabeth  born  August  25,  1851,  married  J.  G. 
Mitcheltree. 

iii.    Samuel  born  August  5,  1853. 

iv.  Robert  S.  born  April  6,  1856,  married  Mary  Mitchel- 
tree.    Children:  Pearl,  Jane,  Anna  M.,  Ida  Elmira. 

V.    William  H.  born  December  5,  1859. 

vi.  Anna  Jane  boni  December  7.  1862,  married  D.  M. 
Hoffmastei'. 

vii.    James  G.  born  September  23,  1865. 

7.  Jane  born  March  24,  1826,  marx-ied  Mr.  Cooper. 

III.  Harriet  Reader  born  at  Honily,  September  3,  1185, 
where  the  family  moved  in  1784.    She  never  married. 


110  THE  READER  FAMILY. 

VI.  Martha  Reader  born  January  20,  1790,  unmarried. 

VII.  Mai-y  Reader  born  January  28,  1792,  was  married 
in  1817  to  William  Wallace,  born  August  26,  1794,  who  was 
a  brother  of  Robert  Wallace  who  married  Elizabeth  Reader. 
Children: 

1.  Harriet  Reader  Wallace  born  March  1.5,  1818. 

2.  Maria  W.  Wallace  born.  February  13,  1819,  married 
Thomas  Liston  and  had  two  children,  Margaret  and 
Angeline. 

3.  Louisa  Wallace  born  August  26,  1820. 

4.  Sarah  Wallace  born  May  18,  1822,  mairied  Mr. 
Bisohoff. 

5.  Henry  Reader  Wallace  born  February  17,  1824,  mar- 
ried Catherine  Grant  August  24,  1859.  Children:  Elizabeth, 
Francis  Reader  married  Joan  Giles  November  1892,  Edward 
Price,  Henry  Seymour,  Joseph  Peter. 

6.  Francis  Reader  Wallace  born  January  28,  1826,  mar- 
ried Anne  Grant  in  1864.  Children:  William  H.,  Anna 
Maria,  Francis  Marion,  Elizabeth  C,  Daisy,  Leila  Ada. 

7.  Edwin  M.  Wallace  born  February  28,  1828,  married 
Jane  Wilson  1869.    Children:  Lena,  and  two  died  in  infancy. 

8.  Charles  Reader  Wallace  born  June  25,  1880,  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Rhodes  1861. 

9.  Mary  Jane  Wallace  born  August  26,  1835,  died 
January  10,  1842. 

VIII.  Henry  Reader  born  January  28,  1792,  died  Sep- 
tember 25,  1796. 

IX.  Sarah  Reader  born  January  26,  1795,  died  October 
21,  1796. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


James-Charles  Reader. 


IV.  James  Reader  born  February  27,  1787,  was  mar- 
ried to  Sarah  Daily  August  G,  1812,  by  George  Beutley,  Esq. 
Slie  was  a  resident  of  Nottingham  township,  whose  ances- 
tors came  to  the  county  as  early  as  1773,  and  were  promi- 
nent among  the  early  settlers  of  that  section.  Their  chil- 
dren were: 

1.  William  Reader  born  .Tune  15,  1813,  died  June  18, 
1813. 

2.  Eliza  Reader  born  February  4,  1815,  died  August 
23,  1830. 

3.  William  Reader  born  July  23,  1816,  was  married 
and  had  four  children,  James,  Martha,  Mary,  Sarah. 

4.  Mary  Reader  born  August  5,  1815,  married  Absalom 
Bentley,  of  one  of  the  old  families  of  the  county.  They 
had  three  children,  Sarah  Jane,  Josephine,  Rachel. 

5.  Julia  Reader  born  January  16,  1821. 

6.  Jemima  Reader  born  July  16,  1822,  died  August  27, 
1830. 

7.  James  Reader  born  September  9,  1824. 

8.  Sarah  Reader  born  August  12,  1826,  died  January 
1,  1827. 


112  THE  READER  FAMILY. 

9.  Charles  B.  Reader  born  December  10,  1827,  was 
x'eared  by  his  uucle,  Charles  Reader,  of  Indiana.  He  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Gillam  December  25,  1849,  and  had  the 
following  children: 

i.  William  H.  Reader,  physican  New  Amsterdam,  Ind., 
born  November  4,  1850,  married  Kate  Wilson  and  had  two 
children,  Georgia  and  James.  He  again  married.  Lucy 
Dawson,  and  had  five  children,  Maud,  William,  Benjamin, 
Katherine,  Dudley. 

ii.  Sarah  E.  Reader  born  March  2,  1853,  married  Wil- 
liam Rippardan  February  9,  1873,  and  had  one  child,  Zaida 
born  January  9,  1880.  died  April  4,  1882. 

iii.  Martha  Jane  Reader  born  June  13,  1861,  married 
Charles  W.  Thomas,  engineer,  May  3,  1891,  and  had  chil- 
dren, Elizabeth  R.  and  Sarah  F. 

10.  Henry  Reader  born  April  14,  1830,  moved  to  Ken- 
tucky. 

The  family  lived  below  West  Elizabeth,  Pa.,  where 
James  Reader  died  October  13,  1830. 

V.  Charles  Reader  was  born  July  1,  1788,  and  mar- 
ried Sarah  Applegate,  of  Washington  county.  Pa.,  July 
1818.  He  went  to  Indiana  in  181()  and  settled  on  160  acres 
of  government  land  which  he  improved  and  lived  upon 
until  his  death  November  10,  1858.  He  was  a  man  of  good 
education,  and  held  offices  of  trust  for  about  twenty  years. 

Sarah  Applegate  was  born  in  Washington  county,  Pa., 
1786,  and  died  September  1864,  the  daughter  of  William 
and  Mary  Applegate,  pioneers  of  that  county.  They  had 
the   following  children: 

1.    William  Reader  born  April  13,  1819,  was  a  graduate 


JAMES-CHARLES  READER.  113 


of  the  Indiana  State  University  and  of  the  Louisville,  Ky., 
Medical  College,  and  began  the  practice  of  medicine  in 
1842,  when  he  married  Catharine  I.  Heath,  of  Corydon,  Ind., 
where  he  settled.  Tliey  had  five  children:  Edwin  H.,  Char- 
les H.,  Richard  H.,  Anna  E.,  Laura  M. 

Charles  married  Rose  Wilson  and  had  two  daughters 
Sadie  and  Laura. 

Laura  married  Victor  J.  Bulleit  and  had  two  children, 
Rose  K.  and  Sarah  P. 

2.  Charles  Reader  was  born  September  15,  1821, 
received  a  public  school  education,  lived  on  his  father's 
farm  which  he  purchased  at  his  father's  death,  until  1870, 
when  he  sold  it  and  moved  to  Mauckport,  Ind.,  where  he 
died  in  1896,  never  having  married. 

3.  Henry  Reader  was  born  August  31,  1823,  in  Harri- 
son county,  Ind.,  attended  public  school  and  the  University 
of  Indiana  at  Bloomington,  studied  medicine  with  his 
brother,  William,  and  was  a  student  at  the  Medical  College 
Louisville,  Ky.  He  married  Sarah  A.  Darter,  Mauckport, 
Ind.,  in  1849,  practiced  medicine  there  for  15  years,  moved 
to  Marshall  county.  111.,  in  1867,  and  to  York,  Neb.,  in  1883, 
where  he  died  October  28,  1895.    They  had  children: 

i.  William  Henry  Reader  born  October  20,  1852, 
Laconia,  Ind.,  attended  public  school  and  Aibingdon  College, 
111.,  married  Alice  H.  Vincent  February  11,  1880.  They 
moved  to  Nebraska,  settling  on  a  farm  south  of  York  where 
they  remained  until  1890,  when  he  was  elected  county 
clerk,  serving  for  6  years,  after  which  he  engaged  in  busi- 
ness in  York,  moving  in  1901  to  Carthage,  Mo.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  Frank  Edwin  born  April  7,  1883,  Mabel  Olive 


114  THE  READER  FAIMILY. 

born  May  2,  1S85,  Wilton  Kenney  born  February  14,  1890, 
and  Helen  Vincent  born.  April  19,  1892.  Two  children  died 
in  infancy. 

ii.  Lafayette  Darter  Reader  was  oorn  at  Mauckport. 
Ind.,  Fel)rnary  l(i,  1855.  -He  is  unmarried  and  lives  at 
York,  Neb. 

iii.  Minerva  Darter  Reader  born  July  9.  1857,  married 
Daniel  N.  Blood.  Henry,  111.,  February  1<|,  187G.  and  moved 
to  a  farm  in  York  county,  Neb.     Cliildren: 

Minerva  Reader  born  .January  22,  1877.  married  .T.  R. 
Barnes  November  20.  1895,  and  liave  one  son  Harry  B. 
Barnes  born  February  19.  1897. 

Mary  Alice  liorn  August  27,  1879,  married  Herbert  T. 
Bone  March  3,  i900,  shippng  clerk  for  the  Booth  Packing 
Co.,  Sioux  Cit.v,  la. 

Charles  Reader  born  May  1,  1888,  and  Daniel  H.  born 
July  5,  1892. 

iv.  Anna  Cora  Reader  born  October  20,  1803.  married 
William  S.  Calef,  Henry,  111.,  September  10,  1882.  moved  to 
Nebraska  in  1883,  and  later  went  to  Chicago,  where  he  is 
employed  by  the  Swift  Packing  Co.  Children:  Sewall  born 
April  31,  1884,  Harry  Reader  born  November  21,  1886,  Elsie 
Geneva  born  October  18.  1889,  Fred  Clark  born  June  1,  1893, 
Laura  Augusta  born  March  22,  1898. 

V.  Edwin  Scott  Reader  born  June  7,  1865,  was  train 
dispatcher  for  a  number  of  years  on  the  Chicago  &  Alton 
R.  R.,  in  Illinois,  and  on  other  roads  in  Nebraska.  In  1899 
he  enlisted  in  the  U.  S.  Signal  corps,  served  2  years  in  the 
Philippines,  was  discharged  October  15,  1901,  and  was 
appointed  auditor  of  telegraph  reports  and  accounts  for  the 
Philippine  Islands,  which  he  now  holds. 


JAMES-CHARLES  READER.  115 

vi.  Augusta  Tlirasher  Reader  was  born  at  Mauckport, 
Ind.,  August  7,  1867,  is  a  graduate  of  York,  Neb.,  high  school, 
and  is  employed  as  a  stenographer  in  that  place. 

4.  Mary  Reader  was  born  June  11,  1825,  and  married 
Isaac  Love,  a  prominent  attorney  of  Corydou,  Ind.,  where 
she  lived  until  her  death  in  September  1852.  Mr.  Love  was 
a  graduate  of  the  Indiana  State  University  and  Law 
School  at  Bloomington,  Ind.,  beginning  practice  about  1840, 
and  died  in  1859.    Tliey  had  one  daughter,  Agnes. 

5.  Elizabeth  Reader  was  born  October  31,  1828,  and 
died  in  1840. 

(5.  James  M.  Reader  was  born  Februaxy  17,  1830,  and 
married  Laura  V.  Carroll.  He  was  a  graduate  of  the 
Indiana  State  University,  and  engaged  in  the  dry  goods 
business  at  Mauckport,  Ind.,  afterwards  moving  to  New 
Cambria,  Mo.,  where  he  was  in  the  grocery  business.  They 
had  three  children:  Walter  C,  Emma  A.,  Benjamin  F. 

Emma  A.  married  Daniel  Sherman  and  had  one  son, 
Benjamin. 

James  M.  married  a  second  time  and  had  three  chil- 
dren, Charles,  Maud,  Chyler. 

7.  Benjamin  F.  Reader  was  born  October  31,  1833,  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  and  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising. He  married  Sarah  McCarty  September  1860, 
and  they  had  one  daughter,  Jessie,  who  married  William 
Jeffries  and  -had  four  children. 

8.  Sarah  E.  Reader  was  born  April  2,  1836.  She  was 
educated  in  the  seminary  at  Mauckport,  Ind.,  and  married 
Henry  Fechyeu,  a  merchant  of  that  place,  September  9, 
1860,  and  had  five  children,  Charles  J.,  William  H.,  Laura 
M.,  John  B.,  Benjamin  K. 


116  THE  READER  FAMILY. 

Laura  M.  married  Daniel  Sherman,  now  postmaster  at 
Maucliport,  Ind.,  February  28,  1883,  and  liad  tliree  chil- 
dren, Lee  F.,  Sarah  E.,  George  R. 

9.  Agues  A.  Reader  born  September  30,  1839,  was 
educated  in  the  schools  at  Mauckport,  and  married  John  P. 
Beard,  a  merchant  of  that  place,  January  11,  18G0.  They 
moved  to  York,  Neb.,  buying  a  farm  there,  where  they  now 
reside. 

They  had  six  children: 

Cora  born  February  17,  1SG2,  married  Merrit  A.  Green, 
in  business  at  Rossland,  B.  C. 

Charles  R.  born  May  10,  1SG4,  lives  in  York,  Neb. 

Jesse  S.  born  September  25,  1807,  in  business  in  San 
Francisco,  Cal. 

John  F.  born  June  18,  1870.  lives  in  York.  Neb. 

Maud  born  March  28,  1876,  lives  in  York,  Neb. 

Lee  O.  born  November  11,  1879. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


Henry  Reader-George  Trumbo. 


X.^  Henry  Reader  born  October  2,  1796,  married  Mrs. 
Margaret  Kountz  in,  1839.    Their  children  were: 

1.  James  born  May  27,  1840,  married  Miss  Miriam 
Burns  May  27,  1862     Children: 

i.  Francis  Albert  born  February  10,  1863,  was  twice 
married,  childi-en.  Earl,  Emmett,  Raymond. 

ii.  Olivia  born  October  6,  1866,  married  George  Phillips, 
children,  Osessa   Overa,  Pearl  Elizabeth. 

iii.    Charles  W.  born  August  12,  18b9. 

iv.    Nellie  born  August  10,  1871. 

V.  James  Melvin  born  March  20,  1875,  married  Annie 
E.  Brown,  and  has  one  child,  Mildred  Glades. 

vi.    Henry  Wilford  born  August  1,  1877. 

vii.    Mary  born  August  18,  1879,  married  Chas.  Fogle. 

James  Reader  volunteered  in  the  U.  S.  service  October 
16,  1862.  serving  as  second  sergeant  In  Co.  G.  68th  Penn- 
sylvania Volunteers,  and  was  discharged  July  24,  1863. 

2.  Henry  Reader  born  February  24,  1842,  died  May  14, 
1865. 

3.  Milo  E.  Reader  born  1844,  married  Miss  Caroline 
Knapper.    Children: 


118  THE  READER  FAMILY.- 

i.  William  H.  born  May  8,  1867,  married  Nannie  Zort- 
man. 

ii.    Annie  H.  born  April  3,  1870,  died  August  28,  1894. 

iii.     Martha  born  September  16,  1872. 

iv.  Margaret  E.  born  August  5,  1875,  married  Elijah 
Baker. 

V.     Carrie  A.  born  February  26,  1878. 

vi.    Clara  P.  born  June  29,  1880. 

vii.  Sarah  born  September  9,  1883,  died  November  13, 
1883. 

viii.    Grace  L.  born  November  18,  1884. 

ix.     Mary  D.  born  February  2,  1892. 

X.  Eva  A.  born  July  29,  1894. 

4.  Harriet  Reader  born  .June  8,  1847,  married  A.  G. 
Dunlap.  Children:  Henry,  Walter,  Albert,  Olive,  Hallie, 
Ira,  Zora,  Thalia,  Lolo.    The  mother  died  May  24,  1898. 

5.  Margaret  Reader  born  January  30,  1850,  married 
Daniel  Stout  December  13,  1871,  and  had  one  son,  Theodore, 
born  September  1,  1873, 

6.  Francis  Reader  born  September  5,  1852,  died 
February  14,  1855. 

These  families  all  lived  in  Beaver  county.  Fa. 

XI.  Francis  Reader  born  September  23,  1798. 
See  sketch  in  later  chapters. 

XII.  Sarah  Reader  born  June  11,  1800,  married  George 
Trumbo  January  11,  1827. 

Mr.  Trumbo  was  born  in  Allegheny  county.  Pa.,  April 
30,  1794,  in  a  log  house  on  the  old  plantation,  part  of  wliich 
is  yet  standing.  He  afterward  built  a  large  brick  house,  in 
which  he  died  June  10,  1876,  Mrs.  Trumbo  dying  July  28, 


HENRY  READER-GEORGE  TRUMBO.  119 

1876.  Mr.  Trilinbo  was  of  German  descent,  his  father,  John 
Trumbo,  being  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  that  part  of  the 
county  adjoining-  Washington  county,  where  he  owned 
several  plantations. 

Mr.  Trumbo  was  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812.  He  and 
wife  were  members  of  the  English  Lutheran  church. 

They  had  the  following  children: 

1.  Harriet  Reader  Trumbo  born  July  11.  1828,  unmar- 
ried. 

2.  Eliza  W.  Trumbo  born  September  2,  1830,  married 
John  Stout  June  23,  1859,  and  had  the  following  children: 

i.  Harriet  C.  married  Adam  Forsythe,  children:  Charles 
E.,  William  J.,  Grace  Clara. 

ii.  Charles  E.  married  Lizzie  McGowan.  Children: 
Cordelia,  Mabel  E.  He  was  superintendent  of  a  boatyard 
at  Homestead.  Pa.,  when  he  died  aged  32. 

ill.  William  W.  married  Martha  Lloyd.  Children:  Flor- 
ence. Roy,  Mereda. 

iv.  .Teaunette  M.  married  Louis  Roos,  and  had  one  son, 
Joseph  Lester. 

V.  f^rank  Reader  married  Anna  V.  Cook.  Children: 
Eva,  Eliza  W.,  Jean  M.,  Vera  C.  He  is  superintendent  of  a 
steel  works  at  Duquesue,  Pa. 

vi.    Sarah  E.  died  July  22,  1890,  aged  19. 

vii.    George  L.  died  December  29,  1893,  aged  18. 

The  father,  John  Stout,  died  June  11,  1884,  and  Mrs. 
Stout  August  8,  1893. 

3.  Wellington  Trumbo  was  born  June  2,  1832,  unmar- 
ried. 

4.  Gilbert  N.  Trumbo  born  August  17,  1835,   married 


120  THE  READER  FAMILY. 

Miss  Lavina  Garrett  December  29,  1864,  and  had  the  follow- 
ing children: 

i.    Alice  C.  married  John  Bower. 

ii.    John  S.  unmarried. 

iii.  Ida  M.  married  Wm.  Wickham  and  they  have  one 
son. 

iv.  Grace  married  Israel  Wakefield,  and  have  one  son, 
Gilbert  I. 

V.    James  Duff  unmarried. 

Mr.  Trumbo  died  September  20,  1887. 

5.    Clarissa  V.  Trumbo  born  May  28,  1838,  unmarried. 

Also  one  son  and  one  daughter  who  died  in  infancy. 

XIII.  Edwin  Reader  born  May  25,  1802,  married  Cathe- 
rine Mellinger  in  1834,  and  had  no  children. 


CHAPTER    V. 


Francis  Reader-Catherine  James. 


Francis  Reader  was  reared  on  the  farm  in  Notting- 
ham townsliip,  and  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  mill- 
wright. Being  of  a  studious  turn  of  mind,  and  especially 
fond  of  mathematics,  in  which  he  was  very  proficient,  he 
learned  civil  engineering.  He  often  told  of  his  facilities  for 
study,  when  after  the  day's  work  was  over,  he  lay  before 
the  fireplace  with  pine  knots  burning  for  a  light,  and 
studied  the  few  books  he  had,  until  he  thoroughly  mastered 
them. 

April  14,  1839,  he  was  commissioned  Justice  of  the 
Peace  of  Union,  township,  formed  from  Nottingham,  the 
first  Justice  in  the  township,  whch  he  resigned  to  go  to 
Greenfield,  now  Coal  Centre,  in  the  same  county.  Here  he 
followed  his  trade  of  carpenter  for  more  than  twenty  years. 

In  his  new  home  at  Greenfield,  he  held  the  office  of 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  seven  terms,  being  elected 
June  11,  1S44,  April  10,  1849,  April  11,  1854,  April  10,  1860, 
April  9,  1867,  April  2, 1872,  and  January  19,  1874,  In  all  about 
thirty-two  years.  He  heard  but  comparatively  few  law  suits 


122  THE  READER  FAMILY. 

in  that  time,  his  custom  being  when  litigants  came  before 
him.  to  endeavor  to  have  them  settle  their  disputes  without 
going  to  law.  This  made  him  popular  as  a  peace  maker, 
but  it  was  a  failure  as  a  fee  gatherer.  On  October  28,  18G2, 
he  was  elected  Deputy  Surveyor  General,  now  County  Sur- 
veyor, of  Washington  county.  Pa.,  in  which  office  he  served 
for  three  years. 

For  many  years  of  the  latter  part  of  his  active  life,  he 
followed  the  business  of  civil  engineer,  particularly  in  coal 
lands  and  coal  banks,  his  work  oeing  regarded  as  so  correct, 
that  what  he  did  was  held  as  final  and  binding.  Nearly 
all  the  old  coal  lines  and  mines  about  Coal  Centre,  were 
laid  out  by  him.  He  also  prepared  deeds  and  other  work 
in  that  line,  in  connection  with  his  office  work. 

He  Avas  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  a 
prominent  Mason.  During  the  Civil  War  he  was  a  War 
Democrat,  both  of  his  sons,  and  two  sous  in  law,  serving 
their  country  in  that  war.  In  his  closing  years  he  lived 
with  his  daughter,  Martha  W.  Morgan,  at  Belle  Vernon, 
Pa.,  where  he  died  April  20,  1884,  and  was  buried  in  Howe's 
cemetery  near  Coal  Centre. 

Francis  Reader  and  Catherine  James  were  married 
December  25,  1832.  She  was  born  March  3,  1804,  and  was 
the  daughter  of  William  .lames,  a  farmer  of  Nottingham 
township.  His  father,  Richard  James,  was  born  in  1733, 
and  married  Eliza1)eth  .Smith  in  17G0,  and  had  ten  children. 
His  ancestors  were  English  and  came  to  America  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  seventeenth  century.  William  James 
married  Elizabeth  Gallagher,  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  and 
thev  had  eleven  children.     He  served  as  a  fifer  during  the 


FRANCIS  READER.  123 


Revolution  until  towards  its  close,  and  then  as  Orderly 
Sergeant. 

Crumriue's  History  of  Washington  county,  Pa.,  says  of 
this  family:  "Richard  James,  of  Upper  Freehold,  Monmouth 
county,  N.  J.,  purchased  of  Gabriel  Cox  April  25,  1780,  505 
acres  of  land,  in  which  was  included  the  whole  of  the  tract 
called  'Coxbury'  and  part  of  'Cox's  Addition.'  "  This  land 
was  in  Nottingham  township,  which  he  divided  equally 
between  his  two  sons,  Robert  born  February  10,  17G2,  and 
William  James  born  January  22,  1764.  Robert  James 
married  Catherine  Gallagher,  of  Allegheny  county,  a  sister 
of  Elizabeth  who  married  William  James. 

To  Francis  and  Catherine  Reader  were  born,  Eliza 
Matilda  Reader  December  15,  1833,  and  Samuel  James 
Reader  January  25,  1836.  The  mother  died  May  19,  1836. 
The  children  were  taken  to  La  Harpe,  111.,  by  their  maternal 
aunt,  Eliza  James,  in  1841,  and  moved  to  Indianola,  Kansas 
May  26,  1855.  Here  they  selected  claims  of  160  acres  of 
land  each,  for  which  they  received  U.  S.  patents  in  1857, 
and  still  own  the  farms. 

READER-CAMPDORAS. 

Eliza  M.  Reader  was  married  to  Dr.  M.  A.  Campdoras  at 
Indianola,  Kansas  February  22,  1858,  and  to  them  were 
born  the  following  children: 

1.  Leon  S.  Campdoras  born  October  21,  1858. 

2.  J.  Katherine  Campdoras  born  June  25,  1860. 

3.  Frank  Reader  Campdoras  born  April  2,  1862,  who 
was  married  to  Miss  Florence  Packard,  Topeka  Kansas, 
September  22,  1898. 

4.    Virginia  Justine  Campdoras  bora  September  6,  1864, 


124  THE  READER  FAMILY. 

who  married  Albert  C.  Root,  of  Topeka,  Kansas  December 
24,  1889,  to  whom  was  born  one  child,  Irving  C.  Root  May 
21,  1891. 

5.     Grace  R.  Campdoras  born  Jnne  14,  18G6. 

G.    Velleda  M.  Campdoras  born  December  1,  18G7. 

7.    Irene  M.  Campdoras  born  May  24,  1873. 

Dr.  Campdoras  died  April  G,  1881. 

Dr.  M.  A.  Campdoras  was  a  native  of  Thuir,  France, 
and  served  as  surgeon  in  the  French  navy  from  1845  to 
December  1851,  and  came  to  this  country  in  the  spring  of 
1852,  and  to  Topelia  March  1855.  After  Louis  Napoleon's 
"coup  de  etat"  December  2,  1851,  Dr.  Campdoras  left  the 
French  navy,  and  served  as  colonel  of  an  Insurgent  regi- 
ment against  the  regular  troops,  in  the  Department  of  the 
Yar.  After  the  defeat  and  dispersion  of  the  "patriot  upris- 
ing," he  was  exiled;  but  was  afterwards  pensioned  by  the 
present  French  Republic.  In  the  spring  of  18G2  he  was 
appointed  Assistant  Surgeon  of  the  Second  Regiment  Indian 
Home  Guards,  "Army  of  the  Frontier"  under  General 
Blunt.  He  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Cane  Hill  Noveni- 
l)er  28,  18G2,  and  resigned  October  18G3,  on  account  of  ill 
health. 

S.  J.    READER-SMITH. 

Samuel  .T.  Reader  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Ellen 
Smith.  La  Harpe,  111.,  December  i7,  18G7.  Children:  Ruth 
Reader  l)orn  September  25,  18G8,  died  April  29,  1885,  Eliza- 
beth Reader  born  October  9,  1871,  Frederick  A.  Reader 
born  January  19,  1873,  died  August  6,  1873.  The  mother 
died  March  30,  1898. 

Samuel  J.  Reader  was  a  private  in  Co.  G.,  Second  regi- 


FRANCIS  READER.  125 


ment  "Kansas  Free  State  Army,"  during  the  "Border 
Rufflan  War." 

He  joined  the  company  July  29,  1856,  and  marched  with 
it  to  Xemeha  Falls,  Neb.,  when  it  met  the  first  Free  State 
emigrant  train  that  came  into  Kansas  through  Nebraska. 
Old  John  Brown,  of  Ossawatomie,  was  with  Co.  G.,  at  and 
beyond  the  Nebraska  line,  and  assisted  and  encouraged  its 
members  by  his  presence  and  advice.  The  name  of  the 
captain  of  Co.  G.  was  Aaron  D.  Stevens.  He  went  to  Har- 
per's Ferry  with  John  Brown  in  1859,  and  was  executed 
March  Ki,  18(JU. 

September  13,  185G,  S.  J.  Reader  participated  in  the 
battle  of  Hickory  Point,  Kansas,  under  Capt.  Wm.  Creitz, 
General  James  H.  Lane  commanding,  and  the  next  day 
returned  home,  his  services  being  no  longer  required. 

During  the  Civil  War,  Co.  D.  Second  regiment  Kansas 
State  Militia  was  organized  August  25,  1863,  of  which  Mr. 
Reader  was  elected  Second  Lieutenant.  He  was  promoted 
to  Regimental  Quartermaster  November  4,  1863.  The  regi- 
ment was  called  into  active  service  October  10,  1864,  and 
served  under  General  S.  R.  Curtis  in  Missouri.  In  making  a 
reconuoisance  October  22,  a  battalion  of  the  regiment  275 
strong,  struck  the  flank  of  the  advancing  Confederates, near 
the  Big  Blue  river,  Mo.  A  desperate  engagement  ensued, 
when  the  Confederates  gained  the  victocy.  The  Second  fell 
back  across  the  Big  Blue,  losing  a  brass  24  pounder 
howitzer,  24  men  killed,  20  wounded  and  74  captured,  Mr. 
Reader  being  among  the  latter.  After  a  forced  march  of 
three  days  he  escaped  from  the  Confederate  guards,  while 
crossing  the  Marmiton  river  in  Missouri,  in  the  night,  Octo- 


126  THE  READER  FAMILY. 

ber  2oth,  and  reached  Kansas  and  the  Union  foi-ces  the 
next  day  at  noon.  The  regiment  was  discharged  from 
active  service  October  30,  1864,  his  discharge  papers  being 
dated  at  the  Adjutant  General's  office,  Topeka,  Kansas, 
December  6,  1865. 


CHAPTER    VI. 


Francis  Reader-Eleanor  B.   Smith, 


Francis  Reader  married  Eleanor  Bentley  Smith,  daugh- 
ter of  James  A.  Smith,  January  10,  1842,  and  had  the  fol- 
lowing children: 

1.  PYancis  Smith  Reader  born  November  17,  1842. 

2.  Martha  White  Reader  born  October  22,  1844. 

3.  Eleanor  M.  Reader  born  October  5,  1846. 

They  were  all  born  in  Greenfield,  where  the  mother  died 
February  8,  1847. 

READER-MORGAN. 

Martha  W.  Reader  and  William  F.  Morgan,  were  mar- 
ried December  25,  1867. 

Mr.  Morgan  was  born  April  12,  1843,  in  Elizabeth,  Alle- 
gheny county,  Pa.,  the  eldest  of  six  children  of  Benjamin 
F.  and  Martha  Tower  Morgan,  and  was  a  grandson  of  Mor- 
gan D.  Morgan,  a  native  of  Glamorganshire,  Wales,  who 
came  to  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  in  1814,  where  he  devoted  his  time 
to  teaching  school  and  blacksmithing,  until  he  died  in  1856. 

Benjamin  F.  Morgan,  father  of  William  F.,  was  born 
April  5,  1824,  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  where  he  lived  until  1873, 
when  he  moved  to  Bellaire,  O.,  where  he  died  October  5, 


128  THE  READER  FAMILY. 

1889.  He  was  a  luau  of  piety,  and  served  for  twenty  years 
as  elder  in  the  First  Presbyterian  church,  South  Side,  Pitts- 
burg. On  July  4,  1S(;1,  he  volunteered  in  the  G2d  regiment 
of  Pa.  Volunteers,  Col.  Samuel  Black,  and  was  discharged 
August  8,  18G4,  having  taken  pail  in  every  battle  in  which 
his  regiment  was  engaged.  His  occupation  was  glass  cutter. 

William  F.  Morgan's  maternal  grandfather  was  Edward 
Tower,  a  prominent  teacher  in  the  Monongahela  valley,  who 
was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  married  Martha  Cook, 
grand-daughter  of  Col.  Edward  Cook,  one  of  the  most 
prominent  men  of  his  day     in  Western  Pennsylvania. 

Col.  Cook  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Pa.,  in  1741,  and 
married  Martha  Crawford  there,  removing  to  what  is  now 
Fayette  county,  Pa.,  in  1770.  They  had  one  child,  .Tames 
Cook,  born  August  13,  1772,  in  the  Cook  homestead  back 
of  the  present  Fayette  City.  .Tames  married  Mary  Bell, 
who  came  from  Ireland,  and  they  had  five  sous  and  one 
daughter,  Martha,  who  became  the  wife  of  Edward  Tower. 

Col.  Edward  Cook  was  a  member  of  the  committee  of 
conference  which  met  in  Carpenter's  Hall  in  1776,  and  also 
a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  held  that  year. 
He  was  prominent  during  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  and 
commanded  the  Rangers  for  frontier  defense  in  1781.  He 
was  Sub-Lieutenant  of  Westmorehxnd  county  in  1780,  and 
Lieutenant  of  the  county  in  1782,  having  command  of  all 
the  militia  of  the  county  with  the  rank  of  colonel.  On 
November  21,  1780,  he  was  appointed  a  Justice  with  juris- 
diction, including  Washington  county,  and  August  17,  1791, 
was  appointed  Associate  Judge  of  Fayette  county.  In 
1796-8  he  was  treasurer  of  Westmoreland  county.  During 


FRANCIS  READER.  129 


the  Whiskey  Insurrection  he  was  very  prominent  in  the 
movement  against  the  excise  laws,  serving  on  several  com- 
mittees and  very  active  in  every  operation.  After  it  was 
all  over  he  received  amnesty,  and  was  honored,  and 
retained  his  high  standing  with  the  people.  He  purchased 
three  thousand  acres  of  land  fronting  on  the  Monongahela 
river,  and  extending  back  of  Fayette  City,  which  place  he 
founded  as  Cookstown,  and  built  on  an  eminence  on  the 
beautiful  tract,  in  1772,  the  stone  house  yet  standing  and 
occupied,  which  was  the  family  homestead,  and  from  which 
nearly  all  his  land  could  be  seen.  Rehobeth  Presbyterian 
church  was  built  on  his  land,  of  which  he  was  an  original 
elder,  and  in  the  'beautiful  cemetery  of  the  church,  he  and 
his  wife  now  rest.  He  was  a  man  of  piety  and  honor, 
greatly  loved  and  respected.  He  died  November  27,  1808, 
and  his  wife  April  20,  1837. 

William  F.  Morgan  was  educated  in  the  public  and  high 
school  of  Pittsburg,  which  he  left  at  the  age  of  18,  to  enter 
the  Union  service  in  the  Civil  War.  He  responded  to  the 
first  call  for  75,000  volunteers  in  April  1861,  and  served  in 
the  (;2d  Pa.  Vols,  until  March  25,  1803,  and  re-enlisted 
August  9,  1803,  in  a  Pennsylvania  battery  of  light  artillery, 
in  which  he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  took 
part  in  the  battles  of  Williamsburg,  Hanover  C.  H., 
Mechanicsville,  Gaines'  Mill,  Seven  Days  Fight,  and  the 
siege  of  Yorktown.  He  was  on  guard  in  Washington,  D. 
C,  when  President  Lincoln  was  assassinated,  and  was  one 
of  the  guard  of  honor  that  accompanied  the  remains  from 
the  White  House  to  the  Capitol,  where  they  lay  in  state. 

After  the  war  he  followed  glass  cutting  in  Pittsburg 


130  THE   READER   FAMILY. 

until  1873,  and  then  moved  to  Belle  Vernon,  Pa.,  where  he 
continued  it  until  1889,  when  he  eml)arked  in  the  mercan- 
tile business.  He  was  captain  of  a  company  of  Pennsyl- 
vania militia  at  F.elle  Vernon,  and  is  a  prominent  member 
of  the  G.  A.  R.  He  is  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church, 
and  an  active  and  earnest  worker  in  the  cause  of  Cliris- 
tianity.  in  the  church  and  Sunday  School,  and  wherever 
duty  calls.  His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  same  church. 
Their  home  is  at  Belle  Vernon,  Pa.  ^ 

They  have  had  the  following  children: 

Harry  Reader  Morgan,  born  January  11.  1800,  married 
Mrs.  Grace  Davis  August  23,  1803.  They  had  two  children, 
Silas  born  July  1(>,  1804,  who  died  July  10,  1805,  and  Edgar 
AVallace  born  August  22,  1001. 

2.  Frank  A.  ^uorgan  born  March  28.  1871,  married  Miss 
Florence  Springer  August  20,  lOOo.  and  have  one  child. 
Eugene  Francis  3Iorgan  born  October  7,  1001. 

3.  Pearl  A.  Morgan  born  August  0,  1874,  married  Frank 
E.  Pelton,  court  stenographer,  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  August  8, 
1001. 

4.  Kate  E.  Morgan  l>orn  May  18,  1870. 

5.  Mary  Eleanor  Morgan  born  April  29.  1885. 

0.  Grace  Helen  Morgan  born  ]May  3i.  1887,  died  April 
17,  1891. 

READEK-HERTZOG. 

Eleanor  M.  Reader  and  Oliver  Gans  Hertzog  were  mar- 
ried October  28,  1869. 

Mr.  Hertzog  was  born  in  Springhill  township,  Fayette 
county.  Pa.,  April  9,  1844.  His  ancestors  on  his  father's  side 
r-ame    from    Holland    some  time  before    the  Revolutionary 


FRANCIS  READER.  131 


war  and  settled  at  Hagerstown,  Md.,  where  his  grand- 
father John  Hertzog  was  born  in  1778.  His  grandmother's 
name  was  Margaret  Horn,  who  was  born  in  Fayette  county, 
Pa.,  in  1770.  and  married  Mr.  Barchinal  in  1701.  by  whom 
she  liad  Ave  children,  three  sons  and  two  daughters.  After 
the  death  of  her  husband  in  the  year  1810.  she  was  married 
to  John  Hertzog,  and  to  this  union  was  born  one  son, 
Andrew  Hertzog,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

On  his  mother's  side  he  traces  his  ancestry  back  to 
George  Baltzer  Gaus,  who  came  with  his  wife  from 
Swartzenan,  Germany,  in  1711),  and  located  near  Philadel- 
phia. Tradition  assigns  to  him  the  position  oi  chamberlain 
to  the  King;  while  his  wife  was  a  lady  in  waiting  upon  the 
Queen.  Their  coat  of  arms  was  a  goose  in  a  circle.  All  the 
Gauses  were  originally  Tankers  or  German  Baptists,  who 
taught  the  doctrine  of  non-resistance.  Mr.  Hertzog's  grand- 
father. George  Gans,  was  grandson  of  George  Baltzer  Gans, 
and  was  the  seventh  son  of  Jacob  Gans  with  no  intervening- 
girls  and  was  known  as  "Seventh  Son  Doctor."  He  was 
said  to  be  one  of  the  best  of  men  and  an  earnest  Christian. 
He  was  born  in  Fayette  county,  Pa.,  and  married  Hannah 
Larsh  in  18QS,  a  "sweet  singer,"  whose  grandmother  had 
been  rescued  as  a  captive  from  the  Indians.  His  mother 
Susan  Gans,  was  the  second  child  of  this  union  and  was 
l)orn  in  1811,  the  same  year  as  his  father  . 

Andrew  Hertzog  and  Susan  Gans  were  married  Decem- 
ber 27,  1S32,  and  lived  in  the  same  community  during  their 
entire  lives.  To  them  were  born  eleven  children,  of  whom 
Oliver  G.  was  the  youn'gest  son.  While  reared  on  a  farm 
he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,   attending  school   in  the 


132  THE  READER  FAMILY. 

winter.  He  began  teaching  at  the  age  of  twenty,  and  was 
educated  at  the  State  Normal  School,  California,  Pa.,  and 
Bethany  College,  West  Virginia,  making  his  own  way 
through  school. 

He  was  baptized  into  the  Baptist  church  at  the  age  of 
sixteen,  united  with  the  Disciples  of  Christ  at  twenty 
one,  and  entered  upon  the  work  of  the  ministry  at  twenty- 
five,  with  the  old  Pigeon  Creek  Church  of  Christ,  Washing- 
ton county.  Pa.  His  labors  during  the  eighteen  months  he 
served  that  church,  were  extended  to  other  localities  and 
through  forces  he  set  in  motion,  more  than  three  hundred 
persons  were  baptized.  October  1870  he  ))egau  a  successful 
work  at  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y.,  building  up  a  good  church 
there,  and  planting  one  at  Pekin  of  nearly  one  hundred 
members,  besides  conducting  a  successful  meeting  in 
Buffalo.  N.  Y^.  In  January  1874  he  took  charge  of  the 
Avork  in  Buffalo,  paying  oft'  the  debts  of  the  church,  and  in 
two  years  making  it  a  good  self  sustaining  church,  besides 
I'.olding  meetings  in  Selkirk,  Canada,  that  addea  ninety  to 
the  church  there.  Januai'y  1876  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of 
the  Welling  Cooperation  of  Canada,  he  entered  upon  evan- 
gelistic work  in  the  province  of  Ontario,  where  he  remained 
four  years,  planting  in  all  eight  new  churches  and 
strengthening  several  old  ones. 

Much  worn  out  he  returned  to  his  home  at  Niagara 
Falls,  N.  Y.,  where  he  gathered  up  and  rallied  the  forces 
of  the  church,  and  planted  a  church  at  Fredonia,  N.  Y. 
During  this  time  he  was  tendered  the  position  of  special 
agent  of  the  U.  S.  Treasury  for  the  Niagara  District,  which 
he  accepted  and  served  for  four  and  one  half  years,  supply- 


FRANCIS  READER.  133 


iny  cliiirclies  on  Sundays,  and  preaching  as  opportunity  pre- 
sented itself.  He  retired  from  tliis  office  January  1885,  and 
accepted  tlie  position  of  corresponding  secretary  of  tlie  New 
Yorlv  Clu'istian  Missionary  Society.  Under  liis  administra- 
tion the  churches  were  planted  at  Wellsville  and  Roches- 
ter, and  excellent  houses  of  worship  built  at  each  place. 
Four  and  one  half  years  were  devoted  exclusively  to  the 
Rochester  work.  A  general  revival  of  interest  was  found  in 
nearly  all  the  churches  of  the  state,  new  houses  of  worship 
were  built  in  Troy,  Buffalo  and  Tonawanda,  and  new 
churches  organized  in  all  these  cities,  growing  largely  out 
of  the  interest  created  in  the  new  church  at  Rochester. 

At  the  earnest  solicitation  of  the  president  and  board 
of  trustees  of  Hiram  College,  Ohio,  he  accepted  the  position 
of  financial  secretary  of  the  college  September  1,  1891,  and 
during  the  nine  years  he  has  served  in  that  capacity,  he  and 
President  ZoUars  have  added  to  the  endowment  nearly 
three  hundred  thousand  dollars,  built  the  Christian  Associa- 
tion and  other  buildings  at  an  aggregate  cost  of  fully  forty 
thousand  dollars,  besides  adding  several  new  departments 
and  augmenting  the  attendance. 

The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hertzog  is  at  Hiram,  the  seat 
of  the  college. 

They  have  had  the  following  cliildren: 

1.  Frances  Hertzog  born  April  1,  1871,  married  Dr. 
Elliott  I.  Osgood  July  14.  1808.  They  went  as  missionaries 
to  China,  where  there  was  born  to  them  a  son,  Riussell 
Osgood,  June  4,  1899. 

2.  Fred  Reader  Hertzog  born  October  17,  1872,  was 
graduated  from  Case  School  of  Applied  Science  June  1896. 


134  THE  READER  FA]SriLY. 

He  began  Avork  with  the  Buffalo,  Rochester  and  Pittsburg 
R.  R.,  at  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  until  May 
1890,  when  he  accepted  the  position  of  draughtsman  with 
Siemen  &  Halsl^e  Electric  Co.,  Chicago.  In  1900  he 
accepted  a  similar  position  with  the  Brown  Hoisting 
Machinerjf  Co.,  of  Cleveland,  and  was  promoted  to  position 
of  Squad  Chief.  In  November  the  same  year  he  accepted 
the  position  of  Chief  Engineer  with  Tate,  Jones  &  Co., 
Pittsburg,  Pa. 

3.  Eleanor  May  Hertzog  born  May  23,  1878,  died 
August  4,  1878. 

4.  Oliver  Russell  Hertzog  born  June  4,  1884,  now  a  stu- 
dent at  Hiram  College. 

5.  Carl  Willard  Hertzog  born  May  14,  1887,  died  July 
28,  1887. 

All  the  children  were  born  in  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y.,  and 
the  two  that  died  are  buried  in  the  beautiful  cemetery  there. 

READER-DARLING. 

Francis  S.  Reader  was  born  and  reared  in  Greenfield, 
living  for  a  time  with  relatives  in  Union  township,  where 
he  learned  to  love  and  till  the  soil.  He  worked  at  the 
carpenter  ti'ade  in  Greenfield,  and  was  assistant  postmaster 
when  the  Civil  War  broke  out,  when  he  enlisted  April  27, 
1801.  See  sketch  of  services  later.  He  attended  public 
school  during  the  winter,  in  the  Pollock  school  house,  Union 
township  and  in  (ireenfield.  and  at  a  latei'  period  was  a 
student  for  some  time  at  Mount  Union  College,  Ohio.  Upon 
his  return  from  the  army  in  18()4,  he  taught  school  in 
Greenfield,  and  the  next  spring  completed  a  course  in  Iron 
City  College,  Pittsburg,  Pa.     July  1805  he  was  tendered  a 


FRANCIS  READER.  135 

positiou  in  the  office  of  Hon.  David  Sanliey,  collector  of 
iuterual  revenue.  New  Castle,  Pa.,  wliicli  lie  accepted,  and 
continued  in  this  service  at  different  times  for  over  ten 
years,  being  chief  deputy  collector  of  the  district  for  eight 
years,  and  acting  collector  for  several  months.  While  at 
New  Castle  he  sat  at  the  same  desk  with  Ira  D.  Sankey, 
the  singing  evangelist,  and  they  became  close  and  life  long 
friends. 

He  joined  the  M.  B.  church  at  New  Castle  December 
15,  18G5,  and  in  March  1868  was  appointed  preacher  in 
charge  of  a  circuit  of  nine  appointments,  in  the  North 
INIisso'uri  Confei-ence  M.  E.  church,  but  owing  to  the  failure 
of  his  voice,  was  compelled  to  retire  after  one  year's  service. 
He  has  been  an  official  member  of  the  church  for  over  32 
years,  and  Sunday  School  superintendent  for  25  years.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Historical  Society  of  Washington 
county.  Pa.,  Edwin  M.  Stanton  Post  No.  208  Grand  Army 
of  the  RepuDlic  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  Pennsylvania 
Societ.y  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution. 

May  22,  1874,  he  and  Major  David  Critchlow,  of  the 
100th  Pa.  Volunteers,  established  the  Beaver  Valley  News, 
a  weekly  newspaper  at  New  Brighton,  Pa.,  and  January  1, 
1877.  he  bought  the  Major's  interest,  starting  the  Daily 
News  February  4.  1883,  the  first  daily  paper  in  Beaver 
county,  Pa.  He  admitted  his  son,  Willard  S.  Reader,  as  a 
partner  September  28.  1802,  who  has  filled  the  position  of 
city  editor  since  that  time. 

He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  serving  for  several  years 
as  a  member  and  secretary  of  the  Republican  county  com- 
mittee of  Beaver  county.  Pa.     While  in  this  office  in  1878, 


136  THE  READER  FAMILY. 

he  prepared  and  presented  to  the  legislature  of  the  State, 
the  first  law  enacted  im  Pennsylvania  for  the  government 
of  primary  elections;  was  alternate  to  the  Chicago  Conven- 
tion that  nominated  Hon.  James  G.  Blaine  for  president  iu 
1884,  served  in  the  school  board  and  council  of  New  Brigh- 
ton. Pa.,  and  held  other  positions  of  trust,  but  never 
solicited  auiy  public  position.  He  was  secretary  for  several 
years  of  building  and  loan  associations,  and  is  a  director  in 
the  American  Porcelain  coiupany,  for  the  manufacture  of 
porcelain  ware,  in  New  Brighton,  Pa. 

He  is  the  author  of  a  life  of  Moody  and  Sankey,  the 
great  Evangelists;  the  history  of  the  Fifth  West  Virginia 
Cavalry;  history  of  New  Brighton,  Pa.,  and  of  historical 
sketches  of  the  Harmony  Society,  Economy,  Pa.,  and  of 
the  Beaver  Valley,  in  which  he  lives. 

Francis  S.  Reader  and  Merran  F.  Darling  were  united 
in  marriage  Deeemiber  24,  1807,  at  New  Brighton,  Pa.  She 
is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  the  Benevolent 
Society,  and  the  Woman's  Club,  New  Brighton,  Pa.  Her 
parents  were  Joseph  Quint  Darling,  and  Rebecca  Cobb 
Darling,  both  descendants  of  old  New  England  families. 

Mr.  Darling  was  born  at  Orford,  New  Hampshire,  iu 
1806,  son  of  Josiah  and  Mary  Quint  Darling.  In  both  these 
old  families  there  were  Revolutionary  soldiers,  Mr.  Darl- 
ing's grandfather  being  one  of  them.  The  Darlings  seem 
to  have  had  their  origin  in  that  state  at  Sanhorton,  and 
were  living  there  before  the  Revolution,  but  the  records  do 
not  show  when  they  settled  there,  or  the  history  of  the 
family  back  of  Josiah  Darling. 

The  Quints  evidently  were  among  the  early  settlers  of 


FRANCIS  READER.  137 


New  Hampsliire,  and  what  history  is  obtainable  of  them, 
shows  the  family  to  have  been  an  enterprising  and  progres- 
sive class  of  people,  whose  descendants  had  considerable 
prominence  in  that  section.  One  .John  Quint  was  a  scout 
against  the  French  in  Capt.  Westbrook's  company  in  1712, 
in  the  Colonial  service.  .Joseph  Quint  was  in  Capt.  David 
Jewett's  company  in  Col.  Thomas  Ballet's  regiment  for  the 
defense  of  West  Point  in  1780.  This  same  Joseph  appeared 
in  Alton,  N.  H..  in  1788,  as  signer  of  a  petition  for  the  incor- 
poration of  the  town.  Thomas  Quint  was  in  Col.  George 
Reid's  regiment  for  the  defence  of  Fort  Washington  and  in 
other  services.  This  or  another  Thomas  Quint  appears  in 
Capt.  Carr's  company  in  the  expedition  to  Rhode  Island  in 
1777,  then  said  to  be  19  years  old,  and  boi'u  in  Portsmouth, 
N.  H.  William  Quint  was  at  Kittery  Point  near  Ports- 
mouth in  1775.  These  were  all  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
The  families  were  found  in  Poa'tsmouth  and  Dover,  and  the 
family  directly  concerned  in  this  sketch  was  from  Ports- 
mouth. 

Benjamin  Quint  was  the  head  of  the  family  that  went 
from  Portsmouth  to  Orford,  N.  H.,  but  the  year  is  not 
known,  though  it  was  shortly  after  the  Revolution.  On 
July  11,  1788,  Benjamin  Quint  purchased  the  west  half  of 
100  acre  lot  No.  5  in  the  town,  from  Samuel  Morey,  clerk 
for  the  proprietors  of  Orford,  and  he  was  one  of  the  tirst 
settlers  in  the  town.  He  died  there  April  21,  1822,  aged  90 
years.  There  was  an  addition  to  this  town  called  Quint- 
town,  doubtless  from  the  large  amount  of  land  held  there  by 
the  several  families.  Joseph  Quint,  no  doubt  the  same 
that  was  at  Alton  in  1788,  began  to  buy  lands  at  Orford 


138  THE  READER  FAMILY. 

April  10,  1798,  and  by  the  year  1810,  he  had  at  least  200 
acres.  Land  ^yas  also  held  by  Thomas  Quint,  Benjamin 
Quint,  Jr.,  and  George  Quint,  all  of  the  same  family.  A 
number  of  tlie  descendants  of  the  Quints  yet  live  in  Orford 
and  other  pai-ts  of  New  England,  and  there  are  many  of  the 
Darlings  in  the  state. 

Josiah  and  Mary  Quint  Darling  had  the  following  chil- 
dren: Polly  wife  of  Harrison  Dee,  Hannah  wife  of  Peter 
Parker,  Robert,  Franklin,  William  and  Joseph  Quint  Darl- 
ing. Mrs.  Darling  died  April  20,  1822,  about  which  time 
her  son  Joseph  Q.,  was  thrown  on  his  own  resources  and 
started  in  the  world  for  himself.  Before  her  death  the 
family  moved  to  Vermont,  and  in  later  years  all  the  chil- 
dren moved  west,  Joseph  Q.,  with  liis  brother,  William, 
going  to  Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1834.  He  was  a 
lumberman  there,  and  followed  that  business  and  oper- 
ating saw  mills  and  farming,  most  of  his  life. 

Rebecca  Cobb  came  also  of  old  New  England  families, 
that  came  to  America  long  before  the  Revolution.  Tlie 
Cobbs  settled  in  Boston.  Massachusetts,  wliere  her  great 
grandfatlier,  Isaac  Cobb,  was  born  in  1700.  They  followed 
the  occupation  of  seameui,  and  after  the  removal  of  the 
family  to  Gerry,  Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y.,  he  Ava:^  captain 
of  a  boat  on  the  great  lakes  called  the  Henry  Clay.  Isaac 
Cobb  maiTied  Delia  Knowles  ini  Massachusetts,  and  had 
the  following  children:  Isaac  Cobb  married  Lydia  Hill, 
Freeman  Cobb  married  Rebecca  Buekleu,  Roland  Cobb 
married  Eliza  Butts,  Barrett  Cobb  unmarried,  John  Cobb 
married  Elsa  Pierce,  Hannah  Cobb  married  Seth  Alger, 
Pollv   Col)b   married   William   Mellen.  Julia   Cobb   married 


FRANCIS  READER.  139 


Amos  Barmor,  Adaline  Cobb  married  William  Brown, Dor-" 
mida  Col)b  married  Samuel  Horton. 

Rebecca  Cobb  was  the  daugliter  of  Freeman  and 
Rebecca  Bueklen  Cobb,  tbe  latter  having  the  following 
children:  Isaac,  Mahala,  Martha,  Freeman,  Delia,  Eliza, 
Johui,  Rebecca,  Helen,  Grant. 

The  Bucklens,  an  old  New  England  family,  moved  to 
Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y.,  in  June  1817,  and  settled  "Buek- 
len's  Corners,"  now  known  as  Gerry.  They  had  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Willard,  Lovell,  James,  Patty,  Betsy, 
Sophia,  Rebecca  and  Gracia.  Rebecca  was  the  wife  of 
Freeman  Cobb.  Roland  Cobb  entered  the  ministry  and 
Willard  Bueklen  became  a  lawyer. 

Joseph  Q.  Darling  and  Rebecca  Cobb  were  married  in 
Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1845,  and  had  four  children, 
two  dying  in  infancy  Merrau  F.  Darling  was  born  Sep- 
tember 28,  1846,  in  Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y.,  after  which 
the  family  moved  to  New  Brighton,  Fa.,  whei'e  Josei>h  Free- 
man Darling  was  born  in  1848. 

Francis  S.  and  Merran  D.  Reader,  had  two  sons: 

I.  Frank  Eugene  Reader  was  born  December  15,  1868. 
He  attended  the  public  school  New  Brighton,  Geneva  Col- 
lege, Beaver  Falls,  Pa.,  and  in  October  1885,  entered  Johns 
Hopkins  University,  Baltimore,  Md.,  where  he  pursued  the 
undergraduate  course,  and  was  graduated  June  1888,  with 
the  degree  of  B.  A.  He  registered  in  the  law  office  of  Major 
A.  M.  Brown  and  John  S.  Lambie,  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  in  1889, 
and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  Allegheny  county 
courts  September  1891,  and  the  Beaver  county  courts  Octo- 
ber  1891.    Later   he  was   admitted  to  the    Supreme  and 


140  THE  READER  FAMILY. 

Superior  courts  of  Pennsylvania.  He  became  a  member 
of  the  law  firm  of  Moore,  Moore  &  Reader  in  1892,  and 
was  elected  solicitor  of  the  Beaver  County  Building  and 
Loan  Association  the  same  year.  In  April  1887  he  retired 
from  the  firm  and  opened  an  office  in  his  own  name  in  New 
Brighton.  He  was  attorney  for  the  borough  of  New  Brigh- 
ton one  year.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Historical  Society 
of  Beaver  county,  Pa.,  and  of  the  Pennsylvania  Society 
Sons  of  the  American  Revolution. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  witli  Jennie  B.  Nesbit  June 
3,  1890,  and  have  two  daughters,   Dorothy  Nesbit  Reader 
born  May  8,  1897,  and  Merran  Ethel  Reader  born  February, 
17,  19(XJ.     They  are  members  of  Grace  M.  E.  church.  New 
Brighton,  Pa. 

Mrs.  Reader  is  the  daughter  of  Rev.  Samuel  H.  Nesliit, 
D.  D.,  and  Lida  J.  Mooi'e,  daughter  of  Rev.  James  Moore, 
Belmont  county,  Ohio.  Their  children  were:  William  M. 
Nesbit  married  Sarah  Elliott  and  had  two  children,  all 
deceased.  Sue  Nesbit  died  1896,  May  Nesbit  married  John 
S.  Craig,  of  the  firm  of  Riter  and  Conley,  Pittsburg,  and 
have  two  children,  Ethel  May  and  Samuel  Nesbit,  James 
Nesbit  died  in  1887,  Gertrude  Nesbit  married  Rev.  Harry 
S.  Free,  of  the  Pittsburg  Conference  M.  E.  church  in  1892, 
and  had  one  daughter,  Margaret,  who  makes  her  home  with 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Craig,  Rev.  Free  dying  in  1896,  and  Mrs.  Free 
1898,  Jennie  B.  Nesbit,  and  four  children  died  young. 

Dr.  Nesbit  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  his  parents 
coming  to  this  country  from  the  north  of  Ireland  when 
young,  and  were  married  in  1811.  He  was  born  in  Butler 
county.  Pa.,  September  30,  1821,  was  a  nailer  by  trade,  was 


FRANCIS  READER.  141 


converted  in  1842,  and  entered  Allegheny  College,  Pa.,  in 
1845,  to  prepare  for  the  ministry.  November  3,  1843,  he 
was  licensed  as  a  local  preacher  and  was  received  on  trial 
in  the  Pittsburg  Conference  M.  E.  church  in  1847.  He  was 
principal  of  Wellsburg,  Va.,  Female  Seminary  1853-5; 
president  of  Richmond  College  1857-8;  elected  editor  of  the 
Pittsburg  Christian  Advocate,  which  office  he  filled  with 
great  ability  from  18G0  to  1872;  was  presiding  elder  two 
terms,  and  afterward  served  as  pastor  at  Monongahela 
City,  Butler  and  New  BrightoQ,  Pa.,  dying  at  the  latter 
place  April  5,  1891.  Dr.  Nesbit  was  one  of  the  ablest 
preachers  of  his  Conference,  a  writer  of  great  ability,  and  a 
ti-ue  man  in  every  relation  of  life. 

II.  Willard  Stanton  Reader  was  born  September  28, 
1871.  He  attended  public  school  New  Brighton,  and  Geneva 
College,  Beaver  Falls,  Pa.  He  entered  the  office  of  the 
Beaver  Valley  News  as  apprentice  in  188G,  and  assumed 
the  duties  of  reporter  in  1888.  He  was  admitted  to  partner- 
ship in  the  paper  September  28,  1892,  and  since  then  has 
been  city  editor  of  the  paper,  and  assists  in  its  manage- 
ment. He  wrote  considerably  for  city  papers  for  some 
years;  was  secretary  of  the  Board  of  Health  for  some  time, 
and  one  of  the  directors  of  the  American  Porcelain  com- 
pany for  two  years,  but  retired  from  all  outside  work  to 
give  his  undivided  attention  to  the  management  of  the 
news  columns  of  the  paper.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Society  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  with  Lily  D.  Robinson 
March  1,  1897.  Both  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Pro- 
testant church,  New  Brighton,  Pa.    They  have  two  children, 


142  THE  READER  FAMILY. 


Willard  Donald  Reader  born  December  20,  1897,  and  Robert 
Wallace  Reader  born  December  13,  1901. 

Mrs.  Reader  is  the  daughter  of  Thomas  Robinson  and 
Mary  J.  Lynch,  both  dead.  Mr.  Robinson  served  as  a 
soldier  in  the  Civil  War.  His  ancestors  settled  early  in  the 
eastei'n  part  of  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  born.  His 
mother  was  named  Edwards,  sister  of  John  Edwards,  of 
Lawrence  county,  a  family  of  strong  character,  one  of  the 
latter's  daughters  mari-ying  Ira  D.  Sankey.  Mrs.  Robinson 
was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  whose  ancestors  came  from 
the  north  of  Ireland  to  this  country  in  1780,  settling  in 
Cumberland  county,  Pa. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robinson  had  live  childreiii:  Lily  D.  Robin- 
son born  in  1875,  Ira  Robinson  born  in  1878  and  clerk  in  the 
Union  Drawn  Steel  Co.,  Beaver  Falls,  Pa.,  and  David, 
Andrew  and  ,Tohn  dead. 

MILIT.\RY    HISTORY. 

On  Sunday  April  14,  1861,  following  the  firing  on  Fort 
Sumpter,  Francis  S.  Reader  united  with  his  neighboi's  in 
the  formation  of  a  company  of  volunteers,  being  one  of  the 
first  to  enlist,  which  was  fully  organized  April  27.  1861,  and 
its  services  offered  to  the  Governor  of  Pennsylvania.  Being 
unable  to  get  into  the  service  of  Pennsylvania  on  account 
of  its  quota  being  full,  the  company  drilled  regularly  at 
home  at  its  own  expense  until  July,  when  at  the  request  of 
Governor  F.  H.  Pierpont  of  reorganized  Virginia,  it  entered, 
the  service  of  that  state  July  9,  being  sworn  into  the  U.  S. 
Volunteer  Army  July  10,  1861,  for  three  years,  after- 
wards being  paid  from  Apx-il  27,  the  date  of  enlistment. 
This  was  among  the  first,  if  not  the  first,  of  the  three  years' 


FRANCIS  READER.  143 


companies  enlisted  in  Washington  county,  Penna.,  and  tlie 
lirst  three  years'  regiment  in  Virginia,  mustered  under 
Governor  Pierpont.  The  company  went  into  camp  at 
Wheeling,  Vii-ginia,  where  it  remained  until  July  22,  and 
then  went  to  Beverly,  Virginia,  where  it  was  assigned  as 
Companj^  I  Second  Regiment  Virginia  Infantry. 

Of  the  regiment,  companies  A,  D,  F  and  G  wei*e  from 
Pittsburg,  Pa.,  company  I  from  Greenfield,  Pa.,  company 
H  from  Ironton,  O.,  company  B  from  Grafton,  Va.,  com- 
pany C  from  Wheeling,  Va.,  company  E  from  Ohio  and  Vir- 
ginia, and  company  K  from  Parkersburg,  Va. 

Company  A  has  the  credit  of  killing  the  first  armed  Con- 
federate soldier  of  the  war.  Captain  Christian  Roberts,  at 
Glover's  Gap,  Va.,  May  27,  18Gl,and  company  B  of  losing  the 
first  enlisted  man  of  the  war  dn  the  U.  S.  service,  Bailey 
Brown,  who  was  shot  near  Grafton,  Va.,  May  22,  18G1,  by 

D.  W.  S.  Knight,  of  company  A  25th  Virginia  Confederate 
regiment.  Brown  was  not  mustered  in,  but  would  have 
been  May  25,  and  his  death  preceded  that  of  Colonel  Ells- 
worth two  days.  Company  B  was  in  the  battles  of  Phillipi. 
Laurel  Hill  and  Carrick's  Ford,  Western  Virginia,  General 
Garnett  being  killed  at  the  latter  place  July  13,  the  first 
Confederate  General  officer  to  lose  his  life. 

The  regiment  remained  at  Beverly,  Va.,  until  Septem- 
ber 12,  when  it  was  ordered  to  Elkwater  to  help  General 
Reynolds  resist  the  attack  of  Confederate  General  Robert 

E.  Lee,  who  was  threatening  Cheat  Mountain  and  Elk- 
water:  and  the  regiment  has  the  credit  of  leading  in  the 
charge  over  the  foothills,  that  resulted  in  the  repulse  and 
withdi-awal    of    this    great   general,    his    first   defeat.      On 


144  THE  READER  FAMILY. 

December  13,  a  part  of  the  regiment  engagecl  in  tlie  battle 
of  Allegheny  Mountain,  and  soon  after  the  regiment  was 
sent  to  Cheat  Mountain  summit,  the  only  Federal  troops  in 
that  section,  where  it  remained  behind  the  breastworks  for 
three  months,  the  highest  camp  of  the  war,  in  plain  view 
of  the  Confederates,  who  were  but  a  few  miles  distant 
on  the  summit  of  the  Alleghenies. 

April  5,  1SG2,  the  regiment  left  Cheat  Mountain,  becom- 
ing a  part  of  the  brigade  of  Brig.  Gen.  Robert  H.  Milroy, 
and  of  tlie  "Mountain  Department"  under  command  of  Maj. 
Gen.  John  C.  Fremont.  The  advance  southward  was 
attended  with  considerable  fighting,  especially  at  Monterey 
and  McDowell,  and  was  completed  by  the  campaign  in  the 
Shenandoah  valley  agiainst  the  Confederate  General  T.  J. 
(Stonewall)  Jackson,  resulting  in  the  battles  of  Ci'oss  Keys 
and  Port  Republic,  June  8  and  9,  18(52,  in  which  expedition 
Gen.  Fremont's  command  marched  200  miles  in  115  hours  of 
marching,  was  for  six  weeks  without  tents  or  shelter  of 
any  kind,  and  for  more  than  a  month  on  short  rations. 

June  20,  General  Milroy's  brigade  becailie  a  part  of  the 
"Army  of  Virginia"  under  command  of  Maj.  Gen.  John 
Pope,  and  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Kelly's  Ford,  Sulphur 
Springs,  ^Vaterloo  Bridge,  the  Second  Battle  of  Bull  Run, 
and  the  other  smaller  engagements  of  that  campaign.  Sep- 
tember 30  the  brigade  returned  to  Western  Virginia,  the 
Second  Virginia  regiment  going  into  winter  quarters  at 
Beverly,  where  it  was  attacked  by  a  superior  force  April 
24,  1803,  and  after  a  brisk  fight  had  to  retreat,  meeting  the 
Coiiifedei-ates  again  at  West  Union,  returning  to  Beverly 
May  0,  remaining  there  until  June  15,  and  then  going  to 


FRANCIS   READER.  145 


Graftou,  Va.,  to  be  mounted,  becoming  a  part  of  the  Inde- 
pendent cavalry  brigade  of  Brig.  Gen.  W.  W.  Averell.  The 
liorses  were  received  June  21,  1863,  and  later  tbe  regiment 
was  designated  as  the  Fifth  West  Virginia  Cavah-y. 

At  this  time  F.  S.  Reader  was  offered  promotion  but 
declined  it,  as  the  acceptance  involved  the  reduction  in  rank 
of  a  friend  and  comrade,  and  remained  a  private  .soldier 
until  mustered  out.  When  the  brigade  was  organized  he 
was  detailed  from  his  company  for  special  duty  at  the 
head<iuarters  of  General  Averell.  During  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg  he  was  with  the  headquarters  when  General 
Averell  and  part  of  his  brigade  were  huiTied  to  the  front, 
and  joined  in  the  attacli  on  General  Lee's  right  wing  as  he 
retreated,  rendering  good  service.  After  this  the  brigade 
was  united  and  entered  upon  a  most  Ijrilliant  campaign  in 
the  mountains  of  West  Virginia. 

The  first  contest  with  the  Confederates  was  at  Rocky 
Gap,  August  2(5  and  27,  General  Averell's  forces  falling 
back  after  a  fight  of  two  days.  This  was  followed  by  the 
battle  of  Droop  Mountain  November  G,  1863,  a  brilliant 
victory  for  General  Averell's  brigade.  December  8  they 
went  on  the  famous  Salem  raid,  one  of  the  most  brilliant 
and  skillfully  executed  of  the  war,  resulting  in  a  magni- 
ficent victory  for  Averell's  brigade.  He  was  with  his  regi- 
ment in  all  its  campaigns  to  this  time  except  Allegheny 
Mountain  and  the  Salem  raid. 

In  the  spring  of  1864  he  was  assigned  to  Maj.  Gen. 
Franz  Sigel's  headquartex's,  and  was  with  the  General  and 
his  staff  in  his  campaign  in  the  Shenandoah  valley,  closing 
with    the   battle   of   New    Market    May    14,    1864,    General 


146  THE  READER  FAMILY. 


Sijit'l's  forces  being  defeated.  He  was  transferred  to  Maj. 
Hen.  David  H.  Hunter's  headquarters,  wlio  was  appointed 
to  tliis  command  May  21,  and  liis  duties  were  in  the  Assist- 
ant Provost  Marshal's  department.  When  in  battle,  he  was 
with  the  General  and  his  staff,  ready  to  assist  wherever 
needed.  General  Hunter  advanced  toward  Staunton,  Va., 
and  on  .Tune  5  fough.t  the  battle  of  Piedmont  in  the  Luray 
valley,  winning  a  decisive  victory.  The  advance  was  con- 
tinued and  Staunton  was  captured,  being  the  first  Federal 
troops  "to  enter  the  city.  The  command  then  advanced  to 
Lexington,  Va.,  without  fiu'ther  fighting,  the  expedition 
closing  with  the  l)attle  at  Lynchburg,  Va.,  and  the  retire- 
ment of  General  Hunter's  command.  In  addition  to  the 
campaigns  and  battles  named,  the  regiment  was  almost 
constantly  scouting,  breaking  up  predatory  bands,  and 
holding  the  advance  for  two  years  in  Western  Virginia. 
The  regiment  had  in  all,  including  recruits,  1,009  officers 
and  men  and  lost  by  death  in  l)attle,  in  prison  and  by 
disease,  189  men,  and  hundreds  of  wounded. 

ESCAPE    FROM     PRISON. 

Before  reaching  Lyncliburg,  a  few  men  whose  term  of 
service  was  al)out  to  expire,  were  detailed  to  take  the 
advance  of  the  troops  placed  in  command  of  the  wagon 
train,  ordered  bacK  to  the  Kanawha  valley.  In  this  detail 
were : 

Martin  V.  Sweet,  First  New  York  Lincoln  Cavalry. 

Joseph  H.  Anderson,  First  New  Jersey  Cavalry. 

Horace  Penniman,  First  Maryland  Infantry. 
y       Francis  S.  Reader,  Fifth  West  Virginia  Cavaliy. 

The    advance    had    considerable     fighting     with     small 


FRANCIS  READER. 


147 


parties  of  Confederates,  and  when  near  Lewisburg  on  the 
Kanawha  river,  while  about  a  mile  ahead  of  the  main 
column,  were  cut  off  from  the  command,  the  latter  being- 
engaged  by  a  body  of  Confederates;  they  were  driven  into 
the  mountains  near  Greenbrier  White  Sulphur  Springs,  and 


M.  V.  SWEET.  J.   H.  ANDERSON. 

H.   PENNIMAN.  F.  S.   READER 

(Photographs  taken  in  1865). 


on  June  20  were  captured  by  a  company  of  Confederate 
cavalry.  They  were  taken  to  Covington,  Va.,  and  i)ut  in 
jail,  and  a  few  days  later  to  Lexington,  Va.,  and  first  put 
in  a  room  above  a  storehouse  and  then  in  the  jail,  and  soon 
afterward  moved  to  Lynchburg.  Va.,  arriving  there  July  1. 


/ 


148  THE   READER   FAMILY. 

They  were  placed  in  an  old  tobacco  warehouse  on  the  canal, 
and  rimioved  July  3  to  another  warehouse  in  the  central 
part  of  the  city,  where  about  TOO  prisoners  were  confined. 
Six  attempts  were  made  by  the  party  of  four  comrades  to 
escape  from  this  prison,  but  each  was  foiled  by  extra 
yuards.  and  it  was  here  that  they  determined  that  they 
would  never  permit  themselves  to  be  taken  to  Anderson- 
ville  prison,  understood  to  be  their  destination. 

On  July  19,  five  hundred  of  the  prisoners  were  counted 
out  to  be  taken  to  Anderson ville.  were  put  aboard  a  train 
and  reached  Burkesville  Junction  about  G  o'clock  that 
evening,  where  they  were  unloaded  to  await  a  train  from 
liichmond.  The  train  soon  arrived,  made  up  of  box  cars, 
with  a  I;irge  door  on  each  side,  at  each  of  which  two  guards 
were  stationed.  Tlie  four  comrades  here  made  their  arrange- 
ments to  escape  from  this  train,  the  place  about  twenty 
miles  south.  They  had  a  small  map  of  Virginia  from  which 
they  had  outlined  the  course  to  take,  and  liad  gained  con- 
siderable information  from  the  guards  who  were  toild  by 
the  four  that  they  intended  to  go  home.  It  was  thought 
that  a  northeast  course  of  about  120  miles'  would  enable 
them  to  reach  Petersburg,  passing  through  Lunenburg, 
Nottoway  and  Dinwiddie  counties,  and  through  the  extreme 
right  wing  of  General  Robert  E.  Lee's  grand  Confederate 
army. 

Upon  entering  ihe  car  tliey  found  some  boards  loose  on 
the  side  of  the  car  at  the  rear  end,  which  they  forced 
sufficiently  for  a  man  to  get  through.  Their  plan  was  for 
each  to  take  a  guard  and  .lump  from  the  train  with  him,  in 
the  hope  of  overcoming  them  and  escaping,  but  the  hole  in 


FRANCIS  READER.  149 


the  ear  offered  a  safer  and  easier  plan  and  it  was  adopted. 
When  near  Meherrin  station,  Lunenburg  county,  Va.,  about 
twenty  miles  south  of  Burkesville  Junction,  and  about  25 
miles  southeast  of  famous  Appomattox,  they  got  ready  to 
leave  the  car.  Sweet  was  selected  as  leader  and  tirst  went 
through  the  hole,  followed  by  Anderson,  then  Reader,  and 
Penniman  brought  up  the  rear,  alighting  within  a  few  rods 
of  each  other,  in  the  edge  of  a  woods.  It  was  raining  and 
quite  darli,  and  evidently  their  escape  was  unobserved. 
They  had  no  idea  what  direction  to  take  and  stood  under 
the  trees  until  the  rain  was  over  and  the  clouds  passed 
away,  and  they  were  able  to  determine  the  course  to  take, 
the  North  star  ueing  their  guide  in  the  long,  weary  nights 
of  the  escape. 

That  night  they  walked  probably  about  eight  miles, 
through  thick  underbrush  and  briers,  and  the  next  day  hid 
in  the  woods,  in  which  two  men  were  at  work  all  day.  The 
next  night  they  tramped  about  six  hours,  and  on  the  21st 
rested  in  a  clump  of  thick  bushes.  That  evening  they  had 
their  tirst  meal  on  the  escape,  a  slave  woman  giving  them 
a  supper  of  corn  bread,  fried  bacon  and  milk.  The  slaves 
were  faithful  friends  to  the  escaping  prisoners,  helping 
them  whenever  they  could  and  never  betraying  them. 
During  the  night  they  made  but  little  progress,  crossing 
with  difficulty  the  Nottoway  river  and  walking  through 
dense  woods,  camping  during  the  day  of  the  22d  in  a  clump 
of  dwarf  oaks.  From  this  time  on  they  were  constantly  in 
danger  of  recapture,  camps  and  scouting  parties  of  the 
Confederates  seeming  to  be  everywhere.  Early  in  the  eve- 
ning Sweet  went  on  the  hunt  for  food,  and  was  rewarded 


150  THE  READER  FAiMILY. 

by  tlie  party  being  taken  to  a  cabin,  and  there  fed  by  a 
slave  woman  on  corn  bread  and  fried  bacon,  about  the  hist 
she  had  for  herself  and  family. 

They  made  good  pi  ogress  during  the  night,  and  toward 
morning  turned  aside  into  an  orchard  to  get  some  apples 
and  were  surprised  to  see  a  large  number  of  fine  horses 
gTazing.  This  looked  suspicious,  and  they  turned  to  the 
right  into  a  heavy  pine  forest,  where  they  remained  during 
day  time  of  the  23d.  When  daylight  appeared  Pennimau 
made  a  tour  of  the  woods  and  returned  in  about  an  hour, 
stating  that  he  had  seeui  a  slave  who  told  him  that  they 
were  within  a  mile  of  a  Confederate  camp,  directly  behind 
the  orchard  the  horses  were  in,  near  a  place  called  Blacks 
and  Whites.  During  the  day  they  could  hear  calls  of  the 
bugle  from  the  camp.  When  night  came  this  slave  joined 
the  party  and  took  them  to  a  plantation  about  two  miles 
distant,  where  he  and  wife  gave  them  a  supper  of  the  best 
food  they  had.  He  then  acted  as  guide  for  them  passing 
rapidly  away  from  Blacks  and  Whites,  and  left  them  with 
a  number  of  slaves,  one  of  whom  acted  as  guide  for  about 
8  miles,  when  they  ran  into  a  Confederate  foraging  train, 
the  guards  running  into  the  woods.  They  were  in  the  midst 
of  the  park  of  wagons,  the  teamsters  stretched  out  asleep 
except  one,  but  he  was  so  busy  with  his  team  that  he  failed 
to  see  the  escaping  prisoners,  who  slipped  into  the  Avoods 
and  made  good  their  escape.  The  guide  begged  to  be 
relieved,  and  as  a  reward  for  his  services.  Reader  gave  him 
his  vest,  the  one  remaining  relic  of  civilized  life  in  the 
party. 

On  the  24th,  a  heavy  rain  drove  them  into  a  tobacco 


FRANCIS  READER.  151 

drying  house,  about  half  a  mile  distant  from  some  liouses. 
After  dark  Reader  went  near  the  houses  to  find  a  friendly 
slave,  but  instead  met  a  white  woman  of  whom  he  asked 
some  questions  and  retired  to  the  woods,  and  was  not 
followed.  They  then  passed  through  the  woods  and  reached 
a  plantation,  and  Anderson  went  toward  a  house  and  met  a 
slave  who  informed  him  that  four  Confederate  officers  were 
in  the  house,  and  they  were  near  Dinwiddle  court  house 
where  there  was  a  force  of  Confederate  cavalry.  They  at 
once  left  the  neighborhood,  the  rain  pouring  down  and 
making  walking  difficult,  and  soon  reached  some  cabins  in 
which  they  wai-med  their  chilled  bodies^  by  a  roaring  wood 
fire,  and  partially  dried  their  clothing.  Tliey  could  get 
nothing  to  eat.  and  a  black  from  another  plantation  asked 
them  to  go  with  him  and  he  would  get  them  food,  which  they 
accepted.  After  about  three  miles  of  a  hard  walk  in  the 
woods,  they  reached  a  cabin  where  he  built  a  good  fire  and 
gave  them  plenty  of  corn  bread  and  bacon.  After  this  he 
took  them  into  the  woods  where  they  remained  dux'ing  the 
25th. 

The  guide  returned  in  the  evening  with  some  food  and 
led  them  a  few  miles.  This  night  they  ran  into  two 
foraging  trains  in  camp  and  barely  escaped  capture.  Later 
in  the  night  they  were  walking  along  a  road,  when  a  body 
of  cavalry  galloped  along  aed  they  had  scarcely  time  to 
get  into  the  woods  and  hide.  They  were  nearing  Dinwiddie 
and  great  caution  was  necessary.  Turning  down  over  a 
bank  they  came  to  Stony  Creek,  and  were  alarmed  by  the 
voices  of  guards  who  were  guarding  the  bridge  over  that 
stream.    They  left  the  place  and  hid  in  the  woods.    During 


152  THE  READER  FAMILY. 

the  2Gtli  they  were  greatly  exposed,  many  persons  passing 
close  to  the  place  in  which  they  were  secreted.  After  dark 
they  crossed  Stony  Creek  and  secured  a  black  who  gave 
them  something  to  eat,  the  last  food  they  had  except  some 
green  apples,  until  they  reached  General  Meade's  head- 
quarters. The  black  guided  them  around  Dinwiddle, 
leaving  the  garrison  in  the  rear,  where  he  left  them. 

They  entered  a  dense  woods  and  toward  morning  were 
startled  by  a  shrill  cry  that  caused  the  hair  to  rise  on  their 
heads.  It  was  the  cry  of  the  wild  cat,  and  in  that  lonely 
forest  it  was  alarming  and  especially  as  they  had  no 
weapons  of  defence.  It  followed  them  until  daylight, 
though  no  attempt  was  made  to  attack  them.  The  next 
night  they  were  followed  by  it  or  another  one,  and  then 
this  annoyance  ceased. 

During  the  night  of  the  28th  they  had  one  exciting  event 
after  another.  Anderson  went  to  the  house  of  some  whites 
and  representing  himself  as  a  Confederate,  learned  all 
about  the  location  of  the  Confederate  troops  in  that  vicinity. 
There  were  tbree  camps  of  cavalry  one  of  which  was  near 
Reams'  Station,  the  extreme  right  wing  of  Lee's  army. 
Leaving  here  they  were  passing  through  a  swamp  when 
they  were  challenged  by  Confederate  pickets,  and  had  the 
utmost  difficulty  in  avoiding  capture,  only  the  darkness  and 
the  heavy  woods  saving  them.  Tramping  to  reach  the 
Weldon  railroad  they  were  startled  by  bugle  calls,  and 
found  themselves  in  full  view  of  a  cavalry  camp,  the  forces 
in  motion,  and  soon  were  almost  in  the  grasp  of  the  Con- 
federates, but  in  the  confusion  again  escaped.  They 
cautiously  moved  forward  toward  the  road,  now  on  hands 


FRANCIS  READER.  153 

and  feet,  and  again  for  a  few  yards  on  tlioir  feet,  until  they 
heard  the  rumbliuig  of  a  train,  and  they  lay  down  in  a 
patch  of  corn  until  the  train  had  passed  them.  Then  with  a 
rush  to  the  road  they  crossed  its  tracks  and  disappeared  in 
the  darkness  of  the  forest,  eluding  the  guards,  and  rejoiced 
that  deliverance  was  near  at  hand. 

The  29th,  was  the  most  exciting  day  so  far.  They  lay 
all  day  within  a  short  distance  of  a  cavalry  camp,  whose 
bugle  calls  grated  harshly  on  their  ears.  Soldiers  were 
close  to  them  all  day  and  a  move  on  their  part  meant  cap- 
ture. Sleep  was  out  of  the  question  and  hunger  was  for- 
gotten. When  welcome  darkness  came  they  hurried  from 
the  place,  avoiding  the  guards.  Crossing  through  a  dense 
wood  they  stopped  near  a  house,  and  Sweet  determined  to 
have  something  to  eat  at  the  risk  of  his  life.  As  he  entered 
one  door  of  the  house  a  Confederate  soldier  went  out  of 
another.  The  pickets  were  too  close  for  comfort  and  they 
continued  their  weary  tramp  in  the  woods.  A  little  further 
along  a  squad  of  cavalry  compelled  them  to  hunt  cover. 
Sooui  a  house  was  reached  and  rhey  asked  the  white 
inmates  how  far  it  was  to  their  picket  line,  representing 
themselves  as  Confederate  soldiers,  and  learned  that  the 
pickets  of  the  two  armies  were  watching  each  other  about 
two  and  one  half  miles  away.  They  then  went  into  a  thick 
part  of  the  woods  and  camped  for  the  day.  They  were  in 
a  good  sleep  but  were  awakened  early  by  the  thunder  of 
the  guns  at  Petersburg. 

The  30th  was  their  deliverance  but  it  was  a  day  of 
doubt  and  fear.  Early  in  the  day  they  heard  a  field  gun  in 
the  front  of  the  woods,  followed  by  others  growing  louder 


(1    H 


154  THE  READER  FAMILY. 

and  louder,  and  later  on  the  spiteful  bark  of  the  carbine 
was  heard.  Running  forward  they  saw  that  fighting  was 
in  progress,  and  not  caring  for  trouble  they  followed  the 
woods  to  the  right.  After  walliing  for  perhaps  two  miles, 
they  came  to  an  open  place  where  they  could  see  the  con- 
tending forces  in  a  brislv  cavalry  fight,  one  side  falling  back 
to  the  woods  they  had  left  but  could  not  tell  to  which  army 
they  belonged.  They  went  under  the  cover  of  some  bushes 
to  watch,  when  a  company  of  cavalry  galloped  down  a  road 
past  them,  in  the  direction  of  the  woods  they  had  left,  so 
covered  with  dust  that  they  could  not  be  recognized.  Penni- 
man  went  near  the  road  to  watch  for  them,  and  presently 
the  company  came  back,  and  out  of  the  dust  the  blue  of 
some  of  the  uniforms  showed.  Jumping  to  his  feet  and 
waving  his  hat,  Penniman  called  out,  "Come  on  boys,  thank 
God  we  are  safe."  Instantly  a  score  of  carbines  were 
leveled  at  them,  when  they  called  out  to  the  troops,  "don't 
fire,  we  are  escaping  Federal  soldiers,"  and  every  carbine 
fell  to  its  place,  and  the  hungry,  weary  escaping  prisoners 
were  safe  beneath  the  authority  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes. 

They  were  taken  to  General  Meade's  headquarters  near 
Petersburg,  and  bountifully  fed  and  cared  for,  so  much  so 
that  Reader  became  very  sick,  not  recovering  for  some 
months,  rendering  him  unfit  for  further  military  service. 
He  was  then  sent  to  Wheeling,  W.  Ya.,  and  discharged 
from  the  service  August  9, 1864,  dating  from  July  28,  1864, 
being  in  active  service  for  three  years  and  eighteen  days. 


v^.'Ai^""^' 


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